#like I’m so busy with school I don’t have time check hundreds of blogs everyday

[santoruu]

I actually have no words… I explicitly said minors do not interact… guys I genuinely don’t have the time to be going around checking people’s blog but I might have to, because what is this??

[theladyofdeath]

The Ranch {10}

An A Court of Thorns and Roses, Nesta x Cassian, Modern AU, fanfiction.

Collaboration: @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty​ x @tacmc​

Summary: Nesta had spent years in Paris, living her dream and drowning in riches as a gourmet chef, capturing the hearts of the city and its people. But, after her father passes away unexpectedly and leaves his cozy, countryside B&B to his oldest daughter, Nesta is moving back home to the tiny town of Velaris, where the ranch, her sisters, and her father’s unfulfilled dream, awaits.

Sidenote: Being posted between two blogs, it is too chaotic to keep up with a tags list, so all chapters will be tagged with “#TheRanchNessian” & “#SharaCollab”.

A/N: enjoy!

The Ranch Masterlist

Cassian threw open the closet in the bedroom of his cabin. Sure, he’d spent quite a bit of time on minuscule dates and hanging out at the bar through the years, but it had been a while since he’d taken a woman out on a proper date.

And here he was, about to take Nesta, a fucking gourmet chef, to dinner. With an hour before he was supposed to “pick her up”, he still had no idea where they were going. He’d run through the list of restaurants in their little town a hundred times through his head as he went through his work that day, but none of them seemed good enough.

What also didn’t seem good enough were the shirts he was staring at. Maybe he’d just stay in what he was already wearing - the towel around his waist. She seemed to prefer him in such, anyways, considering the night they had spent together the day before.

And what a damn fantastic night it had been.

No, Cassian wanted their date to be perfect.

Once again, he stared at the line of shirts hanging in his closet.

He groaned and dragged his hand down his face before he walked across the room and texted Elain.

You busy?

He waited a minute, no reply to his text, and he was both impatient and short on time.

So he called her.

“You couldn’t even wait for me to text you back and tell you that I’m not busy?” Her voice was full of laughter as she answered the phone.

“Sort of in a rush and also freaking out,” he said, beginning to pace.

She was instantly on red alert. “What? Why? Are you okay?”

He shook his head, realizing he’d worried her for no reason. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m taking your sister out on a date tonight and I have no idea what to wear.”

He was met with silence on the other line.

“Elain?”

“I’m here, I’m...trying to make sense of what you just said.” She stuttered a second. “You said you’re taking Nesta on a date tonight?”

“Yes.”

“My sister, Nesta?”

“Yes,” Cassian said, with no chill. “And I’m in a hurry.”

“Taking Nesta out makes you cranky,” Elain muttered. “Okay, I’m here, what is it you need?”

“I don’t know what to wear.”

Another stretch of silence. 

Cassian sighed, impatiently. “Elain.”

“Sorry,” she said, tone laced with laughter. “I just...You’re worried about what you’re going to wear?”

“Everything I have looks the same,” he mumbled. 

“Then wear one of your fifty plaid shirts,” she laughed. “And your one pair of nice jeans.”

“Really?” He asked, grabbing one of his more expensive shirts from the closet. “But I wear this every day-.”

“She’s seen you everyday and has she ever had a problem with it?” she interrupted.

“I- No,” he admitted. “What kind of food does she like? I asked her to dinner and then I realized that she’s a chef and that nothing around here would be up to her standards.”

Elain paused, but finally said, “Do you trust me?”

Cassian hesitated, unable to hide the question in his voice. “Usually?”

She chuckled. “I’m going to send you an address. Don’t look it up, just trust me, okay?”

He blinked. Well, it was a better idea than he had. “Okay, sure. Yeah, I won’t look it up.”

Elain squealed. “Yay! Alright, stand by. I’ll text it to you now.”

Cassian breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Lainy, you have no idea how grateful I am.”

He could tell she was being genuine when she said, “Anything I can do to help! You both deserve to be happy, to have someone to cherish you and treat you right.” She sighed. “How’d you convince her to finally go out with you?”

Cassian debated on beating around the bush, but knew their families would find out anyways. “We, uh, sort of hooked up last night.”

Not to his surprise, he was met with more silence.

This time, Cassian waited it out. He put his phone on speaker then dropped his towel.

“And by hooked up, you mean…”

“Sex?” Cassian supplied, pulling on his boxers. “Yeah, and it was-.”

“I don’t wanna know.” The words rushed out of Elain so quickly that Cassian knew her cheeks were turning pink.

Cassian chuckled. “Fine. But, it was nice.”

“Were you drunk?” Elain asked, hesitantly.

Cassian rolled his eyes. “No. And she was still there when I woke up this morning, so.”

“Wow, I-.” She paused and repeated, “Wow. You know you’re supposed to take her out before you sleep with her, right?”

“Oh, ha ha.” He said, stepping into his jeans and buttoning them up. His voice was wistful at first. “I can’t help it, I just had to have her. And she actually made the move this time, not me.”

“I still don’t want to know,” she said, laughing. “Have fun, make good choices.”

“I’ll try,” he promised before saying goodbye and tossing the phone onto his bed. A moment later, when he was buttoning up his shirt, her text came through with an address.

He had no idea where she was sending them, and he was almost too scared to look it up, even if he hadn’t promised. After brushing out his hair with his fingers, he tied it at the back of his head and pulled on some socks, then his boots, and sighed.

“Beau!”

Beau came hurrying into the bedroom and up onto the bed, wagging his tail.

“How do I look?” Cassian asked, brows raised.

Beau barked.

“I assume that means you approve. Alright,” he said, grabbing his wallet off his nightstand and shoving it into his pocket. “I’ll be back in a little while. Don’t chew up anything...that’s not already chewed up, okay?”

He gave Beau a quick belly rub before strutting toward the front door.

He grabbed his keys and drove over to Nesta’s, hopping out and knocking on her door.

It only took a second for the door to swing open and Cassian’s mouth began to water.

The blue dress she wore was nothing fancy. On the contrary, it was its simplicity that let Nesta’s beauty shine.

Her golden-brown hair was in a simple braid, her brown sandals showing off her painted toenails. A soft pink, the same shade she wore on her full, beautiful lips.

She raised her brows as she said, “You’re staring. You’ve seen me every day for a while now. You can’t stare.”

“I can and I will,” he protested, meeting her eyes. “And it’s not the first time I’ve been caught staring at you.”

Nesta rolled her eyes as she grabbed her bag off the hook by the door. “Where are you taking me?”

She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her as he hesitated. “Uh, it’s a surprise.” To us both.

She laughed quietly but said nothing more as they descended the stairs. Cassian opened the passenger side door and held out his hand to help her up, but she ignored it and hauled herself inside. With a chuckle, Cassian closed the door behind her and made his way behind the wheel before making his way down the long driveway.

Once they were out onto the main road, Cassian said, “You look beautiful.”

She didn’t look over at him as a small smile played on those pink lips. “Thanks. You don’t look too bad, either.”

Cassian grinned and turned on the radio, soft music filling the truck. He had already put the address into his GPS, but kept the volume down. He glanced at his phone every few seconds to make sure he was going the right way. The last thing he wanted was for Nesta to ask why he needed directions to know where they were going. What would his reply be? Oh, I called your sister because I was freaking the fuck out, thanks for asking, no big deal.

It was a conversation he wanted to avoid.

“What all did you do today?” he asked. “I didn’t see you around.”

“I was in the main house, prepping for painting,” she said, nodding. “That place needs to be updated before any guests start coming in. So, I taped, covered the carpets in plastic, and moved all furniture to the middle of the floors. Which, I should probably get a few new things there, too. I swear we grew up on shit made in the 1950s.”

Cassian snorted, then looked her direction. “You should’ve asked for help. I could’ve helped with the heavy lifting.”

She rolled her eyes. “I am perfectly capable of doing things on my own, thank you.”

Cassian shook his head as his eyes went back on the road ahead of him. “Trust me, I know.”

Her amused grin was radiant. “What about you? Any fun ranch stuff today?”

“Ranch stuff?” He chuckled. At her own laughter, he continued, “Nothing too crazy. Mostly made sure there was enough hay left for the horses over the weekend. And checked on Barb. She’ll be having her calf any day.”

“What? Really?” She turned to him. “It’s way too late in the year for calves.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s why I’m keeping such a close eye on her.”

His phone lit up, alerting him that they were approaching their destination. He looked around and chuckled, shaking his head. Leave it to Elain.

He pulled into the little parking lot of an old diner. The sign that read The Starlight Diner was lit up in neon lights. He parked in front of the little building before looking at Nesta to see her reaction.

She was staring at the diner before she turned to him. “You talked to my sister, didn’t you?”

Cassian hesitated, and she laughed. “We used to go here all the time,” she said, shaking her head. “I used to love this place. I can’t tell you how many milkshakes I’ve downed within these walls. And the chili cheese fries? I mean, there’s nothing like them.” 

Cassian had been to the diner before, but not since high school. It used to be a popular hangout, one they went to after they won a big game or smoked too much pot under the bleachers.

“So you’re telling me,” Cassian began, turning off the engine. “That a woman who became a famous chef in Paris likes to go to ancient diners and drink milkshakes and eat chili-cheese fries?”

“Yes,” she said, simply. Then she smiled, softly. “Shall we?”

Cassian, completely speechless and a little bit turned on, opened his door and met her on her side of the truck as she got out. They went inside and sat at a table by the window. Old music was playing and waitresses were going about their business on roller skates. 

“So, I assume you already know what you want,” Cassian began, flipping open his menu. “And I assume it’s more than a milkshake and chili-cheese fries.”

Nesta was glancing around the restaurant, looking for someone or something, but she didn’t miss a beat when she answered. “Bacon cheeseburger, with extra pickles, chili-cheese fries, vanilla milkshake, with no cherry, and a water.”

He raised an eyebrow, and let his menu fall shut. “I know what I’m ordering.” She laughed and he felt like his heart was going to burst. The sound of her laughter was quickly becoming one of his favorite things. “So why no cherry? Are allergic, or what?”

She scrunched her nose as she moved the silverware around in front of her. “I used to drink the Shirley Temples made with the cheap grenadine. You know the one that’s pretty much just cherry snow-cone syrup?”

Their server came to the table at that moment and took their drink order. They both know what they wanted, but neither was in a rush. She promised to return with their waters and to get their food order in just a moment and they fell right back into conversation.

“Long story short, one night we went to dinner and I had four or five of them.” She laughed and shook her head. “Neither mom or dad noticed how many I’d had, which was awesome to me. I was only allowed to have two before I had to switch to water. When we got home, I got so, so sick. They freaked out because it was dark red and they thought I was bleeding internally.” She began laughing even harder. “Neither of them told me that was what they were worried about, and I wasn’t about to tell on myself. They took me to the hospital and I finally told one of the nurses. Nineteen years and a sixteen hundred dollar hospital bill later, and I hate cherry and cherry flavoring now.”

Cassian just stared at her, barely registering when the waitress came back and gave them their waters. And then he began howling.

The waitress looked at him like he was crazy and mumbled that she’d be back in just a minute for their orders.

“So you were a rebellious child,” Cassian said, laughter dying down but his smile remaining.

“Considering that’s the most rebellious thing I’d ever done, I’d say not,” Nesta said, chuckling. “No, Feyre was the rebellious one, which I’m sure you already know. Elain was the perfect one. And I….I don’t know. I was just there.”

“That’s impossible,” Cassian said. “Give yourself a little more credit.”

She shrugged, and a shadowy look crossed her face that had Cassian clearing his throat. “Well, you didn’t miss out on rebellion. Coming from someone who landed himself in the local jail fifteen times his senior year in high school, alone.”

That look in Nesta’s eyes faded as she shook her head, humored. “Fifteen times? In under a year?”

“Yeah, I swear at some point the cops just started following me when they were bored until I did something they could call me out on,” he laughed. It was a little town. The crime rate was low. “Shoplifting a few times. Mostly underage drinking. One time they caught me peeing into the dumpster behind the corner market. Which, I was drunk then, too….Actually, that night was rough.”

Nesta laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Good thing to know such a classy man has taken me to dinner.”

Cassian’s grin widened. “You live, you learn.”

Nesta nodded her agreement. “What about your parents? Weren’t they furious?”

Cassian’s eyes softened as he said, “Don’t know my dad. My mom died while I was in middle school, lived with Rhys and his mom after that. And, yes, she gave me hell every damn time. But, she always came to pick me up and break me out.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said, but he was already waving her off.

“Don’t be,” he shrugged. “From what my mom told me of my dad, he wasn’t the greatest guy. Found out she was pregnant from one of his friends and skipped town. He was a bull rider, and he jumped on the rodeo tour and she never saw him again. And my mom…” he blew out a deep breath. “We should probably save my mom for a less depressing conversation.”

Nesta nodded, completely understanding.

“But Rhys’ mom was great,” he went on, taking a sip from his water. “I love that woman.”

The waitress came back and Nesta ordered.

