#landlord!rafe

[rafesweetie]

this photo is sooo landlord!rafe. you rent out a little house near figure eight, showed to you by rose cameron, and her step-son is your cute landlord who you absolutely have to call whenever something’s up with the house. whether it be you wanting to paint a certain wall pink, or the doorknob on your bathroom is broken, he’s there. he struts in with his baseball cap and grown out mullet, insisting on checking in before you hire anyone for anything. saying something along the lines of, “hey sugar, what’s up this time?” and awing at your little pout as you explain that your closet door hinges are squeaky. without a word, he’s going to your kitchen and grabbing some vegetable oil. you say oh, because who knew that that worked to fix the squeaks? he opens your door and pours some on your hinges. you sit on the edge of your bed and watch, noticing shamelessly the way that when he reaches up to get the top hinge, you can see his grey boxers. and you’re too focused on that to notice the pair of lace panties he stole from your closet hamper, which will definitely help him out later.

[whorefordean]

guys i love landlord!rafe so much

[rafesaddiction]

It's not cheating when he’s your enemy – Rafe Cameron x Pogue!Reader

see here for part 2 and here for part 2.5

Summary: Rafe Cameron is the reason why you fought with your boyfriend. Rafe Cameron is the reason why you lost your job. Rafe Cameron is the reason why you moan and whimper shamelessly.

Concept: enemies, hate sex

Warnings: mdni! – smut, hate sex, rough sex, p in v, violence, choking, spitting (on rafe), cursing, name calling (rafe calls reader whore), cheating (reader cheats on boyfriend), mean!rafe

Word count: 3.9k

“How about a smile with that, hm?” Rafe Cameron grinned at you as you placed the glass in front of him on the table. Your eyes narrowed and you glared at him, but that smug grin of his only grew wider, and his kook friends sitting at the table with him snickered and watched the scene with amusement.

It was bad enough that you had to work today, not being in the best of moods after a fight with your boyfriend earlier – or more exactly, a fight with your boyfriend and his best friend. But you had to take the evening shift at the Wreck, because your landlord had assured you, he'd kick you out if you were late on the rent again. You needed the money and your cleaning job just didn't pay enough. And usually working at the Wreck was fine. Mike was a fair boss and Anna always had a nice word for you. The tips weren't as generous as at the country club, but the customers were usually much nicer. Well, usually. Not so much tonight.

You had seen – or actually heard them, the moment they had come into the restaurant; the kook prince and his cronies. Not waiting to be seated, they just chose a table and sat down, as if they had a right to do so, as if they were entitled to do anything they wanted. You frowned, when you saw them, having just written down the order from much nicer guests – a tourist couple, who must have been puzzled at your sudden change of attitude. You usually had no problem with keeping a friendly face to customers, or at least look at them in a neutral way, but the moment you saw Rafe Cameron walk in like he owned the place, you just couldn't hide your anger.

And of course, Rafe and his friends had chosen one of your tables. If it hadn't been so busy that night, you might have asked your colleague to swap tables. But as it was, you clenched your teeth and walked over to their table, placing the pitcher with fresh water and glasses on the table, ready to take their order – avoiding looking at them, especially at Rafe.

But his words made you look up from the water jug you held in your hand.

“C’mon, y/n, show us that pretty smile of yours, and I might even give you a nice tip”, the asshole had the audacity to wink at you.

You glared at him, pressing your lips into a thin line. You were fuming. Your hand clenching around the handle of the pitcher. And the blond kook just kept smiling at you his arrogant smile that others might have found charming, which only drove you mad.

So instead of pouring the water into the glasses on the table, you poured the pitcher's whole content onto Rafe Cameron's lap, drenching his expensive pants. – A pity actually that it was only water and not some boiling hot coffee.

Rafe quickly moved back, the chair making a screeching sound on the wooden floor, as he jumped to his feet. Now looking anything but amused, he looked down at himself.

“The fuck?”

And it was your turn to smirk, just a little triumphant smirk, while you glared at him and extended your arm, flipping him the bird, right at his stupid face.

You turned on your heels and walked back to the bar, hearing one of the kook boys say, “dude, she really hates you.” And Rafe replied, “nah, she wants me bad,” which resulted in all of them laughing.

And you growled. You hated those bastards. You hated them so damn much.

Behind the counter, you put down the empty pitcher with a loud thud – even though you felt more like throwing that thing at Rafe.

You tried to compose yourself, you really did, but, of course, Mike had seen what happened. And instead of being on your side and kicking those arrogant kooks out, he came at you, told you to go and apologize.

“I won’t! He’s a fucking asshole, acting like he owns half the island!” You glared at your boss.

“Well, his father does,” Mike said, “now go and apologize and tell him, whatever they order is on the house.”

You crossed your arms in front of your chest, looking at Mike as if he was talking in a different language.

“You apologize or you can leave. For good.” The features on the man's face had become stern.

You should do the reasonable thing, you needed this job. But your temper got the best of you. You were so angry, so damn furious, and Mike taking their side was just too much to take. You literally had enough.

“Screw you,” you snapped, crumpled the cloth you used for cleaning tables and threw it at Mike.

He frowned at you and pointed at the door.

And you walked out, walked out of that damn restaurant in which those fucking kooks were surely laughing at the scene they just witnessed. You were a joke to them. You pogues always were nothing more than a joke to them. It made you furious.

Outside you kicked a random car parked in front of the restaurant, wishing it was Rafe's – but it looked more like some old folks' family car than anything Rafe would drive.

“Fuck ‘em, fuck ‘em all,” you cursed, and your foot hurt, but you kept on walking, stomping actually, blinking angry tears away.

You just had lost your job because of Rafe-fucking-Cameron! The same guy that had been the reason for your fight with your boyfriend earlier that day.

You hated that guy. You had always hated Rafe, but now you hated him more than ever.

This morning, on his usual delivery run for Heyward, your boyfriend had been jumped by Rafe and one of his friends. And they had beaten him up so bad, he had gotten home with a limp, his left eye swollen, his nose bleeding. Seeing him like that hurt so much, you almost cried. His best friend, who was there with you, looked at your boyfriend shocked, and worried, before his quick temper took over. That boy was always short-tempered and would rather act than think. He was furious. While you were attending your boyfriend's wounds, his best friend was pacing the small place, raising his fists, clenching them, rambling on about how he would make Rafe pay for that. He also seemed mad at himself for not having been there for his best friend, not having been able to defend him. So he was more determined now to make it right, as he called it.

He swore revenge and was forming a plan. Usually, they would just try and fight Rafe and his friends at the next opportunity. But this seemed different. And your boyfriend seemed to be hurt more than just by the wounds you could see. You weren't sure, but you had a feeling that something else must have happened with Rafe, something more serious, something hurting not just his body, but his pride too. Because otherwise, your boyfriend would have never agreed to the stupid plan his best friend came up with. Stealing Rafe's dirt bike and sinking it to the bottom of the ocean. It wasn't even a real plan, it was just stupid.

“He'll know that it was you! And he'll have you arrested for it.”

“So what?”

“So what? You can go to jail! Don't be so dumb! You can both go to jail for this and you'll ruin your future just because of some stupid fight!” You yelled at your boyfriend's best friend, but there was no reasoning with him.

But what was worse, your own boyfriend didn't want to see that you were right. He was so infuriated. He had jumped to his feet and was ready to take Rafe and any cop. And he wanted to hurt him, hurt him so bad.

When you tried to talk to him, tried to calm him down, tried to make him see reason, he just shoved you away, and he suddenly seemed angry at you, accusing you of not understanding him. And his best friend accused you of not caring about your own boyfriend. And that fucking hurt. The two of them had always been close, very close, and you sometimes felt a pang of jealousy, because even though you were his girlfriend, it seemed as if there was some part of him you would never fully get.

So you had left the two of them planning their revenge, coming up with some stupid plan that would not make anything right that had been done to your boyfriend or to any of you pogues.

And the thought of that made you furious right now.

You balled your hands into fists, clenching so hard, you felt your nails digging into your palms.

You hadn't paid attention to where you were going when you had stormed out of the Wreck and you had been walking for some time now, anger driving you onwards, as you found yourself close to the Cameron's pier.

Rage was clouding your judgement, but you knew you had to do something, anything. It just couldn't go on like this. Rafe Cameron hurting everyone and destroying everything and just getting away with it.

You didn't have a plan what to do when you broke into the shack where they stored boat stuff and other things. It wasn't the first time you had broken into somewhere, but it was the first time you were on your own. Usually the other pogues would be with you. But you could do this on your own. And you did care about your boyfriend, no matter what his best friend said. You were a pogue just like them.

Inside it was dark and you had to feel your way round, careful not to bump into anything. You used your phone's flashlight to see, but you weren't really sure what you were looking for. Maybe you could find boat keys and take his boat? Stupid plan, but whatever. You had to do something, anything. Goddamn, you hated that guy.

“Anything I can help you with?”

You froze when you heard that dark voice. The lights had suddenly turned on, blinding you for a second. You blinked and saw him. Fuck. Rafe Cameron standing at the door, blocking the only exit. Tilting his head to the side, he looked right at you.

“What you doing here?” You couldn't help but ask, even though you knew it was a dumb question, but you were genuinely puzzled. He had just been at the Wreck with his friends – getting you fired – and now he was here of all places?

“This is MY property. What the hell are you doing here?”

Fuck, he was right. You wouldn't admit it, but he had a point. And suddenly you were questioning your own reason. It was such a stupid idea, breaking in here. All you wanted now was to get out, get away as fast as possible before Rafe would call the cops. So instead of answering, you darted for the exit as he moved a few steps into the room. But he was quicker, stepped to the side, so you almost crashed right into him.

He caught you, his big hand wrapping around your arm. You flinched at how tight his grip was.

“Fuck, let me go!” You tried to wriggle out of his grip, and hit his chest with your free hand.

Rafe grabbed your other arm too, pulling you closer to his much larger body.

“Let go, asshole!” You yelled at him, not giving up your fighting yet, though it seemed impossible to free yourself from his grip.

“Won't do. You broke into my property and stole something from me.” He glared down at you, his eyes narrowed – the blue in them reminded you of the sky on the day before the hurricane hit the island a few weeks ago.

“I didn't take anything!” Your voice strained and you were panting from your struggling.

He raised his eyebrows as he glared at you.

“A liar and a thief. I'll check for myself what you took.”

He let go off one of your arms, just to use his free hand to grip your waist, pulling you against his body, his broad chest pressing against your upper body, so close, you could hardly move your free arm between the bodies.

But his hand didn't rest, he was touching, grabbing, tugging, actually patting you down.

His large hand found your ass and that intimate touch caused a different kind of sensation. Something much hotter.

You wriggled in his arms, making your bodies only rub harder against each other.

“Fuck, let go!” You hissed, as breathing became harder.

You tried to kick him, but couldn't really lift your leg, you were too close to his overpowering body.

“Fucking asshole!” You spat at him.

And Rafe's hand gripped your jaws, so hard, you winced. Your mouth opening as you gasped.

Instead of tasting the air, you felt his lips crushing down on yours as he had suddenly closed the space and was kissing you, kissing you fiercely and hard.

Your eyes fluttered close. For a moment you were completely taken aback, overwhelmed by this unexpected intimate touch, a kiss so fierce and rough you had never tasted before.

It only lasted a second, and you pushed him away, pushed yourself away from him enough, so you could move your arm, and you smacked his cheek so hard, his head whipped to the side.

Obviously surprising him, he let go off you, rubbing his cheek, and looking at you as if in disbelief. His mouth opened, those lips you had just felt on yours.

And you stood there two steps away, chest heaving, panting, glaring, fuming, feeling that tingling on your lips, feeling that throbbing pain from his touch on your arms, feeling his presence so strongly, feeling this incredible heat in your own body, something hotter than rage coursing through your veins, feeling that sudden pull.

You lunged forward, and he just gazed at you, and your hands gripped around his neck as you pulled yourself up, legs wrapping around his waist, and your mouth meeting his in an angry kiss.

Rafe reacted in an instant, kissing you back, even fiercer than before. It felt like he was devouring you. And you couldn't help but moan into the kiss, as you rocked your hips against his. But the friction you caused with your fervent movements wasn't enough to make that throbbing between your legs stop. Both his hands grabbed your ass, gripped it like it was something that belonged to him, only to him. It made you furious, and clenching with need.

Your hands grabbed his hair, pulling at it. He growled in response, right into your open mouth. Pushing his tongue in, he claimed that too.

The heels of your feet dug into his back, as you pulled yourself closer to him. Feeling his hard cock pressing against you made you mutter the most embarrassing sounds, hardly muffled by his greedy kiss.

Suddenly he moved and you felt how your ass hit something.

The kiss broke and you hissed as you found yourself on a workbench, cluttered with all kinds of tools, which Rafe shoved away with his arm, making them clatter on the floor, before setting you down on the surface.

You braced yourself with your elbows on the bench, looking up at Rafe, who impatiently tugged down your shorts and panties. Your sandals dropped to the floor as well.

You tried to get up and grab his shirt to pull it off of him, but he pushed you back down on the bench, making you flinch at his roughness and at the same time you felt your legs opening for him, as you saw him take that shirt off himself. You couldn't help but gaze at his muscles. His body was so well-shaped, it was ridiculous how he could be real.

Your attention was directed further down, as you heard him unzip his pants.

You were only able to catch a glimpse of his cock, but it was enough to make you gasp – he was huge – before he pushed into you.

The sudden pain made you cry out. Your eyes going back into your head as you felt so incredibly full. You didn't even try to suppress your shameless moans as he ruthlessly thrust into you. Your walls clamping, the feeling became so intense, your body was shivering while you were burning up.

You heard Rafe's animalistic growl and that sound drove your own lust even further.

