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tryonfemme · 5 days ago

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✮🕷✮⋆˙ not so funny

spider!ellie williams x neighbor!barista!reader

chapter 1 ╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ crackers in bed

⚡︎ series summary: ellie promised herself she wouldn't let anyone else get hurt because of her secret identity—which is why she hasn't dated in six years. she doesn't need to date. but for some reason her new next door neighbor won't leave her mind, in a friendly way. god ellie hopes it is a friendly way.

✮ overall content of series: soooo much pining, fem!reader, grief, the loss of a partner, death, language, conversations of homophobia, mental health, drug use, alcohol use, hurt/comfort, disaster lesbians, sunshine!reader, slightly grumpy but more so awkward! ellie, reader & ellie are both 26.

word count: 3.1k

a/n: woot woot!! so excited to get this first chapter out :) hope you guys love it :D

₊˚.🕸️🕷️⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ᶻ

series m.list

previous / next

august 11th

god it was hot.

the type of hot that kept ellie awake, even in just a loose tank top and boxer shorts. she hated the feeling of her own sweat soaking into her cotton blue sheets, darkening them in patches –leaving a sort of sad, broken inkpen royal blue behind. each turn she took felt sticky and damp. she wished the perv she called her landlord would fix the damn ac unit.

she glanced over at her alarm clock.

11:07 PM.

not even that late yet. she let out a groan—it was sharp, tired, lingering in the grey area between annoyance and well, shit.

ellie could be out on a run. on patrol still. climbing up some city building looking as the street lights turned on, illuminating the world in a way that only the night could. she could be doing anything but laying here, trapped here with thoughts that she didn’t invite in. the screaming. the fall. the sound—the snap when her body hit the ground, bones shattering. her own scream, which had left her throat raw and voice hoarse for the week to follow.

six years.

six whole fucking years.

“go to sleep, just go to sleep,” she muttered to herself. presenting herself with hope. “be normal for once.”

and she let herself flutter shut, bringing herself closer to unconsciousness. and for once…it felt like it was going to happen. that soft feeling of sleep was tugging at her brain, body falling more limp with each passing minute. maybe tomorrow wouldn’t suck. maybe she would impress jameson so much that he would go a whole five minutes without going on about her laziness, even though she consistently brought the best photos in all of new york.

tomorrow would be amazing, because she was the amazing spider-person. gendered terms were overrated.

tomorrow would be amazing because she needed it to–

BANG!

ellie shot upright, her short hair sticking to the back of her neck like glue. her heart was like a jackhammer as she blinked at her poster-covered wall.

“jesus fucking christ,” she muttered, but it came out hissed. venomous.

another thud followed. and then what seemed to be the sound of furniture dragging against the rough floors that settled in each apartment. then the crinkle of what seemed to be a snack wrapper; crackers.

ellie’s jaw clenched so hard she thought she might crack a tooth. which she couldn’t afford to have fixed.

the apartment next to hers–512—had been vacant for months since ole’ man bill bit the dust finally. the building was an ugly six-story shithole with water stains in every ceiling and a roach problem that had been ignored, just adjust to showering with them. rats residing in the lobby had become the welcoming committee.

it wasn’t exactly prime real estate. But clearly someone had been desperate enough for the cheap rent to move in. someone either recently divorced, or a college kid pursuing theatre.

and for the past two weeks, ellie had found herself subjected to late-night furniture rearrangements, weird scratching at the walls from what sounded to be a senile cat, and the sound of chomping on crackers in bed. usually she would work endlessly to ignore it all.

but tonight, she couldn’t let it go.

today had been shit for ellie williams.

her bread had been moldy so no toast.

no hot water.

jameson’s voice echoing in her mind; how spider-person was a no good criminal.

the thought of crackers in bed.

it was all too much.

she yanked on the nearest zip-up and shoved her feet into slippers that joel had gifted her a few holidays back, each action coming with some sort of murmur of annoyance. before she even knew what she was doing, she was in the hallway, the hot air hitting her bare legs, calloused fist banging on the cheap wooden door of 512.

knock. knock. knock.

ellie knew she was an asshole. she knew it down to her core and she wasn’t exactly proud of it. but right now she didn’t even care.

footsteps shuffled on the other side of the door. quick and light.

ellie froze up, tilting her head.

then she heard a voice – it was quiet, female, and obviously surprised – ��shit.”

silence for a few moments.

ellie rolled her eyes, tapping her fist once more, “dude, i can hear you by the open. just open up.”

silence again.

but she could still hear the soft breathing, and the way the air would shift when someone leans their body too close to cheap wood.

“i still hear you.”

finally; clink.

the sound of the chain sliding from the lock, the metal hitting the surface of the wood. the doorknob turning.

and the door opened.

ellie had been ready to completely go off– she had masterminded a speech on how normal people didn’t eat saltines in bed nevertheless at midnight or why would anyone move furniture around at an ungodly hour. she was going to let go of every single moment of gripe she had built in the past two weeks since the first bang on the wall.

but then she saw you, and suddenly her brain forgot how to be mad.

big, soft eyes blinked up at her. frizzy curls which had been crafted by the heat, haloed by a soft yellow light flickering in your apartment. skin was freckled on the cheeks, looking porcelain in a strange sense. and your lips – cracked, pink in color, plump, soft-looking – parted if you were preparing to say something but nothing would come out.

you were wearing satin pajamas – a soft yellow, little daisies embroidered on them —mismatched socks though. the neckline of your top fell low enough to hint at curves, fabric clinging yet falling gently to the skin of your waist. you looked like someone who stepped out of a dream and landed, very inconveniently, in a shit new york apartment with paper thin walls.

and ellie? shit she would let this woman eat crackers in her bed.

she stood there, pad thai stained zip-up hanging on her shoulders. her heart suddenly seemed to be louder than her neighbor’s chaos. right shit that is why she was over here.

you then blinked at ellie again.

“um,” your voice softly.

shit even your voice was like honey, ellie thought to herself.

ellie pointed her finger, clearing her throat, “you–you’re loud.”

and somehow, your already big eyes seemed to grow twice the size, those plump cheeks flushing with color.

shit. that wasn’t what she meant to say. well she did mean to say it. just not like that.

“i mean that, you have been loud these past two weeks. at night. a lot. just…like all the furniture and the loud laughing with other people, and,” ellie gestured towards the walls of the hallway, “crackers in bed at night.”

and your cheeks flushed a deeper color, “shit, i didn’t think anyone could hear—”

ellie cut you off, “you live in a building made out of paper thin walls—and probably rat shit,” ellie crossed her arms, voice still sharper than she meant it to be, “of course i can hear it.”

more silence followed, the two just looking at each other.

before, you just began smiling, the kind of smile that killed people. people being ellie. “you wanna come in?” you asked like it was the easiest thing in the world.

ellie blinked, “what?”

“i promise to stop making noise at night – it is just when i have freetime the most – but i swear i will. but…you’re already awake, right? and i just made a pot of tea.”

ellie didn’t move, and she swore her brain shut off.

but her mouth still worked, “sure. yeah. i guess.”

you stepped back and opened the door wider, just enough to reveal the soft glow of more yellow lights, a stack of books on the floor, and a tiny kitchen which smelled of honey and mint.

“shit. forgot to introduce myself, i’m y/n.”

fuck even your name was sweet, ellie thought while nodding her head.

“ellie.”

as she stepped inside, ellie noticed how the apartment's layout mirrored her own, but it was a whole different world. y/n had crafted something cozy. you had plants. like real ones. ones that had little vines that curled around the cracked window sills, and half-alive succulents grouping like gossiping old ladies in manhattan. those warm, almost buttery yellow lights soaked into everything, giving the walls a softness which contrasted with the usual roughness of everything.

ellie stood awkwardly at the front door, clinging onto the sides of her zip-up hoodie as if she was a child clinging to a comfort blanket.

but you were already on the move —your sock-covered feet, making a quiet advance to the tiny kitchen. “i made sleepytime, but i can make chamomile. or even hibiscus, if you are weird.”

ellie blinked like the curly headed woman was speaking another language, “sleepytime?” she repeated.

you looked over your shoulder, a crooked smile on display. “yeah. it is quite literally called that. but it is all some big corporate lie. just tastes like mint and probably broken dreams.”

ellie snorted —caught off guard by someone so comfortable with newness. “okay, that one.”

she watched as you poured the drink into two mismatched mugs—just like your socks—, watching as a soft steam arose from the cup as the liquid splashed in. but her gaze drifted around the space.

it was cluttered. but it felt like it was deliberately cluttered. books had been stacked like towers on the floor, a chipped mug held pencils, a cracked mirror hung on the wall above a record player. a small photo was tucked into the corner of the mirror; a picture of three–two girls, one boy—sat in the middle was you, obviously younger. your smile looked as if you hadn’t discovered what fear was yet.

“you aren’t like the people who usually live in this place,” ellie spoke up finally.

you looked up, “oh yeah?”

“yeah—usually broke college kids, or old people, or newly divorced men with no money, or me,” ellie shook her head, before continuing to talk, “we have a lady on floor six, believes she is a witch— or some shit like that —but she rearranges her fucking stuff whenever mercury is in retrograde.”

you laughed; it was soft and warm. “well it was in retrograde last week.”

“jesus christ.”

and then a pause settled. it wasn’t awkward. but it wasn’t comfortable. it was that middle ground.

and then you handed ellie her mug.

their fingertips brushed–and for the first time in a long time, ellie felt it. that feeling of something human, of spark, something fragile, something so annoying.

she held the cup with both hands, as if it was an anchor holding her there.

“thanks,” she muttered, lifting the cup to her lips. she felt the steam hit her face with a soft punch.

you plopped yourself down on a beanbag chair near the window, legs folding underneath yourself like you belonged there. Fuck you could belong anywhere.

ellie stopped by the front door just watching for a beat too long. she felt like a stalker, or maybe a coat rack. “can i sit?”

you looked up, surprised, “yeah! shit sorry, totally. i have the floor— or actually you probably want to sit on the couch!”

ellie again snorted softly, shaking her head at your way of expression. she dropped into the couch. the furniture creaked under her weight. she sipped her tea trying to not make a face. it tasted of mint and grass all at the same time. it was mildly sweet though. not entirely terrible.

“so, we are neighbors?” you spoke; that voice of honey.

“i was the one banging on the door with murder in my eyes—so yeah,”

you, and that crooked smile, “nice to meet you, neighbor.”

“hi,” ellie said, immediately hating everything about how she did. she was twenty-six years old and somehow her voice still cracked like a goddamn teenage boy.

another long sip of tea. she felt her tank top sticking to her back with each drop of sweat. looking at you—who looked to not be affected by the heat at all. she wondered if the other just ran on sunshine and chaos.

you tilted her head, speaking up, “so what do you do?”

“oh, i’m a photographer for the daily bugle.”

perking up, you spoke again, “really? like all the crime scene stuff? and the spider-person stuff?”

“yeah, sometimes. a lot of street stuff. crowds. accidents. candid stuff around the city.” plus all the spider stuff she did off the clock.

“that is badass,” you grinned, sipping on your tea. “i own a coffee shop, down on sixth, ‘take a bite’?”

“no shit? my friend dina loves that place,” ellie smiled—for what felt like the first time in awhile. “said you guys are killer.”

“i’m flattered.” you placed a hand on your heart, before giving ellie another one of those crooked smiles. “i try not to kill anyone, but a compliment is a compliment.”

ellie let out a laugh—an actual laugh. she felt it in her chest, how it echoed in apart of her chest she had forgotten about.

a moment passed between the two of them. the sound of thick city sounds from outside pouring in from the cracked windows.

you took a sip of your tea, before speaking up once more, “moved here two weeks ago, thought the independence would make it all easier.” your words had been sudden, deeper than intended. “turns out, just keeps me up rearranging at odd hours and snacking like i am preparing for the apocalypse.”

ellie observed you—taking in all your quiet features. even when speaking in a more deep tone, you were still sunshine. you were still soft, still a level of gentle that ellie had yet to observe in life.

“why’d you move?” ellie questioned before she could think to stop herself.

“wanted to stop leeching off my friends.”

that is all you said. all you needed to say, it was your truth.

ellie nodded—showing the other a sense of understanding.

the two drank in silence. ellie’s mug at this point was close to empty, her fingers warming around the ceramic. she didn’t know if the tea actually worked or if the placebo effect was real; but she felt a wave of sleep begin to hit her system.

“you know,” you said, your voice soft, “you don’t seem like the type of person who shows up to yell at someone and then accepts a tea ten seconds later.”

ellie gave you a half shrug, “yeah and you aren’t the type of person who should be living in this building.” her words came sharper than she intended. she was an asshole not even intentionally at times.

but it was like you didn’t care about her tone. they met eyes. and something passed between them. it wasn’t flirtatious. but it wasn't vulnerability. just…a recognition.

and then you smiled, “guess we both are a little out of place.”

ellie’s chest ached.

you have no idea, ellie thought.

but instead, she spoke, “yeah guess so.”

you stood up to get yourself more tea. your perfume—or maybe just your shampoo smelled of orange and sugar, it was so light, stupid, wonderful.

ellie allowed her eyes to drift again; taking in more details. the books stacked along the floor weren’t organized in any way and she could tell: poetry was with a cookbook, then some romance novel was placed with the bell jar. a sketchpad was sitting half under the coffee table, a page dog-eared and a pencil laying next to it.

“you draw?” she asked before allowing herself to think.

you followed her gaze, before scrunching up your nose, “sometimes. mostly doodles. i’m quite shit.”

ellie snorted, “bullshit.”

you bite your top lip, holding in a smile, “truthfully, just you need to see the evidence. i have flowers and butterflies that are lopsided. just all terrible stuff really.”

ellie let out the smallest laugh, “well now i have gotta see it.”

“you wanna see my sketchbook?”

ellie realized what she said in that moment. her heart did the thing again— it raced without asking permission. opening her mouth to talk back, to make a joke, to be an asshole, and then–

“okay,” you smiled, as if it was all no big deal, “next time.”

“yeah. next time.”

a peaceful quiet fell. a kind that didn’t ask to be filled.

and for a moment, ellie let herself feel it. the warmness of the tea she had just drunk, the soft yellow of the lamplight, the way that your presence didn’t make her panic. it felt like the first time in six years that she wasn’t surrounded by ghosts.

but she couldn’t ignore it for long. the air shifted in the way that memories and grief slowly slip themselves back in. it was inevitable for ellie. how she reminded herself of the promise she made six years ago.

setting her mug down, rubbing her palm across her thigh. god she was still so clammy. “I should get back. long day tomorrow— gotta rest.”

you nodded, not hurt, not surprised. “of course, hope you sleep okay.”

ellie gave you a crooked smile. “if your furniture stays in one place, i might.”

you grinned. “no promises.”

ellie stood and moved toward the door, brushing her hand along the frame as she passed. before she opened it, she turned back one last time.

“hey,” she said quietly, “thanks. for the tea.”

you leaned a shoulder against the counter. “anytime, neighbor.”

the hallway felt colder when ellie stepped into it.

her apartment was still just as dark, just as humid, just as miserable as before—but it felt different now. not better. not quite as empty.

she sank back onto her bed, eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling, letting her body melt into the sweaty cotton sheets again.

she didn’t cry. she didn’t think about the fall. not yet.

but she did think about your cracked mirror, and the chipped mug of pencils, and the stupid, sweet smell of your shampoo.

and then she thought about how easy it would be to ruin everything. how easy it was, always, to lose something as soon as it started to matter.

ellie stared at the ceiling and muttered to herself.

“don’t do this, williams. don’t be a fucking idiot.”

but her hands still smelled like mint and honey.

₊˚.🕸️🕷️⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ᶻ

any reblog, comments, likes, etc are so so so so appreciated !! thank you so much <3

taglist is open!! thank you so much for all of the support :D

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grlsbstshot · 6 months ago

Text

NEON LIGHTS

Pairing (Original Characters):

Jameson Lucas (Aaron Pierre) x Imani St. Cirie (Megan thee Stallion) Genie Adesanya (Jayme Lawson) x Ellington “EJ” Dupree (Kelvin Harrison Jr.)

Chapters:

Neon Lights Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis: Imani and Jameson's beef comes to a head as secrets are revealed.

Warnings: 18+ (MINORS DNI), smut!!!, daddy kink (male character being referred to as that), p in v sex (shower sex), toxic relationship (intentional jealousy, deception, lying), usage of the n word -- if you white and read it, you owe us $20, -- if we missed anything, let us know!

Word Count: 14.2k

Divider Template: @cafekitsune

Notes:

The following characters are original creations. Their voice claims are Usher / Lucky Daye (Jameson) & Summer Walker / SZA (Imani). We have no affiliation to any of those artists.

The bedroom was dimly lit, the soft glow of a bedside lamp casting a warm circle of light over the room. EJ lay on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, while Genie rested next to him – her leg drawn across his. The sound of the wind outside the cabin filled the quiet space, a gentle reminder of the snowy world beyond their cozy retreat.

“I think we fucked up a little bit,” EJ said finally, his voice low but weighted as he rubbed his hand down her side.

Genie glanced up from where she had been tracing absent-minded patterns on his chest. “What do you mean?”

“Inviting Mani and Jamie,” EJ clarified, turning his head to look at her. “It’s already tense, and it’s only the first night. Did you see the way they were looking at each other at dinner? Damn near thought my boy was about to take that other nigga head off.”

Genie shifted onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. “I saw. I’m sorry. I just…I wanted Mani here. I didn’t know Jamie was coming. But they’re adults. They can handle themselves.”

“It’s okay, baby. You didn’t know.” EJ snorted softly. “But can they, though? They was acting weird all day. And Imani…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

“What about her?” Genie pressed, her tone sharper than she intended. EJ had been supportive when she and Imani were going through their issues – but he was increasingly negative about her friend.

EJ hesitated, then sat up slightly, resting his weight on his forearm. “Look, I know that’s your girl and I respect that. But she’s got this...thing about her. Like she stirs the pot just by being in the room. And Jameson’s not exactly steady when it comes to her. It’s like a recipe for disaster.”

Genie frowned, sitting up fully and crossing her legs beneath her. “That’s not fair. Imani didn’t ask to be in this situation. And she’s not stirring the pot, EJ. She’s just...here. Existing. I invited her. She is my family.”

“I understand, baby. But let’s not pretend she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Mixing him up, spinning his head. She drives him crazy and she likes it that way.” EJ countered, his voice tinged with frustration. “Baby, she had the chance to leave his ass after he fucked up. And she did. But where she at right now?”

Genie sighed, rubbing her temples as she sat up with him. “It’s more complicated than that, EJ. And you shouldn’t put all the blame on her. Alot of their issues? Jamie’s fault.”

“That may be so but that’s when she’s supposed to let him go. Both of them should let go. Jameson did.” “And so did she! She’s here with Isaiah.”

EJ stared at her. “We both know that’s not the same. She brought him to fuck with Jameson.”

“She didn’t even know he’d be here.” “She had to know there was a good chance he’d be here, baby. C’mon.” “No, you c’mon! You come down so hard on her all the time, EJ. She’s noticed the only one fucked up.” “No, she’s not. But Jameson is trying not to be.” “How do you know what she’s trying to do?” “I know what she’s already done. She fucked Jameson up when she left and then she hurt you too. Back to back, the two people I love most in this world! Hung up over her. Crying for her. While she lived her best life on a fucking yacht somewhere. Out at parties. I watched you check your phone over and over for her call. Same as he did. She hurt you. She hurt him. I don’t trust her.”

Genie was quiet, watching how upset he seemed to be at her defense of Imani. “Baby, I’m okay.” His desire to protect her was noble but she couldn’t help but think he put far too much responsibility on Imani. “She said she was sorry. We’re working on things. We’re okay.”

“Now you are.” EJ muttered, shaking his head. “And now he is. With Camille. So of course she comes back and gets everything all mixed up again.”

“Maybe they need to see each other, work through whatever’s still lingering.”

EJ gave her a skeptical look. “You really think that’s going to happen without blowing up in everyone’s faces?”

“I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt,” Genie said firmly. “It wasn’t her fault that Jameson was hurt. It was a combination of his actions.”

“And what about you? Why were you hurt?”

Genie sighed softly, framing his face in her hands. “Because she didn’t know how to face her feelings. She walked away from Jameson for her own good. And she thought she’d have to face them with me. Was it the right way to go about it? No. But I think we both know sometimes you aren’t thinking straight when you’re traumatized. And their breakup was traumatizing, EJ. Cut her some slack.”

EJ shook his head, leaning back against the headboard and pulling away from her. “Then why is she back if leaving him was for her own good?”

Genie sighed softly, her expression softening. “I don’t know. The heart wants what it wants, I guess. Baby, you don’t know everything Imani’s been through. She’s had a rough year. And yeah, she’s made mistakes, but she’s trying to be happy. Jameson is getting that chance. Why shouldn’t she have one?”

EJ sighed, running a hand over his face. “I just don’t want to see her hurt you. Or Jameson, for that matter.”

“She’s not going to hurt me,” Genie said quietly. “And as for Jameson...he’s got Camille now. He’s fine. Right?”

“Camille’s a good woman,” EJ said, his tone soft. “She’s steady, kind, and she’s got her head on straight. If Jameson’s smart, he’ll stick with her.”

Genie tilted her head, studying him. “You really think she’s the one for him?”

“Honestly? No. I think Imani is what he wants. But I think Camille is what he needs,” EJ replied. “Someone who won’t complicate his life. Someone who won’t...drag him back into the past.”