Cassian said he’d have the same, but with a chocolate shake, then she was off.

“So,” Cassian went on, leaning his elbows on the table. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

Nesta took a moment to think. “After last night, I think you know everything there is to know.”

Cassian smirked. “About some things, maybe. But tell me something I don’t.”

Nesta chewed on her lip, mind going completely blank. Everything either seemed too personal or not personal enough.

“I can’t whistle,” She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know, this is one of the things I hate about dating. This whole interview process.”

“How about this,” he smiled. “Tell me about your favorite thing in the world.”

He was expecting her to start telling him about cooking, about how she’d ended up in Paris, Rome, London, all the places he’d seen when he did a quick google of her name. But she surprised him.

“Riding horseback,” she said, eyes bright. 

Cassian raised a brow. “Riding? That’s your favorite thing in the world?”

“Does that surprise you?” She asked, leaning back in the booth.

“Yeah, a little,” he confessed.

She stirred her water with her straw, watching the ice cubes spin around in her glass. “It was my one escape growing up. The one thing I could do that didn’t result in a sneer from my mother and a lecture about my future from my father.” She sighed. “I used to ride Phoenix for hours to just...get out of the house. Have you ever ridden back on the hills to the west of the property?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean the property that isn’t ours, that’s marked No Trespassing?”

Their waitress brought their milkshakes to the table. There was a bright red cherry on top of Nesta’s, but before she could say anything, Cassian snatched it up and popped it into his mouth. She rolled her eyes, thanked the waitress, and took a huge sip. Her eyes slipped closed instantly and she moaned quietly. “Oh my god, I can’t get a milkshake like this anywhere else.”

She opened her eyes to find him watching her, and when her tongue peeked out to get the little bit of melted ice cream left on her bottom lip, his eyes tracked the motion. They were dark, the shining hazel almost completely swallowed by his pupils.

Without a word, Cassian pulled something from between his teeth and dropped it on the table between them.

The stem from her stolen cherry was tied in a knot.

Nesta said, “That’s both hot and cheesy as hell.”

Cassian’s low laugh skittered across her skin. “You already know what my tongue can do, but I thought I’d give you a little reminder, just in case you somehow forgot already.”

Nesta swallowed. No, she definitely hadn’t forgotten what his perfect mouth could do, but she had forgotten how to speak, especially when he was looking at her the way he was.

He plucked the cherry from his own milkshake, eating the cherry - sans stem, this time - and motioned for Nesta to continue. “So, what about the land that we do not own, Miss I was never rebellious?”

His imitation of her was spot on.

Nesta pursed her lips and said, “Yeah, that land is ours.”

He dropped his spoon, splattering the table in chocolate ice cream droplets. “What?”

She took another drink of her milkshake, not moaning this time, thank the Cauldron, and nodded. “It’s only another few acres. I knew the previous owners. Armand and Colette Lavigne.” The way she said their names, with such familiarity and adoration, Cassian knew she must have spent a lot of time with them. “They were from the Bordeaux region of France. They moved here in their fifties to open a vineyard.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “They didn’t do any research and had no idea the soil here wasn’t good for wine. But they fell in love with the area. And they’re the ones who taught me to love cooking.” She smiled fondly, her eyes misting slightly. “I bought it when Colette passed a few years ago and Armand returned to Floirac. He didn’t want it to go to someone who would just sell it for profit and turn it into another apartment complex or a shopping mall. It's been my land for about four years, but I finally signed the deed to have it put in my name, rather than Armand’s, when I signed the ranch’s deeds.”

Cassian blinked, processing the information, slowly. Then he said, loudly enough to earn a scowl from the elderly couple two booths down, “What the fuck? I’ve been purposely avoiding that land, and now you’re telling me I should’ve been working it?”

Nesta rolled her eyes. “No. Not yet, anyway. I haven’t decided  what I want to do with it yet.”

Cassian was slowly shaking his head. “I have a feeling you’re never going to stop surprising me.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” She asked.

He smiled at her. “No, it isn’t.”

They fell into a comfortable silence. Nesta finally asked, “Have you even tried your milkshake yet, or are you just going to keep stirring it?”

He pointed his sticky spoon at her and took a big sip through his straw. He pulled back, staring at the thick liquid. “That’s pretty damn good.”

“Pretty damn good?” She repeated, shaking her head. “It’s fucking delicious.”

“You’re fucking delicious,” he muttered, taking another drink from his straw.

Nesta’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, which only made Cassian's small smile turn into a wicked grin.

Before she could come up with a retort, a display of beautiful, greasy food was laid out before them. Burgers and chili-cheese fries.

As the waitress turned to leave, Nesta said, “Excuse me, but is Alis still here?”

“Oh, no, sweetie, I’m so sorry,” she said, and Nesta nodded. “She’ll be back in for the morning shift tomorrow, though.”

“Okay, perfect. Thank you.”

The woman smiled warmly and left them to enjoy their burgers.

“Alis?” Cassian asked, eyeing the massive plate of food in front of him and its twin in front of Nesta, then her tiny form. There was no way she’d be able to eat everything in front of her.

Nesta already had a forkful of hot, cheesy fries and was diving in. She closed her eyes and made a contented noise. She took a drink of her water, setting it down before answering. “She owns the Starlight. I came here so much that she and I became pretty close. When I…” Ran away. “Left town, I stopped in for a cup of coffee, trying to talk myself out of leaving. Alis is the one who pushed me to follow my dreams. She even paid for my bus ticket out of town.”

“Really?” Cassian asked, popping a fry into his mouth. “She sounds nice.”

“She is,” Nesta agreed. “One of the best this town has to offer. Now, look away because I’m about to bite into this burger and it’s not going to be attractive whatsoever.”

Cassian didn’t look away and Nesta, eyes on his, took a massive bite out of her bacon cheese burger.

He blinked, and she covered her mouth as her eyes lit up at his expression.

“I can honestly say I’ve never been so attracted to you,” he said, taking his burger into his hands. Before he took a bite, he asked, “So, Alis is the one that pushed you out of town, huh?”

Nesta nodded, taking another bite and swallowing before saying, “If it wasn’t for her that day, I probably would have stayed here, ended back up with Tomas, and lived to regret every fucking day that followed. So, I am very grateful to Alis.”

Cassian hadn’t pressed Nesta anymore on the subject of Tomas, and he knew now wasn’t the time, no matter how many questions he had.

“Well, then I’m grateful to her too,” Cassian said, taking a bite so massive nearly half of his burger disappeared. He chewed before saying, “Although I’m pretty grateful you came back, too.”

Nesta took another bite of her own burger. “You’re just saying that because I’ll have sex with you,” she laughed and dove back into her fries.

Cassian’s eyes lit up in amusement. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a perk. But I think you’re going to be good for the b-n-b, for the ranch as a whole.” Nesta’s eyes softened and she smiled. Until he added, “And ‘I’ll have sex’ implies that we’ll be doing that again, right? That wasn’t a one and done?”

Nesta rolled her eyes, mouth full of food. A second later, she said, “I’ll have to think about it.”

Cassian had the audacity to look offended. “Ouch. Was I so bad?”

Nesta just grinned as she took another bite of her fries.

Cassian’s laughter filled the air as they finished their food. He paid, and then they made their way back into the truck.

“Thanks for dinner,” she said, as they pulled out of the parking lot. To his surprise, she had finished every last bite of her food and downed her milkshake. Even Cassian had left a few fries, claiming he couldn’t eat another bite.

“Anytime,” he said, meaning it.

“Um, home is the other direction,” she said, when he turned left onto the main road instead of right. 

“I know,” Cassian replied, shortly, and when it was obvious he wasn’t going to say anything more, Nesta shot him a look.

“Where are we going?” she asked, slowly.

Cassian just grinned, one hand on the wheel, the other sneaking over the middle console to hers.

The ride was comfortably quiet, the rumble of Cassian’s truck the only sound. Nesta didn’t mind though, not as he drove through the square, where people bustled about. Velaris was a city best enjoyed at night, and the people milling around every restaurant and park and store front proved it. She also didn’t mind the feel of his hand in hers, so the longer drive was fine by her.

Until they pulled into a parking lot.

“Why are we here?”

Cassian only grinned and hopped out of the truck, rounding the hood and helping Nesta down. “Don’t feel like a walk down memory lane?” They began to walk and, as casually as she could, she slipped her hand back into his. His fingers intertwined with hers and he glanced down at her. She was staring forward, refusing to look up at him, but he knew color was staining her cheeks. Could tell by the way the tips of her ears were a darker shade of pink than normal. “I thought, rather than talk about who we are, cause that always sucks and no one likes doing it-.” He was rambling and Nesta giggled. He laughed at himself and cleared his throat. “Right. What I was trying to say, is that talking about who you are sucks. But talking about who you used to be? I don’t know, for me, it’s always been easier.” Nesta looked up at him, but he shrugged and carried on. “Even if I wasn’t always proud of who I was, I can at least learn something from who I’ve been.”

“Fair enough,” she said, quietly, as he led the way.

They were at their old high school, but Cassian didn’t walk toward the building, which was undoubtedly locked. Instead, he took her to the football field, where Nesta could count on one hand how many times she had been there through the four years she had spent at Velaris High.

“You played football?” She asked, as they walked through the gates. 

“I did,” Cassian confirmed, as they walked onto the green field. Velaris Knights was painted into the end zones. “Yeah, I tackled a lot of guys on these fields. And, over there,” he pointed to the bleachers, “is where I used to get high and drunk, referring back to the jail conversation we had earlier tonight.”

Nesta laughed as she looked around. She had never been on the field before. Everything looked different from standing between the bleachers.

“You came to games, right?” He asked, gazing around the field. The lights were on, thanks to the evening practice that had only ended an hour or two before. The lights ran on a timer, just like they had when he played on this field. They had until just before ten-thirty before the lights would go out.

Nesta shook her head. “I was never a big fan of school events. I always preferred to stay home and read or more often than not, I was with Tomas. Going to some roping.”

There he was again, taunting Cassian from the past. But again, he wouldn’t bring up Tomas tonight. “Wasn’t Elain a cheerleader? Didn’t you come to at least support her?”

She shrugged. “Come cheer on the cheerleader? No, and she knew I hated it. She would actually convince Feyre to go to the games so I could have an hour or two of silence.”

Cassian snorted. “Well, I lived on this field. And I kicked ass. While you were being a nerd, apparently.”

Nesta’s eyes narrowed. “I was not a nerd, asshole.”

Cassian held his hands up in surrender. “I never said it was a bad thing.”

Nesta couldn’t help but laugh as she shook her head. “Looking back, I would’ve done some things differently. Maybe not the staying home with a book, but with the whole Tomas business.”

Cassian stayed silent. He wanted so badly to ask, but knew he shouldn’t. They were having such a good time. He didn’t want to ruin it.

So, instead, Cassian said, “I wish I would’ve known you then.”

She chuckled but sat down when they reached the center of the field. “No, I don’t think you do.”

He followed suit, sitting down in the turf leaning back on his hands. “Why not?”

“It was true, what you said before. I constantly had a stick up my ass.” She laughed and continued. “And I was a bitch.”

Cassian laughed, but he didn’t correct her. “You were cute, though. I’m convinced I would have loosened you up.”

Nesta shook her head, unable to stop her smile from spreading. “I’ll let you think that.”

Cassian looked over at her, at the way her golden-brown hair shone in the lights. She was a beauty, and yes, she had been cute in high school, but now she was stunning, in her little blue dress and her simple braid.

“You’re staring again,” she mumbled.

“Let me stare,” he pleaded, eyes soft.

She blushed and he leaned over, tilting her chin up and softly brushing his lips against hers. When he pulled away, he whispered, “Please tell me I can do that whenever I want now.”

Nesta thoughtfully tapped her chin and said, “Whenever? I don’t know about that.”

“Damn you, woman,” he laughed and kissed her again, laying down on top of her.

She chuckled against his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck. “We’re not kids anymore, Cassian, we can’t fuck on the football field. Just because you like being tossed in jail doesn’t mean that I do.”

He grinned, resting his elbows in the grass on both sides of her face. “I’ll be nice, I promise.”

She kissed him then, tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth. “Good.”

“Until you did that…” he muttered, kissing her again, pressing his body down against hers as he did so.

She let his hands roam her body, let him grab and squeeze and pull. He tugged on her hair lightly, tilting her chin up and exposing her neck. He nuzzled his face into it, and lightly ran his tongue along the long column of her throat. He pressed soft kisses along her jaw until he returned once more to her lips.

Pulling back to look at her, her lips swollen from his bruising kisses and her hair a messy halo around her head on the grass, Cassian brushed a thumb along her cheekbone. He breathed, “You are so damn beautiful.” She blushed and tried to turn from his gaze. “No,” he whispered, gripping her chin so she couldn’t look away. “Why do you do that? Why won’t you let me tell you how beautiful you are?” He asked, quietly.

“Taking compliments isn’t one of my strengths,” she said, running her hands down his arms, feeling his muscles beneath the fabric.