His hand at the back of your neck, he pulled you up, his lips hovering over yours, his hot breath mingling with yours.

Rafe pulled you closer, and as he fucked you, your ass was pressed against the edge of the bench, surely leaving bruises.

But you left bruises and marks on his body too. Your hands grabbing, your nails scratching his back. When he kissed you, you bit him, feeling how he tensed up and go harder on you. You felt your climax approaching, felt your body burning up with need, clenching so hard around him.

And he must have felt it too, because you could sense something shift. But instead of giving you what you wanted, giving you what your body so desperately needed, he grinned into the messy kiss and suddenly pulled out. You gazed at him, your face flushed, your lips sore from those biting kisses, and you were so surprised that it was easy for him to unwrap himself off your legs.

Your naked feet touched the cold floor and you could hardly stand. But you didn't have too.

Before you could question what the hell he was doing, he grabbed you, turned you around and bent you over the workbench.

You exhaled an angry breath and your hands clawed at the surface of the bench, while he turned your head sideways and pressed down on it, your cheek on the rough wood. You tried to look up at him, but couldn't move your head to see properly. But you didn't need to see what he was doing, you could feel it a few seconds later.

Your legs were spread and a rough hand rubbed between them. You were soaking wet. You had been wet from the moment his lips had claimed yours. You had no time to get annoyed at how that must have amused him, because the next moment, he was taking your breath away as his thick cock thrust into you. Harder and deeper now. You wouldn't have believed that to be possible, but he was fucking you now with even more of that rough and ruthless vigor. He was quite literally using you, as his cock was hammering into you. Your body trembled and shuddered and you moaned and whimpered and you were so far gone.

Rafe took you as if you were his, as if he could use you as he pleased – and you wanted nothing else than to be used by him in that moment.

Your walls clenching so hard around him, you felt fuller than possible.

But despite being at his mercy, despite having turned into his fucktoy, despite your traitorous body enjoying being used like that, you couldn't help yourself.

One hand reached back, touching his hip.

“Harder,” you urged him, panting. “Harder,” you repeated, breathlessly, as if you didn't already feel like you might pass out any minute, because it was too much, because your body couldn't possible take anymore.

He growled. And the sound made you shudder.

And you almost regretted your words, but at the same time, you felt your clit throbbing, your whole body buzzing with a need you had never felt before.

His arm wrapped around your neck from behind and he pulled you up, pulled you up standing on your toes, your back arching. The back of your head against his shoulder. His arm pressed against your throat, making it hard to breathe and impossible to speak. You could only whine as he slammed into from behind. Your fingernails digging into his arm's hard muscle, while your eyes fluttered shut.

You lost it all, all sense of reason and self control, as he fucked you through your earth-shattering orgasm. Fucked you relentlessly. Fucked you without restrained. Fucked you into oblivion.

You were undone and he kept going. Taking you without mercy, using you. And when he gasped and you felt him push so deep inside you, hitting a spot yet untouched, another wave rolled over you. You hadn't felt it building up, but it was like your body was synced with his, and the moment he came inside you, spilling his load deep into you, your walls clenched around him, as if trying to hold him there, and you came, harder this time, with him.

When he pulled out and let go off you, you just collapsed forward onto the workbench. Coughing, finally able to breathe, you tried to regain your senses.

Your legs were trembling and you could already feel his cum dripping out of you, running down your thigh.

You weren't sure if your eyes were closed or open, as you still just saw stars dancing in front of your eyes.

The sound of a low chuckle behind you made you finally able to return to reality – and realize your exposed position, bent over the workbench, your legs spread, your ass up, cum dripping out of your throbbing pussy.

You groaned as you pushed yourself up and turned. Every fucking muscle in your body hurt. You knew you would be sore for days. And when you caught that smirk on Rafe's face as he put on his shirt watching you with that glint in his eyes, you knew he was thinking the same.

You smoothed your rumpled top, crouched down to pick up your shorts. Somehow you couldn't find your panties between all those tools scattered on the floor, so you pulled on your shorts without panties. You flinched at the friction the rough fabric caused. You'd definitely be sore for days.

Frowning, you slipped into your sandals.

Your eyes moved over to Rafe. He was fully dressed and despite his somewhat heavy breathing and the sweat glistening on his forehead, he seemed all composed as he was leaning against another workbench opposite of you, just a few feet away. His hair a mess though, you noted with a certain kind of satisfaction.

A smirk danced around his lips as he watched you trying to comb your own hair with your fingers.

“What?” You frowned at him.

He shrugged, pushed himself off the bench and slowly came closer.

“Just realized, it's true what they say.”

Your frown deepened as you glared at him questioningly.

“The filthiest whores come from the Cut.”

You spat right at his face.

“Fucking asshole,” you hissed and turned to leave. From the corner of your eyes you could see how he wiped away your spit from his cheek, and looked at it, chuckling in amusement.

You didn't turn when you walked through the door. You tried not to show it, but each step hurt like hell. And what was worse, your core was aching with need.

a/n: thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Comments, reblogs, likes, and any kind of feedback are very welcome. You may also have a guess who the reader's boyfriend might be. And his best friend...

This is the start of a concept series of oneshots.

[nadvs]

please can we have sleeping with the enemy reader taking care of rafe with his hangover (from your last blurb) 😚😚

aaaa yes omg the fluff! (and the everyone but them can see it trope!) (and the overdue confession!) 🙂‍↕️

based on this fic, continutation of this blurb

rafe can’t even open his eyes yet. he feels like he’s an inch away from death.

about a month ago, he moved out of his dorm and into a house with a group of his teammates. it was a nightmare securing a lease on a house because of the reputation athletes have left on the landlords off campus.

but because rafe was the one who worked so hard on getting the house, and because he’s the team captain, he got the biggest and best room, ensuite attached.

it’s in the top floor. it’s quiet. it gets the best ac. but no amount of ac can make the sickening heat of the hangover he has this morning any better.

he finally opens his eyes. she’s not beside him. if he remembers correctly, he asked her to sleep over last night. and… goddamn it, he called her his girlfriend.

there’s a good chance he scared her away. they’re best friends who hook up sometimes. that’s it. no matter how much his teammates - at least the ones who have the balls to - fuck with him about it.

a few nights ago, a girl struck up conversation with rafe at a party and one of his buddies told her not to bother because ‘he’s basically married’ and the crazy thing is, he let her believe it. he hasn’t hooked up with another girl in ages. he hasn’t wanted to.

it got to him. maybe that’s why he slipped up last night, calling her his girlfriend. if he remembers right, it’s like they agreed to being something more in a roundabout, drunken way. or maybe she was just humoring him and is planning to let him down easy when they’re both sober.

she’s in the kitchen, wearing one of rafe’s shirts, cutting up what little fruit the guys have lying around. the blender was a bitch to clean, tacked with residual protein powder.

she’s awake before everyone, making rafe a smoothie to help cure his hangover. this is 100% girlfriend behavior. she’s doing the absolute most. she knows that.

she tells herself it’s because they’re best friends. she’d do the same for any other friend. but doing it for rafe feels so much more gratifying than if she did it for anyone else.

as she drops banana slices into the blender, she thinks about the regret that washed over rafe’s face last night.

she wonders why he so obviously wished he hadn’t called her his girlfriend. was it because he accidentally exposed what he really thinks of her? or because he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea?

she blends the smoothie, cleans up and pads upstairs to rafe’s bedroom. when she opens the door, he’s sprawled out on his bed, down to his boxers, the duvet half-covering his body.

she’s seen him naked so many times before. but this weirdly feels like it’s the most intimate they’ve ever been.

���did you take my clothes off last night?” rafe grumbles, staring up at the ceiling.

“somehow,” she answers. “i fell on my ass trying to pull your jeans off.”

“oh, yeah,” he laughs. he heard her fall to the floor in the dark. it was hilarious. but then he clutches his head. even laughing hurts. “fuck.”

“imagine how bad you’d feel if i didn’t force water on you last night. you’re welcome, by the way,” she says.

she places the glass on the nightstand and sits on the edge of the bed, glad she only had a couple of drinks last night.

“i made you a smoothie. you need to replenish.”

his tired blue eyes finally land on her. he takes her in, the way her brows are knitted in concern, the way she looks in his shirt.

“and your blender was disgusting,” she adds. “it’s pretty sad that a whole group of grown men don’t know how to properly wash dishes. it took me forever to clean it.”

“you’re talking too much,” he rasps, massaging his temple with his thumb.

normally, she’d tease him back. she knows he’s joking. but the joke doesn’t land. she looks away.

in the sober brightness of the morning, she realizes she feels stupid. they agreed they were just friends, but she’s playing house and acting like a girlfriend to someone who either doesn’t want her like that, or does and won’t admit to it when he’s not drunk.

she doesn’t mind taking care of him. but she’s catching feelings. how can she be friends with someone when every second that passes that they’re not more than that feels like a little dose of rejection?

they’ve always been direct with each other. at some point, that stopped. at least on her side.

“i’m fucking with you,” rafe clarifies. “thank you.”

she scoffs. he hardly ever has manners. she must really look mad.

“sure,” she says. she leans forward, picking up and handing him the smoothie, knowing he’s too tired to get it himself. “do you remember what you said last night?”

rafe’s eyes dart away. he rakes back his tousled hair, sitting up slowly to hold the smoothie. tortuously slow, he takes a sip, making her wait for his answer.

“what’d i say?” he mumbles.

she tilts her head, her lips in a firm line. he said he wouldn’t be embarrassed the next day. he’s acting like he is now, though. or maybe he really doesn’t remember.

she suddenly feels bad for pushing this heavy of a conversation on him when he’s clearly exhausted and feeling so terrible.

“we’ll talk about it later,” she says. it gives rafe a wave of anxiety. maybe she’s planning to let him down gently. to tell him they can’t be more than friends. “hydrate, got it?”

she stands, pulling his shirt off over her head.

“where are you going?” he asks, watching her bend over to pick up last night’s clothes.

“home,” she says. “text me if you wanna hang out later when you feel human again.”

she leaves. he lets her.

he’s in a funk the rest of the morning. he eventually finds the strength to take a shower. he eats his first meal at three p.m.

when he sees the blender on the drying rack in the kitchen, his chest tightens. this isn’t normal. he shouldn’t miss someone he saw just this morning. but he does.

and whatever happened last night is hanging over him. if he knows her, he knows it’s bothering her, too.

he texts her: feeling human again. u busy?

she replies: i’m free and starving.

he smirks at his phone. pick you up in 30

when she sinks into the passenger seat of his suv, she’s uneasy. jittery. as if this is a first date. but when she takes in how tense he looks, she pushes all her feelings away.

“what’s wrong?” she asks. “you good?”

“i’m… this feels weird,” he admits. she stills. so it’s not just her who senses it.

“weird how?”

“what do you wanna eat?” he asks. “where am i going?”

“you’re staying here until you tell me what’s up.”

rafe chews on his lip. he turns his key, shutting the car off, parked in front of her dorm building. he knows there’s no point in arguing with her. she can be stubborn.

“weird how?” she repeats.

“like… i’m nervous or something.”

rafe has known for a while now that he’s someone else around her. or maybe he’s actually himself, and she’s the only person who coaxes it out of him.

“nervous?” she echoes. rafe is only ever nervous before an important game, and even then, he’s more hyped up to win than anything.

he can’t take it anymore. he’d rather rip off the bandaid.

“be straight with me,” he says. “what’d i say that you wanted to talk about?”

she can’t recall the last time she felt so shy around him, if ever.

“do you remember calling me your girlfriend?” she says.

he shuffles in his seat, expelling a heavy breath.

“if i fucked things up, just say it,” he rasps.

“so, you remember?”

“yeah.”

“do you remember how you said you wouldn’t be embarrassed for saying it?”

“yeah,” he mutters sharply. “can you get to the point?”

“can you not be a dick right now?” she says.

he sighs. can’t she tell he’s anxious?

“are you?” she says. “embarrassed, i mean?”

“no,” rafe begins. “i’m annoyed that i said it. it made things awkward.”

“it did,” she agrees.

“okay,” he huffs. “so what now?”

she clasps her hands together in her lap, looking out at the side mirror. she could just say they can forget about it. grab takeout. go back to normal. but going back to normal kind of feels impossible.

“my friends always tell me we act like a couple,” she finally says. “this morning, i was washing your dishes and organizing your fridge and i thought, they’re right. this is the kind of stuff a girl in a relationship does. but then i was like, no it’s not like that. we’re just best friends. but then last night... you said you’d be a good boyfriend.”

“mhm,” he says, bracing for the rejection. the let’s just be friends. or worse, the things are too weird now and we should probably stop hanging out.

she swallows hard.

“i wanted to know if… did something change? were you just drunk or do you actually want to…” she trails off.

for once, it feels odd saying her thoughts out loud to him. because he was always as adamant about not wanting commitment as she was. things have gotten so messy all because he blurted something out last night.

rafe stares at her profile as she looks out the window. she’d fiddling impatiently, like she was the night they first talked at the bar months ago, waiting for someone to take her drink order.

“the guys mess with me about it, too,” he tells her. “they say we act like we’re married or some shit.”

she quirks her eyebrows. they basically do. they see each other almost every day. they bicker. they’re constantly subconsciously touching, whether it’s through joined hands or bumped knees. they have too many inside jokes. they take care of each other. she reminds him of things he can’t afford to forget, like appointments or exams. he makes sure she eats and he pays for everything they do together.

“i don’t look at other girls,” he confesses. “and i know you get hit on when you go out, but it never goes anywhere. i… okay, yeah, fine, something did change at some point. i don’t know when.”

for the first time since she got in the car, she cracks a smile. they’re best friends who are ridiculously attracted to each other and joined at the hip. if that’s not a relationship, what is?

