#if you're too anxious to go to the party you both had planned to attend tonight he understands

[meownotgood]

The idea of aki taking care of his person going through a rough patch mental health wise like depression or anxiety has me shaking in my boots I love him so MUCH he would help you do breathing exercises and bundle you up and do anything for you he’s such a caregiver I am so mentally ill for this man

I KNOW RIGHT I just know aki would take the best care of you....

aki can tell immediately when you're feeling off, even if you refuse to admit it, he just knows, without you ever needing to say a word. you can talk to him about it if you'd like, but you don't have to. he'll stay with you for hours, for as long as you need, refusing to leave your side until he knows you're going to be alright. he'll call off work if he needs to, he doesn't care.

he always asks you if you need anything, or if there's anything he can do to help, but even if you say there's nothing, he somehow always just knows exactly what you need. whether it's for him to cook your favorite meal, or for him to hold you until you fall asleep, or for him to give you words of reassurance. you can find solace in the fact that aki always knows just what you need to feel okay.

[kpostedsum]

high | d.m

summary: you find an unhealthy way of coping after draco cheats on you

warnings: drug use (marijuana) angsty¿, cheating, illusions to sex

song: habits - tove lo

a/n: this fic isn’t meant to romanticize drug use in any way. i also know nothing abt weed so LOL and very rushed & not edited

masterlist | taglist

I eat my dinner in my bathtub

Then I go to sexclubs

Watching freaky people gettin' it on

It doesn't make me nervous

If anything I'm restless

Yeah, I've been around and I've seen it all

you had a few minutes left of your charms class which was your last class before the weekend. you wanted nothing more than to get out of here and cuddle up with your boyfriend— who was enjoying his free period right now.

draco was one of the best boyfriends you could ask for, the frequent dates, gifts, and attention— it was more than you could wish for.

“you’re excused. you essays are due at the beginning of next week” snapes monotone voice dragged on as you quickly packed up your things and made your way to the slytherin common room.

I get home, I got the munchies

Binge on all my Twinkies

Throw up in the tub

Then I go to sleep

And I drank up all my money

Days get kinda lonely

entering the slytherin common room your eyes immediately searched for a certain blond boy, yet he was nowhere to be found. you made your way to the boys dorms in hopes of finding him there but you’re quickly interrupted by two familiar voices.

“why hello y/n, marvellous weather we’re having today aren’t we?” theo asked looking towards the ceiling and smiling as if he were outside, blaise blocking your path as he did so.

“i’m not sure what weather you’re talking about since we’re inside but i am okay thank you” you responded with a chuckle, trying to make your way past blaise.

“wait y/n” he stopped you. “can i borrow the astronomy notes? i would ask luna but i can’t find her anywhere” blaise continued.

they both seemed awfully on edge and anxious, you figured it was just quidditch nerves getting to them since there was an upcoming game this week.

“i have yet to finish my astronomy notes, but i did see luna in the great hall if you want her notes. now if you’d excuse me i’d like to see draco” you said trying to push past the two boys who still wouldn’t let you through.

“forget malfoy! let’s do something instead, we’re so much more fun than him, right blaise?” theo said giving blaise a pointed look as he threw his arm around your shoulder.

“right you are nott, let’s go!” blaise continued also throwing his arm around your shoulder and leading you away from the boys dorm.

“what? no, i have plans with draco. now excuse me” you said pushing them both off and heading towards dracos door.

as you get closer to his door you can hear heavy breathing, pants and skin slapping on skin. you’re confused, you figured draco would be taking a nap or running over drills for quidditch practice. the closer you get, the louder the noises become.

“pans, you feel so good”

you recognize that voice anywhere.

You're gone and I gotta stay

High all the time

To keep you off my mind

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

High all the time

To keep you off my mind

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

quickly you turned your head towards blaise and theo who had their heads lowered in shame, refusing to meet your gaze. “is this some kind of sick joke, are you guys pulling a prank or something because this isn’t funny” you said seriously not wanting to believe what you’re hearing from inside of your boyfriends dorm.

“we’re sorry, we tried to convince him not too but he wouldn’t listen” theo muttered silently.

it felt like your world was breaking apart slowly. just not too long ago you were excited to spend a weekend with your boyfriend who you loved so dearly, the same boyfriend who you’ve been dating for years, the same boyfriend who gets jealous about how much time you spend with his mum rather than him.

with shaky fingers you put your hand on the door knob and quickly pushed the door open, already preparing for the worst.

there he was, wrapped up with parkinson in the same bed you two shared not even twenty-four hours ago. her body straddling his naked, just like yours was doing the night before. you stood there frozen, mouth agape— not even knowing what to do with yourself.

“baby, i can explain, just please— y/n please don’t leave” draco said pushing pansy off of him, shuffling on his pants and reaching out towards you.

“dont touch me, malfoy!” you yelled and everyone froze. “you lost the right to touch me the minute you even thought of touching her” you continued sending both him and pansy a glare with tears threatening to slip from your eyes.

“darling please, i can explain—”

“no draco, we’re done just leave me alone, please” your voice cracking at the end as you pushed past blaise and theo rushing towards the girls dormitory.

Spend my days locked in a haze

Trying to forget you babe

I fall back down

Gotta stay high all my life

To forget I'm missing you

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

it’s been days since you last left your room, days since you last saw draco. daphne would come by and check on you but you’d always dismiss her, wanting to be alone. regret is one word to describe how you’ve been feeling— you gave him everything and he threw it away so carelessly for a quick hook up.

you missed waking up against his smooth skin in his embrace, tracing the lines and scars across his porcelain skin as you waited for him to wake up, the way he’d try to kiss you in the morning without brushing his teeth and you wouldn’t let him because of morning breath— but he’d still do it anyways.

you missed him, but he didn’t want you anymore.

maybe it was something you’ve done, you’ve been quite busy with work recently so you haven’t been spending as much time with him as normal. he was probably lonely and trying to seek the attention you lacked to give him.

getting up, you stared at yourself in the mirror picking yourself apart. you were pretty, it was a well known fact around hogwarts, maybe he thought she was prettier. she was the life of the party and always up for some mischief whereas you preferred to do stuff in silence and would rather be with a small group of people. maybe he liked how exciting she was in comparison to you, she probably brought a spark of excitement to his life that you couldn’t.

dreading to feel something you quickly showered and got ready to leave your room hoping to run into a specific set of twins.

Pick up daddies at the playground

How I spend my daytime

Loosen up the frown,

Make them feel alive

I'll make it fast and greasy

I'm on my way to easy

“well what can we do for you today” fred said to you with a cheeky smile plastered across his face.

“do you have any muggle herb left?” you asked in a low voice making sure no one heard you.

“maybe we do, maybe we don’t” george said. “how much are you offering in exchange though” he continued.

“ten galleons for three ounces, is that enough” you said pulling the galleons out of your pockets and placing them in george’s palm.

“it was a pleasure doing business with you” they said in unison as fred placed the tiny baggie in your pocket so no one would see.

once you returned to your dormitory you quickly pulled out the pre-rolled muggle herb, lit it and let yourself forget.

You're gone and I gotta stay

High all the time

To keep you off my mind

Spend my days locked in a haze

Trying to forget you babe

I fall back down

Gotta stay high all my life

To forget I'm missing you

you started showing up to class late with red tired eyes, not caring about the looks you got. at this point every one knew what had happened but you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

the muggle herb brought you a sense of bliss and freedom, a new feeling you haven’t felt before but something that you now craved.

“are you high right now?” draco said as he sat himself in the seat beside you.

“since when do you care about what i’m doing” you said sharply, not wanting to talk with him.