“Well make it one,” he mumbled, “because I’m not going to stop. I’m going to tell you how beautiful you are, always, because it’s the truth.”

She shook her head, slowly, but didn’t say anything else. She simply grabbed him by the face and brought his lips to hers.

After a few minutes of languid kisses, and some strong, strong willpower, Cassian rolled over and laid on his back, staring up at the sky. He tucked a hand behind his head and the other found Nesta’s next to him. His thumb rubbed small circles on the back of her hand and he gazed up at the stars.

It was quiet for a few minutes, neither one of them wanting to disturb the stillness. But eventually, Nesta asked, “You about ready to head home?”

He turned his head and looked at her, those stormy eyes seeing every part of him. “Just a minute. It’s almost time.”

Her brow furrowed. “For what?”

He smiled, looking back to the sky. “You’ll see.”

They laid there in silence, Nesta loving the feeling of his hand in hers.

The lights shut off, plunging the field into darkness. Nesta started, looking around, wondering if they needed to go, to get back to the truck, before someone-.

“Look,” he breathed, still staring upwards.

Nesta gazed toward the sky. Her breath caught in her throat.

The lights above them, surrounding the field, had gone off, and the starlight above them burned brightly, lighting up the night sky.

There were no trees, no nothing to block the view of the series of shooting stars that shot across the speckled darkness.

Only in Velaris.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She had always known her hometown was famous for its starlight, had always snuck a glance or two up at the night sky throughout her childhood, but had never taken a moment to simply watch, to wait, to explore with her eyes the beauty of creation.

“It is,” Cassian agreed, softly. He wasn’t only talking about the night sky. “I used to lay out here all the time, in high school. Captivated by it.”

“Were you high?” Nesta asked, quietly, jabbing him in the ribs.

Cassian laughed, breathlessly. “Sometimes.”

She glanced over at him, but he didn’t notice. He was entranced by the wonder before him, by the sheer enormity of the sight above him.

“You love this town,” she said, and it wasn’t a question.

He nodded and looked over at her. “I do. It’s not much, but it’s...home. I’ve never wanted to be anywhere else.” He paused. “Well, except on the road, but that didn’t exactly pan out.”

“Why not?” She asked, before she could stop herself.

Cassian hesitated. “It’s a long story.”

“Is it?” She asked. “Or is this one of those times you say it’s a long story because you don’t want to tell the story.”

Cassian laughed, glancing sideways at her. “Maybe a little bit of both.”

“Well,” she said, smiling softly. “I have time.”

He tried not to let it sound harsh when he said, “Another time.” He turned and laid on his side, brushing the loose hair framing her face behind her ear.

He could see the stubbornness, could see that Nesta wanted to push. But she nodded and leaned forward to press her lips against his.

After a soft smile, he climbed to his feet and  held out a hand. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get home.”

She took his hand, happily, and let him walk her back to the truck. The ride back to the ranch was quiet, but not uncomfortable. He caught her looking at him from time to time, and every time he caught her, that look of annoyance from being caught captured her face.

When Cassian pulled up to her little house, he turned off the engine and got out, walking her up to the porch. They stood, hand in hand. He looked down at her and kissed her, softly. “Is this the part where you invite me inside?”

She made a show of acting like she was thinking, and took a step back. “I don’t know, this was only our first date…” She opened the door and took another step back until she was inside. “I’m not that type of girl.”

There was a playful glint in Cassian’s eye and he stepped forward, bracing an arm on the door frame. “I don’t know what type of girl you’re talking about.”

She chuckled and said, “Goodnight, Cassian.”

The smirk on his face faltered and she shut the door in his face.

He took a step back and blinked. “Wha- Are you kidding me?”

The door swung open just a few seconds later and Nesta stood inside, still laughing. She grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him over the threshold, her lips immediately meeting his.

[miss-pearlescent]

LIFE UPDATE (lol)

Hello, this is going to be a long-winded life update because I simply want to just talk about things that have been going on and why I don’t update on a consistent basis :)

One of the reasons is above! Last week (two weeks ago??) I covered Naughty with a friend! Please check it out :D Honestly, this didn’t take away from my writing at all because I do random covers all the time, but I just want the views lmao HUMOUR ME! (I’m the one in white). Oh, and please don’t comment anything about my writing/fanfiction/tumblr on that video! I keep this blog pretty private.

Anyway, what did take away from my writing is A WRITING COURSE! Can you believe :) the :) irony :) I signed up for this writing course because I’ve always really wanted to publish a book aka basically give birth. As a teenager, I followed a few YA authors like they were gods, and when I attended signings, I was starstruck! I’d be like, “Girl, your mind!” So there I was, looking up how to publish a goddamn book and realizing that there were so many things to it other than just writing. It was discouraging to say the least! Then two years ago, I mentioned my hobby to my therapist and she suggested taking a writing course.

She (bless her heart) even searched up local colleges for me and opened my eyes to the fact that educational institutions held entire courses dedicated to romance writing. Wow. Of course, I rejected her idea because of the kind of person I am.

I’m kidding.

I’m not.

LOL ok so I was like “I don’t want to take a writing course because I don’t want people to judge my writing and tell me to write romance a certain way or else it doesn’t feel organic. And what if I lose my interest in it? Then what will I do with my free time? And what if people find my shit really fucking weird? etc”

I put the idea off for a year and finally came back to it last year when I found myself taking frequent trips to the library to write for a whole day. I would buy a Booster Juice, some sushi or Subway, and then I would park my ass on a plastic library chair for 5-8hrs straight. Come Fall/Winter, with the knowledge that I had some basic self-discipline (lmao), I looked into writing courses. I decided to take an online romance writing course that would start February 2020.

Guess when my country began seeing COVID cases? February 2020. Oh boy!

So my lifestyle changed, my work changed, and then I have school work?!?! My dumb ass hasn’t touched anything school related in three years. I was like “you know what? I’m going to try! I’m going to want to learn, and I’m going to put in effort.” Holy shit!!!!! I’ve learned that school still stresses me out lol it doesn’t matter that my grades literally don’t matter in this course. I’m still stressed.

That’s not to say I didn’t like this course. I really enjoyed it because I actually did learn a lot. My instructor (professor???) was also really...ELOQUENT LMAO Her lecture notes would spill mad tea but in the most polite way possible. I have yet to see any of my marks or read any of her comments (due to my fragile ego) but I am excited to do so.

One example of her brilliance in getting her message across is this little section about active vs passive verbs. We’ve all done this lesson hundreds of times in high school, but OMG the line that she uses at the end really solidifies the difference! After reading that, I decided not to skip any of the other readings lmao home girl had my respect.

OK ANYWAY! Back to me stressing! I was very stressed with every assignment. It was nice to be challenged to write differently (creating better mood, fleshing out characters more) because the end products were all...”nice”. But that shit took so much energy that I couldn’t write anymore! I couldn’t think of new plots that I was interested in :( It also didn’t help that I was going through other personal issues, and my libido was nonexistent. As a result, I have so many intros to stories because I’ve had to force myself to think of something for this course, but I never was truly interested in them to actually write it all out from start to finish. Not to mention, I have not written a sex scene since February lol

Then came the final assignment that I just submitted two days ago. OMG. It was a straight up publisher’s package. You had to have a 20pg manuscript. You had to write a query letter/cover letter. You had to research which publisher you would submit to. IT WAS SO SCARY.

I was going to write a whole new story for this manuscript but after writing 4k words, literally nothing was happening in the story and I was so bored. So I scrapped it all and took one of my most recent stories (Universal Differences, but in third person lmfaooo) and tried to tweak it. It was soooo difficult!!! Of course, I also procrastinated this whole thing because procrastination is one of my character traits. On the last three days, I pulled 8-10hrs non-stop everyday to finish it (unrelated, but I watched the SuperM 100 MV after one of these days, and I had to close my laptop immediately after the video because I felt like the MV was attacking me to stay awake LOL). There were so many times where I legit hated myself and my writing and nearly cried because I would think back on all the love that you guys gave to that story and then I’d be like “THE STORY (and, in turn, me as a person) IS SO UNDESERVING OF ANY LOVE AT ALL.”

See, this is why I went to a therapist a few years back loooool I had to rewire my brain to dissociate my writing from myself. I had to keep reminding myself that even if my prof didn’t like it, I would still get good feedback at the end of the day and none of that feedback would reflect me as a person. That even if she told me that I was never going to be able to ever publish anything, there are many writers who were told the same thing and came out of it alive and prosperous because they continued to work hard. I have a whole ass template now of what to send to a publisher/agent. If I wanted to, I would have the skill base to take a story and know where to direct it for publication.

And I would have the confidence to do that!!! Because I’ve already done it once!!!

Something cute my prof said when one of the students said they were overwhelmed:

[ I think it can help if you just think of it as the business processes of that industry - and not you laying your heart and soul out in front of some stranger to judge. :)]

;____________;

OK that is all for now, I think! Since I have submitted my final assignment, my imagination has come free of its reigns so I hope to get more stories out to you guys! Thank you for the requests too! The wilder they are, they more they get my brain going hehehehehehehhehe have a good week everyone~

[asian-hero]

Is It Just Me Or Are We Soulmates? -15 (finale)

this is the end. if you want to read this on ao3 then i’ve posted a link before this one :)

if you haven’t read the entire series and want to read it on tumblr then you can type in shance on my blog and you’ll find it

A year later Lance had moved from his tiny apartment to Shiro’s moderately sized house. His lease was about to expire and Shiro had suggested that he move in with them. He joked that he could use an extra pair of hands to help with Misaki. Lance hadn’t even left room for Shiro to breathe before he said yes, quite enthusiastically. 

They didn’t necessarily tell Misaki about them, but they didn’t try to hide it from her either. Eventually she understood what they were to each other and even started calling the both of them “dad”. The first time she called Shiro “dad” instead of “uncle Takashi” he started to tear up. He never thought that he’d ever want a kid, but now that he had one, he never wanted to let her go. Hearing her call him “dad” was probably one of the best days of his life, other than Lance forgiving him, and then proceeding to move in with him.

Speaking of Lance, he had gotten a job as a teacher’s aid for elementary school. It was his dream to become a teacher some day, it’s what he went to school for. With that being said, there was little free time that he had to spend with Shiro and Misaki, as he had more work than imaginable. He always made sure that he’d see Misaki at dinner, and tuck her in when Shiro was too busy with his own work. Although he definitely felt tired almost every day, he wouldn’t trade his life for anything in the world. 

Both he and Shiro were back on loving terms. It took a month for Lance to finally be comfortable with Shiro again, and the other man was more than willing to wait for him. Lance remembers that everyday he’d wake up to the sound of Shiro knocking on his door, a single rose and coffee in his hand to greet him. After that they’d talk about anything going on in their lives; Shiro would talk about Misaki finally going to school and being extremely excited while Lance would talk about all of the kids in his class and how half of them would grow up to be douchebags. Eventually Lance got comfortable enough to finally do “couple” things: like holding hands, cuddling on the couch, kissing, going on dates. These few months had definitely been some of his favorites. 

That’s why when he blew nearly three month’s paycheck on an engagement ring, he wasn’t necessarily upset. Sure, it was a lot of money for a plain gold band, but for Shiro, it was worth it. Sure, he would’ve liked to save that money up for something else, like helping Shiro with the bills, but he was sure that the other man wouldn’t mind if he had to skip a couple of month’s pay. In fact, Lance knew that for a fact, because he had to pester Shiro about helping with the utilities bills, despite Shiro saying that he made enough money for them to live comfortably.

Now here Lance was, currently driving to Misaki’s school, the ring box sitting uncomfortably on his lap, with one hand on the steering wheel while the other one held the box with a death grip. His plan was to pick up Misaki, under the guise of wanting to spend more time with his new family member, then ask her about how she felt about Shiro and him getting married. Of course, it was going to be slightly difficult to explain all of this to a first grader, but hopefully she’d get the gist of it.

Waiting in his car, he felt a smile growing on his face when he saw Misaki running towards his car. Opening the door, she jumped in, a toothy grin plastered onto her face.

“Dad!”

Lance smiled at her, ignoring the erratic beating of his heart at the name. “Hey Misa. How was school?”

As Lance started the car she started going on about meeting new friends and telling them about Japan. occasionally he’d check in the rearview mirror to make sure that she was still buckled in. Shiro would have his head if anything happened to her. Once they were back at their house Lance parked the car and turned around in his seat, a nervous smile on his face.

“Hey Misa, can I ask you a question?”

She nodded her head enthusiastically. He took in a deep breath before asking: “How do you feel about me and your dad?”

Misaki tilted her head, almost as if she was thinking. “Happy.”

Lance smiled, feeling the nervousness in the pit of his stomach disappear. “You know how in those princess movies that you watch, the prince and princess always get married?”

She smiled, her lips stretching wide across her face. “The princess always looks so pretty!”

Lance nodded his head, grinning slightly. “Yes, they do. How would you feel if,” He pulled out the box, flipping it open for Misaki to see, “If I asked your dad to marry me?”