“are we already kind of dating?” she says, finally meeting his eyes.

rafe breathes a chuckle, the heaviness in his chest lifting all at once.

everything was always so easy with her. he assumed it’s because they had no expectations between them. but that wasn’t it. in reality, they had been quietly meeting each other’s expectations without having to try.

“yeah. we are,” he says.

her eyelids flutter as she looks down, gazing at his hand splayed over the dark denim on his thigh. her stomach is numb. her mind is buzzing.

“how’d you get so lucky?” she teases.

rafe doesn’t even have it in him to joke back. he needs to touch her. he leans forward, cradling her jaw, capturing her lips in his.

they’ve kissed a thousand times before. but never like this. this is a kiss that says there’s an understanding that she’s his and he’s hers. and maybe it took them a while to realize that, but now that they’re here, they’re not going back.

(continuation)

[cute-sucker]

note: inspired by @lionasvault diner!jj x deer!reader ! <3

short masterlist: part two here, part three here, part four here, part five here, part six here !

˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚❀༉‧₊˚.

being a single mother with a rafe camerons child was never easy.

the little girl hung on your shoulder giggling as she held onto you, and you tried to hide the squeezing pain that you felt in your heart. she knew nothing about her situation completely obvious. 

you were a kook. all through, the short bikinis, strutting upon everything you owned, winning pageants, and academic awards. it was your life. you were a soccer player on the side of it all, a crazy defender. you had enjoyed your life, knowing that you were going to marry someone. 

rafe. 

that's who the person was going to be. the sweet boy who gave you roses on your anniversary, telling you was better than any kook girl he had met. and it was all fun and games, sneaking away to be with someone older, someone bad, someone playful and someone who treated you "well." it helped that he was kook too, smug about his place in the world, and a callous hand dragging you across to show you around at parties. 

school ended on a good note for you, and you headed to university, with high dreams and a cute boyfriend at that. sure he was brooding, sure he was mean, sure he dropped notes about you not needing a higher education because you were wife material. but your parents had told you to go and be independent. 

so that's what you were doing. now, escaping from his clutches, a six-month-old baby girl gurgled at you as you tried to ignore the unfamiliarity of the whole new place you had rented. it was a cute town you thought, the little painted signs, and you found yourself staring at the flat. your landlord's little painted key felt warm in your hand, and you found yourself tearing up. 

finally, you set down your small brown suitcase, willing yourself to be stronger. willing yourself to look at the bright side of things, the fact that the apartment had 1 room for the two of you, and the fact that the sink had pretty roses on it, and the fact that you were finally free. 

you gazed back at your baby, her sleepy smile, as her eyes blinked and when it found a familiar face - gurgled with happiness. you felt as if your heart was going to burst with happiness, and with that, you decided that you should explore the town

˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚

the town was better than you thought it would be, there was a small ballet studio across the street, meek book stands nearby, and a farmers market that sold you the ripest strawberries known to mankind. so yes, when you saw those strawberries you bought a carton. immediately your baby girl made grabby grabby hands, and you smiled down at her, brushing a curl of hair away from her face. 

"what, baby? you want one too?" you cooed, before giving her a red strawberry. she squealed before taking a big bite out of it, mushing it in her claw hands, giving you an inquisitory look. you sighed, and continued to push the stroller. 

jj's diner. 

that's what it read on bright rusty red letters, it was colored a gorgeous gray, and the glass windows showed a homely setting. grandparents sat with one other, sipping on coffees, you watched kids take big bites out of syrapy pancakes and stripes of bacon. this was a scene to beyond, and you couldn't help but yearn for it, as you opened the door of the diner. 

a sweet smell wafted by, as if fresh blueberry muffins had just been made. it felt like home, like a safe space, and before you knew it you were dragging in your stroller, and sitting down near the window. finally you found yourself smiling with joy as you looked down at the laminated plastic menu. 

"i'm jj, what can i get 'cha?" a gruff voice muttered, and you pursed your lips before looking up. it was a guy with dirty blonde hair, a backward hat, and white tee with what looked like mustard to you? "c'mon mama, i don't got all the time in the world." 

he looked at you pointly as if annoyed. the name 'jj,' seemed to flash in your mind. that was the diner's name? this was his diner, wasn't it. clearly they were short on staff. 

you flushed quickly, and you picked up your menu, "yeah i'll take the pancakes? extra syrup, and maybe some..." you crinkled your nose before looking at your baby girl who had a menu in her mouth, giving you a gumless smile "can i have mashed banana?" 

he looked baffled, chuckling while putting a hand on his hip, "mashed bananas? i don't serve that." once again you felt like an idiot stammering out your words. finally it was as if he looked at you properly, your creased clothes and messy hair. you had been up all night worrying about this move. 

he shook his head, and then swiped a hand to pick up the menus, "yeah. it's alright. mashed bananas and pancakes. got it." and somehow when he gave you that half smile you felt your heart lift up. 

˚❀༉‧₊˚.˚

by the end of the trip to the diner, you had gotten up to clean your hands asking a kind lady to look after your baby for a second - and when you came back jj was sitting next to your baby cooing. 

he gave you a confused look when you came back, as your baby chewed on his finger, giving a delighted shriek. you found yourself trying to figure out what was happening. 

"she yours?" he asked, and you gave him a quick nod before trying to pull her into your arms. you avoided his gaze. you didn't want him to say anything about it. after all, you had enough people judging you. 

instead you zoned on your baby who gave a final cry before letting you pick her up. she still reached her chubby arms for jj's, eyes welling up as if she was going to cry. 

you sighed, "really sorry about this. i know it's not okay." 

jj looked at you again, reaching for his hate before waving his hand to console you, "nah. i don't mind." 

you gave him a tightlipped smile, and then put your baby in your stroller to head out, "thanks for everything." 

"don't mention it." 

somehow you felt as if you had made a friend. 

[coriel-muroz]

Huntsville Revived #319

Hazel and Jack needed space after Hazel’s single flirtation had lead to Jack, in a fit of pique, making out with their landlord. And given who he had made out with, Jack couldn’t stay in their apartment anymore.

Things moved quickly. Hazel filed their notice to move out with the landlord. If reconciliation was to remain an option, she didn’t want him around that woman.

Financially, it meant he didn’t have a choice but to move in with his mother, who had enough room to accommodate him and all the children.

Hazel refused to stay in the building herself, which meant she couldn’t live with her Dad. She also didn’t want to impose on her uncle Jordan again, or on her cousin Justin. Which meant living with her adult son, Rafe.

Jack clearly immediately regretted his choices. He was confused about how he felt about the landlord, but wished to mend fences with Jessica and more importantly with his wife.

“Do you really have to go, Mom?”

“Yes, Dustin. Be good for your father, okay?”

“Promise we’ll see you soon, Mom?”

“I’ll be in touch, Shay. I love you. Your Dad and I need space from each other, not from you. Okay?”

Of course, none of it was okay. Hazel hadn’t felt this lost or confused since she had returned from living on the streets, 7 months pregnant with Rafe and still in high school.

When she and Jack had married, they had talked about the importance of a stable home, for themselves and for their kids. Her parents’ separation had been awful. The hope she had felt when they had decided to get back together had only made her mother’s untimely death that much worse.

“Dustin, you absolutely have to finish your project by tomorrow. Your Mom and my problems are no excuse not to do homework.”

“Maybe if you die, Shay, Mommy and Daddy will be so sad that they’ll get back together.”

“That’s not helpful, Briony.”

“You’re going to get back together, right Daddy?” Shay begged to be told that they would.

“If you do, will Mommy die like Grandma Briony did?”

“That’s really not helpful, Briony. Off to bed, all of you. We’re moving to Granny’s tomorrow.”

The next day, they packed up their belongings and went to Granny’s house.

Ginger was delighted to have Jack and the kids around, although very unhappy about the reason. She had offered for all of them to move in, but Jack and Hazel had wanted some independence.

At least she had the kindness not to comment that this whole thing might not have happened if Jack and Hazel had been living with her in the first place.

Fletcher, Ginger’s husband, was also quite pleased at the idea of having the grandchildren around. Having never had kids of his own, he liked the idea of being a Grampy to Ginger’s Granny.

Hazel arrived at Rafe’s apartment in Ashford City in the middle of the night. 

“I’m sorry. You must have been sleeping.”

“I was just partying at Jess’s. I came home and got ready to sleep when I saw your message. What the hell happened, Mom. That doesn’t sound like Jack at all.”

“I can’t explain it, Rafe. It was so unlike him. So impulsive.”

“I should have stayed and helped you with all the kids. And Grandad? It’s been a lot of stress; people do stupid things when they are stressed.”

“People do stupid things, Rafe. I’m worried about your Grandad - we have friends in the building, but... None of this is easy, but we also have to look out for ourselves first. You have to live your best life anyway. Jack and I will work it out, or we won’t. I’ll try not to crash on your couch too long.”

“Mom, you are welcome as long as you need it. This is your home now.”

Hazel appreciated that her son knew just how much it mattered to her to have a home, but, being a bachelor, he couldn’t understand that her home for the last 10 years had been her husband, Jack.

[redridinnghood]

How should I call it?💕 Part 1

Hello There,

I'm Back with a new Story, Story will contain more parts and be a bit slow burn.

You meet a man with a Addiction and other Problems. For example he doesn't have any Impulse Control. Can you work it out? Can you help him heal? Or will he be your End?

What happens when you meet a certain Chaotic blonde?

Polyam relationship between Rafe, JJ and Reader. Don't like, don't read.

(Y/N Pov)

The first time I met him it was a late Summer Night. Met is the wrong word, I found him lying in an Back alley behind some Fancy Club.

He was clearly under the Influence of some Drugs and Probably Drunk as Fuck. But I couldn´t just leave him there like that at three in the morning. Should I call an Ambulance? Shit but I couldn´t risk it to pay for it. On the other Hand he needed defiantly help. I let out a deep sigh. Y/N how do you get yourself always in such situations? Leaning down I check his pulse, it´s fast but not dangerously fast. His skin is hot nearly Burning and his breathing is uneven.

Gently I stroke his head. ”Hey Man wake up, you shouldn´t sleep here it’s Dangerous.” My Voice is soft, I know how People under the Influence can act out. He just slightly lifted his head he tried looking at me, he failed his Head rolled Back. His Long limbs splattering out on the Pavement. Dam it! “Can I call someone to pick you up?” Voice still soft. He shook his head slightly. No. “Okay that’s not a big Deal do you live anywhere near here? I could call you an Uber and bring you there.” My Voice sounded a little more desperate. He blinked slowly. “No..” his Voice was raspy and sounded worn out.

Again I sighed deep. I held my Hand out for him, “Come on Big Boy, you can crash at my place but I can´t carry you so you need to help me a little bit.” He blinked Again slowly he reached out to take my hand. As I got a grip I pulled him up at first into a sitting Position, scared he might throw up. I waited a few seconds than I helped him up on his feet. He stumbled into me but I managed to help him stay Upright.

He groaned, he was distressed, his Head spun and he is pretty worn out. Yeah I know how it feels being slightly overdosed, not from my own experience but from a few people I grew up with.

His body felt Hot and I could feel his shirt being drenched in his own sweat. He needed a shower and to take of his drenched clothes. Slowly I made my way towards the big Apartment complex dragging him with me. Thank God it wasn´t far away, finally we reached the building climbing up some stairs.

As I put my Keys into the door I felt him clinging to me as if his life depended on it. It kind of did, I mean this neighborhood isn´t peaceful. Isn´t good to people who fall asleep on the pavement. After a few moments of struggling with the door it finally opened. Gosh when will the Landlord finally repair those fucking doors. Carefully they made their Way into the small apartment. I placed him on the couch.

“Alright Big Boy, can you tell me your Name?” Voice Soft but louder than before. Blue eyes with giant orbs fixated me, Truthfully he was quite Handsome. “Rafe” I heard his hoarse Voice. “Okay” I smiled a little. “We need to get you out of those dirty Clothes. It would be best if you would take a Quick Cold Shower.” He nodded absently. I walked out of the small living room into my Bedroom, searching for a few clothes my best friend Luca always left here. It were just a pair of gray shorts and an old Band Shirt but that would do it, Just in case I put a pair of Boxer in the pile. Since Luca wouldn´t wear them again I could throw them Away. I walked back into the Living room handing him the Clothes.

“Here take those, and there is the Bathroom. It´s nothing special.” He nodded and took the clothes. Slowly like in slow motion he got up steading himself on the couch. Than he reached for the wall because he started stumbling a bit. “Don´t look the door in Case you faint and keep in Mind it should be a cold shower.” I said loud enough so he could hear me but not loud enough to be shouting. When I heard the Water in the shower I started preparing the couch for him. After I prepared the Couch I filled a big Cup with water and placed it on the small Table. I made myself a tea and waited in the Kitchen area for him to finish. As he walked by I could just confirm my statement.

He was Handsome, beautiful Face with storming blue Eyes, he was Tall and had Dirty Blonde hair. When he spotted me he looked at me intensely. I just smiled “You are ready, that’s good I prepared the Couch for you and some Water. I will hop in the shower next If you want I can throw your clothes into the washing machine.” He looked at me and nodded I took a deep inhale. “I hope the cold shower lifted the fog a little bit of your mind.” His Gaze softened. “Yes, thank you” his voice was still cracking and the small smile he gave me didn´t quite reach his eyes.