Genie bit her lip, considering his words. “Maybe you’re right. But it’s not our place to decide, honey. They’ll figure it out.”

He reached out, pulling her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a asshole about Imani. I just want this trip to go well. No drama, no stress.”

Genie snuggled against his chest, her voice muffled. “Me too. But...if there is drama, we’ll deal with it. Shit happens when the family gets together, right?”

EJ kissed the top of her head, laughing softly. “That it does.”

They lay there in comfortable silence for a moment before Genie spoke again, her voice hesitant. “I’m going to put Imani in the wedding. So I need you to get over this beef you have with her.”

EJ tensed, his whole body going still as he tried to figure out what to say. “I…Wedding? What wedding?”

Genie smiled, her breath warm against his skin. “I saw the ring. Don’t be mad.” She lifted her head, peering up at him. “I love you. And I trust you.” Whether he knew it or not, she had done a lot of thinking over the week. Marriage was a big step and it was terrifying…but Genie wanted to take those steps with him. He was frantic about getting everything perfect because he wanted her dreams to come true. How could she doubt that? “I’m going to say yes. So stop worrying.”

“That’s why you wanted Imani here?” Genie nodded slowly, hoping that telling him the truth wasn’t ruining the surprise too badly. “I panicked. And then you came home right after I found it…and you showed me in every single way that marrying you would be the best thing I could ever do. This house could fall around us and I’d still say yes because I love you.”

EJ dipped his head, kissing Genie soundly. He had been worried about the trip. Her father would be there in the morning, he wanted to time it all just right. Then Imani and Jameson gave him more to worry about. Despite being caught off guard…he felt himself relax at the knowledge that she wanted to say yes. Even if everything didn’t go perfectly right – they would have each other.

The house was quiet, the kind of stillness that only came with a blanket of fresh snow muffling the world outside. Jameson lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, his thoughts refusing to settle. He had been in a state since Imani showed up with Isaiah. Their little game had taken on a life of its own.

For every kiss he gave Camille, Imani had two for Isaiah. For every laugh he shared with Camille, she had a grope from her companion for the weekend. It put tension in the air and everyone could sense it. Especially Camille. She hadn't complained, hadn't mentioned it. But she held on to Jameson just a little tighter. Even when they crawled into bed together after an exhausting day, she seemed to want his attention -- without Imani around.

As frustrated as he was, Jameson didn't fuck the woman that practically begged him to. He promised her the next day -- swearing it was because he was tired but the reality was...he couldn't focus. Imani's room ended up just down the hall from theirs. All he could think about what the shit they were doing behind those closed doors. Rejected for the evening, Camille was already asleep beside him, her breathing soft and even, her head resting lightly on his shoulder.

He should have been at peace. The day had been long but good—Camille had laughed with him on the slopes, and they’d shared hot chocolate by the fire. But all he saw was Imani doing the same with Isaiah. As he closed his eyes, the quiet of the cabin was broken by muffled sounds from down the hall.

A low murmur. A laugh. A moan.

Jameson’s jaw clenched as realization hit. Where they...? Of course they were. Leave it to Imani to go too far.

He tried to block it out, shifting slightly in bed, but the sounds only grew louder. The rhythmic creak of the bed frame, the occasional gasp, and Isaiah’s deep voice murmuring something he couldn’t make out. He sat up in bed, flipping the cover back. The urge to interrupt and ruin their evening strong. The only thing that stopped him was Camille.

She stirred from her sleep when he sat up, her hand pressed to his shoulder. When Jameson turned to look back at her, she looked confused but was ready to follow him if something was wrong. "Go back to sleep, baby." He murmured, "Everything's fine. I just wanted to get my headphones."

She blinked at him, nodding slowly before laying back down. But the noises were louder. Her eyes went wide as she looked over at him. "Are they–"

"Yes." He answered emotionlessly.

"Well then." Camille muttered. "At least somebody around here is getting it."

"You want me to fuck you so everybody hears?" Jameson asked her as he got up, moving to his suitcase. "Will that prove we're real and crazy about each other? Because that's the only reason she's doing it."

"No. But I'd prefer it if you showed any interest in having fun with me this weekend." "What do you think I've been doing, Cami?" "Worrying about your ex."

Jameson yanked the headphones out of his suitcase, turning to glare at his girlfriend. She wasn't wrong but he hated being called on it. There was no explaining what Imani did to him. She drove sanity out of his head. He did and said stupid shit when it came to her. It seemed he always would. His chest tightened, a wave of anger and something darker, more painful, rising in him. He hated that she could do this to him.

“I'm worried she's going to ruin this for Genie and EJ.” he muttered under his breath, making his way back to the bed. "I'm worried I'll get out of pocket and fuck it up with her. She seems to like me best when I'm out of my mind."

For a moment, he saw the sympathy in Camille. She sighed softly and lay back down, waiting for him to join her. One he did, she snuggled up to him. "The only way to win with her is to stop falling into the trap. Focus on EJ and Genie. Focus on us. Now...what are we listening to?"

He nodded, knowing she was right. For a moment, he could ignore the noises coming from down the hall. He could pretend he didn't know the difference between her fake moans and the actual ones of pleasure when that goofy bastard managed to hit something right. "Nat King Cole." he told Camille.

"Good." She closed her eyes and snuggled next to him as he put the headphones on. He couldn't hear Imani anymore and part of his anger faded as he pushed play on his phone's playlist. Camille kept her head pressed to his chest, the music filtering to her ears as she also ignored Imani and Isaiah.

Maybe if she got lucky, Imani would keep pushing Jameson's buttons. The angrier he got, the more he kept his distance. At least, that’s what she hoped for.

The soft glow of dawn crept into the room, painting the walls with a pale, golden hue. Camille stirred, her eyes fluttering open to the peaceful sight of Jameson still asleep beside her. His face was relaxed, his breathing steady, and she couldn’t help but smile. The headphones he had worn to bed were askew on his head.

For all the chaos surrounding this trip, moments like this made it worth it.

She slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, heading to the ensuite bathroom and getting ready for the day. Jameson still remained asleep so Camille pulled the headphones from his head and kissed him softly. She got dressed in a sweater and leggings before heading downstairs. The house was still, the only sound the faint creak of the floorboards under her feet.

In the kitchen, she set to work, humming softly to herself as she cracked eggs and whisked batter for pancakes. Breakfast in bed didn’t sound like a terrible idea. After the night Jameson had, she wanted there to be a contrast. Imani stressed him out, she made everything easier. Maybe it’d make it a simple decision for him.

“Morning,” a voice called, startling her. “Looks like somebody had the same idea as me.”

Camille turned to see EJ standing in the doorway, his hand lifted to scratch at his neck as he yawned. He made his way to the coffee machine, going through the routine that he did every morning.

“Morning,” Camille replied with a smile. “Didn’t mean to wake anyone.”

“You didn’t,” EJ assured her, “Genie’s dad is flying in today. I wanted to be up and make sure his room’s ready.”

“Kendrick Adesanya?” Camille questioned, eyes going wide. “My dad would kill to meet him. I wonder if he’ll give me an autograph.”

EJ laughed. “Most people would kill to meet him. When Genie first took me to his house for dinner, I felt like I was going to pass out. You making breakfast for yourself?"

“Un-uh,” she replied, her voice light but slightly strained. “Jameson. Figured I’d surprise him. Let him sleep in a little.”

EJ nodded and moved to the fridge, pulling out ingredients for an omelet. “I’m making something for Genie. She’s still out cold, but I promised her breakfast in bed.”

“That’s sweet of you,” Camille said, a hint of admiration in her tone.

EJ shrugged, cracking eggs into a bowl. “Gotta keep her happy. Happy soon to be wife, happy life?”

They both laughed before getting back to work in earnest. They worked in silence for a few moments, the clinking of utensils and the smell of butter filling the space. Finally, EJ broke the quiet. “So…how are things with Jameson?”

Camille hesitated, her spatula pausing mid-air. “Good,” she said, but there was a tightness to her voice. “I mean, I think they’re good. He’s been...a little distant, though. I think this weekend is a lot for him so far.”

EJ glanced at her, his brow furrowing. “Distant how?”

Camille sighed, setting down the spatula and turning to face him. “I don’t know. It’s just...with everything that’s happened, I feel like there’s this gulf between us. Like he’s not completely here, you know? He’s holding himself at a distance.”

EJ nodded slowly, whisking the eggs. “I’m sorry. That’s a tough spot to be in. I didn’t mean for that to happen to you guys.”

“It’s not your fault. And then there’s Imani,” Camille added, her voice dropping. “I mean, I know he says he’s over her, but it’s hard not to feel like she’s always there. They circle around each other like they don’t know what to think or say. Especially after…” She trailed off, biting her lip.

“After what?” EJ prompted, glancing at her.

Camille hesitated, then sighed. “After hearing her and Isaiah – well, I woke up in the middle of the night and we could hear them. They were…having sex. Down the hall the other night.”

EJ’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Camille said, her cheeks flushing. “It was...loud. And it triggered something in him. He got agitated and then we argued a bit. I know it shouldn’t bother me, but it does. It’s like she’s trying to prove something. To him and me. She still has a hold on him and we all know it.”

EJ set down the whisk and turned to face her fully, leaning against the counter. “I told you she did. Camille –” He stopped himself, Genie’s words from earlier echoing in his mind: Let them figure it out on their own.

“What?” Camille asked, her eyes searching his face.

EJ shook his head, offering her a small smile. “Nothing. I uh – I just wanted to say I was sorry for how messy shit has gotten. You and Jameson will figure it out. You’ve got a good thing going. Trust each other — don’t let anyone else fuck with that.”

Camille studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Thanks, EJ. I appreciate that.”

“Anytime,” he said, turning back to his omelet.

They finished cooking in companionable silence, and as Camille gathered her tray to take upstairs, EJ grabbed his plate.

“Good luck,” he said as they headed for the stairs.

Jameson was still asleep when she entered the room, his arm draped across the bed where she had been. She set the tray down on the nightstand and gently shook his shoulder, kissing his cheek softly. He grunted in his sleep, slowly opening his eyes and turning his head to peer at her.

“Good morning,” she whispered. “I made you breakfast.” “Good morning,” he replied, smiling. He sat up, groggy but alert, as she placed the tray on his lap. “Thank you, baby. But you didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to. You had a long night” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “But I am not going to hover. I’m heading to the slopes with EJ’s sister. She invited us both last night but you should sleep in a little more.”

Jameson nodded, taking a sip of coffee and a bite of the bacon. “You sure? I can go with you.” He said softly, lifting his head to offer her a kiss.

Camille leaned in, “It’s fine. We’re going to have a girl's morning. You get some rest.” She kissed him soundly, gently brushing a crumb from his face. "But promise you'll make some time for me tonight before EJ and Genie's dinner." He gave her a quick nod. “I promise. Thank you. Be careful.”

“I will,” she promised, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

It took a minute for her to get dressed. Jameson watched her the entire time, eating his breakfast and subtly asking for kisses each time. For the first time since they’d gotten to Aspen, it felt like he was all about her. As she left the room, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

Sloane.

Her heart sank as she made her way down the stairs and crossed the living room and exited the front door – phone buzzing all the while. Finally, when she was sure she was alone, Camille answered. “What do you want?”

“Hey, girl. I was just wondering how Aspen was.” Sloane’s voice chimed, deceptively light. “You’re starting to get a little unhinged behind a man that has never wanted you.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone and Camille took the opportunity to go for a kill shot. “Imani. She’s my real competition. It’s never been you. And I’m sorry, Sloane, it never will be.”

There was more silence and guilt start to set in – Camille knew she had been cruel but she couldn’t help it. There were all these forces against she and Jameson. She just wanted to protect what they were trying to build. Sloane was a threat that she could handle easily…or so she thought.

“For a minute, I started to feel bad for what I’ve done. I’ve been there. Wanting something I don’t deserve.” Sloane said slowly, her voice was calm…almost eerie. “You and I…we’re a lot alike. But unlike you, I knew when my time was up. You’re greedy enough to want more.”

“Sorry for what you’ve done?” Camille got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“Oh you’re curious about that, are you?” Sloane’s tone was almost teasing, but it carried an undercurrent of malice. “Sloane…” “I just told the truth. For once in my life, I told the absolute truth. You probably have a couple of hours before it all blows up in your face.”

Camille froze, her grip tightening on the phone. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ll see,” Sloane replied with a laugh. “Enjoy your baecation while it lasts. But remember this – I saved you from living a lie. Even when you’re angry, remember I did you a favor.”

The line went dead, leaving Camille standing there, her heart pounding. She took a deep breath, steeling herself. She heard the front door open and jumped when Ella called her name.

“You ready to go, girl?”

Camille had to give the girl a smile – praying she couldn’t see the underlying tension. “Of course. Let’s…let’s go.”

He was second-guessing himself but as Jameson lifted his hand to twist the doorknob, there wasn’t much he could do to stop. He should have spent the day sleeping and resting -- but he couldn't fully let go of his anger. He heard movement in Imani’s room and figured it was her. Irritation was burrowing underneath his skin. The past four days had been stressful. Psychological warfare with Imani was rough. Every sweet thing he did with Camille, Imani made sure she topped it with – what was his fucking name? Who was he kidding? He didn’t give a shit.

The door swung open and he came face to face with her…, which immediately ignited his agitation. “You realize you aren’t the only one here right?” He said abruptly, leaning against the door frame.

Imani was on her phone, checking a few of her emails. She missed the group’s excursion to the slopes because she couldn’t decide what to wear, so she stayed behind and was glad she did. She was tired of seeing Jameson with Camille. She needed a damn break, but of course, fate wouldn’t allow it. Because there was an angry Jameson standing in her room. She exhaled her annoyance and turned her head quickly to stare at him. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Have you lost your damn mind? Don’t you know how to knock?”

“I didn’t think you cared about manners. You know we all heard ya’ll fucking last night, right?” Jameson asked her, his emotions heightened by the fact that she seemed ready to have it out with him.

That meant her mission was accomplished. Imani wanted Jameson to hear her having sex with Isaiah. She wanted to do anything she could to make him jealous. “My bad.” Imani didn’t bother to look up at him. Instead, she kept scrolling through her phone.

“Your bad?” He questioned, face frowning up as he moved further into the room without invitation. “You don’t think that was fucked up?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry,” Imani said. She didn’t give a damn about what Jameson had to say. “Is that better for you, friend?”

“That’s it?” He said, agitated by her lack of remorse...and the fact that she called him friend. “Y'all couldn’t go rent a room somewhere or something? It was nasty. Genie won’t tell you that. Neither will EJ but I will.”

She paused, squinting her eyes at his audacity. EJ and Genie were on a separate wing than they were. She didn’t think they heard her at all. Her goal was to only capture his ears and it seemed like that was accomplished. “Jameson, you haven’t said nothing to me this whole trip. If you not EJ or Genie, I really don’t give a fuck about what you have to say.”

His brows furrowed in confusion as he moved further into the room, arms folded over his chest defensively. “And what would you like me to say to you?” He asked, tilting his head. “You ain’t said shit to me either. All you do is follow that nigga around giggling.”

The civil war Imani and Jameson had been engaged in the past two days was intense. They hadn't caused too much of a fuss but each was determined to one up each other…despite the fact that their last conversation consisted of each declaring the desire to be friends. They had failed.

Imani chuckled, “Ain’t we supposed to be friends, now, right? That’s what you said on that damn podcast. It shouldn’t be that hard to talk to your friend.”

“Did I lie? We agreed to be friends.” Jameson glared at her, the dots connecting in his head. Was she…mad about him saying they were friends? “Are you mad at me for not talking to you regularly? It’s complicated with us. I didn’t know what to say. I just figured…we parted on good terms so we were good. But the way you acting, I’m starting to think we ain’t.”

She looked at him through squinted eyes. “The way I’m actin’? I ain’t the one that’s bustin’ up in your room policin’ the way you fuck! That’s you!”

“We gone act like I didn’t come in here for a fucking reason?” He retorted, matching her energy. “You fucked that nigga where I could hear you!”

“And the other day, you had that bitch whimperin’ where I could hear so I don’t think we any different.”

“That was a fucking kiss, Mani. I ain’t fucked Cami in days because I knew you were down the hall. That’s the difference between us.” It would have been easy to pretend he didn’t know what she was talking about but they were too deep in the game to lie. “I don’t get off making you feel like shit.”

She tilted her head at him. “Why the fuck does it matter what me and Isaiah do at night? You moved on. You coulda fucked Camille if you wanted to!”

And there it was. The first time either of them had vocalized the root of the shit they were battling about. He couldn't believe her audacity.

“You moved on first.” Jameson told her coldly. He didn’t even bother broaching the other topics. “You left me. You said ‘one day’. Next thing I know, you tonguing down some random. You moved on first.”

The elephant in the room seemed to grow bigger the more each of them talked. When he finished speaking, Imani lapsed into silence but he could see that she was mentally calculating.

She clenched her jaw, tired of holding back all of the truths she spared him from. “I never moved on! You wifed a bitch and sang your heart out about her. None of them niggas could say I was theirs like Camille can say you hers.”

He couldn't let himself hope. Jameson forced himself to ignore the fact that she declared she had never moved on from him. He forced himself to ignore the way his heart thudded. Instead, he got angry. It was easier to deal with anger than fear.

“You think I gave a fuck about that?!” He shouted, “You ain’t post them but I still saw it! I’m at home drinking just so I can sleep and not dream of you but you was out having the time of your life!” He clapped his hands together, punctuating each word he uttered. “Song after song about you before I made anything about her! I made ‘em until I couldn’t mourn anymore! You should be fucking happy it took me six months to even think of somebody else because if I was the nigga you think I am, I coulda had ten bitches the day you left my house.”

Her voice was stuck in her throat. Imani remembered all of his pain and suffering she heard through Midnight and instantly she felt a tinge of guilt, but she shook her head. The feeling died out quickly when she reminded herself they were in a fight. “You think that shit was easy for me!?” Her voice rose a few octaves as she threw her hands up then touched her chest. “I thought that doing that shit would make me forget about you and the mistake I made! But nothing fuckin’ worked. I was fucking alone! All I had was thoughts of you.”

That damn thudding in his chest began again. His heart skipped a beat and he shook his head, doing his best not to ignore everything else she was saying. He couldn't highlight the good shit and ignore the bad. Jameson forced himself not to comfort her.

“You chose to be alone, Mani. You left me and you left Genie. That was your decision.” He told her heatedly. “Don't compare that to me. You didn't see me with anybody until Cami. You on your third fling and this nigga got a post. You call him daddy. Let him fuck you down the hall from me. You ain't having it hard.”

“I was doing what I thought was right for us!” She chose to ignore his other claims because those flings meant nothing to her. They weren’t Jameson. She could never be as serious with them as he was with Camille, because her heart was with someone else.

“I was doing what I thought was right! I let you go, I didn’t fight. Stop comparing that!” “How the fuck is it any different?” She yelled. "It killed me to let you go. But you just kept going."

Instead of granting him a response, she pushed his forehead with her index finger and said, “Fuck you, Jamie! You don’t know how I felt. You don’t know what the fuck I went through.”

They broke each other’s heart trying to do right by one another. Before he could respond that he was doing the same…she pressed a digit to his head. What the fuck?

He came right back, his eyes screwing up to see her finger pressed to his head in disbelief. He lifted his arm — knocking her hand from his head as he gazed at her fingers. The diamond shone brightly, almost shocking him. It was the one he bought her. Had she always worn it? “We did that already. Before you gave that nigga pity pussy, I showed you how to play the fuck you game. Unfortunately for you, you stuck with that nigga now. You made that bed, lay in it.”

She could tell he was talking shit. Made the bed now lay in it? He had proven himself jealous. He wanted her. Why wasn't he taking her? Why did he ignore her obvious feelings?

Imani laughed loudly. “You really want me to believe that you havin’ better sex than me? That you don't want me?” She retorted. “Nigga, you pent up as fuck. I see it all in your face.”

Jameson kissed his teeth, rolling his eyes. It was true but he'd be damned if he admitted it. Sex with Cami was fine. They both got off. It was normal, typical sex. Radically different from what he had with Mani. But he didn't think he had anything to prove to her so he didn't answer. “I ain't ask you to believe shit. I'm just telling you that I know he not getting the job done. You forget that I know how you sound when you really want it.”

She smirked, knowing she was right. Imani rolled her eyes at him. “Get the fuck out my room.” She said. “Oh, and take my watch off while you’re at it.”

He blinked at her, head jerking to the side as he tried to process what the fuck she was saying. “Fuck that and fuck you. This my watch.”

“Why the fuck are you even wearing that shit anyways!?” She said with her hands on her hips. “Camille ain’t gave you no other shit to wear?”

“It's my fucking watch. That's enough reason.” Jameson replied, frowning at her. “You said it was a mistake to leave me — you should be happy I'm wearing it.”

“I should be happy? I should be happy you’re wearin’ the fucking watch I gave you while you parade around here with another woman?” She repeated through squinted eyes. “What kinda sick fucking game are you playing?”

“Same game you playing.” He responded with venom, gesturing to her hand. He had seen it when she pushed his head but he was so angry at her that he didn't comment. “You fuck that nigga wearing my ring?”

Silence lapsed between them and Imani curled her fingers into a fist, wanting desperately to hide the damn ring…but he had already seen it. Fuck. She forgot to take off the ring when he came into the room. “And what if I did?” She finally said. She only wore his ring to calm herself down. It was the only piece of him she had and it brought her comfort. But it was not working right now. She was mad as fuck. “I know you fuckin’ that bitch wearing my watch!”