Misaki scrunched up her nose for a minute before responding. “Neither of you would wear a princess dress though,”

He laughed, poking her slightly. “You could wear one.”

Her eyes lit up at this notion. She started to bounce in her seat, a gleeful noise coming out of her mouth. “Okay!”

Lance looked at her, a soft smile appearing on his face. He held his finger to his lips, shushing her. “You can’t tell your dad, though. It’ll ruin the surprise.”

She nodded her head, moving her hands to motion her zipping her lips shut. Lance giggled, feeling a new sense of happiness fill him.

Now he was facing the biggest obstacle in his life.

———

Lance spent an embarrassing amount of time figuring out how to propose to Shiro. He thought about taking him to a nice restaurant, maybe enjoy a night alone before kneeling down. But the thought of embarrassing himself in front of a bunch of people in the restaurant made him strike that idea off. He also thought about proposing with a scavenger hunt, but he quickly realized that he had no idea of whether Shiro was well versed in traveling through Seattle, so he also took that one off.

Eventually he settled for probably one of the most simple ideas he could’ve come up with: wrapping up the ring box and placing it with the many presents under the Christmas tree. Honestly, Lance would rather be rejected inside of their house rather than in front of hundreds of people. 

The entire time he was wrapping the tiny box his hands were shaking. He had to redo it all over again multiple times because it needed to be perfect. The bows that they had stashed away were slightly bigger than the box, making the gift look slightly awkward. After trying to fiddle with it for fifteen minutes, Lance sighed, slapping a gift tag on it and writing Shiro’s name on it. 

Finally, on the day of Christmas, Lance was woken by a very giggly girl and an equally giggly man poking at him to get up. He lazily swatted away their hands, opening his eyes slightly.

“Can I help you?”

Shiro smiled at him, shaking his shoulders slightly. “It’s Christmas. Misaki wants to go and open some gifts,”

Lance sighed dramatically, flopping his arms on the bed. After a couple of seconds he sat up, a tired grin resting on his face. “Alright you oversized puppy, let’s go.”

They watched as Misaki ran down the stairs, squealing in delight when she saw the presents under the tree. It took about twenty minutes for her to finish opening up her presents, and once she was done, she immediately went to play with her new toys which included: two new dolls, a gigantic dollhouse, a toy car, and one of those mini toy ovens with plastic food. 

Shiro went over to pick up the excess wrapping paper when he noticed one tiny gift left sitting underneath the tree. Picking it up, he noticed his name on the side of it. Looking towards Lance, he pointed at the gift.

“This is for me?”

Lance shrugged his shoulders, trying his best to keep his nerves at bay. “I don’t know. Open it and see what Santa got you.”

Shiro rolled his eyes, setting down the wrapping paper mess for a minute. After carefully peeling off the wrapping paper he looked at the tiny black box in his hands. Opening it slowly, he felt his mouth open, tears beginning to prick at the corners of his eyes. 

Lance got up and sat next to him, gently plucking the box out of his hands and getting onto his knee. “Now listen, I know that we’ve never really talked about marriage before, and it’s totally fine if you just want to keep our relationship like this.”

“But I love you so much and I’ve been planning this for a while and I had a whole speech planned but now I can’t seem to remember anything.”

Shiro laughed at this, which caused Lance to smile before continuing. “What I do know is that there’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with, and I’m not just saying that because we’re soulmates and you’re kinda stuck with me. You’re the most genuine person that I’ve ever met, and you’re just so kind and caring. I honestly don’t know what I did in a past life to get you, but I know that I’m happier than I’ve ever been before.”

“So what I’m trying to say is: will you marry me?”

Shiro sat there for a while, tears freely flowing down his cheeks. Before Lance could take what he said back Shiro tackled him to the ground, hugging him tightly.

“Of course I’ll marry you!”

Lance wheezed, patting Shiro’s back. “Hey babe, I get you’re happy and all, but I can’t breathe,”

Shiro sat up with a sheepish smile. He gave his hand to Lance, who slid on the ring, silently breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that it fit perfectly. Running his finger over it, Lance laughed, resting his head against Shiro’s.

“You know,” he started, a smile on his face, “I always imagined that I’d propose at such a romantic place, with the sunset in view and a planned speech in my mind. I never thought that I’d propose on Christmas morning in the most basic way imaginable.”

Shiro huffed out a laugh, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Well, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Lance felt content. Of course, this was far from what he thought his family would be, but he definitely wouldn’t change it for the world.

And he couldn’t wait to get married to Shiro and live his unusual life.

[nyruratchet]

Notes: 1 - Two Things (again)

Well, I’m back to trying this blog thing. I started this blog after college to share how my life was going/changing and my struggle with homosexuality. I remember having big dreams when I packed ONE suitcase and made my move to the bronx with no money, no job, etc.

I hit the streets everyday I could, to audition and submit resumes (I had no money, so had to sometimes chose between taking the subway or buying food from McDonald’s dollar menu, (EVERYTHING was a dollar on that menu at the time.) In between auditions, I would walk down Broadway dreaming about one day performing on those stages. I would spend time in COLONY music honing my sight-reading trying to make sure I didn’t lose what little skill I had acquired while completing my music minor (I eventually lost it). Then when it started getting dark unsafe to hang in the parks, I’d head home. Once, a guy even tried to rob me when I was walking home from the 2 train on Gun Hill road; But I had NOTHING. So, he let me go.

In the midst of all this, I tried to have sex. But, I didn’t have a smart phone in the big city so it was honestly hard to get anyone’s attention. And when I did, they were horrible experiences. I had a hook-up with this guy and when I got tested a month later, I found out he gave me an STI. But, I had done everything right?! Condoms, no swallowing, no drugs, etc. Then after I was treated and I told him that he infected me, his response was “Don’t bother me with that; that’s YOUR problem.” I should have known RIGHT then no one could ever be trusted. 

A couple years passed and I had ran through my savings and the little xmas money my parents gave me. I HAD to find a job. Desperate, I went on craigslist applying to shady “help wanted” ads. Of course, there were guys soliciting me for sex, drugs, “modeling”, “personal” assistant work... Right when I was about to consider selling my ass for cash on RentBoy, a small company looking to open a retail pop-up in Times Square messaged me for an interview. I got my first job. There was now a light in this very long tunnel. I was thankful for anything, I couldn’t sleep amongst mice and roaches any longer. 

Since then, I have had several retail jobs that I held down while auditioning, writing, and recording. After years on the grind...I couldn’t do it anymore. I had got my foot in the door company managing off-broadway shows. But after being mistreated by one of the theater managers, I realized I was not supposed to be here, in this place, at this moment. So, without any real plan, I quit. There’s more to that story but I digress.

Again, I found myself without health care, without money, on unemployment but getting side work where I could ushering for Broadway shows. It was literal torture having to watch these performers every night KNOWING I was every bit as talented as them, but could not get out of this space I was in. But, destitute, about to be cut off of unemployment, needing to pay rent, I applied to become a Flight Attendant. In hindsight, I can’t blame myself for doing it. Growing up, I was always taught to do what you had to survive. There were times when we had to share a bed (me, my mom, and sister), sleep on the grandmother’s couch, sleep backstage in the auditorium at school...my life is not what people think it is. So when I saw a chance to have a bit of security, I jumped at it. But now, I’m living a half-life. I don’t want to get up anymore. What I do for work brings NO joy to me. But, the benefits are more than I’ve ever had. Knowing I couldn’t live like this, last year I took a chance and put myself out there for studio work. And someone actually likes my writing!! Problem, it takes money to do studio work. I’ve offered to sing on artists tracks for free just to get free studio time; but the music business is just not what it used to be. So, I work and work hoping to save enough money to get my next single done.

But here goes “God”. Worked my ass off Christmas, but my company decides not to pay me for the promised hours I’m supposed to have. Had a hook up with a guy on grindr. I go to the bathroom and come back to walk him out afterwards; I notice my credit cards are missing and cash I had left poorly hidden was stolen. Then my car gets towed...again. (No, it wasn’t a tow away zone this time. They should have just put a ticket on my car; but I digress. The City does WHATEVER they want.) After racing to work, I notice my practically new tire keeps going flat and I have to get it repaired. Another hundred bucks. My phone keeps cutting itself off, so I was saving to get a new phone (I’ve had mine for YEARS). I recorded a new single (actually 2...) and paid for these industry known producers. Well, come to find out...they do BAD BUSINESS. basically, I’lll have to pay them another $500 before they will finish my song...I’ve already had 2 sessions with them and they are holding my stems. 

And the newest situation, my $2000 cashier’s check (which is how I’ve been paying, on time, for like 6 years) gets lost in the mail. For anyone who doesn’t know, in order to get a cashier’s check replaced, you have to wait 90 days. Yes, YOUR money, YOUR bank...but you can’t get the check stopped and replaced until its been missing for 90 fucking days! Naturally, its not my landlord’s fault. So, he’s expecting his money. And I don’t make that much money to simply shell out another 2K, so...here I am praying that I don’t get in trouble for the post office losing my check. Also praying my phone holds on for dear life until I can afford a new one.

So, I’m stuck. Have cried so much the last month. My love life has more to do with that...I’ll write about that next time though. Honestly, if I could abandon this job, abandon NY, live a simple life while making music people WANT to hear, and sharing a life with someone I’m head over heels with, I would do it in a heartbeat. But every time I try to make a change or work to get myself out of a hole, I get dragged right back down.

I’ve only ever wanted two things from life. Love & singing. Don’t need a big house, fancy car, billions in the bank, tons of people around me, tons of clothes, no. Never. Just wanted to be happy. Just gimme a stage and a man who loves me. That’s all I need.

[hkvoyage]

Fic: Butterfly Wings - Chapter 40

Story summary A fashion blog started at University launched Blaine Anderson’s fortune and fame. As Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, he is struggling to find an original angle for an upcoming issue. Kurt Hummel has recently arrived in New York City after finishing high school, and is having no luck building a musical theater career, so he decides to explore another passion of his: fashion. He applies for an internship at Vogue, and Isabelle sees in him the perfect fresh face to liven up the magazine, and convinces him to try out as a model. Kurt meets Blaine, and in spite of their 10-year age difference, sparks fly. Can they overcome misunderstandings and sabotage to find their happily-ever-after? Klaine model AU. Rating for this chapter: Mature (overall story is mature) Word count for this chapter: 4,946 Can also be read on A03 / FF Masterpost is here. The fantastic story artwork produced by Cassie at @cc-graphics  can be here.   Thank you to the amazing @lilyvandersteen for the beta work and support. ***** “The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.”  - T.K.V. Desikachar August Blaine enters the penthouse early in the morning and sets down his carry-on suitcase. It was a hectic three-day trip, but it was so totally worth it. Kurt has been really busy with his summer courses, spending every free moment at the FIT jewelry workshop. Instead of sitting home and feeling sorry for himself, Blaine had decided to fly to LA while Kurt finished the final coursework. “Is that you, Blaine?” he hears Kurt calling out. Soon he has an armful of Kurt, who wraps his legs around Blaine’s waist. “Good morning, my love. God, I missed you so much,” Blaine murmurs, kissing Kurt and holding onto him tightly. If this is the welcome home he gets, then Blaine thinks he might have to take a few more short trips away.