Giving him a small nod I disappeared into my small Bathroom. The old blue tiles were still a bit wet I looked around and found his small pile of clothes throwing it into the Machine with my clothes. Turning her on, on a short Program so she would be ready in 20 minutes. As I stepped into my shower letting the Hot water embrace me. So I started thinking. He doesn´t Look Poor, his clothes seem to be pretty expensive. So what is he doing here? And why did I help him, I mean yeah I couldn´t just left him there I mean I could have. Why didn´t I just called the Police? It didn´t matter anymore he would crash here tonight and be gone tomorrow. Leaving the shower I hop into an old shirt and some panties hanging up the freshly washed clothes.

As quietly as possible I walk down the apartment into the bedroom. Soft snores coming from the Man, so I stop and look at him. The way the slow sunrise aluminates his Body makes him look so peaceful so out of a fairytale. Realizing that I just stared at a Stranger while he slept I quickly kept going. Carefully I lay down in my Bed, its full of Pillows and I have a few Books laid out on the other side. Sleep came faster than expected.

 

(Rafe Pov)

A soft humming sound wakes me gently I open my Eyes. Where am I? This is not the new Mansion? Not the Hotel where I usually stay when I go out.

It´s a small living room with a weird combination of furniture but it looks Good. Kind of. It seems cozy. Slowly I sit up stretching out. Wait those are not my Clothes. What the actual fu…

“Good Morning Big Boy” I hear a soft Voice. Why does it sound so angelic? Turning around I spot a Young girl in the Kitchenette. It´s probably her apartment.

“Want some coffee?” she asks while turning around grabbing a cup. “Sure” I reply while standing up and walking towards her. As I reach her she hands me a Baby Blue Mug with Puppy´s on it. Really?

She smiles, a smile so pure I never seen before. “thanks” I answer as I take the Mug. “Milk is in the Fridge and Sugar there.” She points at a small Container. “You want some Breakfast? I suppose after your consumptions yesterday you are pretty Hungry.” She asks while I pour some sugar in the Mug. “ This would be really nice.” I give her a small smile. My Memories of yesterday are coming back slowly. Why did she take Me in? Rafe takes a moment to Look at her, really look an her.

She is small around 5`3 her (Y/H/C) is tied in a lose ponytail her Skin looks so smooth and her (Y/E/C) are trained on the food she´s making. She is not skinny but also Fat, She´s just Beautiful.

But at the same time I´m  concerned, why did she took a stranger in? What if I had Lashed out on her? “ Thank you for Yesterday. I.. Honestly I´m really grateful but you could have gotten Hurt.” I swallow the Lump in my throat. “I could have Lashed out on you or something.” She hands me a plate with scrambled Eggs and some Toast. “Come let’s sit down and eat.” She just rounds me and sits down on the couch placing her plate on the small table and mentioning me to sit back down where I slept the last night. I obliged.

“Listen I´m Fine and that’s all that counts. You didn´t Lash out. You didn´t hurt me. And I couldn´t let you stay there.” Her Voice was genuine. It feels weird having someone so lovely not fearing me. Everyone fears me. “I.. Thank you.” I was dumbfounded she was right and I shouldn´t think about what if´s. Peacefully she sits next to me eating her Breakfast so I also start eating.

And oh my I never thought scrambled Eggs could taste so good. “This really good.” I smile at her, and she smile´s Back. “Thanks” she mumbles, she is cute.

Than it struck me I don´t even know her Name. “Hey.. um.. I think you didn´t tell me your Name…so.. What is your Name?” Why am I so Nervous. “ (Y/N). My Name is (Y/N)” I felt like my Heart skipped a beat the way she smiled and how soft her voice was. We ate the rest of our Breakfast in silence. It´s weird but I didn´t want this moment to end. I don´t know when it was the last time I felt so at ease. So content with myself. After Breakfast she handed me my Clothes and I changed. When it´s time to say goodbye and go our separate ways I find longing for staying. As if she could read my mind she hands me a small piece of paper. Confused I Look at her. “My Number. In case you need anything like a place to crash or something. Or just want to talk. I´m here.” Her gentle smile mesmerizes me and I can´t help it but embrace her in my arms hugging her. Carefully or she might break. “Thank you so much. I will defiantly reach out to you.” I say a little to enthuasstic. When I realise hear I hear a small giggle. I´m making my way down the stairs notifying my Dad I won´t be home for a few Days. Then massaging my dealer that I need some new Stuff.

After that I stare at the small pice of Paper, alright nothing to lose. It's late when I send her a Message, just a basic Hi.

[topsytervy]

All mine ~ Rafe Cameron

Blurb: After you pick up Rafe from a party, he gets slightly jealous in his drunken state and reveals his feelings.

Warnings: swearing, drinking, poorly written and edited, probably spelling mistakes,

Word Count: 1,364 (little more than that cause I added a couple of words after checking the word count)

This is non-canon Rafe by the way.

~~~~~~

You woke up to your phone ringing.

"Hello?" You yawned, not bothering to check who the caller was.

"Hey, Y/N/N. Wanna come pick up Rafe? He got into a drinking match with Connor and-  Rafe, that's not alcohol!" 

You recognized the voice as Bradley, one of Rafe’s friends and a guy in one of your classes, and knew that Rafe was definitely on the tipsy scale, closer to the shitfaced end of the said scale from the sounds of it.

"Yeah. Sure. Text me the address and I’ll be there soon." You answered, sitting up and stretching. 

You and Rafe were roommates while you two were in college for your respective majors. 

You don't really know how it came to be considering you two barely talked at all during high school but, according to your memory it went a little something like:

"Hey Y/N, You're going to Chapel Hill, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Cool. Wanna rent an apartment together?"

"Sure."

But hey. Better than a dorm with some random ass person who probably wouldn't respect your boundaries. Instead, you got a person you kind of knew who didn’t respect your boundaries.

You and Rafe didn’t really talk a lot during the first few months, often keeping to yourselves, until Rafe came in and practically begged you to go on a date with one of his buddies who, in turn, would bring his cousin for Rafe to go out with.

When you two got home that night, Rafe started rambling off apologies for his friend. 

"I did not know he could or would be such an asshole." He told you.

You shrugged, not really caring at this point.

What exactly did that guy say to you? Well, you can’t remember all the details but it was something about how you must be getting a MRS degree. 

Most people would've probably just shrugged it off and told him to shut the hell up cause they were getting a degree in whatever they were getting a degree in, but not you. You had a look of surprise on your face and looked at Rafe, who looked just as shocked.

"Dude, it's the 21st century," Rafe said.

Before his friend could open his mouth, you stood up.

"I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be back."

When you came back after gathering your thoughts, Rafe met your eyes and held up his phone. 

"We gotta head out. The landlord said something about a busted pipe or something.  I don’t know but we should probably leave."

You bid your dates adieu and left, the car ride completely silent.

He didn’t speak until you both were in the elevator heading up to the apartment. “I lied, by the way. The landlord didn’t call. I texted my sister to call and make it seem like it was the landlord.” Rafe admitted.

“Thanks for getting us out of there.” You smiled.

Later that night you two got drunk and talked about how unbearable your families were and shared some childhood stories. A mess of a night, really.

Something about that night really stayed with not only you but also Rafe unbeknownst to you. Naturally.

It definitely brought you two closer and unlocked feelings but, of course, they were kept to yourselves.

You drove to the address Bradley sent you parked your car before getting out, making your way through the crowd of sweaty people. You saw Bradley in the corner and waved, flagging him down. He waved to you, grabbed Rafe, who was propped against the wall next to him, and made his way over to you.

"Y/N!" Rafe hollered, grinning like an idiot.

"Hey, Rafe." You greeted him, returning the smile.

"I’ll carry him out to the car," Bradley said into your ear so you could hear him and you nodded.

Rafe rolled his eyes, pulling himself away from his friend. "I can walk myself." He slurred slightly.

Bradley let go of him and Rafe walked himself to the door, stumbling a little. 

"I’ll still come with to make sure he doesn’t eat pavement." 

You smiled at Bradley. "Thanks cause I don’t think I’d be able to stop him from smacking his head off of it and I don’t feel like taking someone to the hospital."

You managed to get Rafe into the car without any incident and reached over him so you could buckle him in, giving Rafe the key to hold onto.

You closed the door and began talking with Bradley about one of the assignments you had and an upcoming test.

Rafe, feeling jealous about you and Bradley talking, put the key in the ignition and turned it just enough so he could open the window enough to listen in.

"So tomorrow at the café?" Bradley asked, walking backward as he made his way back towards the party.

"Sounds great. See you then!" You called, sending him a wave before opening your car door and getting in.

Rafe sat there, staring at you as you started the car before turning his attention out the window.

"Alright,  Rafe. Ready to get to bed?" You asked, beginning your drive back home.

He grunted in response, crossing his arms over his chest.

You glanced at him. "What’s your issue? You were absolutely fine when I showed up, and now you’re acting all moody."

"Nothing. 'M just tired." He mumbled.

You snuck another glance as you turned on your blinker. Rafe continued staring out the window, looking upset. You decided not to ask him what was on his mind, he'd tell you when he wanted to.

You hoped he’d tell you at least. He kind of had a thing for bottling up his feelings.

You arrived home 15 minutes later, getting out of the car after Rafe did. You guided your tipsy roommate towards the elevator, holding onto his arm the entire time, as you made your way to your apartment.

You took out your key and unlocked the door, pulling him inside and towards his room. 

"Didn’t know you and Bradley liked each other?" Rafe finally said, breaking the silence that had been dragging on.

You looked at Rafe. "What are you talking about?" 

"Your date tomorrow."

You raised an eyebrow. "You mean me meeting up with him so we can copy each other’s notes so we don’t fail the test."

Rafe stared at you before averting his gaze to the floor as you entered his bedroom. "Well, now I feel silly for acting like a toddler." 

You pulled the covers of his bed back so he could lay down, shaking your head lightly as you smiled. "You always act like a toddler when you're drunk. I'm used to it by now."

Rafe crawled into bed and laid down on his side. You leaned over to tuck him in, but he grabbed you, pulling you into his chest qs his face nuzzled into your neck. 

"I’m sorry for acting like a jealous toddler then." He mumbled.

You shrugged. "It’s fine."

"No, it’s not. I guess I was just upset over the fact that some dude had the balls to ask you out before me, only to find out that I was wrong and now I just look like a prick."

"Rafe Cameron, do you mean to tell me that you were moody because you thought Bradley asked me out before you could?" 

You felt Rafe nod. 

"Would you like to ask me out?" You asked him, dragging your fingers through his hair.

Rafe nodded again. "Do I have to sit up and make it all professional or can I do it from the comfort of your neck?"

"Whatever you want to do Rafe."

You felt him take a deep breath. "Y/N, will you go out on a date with me?"

"Of course." You answered.

"Y/N?"

"Mhm."

"Will you also stay with me in here tonight? Keep me warm or something?" 

"Yes, Rafe. I will stay in here tonight to keep you warm or something." You smiled.

"That’s nice. I don’t actually need you to stay warm. I just want you to stay with me." He admitted.

You swallowed a giggle. "Yes, Rafe. I figured that out."

“Does this mean you’re mine now?”

“Yeah, it does.”

“All mine.”

“All yours.”

~~~~~~~~

[everybodyscupoftea]

anyone can cook

rafe cameron x reader

words: 3729

warnings: usual cursing, mentions of drugs 

synopsis: college au, four times you cook for rafe and one time he cooks for you

Growing up, your mom taught you the importance of food. For most of your childhood, you loved cooking with her. Learning family recipes, and spending time in the kitchen with her instead of doing homework was thrilling to you. As you aged, you started to resent it, feeling like your mother was perpetuating the harmful stereotype that women are meant to be in the kitchen.

And then you left school early and came home to see the shit your dad was putting your mom through and was forced to immediately take that hard pill to swallow. Perspective was a bitch. Your mom didn’t cook to please your dad, she cooked to keep him happy enough for you to be fooled. It was heartbreaking.

You decided then that you’d not take any time cooking with your mom for granted. She loved you and she wanted you to be happier than her. For her, you could certainly fucking try. It was all going great until the storm that knocked out power, rendered the kitchen useless, and drove your dad’s patience level to its breaking point.

He’d never been that angry before, at least not in front of you. You weren’t sure what to do as he lashed out at your mom and then you, without warning and in the end, without apology. Normally if you were upset, your mom would make cookies with you, letting you use cookie cutters and dirty unnecessary dishes. That time though, you had to figure it out alone.

When you got to college, your parents helped pay rent for your first apartment. It had a good kitchen with lots of room, and your mom bought you a ton of kitchen tools, pots and pans, and other cooking necessities as a graduation gift. Her and your dad helped you move in, and that night, with shaky hands, she held your face in her hands. Tears in her eyes she whispered, “Promise me you won’t stop cooking.”

You couldn’t stop your own tears as you gulped and nodded a little frantically, “Of course not, Mama.”

Rafe lived a very different life. His real mother wasn’t in the picture and his step mother didn’t really want kids, so his experience with cooking was very limited compared to yours. Coincidentally that’s how the two of you met, outside your apartment building at 11:48 p.m. while the fire department sorted out the disaster that was his dinner attempt.

You knew it was his fault because he was very carefully trying to make himself look small. The only reason you knew what had gone wrong was you overheard the fireman talking to the landlord saying it was just a small kitchen fire in 227 and wouldn’t be too much to fix.

It was really out of character, but you walked over to where he was sitting on the curb and sat down next to him, “227?”

His head turned toward you sharply, “Figured me out, huh?”

“You were trying a little too hard to look inconspicuous.”

He shrugged, “Didn’t want a bunch of angry neighbors.”

Which you understood, so you nudged his shoulder with yours, “Well, I’m not angry and I know, but I’m not so sure I’d risk it with her,” you pointed at a lady who seemed to be ranting into the phone.

The boy followed your point and winced, “Yeah maybe not. Cooking clearly isn’t for me.”

“What were you making?”

“Kraft mac and cheese.”