“Mhm. I do.” He confirmed, lashing out just as she was. He just kept staring at the ring on her finger as if he were lost in his own thoughts. “I can't take the fucking thing off and it's your fault. I tried but I can't.”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him. “What the hell you mean you can’t take it off, Jamie? You need me to fuckin’ help you?”

“Don't.” He mumbled, glaring at her. “Don't touch me, Mani. I swear to God…”

His words were a challenge for her. “Or what? The fuck you gone do, Jameson?” Imani glared at him as silence fell between them. Without another word, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

He jerked his hand away from her. It was insanity but…this was exciting. Arguing with her, yelling shit they probably could have just sat down and talked about. It lit something inside him. He hated it…and loved it. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out for her. Jameson jerked her closer by her neck, grasping her loosely. He opened his mouth to say something but…what could he say? What else was to be said? He didn’t think about Camille or the fact that this was their friends’ engagement trip. All he could think about was that she had carried a part of him with her. He never took the watch off for that reason but it didn’t occur to him she felt the same way.

Jameson angled his head, his movements sleek and precise, and finally kissed her.

She was hesitant at first. Then Imani’s hand was on the nape of his neck, pulling him closer to her. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, wanting a taste of him, because she didn’t know if it would be her last. Imani pulled away just so she could catch her breath. “I missed you,” she said. Her lips found his again.

He caught the words she whispered and any common sense that would have stopped him from cheating on Camille fled. All he could hear was her. All he could feel was the way she touched him. For the first time in a year, he felt like himself again. “I missed you too.” He answered honestly, his hand releasing her wrist and anchoring against her hips as he slowly dipped…then picked her up, gathering her in his arms.

It was disgraceful. It was wrong. But fuck it felt good to hold her again. He knew he wasn’t going to stop. It had been over a year. Thirteen months, nineteen days, and six hours since he got to kiss her. He suffered, feeling the ghost of her under his skin while he did his best to pretend everything was fine. He went to therapy, he said and did all the right things to get his life back on track – and none of that felt as good as his fingers grasping a handful of ass and hearing her whimper.

The two stumbled backward, tipping over onto the bed. Imani straddled him, Jameson’s hands were roaming. They sat that way – kissing, tongues tangling and stroking one another, heads shifting left and right. Both of them were desperate for each other. The door was wide open but pausing to ensure their privacy didn’t appeal to either. Jameson reared back, his hand leaving her ass and straight down into her velour tracksuit.

Imani hissed against his mouth, breaking the kiss to peer down between them. She watched his hand fumbling until they pushed her panties aside and dipped between her folds. His fingertips grazed against her piercing and she moaned. She was already wet and part of her hated to admit it – but it was their argument that did it.

They were toxic. They were each other’s drug of choice. They had both gotten clean but the addiction lingered like a shadow. Something they couldn’t outrun, no matter how many times they tried to walk away.

Imani leaned over him, her breath shallow, her pulse racing. Her hands framed his face and forced Jameson’s gaze to meet her own. They didn’t exchange words but they understood each other immediately. They were choosing to be together…at least for this moment. Imani slowly lifted his shirt, waiting for him to stop her but he didn’t. All he did was pull his hands from her pants, lifted his arms, and let her.

She saw bare chest and shoulders, broad and just the same as always. Then she saw nothing. Jameson tilted her head back and took her mouth again.

Imani didn’t waste time. They had none to spare. She rolled her hips hard against him and raked her acrylics across his shoulders and then down his chest. She felt her fingers against his biceps and then his abs – searching for more while Jameson shoved his hand back down the tracksuit that neither bothered to rid her of.

“Fuck,” he groaned against her mouth. “Baby, now.” Imani murmured.

Like a man given his orders, Jameson shifted slightly to the side and began to fuck her with his fingers. Imani’s eyes fluttered closed as she rocked herself on then off his digits. Every time she slid forward, she ground her hips down – taking his fingers but beckoning his dick to harden against her. She was practically out of her mind but she had enough sense to hold on to him, her arms wrapping around his neck as he panted against her ear.

For a few minutes, she rode him like that – both of them alternating between kissing and watching his fingers twist and thrust inside her. She could feel the orgasm racing up her spine but it felt so out of reach.

Imani opened her mouth to beg for more but his thumb pressed to her clit and she inhaled sharply. Just then…they heard the front door slam.

Imani froze but Jameson didn’t stop. He kept stroking her, kissing her neck. Maybe it was because she missed him. Maybe it was because she could hear footsteps downstairs. Whatever it was…it made her shudder against him. She came on a gasp so quickly that it shocked them both. Jameson lifted his free hand, covering her mouth as she kept circling her hips, riding out the high…until he couldn’t take it anymore.

They heard the footsteps below but Jameson moved like he had all the time in the world. He pulled his fingers free, rising from the bed, and hiked her higher in his arms. Kicking her bedroom door closed, he did the same to the shirt she had peeled from his body – doing his best to make sure it was under the bed. Then he strode into the ensuite bathroom and kicked that door closed behind them too.

All Imani could do was hold on to him, not saying a word. It would have been smart to stop but as their eyes met – she knew they wouldn’t. Jameson lowered her to stand…and then he locked the door.

The soft chime of her laptop pulled Genie’s attention away from the mug of tea she’d been nursing for the past hour. After breakfast with EJ, her father had finally arrived. Genie was so excited that she didn’t care about skiing or sledding or whatever activities EJ had planned. She sat with her father and felt like a kid again – following him around the house and helping him get settled. Finally, he left her to get some rest and she had pouted.

Instead of going out into the cold, Genie decided to do some work. She had emails to go through. Offers for gowns to events, modeling offers, and even fashion jobs but one in particular caught her eye. She glanced at the screen, her brow furrowing at the sight of a name she hadn’t seen there in…a while.

Sloane.

Her first instinct was to delete it. Whatever Sloane had to say couldn’t be good, and Genie wasn’t in the mood for more drama. She and Jameson had truly rooted her out of their lives and she was glad to keep it that way but curiosity got the better of her. With a sigh, she clicked the email open.

The message was long, rambling, and filled with justifications and excuses. But the gist of it was – Jameson was once again the object of her obsession. Sloane’s words were laced with guilt and a desperation to come clean.

“I never meant for things to go this far. I swear it was just meant to convince Jameson to talk to me. I’ve only ever had you guys as friends for real. I knew once he forgave me that you might too. I only gave her advice on how to get become friends with Jamie — what he liked, what he didn’t. I recently saw that they were together and I asked Camille about it. She wouldn’t even talk to me. Once she got what she wanted, I was history. I’m sorry, Genie. I had no idea that she was like this. I just wanted my friends back and I used her to do it. I didn’t realize what a mistake that would be.”

Genie’s heart pounded as she reread that section of the email. A mix of disbelief and anger bubbled up inside her. Camille? Sloane coaching her? It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t be true. Why the fuck would either of them think that’d be a good idea?

Then again…it was. It worked. Camille got close. Genie knew Sloane wasn’t telling her this from the goodness of her heart. She was probably pissed that Camille and Jameson were dating.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she slammed the laptop shut. No. If Sloane had something to say, she could say it to her face — or at least over the phone.

Genie grabbed her phone and unblocked Sloane’s number before dialing it. It rung but then had no answer. Genie quickly flipped the laptop back open and sent three words in response to the email: Call me. Now.

The line rang once – the number unfamiliar to Genie – before she picked up, her voice tense. “What the fuck is this email about?”

There was a pause, and then Sloane sighed. “Look, I messed up, okay? I didn’t think it would go this far.”

“I don’t care about your explanation or your feelings. Tell me what’s going on?” Genie snapped.

Sloane launched into the story, her words tumbling over each other in her haste to explain. She admitted to coaching Camille, giving her tips on how to appeal to Jameson — how to get under his skin. It was supposed to be for friendship reasons but Genie wasn’t naive enough to buy that shit.

Her grip on her phone tightened as Sloane’s confession unraveled. By the time she finished, Genie was shaking with anger.

“So you told this girl how to play Jameson? It was all a lie?” Genie’s voice was low, dangerous.

“To give her credit, I think she really does want to be with him. But…” Sloane said weakly. “But?!” “If you play games to get what you want, you’ll always be playing. Isn’t that way you and Jameson stopped being friends with me? Trust? You can’t trust Camille. Just like you couldn’t trust me. Eventually, she’ll start playing the same games to get what she wants.”

Genie hung up without another word, her mind racing. She couldn’t let this slide. Not again.

She looked all over the house for Camille but of course she wasn’t there. It wasn’t until EJ told her that she’d gone skiing with his sister that she realized the truth. Genie got dressed, ignoring EJ’s questions – simply saying she wanted to ski too.

It took almost forty-five minutes for her to make it to the damn mountain. By then, she was hotter than fish grease. She had stood back and let Sloane have her way. She knew the girl was no good and still let Jameson linger around her. She wasn’t going to do it again. Especially not when EJ said he wanted something good for himself.

When she saw the two, Ella spotted her first. Genie greeted her future sister in law warmly but cut her eyes at Camille. “We need to talk,” she told her, asking Ella to wait for them at the lift.

Camille nodded, agreeing quietly. “What’s going on?”

“I just got off the phone with Sloane,” Genie said, crossing her arms as she glanced around to make sure they couldn’t be heard by Ella. “Care to explain why she’s telling me you aren’t to be trusted?”

Camille’s pretty went pale and Genie almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Until she started lying. “I…I don’t know what she's talking about.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Genie snapped. “She told me everything. How she coached you, how you followed her little plan to befriend Jameson. Was any of it real, Camille? Or was this just some weird ass game to you both?”

Camille opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

“That’s what I thought,” Genie said, her voice shaking with anger. “You played my brother. You used him.”

“No! I didn’t!” Camille said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just – I didn’t expect to fall for him. But I did. I love Jameson. Sloane is the one – ”

Genie took a step closer, her eyes blazing. “No. You don’t get to play the victim here. You don’t get to pretend that it’s just Sloane. You manipulated him too. And I swear to god, you’re going to fix it.”

“But I…How?” Camille asked, tears brimming in her eyes.

“You’re going to tell him the truth,” Genie said firmly. “Everything. Or I will.”

Camille’s breath hitched. “Genie, please—”

“No,” Genie interrupted. “Jameson deserves better than this. He deserves the truth. EJ said you were good for him. That you were his new beginning but it’s the same old shit. You’re no better than Sloane. Tell him or I will. And the last bitch I snitched on, my brother cut her out the same night”

Camille trembled, her eyes wide. She fully believed Genie. Time after time, Jameson had told her how much his family meant to him. She knew Genie was serious.

Without another word, Genie turned on her heel, her anger still simmering as she approached Ella. She couldn’t believe she’d ever been willing to give Camille a shot. But one thing was certain — Jameson was going to hear the truth, no matter what. Whatever he decided from that point on was his business.

The water pounded against their skin, a steady rhythm that mirrored their hearts. Their clothes had been discarded in a pile on the floor. Steam filled the small bathroom, swirling around them, blurring the edges of reality. Jameson stood under the stream, his eyes closed, trying to breathe through the tension that threaded through his body. Imani was in front of him, her legs spread and her hand pressed against the stone wall to keep herself balanced.

He pressed forward, gripping the base of his dick tightly in his grasp as he watched her welcome him in. They both exhaled in relief, pleasure making their skin tingle. The water cascaded over them and covered the sounds they couldn’t help but make.

One of her hands came back and pressed to his thigh, pulling him forward but Jameson resisted. He only pushed the head into her, pulling back and fucking her with only that. Imani whined – he barely heard it over the spray of the shower but it was there. She turned back to look at him, frustration furrowing her brow.

“Jamie…” she muttered, biting down on her lower lip. He gave her a little more, hands gripping her ass and pulling her cheeks apart. She gave him a giddy little smile, eyes closing as she tried to rise to the tips of her toes and slide back. One of his hands moved to grasp her waist and he kept her steady.

He couldn’t help the little delirious laugh that left his mouth. He was here with her. She wasn’t a vision or a fantasy. He was pushing into her, ignoring the way she tightened and soaked him. He was doing something wrong but it felt so fucking good that he didn’t think he’d ever find the decency to feel guilty about it. “Yeah. That’s how you sound when you really want it.”

He couldn’t see her face but he heard her words. “Shut the fuck up.”

They couldn’t spare the time, not really. But Jameson didn’t care about being found. He didn’t care about getting caught. All he gave a fuck about were the 415 days he spent without her. The nights where he wondered who got to cuddle up to her. And he decided a few extra minutes for dick couldn’t hurt her.

Jameson froze, bracing as she tried to buck back and force him to act. “Say sorry.”

Imani turned back to glare at him, the words not falling from her mouth. It was ludacris but Jameson grinned down at her, his fingertips digging into her hips to keep her still.

“Say it.” “No. Fuck you.”

He pulled out of her, opening his mouth to retort but there was a knock on the door. Imani’s head turned and she shot up, standing up straight. She stumbled back and Jameson caught her – keeping them both steady as she stared at the door.

“Y-Yeah?” She called out. “You good?”

He heard the voice call out to her and recognized it as Isaiah. He must have been who they heard come into the house. Jameson wondered how much he heard. Imani seemed to wonder the same. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder at him.

“Answer him,” he said softly, wrapping his arm around her waist as he pressed a kiss against her neck to relax her. Imani did what he said and replied to Isaiah, shouting to be heard over the shower. “I’m f-fine.”

“You sure? You ain’t come out of this room all day. I missed you on the slopes.” “I’m sorry. I’m just…not feeling good.” “Let me in, baby. I want to check on you.”

He hated hearing the word ‘babe’ fall from his lips about Imani but Jameson didn’t say a word. He stroked down her thigh, fingertips eventually grazing at her clit. “You want him to check on you?” He teased her, fingers brushing against the silver piercing between her legs. Jameson tugged it down, twisting his fingers so they hit her clit and the piercing within seconds of each other. Imani tensed but didn’t stop him.

“No! No, I’m okay. I’m just… craving…um…caviar.” “...Caviar?”

Jameson snorted with laughter and Imani slapped her hand against his wrist, trying to silence him. He responded by moving his fingers faster, strumming her clit as his foot parted her legs even wider.

“Y-Yes! Caviar!”

She didn’t even eat caviar but Imani would give anything for him to get away from the damn door. Jameson had her legs trembling and she knew it wouldn’t be much longer before she couldn’t hide the fact that she was in bliss.

“I can see if we got some in the kitchen.” “W-We don’t. Can you go to the market?” “Which one?” “Either one! It doesn’t matter!”

Her voice picked up urgency as she twisted her hips, joining his hand in getting her off. Jameson leaned in, kissing her earlobe before he whispered lowly. “I think we about to get caught. You want him to hear how you sound when you really cum?”

Imani shook her head, refusing Jameson’s request. Isaiah was saying something else but she couldn’t hear him – didn’t want to hear him. All she could hear was Jameson whispering against her ear, all she could feel was his fingers stroking her clit and then moving – wedging inside her. “C’mere. Let me hear it.” He whispered against her ear. She didn’t know if Isaiah was gone or not but Imani knew one thing for sure: she couldn’t hold back any longer.

She gasped, buckling under the pressure as she came with a strangled moan. The orgasm hit her harder than she expected and she crumpled forward, bending at the waist as she tried to escape his hands...but he wouldn’t let her.

“Tell me you sorry.” Jameson said and Imani didn’t have it in her to deny him anymore. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, grasping his wrist to pull his hand away as she kept coming.

He pushed her hand away, quickening his strokes and adding his other hand to rub her clit. “I can’t hear you.”

“Baby please, I-I’m sorry.” She yelped, her voice cracking from the pleasure.

She expected him to be obnoxious about getting an apology but he didn’t. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “I’m sorry too. For everything that led us here.”

Goosebumps spread across her skin but she didn’t have time to process what that meant. No sooner than he said the words, he was pressing into her while she was coming but he didn’t stop at the head. He kept going, pushing in and then pulling out to watch as she coated his dick in her release. “That’s pretty.” He murmured, one hand moving to her ass as the other reached up to grasp her hair. “My baby so fucking wet.” He turned them both in the shower, making her press her hands to the glass enclosing them in the space before his pace increased.

Imani’s jaw dropped as he thrust. He was trusting her to keep them both from falling against the glass and she didn’t have much faith in her abilities. Everything was trembling. Her thighs, her arms, her whole damn body. And there he was – fucking her like they weren’t under a time limit. Like they weren’t in situations with other people.

And she loved every minute of it.

Imani rose to the tips of her toes, rocking her hips hard against him. Their bodies clashed, water splashing between them as their thighs met. Jameson was so hard that it almost hurt him but he didn’t stop. He kept going, angling his hips to dig into her as deeply as he could. He hit that one spot that could damn near blind her and Imani yelped – the sound echoing throughout the bathroom.

“Baby, don’t stop.” she cried out, arms buckling as her body pressed to the glass. She gave up the pretense of holding anything up. He had a firm grip on her hair still. Head pulled back, hips jutted out, she was at his mercy. He slapped his palm against her ass, watching the cheek ripple and a groan left his body. Good. She loved to know that he was going crazy just like she was.

Jameson let her hair go and Imani’s face pressed to the glass, cheek against the cold as her hands reached back to grasp his thighs.

“W-Why you fucking me like this?” she whined, eyes rolling as he throbbed deep within her. “Because,” he grunted, being more honest than he wanted to be. “I love you. I need you. And I missed the fuck out of this pussy.”

That seemed to be the answer her body craved. Imani felt the rush hit her again. Jameson could feel it coming. She squeezed and pulled at his dick so good that he was shocked he hadn’t finished inside her yet. When she lost the ability to speak, he pressed her fully against the glass and bucked his hips – moving so fast that to peer down between them would be like looking at a damn blur. Her ass rebounded each time he pressed forward and Jameson pulled her cheeks apart again – arching her hips the way he liked.

“I missed this dick so much.” she cried out, shaking as she came and confessed. “Nobody can fuck me like you do.” Her body was trembling uncontrollably as she released wave after wave of warm wetness onto him. The powerful way her pussy clenched tightly had him shaking too. Pulling him in and throbbing with every pulse of pleasure that erupted from within her. The hot water had faded into warm and was bordering on cold now but he didn’t give a shit. Jameson kept going as his soft grunts echoed off the walls of the shower.

“Fuck your pussy, baby,” she muttered, gasping out for breath. She was delirious after her third orgasm but he wasn’t done. He wanted another from her. It was that need to prove to her how he felt. The words weren’t working anymore. Words had failed them both. But when they got like this – they said everything they ever needed to say.

“This mine?” He asked her, moaning when she bobbed her head – nodding so fast that he barely got the question out. “You mean it?”

“Mhm!.” “My fucking baby. That pussy welcoming me home?” “Yes!” She cried, choking the word out with a groan. “Say it’s mine again.” “It’s yours, daddy! I promise.” “You gone give my shit away again?” “Un-uh! I’m never giving your pussy away again.” “Swear it.” “I swear, daddy!” “I’ma make sure you keep that promise.” “Jamie, please. I can’t. I can’t anymore. Cum.” “Not yet. One more. Then I’ll give you everything.” “You promise?” “I swear, baby.”

Imani nodded her head and hiked her leg up, resting it against the shower bench, and went to work. She sensuously rolled her hips against him, looking back over her shoulder and meeting his gaze.

She recognized that wild, borderline delirious look in his eyes. It was the same one she had. “Tell me this dick is mine.” she demanded. She had given him everything, had bared her feelings out throughout sex and she wanted the same from him. When they got out of this shower, she wanted to know he was hers.

Surprise ignited in Jameson’s eyes and the tightening in his gut told him that he liked her possessiveness. After a year of believing she was apathetic to him, it fed something in him.

“This your dick.” He told her with a grin. “Say it again,” Imani demanded.

He watched as her hand wedged between her legs, rubbing her sensitive clit. Her legs shook but she fought the urge to close them as his dick swelled within her. “This your dick, baby.”

“Again.” She demanded once more. “This your dick.” He told her seriously, moving his hands to brace against her hips and help her cum around him. “I belong to you. I’m not living if I’m not with you. I’m just existing.”

He watched her face soften as he confessed and Jameson leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. He slowed down, giving her deep and hard strokes as she squeaked out his name. He felt her cum around him again and his eyes shut as he wrapped his arms around her. He was done for. No good anymore.

Imani’s head fell back to his shoulder and she dragged his hand up her body, resting his hand against her neck. “Choke me.” She moaned out, knowing exactly what he needed. Jameson did as she asked, his thumb and ring finger pressing tightly against the sides of her neck. He didn’t do this with Camille. Comparing the two women never felt right but he had done it. Cami liked to be coddled and petted. He had done it and he enjoyed it. But this? Wild, reckless, uninhibited sex with Imani was heaven. She hummed happily and Jameson lifted his leg – resting it against hers on the bench as he jerked once…twice…and then emptied himself inside her.

They ground their hips against each other, Imani moving in the opposite direction as he did – dragging out their orgasms. Jameson twitched, grunting each time he sunk into her. Peering down between them, he watched his dick – covered in his nut and her cum slide in and out of her. He knew right then and there that he was never going to let this girl leave him again. They were going to have to figure this shit out. He loved fucking her but he loved the way she held on to him even more. His arms were right tightly around her and she sighed happily when he released her neck.

Imani sank into his embrace, silence taking over as the two of them listened to the cold water running and splashing against their feet. Jameson dropped his foot, leaning over to shut the water off and then he pressed his face against her neck – taking a deep breath and holding her tightly.