“I’m so happy you’re home. I missed you too. Let’s have breakfast and you can tell me all about your trip.” Within minutes, Amy has the table laden with blueberry pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit salad, freshly pressed orange juice, and a pot of coffee. “All my favorite foods! You spoil me, Amy,” Blaine declares, starving after the red-eye flight he has taken. “Kurt isn’t the only one who misses you when you’re away, Mr. A. Unless you need anything else, I’m off to the Greenmarket over in Brooklyn. I hear this season’s Georgia peaches are in. I won’t be back until 1 p.m.” When Amy has left the penthouse, Kurt bursts out into laughter. “What’s so funny?” Blaine asks. “The Greenmarket isn’t open today, and I spotted a boxful of peaches in the laundry area last night. Amy is making herself scarce to give us some alone time. Now, tell me all about the trip.” “Sam and Mercedes are doing fine, although they haven’t had much sleep since the baby was born. I insisted on doing all the middle-of-the-night feeds. Monica is so gorgeous and sweet that I almost packed her into my suitcase to bring her home with me. I swear she smiled at me, but Mercedes insisted that it’s too early for that.” Blaine hands over his tablet so that Kurt can see the hundreds of photos taken over the three-day trip. Most of them show Blaine positively glowing with a baby in his arms. “Did you finish your end-of-term projects?” “I handed them in yesterday afternoon. I’m rather proud of the jewelry designs.” “You’ll have to show me later, maybe after 1 p.m.? I can think of a few other ways to spend the next four hours before Amy returns,” Blaine whispers hotly into Kurt’s ear. ***** Blaine enters Le Bernardin, and the maitre d' whisks him off to a table in the center of the restaurant, where Sebastian is waiting for him. “Sebastian, good to see you. I can’t believe you managed to book a table here at such short notice.” “You’re not the only one who has connections. When I told them that my guest would be Blaine Anderson, they practically wetted themselves thinking of the publicity that the restaurant would get with us dining together.” “I guess that explains the high-profile table,” Blaine chuckles. They select their seafood courses from the prix-fixe menu, and two glasses of Krug champagne that Sebastian had ordered earlier are poured. “I’m surprised that Tickle-Me-Doughface let you join me for lunch,” Sebastian smirks. “Do not call Kurt that,” Blaine growls. “If you’re just going to throw insults at us, I’m leaving.” “Okay, simmer down. I didn’t think that would hit a nerve.” “Well, it did. Treat my boyfriend with respect. So why did you invite me to lunch, Sebastian?” “I read the interview that was in Vogue’s June issue. Frankly, what you said about us surprised me.” “I thought it would. You see, Sebastian, in a weird way, I think you bring out the best in me at work. I know how smart you are, I know how you operate and I try to keep up. It focuses me to make Vogue the top-selling magazine.” “It’s working. Elle’s circulation numbers are down since Kurt left. Maybe if I pretend to be your friend, you’ll take the eye off the ball,” Sebastian snorts. “I’m tired of playing games with you, Sebastian. I don’t think there are any winners in the end – just other people like Chandler and Kurt that get hurt by our tactics. Let’s call a truce.” “I can’t promise that, Blaine. After all, my number one goal is to have Elle on top. What I can promise you, though, is that I’ll make it less personal. Believe it or not, Blaine, I admire you as well.” The first course of raw oysters is served, and they eat and chat about the Monarch Foundation. “I really appreciate your generous donation, Sebastian. We’re using the money to buy a property in Defiance, Ohio.” Sebastian laughs. “I love that my money will be used for a Monarch House in a town called Defiance. It pretty much sums me up, particularly when I was a teenager.” “I can’t imagine what you got up to in Paris, before attending Dalton,” Blaine remarks cautiously, not sure where this conversation is heading. “Oh, it started way earlier than that, Blainey. The summer before starting high school, my father got me a job at the State Attorney’s mailroom. There was a really hot college intern who started hitting on me, and we messed around. One lunchtime, the state attorney general himself caught us in the mailroom - I was fucking the intern’s brains out. Later, the intern claimed I was raping him and he wasn’t gay.” “You were the one underage, not him. What he did… It’s called statutory rape!” Blaine exclaims. “I wasn’t in the position to argue finer legal points with the state attorney general, was I? The way he and my father saw it, I was the aggressor, because I was topping. To make matters worse, I hadn’t come out to anyone! The state attorney general conveniently found a one-year position in Paris for my father at the Bureau du Procureur. The next week, we were on the plane.” “That sounds awful. I can’t imagine going through that at fourteen years old.” “My parents said I was a disgrace to the Smythe name and enrolled me in a French boarding school. I decided right then that I couldn’t ever depend on anyone but myself. At school, the French boys were attracted to the new American boy, and I fucked them all – it made me feel powerful. Once the gossip calmed down, we returned to Ohio, and I was enrolled at Dalton.” “Wow. I didn’t know, Sebastian.” “I think it would really have helped if there had been a place like the Monarch House I could go to that summer when I worked in the mailroom. I think I would have come out to my family before the scandal happened, and I would have known what to expect when it came to sex.” The main course of Dover sole is presented, and the conversation turns light and breezy, remembering Warbler antics and updating each other with news in their lives. When they’ve finished their meal and walk out of the restaurant, there are dozens of paparazzi taking photos of them. Sebastian and Blaine smile for the cameras and joke about their friendly rivalry. When Sebastian goes to shake Blaine’s hand, Blaine pulls him in for a one-armed hug, and the paps go wild, because it’s the exact same pose as the photo taken during their Dalton years that was featured in Vogue. Once Blaine sets off in a separate direction from Sebastian and turns the corner, he whips out his phone and sends Kurt a text. Lunch with Seb went great. Paps swamped us at the end. We posed for pictures. Blaine certainly doesn’t want Kurt to misinterpret the photos that are probably already on Twitter. Blaine realizes how far they have come in such a short time when he reads Kurt’s reply. Yeah, I’ve seen them. You are so much hotter than Seb ;). Fans think Klaine rules over Seblaine. I do too! K xx. Weeks ago, the paparazzi discovered that Kurt was his boyfriend, when he left Blaine’s apartment building one early morning to go to class. Initially, there was a media frenzy, and Blaine had insisted that Bentley drive Kurt to and from FIT. Once the media realized that he and Kurt did everyday things – and didn’t have public sex in nightclubs - they soon got bored of following them and turned their attention to an actor who insisted he was straight, but acted like a tart at gay clubs. Blaine checks his watch, and it’s 2:30 p.m. There’s nothing pressing at work, so he decides to go home and start the weekend early. Kurt is spending the day browsing the vintage jewelry and antique shops in the Village to get inspiration for future designs. When Blaine enters the penthouse, he immediately goes into the kitchen to let Amy know that he’s home. He can’t find her, but notices her laptop open on the kitchen counter. Amy uses it to find new recipes on the Internet. Blaine walks over to the computer to see what’s on the menu for tonight. However, Blaine notices that instead of a recipe, a Word document is open. Kevin licks his lips when he sees Brian’s hands and feet tied to the bed, spread out for before him. Brian is in for a very long night, and if he’s lucky, Kevin will let him cum. Kevin pulls out the large chest from the closet and slowly opens it. He can sense that Brian is watching every move that he makes. Kevin bends over, making sure to show off his ass, and takes out a blindfold, gag, and leather restraints. It’s going to be a long night of pleasure and pain. Brian whimpers when he sees… Blaine doesn’t recall an e-mail notification that KrianFeels has updated the Breakout fic, and then it dawns on him. “Blaine! I wasn’t expecting you home so early. Is everything all right?” Amy asks as she walks into the kitchen. “You’re KrianFeels!” Amy blushes profusely and grabs the laptop to snap it shut. “All this time, you knew that Sam and I read KrianFeels’ stories. And it was you! How did you even…?” Amy sighs. “I guess I should start at the beginning. When you and Sam started reading Breakout fics, I went on the Internet to check them out for myself. I thought they were pretty lame – way too romantic and fluffy for my liking. Then I created a username and went on to Tumblr and discovered the kink meme board - that was a real eye opener. I decided I could do a much better job of it, so I started writing fic. You and Sam loved the stories so much that I kept on writing.” “How do you even know about these things? You’re not even gay!” “Hey, you don’t need to be a murderer to be a mystery writer. I research on the Internet, chat online with Tumblr friends, and I read stuff. I might be middle-aged, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a creative and active imagination.” “This is a whole different side to you that I didn’t know existed,” Blaine laughs, shaking his head. “Don’t tell Sam, Mr. A.! Let me have my fun. He’s my number one reviewer and I love reading his reactions. I try to fill every prompt that he gives me.” “Oh. My. God. You’re JiffyFeels too!” “The one and only. Now if you excuse me, I need to go into the other room and die of embarrassment.” “Don’t do that, Amy. Actually, I think it’s pretty hilarious. Sam and I have always assumed that KrianFeels was a gay man. It’s not going to affect anything between us. I promise I won’t mention it to Sam. Take the afternoon off and go finish that chapter.” Amy gathers her things and waits in the private lobby for the elevator. Blaine pokes his head out the main door and says, “Amy, one more thing. For god’s sake, let Brian cum. He’s been waiting for weeks.” Blaine goes to the piano and starts his warm-up exercises, chuckling at the image of Amy hunched over her computer at night writing gay smut for his and Sam’s enjoyment. A little tune comes into his head, and soon Blaine is working on the chorus.

Well surprise, surprise, surprise Yeah surprise, surprise, surprise Well surprise, surprise, come on open your eyes And let your love shine down Blaine stops when he realizes that he’s started to compose a new song. Yesterday’s meeting at SONY records with Marley Rose and Connor was a real eye opener. When the SONY executives realized that Blaine composed the music for Marley Rose’s ‘All or Nothing’, they offered him a recording contract on the spot. Connor had predicted this, and so Blaine was prepared. 

Blaine informed the SONY executives that he didn’t want a solo career as a musician. He was more interested in songwriting and eventually producing for other artists. He agreed to work with Marley Rose on her solo album, providing songs and back-up vocals where needed. However, no-one was to know that this was Blaine’s work - he would use a pseudonym. In addition, SONY would need to donate 1% of the sale proceeds to the Monarch Foundation. The SONY executives reluctantly agreed to Blaine’s terms. While they wanted Blaine to front his own songs, they quickly realized that Blaine would not compromise on the matter. Blaine wonders how he’ll find the time to work on new songs, join Marley Rose in the recording studio, run Vogue, and spend time with Kurt. He decides to put this dilemma on the backburner until he and Kurt have their holiday together soon. 