“love, you don’t smoke. who gave that stuff to you, i’ll kill them—”

“no you won’t.” you said turning towards him. “you won’t do any of that because you don’t own me and i’m not your girlfriend anymore. so mind your business malfoy, i’m sure parkinson’s waiting for you”

the rest of the class you both sat in silence working on potions that draco did most of since you weren’t in the correct mind state and he wasn’t willing to let his mark falter over your slip up.

you find it amazing how even when you’re on drugs he still looks amazing. the way his nose curves perfectly with a slight bump, and the way his hands move with caution as he pours the potion into the waste bucket.

“look, i’m sorry for what happened with pansy. it didn’t mean anything i swear, i don’t know why i did it but i regret it with my life” draco said breaking your thoughts, he looked older than normal and had dark circles underneath his under eyes. you wondered why he looked so distraught when he wasn’t the one who got cheated on.

“a sorry isn’t going to fix this draco” you told him. he knew you were right but he didn’t want to admit it. he hadn’t talked to pansy since the day you walked in on them, the guilt has been eating him up inside. he stayed silent and didn’t bother respond to you, he knew anything he said would have made the situation worst than it already is— but how he wished you were still his sweet y/n.

“now if you excuse me, i have some fun to attend too” you said leaving him alone as you made your way back to your dorm.

Staying in my play pretend

Where the fun, it got no end

Can't go home alone again

Need someone to numb the pain

You're gone and I gotta stay

High all the time

To keep you off my mind

over the last few weeks, you couldn’t remember the last time you were sober. you started skipping classes to smoke and avoiding your friends so they’d stop questioning your habits.

you were forgetting and that’s all that mattered, you didn’t care how it was affecting your health— it made you feel better. sometimes you wished there was another way, another way to forget how he held you at night pressing soft kisses to your skin, another way to forget the way he took pansy the same way he took you. you wonder if he feels as sorry as he looks, he’s the one who cheated so he can’t possibly care that much.

you hear two knocks at your door which quickly break you from your state making you more attentive, cleaning yourself up and opening the door. there stood draco— his eyes red as well, like hes been crying.

“y/n listen, i know what i did was wrong and that i tried to pretend it wasn’t me but please. i didn’t mean too, you mean the world to me. i miss you so much love.” he pleaded with you.

“y’know draco, i miss you too” you admitted. “but i’ve found a way to forget about you, maybe you should do the same”.

Gotta stay high all my life

To forget I'm missing you

-

taglist: @mauvea @teenwolfbitches28 @ilygw @nic0lodean @s1ater @henqtic @justreadingficsdontmindme @i-love-scott-mccall @harmqnia @gwlvr @alishahpotter

[the-wales-5]

"Valentine's Day 2003"

~ Chapter 1

14th February 2003. Catherine Middleton woke up. Last night, she went to a party with William and their flatmates despite it being only Thursday. After it ended, Kate was too weak to go on her own. Now she woke up with a hangover in her boyfriend's bed.

“Ugh, I hate it” she murmured right after opening her eyes

“What do you hate, Miss Middleton?”

William teased her. He was awake for the last 20 minutes already and was watching how his girlfriend was sleeping with hair all over her face. Surprisingly, he was not showing off any signs of drinking alcohol last night.

“You” she snapped back and slowly got up off bed "I shouldn't have drank anything, at least not so much. Can I take a shower in your bathroom?”

“Yes, you can” William replied, smiling at her. Catherine rolled her tired eyes.

“Do not smile because I will not smile back at you. My head is spinning, even talking for too long is making it worse, not to mention smiling..”

She groaned and went to the bathroom.

In those circumstances, Kate had forgotten about Valentine's Day completely even though she was usually the most excited person for this kind of day. This year, a hangover ruined her mood and ability to think clearly.

William never before has he had the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's day.

His previous girlfriends were not intelligent enough to understand the significance of that day and also he was not a romantic soul. Now that he met Catherine and they both confessed their feelings to each other, he was actually planning something to impress her, especially that it was supposed to be their first Valentine's day as a couple.

***

Kate left William's room and reached her own in a few next minutes. She still was not aware of what day it was until she turned the radio on.

"It's 9:30 AM on Friday, 14th February 2003. Here's your hourly dose of news from BBC Radio 1. A reminder: we're looking forward to hearing your love stories or anecdotes. Feel free to send them, you can also request-.."

Catherine switched it off and then took a painkiller to let it stop her headache. She left the room in a rush to not be late for the lecture that was starting less than 10 minutes later in another building.

*

11:30 AM. After nearly 2 hours of lectures, Middleton was standing in a corridor with a group of friends before the exam. She was anxious, not because of her little knowledge which was not an issue because she was studying yet before the party the day before but because of a headache that was not leaving despite taking the painkiller or rather 2 of them. Kate was lost in thoughts as trying on focus on repeating for the exam when her boyfriend approached her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, feeling quite astonished as he never attended lectures and even if he would then the geography classes were held at the 2nd floor, not 1st where they were currently.

“I wondered whether you would be interested in missing this particular exam”

“What? What are you saying?”

She asked as they left the place where her friends would be able to hear their conversation. Although everyone from their circle of friends was aware of their relationship, William nor Catherine were not confirming anything.

“You need to relax after 2 hours of lectures”

“But I have an exam now..” she whispered

William held her hand “Tell me the truth, Kate. Do you really want to spend Valentine's day at the university building? To attend lectures? To fail an exam? To feel unsatisfied after that?”

“Bold of you to assume that I will fail, Mr. Wales”

“You will fail. You're totally unprepared”

“I am prepared” she replied confidently

‘You are thinking only about your headache and trying to revise your knowledge hastily. It's not the key, Miss Middleton”

“Are you now trying to persuade me to skip this exam because of Valentine's day or because you failed in your exam a week ago and you want the same for me?” she teased her boyfriend and chuckled a little.

“I have corrected my grade from that exam and you'll just have to wait a few days to complete yours”.

“6 days”

“See? It's not that long and surely you will have better knowledge and confidence, rather than attempting to pass this one with a headache right now. Don't you agree?”

She nodded and smiled a little as passing by her boyfriend and other students, leaving the 1st floor and then the university building.

One of her friends called her name but she was not paying attention. William giggled and quickly followed his girlfriend.

•

When the professor started checking the presence of the students and read Catherine's surname out loud there was silence in the hall, followed by quiet words spoken by her friends. The professor requested silence.

“Next date for anyone who has not attended today will be on Thursday, 20th February”.

The exam started when Catherine and her boyfriend were enjoying a valentine's day walk away from all of their friends.

-I should attend the exam - she said quietly

“No, you're not a robot”

“Yes but still I feel bad for--..”

“For goodness sake, stop talking about exams. You deserve a break.”

William grabbed and caressed her hands

“Do you want to drink hot tea or maybe chocolate? Once when I was here a few months ago I noticed a cosy coffee shop. Shall we visit it now?”

“I actually need something hot to drink because of my hangover so..”

“So we are going to that coffee shop” William grabbed her hand more and they went towards the shop in a rush.

**

As they reached the coffee shop, Miss Middleton felt dizzy.

“Are you alright?” William asked her quietly

“Yes, I am fine.. “

“But you're pale..”

She closed her eyes and murmured that she wanted to drink water so the waitress brought a small bottle.

“Thank you” Catherine whispered and took a small sip

William held her arm now, saying:

“I should've considered that you still may feel dizzy because of the hangover..”

“No, it's okay.. Are you sure you won't be recognised here?”

“Don't worry about it. Do you want to drink something or shall we go back to..”

“We came here for coffee or hot chocolate, right? Let's order something”.

William smiled at her and chuckled softly while thinking how stubborn his girlfriend was even when she was feeling unwell.

“I want hot chocolate. What about you?” he asked after a few seconds

“Same for me”

“Two cups with hot chocolate, please," he ordered when the waitress came to the table where they were sitting.

Kate was getting better. She giggled, then said:

“Perhaps the fact that I am feeling unwell is professor's revenge because I haven't attended the exam”

“Your sense of humour is still here as I see”

“It's basically never leaving me”

“Yes I noticed that”.