You let out a loud laugh, assuming it was a joke. But then he didn’t meet your eyes or laugh along and you quickly stopped laughing, “Wait actually?”

With a shrug, he answered, “No one really taught me how to cook.”

And here you had a choice. Years and years of stored up cooking knowledge, endless recipes memorized, and a fantastic kitchen begging to be used by more than one person made the choice obvious.

“Well then take this as my standing dinner invitation whenever you want. I’ll give you my number and you can let me know when you’re hungry.”

“So, you’re gonna what, teach me how to cook.”

“Well, we can start small. I’ll cook for you first.”

One:

The first time Rafe texted you was on a night you actually had a fridge full of leftovers, but the boy who lived alone with sad eyes deserved better than leftovers. Rafe knocked on the door a few minutes later and he was dressed similarly to the first time you’d seen him, in sweats and a hoodie, and his hands were folded nervously in front of him.

You let him in, and he followed you to the kitchen, “So what’s on the menu for tonight?” he asked.

“Chicken pot pie,” you told him over your shoulder. You’d turned the oven on to preheat and had the potatoes and carrots chopped already. He stood behind you, peering over your shoulder.

Before you could continue, he cut in, “Is there something I can do?”

You thought for a minute, “You can control the music. My phone is synced up to the bluetooth speaker and I have Spotify pulled up, so have at it.”

Rafe nodded and sat down as you put the veggies into a pot and added water to start boiling them. You quickly went into your cooking zone as Rafe sat quietly queuing up songs. They were from your chill playlist and you appreciated that he was sticking to your playlists, humming along every so often.

By the time you pulled the chicken and veggie mixture from the heat, Rafe was leaning forward in his seat, and he looked excited to see what you’d do next. Reaching down, you pulled out a glass pie tin and looked over at him, “After I press the crust down, will you help me pour the mixture in?”

Rafe nodded eagerly and you made quick work of the pie crust, motioning him to come around the counter. He looked hesitant for the first time since you’d started cooking, and you tried to smile reassuringly. Returning the smile, he moved closer, “What do you want me to do.”

You held out the potholders, “If you pour, I’ll scoop.”

He picked the pot up and slowly poured the mixture into the tin and you quickly scooped the stuff that didn’t pour. Rafe set the pot down and you held the second crust out to him to press on top. He mimicked your actions from earlier carefully, and you couldn’t help but smile. You showed him how to press the edges down with a fork and he did so, slowly. Covering the edges, you let Rafe put it in the oven and then led him to the living room to start a movie while the two of you waited for it to finish.

The pot pie was a family recipe, and when Rafe tried it, the look on his face made it worth him seeing the secret ingredients your mom added to jazz it up. It felt good seeing someone enjoying your cooking again.

Two:

You weren’t entirely sure the relationship Rafe had with his family, but on fried catfish night, Rafe showed up at your doorstep unexpectedly. Fortunately, you had a few extra, so you invited him in for dinner. It wasn’t exactly what he was gunning for when he showed up, but he’d never say no to your cooking.

While you battered and seasoned the fish, he vented about his dad.

“I just don’t understand how a 4.0 isn’t fucking good enough. He’ll never give me any credit as long as Sarah does well in school and plays volleyball, I just want to be good enough.”

His words pulled at your heartstrings, and you found yourself tearing up on his behalf. You paused the music that had been softly playing in the background, “Fuck your dad, you deserve better.”

Rafe laughed drily, “I’ve done some dumb shit, this is my karma. I just don’t like it.”

“I fail to see any mistakes bad enough to warrant a parent totally disregarding their child like that. Did you kill someone or something?”

He shook his head, chuckling, “No, I didn’t kill anyone. But I had a drug problem in high school. I’m clean now, but it was me attempting to get my dad’s attention and it all spiraled out of control. Clearly it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to because my dad just kicked me out.”

You were horrified, “He kicked you out?!”

“Yeah, I went from couch to couch for a while until checking myself into rehab so I could get clean. I was tired of being dependent on something and really I wanted to prove my dad wrong.”

“God, Rafe, I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged and you started heating the oil up to start frying. There was an extended pause before he softly continued, “He didn’t let me move back in, even when I showed up clean. News of everything had gotten around town and he didn’t want me to further disgrace the family name.”

Brushing a tear off your cheek, you caught his eye, “Karma will come for your dad someday. You deserve only good things, Rafe.”

With a faint smile, he tapped his fingers on the cabinet, almost nervously, “Maybe one day I’ll be able to see it that way, but for now, I just don’t.”

“I’ll keep telling you until you believe it,” you promised fiercely. And you really meant it.

You finished frying the fish, silence between the two of you. It was no longer heavy and it wasn’t as awkward as the first time, you were proud of the progress. Rafe grabbed plates from the cabinet and at your instruction, the coleslaw you had already made and stored in the fridge.

Courtesy kicked in, and you let Rafe make his plate first. You figured he deserved to feel first choice for once. He almost looked like he wanted to argue, but you weren’t about to back down, so he filled his plate and sat back at the bar, patiently waiting for you to sit down before eating.

You fixed your plate and sat down next to him before squeezing his shoulder, “Thanks for keeping me company tonight.”

Rafe laughed, “Thanks for letting me rant.”

“Anytime.”

Three:

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath and your laptop confirmed what you feared, your last bio exam had gone very poorly. It was just one test, but you weren’t used to seeing such a low grade, and you had to try really hard not to cry. Everything in you wanted to go lay down for days and forget about the rest of your classes, but the logical part of your brain texted Rafe to invite him for dinner.

He showed up not even five minutes later, and you decided breakfast sounded like the most comforting thing. You didn’t want to come across as too needy, so you didn’t mention the bad grade and tried to cover how you were actually feeling.

Unfortunately, the music you had playing gave it away. Rafe took one look at your face and the slight slump in your shoulders, and immediately wrapped you into a hug. You squeezed your eyes shut, fighting the tears, and he held you tighter.

“What happened, bud?”

“It’s nothing,” you tried to deflect, “fucked up on a bio test. We still have a few more, but it’s not a great start.”

“Which bio?”

“Molecular.”

Rafe thought for a few seconds, “I know a guy who has taken that, want me to see if I can get his notes?”

“That would be great actually.”

He smiled, “Good, now why don’t we get some happier music and get to cooking.”

And you could do that. Rafe changed to a playlist he’d made and sent to you a few weeks ago called Good Vibes for Cooking Nights and you couldn’t argue, they were good songs. A Wallows song started playing and you fell into a rhythm of pouring batter and flipping pancakes, feeling immensely better than when Rafe had first showed up.

You were thankful for him, this boy who had totally changed your life in the four months he’d known you. Four months of baring your hearts to each other in your own little ways. Rafe showing up to your apartment looking casual, not at all how he looked normally during the day. You letting him control the music and watch you cook, something so personal and special to you. It was new for the both of you.

Rafe heated up syrup while you quickly buttered the pancakes and washed some fruit for toppings. For the first time, you made your plate and sat down first. Rafe sat down next to you a few minutes later, plate heaped high with pancakes and raspberries.

After a few minutes of eating, the music being the only noise in the kitchen, Rafe turned to you, “You’re so intelligent and I don’t want you to let this one test discourage you. I know you’ll bounce back.”

“I studied so hard,” you told him, almost whispering, “I knew this was going to be hard, but I have no prior experience to fall back on, and it’s killing me.”

“But you’ll learn. Now you know how exams are structured, and you can adjust your studying habits. Next test will go great, I promise.”

You couldn’t stop it, it had been building between the two of you for months, and in your extra emotional state, you acted more rashly than normal. Setting your fork down, you turned to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. Rafe was startled, but turned to face you, not prepared for you to kiss him.

He froze and you almost regretted it, loosening your grip on his shirt, about to pull away embarrassed when he started kissing you back. Rafe tasted like syrup and raspberries, an addicting combination. Unfortunately, you eventually had to pull away to breathe, and Rafe pressed a soft kiss to your forehead while you caught your breath.

He picked his fork back up and smiled widely at you, “So that was nice.”

You blushed, “Yeah, um, sorry.”

“I’m not,” he stole a strawberry off your plate, “I didn’t want to make a move and make you uncomfortable if I was reading this whole thing wrong.”

“You, um, you weren’t reading it wrong.”

“I see that.”

Your blush deepened as he smiled wider at you. You shrugged, “So, what now?”

“Well, hopefully, now you’ll let me take you out and see where we go from there.”

“I’d like that.”

Four:

You weren’t sure if it was an out of sight, out of mind situation, but your parents planned a couple’s trip for Christmas, and you weren’t invited. Which would make this the first time in your entire life you wouldn’t spend Christmas with your family. You had mixed feelings. On one hand, you were hurt at the blatant disregard of you and your feelings, but on the other hand it gave you the chance to spend your first holiday alone with Rafe.

The two of you were eating hummus and doing homework when you decided to bring it up. He was on the floor, and you were on the couch, so you nudged his shoulder with your foot to get his attention, “How do you feel about spending Christmas together?”

He looked back at you with a wide smile, “I feel like it would be the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

You grabbed a blank sheet of paper and handed it down to him, “Write down specific foods you want.”

“What do you normally eat on Christmas?” he asked, not taking the paper.

With a shrug, you pulled the paper back, “I don’t know, we normally do gumbo and cornbread and German chocolate cake.”

Rafe grabbed your ankle, shaking your leg a few times, “Let’s do that.”

“You don’t want to add anything?” you asked, hesitant.

He bit the inside of his cheek, clearly thinking, “Maybe we could do a baked mac and cheese. We had those a lot growing up before Mom left.”

“Find me the recipe and I’ll make it for you, bub.”

With a wide smile, Rafe grabbed your hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, “You’re the best.”

When Christmas finally rolled around, you woke up early to start cooking. Your mom suggested a Dutch oven, something you didn’t already own, and to buy file powder instead of trying the cornstarch method. She also told you to make the cake a day earlier so you wouldn’t have to worry about it with the rest of the food.

You worked with Christmas music playing softly in the background, focusing on making sure the flour and oil combination didn’t burn before adding the veggies. The recipe wasn’t hard, but it did require a lot of stirring and paying attention and exact timing.

By the time it was ready to start simmering for about 30 minutes, you had started boiling the pasta for the mac and cheese. That recipe was simple, and you’d been playing with the cheese topping in your own time to make the flavor blend better with the gumbo, and you were pretty sure you’d figured it out.

With practiced ease, you finished it and poured it over the pasta before setting it to bake. By then, it was time to finish the gumbo, make the cornbread, and get dressed.

Rafe showed up just as you finished getting dressed and the cornbread timer was going off. He had a key and let himself in, and you knew he could handle taking the cornbread out.

“Babe, I’m here,” he called out as he shut the timer off.

“Coming,” you yelled back, smoothing your sweater down.

By the time you finally made it to the kitchen Rafe had set all of the food on the counter and he was leaned next to it in his own sweater and jeans. He held his arms out for a hug, and you walked into them happily.

“Merry Christmas, babe,” he told you, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You hummed and reached up to kiss him.

“Merry Christmas,” you told him, pulling away.

“Food looks good,” he complimented, reaching for the bowls and plates he’d gotten out.

You looked over the spread and smiled proudly, “It does, doesn’t it?”

“You want to eat on the couch and watch the Jim Carrey Grinch?”

Nodding enthusiastically, you grabbed a plate, “Fuck yes.”

The two of you settled on the couch, a gingerbread scented candle burning in the background. Rafe started the movie and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, plate in his lap. You leaned into him and let out a long breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding in. This Christmas, while out of the ordinary, was your favorite one yet.

+ One:

You got home after work, exhausted. Your apartment was dark and cold and it made you want to curl up into a ball and cry. Work had been so time consuming over the past month you’d barely seen Rafe and you missed him. But if you got the promotion your boss had been hinting at, you’d get more manageable hours and higher pay, so you were grinding it out until then.

Dropping your bag by the door, you kicked off your shoes before slowly walking to the couch. Before you could sit down, there was a knock at the door. You considered ignoring it, but it persisted, so you walked slowly back to answer.

Rafe was standing there, giant grin on his face, with a steaming pot of something which explained why he didn’t use his key. It was very surreal and you blinked a few times in confusion before letting him in. He walked past you to the kitchen and set the dish down before digging through your drawer for the matches to light your favorite candle on the counter.

“Go get changed,” he urged, “I’ll get plates set up.”

Your phone rang as you were changing into shorts and you grabbed it out of the discarded pants pocket. When you saw your boss’s name, your heart rate doubled and you answered shakily. The phone call was brief, and the gist was that you’d gotten the promotion and the next day off.

Energy immediately filled your body and you ran to the kitchen where Rafe was scooping out what looked like mac and cheese onto plates.

“Rafe!”

He looked up, startled, “What’s up?”

“I got it!”

“The promotion?” he asked, eagerly.

You nodded, beaming, and jumped into his arms when he opened them. Rafe spun you around a few times and kissed you hard. Slowly setting you back down to your feet, he deepened the kiss, your hands winding into his hair.

Rafe pulled away first, pressing soft kisses to both of your cheeks and your forehead before standing up fully. You let go of his hair and took the hand he offered to you. Leading you to the couch, he sat down and motioned for you to do the same.

“Is this mac and cheese?” you asked, poking at the food with the fork he’d brought you.

“It is. I went on snapchat earlier and realized that it’s an anniversary of sorts. I wanted to make you dinner for once since I know you’ve had a long week.”

“Anniversary?”

A faint blush rose on his cheeks and he cleared his throat, “Um, yeah, a year since we met.”

You laughed loudly, “When you set your fucking kitchen on fire making mac and cheese?”

“A year ago, today. And with your cooking help, I can now make mac and cheese without setting the kitchen on fire.”