***** 

After messing around on the piano, Blaine takes a long hot shower and then lies down on the bed to cool off before getting dressed. His body’s feeling loose and relaxed, and he lets his fingers brush down his chest. The latest installment of Amy’s has him wondering what he and Kurt might put in a toy chest. There’s so many possibilities, so many combinations, so many ways they can make each other feel good. Blaine picks up his phone and sends Kurt a text. Came home early. I gave Amy the rest of the day off. I’m lonely, so hurry back ;) – B xx Blaine thinks of Kurt’s body – the taut muscles of his chest, the biceps, the endless legs, the wide expanse of creamy soft skin. Blaine hugs Kurt’s pillow to breathe in the scent. Blaine imagines how Kurt’s cock feels and tastes in his mouth. God, if Kurt doesn’t get home soon he’s going to explode. Blaine eagerly grabs his phone when he hears a new notification ping. On my way home, lover boy. I’ll see you in 15 min. K xxx Blaine is horny and wants sex as soon as Kurt walks into the penthouse. But pouncing on his boyfriend and fucking him against the wall probably isn’t a smooth move, so Blaine comes up with another idea. ***** When Kurt enters the penthouse, Blaine’s yoga playlist fills the penthouse with music. Instead of wearing his usual yoga gear, Blaine has opted for the tightest fitting pair of lycra shorts that he owns, and no shirt. Blaine is sitting in the cross-legged ‘lotus’ position, with hands in front of his body as if he’s praying. “Namaste,” Blaine says calmly. Blaine allows his body to flow into the ‘seated twist’ pose, making sure that Kurt gets a little glimpse of his right ass cheek. He then glides down on the mat in time with the music. Blaine places his hands by his side, then presses his feet into the mat and lifts his hips high in the air to do the ‘bridge’ pose. Blaine hears a gasp from the other side of the room, which encourages him to continue. Blaine gracefully rolls to his stomach and places his hands a few inches in front of his shoulders. With one quick move, he jacks his ass up into the ‘downward dog’ pose. Blaine is physically prepared for Kurt to ravish him, and disappointment sinks in when he hears Kurt sit down on the couch, which is in the opposite direction of his ass. Still, he has one more trick up his sleeve. Blaine drops from the pose, curls his body into a ball and turns 180 degrees so that his face is in the opposite direction of Kurt. He slowly rises to his feet and stretches his arms above his head. He spreads his legs three feet apart, lowers his upper body, and clasps his ankle into the ‘standing straddle forward bend’ pose. Blaine can hear Kurt’s heavy panting for a minute, but there’s still no action. Blaine carefully moves his right hand and brings out the condom and packet of lube that he placed under the yoga mat earlier, making it even more obvious what he wants. “God Blaine, you really want me so badly. Take off your shorts and get back in that position,” Kurt says in a low authoritative voice. Kurt’s command goes straight to Blaine’s cock, which is leaking with precum. Usually, Kurt is so quiet during sex – breathy sighs and muted grunts – but this Kurt turns him on. Blaine peels off the lycra shorts, taking his own sweet time to slowly reveal his ass. He tosses the shorts aside and gets back in his previous position, taking deep breaths to ready himself for Kurt’s fingers. He can hear Kurt take off his shirt, undo his belt, and unzip the fly of his trousers. Just when the suspense is killing him, he feels soft lips kiss on his ass instead of the fingers he expected. Holy shit! Blaine’s arms tremble as Kurt gives him kitten licks around his puckered hole, squeezing his ass roughly. The combination of the rough and the smooth sensations is turning Blaine on, and he lets out a groan. “Oh my god… That feels fantastic… Kurt… Don’t stop… ghh…” Kurt flattens his tongue and takes a long swipe from his hole down to his balls. Kurt takes one in his mouth and slowly sucks, while his finger is circling Blaine’s hole. “Fucking hell… I need something inside me… More!” Blaine cries out. Kurt rolls his tongue and thrusts it as deep as it will go inside him. Every nerve in Blaine’s body is on edge. When Kurt slips a finger inside next to his tongue, Blaine whimpers at the feeling. Soon Kurt has three fingers inside, twisting and rubbing his prostrate. Blaine’s entire body trembles and drops, not able to hold the position any more. “I’m sorry.’ Blaine sobs. “Maybe if I do the advanced yoga class…” Blaine can feel the weight of Kurt’s naked body over him, and gentle kisses along his shoulders and neck. It grounds him and makes him feel safe. “Don’t ever say sorry for what you need or what you can’t handle. I need to know what makes you feel good. Now tell me what you want.” Blaine’s cock is still throbbing, and god, he wants more. “I want to feel you inside me so badly. I want… I want you to claim me as yours. If you don’t fuck me right now, I think I’ll die. I’ve been fantasizing about it since I got home.” Kurt pushes off Blaine’s body and orders, “Then get on your knees.” Blaine’s haste is almost comical as he scrambles onto his knees. When he hears the condom wrapper crinkle, Blaine moves his hand to his cock. “Don’t touch yourself. That belongs to me… You belong to me,” Kurt growls. Blaine’s heart starts racing when he hears those words. Kurt’s cock quickly but smoothly enters him, and in this position, Blaine feels claimed. Once Blaine nods, Kurt starts thrusting quickly and holds on to Blaine’s hips for leverage. “Look at you taking it, Blaine. That tight little hole of yours is made for me.” Blaine moans and starts babbling, pushing his ass back to get even more of that incredible feeling. Kurt changes the angle every few thrusts until his cock finds Blaine’s prostrate. “There, Kurt!... Right there…. Don’t stop… Fucking Incredible…” Kurt leans forward and takes Blaine’s cock in his hand. “You are mine, mine, mine… No-one else will hear your moaning. No-one else will see you like this. No-one else will ever have you. Mine! Mine! Mine!” When Kurt twists his wrist at the top of Blaine’s cock, Blaine screams at the top of his lungs. There are streams of thick white cum shooting across the yoga mat. Blaine can feel Kurt go still as he orgasms ten seconds later. Once Kurt pulls out of him, Blaine collapses to the side of the mat. “Oh my god, Kurt. You were amazing.” “You were pretty amazing too. I think we ruined your yoga mat.” “I’ll buy a dozen more tomorrow. When you talked dirty to me… Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.” “Neither was I,” Kurt replies. “But I could tell that it really turned you on.” “You know, Kurt, I don’t always want sex fast and rough like that. I also love it when you’re caring and gentle, but what made it really special was that you did it for me.” “Hey, I had an incredible orgasm too. I like trying out different things with you. I love you.” “I love you too.” ***** Kurt drives up I-87 through the Catskill Mountains and Albany, and then keeps heading north. They stop at Mrs. London’s Bakery and Café in Saratoga Springs for lunch. “Oh my god, Blaine. I haven’t had a baguette sandwich this good since I was living in Paris.” “Saratoga Springs is an excellent choice, Kurt. The flat track horse racing is still going on and the Philadelphia Orchestra is currently at SPAC for its summer season. Where are we staying?” “We’re not staying in Saratoga, Blaine. It’s too busy and expensive in August. Besides, there’s media everywhere, what with Marylou Whitney and other high society people staying at their mansions for the month. This is just a lunch stop.” While Kurt is buying a dozen pains au chocolat from the bakery to go, Blaine wonders where they could possibly be going, because they are very close to the Canadian border. “Umm, Kurt. I don’t want to be a killjoy, but I didn’t bring my passport.” “You won’t need one, silly. But I promise it will feel like we’re in a different country because where we’re going is nothing like New York City.” They get back in the car and return to the Northway. They are soon in the Adirondack Mountains and leave the highway a few exits past Lake George. Blaine spots a sign that says “Welcome to Schroon Lake. Population 1,654.” Kurt drives on the road that borders the lake, then takes a right hand turn onto a short gravely drive. Blaine gasps when he sees what’s in front of them. There’s a small cute two-story log cabin with a wrap-around balcony on the top floor. In the front yard, there’s a campfire area surrounded by comfy-looking chairs. The sides and back of the cabin are completely surrounded by pine and maple trees, giving them privacy. Kurt rushes up the stairs on the side of the cabin and takes the key from under the welcome mat. Inside, the main room has a kitchen, a dining area and a living space with comfortable looking chairs and a sofa. There’s an old-fashioned cast iron wood-burning stove in the corner to keep the cabin warm during cold winter nights. Kurt opens the French doors that lead out to a balcony to take in the beautiful view of Schroon Lake. Blaine stands behind Kurt and wraps his arms around him. “I can’t believe that we’re still in New York State. It’s perfect. Where did you ever find this place?” “I had coffee after class with Nicole a month ago, and she was telling me about upstate New York, where she’s from. She showed me pictures of her aunt and uncle’s log cabin in the mountains, and it looked perfect for our getaway this month. Nicole contacted her aunt, and here we are,” Kurt explains. They explore the rest of the log cabin. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom on the main floor. They climb down the steps to the lower level and find a pool table, bunk beds, an old sectional sofa, and a large flat-screen TV. Kurt has packed for both of them, and when they go to unload the car, Blaine is surprised to find a large ice-chest and a half-dozen recyclable bags filled with groceries. “I knew we would be in the mountains, so I had Amy buy food supplies and prepare a few meals in advance. I can think of a hundred other things I’d rather being doing instead…” Kurt pulls Blaine in close and whispers “… with your body.” An hour later – after they’ve christened the pool table – they unpack their things, and Blaine fires up the BBQ while Kurt prepares a salad to accompany the lamb kebabs Amy prepared for them earlier. After dinner, they make a campfire and toast marshmallows for s’mores. Blaine loves the sticky kisses he gets after they’ve eaten the sweet treats. After adding a few logs to keep the campfire going, Blaine sits on Kurt’s lap, who’s positioned in the huge cushioned wooden Adirondack chair. Blaine nuzzles into Kurt’s chest, watching the sparks fly up from the fire and listening to nature’s sounds around them. “There’s lots of things to do in the area, Blaine. There are water skis and fishing rods to use with the boat if we want to. There’s tons of walking trails in the mountains. If it rains, we can go to Lake George and go shopping at the outlet mall and hang out in the indoor arcades. If we drive thirty minutes, we can…” “Do you know how much I love you,” Blaine interrupts. “I can’t believe you organized such a perfect vacation. There is nowhere I’d rather be right now than in your arms.” “I love you too, Mr. Cheesy. Is it okay if we talk about something that I’ve had on my mind lately? It’s about next week and starting back at school again. There’s a change in my plans.” Blaine nuzzles further into Kurt’s chest, worried about where the conversation will go. He’s been so happy living with Kurt these past two months, and Blaine doesn’t want it to ever end. Could this idyllic vacation be over before it really started? Blaine nods his head and whispers, “What change in plans? I thought we were happy together.” Kurt squeezes Blaine tightly. “Oh god, that didn’t come out right. We are happy together. I’ve never been happier in my life than during the past two months. It has more to do with FIT.” Blaine lets out the breath he’s been holding, relieved that Kurt isn’t breaking up with him. “I went to my academic advisor yesterday and told him I was changing my major. I want to study jewelry design. I loved the summer course, and there’s something about creating a work of art from metals and different color gem stones that people can wear that appeals to me. It’s really sparked something inside me. Now, when I look around, I see inspiration everywhere for brooches, rings and the like.” “I’m not really surprised. The things I had to do this summer to convince you to leave the jewelry workshop at FIT. I love the jewlery you’ve created and I think you have a special talent. And trust me, I see a lot of jewelry come across my desk at Vogue, so I know what I’m talking about.” “You don’t think I’m too fickle, changing my major?” “Nonsense, Kurt. You’re following your gut feeling about what’s right for you. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I’m going to do as well. I’m thinking of really giving songwriting a go. I have enough ideas for songs to put together an album and I want to spend some time with Marley Rose and flesh them out. I think she has the perfect voice for them.” “That’s fantastic, Blaine! Pretty soon you’ll be giving up your day job and pursuing your music.” “I’m not sure about that. New York City’s pretty expensive, and I still need to pay the mortgage.” “New York City is expensive when you live in a penthouse, and have a driver and housekeeper. But we don’t need to have that sort of lifestyle. Honestly, Blaine, I would be happy living in a shoebox as long as we’re living together.” Blaine suddenly sits up and wonders if Kurt really means it. When he looks at Kurt, he sees a warm hopeful expression. Kurt’s eyes are sparkling, and he’s wearing the same large smile that he had on the first day Blaine met him. “Do you mean…?” “Yes, Blaine. I want us to live together, now and for always. I like spending time with my best friend, my lover, my prince charming. I’ve been crazy happy since I returned to New York.” “Me too. I love living with you, Kurt. I can’t wait to get home each day to spend time with you.”

Kurt slaps his forearm and brushes off a dead mosquito. “Let’s take this inside before I’m eaten alive by bugs. I can think of a lot of ways we could be celebrating.” Author notes Song Blaine starts to compose - ‘Surprise, Surprise’ by Bruce Springsteen

Did you guess the identity of KrianFeels? Next up:  the last chapter (there’s also an epilogue).

[cajunroe]

Webgott Chef/Critic AU ↳ Joseph Liebgott has only ever had three major loves in his life: family, friends, and food. It all he’s ever wanted and needed. He runs a successful restaurant and it’s popularity is growing everyday. He hasn’t been worried about a possible setback since he opened. He knows that the plates he puts out are the best because he’s doing what he does best. However, there are critics. Critics who specifically seek out places like his and look for any and every reason to destroy his life. One critic in particular, known as The Shark because of a shark pin the guy wears on his lapel, apparently has his sights set on Joe’s place and he’ll be damned if this Ivy League prick finds anything wrong with his cooking. 

Joe discovered his love of cooking when his mom had to work a double or else she’d be fired. So, Joe makes dinner for his little brothers and sisters with what’s in the fridge, and when he’s sees their faces light up when they take their first hesitant bite and then devour the rest, he thinks he might have some talent. He starts to cook more often when his mom has to take more and more shifts at work. Each time is something new or different that he thought of or wanted to try. Then he starts doing the grocery shopping after school. Then his siblings start requesting dishes or newfound favorites. Then, on Joe’s birthday when he finishes making his own three-tiered birthday cake, his whole family calls him into the living room. When they hand him a sealed white envelope he doesn’t know what to expect. He opens it to find an acceptance letter to the culinary arts academy he wanted to apply to. 

“We applied for you.” His mother says when he just stares at the paper.

“T-they needed a demonstration, transcripts, and a bunch of other shit, how?”

“Believe it or not, your leftovers are better than a lot of fresh meals, I got you transcripts and you had several glowing recommendations sent in.”

Joe smiles and blinks back his tears.

“Time for cake.”

Three years later and Joe has his own restaurant, backed by his family and large group of friends. 

Joe puts his heart and soul into his cooking and loves the joy and happiness that he’s able to bring to strangers through his life’s work.

On an ordinary Tuesday night, Grant burst into the kitchen from the front of the house and whistles for Joe’s attention.

“What is it Chuckie? I’m a little busy here. Tal! Garnish and send it out!”

“I told you to stop calling me that Lieb and I think he’s here.”

Joe’s head shot up. The most renowned critic in all of San Francisco was possibly about to dine in his restaurant. He could make or break any establishment and Joe had worked too long and too hard for some college boy to ruin him.

“He wearin’ the pin?”

Grant nodded his head. No one really knew what the critic looked like, only that he wore a shark pin to the restaurants he reviewed.

“Alright, make sure you serve him. Be nice, but not too much. That pretentious prick hates when servers are too pushy.”

“You got it.” Grant said before he left.

Joe turned to his staff, “Alright boys, one customer ain’t gonna ruin us. Let’s go! Tal get started on those apps! Skip, how are the desserts? Babe, get moving on those steaks! Come on people, this ain’t opening night!” There’s a resounding chorus of, “Yes chef!”, and Lieb smiles. 

David Webster didn’t necessarily enjoy being a food critic. Yes, he got paid to eat food, but sometimes he felt less than accomplished, void of purpose, no matter how popular his blog was. So when he’s told several hundred times to try Easy Company, he looks into it. Owned by one Joseph Liebgott, it’s been open for three years and it’s kept steady business but has been gaining traction since a featured spot on a Food Network show. There’s no specific cuisine set and it’s the first thing that grabs his attention.

No pictures, that’s…interesting.

A new menu each night.

Tricky and expensive, but impressive.

Friendly and attentive staff.

Always a plus, given the industry.

Lastly, from the plethora of online reviews, it’s worth the heftier price tag.

He stares at the blank page of his novel and sighs.

Now’s as good a time as any.

Web sighs as he pushes himself away from his desk, places his pin on his lapel, and makes a reservation for late that night.

The true testament of a great restaurant is the experience an hour right before they close.

The restaurant is nice and surprises him when he walks in. He’s seated immediately and given the day’s menu before the waiter leaves him for kitchen. Probably to tell the chef that he’s here so they can wine and dine him literally.

He’s not left waiting for long.

“Have you had enough time to look over the menu?”

“Yes, I’ll have the special of the night and a scotch, neat, please.”

“Right away, sir.”

Web pulls out his phone and starts the live posting of the night, determined to do his best to find any fault or exceptionality.