“I love you, baby.” Imani whispered. “I love you too.” Jameson replied.

Isaiah’s brows furrowed in confusion as he padded down the hallway. His mind still stuck on the whimpers he heard. Caviar? Caviar? Why the fuck would she want that? He shook his head and took a deep breath. Whatever Imani needed him to do, he would do it without question. He was determined to impress her. She was unlike any girl he had ever met – independent, beautiful, and successful in her own right. She was the dream girl of every man. He knew he needed her on his team.

Entering the kitchen, he spotted Camille sitting at the island with a steaming mug in her hands. Her hands were shaking but still, she blew into it gently – sending plumes of hot steam swirling into the air. Walking over to the fridge, he opened it with hopefulness, searching for caviar. He didn’t want to go outside again. Isaiah was tired of the cold already. To his disappointment, there was none.

Camille asked him sullenly, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, Mani just asked me for some caviar.” He said.

“Caviar? Why would she want that?”

“I don’t know, man. She’s been in the room all day. She told me she wasn’t feeling well and wanted some caviar. Then I heard her in the shower, breathing all heavy and shit. It was fucking weird.”

As Isaiah spoke about Imani’s request, he noticed Camille’s facial expression change slowly. She already looked upset but it was like something had turned her stomach. Confused by her reaction, he narrowed his eyes at her and asked, “What?”

Camille swallowed before speaking again, “Do you know about her history with Jameson?”

Isaiah’s jaw clenched at the mention of that name. He despised Jameson and the feeling appeared to be mutual – all the sharp and icy looks he had been given him this whole weekend was proof enough of that. And then there was the way Jameson looked at Imani. Isaiah didn’t even want to think about it. From what she had told him, he was her ex. But Isaiah wasn’t worried. He knew he could give Imani more opportunities than that nigga ever could.

“Nah, all I know is he’s her ex.” Isaiah replied with a nonchalant shrug. “I ain’t worried though.”

Camille seemed defeated when she spoke again. “You should be. I-I don’t think she’s fully over him and she might have invited you out here for the wrong reasons.”

Isaiah shook his head and waved off her concerns. “You trippin’. Me and Mani good. I’m a go get this caviar for her. I’ll be back.” He walked away to brave the frigid cold outside. Camille’s words stayed in his mind. But he quickly brushed them aside – what did Camille know about their relationship anyway? Jameson may have been Imani’s ex, but he was not Isaiah.

He couldn’t quite believe that this was reality. Even as they both dried off and he tugged his underwear and pants back on…it didn’t feel real. Jameson kept staring at Imani, wondering if she’d disappear if he blinked too much. They had long since turned off the shower. Jameson sat her on the counter, cleaning up the mess they had both made before they redressed…and now he was standing behind her, holding on as if she’d fade away if he let go. “We got a lot of shit to work out…but I can't tell if I'm just imagining you. Is this real?” He pressed a kiss to her head, sighing softly in relief.

“It’s real.” She turned to face him, gazing into his eyes. Imani grabbed his face. She sighed, “I’m sorry for everything, baby. I wish I did so much shit differently. If I could go back, I would. We woulda worked this shit out and it wouldn’t be all…complicated like it is now.”

It was insane how he relaxed the more she spoke. When he woke up that morning, he’d done it miserable and pissed at her. And now there he was – putty in her hands. “I can’t blame you too much,” he said softly, contradicting the heated words he’d spat out earlier. “I didn’t make you feel safe. I’m gonna make it uncomplicated. I’ll talk to Camille.”

He felt guilty about it. Camille had only been his girlfriend for a month but they were working towards building something. This was going to come out of left field for her but what else was he supposed to do? Imani was everything. And he was tired of pretending she wasn’t.

In the heat of the moment, she had forgotten about Camille and Isaiah. Imani felt terrible about them being casualties in their mess, but with him in her arms, she would do it all over again if she had to. “I’m sorry about that too.”

He sighed softly, leaning in to kiss her. “You ain’t sorry. Just like I’m not sorry about that dickhead being shown the door.” Jameson shook his head, sighing softly as he pressed his forehead to hers. “We kinda fucked up, baby.”

She chuckled lowly. Imani dropped her hands, resting them on his shoulder. “I know. I know. You my fuck up though.” She said, kissing him again. “I don’t want to leave.” Imani sighed, knowing they spent far too much time in the bathroom. But it felt like they had only been in there for five minutes. She wasn’t ready to face reality just yet.

“Me either.” He said softly. “But we have to. We at least owe them the truth.” He knew it wouldn’t change the fact that they were guilty but at least the truth would be out. “I gotta go talk to Camille. C’mon.”

She didn’t want to let him go, but she had to. Once they told their truths, they could be back in each other's arms again. “I’m ready, Jay. I need last night to be the last time I’ve slept without you in my arms.”

Jameson tsked softly, trying not to smile at how affectionate she was being. He had all but considered this lost. He began backing up to the bathroom door and unlocked it. “Don’t remind me about last night. I still owe you for that.” He pulled the door open, waiting for her to exit first. He still had to find his shirt but he was in no hurry.

Isaiah couldn’t shake Camille’s words and the muffled moans he heard from the bathroom before leaving to go to the market. He thought she was just being paranoid until he spotted Jameson down the hall, out of his and Imani’s room as he walked toward it. What the fuck was he doing in there? He glared at Jameson but was met with a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes. Isaiah opened their room door, walked inside, and slammed it close behind him.

Imani’s back was turned to him, but she jumped and glared at him. “What the hell, Isaiah!?” She said, sternly.

Ignoring her question, he stared at her coldly. “The fuck was he doing in here?” Imani believed she had time to gather herself before she told Isaiah about what happened with her and Jameson, but Isaiah running into him let her know her time expired.

Imani felt terrible about what she did even though she didn’t regret it at all. Her relationship with Isaiah was similar to her other flings: going nowhere. She could never give any of them her heart, because Jameson had it and this time, he came back to claim it. She hated that Isaiah had to be a casualty, but she was still dumbfounded. From what she knew about Isaiah, he seemed like he was sweet and kind, but here he was towering over her with his fists balled and his eyebrows furrowed.

Imani stood up, exhaling softly. “Isaiah, Jamie and I slept together,” she paused, glancing at him. Horizontal wrinkles appeared on his face as he stared at her with his eyebrows raised. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into all of this mess.”

Isaiah tsked, shaking his head. “Damn, Imani, it’s really him over me, huh?” He chuckled in disbelief. “You really dragged me out here to play me for some square ass nigga.” Isaiah couldn’t believe it. What did that man have that he didn’t? He was paid, definitely had more money than what Jameson could offer. He could get Imani whatever she wanted. Women would drop everything to be with someone like that, so why didn’t she?

Her eyes squinted and her body tensed as he insulted Jameson. She wanted to allow him to be angry, but her patience could only take her so far. “I’m sorry – it’s not even like that.” she said softly. “But let’s be real with ourselves, you and I both know this wasn’t going anywhere.” She knew she wasn’t the only one on his roster of women. The man had access to anything he wanted. She saw how he angled his phone away from her while she was near and she heard all of the gossip surrounding him. Pussy was flying at him. How could a stable relationship ever be built off of that?

He stood there with his fists balled, never breaking his intense gaze on her. A quietness fell between them before Isaiah opened his mouth again. “Man, fuck you. I was ready to drop everything for you.”

“Fuck me?” She said, her voice strained and eyes squinted. “Nigga, fuck you. We’ve only known each other for a month and I know you got other hoes.”

“I was gone drop all of them for you!” He said, raising his voice.

She exhaled, rubbing her forehead as she searched for the right words to appease him. “Look, I’m sorry, Isaiah. It ain’t have anything to do with you. It’s nothing against you. You’re just not him.”

Isaiah chuckled. “I’m not him? I know. I’m better than that nigga. He can’t spoil you like I can. I got you here on my own private jet. You ain’t gone experience no shit like that in your life ever again.”

Imani rolled her eyes. She was done with being polite to him. She wasn’t familiar with this side of Isaiah. He was always kind and sweet to her, but now? He seemed like an asshole who had too many chances. “Trust me, I don’t need to be with you to experience any of that. I got my own shit. Now get the fuck out of here.”

He stepped closer to her with a heated glare and she peered at his clenched fists. Imani stared right back at him with her hands over her chest. She wasn’t scared of this man. “Fuck you! I can go get another bitch like you easily. You not special.” He countered.

“Well then go find the bitch and get the fuck out of here!” She yelled loudly, tired of going back and forth with someone she wasn’t vested in. Imani pinched the bridge of her nose. He opened his mouth to speak again, but she looked at him with a death glare. Isaiah finally stepped back and pivoted on his feet.

He walked into the closet they shared, mumbling something. Imani didn’t care what it was. She was just happy to hear him packing his things along with it.

Jameson approached the door, wariness and anxiety inside him The soft hum of the heater filled the hallway with warmth but it did nothing to ease the chill in his chest. He still felt the heat of Imani’s kisses against his lips, the feeling of her body fitting perfectly against his. He wanted to go back to that – to be anywhere that wasn’t this cold, broken place. He opened the door, stepping inside and stopped short. Camille was already back – sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to him.

Her snow suit was on and her suitcase was repacked. Confusion furrowed his brow but Jameson shut the door behind him, inspecting the rest of the room.

Two dozen roses sat wilting in a vase on the dresser—an ironic reminder of the fleeting romance he had tried to build with Camille. He could still see the way he and Camille were that morning – warm kisses and affection between them. But in the light of day, the heat he had with Imani had put it to shame. Now he was guilty of something he never wanted to do again: Cheating

“Hey,” she said softly, as he closed the door. “I was waiting for you. Where have you been?”

Jameson looked up at her, his heart twisting. There was no excuse he could give her besides the truth. That’s what he was here for anyway. “I…was with Imani.”

He heard her sigh and saw her head nod dutifully. “Yeah, I figured.”

He took a deep breath, his voice low and pained as he continued on. “I... I slept with her.” He could have just broken up with her and hid the truth but that wouldn’t be fair. If she was going to hate him, it should be for the right reasons. He deserved her scorn and her anger.

The words hung heavy in the air and slowly Camille turned around. “What?”

“I slept with Imani,” he said, his voice strained. “It just happened. I didn’t plan it and I’m so sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t just lie either.”

He took a good look at her face, realizing she seemed upset even before he spoke. She gripped the sheets in her hand, eyes glossy with tears. “You...really slept with her?”

Jameson nodded, guilt etched into every line of his face. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to fight how I feel about her, but it’s not going away. I thought I could move on. I wanted to move on, Cami. I wanted it to be with you but I just – I love her.”

“You told me she wasn’t good for you.” Camille muttered.

“She isn’t.” He said softly. “I’m not good for her either. But she’s my heart. And I’m hers. I always have been.”

Camille’s eyes filled with tears, and she shook her head. “No, Jameson. You don’t mean that. We’ve been so good together. We can work through this.”

He stepped closer, his voice desperate. He wanted her to hate him, yell at him. Not beg him to stay. “Camille, you deserve someone who can give you their whole heart. I thought I could, but I can’t. I’m so sorry.”

She stared at him, her chest rising and falling as she tried to process his words. “You can’t leave me for her. Not now.”

Jameson reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “I never wanted to hurt you. You’ve been incredible, but I don’t want to live the rest of my life lying.”

Camille’s shoulders sagged, and she let out a bitter laugh. “You know what’s funny? I was going to tell you the truth – all of it – but I didn’t want to ruin things. I didn’t want to lose you.”

He frowned. “The truth? What do you mean?”

She wiped at her tears, her voice trembling. “I didn’t just show up in your life by chance. Sloane sent me. She told me how to get close to you, how to make you fall for me. At first, it was just a game, but then... I started to care about you. I really did.”

Jameson stared at her, his jaw tightening. “A game?”

“A game. You seem to like them so much with Imani so why not with me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “I was supposed to convince you to forgive Sloane.”

The room fell silent, the weight of their confessions pressing down on both of them.

Jameson finally spoke, his voice low. “So was this whole thing was a lie?”

“No!” Camille said softly. “Not all of it. I love you, Jameson. I really do. We…we made something really beautiful together and I –”

He shook his head, stepping back. “So everything I thought this was, it wasn’t. I felt so guilty. I still feel guilty…but clearly this wasn’t meant to be.”

Tears streamed down Camille’s face as she sank onto the bed. “It was real. We were real.”

“Were we?” He asked softly. “The woman I thought was so good for me isn’t real. Do you like the shit you told me you do? Do you feel the way you told me you do? All those nights I rambled to you about Imani. About what I wanted out of life. I was talking to a woman I don’t know.”

Camile shook her head. “So what if I don’t like jazz, Jameson? So what if hate cooking? I lied about little stuff! How I feel is not a lie!”

“If you’ll lie about the little shit, you’ll lie about everything.”

She shook her head, wiping the tears away from her way brusquely. “Like you’re one to talk. You just finish fucking another woman!”

Jameson was silent for a moment, nodding. “You’re right. I thought I was moving forward but really…I wasn’t. I was just existing. I’m sorry, Camille. I’m sorry it ended like this.”

Her heart was heavy as she watched him and he could see the moment she accepted that it was over. She didn’t say a word but he took a step closer to her, pressing his hand to hers. This time, she let him. “I’m sorry I pulled you into my life. I’m sorry Sloane pointed you in my direction. I hurt you and I’ll regret that forever. I hope you find someone who makes you happy, Camille. You deserve that.”

And with that, he walked out, leaving her alone in the room, the sound of her quiet sobs echoing behind him.

Camille stepped out into the biting cold, her breath visible in the frosty air. She pulled her coat tighter around herself, her mind spinning with Jameson's words. She dragged her suitcase behind her, trying to make a quick escape. She didn't see Jameson or Genie as she left the house and wanted to keep it that way. Her heels crunched against the snow as she made her way down the steps of the house, desperate to escape.

“Excuse me?”

She turned at the sound of a man's voice and came face to face with Kendrick Adesanya. He stood by his car, dressed in a wool coat and scarf, his hands in his pockets. His expression was one of mild surprise but quickly shifted to concern as he took in her tear-streaked face and trembling hands.

“Are you okay?” he asked, stepping closer.

Camille shook her head, wiping at her face hastily. She could see Genie in his face and the reminder of the woman sent her spiraling. “No, I’m not. I need to get out of here.”

“Where are you going?”

“The airport,” she said, her voice tight. “I can’t stay here.”

Kendrick frowned. “Well, do you need a ride?”

She hesitated, her pride warring with her desperation. Finally, she nodded. “Yeah. If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Kendrick said. He opened the passenger door of his car, gesturing for her to get in. He moved across the snow and ice, reaching for her bag. Free from the heavy thing, Camille made her way to the car.

He placed it in the backseat and then Kendrick slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, the car humming to life. Relief flooded through her system. She was on her way.

As they pulled out of the lodge’s driveway, Kendrick glanced at her. “Are you sure you want to go straight to the airport? It’s late, and you seem... upset. I can get you a room somewhere for the night.”

Camille shook her head vehemently. “No. I need to leave. I can’t stay here another second.”

Kendrick was quiet for a moment, his hands steady on the wheel. “Did something happen? Are you...you're Camille, right? Correct me if I'm wrong but you were supposed to be there with Jameson.”

She hesitated, not wanting to spill her humiliation, but the weight of the day pressed down on her. “It’s just... so much. Everything’s falling apart. Jameson and I are over. My life is chaos. And I couldn't stay there any longer.”

Kendrick glanced at her again, his expression unreadable. “I don’t know what’s going on, but running might not fix it.”

Camille let out a bitter laugh. “Trust me. Running is the best thing for me right now. My boyfriend is in love with someone else, your daughter wants my head, and I can't trust anybody.”

He sighed, his tone softening. “I'm sorry about Jameson. I don’t know you that well, but I’ve been around long enough to see when someone’s at their breaking point. If you need to talk, I’m here. No judgment. As Genie's father, I can confirm that her bark is worse than her bite. ”

Camille stared out the window, her fingers tightening around her bag. “Thank you, Mr. Adesanya. But I think I just need to get away.”

"Call me Kendrick."

The rest of the drive was silent, the tension in the car palpable. When they reached the airport, Kendrick pulled up to the curb and put the car in park.

“Take care of yourself, Camille,” he said as she climbed out.

She paused, looking back at him. “Thanks for the ride. And being so kind.”

He gave her a small smile. “Anytime.”

Camille shut the door and walked into the airport, her heart heavy and her mind racing. She didn’t know what she was running toward, but she knew she couldn’t stay where she was.

#aaron pierre #megan thee stallion #aaron pierre x black!oc #megan thee stallion fanfic #aaron pierre fanfic #megan thee stallion x black!oc #original characters #celebrity ocs #celebrity fanfiction #fic: neon lights #look at that word count when u wanna know why it took so long today :o #but we HEREEEEEEEEEEEEE #Spotify

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blackstonesandtrapnest · 2 months ago

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Hellooo 🙃

I'd like to have the prompts 1 and 29 with Tim if that's not too much trouble? I'm not really into anime, so most of the characters / fandoms don't fit with me / i don't even know them😅

My poor brain isn't really capable of coming up with something creative at the moment (thanks to the cold i caught), so i hope the lack of details isn't that big of an issue...

Lots of love!💕

So sorry I took so long! I hope this is good enough! Still taking requests for this event everyone!

Prompt List Here!

“I want to see you. All of you. You don’t have to hide from me.”

Hearing those words from Tim’s mouth made you more confident in yourself, both physically and mentally to the part where you were starting to change your wardrobe especially in the bedroom. Before he came along, your fashion style was….non-existent to say the least. You wore baggy clothes and didn’t show that much skin if any. Even when you wore pajamas, you still hid your body and hated looking at yourself in the mirror. But Tim changed all of that and in quite a funny but also sexy way.

He had spent the night at your house and things got very raunchy as expected. However you only wanted to have sex in the dark which puzzled Tim but he went along with it anyway. You weren’t ready to expose yourself to him yet and you were afraid of being judged. After the very mind-blowing sex (the best you ever had), you tried to get out of bed to go to the bathroom but your legs felt like jelly because of Tim which caused you to fall on the floor. You could hear him laughing and even though you couldn’t see his face, you could tell he was smirking.

Tim turned on the lamp and he went to help you up. Seeing you naked for the first time was a huge shock to him and he thought that your body was incredible which he said repeatedly as he picked you up bridal style and kept kissing you while walking into the bathroom. Let’s just say that you finally got to experience how good shower sex was especially with someone like Tim who actually cared about your pleasure and loved your body!

Ever since that night, your confidence shot through the roof and you started to change for the better. Not only did your attitude change but your wardrobe did as well. Your job as an OB/GYN enabled you to buy clothes of a higher quality and you practically changed your wardrobe overnight especially in the bedroom. You had bought many lingerie sets and you wanted to surprise Tim with them, hoping he would like it.

His reaction when he saw you wearing lingerie for the first time was way more than what you expected! Without saying a word, Tim walked over to you and pulled you in for a kiss that took your breath away. He grabbed your ass and lifted you up so you wrapped your legs around his waist as he walked into your bedroom. You could definitely feel how hard and horny he was and after the long day you had, you needed some dick!

“You know I love you right?”

“Of course I do. I love you too Tim.”

“Good because I’m about to fuck you like I don’t.”

Tim laid you on the bed and pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. Was he planning to use them on you?! Or was it the other way around? You would eventually get your answer as you found yourself handcuffed to the headboard with your legs spread and Tim fucking you like he was going to prison for the rest of his life. The noises coming from both of you would put Jenna Jameson to shame and if the neighbors didn’t hear you guys before, they definitely did now! The headboard banging against the wall just added to the noise!

“Fuck you have such a tight little pussy. You’re taking me so well too. Such a good girl. Go on and come for me. Come on this dick.”

Tim whispering and talking you through your orgasm was the straw that broke the camel’s back and you were squirting all over him before you could say LAPD and Tim followed suit with his own orgasm after a few more hard thrusts, letting out quite the loud moan which was so sexy to you!

You were so exhausted and tired that you couldn’t even move and your wrists were starting to hurt at this point because of the handcuffs. Tim gave you a deep kiss as he began to take them off and he held you close to him, massaging and rubbing your wrists.

“Are you feeling ok? Do you need anything?”

The concern in Tim’s beautiful eyes made your heart flutter and you managed to nod. It was pretty insane how fast he went from fucking your brains out to being a huge softie.

“I feel amazing although I can barely move right now. All I need is you.”

Tim gave you a soft smile in return and laid down beside you, hugging you close to him and kissing your forehead. You didn’t think it was possible but you fell more in love with him than ever before at that moment!

“I love you Y/N.”

“I love you too Tim.”

True love did indeed exist and you were so glad that you finally experienced it yourself!

#the rookie #tim bradford #tim bradford x reader #bringing sexy back #i hope this is okay!

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elif-in-wonderland · 7 months ago

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So…That Night in Prague…

WHAT IS THIS? HAS THE REAL AVERY GRAMBS EVER SOUNDED LIKE THIS? WHAT IS WITH ALL THE ANNOYING REPETITIVE TEMPTATION/SEDUCTION STUFF?

AND WHY IS SHE THINKING ABOUT JOINING HIM IN THE SHOWER? I’m sorry, I just can’t see her in that way. Maybe she is, but until now she had never EVER had thoughts like these. AND WE HAD A WHOLE TRILOGY IN HER POV. WHAT IS THIS WIZARDRY, JLB?