Poking at it again, you looked up at him, almost fearing the answer, “This isn’t Kraft right?”

“Of course not,” he scoffed, “I called your mom to get her recipe.”

Biting your lip to hold back the onslaught of emotions, you took in a shaky breath, “Right. Okay. Um, I love you, Bub. And this is genuinely the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Rafe kissed your temple before lifting your chin to make you look him in the eye, “I love you too, and as crazy as it sounds, I’m glad I set my kitchen on fire.”

[rasoir-national]

I’m assuming that studying law, involves learning about the history of law. I’m interested to know how the legal system has changed over the centuries. (Hopefully this isn’t too much of a complicated question to answer)

Oh boy, so so much. Basically every course we have starts with a historical study of how this specific type of law started. History of law is one of the three specialties we can choose, but it’s not mine. There are literal libraries of material so I couldn’t possibly answer your question exhaustively, but I can give a couple examples to illustrate the kind of changes that can occur.

First, from contract law. What makes a contract binding ? If you’re from modern times, you might say “that’s the fact that two people write a document and sign it”. But here’s the thing : you don’t sign something with the cashier everytime you go shopping, yet you give them money and they let you leave the store with your items without having you arrested. That’s because the essence of the contract is not any kind of formality, but the fact that two parties agreed to make their agreement binding. The store agrees to sell this item for a certain sum of money, and you agree to give that certain sum of money in exchange for this specific item. Now when the object of the transaction (to use the most basic type of contract) is bigger, law might require the parties make a written document, and even sign it in presence of a specific official (a notary for a real estate sale for example). But that’s so the parties can more easily prove the contract ; the real contract happens because the buyer made an offer and the seller agreed to this offer. That’s the doctrine of consensus. At its core, a contract is two will coming in unison to make certain terms binding.

But here’s the thing : it wasn’t always like this. In the Middle Ages, and up to the Revolution, contract law was governed by the doctrine of formalism. Formalism is the exact opposite of consensus : a contract isn’t binding because the parties agreed it should be, but because they accomplished a series of codified actions which signified the contract happened. Now remember, mass literacy wasn’t a thing back then, so this action couldn’t be to write and sign a document. So the actions required to make a contract binding were symbolic. For example, if you sold a piece of land, you would bring the buyer a lump of soil from this land, symbolically passing its ownership to them. Since there’s no written proof, witnesses were crucial so these actions had to be public. One story we were told in college was of a real estate transaction between two lords : one of the guards went to grab a young boy from the nearby village and brought him to the field that was being sold, and they made the boy witness the transaction and then the guard slapped the boy to make sure he would remember what he’d witnessed his entire life. Needless to say, this system was horrendous. There was no conclusive way to prove your right, as even witnesses were easily bought. That was a mess.

Enters the French Revolution, and then the Napoleonian civil code (which we still use today !). Aside from the political upheaval, at the same time law underwent a complete overhaul thanks to people like Portalis. The big idea regarding contracts was that citizens were capable of making their own legal decisions, and that their will should prevail over some complicated formalism. That’s when the doctrine of consensus appeared. From then on, no symbolic gifting of soil. You simply had two parties agree to something, and that meant a contract existed. Obviously, it didn’t hurt that soon people were able to make written agreements, but at its core, the entire way people thought about contracts shifted. So everytime you don’t have to bring witnesses with you to shop for groceries, remember to thank the revolutionaries.

Here’s a second example, this one from public law : what is a kingdom ? More specifically, what’s a kingdom in relation to its king ? France was a monarchy until… well, you know, but from Louis Capet to Charlemagne, it was quite a journey, and in a way, something as revolutionary as the revolution itself took place centuries earlier. See, in the times of Charlemagne, the King was nothing more than the owner of the Kingdom. He could rent parts of it, buy and sell parts of it, divide it between its heirs, the same way a landlord can buy, sell and divide their property. That’s why in the middle ages what would become “countries” changed shape so often : there was no fixed identity to any of them. A kingdom was simply the sum of all the land the king had been able to acquire. But by the 11th century, that became a problem : because the kingdom of France was divided at every succession, it had become ridiculously small ; it was barely bigger than the Parisian region. The King of France was much less powerful than the lords of Aquitaine of Languedoc who, despite technically not “kings” owned huge pieces of land and private forces. And so the kings started to think of ways to reclaim their power. The first way they did this was by making very profitable marriage alliances with daughters of powerful nobles, and specifying in what we would call a marriage contract that the land the bride would bring to the king of France would remain his property, instead of returning to her male relatives (of course, that didn’t always work, look up mega-badass double queen Eleanor of Aquitaine). The second way they did this was by developing a doctrine that became known as “the two bodies of the King”. The idea was that the king wasn’t just the human being that was currently king ; the “King” was also the transcendent figure which inhabited whichever “king” was on the throne. There’s the mortal body of the king and the divine body of the King. And therefore, the kingdom isn’t just the property of the king ; he had to look after it, but he cannot dispose of it at will, because it doesn’t just belong to him, it belongs to this transcendent King. That’s where “the king is dead, long live the King !” comes from. So from then on, the kingdom cannot get divided at every succession, because there can only be one kingdom of France. The current king just happen to coincide with the transcendent king during a certain period of time. Using this doctrine, the kings of France progressively reclaimed their authority on the entire entity that would become known as the kingdom of France, because they aren’t just a noble among nobles ; they are above them, and while the noble yield power over their land, the king has a claim over this same land which transcends simple property. Sovereignty isn’t ownership, it transcends it. So when the Revolution came, the very idea that France was an entity separate from the king was actually born centuries before.

And that’s two examples of how systems of law can change. Some changes are relatively sudden, others happen over centuries as mentalities and society evolve. There’s really no roadmap of how those changes operate. Some were portended by academic or philosophical discussions, others were pushed by a political necessity. But they never truly come out of nowhere. The law is inherently conservative, because above all else, its aim is stability. So even something revolutionary as… well, the Revolution, has to be studied in its context if we are to really understand its ruptures and its continuity, because yes, there is immense legal continuity between the Old Regime and the Revolution. If you’re interested in this topic, it’s mandatory you read Alexis de Tocqueville’s “The Old Regime and the Revolution”. If you study law in France, it’s pretty much the first thing they’ll make you read, and it’s quite accessible even if you have no legal background. I also recommend Rafe Blaufarb’s remarkable “The Great Demarcation : the French Revolution and the invention of Modern Property”, though it’s a bit more technical.

[ofviolentdeath]

ship meme - Rafe and Mal

Who’s more dominant: Lol neight. They are SOFT BABIES

Who’s the cuddler: Mal 100%

Who’s the big spoon/little spoon: Rafe is the big spoon, it makes Mal feel safe

What’s their favorite non-sexual activity: Cuddling and listening to music/watching movies

Who uses all the hot water: Mal

Most trivial thing they fight over: Whether or not sweets count as a real meal

Who does most of the cleaning: Rafe

What has a season pass on their dvr/Who controls the netflix queue: They take turns, the account is paid for by Rafe’s parents though

Who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: Rafe just texts his dad

Who leaves their stuff around: Mal but their more little gifts and trinkets than anything else

Who remembers to buy the milk: Jasper

Who remembers anniversaries: Rafe

Who cooks normally: Rafe

How often do they fight: Never really. They talk things out and if things are too high emotioned, they take a pause to calm down 

What do they do when they’re away from each other: Rafe works or reads, Mal’s usually back home

Nicknames for each other: None yet

Who is more likely to pay for dinner: Rafe

Who steals the covers at night: Mal

What would they get each other for gifts: Mal makes gifts, Rafe tends to buy stuff Mal can carry easily

Who kissed who first: Rafe kissed Mal

Who made the first move: Rafe, but Mal confessed to loving him first

Who remembers things: Rafe, he’s fairly organized in general

Who started the relationship: It happened pretty organically

Who cusses more: Pretty even

What would they do if the other one was hurt: If Mal got hurt, it would be the first time anyone saw Rafe get made since he was a kid and threatened Eireen. 

Who is the dirty talker: Neither

A head canon: Rafe still wears the very first bracelet Mal made him. He never takes it off.

[asfeedin]

Latest Romance Book Releases – 04-28-2020

HAPPY TUESDAY NEW RELEASE DAY!! It’s a BIG list fully loaded with 85 books!!!! And yesterday’s list rocks worlds too, and then… I reviewed and awesome one so we have PLENTY to read, my friends.

In fact… Jan was already prepared!

Jan: Three new release preorders arrived on my kindle this morning. Whoops! I’d forgotten I’d ordered two of them. Where the Lost Wander (which I think I might read first), A Duke by Any Other Name by Grace Burrowes and another HR, Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter.

And while you’re here, don’t forget to check out:

AUDIOBOOK LVERS!

Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial (which includes 1 free audiobook + 2 audible originals)

READER RECOMMENDATIONS & BARGAIN FINDS:

TWO MONTHS FREE KINDLE UNLIMITED DEAL!!! <— If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance (it’s still going on through the end of April).

and…

Infinite Us by Eden Butler <— EDEN BUTLER RE-RELEASE! “…Nash Nation loves zeroes and ones, over-sized monitors, and late office hours. He’s too busy taking over the world to make time for relationships—that is, until his new neighbor Willow O’Bryant barges into his life, and now Nash can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t the first time she’s interrupted his world. Then, the dreams start. And in the dreams—memories...”

Kathy: On Amy Harmon’s Facebook page, she posted that she read Eden Butler’s Infinite Us and highly recommended it.

Mony: Just finished The Cornerstone by Kate Canterbary and loved it! Steamy story about Hot Guy & Sassy Girl as they steer through one night stands into something more. Sassy Girl is great – sharp-witted & a tough nut to crack. H is a great alpha. Loved the slow burn & Hot Guy’s transformation. Banter between h & H is clever and even sharper in second half.

A 4.5-star read (deduction cause too much about h’s family). Plan to read The Spire (#6 in series)…story about Hot Doctor & Rebel Girl.  Thanks Jan for mentioning this author!

Cicely: Hi Maryse! I just want to share that Absolution, the third book from The Disenchanted series from L.D. Davis is out now too!! The series is great and is worth some extra love.

Angst loving fanatic like me would love it!!!

  Michele G: Tasha, where are you? I read it because of your high marks….you weren’t wrong!! I just finished The Sun Down Motel and it was AMAZING!! I listened to the audiobook and felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone …or something at times…..so so good!!! I highly recommend!

Tasha J: YESS!! *claps hands* So glad you loved it

PARANORMAL/FANTASY/SCI-FI/DYSTOPIAN NEW RELEASES:

Shadowborn Academy: Year Three (Dark Fae Academy Series Book 3) by G. Bailey and Scarlett Snow <— REVERSE HAREM FAE!!

Possessive Alien Mate (Savage Martians Book 2) by Sue Mercury

Dragon Hero: Guardian Dragons of Prospect Falls by Serena Meadows

Playing Cards With Aliens (Kilbus Lord Book 1) by Erin Raegan

Mating Fever (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 3) by Theresa Hissong

The Unbound Queen: A Novel of the Four Arts by M.J. Scott

Wishes, Wings, and Woes: Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Gods and Demons Book 2) by Kaye Draper

The Impassioned Choice (Etherya’s Earth Book 5) by Rebecca Hefner

The Rising Queen Discovery in Water (The Elemental Chronicles Book 3): Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance Series by Gina Manis

Hidden Princess (The Elements Series Book 1) by M.A. Roth

Flourish: A High Fantasy Reverse Harem (The Blooming Courts Book 3) by Kendra Moreno and Poppy Woods

Kissed by the Alien Mercenary (Warriors of the Lathar Book 12) by Mina Carter

The Fourth Power: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Romance Novel (Order of Magic Book 3) by Michelle M. Pillow

Starbreaker (Nightchaser Book 2) by Amanda Bouchet

Embracing Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #6) by Amelia Hutchins <— ELA FOUND IT!!!

Ela: MARYSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Embracing Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #6) by Amelia Hutchins IS LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONTEMPORARY NEW RELEASES:

Where the Lost Wander: A Novel by Amy Harmon <— AMY HARMON ALERT!!! “…The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both. But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death...”

Tasha J: I finished Where the Lost Wander and I’m in . I cried a little when it was over. *sigh* Such a good book. …Where the Lost Wander is my best of read of the year for sure.

Mony: Where the Lost Wander is now on TBR list…thanks Tasha!

Michele G: I’m also reading Amy Harmon’s Where the Lost Wander and loving every word! She is such a versatile writer. I’m always amazed.

Rafe: An Arizona Vengeance Novella by Sawyer Bennett <— SAWYER BENNETT HOCKEY STAR SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE ALERT!! “…Now I’m home and when I’m not on the ice with my new team, I’m helping care for my dad. And in the midst of my grief, I find comfort from the one person I never expected. Calliope Ramirez stole my heart at a very young age. The beautiful, smart, headstrong girl next door, she was my first… everything. She has never forgiven me for leaving her, believing that I chose hockey over a future together. What she doesn’t understand is that every decision I made was for her, and I’ve never given up hope that one day we’d be together again...”

To My Arrogant Boss (The Inappropriate Bachelors Book 2) by J. S. Cooper <— SHE TOLD OFF HER GRUMPY BOSS! “…I thought it was time that someone addressed your big head and told you straight to your face that you’re not all that. Just because you have an Ivy league education doesn’t mean you’re the smartest man in the world. In fact, I’m not even sure if you would have gotten in if you didn’t have rich parents. Yes, I went there…”

Can’t Fight The Moonlight (Whisper Lake Book 3) by Barbara Freethy

Enchanted (The Accidental Billionaires Book 4) by J. S. Scott

Mayhem’s Betrayal: Operation Mayhem Book 5 by Lindsay Cross

A Monster’s Beauty (In the Arms of Monsters Book 3) by Sam Crescent <— TRILOGY CONCLUSION ALERT!!