William smiled and wanted to hold his girlfriend's hand when their 2 cups of chocolate were served.

“Do you like it?” Catherine asked after taking a sip

He nodded and Kate laughed then, second later she wiped his mouth

“What are you doing now?”

“You had chocolate marks all over your mouth”.

She replied as trying to control her laugh:

“It was not funny. You once had a mark like that too”.

They looked into each other's eyes and synchronised thought that it's their first Valentine's day but hopefully not the last.

As Catherine was slowly sipping on her chocolate, she noticed some paintings on the walls.

“What are you looking at, Kate?”

“Flowers”

“What? There are no plants here”

She chuckled softly and replied:

“I mean flowers on those paintings, William”

“Oh yes.. But wait, what's so special in them though? Nothing if you ask me”

“I totally understand why you were not a fan of the history of art. You are a typical man and geography student” Catherine sighed as pretending to feel irritated.

“What's wrong with me being a geography student? I don't think I can get your point”

“Well, I am sorry to say that but you're probably not able to recognise the beauty of nature. Sorry” she replied and took another sip of her chocolate

“What makes you think that?”

“It's just a feeling I got in those 1,5 years since I've known you. Hope it's not hurtful”

“No, not at all” William smiled a little.

When Catherine finished drinking her chocolate, she got up off the chair.

“If you excuse me I'll go to the bathroom and check myself in the mirror if I have some chocolate marks on my face perhaps”

“Okay” William nodded and as his girlfriend headed for the bathroom, he looked at her and chuckled softly as remembering her recent words about him.

She came back to their table and basically at the same time, the radio was playing one of the romantic songs and soon the speaker said:

"Here's again a new romantic and heartwarming story told by…"

“I hate it so much. I mean I love Valentine's day but those stories from other people that are telling everyone how they met. It's just.. weird” Kate said as she drowned out the radio sounds.

“Why? Don't you think it's a good way to tell…”

“Tell what? "Romantic, heartwarming" stories that can be annoying to others, to single people? That's truly astonishing. I bet that the guy whose story is now being read either cheated on his girlfriend or wife or she's cheating on him. Real love doesn't need attention or radio announcements”.

William was looking at her and carefully listening to her words. Finally, he reached his hand out to her, Catherine squeezed it as smiling lovingly. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

***

Finally, after more than an hour, they left the coffee shop, holding hands shyly. Catherine asked:

“Are we going back to the university now?”

“No, we're not. I thought about taking you for a walk”

“A walk? I thought you would take me for a motorcycle ride”

“Is walking a bad option?”

She was about to reply when in a second her hair was messed up because of the strong wind. She was trying to control them while William was looking at her.

Right then she noticed his smile and said:

“There's nothing funny about the fact that my hairstyle is now being devastated”.

William touched her hair and tucked it behind her ear. ‘So, are we going for a walk now?”

“Okay, but where?”

“Just somewhere away from the university, just like I planned in the morning”

“That sounds great”.

Catherine smiled cheekily. William held her hand but right then her hair was ruined by the wind once more.

“Do you need help with it?”

“You can't stop the wind” Catherine rolled her eyes

“But I can help you with your hair”

“I am wondering how you will do it”

“Wear my cap” William quickly took off his cap and put it on Kate's head, putting her hair under it

“It's too big” she giggled

“But it helps you and you look nice so it's okay”.

His girlfriend looked at him lovingly, saying:

“Let us go now”

“As you wish, Miss Middleton. We're going somewhere that you've never been yet”

“Scottish castle?”

“No” William giggled as taking her hand into his.

**

“William, are you okay?” Kate asked. Her face was not showing any signs of tiredness.

“Honestly? I am exhausted”

“Well, I felt that way in the morning while you were alright so we can have an exchange of those feelings”.

She was visibly teasing him but all William could notice now was a bottle of water that Catherine took from the coffee shop. He took a long sip.

“Perhaps there was something good about me feeling weak earlier because this water now helped you”

“I forgot to ask you earlier, are you feeling better now?”

“My headache and hangover are gone so I think so. Thank you for taking me for this long walk”.

William smiled and noticed her rosy cheeks. He couldn't help himself and kissed her.

**

35 minutes later, the couple was continuing their walk silently when suddenly William said:

“Can we go back now? It's getting quite late”

“Are you afraid of darkness, Mr. Wales?”

“No, not at all but..”

“But what?”

“In the morning I heard a weather forecast on the radio. Rain is expected to come soon”

“Here?”

“All over Scotland”

“What?”

You heard what I said”

“Wait.. Oh no!”

Catherine nearly shouted when she felt a raindrop on her hair that were not fully covered by her boyfriend's cap.

“What happened?”

“It's too late, it's raining! “

-Come on. We have to leave this area soon before rain will make us completely soaked.

They started to run despite William's tiredness. He wanted to make sure that Catherine felt comfortable and would not get mad towards him.

***

To be continued ♡

Chapter II

[rosesisupposes]

If you're craving prompts, might I humbly request DLAMP, "we keep doing everything out of order."

…this took much longer than I planned, and is far longer than I planned. Also, much fluffier. But I hope you like it, dearest @potestessemagishomosexualitatis 💗💗

Last To Know

Pairing: (hurtling towards) DLAMP

Warnings: immigration, marriage of convenience, mild swearing? I think that’s it

Word count: 3,135

Tag list: @residentanchor @royally-anxious @bewarethegrammarpolice  @jemthebookworm @arandompasserby  @sparkly-rainbow-salt @astral-eclipse​ @thelowlysatsuma @adorably-angsty @max-is-tired @almostoveranalyzed  @hawthornshadow @mariniacipher 

read on ao3

There was a very reasonable explanation for all of this. It had been purely a logistical decision. Four acquaintances of Logan’s needed a place to live in his city; Logan had four vacancies in the house he owned and rented. He always kept the top floor for himself, making new tenants a risk, but he at least knew of the others through a combination of mutual friends, shared classes back in undergrad, and generally living in the same area.

They’d settled in fairly easily, right up until Roman confessed his visa was running out and he would likely have to leave the country. Patton had immediately started crying and hugging Roman and insisting they’d find a way to keep him there. Logan was unaware of when Patton had started caring so much. But even Virgil looked distressed, and Damien started wondering aloud how well they could hide him in the house so that he didn’t have to leave.

“Why can’t you apply for a new visa?” Logan asked.

“I’m no longer a student, and I’d need a more regular job for them to sponsor me for a full green card…” Roman said, facing Logan with some difficult thanks to Patton still being twined around him.

Dee’s dark eyes alit. “I know! You should marry one of us! Spouse visa! And then you can work on citizenship!”

“Isn’t that a bit extreme-” Logan started, but he was interrupted by Patton and Virgil both raising their hands as volunteers and Dee cackling in delight.

“But how to choose,” Roman said mournfully. “All my best friends in the world, how could I possibly marry only one of you!”

Virgil suddenly smirked, and Logan looked over curiously. “You know…” the dark-clad man said thoughtfully. “If you’re marrying someone for a visa, it really should be someone responsible and trustworthy. Someone who could believably support you.”

Logan had no idea what he was talking about, but suddenly all heads were turned towards him, and there was a more-than-a-little disturbing resemblance in the mischievous grins on each of his housemates’ faces.

Roman gently dropped Patton back onto the couch, and strode over to Logan wearing his “pompous prince” face (as coined by Virgil, of course). Stopping a foot away, he bowed elegantly.

“Dearest Logan, generous landlord, resident nerd, first stop for endearing space trivia and Sherlock obsessions, would you do me the great honor of giving me your hand in transactional matrimony?”

Logan blinked once. Then twice. Then attempted to speak but only achieved opening his mouth like a particularly stunned fish.

“Is that a yes?” Patton whispered to Dee in the background.

“I think it’s just gay panic,” Dee whispered back, looping an arm around the smaller man’s waist.

“…me?” Logan finally got out.