And there are some really serious things I can’t even imagine and I always have images playing out in my brain while reading :)) What in the world is with all this horny stuff? I get it, romance means spicy things for some people, but in this case LOVE IS POWER, not LUST IS POWER!!!! Do you want me to understand from these moments that THIS is how A HAWTHORNE MAN LOVES? What is with those phrases about touches, about world knows what other things?!

They sound like 30 year-olds sexually obsessed adults. (Sorry, but I can’t say it nicer) but actually SHE IS EIGHTEEN AND HE IS NINETEEN!

Anyway, I’m very disappointed by this. I love AveryJameson to bits and they were made dirty, again. Jlb showed me nothing new about how Jameson Hawthorne loves. In TBH and here, I get from her that Jameson is capable only of freaky things and he loves to be freaky with Avery. And I know he’s not like that. Look in the original trilogy for proof. Maybe she knows too cuz they are her characters, but she clearly forgot how to write romance between them. Also, Jameson should eat, cuz he’s still hungry all the time:)) feed the man!!!!

EXCEPTION—THE PROMISE RING SCENE WHICH WAS THE ONLY GOOD THING AND I LOVED IT😭😭😭WAS VERY CUTE😭😭

The last chance to read something beautiful that really means LOVE IS POWER between my favourite couple and it was a disaster! On to the next stories which I think are better!

#grayson hawthorne #the inheritance games #the brothers hawthorne #avery grambs #averyjameson #xander hawthorne #nash hawthorne #the hawthorne legacy #jameson winchester hawthorne #avery x jameson #games untold #the inheritance games thoughts #the inheritance games rant #hannah x toby

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absynthe-mind · 9 days ago

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Western PA Anon

First I gotta say getting secured, as you put it by the Ultramarines was less stressful than being being locked in for a few weeks. Think 2020 but not being able to sit out on your porch or take a walk on your property. It was the single most effectively organized moving house I've ever heard of let alone experienced.

Roboute, that is Primarch Guilliman, thought the connection that hit when we lockeded eyes was a side effect of something the ECs had done. Possibley unwiting bait for some kind of astartes trap. And since it was clear I had not clue what was going on, and absolutely no shared languages he came to the conclusion to hunker down with me as long as possible in hopes what ever had set the connection off would come sniffing around. the fact that human technology seems both weirdly advanced and primitive at the same time to the Astartes didn't help with the confusion. Seriously glad my house has 15 foot cealings though.

Though there were some funny and sweet moments. Like right after the attempted EC attack and our failed attempts of communication had me rattled and shaking on the couch he wrapped me in the couch blankets, located my liquor shelf, then brought the best bottle-- 18 year Jameson I was given as for passing my CRNA Boards-- and poured me a healthy slug. Sat near me and spoke soothingly while I sipped it and down regulated.

Or his response to seeing the Pittsburgh Bathroom. If you're not aware, Pittsburgh showers/toilets/bathrooms are free standing shower heads, toilets, and a sink if you're lucky in a basement or utility room. they come from the day's of heavy industry where the miners and the steel mill workers would need to get the worst of the grime off before entering the finished part of the house. My house is old enough to have one and since I worked in a hospital setting, it got used. I live alone, and even if I didn't no way in hell am I potentially tracking C. diff into my house. The Father of the Ultramarines is an incredibly civilized individual and the sight of the Pittsburgh bathroom next to the laundry sink, washer, dryer, and duhumidifier shocked and affronted him sensibilities. This led to a five minuet conversation in charades that ended up with me seated on his pauldron, affixing hooks to the exposed rafters of my utility room to hang a tarp. To be fair during the Descent of the Sons the Ultramarines who weren't use to Pittsburgh and it's architectural quirks were just as affronted. Less from the someone could walk in and see you naked as I learned but the completely raw unfinished quality that's part of the charm of owning a Pittsburgh bathroom.

The Descent of the Sons deserves a whole post in and of it self. My timer's up and break's over so I gotta wrap this up. Back to learning High Gothic.

(First Part) (Previous Part)

Dear LORDDD I wish I had a squad of hyper organised Ultramarines helping when I moved house, that sounds like a dream come true honestly - aside from the whole ‘being confined to your property and extreme lack of autonomy’ but you know a win is a win I guess….

Also, being wrapped in a blanket and handed a whiskey by a primarch is the cutest thing I’ve ever imagined. Don’t know what to do when your baseline is in distress? Wrap ‘em up like a neophyte or burrito and pass the bottle…. I can just imagine him standing there confused about the situation but proud of himself.

Though that mental image isn’t as cute as imagining a comparatively tiny you sitting on his shoulder to sort out the bathroom situation. I’ll admit though I had to look up what a Pittsburgh bathroom was and wow, yeah. That’s all I have to say really. I am also affronted. (Just kidding it's nowhere near as bad as some of the stuff you’ll see in rural Poland - and not tracking c. diff into the house is a sound idea)

The ‘Descent of the Sons’ does sound hilarious, you’ll have to tell us all about that or what it’s like living on base next (which I for one can’t wait to hear about). Living with a primarch has got to be crazy, I hear wild stuff about regular astartes all the time.

Like just last week my dad’s White Scar, Gantul, took him out on an ‘impromptu to say the least’ ride out on the lake because he heard the term ‘speed boat’ and got a little too excited. Complete disregard for safety and my dad ended up falling out at speed with no life vest on - luckily he wasn’t hurt since Gantul jumped out after him and swam him back to safety but safe to say the boat ended up as scrap.

So yeah I can only imagine how crazy life has to be (even if probably a little more boring and ‘safe’ than speed boat accidents).

Thanks for keeping us updated and have fun learning high gothic - and well lots of good luck, I still think you’ll need it even if the situation seems to have resolved itself positively.

#space marine husbandry sentience #primarch x oc #warhammer x oc

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s-rosie · 10 months ago

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TIG CRACK HCSSSSS #2

30 hours to live, how should i spend themmm…?

max and avery have a game called “uncomfortable flirting” where they go back and forth trying to make the other person either get too caught off guard to make a comeback or quit bc they get uncomfortable (this is actually a real game that me and my friend made up lol it’s actually fun if you are good enough friends for it not to be awkward)

jameson watches barbie life in the dream house and quotes it without even realizing

avery says stuff like “me personally i would never take that level of disrespect but that’s just me” kinda ironically but kinda not

xander and ave had a water balloon fight using gloves from the nurse filled with water at school and they got detention for it after avery accidentally threw a glove at someone she thought was xan but wasn’t

max tried to become a rapper in like 6th grade and she entered the talent show and everything trying to rap to like nicki minaj but it kinda sucked and now the video of her at the talent show haunts her

grayson has the best fake porn star girl moan but he only did it once on a dare with jameson and no one will believe jamie that he can do it and it drives him crazy

libby can do weird things with her tongue (get your mind out of the gutter) like she can lick her elbow, touch her nose and chin with her tongue, do that clover tongue thingy, etc.

nash did gymnastics when he was little and he does random back handsprings now

jameson, avery, and xander are the reason most of the rules at their school were made bc they always found loop holes

oren is fluent in gen alpha and is a translator for when xander and jamie start talking gen alpha

alisa watches spirit and cries every time

gigi blasted “i don’t fuck with you” when sav finally broke up with duncan

lyra has a shirt that says “thick thighs save lives” and grayson gets so embarrassed bc he knows those thick thighs saved his life

jamie went through a phase for like a week where he didn’t shower and just used chocolate axe spray instead in like 5th grade

max, avery, lyra, and libby make spicy dances together and say they are going send them to their boyfriends but they always get too embarrassed so they just keep them a secret (but then the truth came out and xander hacked their phones to get the videos)

max makes those “i just wanna be part of your symphony 🌈🌈🌈🌈🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬✨✨✨✨🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀” memes and sends them to avery at like 3:30 am randomly

xander will barge into avery and jamie’s room and see them kissing and say “omg guys get a room” just to confuse and annoy them

max and Xander make pov tik toks together

Avery once pulled a monica from friends and pinned Xander down to get his eye drops in and xander couldn’t get up and was like was like “omg why are you so good at this!!!” then “wait, why are you so good at this… 😏” and avery just sat there like 🫣😳

when libby went wedding dress shopping, max and avery also tried on wedding dresses and even bought them just to have fun in

gigi and xander love sexyy red and put her on the hawthorne house speakers to make everyone die because her songs are so dirty

i hope you like theseeeeee

#the inheritance games #the brothers hawthorne #the final gambit #the hawthorne legacy #jameson hawthorne #avery grambs #grayson hawthorne #averyjameson #nash hawthorne #libby grambs #xander hawthorne #maxine liu #savannah grayson #gigi grayson #lyra catalina kane #lyra kane

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hathorneheiress · 7 months ago

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Restless nights

Grayson POV

It's almost 2 A.m. and I can't sleep.

In reality I'm used to it by now. Hawthorne insomnia is something I struggle with on a weekly basis but with this being night 5 of no sleep I've had enough.

Sighing with exasperation, I reach for my phone charging on the nightstand beside me. I try not to go to my phone when I have sleeping issues, instead relying on meditating music, warm milk, thinking about other things till my brain becomes weary, or take a long hot shower.

As usual, none of those fruitless tactics were working.

I aimlessly scrolled through Tumblr. (Yes, I have an account and yes it's private) I was looking for nothing in particular, just hoping looking at a blue screen for a long time would result in some sleep.

As would have it, my younger brother Jamie was also on Tumblr and active in the last hour. @loverofriddlesandgames could his URL not be more obvious?!

Mine was more discreet. @nonerreta575. Only a select people knew it was me, and I intended to keep it that way.

Seeing Jamie active I contemplated whether I should text him through Tumblr. Maybe he was struggling with insomnia as well. My curiosity got the better of me and I sent him a quick text.

@nonerreta575: You can't sleep either?

Expecting not to get a response, I continued to my aimless scrolling when I got a response.

@Loverofriddlesandgames. Yeah. You too?

@Nonerreta575: Unfortunately, yes. It's 2 A.M. and I don't see myself falling asleep anytime soon.

@Loverofriddlesandgames. Aww. Poor you.

@nonerreta575: You can laugh. But you won't be if it's night 5 for you with no sleep.

@loverofriddlesandgames: Maybe you should go keep Xander company. He'll talk so much you'll fall asleep from boredom.

I would have scolded him if I hadn't already thought of that option. Xander did have that about him. No offense.

@nonerreta575: I have already thought of that but decided against it.

@loverofriddlesandgames. Seriously? I was joking when I said that.

@nonerreta575: Seriously.

@loverofriddlesandgames: Wow! I guess you are desperate. But don't fear I could think of a few ideas. And luckily we live in the same house.

I didn't like this was going. Groaning, I replied:

@nonerreta575. I'm going to regret asking this, but what were thinking?

I couldn't almost see his smirk as he typed out:

@loverofriddlesandgames: What about Dare Uno?

What the heck?!

2 hours later, 50 games of Dare Uno and taking why too many dares and way more uno cards later, and I was officially tuckered out. We got Xander to join in on the mischief in the old game room.

"This was so much fun!" Xander squealed in delight. "I hate that it was at Gray's expense of not sleeping, but we should do 2 A.M. Uno more often."

"I think I will pass." I replied. Yawning, I collapsed in the most ungraceful way on a nearby couch. I barely noticed Jameson throwing a blanket over me as my eyes finally closed, and I fell blissfully asleep.

A//N Hey!! So.... it's actually 2 A.M. where I am and guess what? I can't sleep! I was talking with my best friend @riddles-n-games and the conversation we were having had me thinking of Grayson and Jameson having a very similar conversation.

Want to guess who was Grayson and who was Jameson in this scenario?🤭

Anyways, I sneakily incorporated a lot of our conversation on to Grayson and Jameson and I hope you like it.

#the inheritance games #the brothers hawthorne #grayson hawthorne #jameson hawthorne #nash hawthorne #xander hawthorne #the grandest game #the hawthorne legacy #the final gambit #games untold #sleep problems #insomia

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lyrakanefanatic · 11 months ago

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hiiiiii 250 followers is SO WELL DESERVEDDDD OMG

could i request ☕️averyjameson where he’s just obsessed w her hair?? and also 🌙 bc im curioussss

THANK YOU SMM <33

and sure!

——————————————————————————

Jameson’s eyes darted away from his phone as he watched Avery walk out of the shower, her hair still damp as she was clad in cozy pj’s. His heart always felt at home just looking at her, and without meaning to, he’d gotten up from where he was laying on his bed, and walked over to her, lost in a trance as she raked her hair over to one side of her neck. She was about to pick up the brush on her vanity, when Jameson’s words stopped her.

“Can I brush your hair?” He asked, standing behind Avery as he lightly felt her wet hair. Avery seemed surprised for only a moment, before a smile touched her lips, and she handed the brush to him without turning around.

“Have at it.” She said. Jameson caught her eyes in the mirror and smiled a crooked smile. Then he took the brush, and delicately took a piece of her hair in his hand, combing the brush through it. He was immediately hit with her sweet vanilla-lavender scent, which only made him want to pick her up from the vanity chair and hold her close even more. He continued brushing her hair, slowly and softly, while listening for her breaths and sliding his hand onto her neck by the hair he was brushing. He could barely feel her pulse, but still, her heart drummed under his touch. He wondered if he was imagining the way her heart beat sped up, matching his own quick one, as he continued to brush through her hair.

He brushed the last piece of hair away, and, putting all her hair on one side of her neck, he gently pressed his lips to the other, kissing her right where her shoulder and neck met. Averys breath hitched, and just that sound made Jameson’s senses quicken. She turned her head to look at him, and all the thoughts that he had been holding back before came racing now. He moved to hold her face with one hand, before pressing his lips onto hers. Avery was quick to deepen the kiss, pulling him in closer as the kiss turned from gentle brushes to passionate kisses. Jameson held her as close as he could, but wanted to hold her closer, wanted to intertwine their bodies till they were one and the same. Finally the two separated, casting in short breaths as they gazed at one another. Jameson smiled, and it was nothing short of dangerous.

“I guess now I’m a professional hair stylist, heiress.” He said, his eyes twinkling. Avery raised a brow.

“You’ve still got a long road ahead of you. Brushing hair is the bare minimum,” She said, getting out of her chair and meeting his eyes. “There’s still so much you can’t do.” Jameson raised a brow at her. Was she challenging him? Either way, he very much liked it.

“Some skills don’t have to be cosmetology related. And I have those non related skills in spades.” He said, with a suggestive smile. He felt his smile grow as he saw the slightest blush on her cheeks, before pulling her into his arms and carrying her to bed.

——————————————————————————

SORRY THE ENDING IS KINDA BAD I GOT LAZY AND DIDNT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO 😪😢

also i’ve been kinda slow at doing these asks bc i just got home from vacation and have been kinda taking it slow but im gonna start posting more again!!

and by 🌙 im assuming you mean a javery mood board but if u didn’t im sorry 😭😭

#THANKS FOR THE ASK!! <33 #250 followers event #250 followers #javery #jameson hawthorne #avery kylie grambs #the inheritance games #grayson hawthorne #the brothers hawthorne #nash hawthorne #xander hawthorne #libby grambs #phone girl #maxine liu

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darlingletters · 1 year ago

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I have a headcanon that Jameson has the highest pain tolerance compared to the rest of the brothers.

He gets wounds pretty often and I can also picture him standing in the shower after getting one, just watching the water turn a bloody colour, feeling the sting and somehow basking in it.

Self-destruction is his coping mechanism so he pushes past the hurt and it adds up with his masochistic behaviour -> "it hurts but I want it to hurt more because I don't know what else to feel".

I know that there are people out there who hate Jameson because of what he loves - games, riddles, traps. I know (one of the reasons) they hate him is because he can be very focused and immersed in a game to the point he might appear as though he doesn't have an ounce of self-awareness.

What I'm saying is... we always see how much Grayson suffers in silence. We see how much he's broken, the thoughts that go on in his head (especially about Emily), the way that he always HAD to be perfect for his grandfather and for the legacy. But we never saw that side of Jameson. The side that was vulnerable. The side that didn't play the Pretend Nothing Happened Game.

Honestly speaking, I think Jameson has been playing that game most of his life. He's pretending that it doesn't hurt, and he wants it to hurt more. It has hurt. So much to the point that he's numb.

So maybe watching him play a game, focusing everything he has on it, and not caring about anything else in the world doesn't mean he has no self-awareness.

Maybe it means that he just needs it to hurt less. Maybe it means that he needs to feel instead of staying numb all of the time.

#how did a headcanon become a full-on rant #jameson appreciation post #jameson winchester hawthorne #jameson hawthorne #we love jameson #jamie we love u #the inheritance games #the hawthorne legacy #the final gambit #say no to hawthorne haters

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gergthecat · 1 year ago

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Could you make averyjameson or averygrayson headcanons? (Headcanons for whichever couple you ship)

YES I CAN ANON🫡

Averyjameson bc Grayson makes me feel weird

They both get nightmares a lot and so when they don’t they have a little party

There are so many of those “celebrity couples wearing each others’ clothes” comps of them

Avery’s fav sweatshirt is one of Jameson's from when he was like 14 because it’s actually her size

When Jameson gets sick he gets sad because he doesn't like feeling helpless

They NEVER shower alone

Whenever Avery is sad Jameson gets all the blankets and pillows and makes a nest for them to cuddle

Avery LOVES coconut and it makes Jameson gag (me too, Jameson, me too)

He actually cried during their first time because he thought that he would accidentally hurt her or it would be bad for her and she'd hate him

girlie pop did NOT hate him (quite the opposite)

Jameson draws stars all over her when he's anxious/just feeling bad with sharpie because he likes that they stay for a while so he knows she's there (does that make sense?)

For his birthday one year she gets stars tattooed on her hips and he cries :)

Avery loves choosing Jameson's clothes because she doesn't have a lot of control over what she wears

They match at EVERY event they go to even if it's just a small detail

Jameson gets his ear pierced in some county they visit and Avery goes FERAL

I hope these live up to your hopes and anyone is welcome to send more (this was so fun)

also sorry for taking so long I got this ask right before I had a cello performance lmao

#gergthecattalks #avery x jameson #averyjameson #avery grambs #avery kylie grambs #jameson hawthorne #jameson winchester hawthorne #the inheritance games series #the inheritance games #the hawthorne vault #the hawthorne legacy #the final gambit #the brothers hawthorne #the grandest game #games untold #inheritance games #inheritance games headcannons #averyjameson headcannons #send me more this was so fun

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grlsbstshot · 6 months ago

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NEON LIGHTS

Pairing (Original Characters):

Jameson Lucas (Aaron Pierre) x Imani St. Cirie (Megan thee Stallion) Genie Adesanya (Jayme Lawson) x Ellington “EJ” Dupree (Kelvin Harrison Jr.)

Chapters:

Neon Lights Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis: The crew deals with the aftermath of Jameson's album release party and makes major decisions about their futures.

Warnings: toxic relationship, mentions of therapy, emotional breakdowns, mentions of depression, deception in relationships -- if we missed anything, let us know!

Word Count: 5.3k

Divider Template: @cafekitsune

Notes:

The following characters are original creations. Their voice claims are Usher / Lucky Daye (Jameson) & Summer Walker / SZA (Imani). We have no affiliation to any of those artists.

The aftermath of the disastrous album release party left Imani seeking solace in her hotel suite. As she lay in bed attempting to find sleep amidst the chaos in her mind, thoughts of Jameson consumed her. She couldn’t shake the image of him when first laid eyes on her at the party, or how he looked with Camille by his side. The way he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close made her believe they were happy together but the look on his face made her feel completely different.

He didn’t resemble her Jameson anymore. He appeared…solemn and apathetic. He smiled and talked politely throughout the night but he didn’t seem to be the life of the party anymore. Then again – what did she know about him? It had been a year since they even laid eyes on each other.

After tossing and turning all night, Imani realized she had to let it go. It was time to get back to her life. The next morning, she woke up feeling restless but she forced herself through her usual routine. She took a shower, brushed her teeth, and ate breakfast.Then began coordinating a swift exit from New York with her assistant. The trip had been a disaster and she wanted nothing more than to leave as soon as possible.

As she was sending out an email, a phone number appeared on her screen. It wasn’t saved, but she knew exactly who it was. She had removed him from her contacts but she didn’t forget. Without hesitation, Imani answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

For a moment, there was nothing. He didn’t say anything. But when he did speak, it was like a shock to her system. “Hey. It’s me.” His deep voice was like an earthquake to her core. It left her brain scattered. She needed to think of something fast! This man shouldn’t get to affect her like this.

She laughed, “Yeah. I know, Jameson. What’s up?”

She could hear his hesitation over the line and wondered what this was about. “I was…If you’re still in New York, can we meet up? Lunch or something? I think we should talk.”

“Yes, that’s fine!” She answered eagerly, the pitch of her voice rising in anticipation. She quickly cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. “I mean, yeah, we can go today.”

Once again, he got quiet. She expected him to call her out on her eagerness. Make a joke, tease her. But he didn’t. He seemed to be all business. “Two o’clock good? At Masa?”

“Yeah, that works. I’ll see you at Masa at two.” “Good. See you then.”

The call ended and her heartbeat tripled in speed. What the fuck did she just agree to? Why was he calling her? Why did he want to see her? Did he end things with Camille? Did he want her back? No, it couldn’t be that easy. He didn’t even flirt with her over the phone. Whatever he wanted, it made Imani nervous. She didn’t know how to handle the man he was now.