Nailed (Four Bears Construction Book 2) by K.M. Neuhold

Heiress for Hire (A Duke’s Heiress Romance Book 1) by Madeline Hunter <— HISTORICAL ROMANCE ALERT!! “…Now he’s insisting that Minerva has inherited a fortune from his uncle, a wealthy duke. Only one thing could surprise her more: her sudden attraction to this exasperating man...”

Taking Liberty (The Next Generation Book 7) by Riley Edwards

Fierce Shadows: Shadows Landing #4 by Kathleen Brooks

Dirty Desires by Crystal Kaswell <— SHE NEEDS MONEY FOR HER SISTER’S MEDICAL BILLS... “...Ian Hunt has specific tastes. The feisty student is perfect. He has to have her. His offer is simple. Six figures. Thirty days. Him introducing her to every kind of pleasure. It’s ridiculous. The British businessman is richer than sin and hotter than hell. He can have any woman he wants. Why her?…”

Ransom for a Song (The Rockwater Suite Book 3) by Phyllis Clark Nichols

Still Wicked (The Wickeds Book 6) by Kathleen Ayers <— HISTORICAL!!!

Counting On Cole (Wilde Ways Book 8) by Cynthia Eden <— SHE HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED & HE RESCUED HER… “…Evangeline “Evie” Lake fell hard and fast for her tall, dark, and dangerous rescuer. Then he flew her back to her home, kissed her goodbye on the doorstep, and walked his sexy self away with looking back. He broke her heart into a million little pieces, and she swore off the “bad boys”—they were just trouble she didn’t want. Case closed...”

Hard Edge (Cobra Elite Book 4) by Pamela Clare

Cole’s Mistake (Haven, Texas Book 8) by Laylah Roberts

B*stard: Royal B*stards MC (Texas) by Sapphire Knight

Finally (Neighbor from Hell Book 12) by R.L. Mathewson <— R.L. MATHEWSON’S LATEST NEIGHBOR FROM HELL!!! “…After years of putting off taking the next step, Charlie was finally ready, mostly because her best friend had threatened to make her life a living hell if she didn’t. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to pull this off unless she made some changes, Charlie somehow finds herself moving into the in-law apartment of the man that seemed to go out of his way to avoid her only to find herself wondering if she was chasing the wrong dream after all...”

Treasure Island SEAL: Pirate SEAL Rescues his Mermaid (Sunset SEALs Book 3) by Sharon Hamilton

Torque (Wicked Mayhem MC Book 1) by Harley Wylde

An Officer, Not a Gentleman: A Traditional Regency Romance (Brethren in Arms Book 3) by Elizabeth Johns

The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée by Annika Martin <— HE NEEDS SOMEONE THAT IS NOT HIS TYPE AT ALL… “...my people go and hire Tabitha. My hairdresser. What were they thinking? Yes, I said annoying, but I didn’t mean Tabitha, the most frustrating woman in the world. Tabitha is sunshiny. She has a pet hamster. She loves Hello Kitty, and she gets under my skin like nobody else. As if that’s not bad enough, the minute we step on deck, she thinks that certain people on the yacht are up to something shady–based completely on her soap opera knowledge. She won’t listen when I tell her she’s being ridiculous...”

Saint (Heartlands Motorcycle Club Book 4) by Hope Ford

Hot SEAL, Bachelor Party: A Brotherhood Protectors Crossover Novel (SEALs in Paradise) by Elle James

Carpentry and Cocktails: A Heartfelt Small Town Romance (Green Valley Library Book 5) Nora Everly <— HE’S HER NEW NERDY-HOT LANDLORD!! “…Willa Hill has finally left her teen runaway past behind and wants a fresh start—alone. Men are nothing but trouble and she’s had enough man-trouble to last a lifetime. Too bad her irresistibly sexy, nerdy-hot landlord doesn’t agree. When their mutual yearning becomes a white-hot fling and passion crosses carefully drawn, albeit one-sided boundaries, Everett finds himself in love and Willa finds herself in a pickle. Because, unfortunately, when she returned to Green Valley, her problems came too…”

The Virgin and the Rogue (Rogue Files Book 6) by Sophie Jordan <— HISTORICAL!!

Unmatched Love: Henry & Lei Lu: A SEAL & Strong Heroine Military Romance (Black Swan Book 6) by KaLyn Cooper

Lessons in Lemonade (Starving for Southern Book 3) by Kathryn Andrews

Island Affair (Keys to Love Book 1) by Priscilla Oliveras <— THE FIREFIGHTER IS HER FAKE FIANCÉ!! “...Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé…”

A Shot at Redemption: The Detectives of Hazel Hill – Book Four by Liz Bradford

Losing It All (The Hellfire Riders Book 7) by Kati Wilde

A Duke by Any Other Name (Rogues to Riches Book 4) by Grace Burrowes <— HISTORICAL!!

Airborne by DiAnn Mills <— A VIRUS WAS RELEASED... “…As the virus quickly spreads and dozens of passengers fall ill, Heather fears she’s witnessing an epidemic similar to ones her estranged husband studies for a living—but this airborne contagion may have been deliberately released. While Heather remains quarantined with other survivors, she works with her FBI colleagues to identify the person behind this attack. The prime suspect? Dr. Chad Lawrence, an expert in his field . . . and Heather’s husband…”

Head Over Paws (Rescue Me Book 5) by Debbie Burns

Honey Buns: An Opposites Attract Romance by Cat Johnson

The Run Around by Bernadette Franklin <— SHE’S PLANNING HIS WEDDING... “…He wants her to plan his wedding. She wants to be his bride. Diving into the treacherous world of wedding planning, Hope keeps her word and arranges the vows for the one man she believes she could love...”

A Date for Midnight (The Dating Series Book 1) by L.P. Dover and Heidi McLaughlin <— THE ROCK STAR & THE NURSE ALERT!! “…There, amongst the craft beer and pork rinds, she comes face to face with her high school boyfriend, Brennan McLean. He’s a rockstar. She’s a nurse. To say life led them in different directions would be putting it mildly. Still, time hasn’t lessened the electric chemistry between them. By the end of the night more was dropping than just the ball...”

Her Seafaring Scoundrel (The Crawfords Book 3) by Sophie Barnes

The Highlander’s Lady Knight (Midsummer Knights Book 2) by Madeline Martin

How to Not Fall for the Guy Next Door: A Sweet and Humorous Romance by Meg Easton

At My General’s Command (Men of Fort Dale Book 4) by Romeo Alexander <— M/M ROMANCE!!

Swimming in the Dark: A Novel by Tomasz Jedrowski <— M/M ROMANCE!!

The Thief by Bonnie Dee <— M/M ROMANCE!!

The Wedding Dress: A Novel by Danielle Steel <— DANIELLE STEEL ALERT!! “…The Parisian design houses in 1928, the crash of 1929, the losses of war, the drug culture of the 1960s—history holds many surprises, and lives are changed forever. For richer or for poorer, in cramped apartments and grand mansions, the treasured wedding dress made in Paris in 1928 follows each generation into their new lives, and represents different hopes for each of them, as they marry very different men...”

Royally Treasured (Royal Sons MC Book 4) by Elle Boon

A Duke Too Far (The Way to a Lord’s Heart Book 4) by Jane Ashford <— HISTORICAL!!

Duke of Misfortune (Dukes of Destiny Book 4) by Whitney Blake <— HISTORICAL!!

The Rakess: Society of Sirens, Volume 1 by Scarlett Peckham <— HISTORICAL!!

The Hating Season: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance by K.A. Linde <— K.A. LINDE ALERT!! SHE WAS HIRED TO CLEAN UP HIS IMAGE! “...I’m hired to clean up his badboy image, which would’ve been easy if my life wasn’t falling apart. First, I catch my movie star husband having an affair with his co-star. Then when I return to work, my job is at stake, because Court has gotten himself into trouble…again. Instead of getting him back in line, I find myself falling for his charm...”

Wicked at the Library: A Curvy Woman Romance (Curvy Librarians of Sugar Hill Book 1) by Liz Fox

Reid: An Eidolon Black Ops Novel by Maddie Wade

The Billionaire’s Navy SEAL (Sutton Billionaires Book 5) by Lori Ryan

Knocked Up by the Wrong Prince: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance (Knocked Up Royals Book 6) by Lilian Monroe

Who Will Save Your Soul: And Other Dangerous Bedtime Stories by Skye Warren <— SKYE WARREN ANTHOLOGY ALERT!! “…Features four novellas by New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren. Each standalone story ends in a happily ever after….”

Kyler’s Blind Date Seduction (Hot Hunks Steamy Romance Collection Book 4) by Stephanie Morris

Not the Bodyguard’s Boss: Sweet Bodyguard Romance (Hastings Security Book 3) by Lorin Grace

Necessary Risk (Aegis Group Task Force Book 4) by Sidney Bristol <— SHE HAS TO INFILTRATE A HAREM… “...Ivy Ashley is striking out. Fired from her gig as a live-in bodyguard, she’s at the end of her rope when she is asked to join a special task force for a one-off undercover job. It’s easy. All she has to do is infiltrate a harem. She even has back-up in the form of a lone-wolf spy with the sexiest lips she’s ever kissed…”

ImPerfectly Happy by Sharina Harris <— “…When four college friends formed the Brown Sugarettes Mastermind Group, they had very different goals—but matched each other in ambition. Yet ten years later they can’t help wondering what happened to the hopeful, confident, driven women they used to be—and how to get them back . . .”

Asking for Trouble (Credence, Colorado Book 3) by Amy Andrews

The Letter by Anthony Sciarratta <— FORBIDDEN LOVE SOULMATES ALERT!! “...Victor Esposito mysteriously dedicates every novel he’s ever written to one woman. His trademark protagonist fits the description of Eva Abrams, the bright-eyed and blonde Long Island housewife. Tragedy suddenly strikes Victor’s life when a courageous act leaves him in a coma. Hearing the news from a television broadcast, Eva finds herself suddenly overcome with the memories of a love affair she’d left behind a decade ago…“

Undeniably Perfect (Perfectly Imperfect Love Series Book 1) by S.E. Rose

Promise Me Always (Against All Odds Book 4) by Savannah Kade

How To Date Your Brother’s Best Friend: A snarky, steamy contemporary romance by Karigan Hale

Hook Up (Taking Chances Book 2) by TC Matson <— HER BOYFRIEND IS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE... “…While I’m helping my best friend plan her wedding, I get hit with a bomb. One that ruins all my hopes and dreams of marriage and starting a family. My long-term boyfriend isn’t only a lying, cheating, piece of worthlessness, He’s also in love with the woman he’s been seeing behind my back. Now I’m forced to act like my best friend’s wedding isn’t going to hurt my soul while I try to mend my heart. What’s the best way to get over a broken heart? A no strings attached hook-up…”

Spooning Leads to Forking (Hot in the Kitchen Book 2) by Kilby Blades

Gone With the Rogue (First Comes Love Book 2) by Amelia Grey <— HISTORICAL!!!

Searching for Signs by Mandy Lee <— “…Fans of the award-winning and beloved television series “The Office” will enjoy a story reminiscent of Jim and Pam’s long-awaited and championed romance, while readers less familiar with the show will enjoy a bilateral story of two sensible people navigating the hardships of love and loss while stuck in their small Southern town and surrounded by quirky personalities...”

Deep in the Alaskan Woods (An Alaska Wild Novel Book 1) by Karen Harper <— SHE MOVES TO ALASKA FOR A NEW START… “…Alexandra Collister came to her estranged cousins’ B&B in Falls Lake, Alaska, looking for a fresh start. The surrounding forest can be harsh and unforgiving—luckily, rugged wilderness tracker Quinn Mantell offers to be her guide. Still recovering from a toxic previous relationship, Alex is wary of getting too close, but when savagely deep claw marks appear outside her bedroom window, keeping her distance from Quinn is no longer an option. Then a body turns up exhibiting the same ruthless slash marks, and Alex knows it isn’t a coincidence…”

The Ingredients of You and Me: A Novel (Hopeless Romantics Book 3) by Nina Bocci

Under an Alaskan Sky (A Wild River Novel Book 2) by Jennifer Snow

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! )

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[ohfriedchicken]

Apartment 211

Read it on Wattpad: http://my.w.tt/UiNb/OmMfu7LK9z

Moving in to apartment 213 was probably one of the best decisions Nadine has made in her life. It was free from annoying landlords, creepy tenants and free from Mrs. Rosales's pissy cat. Yes, that little fur ball peed on her welcome mat countless of times. It also helped that she had a nice view. Sure, smog and pollution were evident but the Metro Manila skyline was a sight to see. Twinkling lights from buildings sparkled each night and sometimes on a clear day and Nadine for some godforsaken reason, feels like getting out of her covers, watches the sunrise. It's breathtaking to see the colors change from the dark night to a bright yellow landscape that eventually turns into blue skies later in the day. But nothing beats watching the sunset while all clad in her house clothes after a long day's work. It was satisfying to see the soft orange glow disappear into the sky and welcome the night time. Cheesy.

All in all apartment 213 was a blessing.

~•~

"Get your filthy stuff out of my fucking apartment!"

Nadine stops beating the eggs for her omelet dinner and peers outside her window. Her neighbors from apartment 211 were back at it again. They've been having these screaming matches for the last 5 days.

"Courtney, I swear, Maddie doesn't mean anything to me!"

Nadine's eyebrows shoot up, her lips forming into an unbelieving smirk.

Uhuh, buddy. Keep digging yourself a deeper grave.

Reaching for her favorite mug, Nadine sips some chai tea, momentarily forgetting about her eggs and more engrossed with the couple's, soon to be ex-couple, squabble.