“Yes, my textually-charged academic,” Roman purred, taking Logan’s hand in his. “I need a man to support me in this foreign land of haw-yees and rednecks, you are the only one I trust to protect me.”

“Hey, we’d protect you too!” Virgil objected, sitting down on top of the couch. “But if you were in trouble, Patton would cry, I’d probably end up punching someone by accident, and Dee’s plan would either end in flames or crimes or both.”

“…isn’t this proposal also Dee’s plan?” Logan asked weakly.

“Yes, but this one is wonderful,” Roman said, kissing Logan’s hand in a way that was not distracting at all, thank you. “Plus, this way you don’t need to find a new lodger midway through the year!”

“I suppose that is a perk,” Logan admitted. “And the immigration process is so convoluted, this would likely be easier…”

“That’s the spirit! Almost!” Patton cheered. “Logan, you own a tux, right?!”

“Yes, why?”

“For the wedding, silly!”

~~~~

Logan really should have thought this through more. But the house had dived into preparations before he could properly object. Dee had made a Pinterest board and “ironically” sent Logan post after post of nerdy wedding aesthetics. Patton kept sneaking up on Logan and Roman with cake samples to try. Virgil popped his head into Logan’s room on a regular basis with out of the blue questions like “Black Parade could be a reception song, right?” and “How many volts of fairy lights could we run without fucking over the electric bill?”

And Roman just kept… being Roman. Flirting outrageously in that way that clearly meant so little to him but was starting to mean something to Logan himself. He’d taken to kissing his hand a lot and greeting him as “my darling fiancé,” and sitting next to or practically on top of him whenever the group was in the same room. Logan found himself agitated by how easily he was blushing now, all the time.

Roman had apparently opened the floodgates, because everyone was being far too affectionate now. Yes, Patton had always been a hugger, but now he kept planting kisses on Logan’s cheek, and holding hands with Dee, and sitting on Virgil or Roman’s lap and sometimes both at once. Dee flirted with, Logan was quite sure, every single person he laid his eyes on ever. But now he kept upping the ante and using fantastical phrases and wordplay tailored to the object of his attention. Logan had had no idea that being called ‘starlight’ would be quite so jarring and endearing and infuriating all in a moment. And Virgil had entirely betrayed him. They used to be the two reasonable ones, or so he thought. But no, Virgil was willingly participating with all of this madness, and had an amazing irritating habit of rubbing the nape of his neck when he was stressed so that all his muscles went involuntarily fluid and relaxed.

Logan arrived home one day to see their small backyard decked in lights, all the lawn furniture moved to the side so that the patio was clear. Patton greeted him at the gate with a hug and yet another cheek kiss as he said, “Lolo! Thank goodness you’re home, you need to get changed!”

“Whatever for?”

“Silly, it’s the 15th! The wedding!”

Logan stopped in his tracks. “I thought we weren’t going to the courthouse until next week?”

“Yes, but the semester will be over and all our friends still in undergrad won’t be able to make it. So we’re having the reception part tonight. We had this whole conversation after the movie last week, don’t you remember?”

But Logan did not. He didn’t even remember which movie it had been. Because Virgil had been slowly stroking his hairline, right at the back of his neck, and Patton had been lying across his lap so that he was across all three of Roman, Logan, and Virgil, and Roman had been giggling and leaning into his side in a way that it only made sense for him to lift his arm and drape it around him, and Dee had been telling Virgil how lovely his eyes were and… Logan had absolutely no memory of any other conversation that may or may not have happened.

But apparently that meant they had a party tonight.

Virgil convinced him to wear the tux still, and Patton blocked off the kitchen to finish the cake in secret. Dee kept making cracks about helping him change, but Roman was mysteriously absent all afternoon. Logan definitely didn’t miss him. It had only been a couple of hours! That would be silly and ridiculous and not what a highly logical person would do.

As 5pm arrived, Logan was in his well-tailored midnight-blue tuxedo. Dee, grinning in a tux with a bright yellow tie and matching gloves, arrived at his bedroom door to ‘escort the groom to the festivities.’ Somewhere on the walk down the stairs, Virgil joined them in a plain but nice-looking suit in black with a purple vest.

They walked out into the yard, filled with friends from the city and university they’d all attended. Everyone was in various forms of ‘their best’ from sundresses to cocktail dresses to gowns, from suspenders to jackets to tuxes, and some wonderful mixes of the two. Patton, glorious in a blue dress, had a microphone (where had they found a mic?) and greeted all his housemates happily and loudly.

“And now that the whole gang’s here, we can welcome the star of our hearts and the show! Roman, come on out for your first dance!”

Logan was pushed into the middle of the patio and Virgil held his shoulders facing away from the house. He could hear the door opening behind him and some “awws” and gasps from the crowd. Logan turned to look but Virgil held him, grinning. “Patience,” Virgil said teasingly.

Finally, the arms released him and Logan turned. Roman was only a couple of feet away, and he looked… stunning. He was wearing a gorgeous fluffy gown of red and gold and sequins, and matching makeup. Logan reached out a hand without thinking, and Roman took it with a smile. Music began to pour out of the speakers.

“It’s a beautiful night/We’re looking for something dumb to do/Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you”

Logan snorted. “A little on the nose, perhaps?” he murmured.

“I wanted to be precise,” Roman said back, lacing their fingers together and placing his free hand on Logan’s waist. With Roman taking the lead, they started to dance around the small dance floor of the patio. Virgil had done an amazing job with the fairy lights, rigging them to create a ceiling of sparkles that cast them all into a warm golden glow.

Roman suddenly smiled wide, and spun Logan around, letting his hand go free. Before Logan could catch himself, Dee caught his hands instead. Now Logan and Dee were waltzing around the floor in parallel to Roman, who was now dancing with Virgil. Their height difference made it a little awkward for Virgil to reach Roman’s shoulders, but then he lifted Roman by the waist to spin him through the air. The watching crowd whooped, and Roman laughed out loud, and Logan accidentally stepped on Dee’s foot because he forgot to watch where he was going. He stumbled, but was caught by something soft and blue. He looked down into huge blue eyes and a freckle-dappled smile.

“Thank you, Patton,” he said. “I’ve not quite got the hang of this dancing thing.”

“Maybe I can help!” Patton replied, pulling Logan close and guiding them into a simple waltz. “One-two-three, one-two-three,” he counted softly, and Logan followed the count, watching his feet.

He kept looking up slightly and then down again. Something about how bright Patton’s smile was, and how the lights reflected in his glasses and eyes, he just couldn’t look too long. But he did note that Dee and Roman were dancing now, some complicated dance that Logan felt himself mentally tripping just watching. But the two biggest drama queens of their house were in perfect sync, moving with fluid precision and both grinning hugely.

A tap on his shoulder pulled Logan’s attention to his side. Virgil smiled comfortingly. “Can I cut in, Lo?”

“Of course, Virge!” Pat said, stepping back. Logan was going to object to yet more dancing, he was, but Virgil had dressed up for this, and he was just self-conscious in front of crowds, so it would just be more polite to not turn him down. Virgil guided Logan’s hand to his hip, and Logan most definitely did not blush to be able to feel the shorter man’s muscles even through his formal outfit. And Patton had swirled off to dance with Ro, something much less regimented but with plenty of twirls and giggles. Dee kept the music going with “Can’t Keep My Eyes Off Of You,” and Logan and Virgil danced sedately, just swaying and turning.

“Virgil, why isn’t anyone else dancing?” Logan asked. “I thought after the first dance, the guests joined in?”

“Well, that is how it works for traditional weddings, yeah,” Virgil said in his familiar rumble. “But what about this is traditional?”

Logan chuckled at that, and let himself relax into the dance. Roman parted from Patton to change the music as Dee and Patton started to swing dance. Virgil and Logan both grinned watching them. Clearly all those old movie marathons had paid off.

Finally, Patton broke off and grabbed Virgil away from Logan. As the shortest members of the household, they were matched perfectly, and Virgil was willing to twirl and lift Patton to make the other man wriggle and laugh. Roman took the opportunity to pull Logan into his arms once more, and the crowd finally started to fill out the dance floor.

“Have I told you how good you look tonight, Logan?”

Blushing would absolutely be his cause of death. He hoped there wasn’t an afterlife, otherwise he would never live it down.

“I… thank you. Your dress is very dramatic and a little ridiculous but it’s so you.”

“They told me I couldn’t have a quinceñara,” he replied with a sniff. “So what better way to celebrate now?” They spun in relative quiet for a moment, when Roman smiled softly. “So, are you enjoying our wedding so far, Lolo?”

“You know, I rather am,” Logan admitted. “My feet are starting to get a bit tired, though.”

Roman swept Logan up off his feet and into his arms. “Is that better?”

Logan blushed hotly, muttering, “I meant I needed to sit down.”

“But is it better?” Roman wheedled. “No lying to your almost-husband, dear nerd.”

“…yes,” Logan admitted, and Roman laughed. The world was fairy-lights and glittering gowns, Logan was surrounded by his favorite people in the world, and later there would be five-tier cake and Crofter’s. It wasn’t something he’d ever expected, but he wasn’t such a stick-in-the-mud that he wouldn’t admit that it was magical.