After coming face to face with Imani, Genie’s emotions were a rapid whirlwind, shifting from sadness to hurt and now settling into a wave of deep, seething anger. All she could think about that night was her former best friend barging back into everyone’s life without a word of warning. Understandably, her situation with Jameson became untenable and she had to walk away. Genie wanted the best for them both but sometimes love didn’t work out the way she thought it should. But never did she think Imani would cut her off without a word. She didn’t get it. She was her best friend.

She was pissed.

She decided she wouldn’t wait for Imani to reach out. If she did, she’d wait forever. She was taking control of their friendship. Determined, Genie called Imani’s assistant to find out where she stayed in New York. Aman Resorts. From there, it was nothing to get to Imani’s room. She practiced her speech the whole way, strutting down New York streets muttering to herself.

This wasn’t fair and Genie wasn’t going to stand for it.

When she arrived at the hotel, she immediately took the elevator up to the floor the assistant gave her. Genie fought to keep her composure despite the anger within her. When Imani’s voice rang out from behind the door, her stomach churned. Was this the path she wanted to take?

But it was too late. The door opened and Imani was there…looking at Genie in clear surprise. The girls looked at one another and before Imani could say a word, Genie wedged herself between the door and pushed her way inside. The aggressive action wasn’t part of her personality but she stuck with it.

It seemed the only way Imani would take her seriously was to make demands.

She marched past the foyer and found herself in the living room, waiting for Imani to join her. As soon as she heard the door close. She loosened the Chanel purse from around her arm, tossing it down onto the couch behind her as she paced the floor. She could hear the other woman approach the room and Genie whirled around, hurt in her tone. “Was it so hard to pick up the phone?”

To her credit, Imani apologized. Almost immediately. “Genie. I’m…I’m sorry. I–”

But she didn’t want an apology. She wanted answers. “You could have told me that you needed space. I would have left you alone. I wouldn’t have bothered you. I would have just checked in and we didn’t have to talk about Jamie. We could have just…” Her voice broke and tears glistened in her eyes as she fought against them. “You were my best friend. How could you?” The words spilled out before she could stop them.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do after I broke up with Jameson.” Imani confessed, tears filling her own eyes. “I just knew I didn’t want to speak his name. I didn’t want to hear it.”

“Okay but you just left me.” Genie’s voice cracked with emotion. She was fighting a losing battle with her tears. They ran down her cheeks as she glared at Imani. “Out of everyone, you know I would have understood.”

Imani nodded, acknowledging that Genie was right. Being understanding was one of her greatest strengths…but also a flaw. She searched for the good in people every single time and she got hurt because of it. She didn’t want Imani to just be another person in the list of people who hurt her.

“I know, I know. And I’m so sorry for shutting you out. Please forgive me,” Imani begged, her voice pleading and sincere.

Genie’s anger faded as she saw the genuine remorse in her friend’s eyes...but it still lived within her. “I’ll work on it. Just…don’t shut me out like that again or I might kill you.” She wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling.

The two women eyed one another warily but their love for each other couldn’t be denied. And just like that…there was a glimmer of hope that their friendship could be salvaged. All it took were some tears and a couple of apologies.

“I won’t.” “You promise?” “Of course.” “You swear?” “Yes.” “...Give me your pinky.”

Imani laughed, moving closer to Genie as she wiped tears from her own face and offered her friend her pinky. Genie linked hers with Imani and nodded, the action sealing the promise between them. Imani wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. “I promise you I won’t. I missed you so much.” she whispered.

“I missed you too.” Genie replied and returned the hug.

“You want to help me pick an outfit? I’m about to go see Jameson in an hour.” Imani said softly.

Genie reared back, blinking at her in confusion. “You’re seeing wh—Oh my god, Imani. Does it ever end?! Show me your options.”

Coming face-to-face with Imani again might not have been the best thing to do. He was already struggling after seeing her last night. And that was only one time. He shouldn’t put himself through the torture of doing it again, but he had to. He had to see if she was alright. He had to reassure himself that leaving her alone was the right thing to do.

He waited for her at Masa, shuffling silverware around nervously as he waited to see her. Meeting in public wasn’t ideal – he knew people would talk – but it was better than meeting her alone somewhere. He needed to keep this above board. His relationship with Camille was developing well. She was good for him. His therapist encouraged him to make decisions that were best for him.

Panting after Imani wasn’t good for him. He spent six months of his life reaching for a bottle of liquor every time he thought of her, literally begging God to have her wake up and come back to him – only to see her leaving LA hotspots with her latest fling. He circled the drain when he couldn’t have her…and he was tired of living like that.

But it would be a lie to say that he didn’t miss or worry about her, so he hoped this could be a new chapter in their lives.

When he saw her being led to the table by a hostess, he rose from his seat. It was a reflex but he followed it. His gaze swept her frame, taking in the outfit. The dark orange bordering on brown. The way her pants hugged her hips. Her belly button piercing was clear as day. Fuck. He had to stop. If they were going to be in each other’s lives, he couldn’t think like this.

They were going to be friends and it was time to act like it.

“Hey Jamie,” she greeted him with a smile. “How are you?” She asked, sitting down.

“Hey. I’m..I’m good.” He said softly, staring at her as she took a seat. Eventually, he realized he needed to be sitting too. Jameson quickly sat and met her gaze with a smile. “Thank you for coming.”

She looked at him, pausing for a moment. “No problem. It’s nice to, um, see you again.” She said softly. This was a side of Imani he wasn’t used to. She was softer and more timid. He didn’t like it.

“We just saw each other last night.” he joked

She laughed, looking away. Imani pushed her hair behind her ear. “I—I know. I just wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. I’m glad I am though.”

“I’m glad too.” He said softly, gazing at her before remembering what he was there for. “I uh–I was worried about you. You left early and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Again, she paused. She gazed back at him. He studied her facial features, looking for the answer she didn’t want to tell. “Oh, I’m fine. I was tired.” She said, her eyes giving away it being a lie. “Are you okay? You left your party early too.”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just tired from finishing up the album.” he said. Their conversation was stiff and awkward just like how it was at his album release party. It didn’t flow like how he was used to.

“Well, um, I’m glad you’re okay, Jamie.” She glanced at him. This time he could tell she was being genuine. “That’s all I want. I want you to be okay.”

“I-I want that for you too, Imani.”

There was a pause. She didn’t speak. Neither did he. Jameson knew what he had to do coming into this conversation, but he was having difficulty finding the words to do it. He exhaled, his eyes meeting hers. “Cami and I are…we’re good together. We get along really well. No arguing, no screaming, no mistrust. We work and I want to see where it goes. She’s good for me.”

She nodded, her smile faltering slightly, but she quickly recovered it. “Good. I’m glad that you’re happy, Jameson. You deserve that.” She said softly.

“Thanks,” he said. “I want you to be happy too.”

“I am,” she said quickly. “I’m happier than I've ever been.”

Her bright smile remained, leaving him hopeful, but her eyes conveyed a different story. He wanted so badly to ask more questions. He wanted to see if she was telling the truth. One of the last things she ever told him was that she didn’t think he was her person anymore. Shouldn’t she be happier now?

And yet, he stopped himself from asking. He had to let her go for her to be happy. It was a thought he lived by for a year. That had to be true. She was better off without him.

“That’s good. I asked you here because I—I want us to be friends, Imani. We loved each other for so long. I won’t pretend I don’t worry about you. I do. So I want us to be okay with each other.”

She paused, glancing at him. “I…I’d like that. I want to be friends with you too. I miss your presence in my life, Jamie. And I just want you to be happy at the end of the day.”

The words sounded nice and Jameson let himself trust in it…even if something in his chest tightened at them. He gave a nod, grateful that she wouldn’t just disappear from his life again.

She left lunch with Jameson, feeling bitter, annoyed, and lonesome. Yes, she agreed to be friends with him. Yes, their conversation seemed to flow after the initial stillness of discomfort. But she didn’t want any of this. She hated hearing him talk about how happy he was with Camille. They were supposed to be the perfect couple - never arguing, never screaming, always trusting each other – not him and Camille. Why couldn’t they get it together? She didn’t understand it.

Before coming to New York, Imani had been so sure of what she wanted - him. She thought it would be easy to win him back, to get back on the rollercoaster of their relationship. But now she could see that he was happily occupied with someone else, riding an easygoing kiddie ride with no thrill, and yet, he was having the time of his life. Imani was pissed. But there was nothing she could do about it; she had to move on, too.

As she rummaged through the clothes in her suite's closet, Imani searched for an outfit that would turn heads. Tonight was her last night in New York before returning to Los Angeles tomorrow morning. After forgetting to book a flight earlier in the day, she didn't want to spend her remaining time in the city sulking in her hotel room and watching Sex and the City. So when one of her industry friends mentioned a party just a few blocks away, Imani jumped at the chance to go out.

She stopped flipping through her clothes when her hands landed on a sleek black fitted dress. It hugged her curves perfectly - this was exactly what she needed.

The party was everything she had hoped for - alcohol flowing freely, fine ass men everywhere, and good vibes. It was the perfect distraction from Jameson. Imani took another shot of tequila and relished in its bitter burn as it slid down her throat.

“Okay, bitch, let’s go dance!” She exclaimed to her friend before they made their way from the bar to the crowded dance floor. The music was loud and pulsing, and Imani didn’t even know what song played, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was letting the beat move her body and forgetting about Jameson for the night.

As she danced, Imani could feel all eyes on her, but there was one set of eyes in particular that caught her attention. Through the dim lights, she could only make out a few of his features, but she recognized his gaze - he had been watching her all night. And she was sick of him just staring at her without saying a word. So Imani took matters into her own hands.

After the song ended, she confidently strutted over to where he sat. “You just gone stare at me all night and not say nothin’?” She asked with a sly smile as she finally got a good look of his handsome face. He had smooth caramel skin, his haircut was sharp like he just got it done, and a perfectly trimmed beard - exactly her type.

He chuckled and licked his full pink lips before standing up to meet her. Okay, he was tall too. Another plus. He stepped closer to her. “Oh, I was gon’ come talk to you. I was just waiting for the right time,” he replied, holding out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Isaiah and you?”

“Imani,” she said softly as she shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

"It's nice to meet you too, Imani." He smiled, flashing his diamond tooth fang. He pulled his hand away. Isaiah's neck, wrist, and earlobe were dripped in diamonds that danced harder than the crowd did. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Yes, I don't see why not. You can get me a lemon drop with a sugar rim."

He chuckled, "I like you already. You know what you want and I fuck with that." He said, a hint of admiration in his voice. She liked him too. Isaiah wasn't Jameson, but he was a perfect distraction to forget him.

EJ glanced at his phone, noticing the two missed calls. One from his manager and another from an artist he was working with while in town...but he had much more important plans going on then as he browsed the website of Aspen resorts. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs and rolling his shoulders. The faint sound of knocking at the front door pulled him from his hard work.

He carefully exited out of the browser before making his way to the door, hoping it wasn't Genie. He wanted to surprise her with dinner plans but hadn't even started to cook. Thankfully, it wasn't her. It was his best friend.

“Hey. What's up?" EJ said, opening the door wider to let him inside.. He noticed the tension in Jameson’s posture, the way his fingers twitched against his thigh. “I know you left early last night. You good?”

Jameson sulked into the room and dropped into the chair in the attached living room, taking a deep breath as his face clouded with something heavy. “I had lunch with Imani today.”

EJ shut the door behind him because he knew he was in for one hell of a story but he did his best to keep his tone neutral. “And?”

“And…” Jameson hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “I asked her to be friends.”

He took a seat across from Jameson, crossing his arms as he leaned back. He didn’t miss the way Jameson avoided his gaze and he immediately braced for bad news. “That’s…progress, I guess. But you don’t sound convinced.”

Jameson exhaled sharply, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “It doesn’t feel right. I thought it would. I thought that time apart would make things easier when we saw each other again but it's like..." He shook his head, his voice dropping. “It’s like nothing’s changed. I’m still drawn to her. And I hate it because Camille deserves my best.”

EJ frowned, his jaw tightening. He cared about Jameson, but he wasn’t about to sugarcoat things. “You’re right—she does. She’s good for you, man. She’s steady, supportive, and she actually cares about your well-being. She’s not a tornado like Imani.”

Jameson shot him a look, defensive and protective all at once. “Imani ain't a tornado. I put her through a lot of shit. She had to choose herself first.”

EJ held up a hand, waving off Jameson's defense. “Yeah, you did. It was fucked up. But that being said...she made the choice to walk away. That means staying away. And maybe I'm being a dickhead about it but you gotta admit -- shit with her has always been…complicated. Even when y'all were good, shit could go left within a minute. With Camille, it’s simple. She’s there for you, no drama, no games. She’s what you need, not just what you want in the moment.”

He could see Jameson mulling over his words, the conflict etched across his face. EJ hated seeing his friend like this, but he wasn’t going to let him spiral back into the mess he’d clawed his way out of.

Jameson finally spoke, his voice quiet. “But it ain't that simple. My head knows Camille’s the better choice, but my heart…Man, my heart starts thudding every time Mani girl looks at me. I sat with her at lunch and I just wanted --” He trailed off, shaking his head.

EJ sighed, leaning forward. "Let me know when she looks at you and I'll tell her to close her eyes."

"EJ, c'mon." "No, you c'mon. You spiraled, Jay. Your mama had to move into your house and take care of you." "I was fine. She was being dramatic." "You weren't eating." "I ate!" "Barely! You barely ate enough to get through the day but you drank enough to get through anything. Y'all were rocky before then you cheated but after that, everything got all fucked up."

Jameson looked up at EJ, seemingly wounded by the mention of his infidelity. He saw it was the root cause of all their problems but he was being foolish. He and Imani started having issues before he cheated. “Look, I’m not saying it’s easy. But you’ve worked too hard to get your life back on track to throw it all away for something that might not even work out. Camille’s solid, Jameson. You and Imani keep burning each other. Stop the cycle.”

Jameson nodded, but EJ could tell he wasn’t fully convinced. He’d seen that look on his friend’s face before, the one that meant he was caught in a tug-of-war between his past and his present so EJ decided to give him something else to think about. “Speaking of relationships…I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

Jameson looked up, his expression curious. “What’s that?”

EJ hesitated for a moment, a rare flicker of nervousness passing through him. Then he smiled. “I’m going to ask Genie to marry me.”

Jameson blinked, leaning back in his chair. “Wait—what? You’re serious? You’ve only been together a year,” He was staring at him like he’d grown a second head. “Are you sure about this?”

"Of course I'm sure," EJ muttered defensively. "That's my baby. She's sweet, creative, and intriguing. I ain't never met anybody like Genie in my life. She makes me happy and I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy."

Jameson processed what EJ was saying, and a small smile crept onto his face. “Okay, okay. Good. Soft ass. Should I give you the speech?”

"What speech?" "That "If you hurt my sister, I'ma knock ya head off your shoulders" speech?" "Ain't nobody scared of your big ear ass."

Jameson got up, jokingly taking a swipe at EJ but the other man was much faster. He dodged out of his chair and laughed out loud. "I'm gonna need your help to do it. I want to catch her off guard. You, her dad. She loves Aspen. So I'll do there in February."

“Anything you need,” Jameson said without hesitation, though he still looked a little stunned. “You’ve got it. Just let me know.”

EJ nodded, a rare moment of vulnerability settling over him. “Thanks, man. It means a lot.”

"Well, let me get out of here. I got dinner plans with Cami." Jameson said, heading to the door before pausing and turning back. He clapped EJ on the shoulder. "You're a very blessed man. Genie's had a heart of gold since she was a kid. If she's your soulmate, God really did smile down on you."

EJ smiled wistfully, his tone soft as he spoke of Genie. "Believe me. I know how lucky I am."

His mind still lingering on his conversation with Jameson when he heard the door to their rental open. Knowing it was Genie, EJ got up and went to the kitchen to make her some tea. "Duke?" She called out, using the nickname he had grown fond of. "You here, baby?"

"Kitchen!" He called out and sure enough, she came around the corner looking every bit as serene and graceful as she usually did. "I take it you feel much better now?"

The past few months had been rough for her. She was building resentment and anger. It was the total opposite of her everyday persona but watching her now...it seemed that she had managed to handle those feelings very well.

"I do. I saw Imani this morning."

EJ’s body stiffened for a moment before he forced himself to relax. He didn't hate Imani but he was always on edge. She had the power to twist his two favorite people into knots and he didn't like that. “Yeah? How’d that go?” He beckoned her closer and she came to wrap her arms around him.

“It was…unexpected,” Genie admitted. “But we talked. We cried a little bit. I think we’re going to work on our friendship going forward."

“That’s good, my love,” EJ said sweetly, turning his head to kiss her as he waited for the kettle to warm. "I'm happy for you both."

Genie tilted her head, watching him carefully before she uttered her next words. "She also told me she was going to have lunch with Jameson.”

Even though he knew it, he still felt his stomach drop into his feet. Imani didn't even know how much power she had over Jameson. She had him rethinking his entire relationship with a woman he'd been with for six months. One sighting, two conversations...and he was considering throwing it all away. EJ schooled his expression, wanting to appear neutral to his girlfriend. “I know. He came to see me after.”

Her eyebrows lifted, curiosity in her eyes. “Really? What did he say? What'd they talk about? I didn't call Mani to ask. I didn't want to be too nosy.”

EJ hesitated, then gave her a reassuring smile. “He said they talked about being friends. They agreed. And uh -- that it felt like a step in the right direction.”

Genie studied him for a moment, brows furrowed. She knew it didn't sound like Jameson. But then...stranger things had happened than him practically growing up and being mature. She seemed to accept his answer with a nod, placing her head on his shoulder. “Maybe it is. I hope so -- for both of them.”

The kettle whistled on the stove and EJ reluctantly pulled away, lifting his hand to pat her bottom gently. "Go get comfortable. I'll make you a cup of tea and we can talk some more."

She gave him a beautiful smile and nodded obediently, practically skipping out of the kitchen giddily. He liked making Genie happy. If he had his way, he'd see nothing but bright smiles and happy giggles from her for the rest of her life.

EJ finished up in the kitchen, making her tea and finding a snack for her to nibble on before dinner. Taking care of Genie was one of his main priorities. It was why he rationalized lying to her about what Jameson said.

As he exited the kitchen and moved into the living room, she was stretched across the couch, knit blanket across her legs as she scrolled her phone. Her hair was curled, pulled into a ponytail. She hadn't even tried and she was gorgeous as hell. “I was thinking we should take a trip. We go back to Cali next week but maybe sometime soon -- we can go somewhere. Take a little trip?” He told her, setting the tray down as she pulled her feet up, giving him room to sit.

Her eyes lit up, and she sat up straighter. “Really? Where to?”

“Anywhere you want,” EJ said with a grin. “But...I've been looking stuff up in Aspen. That house you told me about? Talked to the owner. She'll let us rent it for a week in February.”

Genie’s smile softened, and she shifted closer, tucking herself under his arm. “You're too good to me, Ellington Dupree.” She didn't say anything more but she clung to him and he knew she was grateful.

“Please. This is nothing. Wait til we're together for ten years. I'm going to be hella annoying.” EJ said, pulling her into his side and resting his chin on the top of her head. “I want to make some time for us. No distractions, no work -- just enjoying life together."

EJ kissed the top of her head, feeling a pang of guilt for the lie but knowing it was better this way. “You know what? Maybe we should make this trip a family thing. Bring your dad? I can bring my mom and sister?"

Genie looked up at him, surprised but intrigued. “That’s actually a great idea. They’d love that.”

EJ smiled, brushing a curl from her face. “Good. Let’s do it.”

She hesitated, biting her lip as if a thought came to her.

"What?" "Hmm? Nothing." "You sure?" "Yeah. Us and our families. Sounds perfect."

She smiled, leaning into him. “Thank you. For everything.”

EJ kissed her forehead, holding her tightly. As they sat together in the quiet of the house, he felt a sense of calm settle over him. He was making the right decision. He wanted this for the rest of his life.

The lights of New York spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Camille’s penthouse. it was a beautiful view but Camille wasn't looking at it. She stood at the kitchen island, her phone buzzing incessantly on the marble countertop. Even glancing at the screen made her nervous.

[ +33123456789 ]: What's going on, Cam? [ +33123456789 ]: Are you seriously not going to tell me? [ +33123456789 ]: You're temporary, remember that.

Camille exhaled sharply, locking the phone and setting it face down. She poured herself a glass of wine, trying to push the words from her mind. Meeting Jameson was never supposed to make her feel anything. He was a handsome face that a friend wanted for herself. Camille's job was just to see if he was open to seeing someone else. Sleeping with him and falling for him wasn't part of the plan. But he was on the verge of being hers now and what her friend wanted didn't really matter anymore.

Even if guilt gnawed at her. The knock at her door startled her, and she quickly smoothed her silk robe before padding over to answer it.

The object of every thought she seemed to have lately stood on the other side, his tall frame illuminated by the hallway light. In his hands were two lush bouquets of roses, one red and one pink.

“Good evening." he said with a soft smile, cradling the roses in his arms.

Camille’s heart fluttered as she took him in. 6'3, solid frame, the most beautiful green/blue/whatever damn color they felt like being eyes? Jameson Lucas was one of the most beautiful men she'd ever seen...and she spent all her time with male models. "Roses? You’re spoiling me, Mr. Lucas.” She moved aside, letting him inside as she reached for the flowers.

“I would hope so.” Jameson replied, stepping inside as she moved to place the bouquets in vases. He had been to her place much more than she had been to his so he shut the door behind him -- getting comfortable. "I like the look in your eyes when I do something nice for you. It's very sexy."

Cami glanced over her shoulder at him, her lips curving into a playful smile. “You’re laying it on very thick tonight. What’s the occasion? You missed me?"