"I don't fucking care, Rafe, okay? This has been the sixth time this year I have caught you having "coffee" with that conniving snake. You know she has feelings for you!"

Mhmmm. You go, Courtney. Tell that Rafe what's up.

Nadine's brows furrow again at the man's strange name. It sounds rare and exotic. Completely the opposite of the said man.

"But, Courtney, I love you!"

Shaking her head, Nadine goes back to beating her forgotten eggs. She knew that Rafe's excuses were not going to help him this time. She had faith in Courtney. That girl was sweet and she's talked to her a couple of times.

A resounding slam of the door and a ringing "fuck off" was heard as soon as Nadine started frying her eggs.

Ahhh. Seems like Courtney has ended things.

~•~

A week after Courtney and Rafe's breakup, Nadine bumps into Courtney, the said girl was carrying a huge box. Nadine tucks her iPod away (she was on her way for her nightly jog) and carried the other half of the box that was sticking out of Courtney's grasp.

"Let me help you with that," Nadine offers.

Courtney sticks her head out of the other side of the box to see who the good Samaritan was. Once her gaze landed on Nadine, she smiles.

"Oh, hello there, Nadine! Thank you so much. My arms were about to give out."

Nadine felt pity for her neighbor and responds with a no problem. The two girls continued to walk, the huge box in between them, while engaging in some small talk. Curiosity piqued Nadine when she spots Courtney's car with a bunch of other boxes littering around it.

Was her neighbor moving out?

~•~  

Nadine could hear the distant sound of an unloading truck by her apartment. Curiously, she gets out of her covers, since she was just flipping through the channels (no biggie), and peers outside her window's white blinds.

As expected, her gaze landed on a big U HAUL truck with some boxes littering on the cement road. Nadine scanned the scene, looking for the possible owner, a.k.a her new neighbor. She saw a couch and a bed frame with a mattress on top of it, plastic still intact, but no sign of a breathing human being.

Hmmmmm. Interesting.

Nadine cranes her neck just a little bit more and checks the truck's driver's side. She sees a blob of a man, stuffing his face with what looks like a hamburger. She notices the man's giveaway ugly ass puke green polo and recognizes him as one of U HAUL's employees. Her eyes scooches just a tad bit more to the right of the worker and checks to see if her possible new neighbor was present.

He was not.

Sighing in discontent, Nadine's shoulders sag in defeat. Begrudgingly, she goes and wraps herself up like a burrito again and flips aimlessly through the channels.

So much for an interesting day.

Not.

~•~

Nadine's next almost encounter with her new neighbor was 2 days after said neighbor moved in. She was up, bright and early, on a Sunday morning, about to go do some grocery shopping when she spots a moving body on her peripheral vision. Her new neighbor, she assumed so because he came out of apartment 211 for goodness gracious, had his back turned and was already jogging away. Nadine's eyes lit up, planning on welcoming him, but her intentions of being a good and friendly neighbor was disrupted cause holy hot damn her new neighbor had a nice ass.

Nadine tilted her head to the side, unconsciously checking out the man's nice buttocks.

"Help beat energy, energy gap beat energy gap"

Her phone's ringtone shocked Nadine out of her reverie. Scrambling for her phone inside her purse, Nadine hastily answers her phone albeit still distracted.

"Hello?"

After a 2 minute conversation with her mother, Nadine's shoulders sag for her new neighbor was nowhere in sight.

~•~

Almost encounters with her new neighbor seems to be a thing nowadays for this time around, Nadine was coming back from her  morning jog when she saw her new neighbor come out of his front door.  Nadine couldn't quite get a clear view of his face for she was about a block and a half away. She picks up her pace, determined to welcome her new neighbor. When Nadine was about a block away, she slows down, inwardly debating with herself for she didn't really want to seem too eager.

Nadine decides to walk then. Just slightly  faster than a normal walk, if that makes sense. Feeling proud of herself, and a little excited to meet her new neighbor, Nadine nears her apartment complex.

Unfortunately, she the spots her neighbor getting inside his car then the next thing she knew, he was pulling out of his driveway.

"Dammit."

Once again, it seems like she wouldn't be meeting her new neighbor for a while.

~•~

"I just don't understand it, Yassi. I always seem to spot him when he's about to leave," Nadine rants to her best friend while they were out for a Sunday brunch, "it's like fate doesn't want us to meet or one of those cheesy bullcrap." Nadine exasperatedly sighs as she then stuffs her face with more waffles.

Yassi looks at her friend, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "I'm not sure why this even bothers you so much, Nadz," she begins then sips on her coffee, "like woohoo you have a new neighbor, but what's the deal?"

Nadine continues to munch on her waffles, lightly tapping her fork against her lips in deep thought. Yassi had a point, she didn't really know why it bothered her so much. Maybe because she genuinely wanted to befriend him? Be a good, friendly neighbor? Or maybe it was because he had a nice bum?  Nadine shakes her head, ridding the image of her neighbor's buttocks. There was something enigmatic about her neighbor, although she has only seen little glimpses of him. It was like his presence emitted magnetism and charm. It was all hard to explain but she was just really really curious about her faceless neighbor.

"I don't know Yass. There's just something mysterious about him that pulls me in."

Yassi's eyebrows furrowed, perplexed with what her friend had just said.

"That sounds like a line from a shitty thriller slah romcom, Nadz. The fuck."

Nadine dismisses Yassi's comment with a roll of her eyes. It was weird and bizarre even thinking about it that way, so she doesn't blame her friend.

"But, if you're that desperate to meet him," Yassi began, causing Nadine to glower daggers at her friend, "you know you can just ring his doorbell, right?"

Nadine momentarily stopped chewing, considering Yassi's suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea after all. Perhaps she can do what new neighbors do on TV and in the movies where they bring baked goods. Nadine did like baking cookies.

"It's just a matter of what doorbell we're talking about." Yassi winks at her best friend, cheekily laughing at her own innuendo.

"Yassmin Isabel Pressman!"

~•~

Nadine stood outside of apartment 211, holding a steaming plate of freshly baked cookies. She had whipped up some chocolate chip cookies  about an hour ago, fully intending on "welcoming" her new neighbor.

Just ring the fucking doorbell, Nadine. You got this. Just smile and shove the cookies up his face, yeah.

Inwardly prepping herself, Nadine's pointer finger hovers above the doorbell.

What if I just leave the cookies on his front step and ding dong ditch?

Taken aback from her own thoughts, Nadine slaps herself.  She wasn't 8 years old for fuck's sake. Before she can talk herself out of ringing the doorbell, Nadine quickly presses on the button.

1...

2...

3...

4..

5..

6.

7.

"Shit." Nadine muttered out a curse, hearing some shuffling inside the apartment. She could hear how the chain lock dragged and the doorknob jiggle. The door opens and there stood her faceless neighbor, shirtless with a towel draped around his waist.

Fuck.

Nadine couldn't help but gape at her new neighbor. Visible droplets of water were on his chest, indicating that he just recently got out of the shower. Nadine's eyes looked up, taking in the sight of her neighbors strong chest and broad shoulders, her then gaze landing on her neighbor's face. Her throat went dry and she felt like she had lost the ability to speak. He had pink, pouty lips and a strong jaw. His nose was straight and his light brown eyes were mesmerizing. His hair was damp and swept back and  one of his brows was raised, looking at her questioningly.

"Can I help you?"

His deep voice brought Nadine out of her daze. Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment for ogling at her neighbor for too long. Clearing her throat, she tries to say something coherent. Nadine then remembers her plate of cookies and quickly thrusts it to his face.

"Hi I'm Nadine, your neighbor from 213 and I baked you some cookies." Nadine says, words coming out from her mouth 100 miles per minute.

She feels his hands on top of hers, bringing the plate of cookies down from his face. She hears him chuckle and Nadine inwardly kicks herself for looking like a fool.

"Thanks for the cookies, Nadine. You didn't have to." He tells her, the side of his lips tugging upwards into a smile.

Nadine returns his smile, now flushed from both embarrassment and her neighbor's smile.

"I'm James by the way."

James. So that was his name.

Before Nadine could utter a reply, James takes the plate of cookies from her hands, his hands lightly touching her fingers. His simple touch sent sparks down her spine, affecting Nadine in such a confusing way.

"Do you want to come in and help me eat these cookies? I mean, if you're not busy or anything." James says, one hand holding the plate of cookies and the other scratching his neck.

There was always a possibility of her new neighbor being a serial killer or what not, but for some odd and unexplainable reason, Nadine simply shrugs her shoulder and smiles up at James.

"Sure, I'd love to."

She'll worry about her dead body later.

end.

~•~  

Really random! But it's good to write again. Thank you to to everyone who still follows me and to those still supporting me. Ya'll the real MVPs!

[stoned-writer]

oh yes

need more of this

this photo is sooo landlord!rafe. you rent out a little house near figure eight, showed to you by rose cameron, and her step-son is your cute landlord who you absolutely have to call whenever something’s up with the house. whether it be you wanting to paint a certain wall pink, or the doorknob on your bathroom is broken, he’s there. he struts in with his baseball cap and grown out mullet, insisting on checking in before you hire anyone for anything. saying something along the lines of, “hey sugar, what’s up this time?” and awing at your little pout as you explain that your closet door hinges are squeaky. without a word, he’s going to your kitchen and grabbing some vegetable oil. you say oh, because who knew that that worked to fix the squeaks? he opens your door and pours some on your hinges. you sit on the edge of your bed and watch, noticing shamelessly the way that when he reaches up to get the top hinge, you can see his grey boxers. and you’re too focused on that to notice the pair of lace panties he stole from your closet hamper, which will definitely help him out later.

[coriel-muroz]

Huntsville Revived #334

Jack had still not found any time for soul searching, Anger Management or to reach out to Hazel about Couples Counseling. 

At least he knew where she was - with Rafe. And Rafe would reach out if there was anything he needed to know, beyond that Hazel needed space. 

She rarely spoke about when she had been a homeless teen, and she had never told anyone how she had come to be pregnant. It was a side he had rarely seen, but when he had been kissing the landlord, he had seen her go for the pool cue in a way that indicated she had experience with it for things other than pool.

Not getting any sleep only made his stress worse. One night, Lucy had somehow got out of her crib, upset that she needed a diaper change.

She’d ended up in the triplets’ bedroom, and her screaming had woken all three of them up. 

“It’s 4 am, Lucy,” whined Dustin. “Daaaaaaddddddy!! Come get Luuuuuucy.”

“Back to bed!” Jack announced as he scooped up Lucy.

“It stinks in here,” Briony complained.

“I’ll take care of Lucy. You put your laundry in the hamper! It’s getting smelly as well. And back to bed.”

“But I’m not tired anymore,” Shay replied. “I want breakfast.”

“Fine,” Jack said curtly. He then reigned in his temper. “Clean up the laundry and go get yourselves breakfast.”

Briony found that she had plenty of energy for some reason. She started skipping in the house.

“Granny’s gonna kill you if you knock over her sewing supplies,” Shay told his sister.

“I’m not going to knock anything over,” Briony replied.

“I’m so glad the three of us are Best Friends Forever!” Dustin added to the conversation as he and Shay ate some sandwiches they found in the fridge. 

Shay was digging in, until he dropped a huge amount of mustard down his front.

“You better get changed before Daddy sees that,” Briony told him as she realized her two brothers ate ALL the sandwiches.

Shay threw his shirt in the laundry and came back down to have some cereal with Briony and Dustin. The growing children were almost always hungry.

“Since you still haven’t been able to predict what is going to convince Mommy to come home, Briony, maybe we need to change course?” Dustin started.

“We could ask Rafe,” Briony suggested.

It was such an obviously good idea - their older brother was almost 30 years old! And Mommy was staying with him.

“Great idea!” Dustin and Shay said together.

“Shay, why are you still in your pajamas? It’s time to go to school.” Jack tried not to sound exasperated, but Lucy had refused to go back to sleep and he noticed there were still dished on the table from breakfast.

“I don’t have any clean clothes,” Shay replied.

It’ took a lot of effort for Jack not to scream and bash his head against the fridge door. It seemed like a reasonable reaction, but he knew it was not. “Borrow something from Dustin, okay?”

[coriel-muroz]

Huntsville Revived #318

Hazel had barely flirted with their neighbour, Jessica, leading to Jack bizarrely making out with their landlord in retaliation.

Hazel was furious and devastated, and hid nothing from the children when they entered the room.

"Are you and Dad getting a divorce?” Dustin tried not to let his voice break when he asked. He would be brave. Except, it did crack a little.

"It’s a little too soon to tell, sweetie.” Hazel needed some space to figure out what to do. The only reasonable plan came immediately to mind. “I’m going to go live with Rafe for a while and you and your Dad are going to go to Granny’s, okay?”

"Do I get a choice?”

"No.”

"You like to talk shit about my mom, Keegan, but then your whore mother breaks up the only married couple in the building. You suck, you dick.” The two teens got into a fist fight to one side of the apartment.

Jessica couldn’t help but cry. She certainly hadn’t meant to cause all this trouble. She had only done it because she had enjoyed one too many beers and was feeling perhaps too uninhibited. Now Hazel and Jack were talking divorce and her son was fighting with the neighbour. It was all too much.

“I don’t want Mommy to move in with Rafe. I want her to stay with us.”

"I’m sorry, Shay.” And he was. Jack couldn’t explain why he had reacted the way he had. Seeing Hazel with Jessica had awoken a deep anger in him he had not known he had. “Daddy and Mommy both made some bad choices, and now we need some space to figure things out.”

While all this chaos had happened, Luke was at work. He managed to get a promotion and was starting to feel good about life when he got home. He had no idea what he had missed.