~~~~

The flourescent lights of the courthouse were a far cry from the dreamlike lights of their reception, but today was the day and they were getting legally married. Logan was still a bit unsure about how they had reached this point, but found he cared less and less.

The whole house had come, of course, Patton linking Virgil’s and Dee’s arms around his own as he bounced in excitement. They waited through the decently-sized line until they finally reached the desk.

“Good morning, we would like a marriage license, please,” Logan said.

The clerk grinned just a bit bigger. “Congratulations! And what date would you like it made out for?”

“Today, please,” Roman said happily, linking his arm with Logan’s and squeezing. Patton make a sound of delight behind them.

The clerk nodded, and typed on the computer until they were interrupted by a question. “Do you know if it’s possible to enter a legal partnership with more than one person in this municipality?” The seemingly-idle question was in Dee’s unmistakeable drawl.

“Oh, yes, certainly! Marriage, domestic partnerships, and adoption can all be amended to have any number of partners. I think we need special permission at ten or more, but even that is still possible, just a longer process.”

Roman squeezed Logan’s arm tighter. “Lo? Is that okay?”

Logan looked back in confusion. “This is for you, Roman. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.”

Patton squealed again, and hugged them both from behind. “Form for five, please!”

Logan supposed that was all right. That would make it more believable, right? If Roman was equally committed to all his housemates, that would be more reason to let him stay in the country. And it made Patton so happy.

He felt slightly divorced from his body as he went through the motions of showing his ID, and signing the forms, but suddenly they were finished, and Roman had his arm looped around him on one side and Dee was on the other. Pat and Virge were on the outside, both snickering as the group tried to walk down the hallway without detaching with varying levels of success.

They were married. All five of them. And Roman would get to stay.

As they got home again, they all ended up sprawling across the couches. They fell into their most comfortable configuration, with Logan the only one sitting normally. Patton was taking full advantage of being the small one to sit across their laps. Dee was lying on the back of the couch up against the wall, fingers intertwined with Roman’s where he lounged diagonally with Pat’s head in his lap. Virgil was upside-down from the back of the couch, curled oddly so his head was on Logan’s thigh but Pat could still hold his hand.

Logan sighed contentedly.

“Whatcha thinkin’, Lolo?” Dee asked, a little sleepily.

“I was just reflecting on how comfortable I feel with you all. Even though we started as mere acquaintances, I do think of you all as very much like my family, now. And it’s rather nice that we’re legally a family now, for however long.”

Logan didn’t see the glances exchanged around and over him, but did hear Roman’s question. “How long would you like us to be, Logan?”

“Well, as long as it takes for your citizenship, of course.”

“What about after that, L?” Virgil asked.

“I… I don’t know. Divorce is rather a process, I suppose we could stay in this arrangement until a large enough inconvenience comes along to justify it.”

“So… you would like to stay married to us all?” Patton asked. Logan couldn’t tell what his tone meant, but there were hints of… curiosity.

Logan answered slowly. “I believe… yes. I would. I am… rather fond of you all, and always appreciate the time we spend together, for whatever reason.”

Roman smiled softly, and reached out to pat his face. “We love you too, Logan.”

Logan blinked. “Love? In which sense of the word?”

“Romantic, you dummy,” Dee muttered, practically falling asleep on the back of the couch.

“…wait, you… all? Romantic? Love?” Logan stuttered.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Yeah, man. Normally that’s what marriage means. Plus our first dances? Of the people in love?”

“Hey, don’t make fun of Lolo, he’s not that good at his own feelings,” Patton chided. “Yes, cupcake, we all love you. We thought you knew.”

“Oh,” Logan said, blushing. “I… apologize for being the last to know. I suppose it’s a good thing that I’ve fallen in love with you all, too. We keep doing everything out of order, don’t we?”

“Nah, ‘s just you,” Dee said, snuggling into the blanket Roman had just passed him, seconds from sleep.

“But we all got here in the end,” Virgil said, a comfortable rumble on Logan’s left.

Logan ran a hand through Patton’s soft hair, and smiled at Roman, who’d started it all. “Here’s to arriving, then. I look forward to being your collective husband.”

“We love you too, Lolo.”

[elusive---ivory]

The Woman In Velvet pt. 5

Aaaaa, this is a lot one. This one is just all fluffy and fun.

WARNINGS: None, just fluff

PAIRING: Arthur x Oc.

Masterlist

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Three little girls were in the dining room, setting the table for their dinner.

"Ha, Seriously Sandy? You still don't have a date for Friday?" The girl with dimples giggled.

The girl with black hair shook her head and shrugged. "Looks like I won't be joining you for your triple date."

The girl without dimples gave her a shocked look and gasped. "Sandy! Don't be such a debbie downer. I'll set you up with someone."

The girl with dimples scoffed. "Really? Because, the last time you played matchmaker, you set up Dollar Dave with his sister."

The two sisters bickered until a large man appeared in the entrance of the dining room.

"Girls." The man spoke. His voice was raspy. He had a thick, black, cigar hanging out of his mouth. He looked over at the girl with black hair. The man took a seat at the newly set table.

"Deliah, Destiny, if your cousin doesn't wish to attend your ridiculous triple date, then don't force her."

The girl with black hair turned away from the man and muttered a small "Thank you" under her breath. She sat next to him, but scooted away a few inches. The two other girls rolled their eyes and sat down with them.

"Besides, I think Sandy and I would have lots of fun without the two of you, ain't that right, doll?" His eyes were glued on the girl next to him. She gulped hard. She stared hard at her cousins.

They both stared back with menacing looks. Neither of them bothered to help.

Sandy woke up to a dreaded alarm clock going off.

'Funny,' she thought. Her alarm didn't work at all. She had planned on getting a new one, but it was her same alarm clock. As she opened her eyes a little bit, she took in her surroundings. She was in her bed, and in her usual nightie. What was different about today?

"Oh fuck." She said, aloud. Sandy looked around. She threw the bed sheets off her body and quickly ran into her living room.

Arthur was standing there in the kitchen, shirtless. Sandy approached him carefully, still not fully understanding what was going on. The early morning sun was slowly creeping outside the window. The small apartment was dark, beside the light of in the kitchen.

"Hey." Sandy said, quietly.

Arthur looked around him, slightly startled. He didn't expect her to be up yet.

Arthur smiled at her gently. "Good morning."

Sandy looked down, bashfully. "Yeah, what are you doing up?" She stepped into the florescent lighting of the kitchen.

Arthur shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Really? Did you fix my clock?" Sandy smiled, giggling slightly.