Joe hates critics. He doesn’t understand the reason they even have a job. How does someone else’s experience of a place determine what your own was going to be like? What kind of indecisive person lets some stranger’s opinion stop them from enjoying something amazing? Also, why was this fuck in his restaurant?

“He wants the special and a scotch, neat.” Grant tells him as his puts in the order.

“Neat? Who is this asshole?” Joe laughs as starts the order.

Babe jumps in as he plates a perfectly cooked steak, “He’s a Harvard grad, got a degree in literature. He hasn’t published anything yet, but is working on book about sharks. Name’s David Webster and he’s actually pretty nice once you get to know him.”

Half the kitchen stops and looks at Babe.

“How the hell you know all that?” Joe asks.

“He’s friends with Gene. I didn’t know that’s who you were talking about until you mentioned the pin.”

Babe goes back to cooking like he didn’t just drop a bomb full of knowledge on them.

There’s a crash at the bar and Grant runs back out to the front of the house.

“How was everything, sir?”

Web was surprised, the food was remarkable and he’s never had such a profound response to any other meal he’s eaten. Now he understood why people fell in love with food, why people chose this career for a living, why a good meal could bring a unique happiness to someone’s life.

“Would it be possible to speak with the chef?”

The waiter’s, Charles as his embroidered shirt states, eyes widen and then give him a polite smile.

“Let me go check for you.”

“Yo Lieb, he, uh, wants to talk to you.”

“What the fuck for?”

“I didn’t ask, you said to be nice.”

Joe sighs and wipes the sweat from his forehead.

“Yeah, thanks for that.”

Joe takes a deep breath before pushing open the kitchen door.

“You asked to see me?”

Web looks up from his final review post he was writing and looks up to see a rather annoyed looking chef looking down at him.

“Yes, I did.”

“What for?”

“I wanted to say that I love your food.”

Lieb folded his arms, attempting to look unimpressed but still appreciating the praise from someone so well-known.

“Really?”

“Yes, I can see why you do what you do. I can see why you love it. I mean, my potatoes were a little over seasoned, but it didn’t ruin my meal.”

“Ov—Over seasoned?!”

Joe looked at the handsome – wait, no, pretentious – face of the critic and was so not entranced by the sharp blue eyes.

Web looked around the restaurant where some other guests were looking at them and then back at the chef.

“Yes? Like I said, it didn’t ruin the meal. I want t—.”

“Look Harvard, I don’t care what you want. You know what I want? I want you to leave. I don’t care what you post on your little website or shit, I don’t care. Just leave and don’t come back.”

Web narrowed his eyes, anger boiling inside him, and moved to get up in front of the chef.

Joe caught the scent of the critic as he stood up in front of him and it reminded him of a day at the beach. It was soothing in a way that immediately annoyed him because of the man it was attached to.

It was only then that Web caught onto the Harvard comment.

“Wait, how do you know I went to Harvard?”

That caught Joe off-guard, he didn’t catch that he let that slip.

“What?”

Playing dumb had worked for him many times before.

“Harvard. You called me Harvard. How did you know?”

“You got that look about you, shark boy.”

Son of a bitch.

Sometimes Joe should learn when to shut his mouth.

Web grabbed Joe’s arm and pulled him outside the restaurant much to Joe’s loud and vulgar protests.

“How do you know who I am?”

“I have my sources.”

Web gave him an exasperated look.

“Please, you do not have sources. How do you know?”

Joe licked his lips and Web’s eye couldn’t help but follow the movement for some reason.

“My friend Babe’s boyfriend, Gene, is a friend of yours.”

“Wait, this is where Edward works?”

“Edward? Jesus, Web, only his ma calls him that.”

David flinched at the nickname.

“Please don’t call me that.”

“What, Web?”

He didn’t flinch this time but narrowed his eyes again.

“Yes, that.”

“You’d rather be called Harvard or shark boy?”

“I’d rather be called David.”

“Well, Web, this has been nice and all but I’ve gotta get back. So not nice seeing ya.”

Web grabbed his arm again before he reached the door.

“You know my name, can I at least know yours?”

“It’s Joe, Joe Liebgott.”

Web’s mouth opens and closes for half a minute.

“You okay there?”

“Y-yeah, I just didn’t know you were the head chef as well as the owner.”

“Yeah, I’m a regular Renaissance Man.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Lieb.”

Joe smiled as looked back at Web to see a mixed expression of enjoyment, annoyance, and longing? on the taller man’s face and it made him stop and do something stupid.

“Did you have dessert?”

It was worth asking just to see the confused look on Web’s face.

“What?”

“I said did you have dessert? Do they teach you to listen at Harvard?”

“No I didn’t and no, they don’t.”

“Well you can’t write a proper review if you don’t have dessert, right?”

Web smiled, “I guess I can’t. Is that an invitation?”

“It’s a demand.”

“Lead the way then, sir.”

Neither of them missed the hitch in Joe’s breath as they entered the restaurant.

Joe had Web sit at a chair in the kitchen while the rest of the staff finished the closing of the restaurant.

“You all can go home, I’ll finish here. We’re closed tomorrow anyway.”

The handful of staff still there shouted out quick thanks before running out of the door.

“So what do you want Web?”

Joe handed over a menu and finished cleaning the counters while Web decided.

“I haven’t had a strawberry shortcake since I was a kid. I’m a bit nervous though, what makes it ‘adult���?”

“The strawberries are soaked in an almond liqueur and the sauce in made with strawberry vodka.”

“That’s sounds perfect.”

Web’s phone rang and it was the ringtone of his editor.

“Sorry, I have to get this.”

Joe didn’t even answer, already focused on making the dessert.

He stepped through the door of the kitchen and watched Joe through the window.

“Yeah?”

“What’s taking so long for the final review?”

“I haven’t finished yet.”

Web watched the dance that Joe was performing effortlessly while he cooked.

“What do you mean? The restaurant closed twenty minutes ago. You’re on thin ice already Webster.”

The nasally voice from Sobel was grating on Web’s nerves.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“I know, sir. I’ll get in it, right away.”

“You better, or you’re done.”

His boss hung up before he could respond.

He went back into the kitchen and sat down with a long sigh.

“Boss that bad, huh?”

“Something like that.”

Joe watched the pound cake bake then started the sauce.

“So how does a Harvard grad, with a degree in literature, become a food critic?”

Web smiled, “Believe it or not, it’s very difficult to do what you really want.”

“Not for me.” Joe laughs and if Web wasn’t so fascinated by the man, he might’ve been angry.

“Well, I really want to write, but I’d also like to not be homeless, so I do this.”

“Nah, you can’t do that Web. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you haven’t written anything substantial about sharks since you started this job?”

Web looked shocked for a minute before he nodded.

“See, doing something you hate hinders your creativity, so now you can’t focus on what you want to do.”

“So what do you suggest I do?”

“Quit.”

Web laughs loudly, “Just like that? I’m into debt up to my ears and I can barely afford my what I have.”

“What? Parents didn’t pay for college?”

“Not when I told them I was majoring in Literature instead of Law like everyone expected me to.”

“So you paid for it by yourself?”

“I got help from the government and scholarships, but yeah. They still refuse to talk to me.”

Joe made a noise of consideration.

“You’re not what I expected Web.”

Web looked up and met Lieb’s eyes.

“I could say the same thing to you, Joe. Not many chefs or owners would be doing what you are now.”

Lieb winked, “I’m not most chefs.”

He came around the counter and placed the dessert in front of Web.

Something about Joe commanded attention and David couldn’t look away, not even at the impeccable dessert he was bound to rave about.

Lieb leaned in a little too close, but he may have snuck some shots of vodka while Web took his call. He was a little too attracted to Web, a critic for pete’s sake, and it shook him.

“And this is not most desserts.”

In that moment, nothing could have pulled Web away from Joe.

ASSHOLE CALLING. ASSHOLE CALLING. THERE’S AN ASSHOLE AND HE’S CALLING.

Unless, of course, your boss calls you.

Web pulls back, swears, and answers roughly, “What is it now?”

“Webster, that is not the way you address your boss.”

Web pulls the phone away from his ear while Sobel yells.

Joe’s laughing, but looks like he just missed something great, as he pulls a large bite of the dessert onto a spoon and lift it towards David’s mouth.

Web’s mouth opened in surprise and Joe smiled as he gently fed the dessert to the other man.

The noise that ripped out of Web’s throat could, at the very least, be described as pornographic.

Joe’s eyes widened and the spoon clattered onto the counter.

Joe slid off the stool and into Web’s space, just as Web had started the raise the phone back to his ear, his boss still screaming.

Joe’s hands were slowly reaching toward Web.

The phone reached Web’s ear and he came to a conclusion.

“I quit.”

He threw his phone down on the table and met Lieb’s lips with his own. It was a little off since they were both smiling, but it was perfect.

They eventually pulled away and rested their heads against one another.

Joe whispered gently, “How was that?”

David laughed and looked into Joe’s eyes before saying, “It was a little too sweet for my taste. I like something with a little more heat.”

Joe’s eyes darkened, “I can fix that for you, David.,” and tried to capture the critic’s lips once again, but Web pulled back with a laugh.

“No, seriously Joe, put a little chili powder on this or something.”

Lieb pushed Web playfully and went to clean the last of the dishes.

“Fuck you, Web.”

David shrugged as he took another bite, “Okay, but somewhere else. You have to think of the health code violations Joe.”

The dishes crashed in the back of the kitchen and Web laughed harder.

Web took the last bite of the dessert as Joe pulled him out of the seat, “It’s a good thing I live upstairs.”

[meraenthusiast]

RealtyShares – What I Learned From Losing $50,000

RealtyShares – What I Learned From Losing $50,000

Yes, it was painful writing the title of this article as I realize that most people don’t like admitting their failures.

And most people certainly don’t like putting their failures online for the entire world to see  but I’ve made it a point to be open and honest on this blog so here goes nothing…

Now that I’ve been passively investing in real estate for three years, I can now reflect back at the many things I did wrong with investing, especially with RealtyShares, and losing $50,000 (more on that shortly).

During the process, I realized I broke one of my main investing rules:

“NEVER invest money in something you don’t understand.”

Boy did I break that rule.

Here’s the rest of the story….

What Is RealtyShares?

RealtyShares (was) a real estate investment platform that gave investors direct access to  investment opportunities and real estate operators the ability to raise capital.

They sought out, like many other crowdfunding platforms, to develop relationships with real estate sponsors to bring them qualified investors to their deals.

And they also prided themselves on the service and value they provided their investors.

Here’s how I got started…

Becoming Debt-Free

After my wife and I got out from under mounds of student loan debt, I decided that I needed to make a change.

Up until that point, I’d always had goals I was trying to accomplish. For instance, when I was in college, my goal was to get into dental school.

In dental school, my goal was to graduate in the top of my class in order to get accepted into a residency.

Shortly before completing residency, I had a job offer pulled out from under me two weeks before graduation. At that time, I went into survival mode.

My only focus and goal was to learn all I could about starting and running a practice.

Heck, I learned so much I wrote a book about it: What They Don’t Teach You In Dental School

After starting a practice from scratch, I focused on paying off $250,000 of student loan debt and a house that we were paying interest only on.

Once we reached debt-free status, I felt great but unfortunately was a bit confused not really knowing where to go to next.

As a matter of fact, Dave Ramsey has now had to modify his “get out of debt” teaching that also addresses this same issue.

He’s now shifted to teaching his debt-free followers to shoot for becoming a millionaire.

He actually partnered with Chris Hogan and wrote “Everyday Millionaires” which is the largest study of millionaires since the book “The Millionaire Next Door” was written.

It was at this point in my career that I realized I had only “one” stream of income coming into our household which concerned me as I’m still an active guy.

I love sports but have also been injured multiple times playing basketball and tennis.

Yes, I occasionally “ball” with my kids. I’m not that old yet!

I do have the appropriate insurance policies to cover me if I injure my hand or arm but still wanted to do something about that one income stream.

So I decided to look into real estate investing.

My Crowdfunding Experience

Not only did I want to begin replacing my “earned” income with passive income, I also wanted to free myself so I could continue spending more time with my kids as they’ll be out of the house in the not too distant future.

At the time I started researching real estate investing options, our portfolio looked like this:

95+% Vanguard Index Funds (mainly Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Admiral Fund VTSAX)

529 Plans

HSA account (Do not contribute anymore as we have MediShare now)

<1% Bonds

5% Cash (Emergency Fund)

Remainder personal and business checking accounts

I thought about starting off buying a couple of single family homes but after talking to friends that invested in real estate full time, I decided to go a different route.

It seemed that they constantly were having to take calls from either tenants that were having problems to their management companies when structural damage needed attending to.

As someone that still practices full time and wants to stay a devoted father and husband, I decided to bypass the active real estate investing route and chose to invest passively via crowdfunding.

One of the sites I began investing with was RealtyShares

Debt And Equity Investments

Debt Investment

I initially invested in a hand full of small debt deals to get my feet wet. In these types of investments, the investor is acting as a lender to the property owner or the deal sponsor.