Jameson shrugged out of his jacket, kicking off his shoes and lining them up perfectly against the wall in her living room. "Yes." He called out to her, following her into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, watching her with an intensity that made her stomach flip. “But no other occasion. I just wanted to see you..”

Even as her hands finished arranging the flowers in its vase, Camille's face was hidden behind the beautiful roses. Her cheeks were warm as she turned to face him. “Well, you’ve seen me.” she murmured, not looking at him as he rounded the corner and stepped into her space.

“Not enough,” he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. Jameson pressed his head against hers, tilting his head to kiss her shoulder. "I told you. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately."

"Thinking what about me?" "Everything." "Mhm. I know what that means. You cannot put me in that position again. You almost broke my hip last time."

His humorous laugh warmed her heart and she was proud of herself for being the one to make him happy. Her breath caught as he reached for her hand, his fingers warm against hers.

“I"ve been thinking...I want you to be my girlfriend,” Jameson said, his voice steady. "I've been taking things slow because -- of the past. But I have to look forward. No second guessing. You're good for me. I like being good for you. If you would have me, I want to keep building on this."

She turned in his arms, the smile that spread across her face absolutely illuminating. “I wouldn't mind building a life with you.”

"Very enthusiastic response here." He grinned, dipping his head to give her a kiss. She melted against him, the laughter bubbling in her chest gone. The warmth and the steady beat of his heart grounded her. This was real. He chose her...over Imani. This didn't feel temporary.

"I didn't expect to care about you like this." She confessed against his lips, clinging to him tightly. Her hand moved from his, sliding up his wrist. Her fingertips grazed the watch he always wore and then moved to his biceps. He was hers. All hers. "I believe in you and I want you. I'm crazy about you. How's that for enthusiastic?"

“Very good. I like it." He sighed. "You make me happy,” he murmured into her ear.

“You make me happy too.” she replied, her voice soft.

They stayed like that for a moment, wrapped in each other, swaying in her kitchen. When he pulled back, his lips brushed hers in a tender kiss that left her breathless.

She didn't let herself think back to those messages. Even if Jameson found out, she didn't think he'd care. Neither of them meant to get serious about each other. It didn't matter why she had approached him. Only that she did and they hit it off.

She pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the way he held her, the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the world. For now, she could let herself believe in this—believe in them.

#aaron pierre #megan thee stallion #aaron pierre x black!oc #megan thee stallion fanfic #aaron pierre fanfic #megan thee stallion x black!oc #black!oc #celebrity fanfiction #celebrity ocs #fic: neon lights #Spotify

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thirdofdxcember · 1 year ago

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OKAY SO here are my thoughts on the grandest game up to chapter twenty four (SPOILER WARNING)

(im also including my initial reactions from reading chapters 1-9 even tho we've already read those)

Why does it always say the old Lyra what happened

NOT HER PUNTING A BALL AT THE HEAD OF THE GUY WHO CATCALLED HER OMG BOW DOWN QUEENNNN

I LOVE GIGIIIIIII I LOVE GRAYSON I LOVE THEIR DYNAMIC

“Sitting on the edge of a bed that was not his, wearing nothing but a lush Turkish cotton robe, Rohan twirled a knife slowly though his fingers.” (23) I CANT I LOVE HIM OMG KSHD HDSJD IM DYING

WHYS HE SHOWERING WITH A KNIFE SIR

Rohan and Savannah when?

THE BABIES THE BABIES THE BABIES THE BABIES ROHAN WDYM WDYM CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BABIES THE BABISES?????? dHFSDHAFKJHAK THEY HAVE BABIE HFDHSFKHSDF?? PLURAL?I AM SCREAMING I FULLLY GASPED I AM NOT OKAY WDYM THE BABIES NASHLIBBY CHILDREN???????

“You’re staring, pet” (79) WOAH ROHAN CHILL

HAWTHORNE BOY (85)

“Beside Avery, Jameson was looking at her like she was the sun and the moon and the stars and all eternity, all rolled into one,” (87) GET ME A MAN LIKE HIM OR NO MAN AT ALL

If Avery and Jameson were real they would be the best celebrity couple sorry Tom holland and zendaya sorry Olivia Rodrigo and Louis partridge but Avery grambs and Jameson Hawthorne are superior

The mental image i got of avery with the hawthorne brothers all behind her and then when the four of them took off their masks- AUGH i am NOT okay AT ALL they are so cool i wish the masquerade scene was longer tho

If Rohan doesn’t stop calling people “love” even in just his internal monologue I might have to marry him

eigHT PLAYERS? I KNEW GRAYSON WAS GONNA PLAY EVENTUALLY BUT AHH

#i have so much more too #but i'll save that for later #the grandest game #tgg spoilers #tgg #the inheritance games

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is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not · 5 months ago

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Zerachiel - STURM UND DRANG

Neu-Brückenstadt

Helios

0137 hours, 11/10/3153 (October 11, 3153)

200 km from SLDF Forward Edge of Battle Area

The cobblestone streets of Neu-Brückenstadt were slick with rain, the ancient town’s half-timbered buildings glistening under the pale light of Helios’ twin moons. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning myomer and the distant rumble of artillery. The town, a relic of the Star League’s colonial ambitions, had become a battleground once more. The Jameson-loyalist ROM militia, fanatical and desperate, had dug in around the town’s central plaza, their salvaged ‘Mechs and infantry positions forming a ragged but determined defensive line.

At the edge of the town, Zerachiel stood like a colossus, their marble-and-gold ferro-fibrous skin gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Their fusion star heart hummed softly, a low, resonant thrum that seemed to vibrate through the very ground. Zerachiel’s voice, calm and measured, crackled over the comms. Their skin was scarred, melted, and pocked with the evidence of a fight that had gone on far too long for their liking.

Where is the Maneater when we need them? thought Zerachiel. With them - with the one of them who yet lives - we could end all of this, and quickly...

Their train of thought was disrupted as a heavy machine gun position sprayed it's metal barbs in their direction - ineffective at this distance, but enough to get Zerachiel's attention. They replied with the plasma rifle buried in their chest, and another of the town's historic buildings went up in flames.

Damn you, Hershel... damn you to Hell. I will see you hang for this.

“Greta, take the eastern flank. Rusty, the western. We end this quickly. For Blake’s true vision.”

“Understood. Moving to engage.”

“On it, buddy. Let’s show these zealots what happens when they cross the line.”

Zerachiel stepped forward, their heavy footfalls shaking the ground. The red glow of their sensor clusters cast an eerie light on the rain-slick cobblestones. The ROM militia opened fire, their machine guns and lasers streaking through the night. Zerachiel moved with a fluid grace, their every motion deliberate and precise.

A ROM Hunchback emerged from the shadows, heavily damaged, its AC/20 roaring as it unleashed a barrage of shells. Zerachiel sidestepped with unnatural speed, the shells tearing through the facade of a nearby building. Their plasma rifle fired, the superheated plasma engulfing the Hunchback's torso in a searing inferno. The enemy ‘Mech staggered, its armor melting under the intense heat, before collapsing in a heap of molten metal.

A few streets away, Greta moved like a liquid shadow through the narrow lanes, her Triple Strength Myomer-enhanced legs propelling her with a predator’s grace. Her arm-mounted sword gleamed in the moonlight, a deadly extension of her will. She leaped over a low wall, her movements so fluid it was impossible to tell where she ended and the rain began.

A ROM UrbanMech turned to face her, its autocannon spitting rounds. Under electronic assault from the ECM computers buried in Greta’s breast, the enemy’s targeting systems faltered under the onslaught. The sword in a wide arc, the blade slicing through the UrbanMech’s leg with surgical precision. The machine toppled, crashing into a nearby bakery in a shower of sparks and debris. “East flank secure. Moving to support Zerachiel.”

Rusty, meanwhile, was a blur of motion, the MASC and supercharger in his legs and torso pushing his ferrotitanium bones to their limits. He darted through the streets, his Ultra AC/5 barking as he picked off ROM infantry positions. A ROM Shadow Hawk tried to intercept him, but Rusty was already countering.

“Too slow, pal!”

He activated his Jump Jets, launching himself onto a rooftop. From there, he unleashed a barrage of missiles, the high-explosive warheads obliterating the Shadow Hawk’s armor. The enemy ‘Mech staggered, and Rusty finished it with a precise shot from his Ultra AC/5.

“West flank clear. Zerachiel, we’ve got the last ones surrounded.”

The ROM militia leader, which Zerachiel's uplink noted, after a query to the Central Records Administration building in Jeromopolis, named Viktor Reinhardt, stood in the center of the plaza, his Warhammer bristling with weapons. The ‘Mech’s PPCs crackled with energy as he turned to face Zerachiel.

“You think you can stop us, cyborg?” he snarled, voice full of hate and bigotry. “You’re a traitor to Blake’s true vision!”

“Blake’s vision is one of unity, not division. You’ve lost your way, Viktor,” said Zerachiel, flexing their taloned hand with an almost uninterested flare.

Goaded by the Precentor-General's taunt, the Warhammer fired its PPCs, the energy bolts streaking through the night. Zerachiel activated their shield, the vicious energy of the particle beams dissipating harmlessly against the shimmering barrier. With a swift motion, Zerachiel extended the retractable blade in their left arm, the weapon gleaming in the fading light.

“This ends now.”

Zerachiel surged forward, their movements a blur of speed and precision. Their blade struck the Warhammer’s right arm, severing it at the shoulder as they continued past. Viktor screamed in rage, his ‘Mech’s remaining weapons firing wildly. Zerachiel dodged with inhuman agility, the Plasma Rifle in their chest firing a searing blast that melted the armor and bones of the Warhammer’s left leg.

Viktor’s ‘Mech toppled, crashing to the ground in a shower of sparks. Zerachiel loomed over the fallen machine, their blade poised for the final strike.

“You’ll never win! ROM will never surrender!” Viktor screamed, as though he could push the metal god above him off with just his words.

There was no reply, save a dismissive electro-static scoff. With a swift, brutal motion, the gleaming marble-and-gold arm stabbed down, burying the blade into the Warhammer’s cockpit, piercing through the armor, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the plaza. The Warhammer shuddered once, then lay still.

Slowly, the square fell silent, save for the crackling of fires and the distant hum of ‘Mech engines. Zerachiel stood tall, their marble-and-gold skin gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Greta and Rusty joined them, standing guard as the remaining militia surrendered.

“This is not the end,” Zerachiel spoke. “The Word of Blake must heal, not fracture further – we cannot fight the Star League while broken. Take the prisoners into custody. Treat them with dignity.”

“Understood, Precentor-General. What about the town?” Greta asked.

“Ensure the civilians are safe. Offer them whatever aid they need. This is their home, and we are their protectors.”

As the rain began to fall once more, Zerachiel’s sensors gazed out over Neu-Brückenstadt. The battle was won, but the war for Helios—and the soul of the Word of Blake—was far from over.

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

"Holy shit, Brad, you see that?!" Pearson yelled, watching the Celestial rip the Warhammer's arm off like snapping a twig.

"Yes, Pearson, I saw it. I'm calling it in," said Colson, his manner icecold as always. "Old Bird Actual, Old Bird Actual, this is Razorback One Actual. Have observed enemy elements in-fighting amongst each other - fancy-ass Celestials versus average joes, looks like. About two-zero-zero klicks from FEBA, headed your way."

"Razorback One, Old Bird Actual. Roger. Continue shadowing. Special operatives inbound for closer monitoring of the situation. Do not get spotted."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Razorback One out... Pearson, stop fucking humming that shit-"

"What, why? That was fucking sick! It just needed some music!"

#battletech #mechwarrior #operation touchdown #the good parson | zerachiel

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crystalninjaphoenix · 11 months ago

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Deeper Through the Wylderness

Fantasy Masks AU: Chapter Forty

A JSE Fanfic

Who's ready for more Wyldwood? :D The guys continue their journey, encountering a few strange things. Unusual animals, unusual fruits and plants, unusual beings, even. They're making progress, but this strange place might wear on them over time. Yeah this chapter, much like the last, is basically an anthology of weird things that the guys encounter in this magical forest. But next chapter, if all goes according to plan, will be VERY important to the plot :3 Hope you guys enjoy reading!

Previous Part | | From the Start | More AU | Read on AO3: CrystalNinjaPhoenix

Taglist: @brokentimewatch

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

Marvin was woken up by the familiar feeling of something fuzzy against his face. He stayed totally still. The best way to get Draco to stop doing something was to ignore him. But the fuzzy thing persisted, pushing against him. He couldn’t help but groan. “Draco, nooo.” He rolled over, but the fuzziness climbed over him, sniffing at his face. Keeping his eyes closed, he reached out, trying to push Draco away... but felt something odd. The texture—that wasn’t fur. It was more like... feathers?

Mrow. And that was Draco’s meow—coming not from right in front of his face, like he expected, but instead from over by his feet. Draco wasn’t here?!

His eyes flew open. Instead of seeing Draco’s blue eyes and off-white stripes fur, he was staring into a pair of Hazel animal eyes surrounded by orangish-red, its black snout longer than a cat’s—

“What the fuck?!” Marvin shouted, scrambling backwards.

“Huhwhatdanger?!” Next to him, Jackie sat bolt upright, lunging for his swords.

Henrik yelped awake, blinking wildly. Chase was next, lifting his head from the ground. JJ was already awake, though he was blinking blearily.

“Fox!” Marvin said. “There’s a fox!”

Indeed, a fox had wandered into their camp in the Wyldwood... but not an ordinary fox. Its front legs were more in line with bird legs, tough-skinned and taloned, feathers sprouting along the upper length. On its back were a pair of large wings, brown and black striped. It leaned forward, trying to sniff Marvin some more, and Marvin quickly scooted backwards.

“Oh! I know what that is!” Chase sat up, wriggling out of his bedroll. “That’s an enfield!”

“Enfield?” Marvin repeated, puzzled. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“Is it safe?” Jackie asked, raising one sword in preparation.

“Um... as safe as foxes are normally, I think. Don’t bother it and it won’t bother you.”

The enfield stepped forward again, and Marvin continued to crawl backwards away from it. “Why does it want to sniff me?!” He hissed.

“Maybe you smell interesting?” Chase guessed.

Henrik frowned. “How did it get close? Jamie, I thought you were on guard.”

Jameson rubbed his face. I was... I remember hearing this strange flute music. And seeing something... small? Out there? He gestured at the woods around them. The music was trying to put me to sleep, I think, but I threw a rock at the small thing and it stopped. But I still felt really sleepy... He shook his head. I don’t think I actually fell asleep but I must have been really close if I let a fox with wings through. Sorry, everyone.

Jackie sighed. “It’s fine. There was no harm done, I guess. But in the future, we should wake someone else up if something like that happens.

Jameson nodded slowly... his head drooping...

“Jair! Wake up.” Marvin grabbed some magic from his amulet and flicked it at him. He only intended for it to be a shower of sparks. But instead, clouds of bright light slammed into the side of Jameson’s head. He shot straight up, eyes wide, immediately not tired anymore. “Oh—sorry. That was supposed to be a simple wake-up spell, like the one I sometimes use. I suppose it came out a bit stronger than I wanted.”

It’s fine, Jameson said, hands shaking slightly as he spoke. The spell must have shit him full of energy.

The enfield trotted over to Jameson and started sniffing him instead, licking the fading magical light around his head. Jameson looked at it warily. “I think it must be interested in your magic, Marvin!” Henrik chuckled.

“Great. Great.” Marvin clutched at his focus. “Good to know. Be interested in something else.”

Jackie looked around. The group had made camp in a slight clearing in the Wyldwoods. Trees surrounded them—of course—these ones with bark that was so dark brown they were nearly black, which contrasted with the leaves that were a pale pink color. The pink leaves covered the ground in a soft layer, so soft that Chase had inched out of the bedroll over the course of the night and hadn’t even realized that he was on the ground. Large flowers with purple petals and centers the size of dinner plates also dotted the ground, glowing softly. “We should probably start moving, shouldn’t we?” Jackie said. “We don’t want to waste any time.”

Henrik sighed. “I suppose. Though this is a beautiful area. I am reluctant to leave. Where else will you see pink trees like this?”

“Well there’s going to be more amazing things to see as we go deeper,” Marvin said, still eyeing the enfield suspiciously. “I promise you.”

“I know, I know. I am not saying we get lost in the pretty landscape. I am just saying it’s a shame.” Henrik stood up. “Let’s go.”

The group packed up their supplies into bags and headed off, Marvin and Draco leading the way. The enfield trotted after them for a while before some smaller enfields with little fuzzy wings ran up to it—Its children?! Adorable!—and then it diverted its attention to herding them, letting the group leave them behind. This was the morning of their third day into their journey, and if everything went well, they’d only have four to five days left. Almost halfway there! Chase wasn’t sure if he was excited about that, or nervous. Both, probably. No, definitely both.

Just as the last couple days, the Wyldwood was silent, the undergrowth mysteriously moving out of their way as they walked. Two days straight of this meant they were starting to get used to it—which meant some of them were starting to get restless. Jackie constantly wove back and forth through the group, taking up a position on the left before moving to the right a few minutes later, his hand always on the hilt of his sword as he glanced around uneasily. Henrik’s eyes also darted back and forth, and he couldn't help but occasionally reach back to check that Vsevna’s axe was still there. He occasionally muttered something under his breath in Alterdan. Were his symptoms bothering him again?

Jameson kept practicing his fighting skills as they walked, slashing with his knife for a while before reaching back to grab the bow he’d packed and practicing firing it. Chase watched him do that, smiling a bit. “I don’t think practicing without an arrow is all that helpful.”

I suppose, Jameson said, awkwardly gesturing while still holding his bow. But it’s probably not a good idea to shoot wildly in a magical forest. Remember the screaming flowers?

“Ah. Riiiiight.” Chase winced. “The trees might not take kindly to being shot. Well, at least let me help you with your technique. Here, hold the string like this...”

They soon left the section of the Wyldwood with pink trees, and the colors of the trees slowly shifted. The branches began to droop downwards, their dark green leaves becoming long and skinny. For once, it became difficult to walk through the area, as the tree branches didn’t move out of the way like the undergrowth did. Jackie quickly got frustrated with this. After one too many times of being hit in the face with leaves, he growled and pulled out his sword, swinging it wildly. “Out of the way! Out of the way!”

“Whoa!” Marvin’s head whipped back around to look at Jackie. “Hey, calm down!”

Jameson grabbed onto Jackie’s shoulder, trying to stop him. Once he’d gotten Jackie’s attention, he signed, We don’t want to hurt the trees!

“Well what if the trees want to hurt us?” Jackie asked.

THEN we can do something! But we shouldn’t make the first move!

Jackie growled, glaring at the branches around them. “Fine. But still, we’re losing progress.” He gave his sword one final, frustrated swing—

Smack!

Jackie went still. “I, uh... I hit something... solid.”

Frowning, Henrik walked over, grabbing the branches and sorting through them. His eyes went wide. “Oh! Look at this!” He turned the branch around. There was something shiny attached to it. A fruit of some kind. It looked like a plum, but its purple skin was reflective and crystalline, like it was a jewel.

Chase gasped. “Oooo!” He looked around. “Are there any more of them?”

“Let us see!” Henrik continued to search through the branches, and the others joined him, curious about these strange crystal plums. There weren’t many of them, maybe three for each tree, but they stood out for how strange they were. “So fascinating!” Henrik said, eyes lit up. “Can we pluck these? Eat them, maybe?”

“Hmm.” Marvin narrowed his eyes. Then he bent down and picked up Draco, holding him up to one of the crystal plums. Draco sniffed it, then turned away, uninterested. “Well I don’t think they’re dangerous, at least.”

Jackie sighed. “Alright... we can take a break to look at these.”

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re not curious!” Chase said, grinning. “When are we going to get another chance like this?”

“I just... I-I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Jackie shook his head. “Alright. What are these things?”

Jameson is trying to pull the plum off the droopy branch, but its stem is really strong. He pulled out his knife to slice through it, but even that took a minute. Once the plum was free, though, he turned it over in his hands, tapping it. This is practically stone, he said.

“Well plums are stone fruit,” Chase said jokingly.

Marvin blinked. “They’re what?”

“Huh? You’ve never heard that phrase before?” Chase grabbed one of the plums; Jameson was right, the fruit’s skin felt more like glass than fruit. “A stone fruit is a fruit that has a pit in the center instead of seeds.”

“Really? Interesting.” Marvin looked at one of the plums still on the branch. “So these are... literally stone fruit. Or, more like crystal fruit.”

“How do we eat them, if they’re made of crystal?” Jackie asked.

“Maybe we do not?” Henrik said. “Or maybe it is like nuts. They must be cracked open. Here, Jackie. Since you are so concerned about moving, we can take some off the trees and examine them while we walk.” He took his bag off, reaching inside. “Let us put some in my potion supply box for safekeeping.”

They continued walking, pushing aside some of the drooping branches. Occasionally one of their hands would hit a solid crystalline plum. Chase took out his hunting knife and tried to find a weak spot in the solid skin. He was pretty sure there was something inside. He could feel it when he shook the plum. But the whole thing was solid, deflecting his knife like a regular bauble made from jewels.

When they walked out of the grove of droopy-branched trees, Henrik immediately started looking around for a rock or something else to smash the plum with. But... “Huh. I am seeing something unusual. There... are no rocks anywhere.”

“Oh! That’s right!” Marvin nodded. “I didn’t notice the first time I was here. But there aren’t any random rocks or stones anywhere like there would be in regular forests. The undergrowth is all plant life.”