"Yeah, you talk in your sleep. You kept mumbling about the alarm, so I fixed it." Arthur answered, sheepishly.

"Also, we were on the couch when," Sandy cleared her throat, "we, ya know."

Arthur smiled. "You also sleepwalk."

Sandy giggled and gently punched his shoulder. "You got all of that from just spending the night with me. Color me impressed, Detective."

Arthur flinched at her sudden roughhousing, but chuckled at her joke. "Yeah, you know. I do stand up comedy."

Sandy raised her eyebrow. "Really?" She said, brewing her coffee.

Arthur nodded, shyly. "Yeah. Tomorrow night will be my very first gig."

"Huh." Sandy stirred her coffee. "Save me a seat in the front." She winked, booping his nose.

Sandy walked out of the kitchen. Arthur's eyes followed her dreamily.

Sandy finally got into her routine according, putting on a seemingly different work uniform. Instead of matted and ripped purple violet blouse, it was a red and black velvet with a black satin skirt. It wasn't at all comfortable, but she had to make do. She put on black heels matching the overall theme of the outfit. When she was done, she found her cheap frame glasses, and gently placed them on her face.

Sandy walked back into the kitchen to give Arthur a small peck on his cheek.

"I'm heading out. Here's the spare key, just incase you want to lounge around here for today." Sandy placed a small key in his hand. "Try not to burn down the apartment." She giggled stepping out of the door.

Arthur's eyes never left her figure once. She looked so elegant when she walked. His hand gently touched the cheek where she kissed him. It left him breathless.

The gloomy office building seemed to be even more dull and dreary than usual. Sandy sighed sitting there in her small cubicle.

"Hey, did you hear about those subway killings?"

Sandy overheard two coworkers talking. Often times when she eavesdropped she would mostly hear some stupid gossip like she fucked or he fucked her etc, but this seemed serious.

"Yeah, I did. I hear they were employees of ours."

This caught Sandy's attention. 'Employees?' She thought. She continued listening intently.

"Wayne Enterprises?"

"Yeah, I hear one of them was Dennis Cullen."

Sandy's eyes widened. 'Dennis is dead?' Half of her celebrated the death of that bastard, but it just seemed wrong. She snapped out of her thoughts when a coworker knocked on Sandy's cubicle.

"Sandy, the boss wants you."

She took a long sigh. She got out of her chair and walked down to the boss's office.

"Needed me, Mr. Don?" Sandy asked, being as polite as she could be.

A large man looked up at Sandy from his paperwork.

"Yes, please take a seat." Mr. Don gestured to the two chairs in front of him.

"Why were you not here yesterday?" His voice sounded frustrated.

"Well, sir, I was really sick, yesterday and-"

Mr. Don cut her off with a glare.

"Look, I'm too bent on excuses. Now, as you may know, Dennis, your associate, has recently passed away. It's a shame, I know, but he had lots of clients. Since he's gone, you have to take after his clients." Mr. Don looked back down at his paperwork.

Sandy stood there dumbfounded.

"Wait. Shouldn't the person getting his position get his clients?" Sandy crossed her arms.

Mr. Don looked at her begrudgingly. "Well, yes, but there's still so many clients he had. Most are pretty upset by the current circumstances. Could you please do these few clients?" Mr. Don held a sudden desperation in his gruff voice.

Sandy gave a defeated sigh. "Alright. I'll see what I can do about the clients."

Dennis would always brag about his clients and how high maintenance they were. How he was so lucky to always have meetings with the one and only, Thomas Wayne. His position was completely up for grabs.

Sandy didn't want Dennis's stupid position. Not like she could ever get get it. She was a woman working 45 hours a week, yet being paid so little.

'Why the fuck did people get so angry over some dudes getting killed on a subway?' Sandy growled in her thoughts, as she walked out of the office building.

All day clients were yelling and screaming about how they furious they were for not getting their fucking products. It gave her such a headache.

Her heels tapped the wet pavement. The lights of bars and restaurants colored the numerous puddles on the ground.

As she was walking down the street, she felt a pair of eyes on her.

Crack.

She turned around. Her eyes monitored the alleyway next to her. She strutted ahead, continuing her path, while being on high alert.

Crack.

She heard it again. She started walking fast. As she did so, Sandy glanced behind her. It was a silhouette of a man walking fast. Her heart stopped. She kept walking faster, until she was gently jogging in her heels. She was almost to the subway.

The man had finally caught up to her, and gently tapped her shoulder.

Sandy froze. She turned around to face her stalker.

Arthur smiled gently, taking off the yellow hood of his hoodie.

She sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god. Arthur, it's just you." Sandy smiled at her supposed stalker. "I thought you were the subway killer."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, so I've heard."

"How could you not? It's everywhere. Who cares about some assholes dying?" Sandy tapped around her coat. "Damn it." She hissed under her breath.

"Hey, Art." Sandy said, getting his attention.

Arthur tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"Do you think I can bum a cig?" Sandy asked, desperately.

"Uh, yeah sure." Arthur handed her a fresh cigarette.

Sandy lit the cancer stick, inhaling the dangerous smoke, then exhaling it out of her lungs.

"Thanks, Artie." Sandy smiled. "Say, you never told me why you were out here following me anyway?" She said, with the cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

Arthur looked down, almost like a guilty puppy.

"I, uh, was worried." Arthur said, twiddling his thumbs.

Sandy smirked. "Worried? Aww, Artie. You don't need to worry about me, sweets." Sandy pressed a small kiss on his cheek.

Arthur started fidgeting with the bottom of his hoodie. "Uhh, well, of course, I do, Sandy. It's dangerous."

Sandy giggled. "Ok, I guess you can walk me back to my apartment." She put out the cigarette, and linked arms with Arthur.

The subway was deserted. The florescent lights flickered on and off as the loud railings of the subway train moved by.

Sandy was seated by Arthur's side, leaning on him a bit. For Sandy, Arthur was like a breath of fresh air. He was so comforting and sweet. He listened to Sandy's problems, no matter how stupid they were to her.

"So, you're a party clown?" Sandy said, holding Arthur's hand in hers.

"Yeah, at least I was. I'm focusing more on my comedy career. I've got lots of jokes." Arthur put emphasis on the word lots.

"You said that this morning. Let me hear some of your jokes." Sandy said, interested.

Arthur eyes lit up.

"Oh? Let me get my joke book." Arthur reached into his back pocket and pulled out a worn down journal. Arthur gently handed the journal to Sandy.

Sandy flipped through a few pages of the journal.

"Well, what do you think?" Arthur asked, impatient. He looked pretty anxious.

Sandy laughed a little.

"How come poor people are so confused? They don't make sense." Sandy read, still laughing. "That's a stupid joke."

Arthur frowned. "Oh."

Sandy immediately corrected herself. "No, no, no. It's great, Arthur. You're gonna be great. I know it."

Arthur's frowned disappeared, and turned into a smirk. "You think so?"

"I know so, babe." Sandy kissed his nose.

"Could I look through your book more?"

Arthur nodded.

Sandy looked through each page, but there's one page that caught her eye. It had a polaroid picture of her with twisted writings all over the page.

Mrz. Sandy Fleck

Mrz. Sandera Fleck

MY dEaR, Sandy

Sandy's eyes read the page over and over again. Arthur began to look anxious.

The subway came to a stop.

"This is our stop." Sandy handed his journal back to him. "And, by the way, it's spelled S-A-N-D-R-A." She said, stepping out of the subway doors. Arthur followed behind her.

[umccall71]

Characters:Prince Liam x (mc) Lady Saige

Rating:Mature Content includes profanity, sexual content,talks about depression and attempted rape.

Word Count:3121

Disclaimer: All characters used are sole property of Pixelberry. I am simply borrowing them for entertainment.

Summary:After a summer of a Lifetime Prince Liam thought he could have it all. He was carefree, free, and sharing time with the woman of his dreams. When life as easy a balancing act between love and duty, he realizes his truths are lies, wrong is right, and decisions do have consequences.Lady Saige never imagined she would be one of his consequences. When an act of utter horror throws her world into a tailspin.

Warning: This series contains subject matter of depression and hopelessness .The story may trigger certain individuals. Please be advised. If your reading this series you are acknowledging you are at least 18 +.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam had his bright future in front of him. He enjoyed life as a royal, even the perks of his privilege. There was nothing that could bring down his passion for life. Being the spare, he had the enjoyment without the full responsibility. He faced each day with vigor and energy. He was rather subdued compared to his older brother Leo. He had his pick of many noble women in Cordonia, but this was a decision he did not take lightly. He spent so much time presenting an image to his family and nobles, but deep down he really craved normalcy.The summer was off to a great start, days at the beach, nights around his friends, this was his life. A young man of 25 he knew he could have his hearts desire if he wanted it, but he never anticipated what comes next.

Lady Saige was visiting her close friend, Duchess Olivia for the summer. They had met during freshman year at university. Olivia was studying abroad in Texas , when she met her best friend with a zest and fearlessness she envied. Saige was wide eyed to the world of nobility. She was looking to spending time with Liv attending balls, crisscrossing the countryside, and taking in the beauty that is Cordonia.

“Liv, this estate is beautiful… you live here all alone… with servants?”, her eyes collected the ambiance of the elegant foyer. “I have never seen anything like this outside of magazines.”, she smiles in awe.Saige feels her head moving around in 360 degree swivel. Her eyes could not process the overwhelming image of Lythikos.

Olivia stood with her arms crossed, green eyes lighting up from the grandness of hearing the accolades all in honor of of her home. “I’m just glad you're here Saige, I have been so anxious to have you here in my home country for the entire summer.”, they both giggle. Liv leads Saige up the stairs to her bedroom that will be her home for the next two months.Olivia watches as Saige slaps her hand over her mouth as she gasps from surveying the lavender suite dawning crystal chandeliers, spacious bolstered bed, and surrounding delicate antiquities. “ I can have the staff unpack your things while we meet up with some of my friends from my childhood if you’d like?”, Olivia smiles.

“Your friends huh?..what are they like? I have no idea how to act around nobility. What will they think of me?”,self doubt creeping up in her mind.

“They will think of you what I do… that your an amazing woman with a wit and sense of humor. You and I hit it off as friends almost immediately in Texas. I felt like a fish out of water.”, Liv laughs and shakes her head.

“ You mean … how I feel right now. Anyway that doesn’t matter, I’m just happy to reconnect with my friend.”, Saige grins and tosses her arm around Liv’s shoulder. “ So what plans do you have for us?”, she sighs.

“Nothing too much, just having a seafood boil at the beach… followed by a bonfire. Trust me … you will enjoy it. The guys are great.. there’s Drake, Kiara, Penelope, ...and Liam.”, she hesitates with the last name. Olivia releases a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.

Saige pauses, watching Olivia quizzically, “ why do I feel like there is a story there? Saige lifts her chin in the direction of Olivia… “ spill.”

“Saige … there’s nothing to spill, I lived with Liam’s family for awhile after my parents died. They were kind to me… he was kind to me. We grew to be best friends, I wouldn’t trade him for the world.” Olivia plops down on the edge of the bed, as if contemplating how much to share. She decides to let Saige in on the truth, “ there was a brief time that I thought I could possibly have feelings for him, but I realized it was more gratitude for him being there for me over the years. I have actually been seeing someone...but no one knows about us. Liam doesn’t even know about us.”

“Why would it matter if Liam knew about you dating someone?”,she grills her friend.

“Maybe because.. it’s… it’s his best friend. We all grew up together… I detested him growing up, so smug and condescending. You will meet him this afternoon, but you cannot tell anyone.”, Liv demands.

“How could I tell your secret to a group of strangers? I have no horse in this race.”, she giggles. “How long before we leave and what should I wear?”, she inquires.

“ Dress in something casual and comfortable, maybe even bring a bikini In case we go in the water.” Olivia strolls over to one of Saige’s bags and searches through prospects, “ this one… here, go.change.”, she instructs smirking. “ You will definitely make quite the impression in this dress.”,she turns to leave, “meet me downstairs in 30 minutes so we can leave.”, she shouts over her shoulder as she’s leaving.

Saige stands there with the outfit in hand, jaw on the floor from Olivia’s choice. She knew when Liv got that look in her eyes, there was no arguing with her. Saige’s sparkling blue eyes darted across the ensemble before she dashes off to the bathroom to freshen up and change into her bikini and the dress that was selected for her introduction to Cordonia.

Thirty minutes later, Saige bounces down the stairs wearing a Spaghetti-neck Backless Bohemian Maxi Dress.The outfit was flowing, yet sexy… it hugged her curves in all the right places. Saige has her hair pulled up into a messy bun with minimal makeup… not that she needed it. “Okay… I’m ready, let’s go meet these wonderful friends”, she snarked sarcastically. The ladies linked arms and headed out the door to the waiting car.

Liam and Drake had already arrived at the private beach.. making final preparations for the staff to handle food and refreshments. “ Liam, please make sure that you have that damn red wine the Olivia drinks”, he states exasperated. “Hey, when have I ever flubbed a gathering that I personally hosted?... don’t answer that”, they laugh aloud. Moments later Kiara and Penelope, arms snaking around each other’s waists, walk up to greet their old friends.Everyone had suspected for years that the two were more than mere friends, but finally they felt comfortable enough to share such an intimate relationship. The gang had was totally supportive of them , just as long as they were happy, that’s all that mattered. Both ladies feared that their conservative families may be bothered, but there was little pushback. Kiara’s mom had embraced Penelope as a second daughter, and Martin, Penelope’s dad was loving in every way.

“Hello all.. wow, everything looks amazing”, Penelope chimes in as the finishing touches were made to the elaborate tent and decorations.Drake and Liam exchange pleasantries with the ladies for awhile before they notice the sassy redhead arrive on the beach. “ I’m here… we can begin now”, Olivia smirks making her entrance.

“Only you would think a party would wait to start until you arrive”, Drake teases. “ It took you long enough to make it … anyways, glad you're here”, he whispers barely touching her fingers. “ Lucky for you all , I cleared my calendar today to slum with you”, she giggles. “Oh , where are my manners? I would love for you all to meet my best friend from my time in the states… Saige, Saige Prescott. We studied together at Texas A & M.”

Saige stood back taking in the sight of the dramatic green cliffs that plunge down towards a dazzling white pebble beach and the azure water of the Mediterranean Sea.She was enticed by the crystal clear waters lapping up on to the shoreline. Saige waves, quietly watching each member of the crew, her eyes went from brooding dark hair Drake, to the slender dark hair beauty Penelope, to the bronze sophistication of Kiara, and finally her breath hitches in her throat when her sparkling blue eyes meet the dazzling blue eyes of Liam. She exhales taking in the image of the athletically built blonde man.

She felt as if she were watching a scene in slow motion as Liam walks over to her and extends his hand.Olivia quietly nudges her, “fix your mouth… incoming”, she whispers snapping Saige out of her daze. “Lady Saige… what a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”, he gently grips her hand bending to kiss her knuckle. Saige jumps, surprised by the sudden gesture. In Texas, the guys can be polite, but she was not used to such gentlemanly actions. “Aah… the pleasure is all mine.” She speaks softly. He feels instantly drawn to the auburn goddess, Liam finds for the next several hours he can’t seem to avert his eyes from Saige as they ate and drank, enjoying the day. He flashes not too subtle glances, he smiles throughout the day to ease her nerves... working up his own nerve to strike up a conversation.