“Aw. But then how will we open these?” Henrik asked, disappointed. “If they can be opened at all.”

“Use Vsevna’s axe,” Jackie suggested. “It has that spike on the end, maybe it could pierce the skin?”

“Hmmm... perhaps.” Henrik stopped walking and bent over, placing the plum on a spot clear of long grass. Then he pulled Vsevna’s axe off his back. He aimed the spike on the back at the plum, a hand’s width above it, and narrowed his eyes as he concentrated—then brought it down.

Crack! There was a loud sound and the plum went spinning off to the side. A spray of bright red juice covered the ground—and Henrik’s legs. He yelped in surprise and backed up. Jackie laughed. “Well I don’t think any of us expected that!” He said.

“We probably should have,” Henrik grumbled. He walked over to the plum and picked it up. There was a crack in its crystal side, through which dripped that bright red juice. Unnaturally bright red, almost pink even. “Do you think this is safe to eat?”

“Who knows?” Chase said. “I’d be cautious.”

What does Draco say? JJ asked.

Marvin picked up the cat and held him up to the plum again. Draco leaned forward to sniff the juice. His nose wrinkled up and his eyes narrowed. “That’s not a guarantee of anything,” Marvin said. “He makes the same face when smelling that linseed oil Jackie and other warriors clean their weapons with. I think he just thinks it’s a strong smell.”

Henrik sniffed curiously. “It is very sweet. Almost like candy. Hmm... Perhaps we should not eat it.”

“Why were you so insistent on getting it open, then?” Jackie asked, exasperated.

“Just to see if I could, honestly.”

Jackie sighed. “Well now it’s probably going to leak juice everywhere. And maybe it will rot. We don’t want to carry rotten fruit around, even if it’s magical. “Here, just... Give it to me.”

Henrik did so, though he was a bit reluctant. “Are you going to do something foolish?”

“Possibly.” Jackie swiped up some of the juice with his finger and stuck it in his mouth.

“Wait Jackie no—!” Chase lunged over, grabbing Jackie’s wrist and yanking his hand away from his face. But it was too late. “What if it’s poison?!”

“Draco would’ve stopped me,” Jackie said. “Marvin said he would stop him from eating dangerous... um... stuff. Like... fruit and... stuff.” Jackie’s eyes slowly widened. Not as a response to how he was feeling or anything. It was almost like they were being pulled wide by invisible hands. A pink film glazed over his irises.

“Oh no,” Chase whispered.

How do you... feel, Jackie? Jameson asked hesitantly.

Jackie looked at him. “You’re glowing,” he said slowly. He looked at Marvin. “And you’re like... like really bright. Like really glowing. And whoaaaa, Draco looks strange.” He giggled. “He’s a ghost. Ghooost cat. Glowing ghost cat.”

“Oh elders, it’s like he took amarita blossoms,” Marvin muttered.

You’ve met someone who took amarita? Jameson raises an eyebrow.

“Not anyone who took them regularly, but I’ve been on the run for the last year, practically, I’ve met a lot of people.”

“Guys guys guys, it’s not a problem.” Jackie kept looking around. “It’s all good, it’s like—so good. I feel great, and whoaaaa... pretty.”

Henrik sighed. “Damn it. If only I had my medicine I could snap him out of this really quickly. I suppose we will just have to wait for him to come down normally. He had a small sample, surely this won’t last long.” He took the plum out of Jackie’s hand. Jackie didn’t react at all, spinning in a circle so he could look at everything. “Let’s keep walking.”

Luckily, the effect of the crystal plum didn’t hinder Jackie’s ability to walk—though he did slow the group down a bit because he kept stopping to stare at random spots in the air. But after about two hours, the pink film faded from his eyes, and he stopped looking at stuff. He mumbled some apologies to everyone, but they all assured him that it was okay—though Henrik and Chase did point out how foolish it was to try juice from a magical fruit. Even if Draco didn’t intervene, that didn’t mean they were safe!

Nothing else of note happened on that day. They continued to walk through the Wyldwoods, occasionally swapping stories and memories to pass the time, always listening for sounds that would break the silence. Sounds like rustling, like distant voices, like footsteps that seemed to pass right by the group but without any sign of a person or animal. All of those happened at least once during this day. When they did, the whole group went dead silent for a minute before continuing to talk.

They made camp near a lone hill in the middle of the forest. Though it might have been an advantage to camp on top, where those on guard would have a good view of the surrounding area, none of them dared to get too close. The Fair Folk were said to live under hills. Not always literally. Some stories said that the hills were merely an entrance to a Faerilynd, the world where the Folk gathered. Either way, a lone hill in a magical forest probably wasn’t safe to get close to. Who knew what it could be? They settled down between two tall trees nearby, keeping an eye on the hill but not approaching.

“Maybe we should have two people keep guard,” Jackie suggested as they set everything up.

But then if we keep going in our shifts of three, eventually someone will be woken up again, JJ pointed out. Everyone will have only one shift, but someone will have to have two.

“I’ll take two, it’s fine.”

“No, nobody is taking two shifts at night,” Marvin said firmly. “We all need to be in the best shape possible in case something happens.”

“But—but there was that incident with the party!” Jackie protested. “And this morning, the enfield was able to just walk right in! We need to take precautions!”

“We do, but we need to take care of ourselves too,” Henrik said.

Chase frowned. “Is this because of the fruit thing? Jackie, it’s okay. I know me and Henrik already gave you shit for it, but it’s in the past. And hey, now we know what those plums do, don’t we? You don’t need to make up for an impulsive decision.”

Jackie slumped. “I... I just...” He looked to the side. “I thought that... we’d need to see what they do, didn’t we? Because what if they were harmful?”

If they were harmful then it was even more foolish to taste one, Jameson said. You could have gotten hurt.

“Well—better than losing our doctor or our guide or our oracle or the guy who needs to make it to the end of this journey!”

“Jackie,” Henrik snapped. “Are you implying you are expendable?”

“No,” Jackie said. “Honestly, no. I know I’m not. I’m a Masked Phantom leader and the best physical fighter here. But I...” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Marvin stared at him silently. “Just remember that we don’t want you to get hurt.”

Jackie nodded. “I will. I’ll be more careful, promise.”

“Please do be,” Henrik said quietly. “Now... Let us all get some rest.”

Little did the others know, but Jackie stayed awake as long as he possibly could, one hand out of his bedroll, clutching the hilt of his sword.

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

When the group woke up in the morning, the hill was gone.

“Well that is worrying,” Henrik muttered. “Marvin? You had last watch, what happened?”

“It just sort of...” Marvin held up a hand parallel to the ground, then slowly lowered it, like he was pushing something down. “Sank.”

“When???” Chase asked, concerned.

“Not too long ago, actually. It was surprisingly silent.”

The whole group looked at the space where the hill was, unnerved. We should walk around that spot, JJ said.

“Agreed,” Chase said.

They started walking again. This section of the Wyldwood had trees with reddish bark, occasionally streaked with lighter, almost yellow stripes. Tall bluebell-like flowers sprouted from between their roots, their soft glow joined by specks of light that floated through the air. As the group brushed past them, the flowers made ringing sounds, like the bells their shapes were named for.

“Do you remember all of this, Marvin?” Henrik asked, fascinated with the flowers.

“I remember it when I see it,” Marvin replied. “Honestly, the whole first journey I had was so strange that it all sort of... blended together into an overall oddness. But now that I’m back in here, I do know where to go and recognize some of this. I didn’t recognize those crystal plums yesterday. But maybe I just didn’t see them. They were pretty hidden in those branches.”

“And... there are truly no records of the Wyldwood at all?” Henrik asked.

“None in recent memory, and no records of anyone going this deep,” Jackie said. “You should know this, Henrik. I know you’re from another kingdom, but you’ve lived here for years now. You know that the Wyldwood is dangerous.”

“Yes, but people make records of going into dangerous places all the time,” Henrik said. “And this is half the island!”

I suppose having the Dragon’s Teeth mountains as a barrier dissuaded exploration, Jameson mused. I’ve heard of other Wyldlands in the world that are more explored. Wyldsands, Wyldmounts, Wyldmarshes... I can see why you’re surprised that there aren’t any records.

“I think that part of the reason people avoid the Wyldwood is because of the Fair Folk,” Chase said. “After all, people say that those who didn’t retreat to their own world live here now.”

“You know a lot of stories, right, Chase?” Jackie asked. “Do you know any about the Fair Folk or the Wyldwood?”

“Hmm... well there are a few,” Chase said. “For example, the story of Lasta and Caba is said to take place in the Wyldwood. Supposedly, when most of the Fair Folk decided they wanted to leave this world for their own, two of them, a leprechaun and a bodacha, refused to stop playing their card game to help the others move. So they were cursed to keep playing forever, never finishing the game. Supposedly, if you join in, you have a chance to win some sort of prize. But be careful, because time outside of the game will pass faster than time around you and them.”

“Fascinating,” Marvin said. “I don’t think I’ve heard that one.”

I think I’ve vaguely heard something like that, Jameson said. I remember the bit about time passing differently very distinctly.

“Well, time being different around the Fair Folk is common in stories,” Chase said. “There’s also the one where a man falls in love with a beautiful Fair One. A princess or prince.”

“There are two versions of the story?” Henrik asked. “So... does that mean it is not true?”

“No, it could be that it happened a long time ago and the details of the Fair One got lost over time. Or maybe the Fair One was both. Who knows? The point is, the Fair One invited the man to their palace for a night of partying, but when the man returned after one night, a year had passed.”

Jackie glanced around nervously. “Do you think that... that same time strangeness affects the Wyldwood?”

Marvin shook his head. “No. I walked through the woods for a week, and when I was out again, a week had passed for everyone else.”

“Oh right. I forgot about—” He paused. “Do you all hear that?”

The group stopped walking, listening for strange sounds. In the otherwise silence of the Wyldwood, it stuck out easily. A thundering sound. But not actual thunder. Was it... hooves? From a horse? Chase frowned and looked at the others, noticing as they all came to the same conclusion around the same time. “Strange...” Henrik muttered. “Where is it coming from?”

“Get to the side,” Marvin hissed. “Out of the way of any open paths!”

They all scrambled to get close to a tree, away from the open parts of the Wyldwood. In the distance, something dark was forming, quickly approaching—

Jameson gasped and fell forward, sprawling across the ground. Jackie spun around. Without hesitating, he ran towards Jameson. The dark thing was suddenly much closer, streams of orange-red light streaming from it as it got closer—within a second it was bearing down on them—

“Jackie!” Chase gasped.

Jackie dove at Jameson and the two of them went rolling across the ground. The dark thing galloped past them, inches from their bodies, smoke and light following it in a trail. It looked like a horse and rider but something was wrong with the rider: he was missing something. By the time Chase realized what it was, the creature was already galloping into the distance.

“Elders!” Jackie breathed, visibly shaken.

Henrik ran forward, and Marvin and Chase were right behind him. “Are you two okay?!” Henrik asked.

“I-I’m fine,” Jackie said. “Jameson?”

Jameson raised his head. His eyes were wide enough to see the white all around his irises, but he nodded. Shaken, he said weakly.

“Wh-what happened?” Marvin asked. “Did you trip on something? What was that thing?!”

“I-I think that was a dullahan,” Chase said.

“A what?! Aren’t those an omen of death?!”

“Huh? No, th-that’s not what I’ve heard about them. Though they are often linked to it... h-having no head, and all. And they, uh, often show up where people died, I-I think?”

Henrik shuddered. “So... someone died here?”

“I have no doubt that a lot of people died in the Wyldwood,” Chase muttered.

Jackie sat up, one arm wrapped around Jameson, bringing him upright as well. “Are you sure you’re okay, Jameson?” he asked gently. “What about your foot? Did you twist your ankle when you tripped?”

“Hmm... I thought the plants were making way for us,” Henrik said, frowning.

Jameson laughed silently, darkly. It wasn’t a plant or root or anything. I just... tripped on... my own foot.

“...ah.” Henrik blinked. “...well that is... unfortunate.”

I suppose I was thinking too much about moving, if that makes sense? Jameson sighed. I’m not hurt, though.

“Alright, if you’re sure.” Jackie stood up, and reached down to help Jameson up. “Are you good to keep walking?”

Are you? Jameson asked.

Jackie laughed. “Of course I am. Come on. We have to keep going. Ideally, away from where that dullahan went.”

And so, with nothing else to do and nobody hurt, they just... kept walking. Until, eventually, it was time to settle down for the night once again.

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

The next day passed normally—or as normally as things could be in the Wyldwood. They continued to pass through vibrant trees and grass, surrounded by glowing flowers, glowing mushrooms, and occasionally glowing insects. Henrik was quickly getting overwhelmed with the variety of plants, and quickly running out of room for samples in his potion ingredient box and other bags. He soon learned that he couldn’t take all of the glowing plants. Some of the samples from the first day had stopped glowing—though not all of them—so he exchanged those for others.

Draco kept walking steadily through the forest, occasionally waiting for the humans to catch up. Chase still wasn’t used to him acting so... smart. But it wasn’t like he was acting oddly human. He was still clearly a cat, with the same mannerisms and behaviors. When some glowing blue dragonflies showed up, he chased them, tail wagging, just like any other cat would. But still... it was odd that a cat was leading them.

Chase’s thoughts started to swirl, thinking about what was waiting at the end of this journey. At this blasted heath that Marvin mentioned. He asked Marvin to tell him everything about what he saw there again, and Marvin told him all he remembered. There was a building in the circle of dead earth, along with some strange trees. The ghost of King Samuel said that this was related to something unspeakable—something that literally couldn’t be spoken of. Something that Chase needed to find out for himself, something that would help them defeat the King. It was frustratingly vague.

He wasn’t sure if anything he’d find in the Wyldwood could help him defeat the spirit possessing the King... but he had to try, didn’t he? He had to help Jack. And so, he kept going on, despite the doubts trying to worm their way in.

Another day of walking passed. Their fifth day. They were almost there now. Just two more days of walking... or was it only one and a half? Maybe a little more than that? Would they have to walk for two days, rest for the night, and then walk a bit more in the morning?

“Hey... Marvin.” Jackie glanced around as the Wyldwood around them started to grow dark. “Maybe we should walk through the night. Or... a little bit into the night, I should say.”

“Huh?” Marvin glanced back at him. “We never walk through the night when traveling.”

“I know, but that’s because it gets too dark to see where we’re putting our feet,” Jackie explained. “With all the glowing things in here, it never gets darker than what would be evening outside the Wyldwood. We could probably keep walking.”

Henrik frowned. “I... wonder if... if there are creatures that come out at night, here. A-after all... that strange party happened at night. The music that Jameson heard, too. And the hill disappeared during the dark. It may be dangerous.”

“It... i-it may be,” Jackie agreed slowly. “But we could protect each other. I... I think the faster we get there, the better, right?”

The others all glanced at each other. Perhaps we can walk a bit more? Jameson asked.

“I really think it is not a good idea,” Henrik insisted.

Marvin looked down at Draco, who was stretching and yawning. “I agree. I think we’re supposed to stop for the night.”

“Just a bit farther couldn’t hurt,” Jackie said. “Chase? What do you think?”

Chase hesitated. “Um... just a bit farther, maybe? Ten or twenty more minutes?”

Henrik and Marvin looked at each other and sighed. “Fine,” Marvin said. “If all three of you want to keep walking for a bit, you take the majority. But... let’s be careful.”

Jackie nodded. “We will be. I’ll lead the way.”

They kept walking. Draco didn’t want to continue, so Marvin reached down and scooped him up, carrying him as they went along. The trees around them rustled, and Chase glanced up into them uneasily, instinctively searching for animals that weren’t there.

After the twenty more minutes of walking that Chase suggested, the group came across something... unusual. A... path. The sort that was worn into the ground from people or animals walking in the same place over and over. It dipped into the earth slightly, the dirt a bit muddy.

Marvin frowned. “I remember this. It was daytime when I came across it the first time. I didn’t want to cross it, but Draco had no problem, so I walked from one side to the other easily enough.” He looked down at Draco in his arms, whose eyes were currently closed. “Hmm... don’t know if I’m comfortable walking across it when he’s not there to make sure it’s safe.”

Chase looked back and forth, tracing the path to the left and right. Then he crouched down to look at the dirt, trying to figure out if there were any tracks in there. No good. Despite the mud, he couldn’t make out anything clearly. “I don’t know if this is a deer trail or a wolf pack or something magical,” he reported.

Jameson blinked. Is it just me or is the air... shimmering?

Chase stood up, and he and the other three guys all stared at the air in front of them. Yes... it was shimmering slightly. Like the air above a heated rock. As they stared, things became clearer. The air was moving. No, not the air. They were... people? Translucent at first, becoming more and more solid, glowing slightly. Jackie backed up, holding his arms out in front of the others as if to push them back as well. But there was no need for that, as everyone was scrambling backwards away from the glowing strangers.

“Wh-what is this?” Henrik whispered. “Are you all seeing this as well?”

“Yes, Henrik, we are,” Marvin confirmed. “Who are these people? What are they?”

They watched silently for a while, tense and waiting. But the glowing people didn’t bother them. They looked at the group, a few waved, but they didn’t stop their procession to attack, or even to speak.They just kept walking. And just as the group started to relax—

Jameson inhaled sharply. He ran forward, running along the path, eyes locked onto something. “Jair!” Marvin gasped, running after him.

“Wait you two!” Jackie rushed after them, and Chase and Henrik glanced at each other and followed.

Jameson came to a stop, staring at some of the people. A man, looking to be in his forties, walking with a woman of the same age, their arms linked together. The woman was smiling and laughing at something, and the man nodded.

“What is it?” Marvin asked, shifting Draco into just one arm and putting a hand on Jameson’s shoulder. But Jameson didn’t even bother to look at him. He just kept staring at the man and woman. What was so special about—

The realization hit Chase all at once. The brown shade of the man’s hair, the shape of the woman’s face, the blue of both their eyes... they both looked a bit like Jameson. And as the man and woman noticed them, the man raised his hand. There was a ring on his finger. A signet ring of some kind. “...oh,” Chase breathed.

Jameson was shaking slightly, trembling beneath Marvin’s hand. Behind the couple walked three others. Young women, all around the same age. The eldest walked in front, auburn hair shorn short. Behind her was a woman with her hair pulled back in a tight braid, a pair of fancy riding pants, the sorts nobles wore for long horse rides. And behind her in turn was the youngest, her light hair curling, smiling as she skipped along. She looked at Jameson and waved.

“Oh... oh no,” Henrik whispered.

Jameson’s mouth formed words, but of course, no voice came out.

And then Jackie’s eyes widened. “G-Grandmam?” An older woman was walking along the couple, using a cane to support herself, bent over with deep lines on her face.

“Oh!” Marvin started. “There! Isn’t that Miarch? H-he was—we lost him s-so early on... A-and there’s Kieron, and Ilsa, and...” The people he was pointing out all had white plaster masks with them, on their face or hanging from their belts.

Chase tore his eyes away from the procession. It was clear now who these people were, and he didn’t want to see anyone he’d known.

But Jameson... he started to step forward.

“No!” Henrik lunged forward, grabbing the back of Jameson’s shirt. “Do not get too close!”

Jameson spun on him. Why not?! he demanded, eyes welling with tears.

“We do not know what will happen if we touch them,” Henrik reasoned. “What if we... what if we join them? Jamie, please tell me you do not want to join them.”

That seemed to get through to Jameson. He blinked, then shook his head. Of course not. I just... He turned back to the procession. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them. Mam and Dad... Emer, Orla, Mairead... those are their names. He spelled them out in handspeak so that the others would know what to call them. I never got to...

Chase took a deep breath. He walked over to Jameson and put an arm around his shoulders. “Well... this is the time to do it, isn’t it?”

Jackie and Marvin were also staring at the people they recognized in the procession. Henrik, like Chase, is trying not to look, though his eyes can’t help but glance back every so often at the ones with white masks. But they all hear what Chase said. “Y-yes... th-this is the time... to say goodbye,” Jackie whispered.

“I-I don’t think we should actually say anything,” Marvin said quietly. “Just in case... that starts a conversation we... don’t want. W-we don’t know how they’ll... react to us.”

Jameson shuddered. As much as I don’t want to stay silent... you’re right. Best to be cautious. We don’t know what effect the Wyldwood would have. He looked after his family. They seemed... happy. As they waved at him again, he waved back, a slow, sad farewell.

And after a moment, Jackie, Marvin, and Henrik all waved as well. Chase saw no one he recognized... and he didn’t seek them out.

After a while, the friendly faces disappeared down the path. But the procession didn’t stop. They watched them continue appearing, walking left to right, an endless parade. “We... we shouldn’t interrupt them,” Marvin whispered. “Let’s... go back and make camp.”

Jackie nodded. “I-I’m sorry I made us keep walking.”

Don’t be, Jameson said. You didn’t know this would happen. And... maybe it was a good thing, in the end.

“...maybe,” Jackie said quietly. “Let’s... go.”

The group turned and walked back the way they came, setting up their bedrolls around a large tree. The procession was a slight glow in the distance, a line of light. They went to bed, said their good nights... but none of them fell asleep. They all knew they were watching the procession. Watching it until exhaustion caught up to them.

As Chase drifted off, he reflected on who he saw in the procession. The Masked Phantoms. Jameson’s family. Were others in the procession... because of the King as well? Or... because of the spirit possessing Jack?

...He would remember them. Remember why the King must be defeated.

There would be no more of them. Not if there was anything they could do about it.

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