The sun began to set and no one had noticed Olivia and Drake slip away. Kiki and Penelope had settled into a comfortable lull of conversation and gentle touches. Saige couldn’t help but notice the whispers they shared and loving glances. She smiles in witnessing the apparent feelings between the two. She was so captivated by the lovely ladies, she didn’t hear Liam walk up and join her by the bonfire that had started. “Are you enjoying your time in my country so far?”, he grins adoringly. Saige nods gently in acknowledgment, “ it’s beautiful here. It’s like something out of a fairytale… the only thing missing is a prince riding up on a beautiful white steed.”, she chuckles. Liam tries to contain his laughter, knowing her spot on description in this moment.

She catches his reaction, “did I say something funny?”, she was caught by surprise with his reaction. Liam leans back on one of his elbows watching the crackling fire anticipating her thought when she learns his true role. “ I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to laugh… clearly Olivia didn’t tell you much about Cordonia. You see , this country is one of a very few remaining monarchies.”

“Wait… what … monarchies as in …having a king?”, she ask trying to follow his train of thought. “Yes… Cordonia is ruled by a king, but there’s also a royal council .The country has several noble houses that collectively help to strengthen the kingdom.”,he changes the subject,” why don’t you tell me about your time in Texas, is that where you are originally from Saige?”He stares intently into her eyes as she reflects on the mystique of her small Texas town.”I was born and raised in a small fishing town ,which recently became a thriving tourist destination. Kemah, it’s southeast of Houston. Its charm is in the old world boardwalks and amusements. I used to love spending Sundays with my dad on the boardwalk. We would have a seafood lunch, followed by salt water taffy as the sun would set. It was his only day off per week, but he would spend it with me, no matter how tired he was from a long week working in a oil refinery almost an hour away from home. It was just he and I , after my mom died when i was 9.”, her voice cracks sharing such a personal experience.

Liam notices that her voice was softened,”I ...I didn’t mean to pry. It sounds like an amazing place to live. How is your dad handling you being gone for the summer?”, he smiles encouragingly. He notices that she got quiet again, she looks off into the darkened waters hidden beneath the moonlight. “He’s ...he is no longer with me. My dad died my Sophomore year of college. That… leaves just me.”, her ocean blue eyes glistened holding back a stray tear from escaping.

Liam grabs the bridge of his nose, silently kicking himself for dredging up such emotional topics upon meeting Saige. “God i’m an idiot”,he blames himself.Liam extends his hand to help Saige to her feet.”Come... take a walk with me?”,he ask pleadingly. “This is the best time to enjoy the water.Something as large the ocean has a way of bringing things into perspective.” LIam laces his fingers with Saige’s fingers,she happily accepted. “You can never be as big as the ocean.. No matter how big you are, a celebrity, a politician, a spiritual leader, even a king. The ocean has a way of bringing a man or woman back down to size.”, she breathes in deep, her nasal passages overtaken with the fresh scent of saltwater ,and seaweed.Before they knew it, they had ventured a great distance from the bonfire site. Liam turns to face Saige and he thoughtfully studies her soft features, her porcelain skin, her ocean blue eyes, her auburn and chestnut colored hair, her curvaceous frame.It was as if he had lost his will to move from that spot. He found himself rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs. “Where are my manners?... i shouldn’t be presumptuous to take liberties with touching you. I couldn’t help myself...you are stunning”,he confesses smiling softly into her eyes. “If I had a problem with it… it’s not like I could not speak up. Really… I didn’t mind”, she blushes trying to shake off the awkward moment. “Perhaps we should be getting back to your friends. I am sure Olivia should be back by now”, she chuckles.

After strolling side by side back down the soft white sand, they came face to face with leering eyes and smirks. “LI… where have you been man?”, Drake hides a grin. “I could ask you the same...couldn’t I ?, Liam responds.

Olivia pulls Saige to the side , “where were you?’, she whispers. “I suppose i was a distraction for you and ….Drake suddenly disappearing from the beach?”,Saige shakes her head while arching her brow in the direction of Olivia. The two friends turn to glance at the two guy friends amused. “How long have been screwing Drake?”, she blurts out quiet enough for Liv to hear. “Who says i’m screwing Drake?”, she stoically stares trying to not give away her fear of being discovered. “I would say , maybe the hickey that your wearing right now… that you did not arrive with to this beach.”, Saige chuckles shaking her head. Olivia ghosts her hands around her neck trying to locate said hickey. “Are you ready to go Saige?Aren’t you getting tired or perhaps you want to take another stroll with Liam ?”, she quirks. “Haha...very funny. Maybe we should go, i could definitely get into trouble if I remained on this beach.”, she smiles making eye contact with Liam. He smiles back at her innocent doe like eyes as he approaches the girls. “ I hope you enjoyed the get together Saige… i look forward to doing it again… hopefully soon?” Liam locks eyes with Saige, completely oblivious to Olivia’s presence. “Ahem”, Olivia clears her throat, “Well Liam, thanks for inviting us , it was an enjoyable afternoon.”

He lifts Saige’s hand again to graze her delicate skin with his lips. “ Thank you for not objecting to me crashing your party.”. She smiles memorizing his handsome face silently as if she would never see him again. “Good night Liam”, she leans in and softly kisses his cheek in gratitude.He slowly closes his eyes for a moment, committing the feel of her soft lips on his skin to memory. He opens his alluring blue eyes staring at her, “Good night Lady Saige”, he turns to her cheek and places a gentle kiss.

Olivia started back up the path toward her waiting car, giving the two a chance to have a moment. “I’d … I better get going. Thanks again.”, she slowly turns walking away , glancing back seeing his eyes never leaving her as she made her way up the same path. She couldn’t wipe the grin from her face as she slid into the car beside Olivia. “ I must say… you move quickly Saige”, she chuckles as the tires slowly treads against the gravel heading back home.

“I have no idea what your talking about Liv”, she turns to face the window as the beach becomes a smaller vision.

“Earth to Liam.. man, that was unreal”,Drake laughs at the sight of his best friend obviously stuck in place. “Huh… you were saying something?”, he mumbles. “Man Liam, you even missed Kiki and Penelope leaving without you saying bye.” Liam runs his hands through his blonde hair, processing the events of the afternoon. Drake was not used to seeing his friend in such a visibly emotionally moved state. Liam was always the image of propriety,poise, and grace under pressure. Within a single afternoon with the girl from Texas, he was truly at a loss. “Drake… wow, i have no idea how i could have blown it so quickly. She’s… she is breathtaking”,Liam sounds spellbound from his very own interaction.

“Well … I have good news and bad news… good news is you have all summer prince charming to get to know her better… bad news is how are you going to handle saying goodbye when she has to go home?”, Drake slaps his buddy on the shoulder, finding comedy in his situation. “I suppose we could take things slow.. Get to know one another on a closer level.”,Liam thinks back to his time with Saige. “So how do you think she will handle finding out you are a member of the royal family?”, Drake gestures toward the exit. “ Come on loverboy… lets get you home before you turn into a frog.”, he laughs. “Drake I just want to take things one day at a time. We shall see where this summer takes me… Saige”, he mutters to himself as he follows Drake to the waiting SUV.

Olivia and Saige arrive back at Lythikos an hour later. Saige lost count of the number of times her mind drifted to Liam on the drive.His face and tall build flashed through her mind, the feel of his lips on her cheek, on her hand, his smile, all of it haunted her thoughts. “Saige, look i’m glad you had a good time, but just take the time to enjoy your summer.”, she warns with such care in her tone .

“Liv.. i spent a glorious afternoon with a handsome guy, that’s all. Liam was nothing but charming and respectful of me. We kept each other company, while our FRIENDS, slipped off . Nothing more… nothing less. Now…. night Liv. I am sure you will be busy with your secret par amour.”, she giggles as she leads LIv to the door. Saige closes the door behind Olivia and sashays over to the bed , falling back thinking of the next encounter with... “Liam”, she lets her mind wander to the debonair guy from the beach. Thinking...“This is gonna be quite the summer.”