The loan is secured by the property itself and investors receive a fixed rate of return that’s determined by the interest rate on the loan and how much they have invested.

In a debt deal, the investor is at the bottom of the capital stack which means they have priority when it comes to claiming a payout from the property.

These deals were easy to understand but one of the main downsides is the fact that returns are limited by the interest rate on the loan. In other words, their returns are capped.

Equity Investment

As I became more comfortable investing with RealtyShares, I decided to step it up a notch and began researching equity investments.

With these investments, the investor is a shareholder in a specific property, and their stake is proportionate to the amount they have invested.

Returns are realized in the form of a share of the rental income the property generates, less any service fees paid to the crowdfunding platform.

Investors may also be paid out a share of any appreciation value if the property is sold.

What really attracted me to these deals was being able to capitalize on the profit once the property was sold.

In essence there were no cap on returns plus the tax benefits were outstanding.

One perk of owning an investment property is being able to deduct certain expenses associated with its ownership, such as depreciation and the cost of repairs.

With equity crowdfunding, deals are normally structured through an LLC, which is treated as a flow-through entity for tax purposes. That means that investors can reap the benefits of the depreciation deduction without having to own property directly.

Now with a potential for higher returns comes the potential for higher risk. These deals are typically riskier versus debt deals but I was still willing to take a chance.

RealtyShares Prescott Woods

I decided on investing in an apartment complex in Tulsa, OK. The complex was called Prescott Woods and the projected cash on cash return was 6-8% and targeted internal rate of return (IRR) was project to be 17.9% – 19.9%.

Honestly, I didn’t know what I was doing back then when I originally invested in this project. My eyes immediately would look for the returns only.

RealtyShares claimed that they were approached with hundreds of deals per year and ONLY would put the cream of the crop on their site.

I was putting my total trust in them to do the leg work for me.

For this particular investment, the minimum was $50,000 and was for accredited investors only.

Again, investing in this property was my BIG mistake due to lack of due diligence on my part with the sponsor.

Failure

Here’s the update RealtyShares sent me on 8/19/19 after IIRR Management Services,LLC (IRM) took over their site:

According to our findings, this asset has been identified as a Tier 3 asset. All possible distributions, interest payments and proceeds from this investment have now been collected and paid in accordance with the investors’ rights per the loan documents.

IRM has classified this investment as Failed. This is because the sponsor underestimated how challenging it would be to turn around an apartment complex at the edge of a rough neighborhood in Tulsa.

The crime and resulting stigma of the neighborhood put a cap on the rents that tenants would pay and the resulting renovation to the subject apartments did not allow the sponsor to charge a premium for renovated apartments.

Compounding this error, the sponsor’s fast-paced construction schedule meant that the renovation dollars were spent before the sponsor recognized that higher rents for renovated units were not achievable.

The property sold for $8.3MM, which resulted in a total loss for investors. There is no further remedy available to IRM to pursue such as a guarantee other security.

IRM will now close this investment, no further updates, payments or distributions will be made for this investment.

After I originally received this notification, I got a sick feeling in my stomach. This entire ordeal had been going on for over two years and I finally was hit with reality….my entire investment was gone.

What Would Rocky Do?

Whenever I face failures and tough times, my mind always goes back to a scene in Rocky.

I’m not sure if it’s Rocky 8 or 9 or some other number. It’s the one that came out in 2006.

I reminisce the part where he’s talking to his son about facing adversity.

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.

But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward.

That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!”

Multifamily Syndications

I realize it would have been easy to quit the real estate investing thing after such a large loss but I think that things happen to us, they happen for us.

The experience actually inspired me to both learn more about these types of deals, specifically multifamily syndications, and also help educate others on what you should know before investing in these investments.

I encourage folks to do their part and learn as much as they can before considering investing.

Doctor Investors Club

One other thing I highly recommend is to join the Doctor Investors Club.

It’s a group of other docs and high-income professionals that have access to the best syndication deals while also having full access to me to pick my brain before investing.

The post RealtyShares – What I Learned From Losing $50,000 appeared first on Debt Free Dr..

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[seohero360]

11 Future Proof Link Building Tactics That Work

So today I’m going to talk about link building. How many people here do SEO? Just raise your hands. Ok, cool. How many people do link building? Or have done link building the past? Cool, okay. How many people hate waiting for SEO to kick in? Hopefully everybody because it takes forever, its like years nowadays. So you can, you know, you can do some growth hacks to help convert your traffic better. Do other things, new traffic sources to get traffic to your website. But, I like the old-school SEO way. I’ve been doing this for 13 years and I’ve done a lot of different link building tactics and surprisingly some of the ones I’m going to mention I’ve done for years and they still work.

But, first my name is Sujan Patel. I run Web Profits U.S. a joint venture with the Web Profits team here based in Sydney I run the U.S. office we do a lot of growth marketing, SEO, we do mostly SEO because that’s our bread and butter.

That’s my background. We do that through content and whatnot. But Aaron’s going to go over a lot more content marketing stuff. I’m going to focus on the link building. So first and foremost the single best link building strategy or tactic I’ve had ever is relationships. It’s the long game. It’s building relationships with people that are also doing cool stuff – wiritng, content, whatnot. And these relationships it’s not about like hey can help me out it’s about just building real relationships, being people’s friends. Why? Because you help your friends out and let’s face it if you’re in a very competitive industry you know all the top guys, you know all the influencers in the space. They’re going to probably promote you more than the other guys and it’s not about that short-term, like, ‘hey can you help me’ it’s more of how can you keep giving so you don’t have to ask for help.

I don’t really build links anymore. I just go on slack all day. Aaron actually you’re here too. (laughter) So this is just a slack group I’m in with a bunch of people who write for publications. What are they looking for? They’re looking for credible sources of information, so they ping me, actually they ping this group and and I respond when I can. I respond with some information and then they quote me. I’m in like 10 other slack groups too. So very similar. There’s a lot of things that happen behind the scenes because people want to work with people they like and it’s all about that relationship. So, let me move on because I don’t want to keep this for too long here. But, there’s a lot of that happening. The second thing is, and this is kind of vibing off the first thing, is find the influencers and content creators in your space and then build a relationship with them.

What I mean by that is figure out a way, or an excuse to connect with somebody.

The easiest way I found is start a podcast or blog and start interviewing popular people or credible people in your space. So if you want to be – if you’re in the small business space – go find all the people that are crushing it in the small business space and go interview them. Ask them questions. This is just an excuse, to be honest, it’s just an excuse to talk to them, to get a hold of them, for them to remember you, to have an add value to them. Over time you can, you know, invite them to coffee, you can send them swag, like seriously if you mail me swag or your t-shirt for company, a hoodie, whatever, I’m gonna be shocked because I don’t get mail that’s not spam, right? I usually get just crap mail and I throw it away.

Or checks. That’s good mail. But the other thing you can do is hire people that are these influencers.

Hire them to write for your blog. So if you know a lot of the content creators and you’re trying to build your own blog up just hire them because the next time they write for their other publications they’re going to remember you. So I like to do that and another thing I like to do is guest post. This is pretty old but it’s still really, really effective. I’m not talking about the author bio link crap, I’m talking about building guest post topics around your industry and and playing the long game.

Again if you’re trying to become a SEO Hero hopefully you’ve at least invested into two, three, four years of your business because it’s gonna be awhile before you get those results. And guest post is a great way to kind of build credibility. The other thing it does is actually drives traffic. Most of the traffic on my sites actually come from a lot of our guest posts. That’s just because we write content, and Aaron will talk a lot more about this, but we write content that circles our industry.

So if we’re writing – if you look at our web profits blog – we just created an article on customer advocacy. There’s no secret that the next two months I’m focusing on writing more about customer advocacy and things that naturally link back to this article, content themes that are kind of around that.

Now, if you want to guest post don’t go the ‘hey I want to write for Entrepreneur’ ‘I want to write for Forbes’ that’s not gonna work, who’s going to like instantly write for these places. We’re the bottom-up approach. Start at the crappiest blogs or the best blogs you can get away with with your credibility, your author, you have to be you know, you have to be a legit author to write for these large publications, but you can work your way up pretty quickly. All you need is a couple wins at each publication, each size and then kind of move up. A lot of people say, ‘I’m in a niche industry, I don’t have any blogs in my industry.’ Bullshit.

This is a hundred knitting blogs.

You can’t get more niche than knitting, right? I don’t know about you guys, I don’t understand how there’s 100 blogs around it, but there is. So stop complaining and just Google it. Google “top your keyword blogs”. If you don’t find anything and you don’t find a list take a step back and go back like if you’re in scheduling software, which I used to work for a company that did scheduling software, We targeted small business owners so we just typed in small business blogs and there’s hundreds if not thousands of those to go after. Number four is create really really good content An ebook, you can call it epic content, that’s my name for it, 10x content Rand Fishkin kind of dubbed that. Brian Dean has the back link, like skyscraper technique.

All that stuff works, it does work if you put in the time. If you create something epic, something so good, first of all when you promote it it’s not going to be like a big ask to get the link. Over time after you start doing a bit of promotion people are going to find out about it and they’re going to start naturally linking to it.

So I found that the first four or five kind of links I get are really hard earned links, I put a lot of time into it, But I fast forward a year and I end up just getting 20, 30, 40 more links to it without doing anything and that’s just from kind of starting that fly wheel with epic content.

We do this. I also own a handful of SAS companies. We do this with all of our SAS companies. I just launched this tool called Mailshake the other day. And I launched this big epic post called Email Outreach Playbook. And we’re going to do the whole gamut of promotion. We actually do this at launch – their companies – because what I found is it’s a good excuse to get people to talk about our companies too. So I’m using content to essentially get people to link to it share it whatnot, but they also, you know, they’re like, ‘Oh what is this tool? I’m going to find out more and I might talk about it.’ So it helps us actually get sales too.

Number five – this is kind of a gray area one but I do all the time. Buy expired domains. Go on GoDaddy go on there’s a handful of – domain companies that list out their expired domains. Run that through like old-school page rank checker. Kind of still works there double check links or first filter through keywords that are related to your industry and then manually check.

Usually when you – everyday they do a purge of what’s coming up on the expiration the next, I think three days look for your keyword.

You’re going to find probably 5 or 10 domains. Manually check to see if any of them have links. If they do, prop up a microsite in fact go take that ebook hopefully you’ve made by now and put it on that microsite and just focus all of your attention on marketing that microsite and that ebook. Over time you can 301 redirect it back to your main domain or your main company and move it over to a trailing slash ebook or whatever you’re going to create. You could also just 301 redirect it directly to your site. I don’t recommend doing that too often because you can’t get away with this strategy 100 times over this is something you can probably do 10, 15 times and be okay. The other thing I like about expired domains is that if you put an ebook or something really good on it you can actually get double listings and so I usually try to get multiple listings on the search results using, you know, answering questions on Quora and things like that, but also ranking some ancillary domains.

Number six is conduct an industry survey or study. This works all the time. if you look at companies like G2 Crowd GetApp, Capterra these guys are all software directories but they do such a good job of marketing and you look at this every quarter they publish a survey, well they conduct a survey, and then they publish a study.

You need – technically you need, you know, statistical significance to publish a study so don’t ask 5 people, go ask 500, that’s also another reason to go reach out to people and say I’m doing this study blah blah blah. When you’re done with it submit a press release, go reach out to all those people, hit up all the people that were writing last year’s study, and boom you are done. The other thing you can do with these studies is go find a partner to publish the study already.

So pitch the study or survey before you even do it. So the reason this works really well is because you’re saying ‘I’m gonna go do this awesome thing, will you be willing to publish it? I’ll do all the hard work you just publish the results.’ For you, you get the credibility of publishing on the larger publication or wherever that may be again I’ve done this with Forbes, INC. and a lot of other places where I published my content on their site and I actually get the yes before I do any of the work.

And over time you can make this an annual quarterly thing and over time people come to you and want to publish that study.

The press release really really helps because it adds credibility. The press release on its own doesn’t do shit but with this it works well. Alright this is kind of a hack for buying links. I’ll be honest. So like to buy advertisements on the top blogs. So, again I go back to good old Google and I type in top small business blogs, whatever, any type of keyword there I’m just looking for top blogs, top bloggers I’m also looking for ancillary keywords off of my main search, so like for example, small business I’m going to look at the suggested results and see what other keywords I can go after and find those blogs, and what – who’s ranking for those keywords. I’ll reach out to them and say, ‘hey I’ve got this ebook can I buy an advertisement on your blog post?’ Pick one blog post that’s actually ranking and link back to it.

What you end up getting is an image link, you end up getting traffic, you end up building a relationship going back to link building tactic number one with cool people.

And again you get traffic, a bit of SEO value and I think it’s the kind of white hat or gray hat area of a building links and still you know essentially buying links but a credible way because again you’re promoting this awesome piece of content and if you have an awesome piece of content it’s not spam, it’s not something you know shady or anything you’re just promoting something good and again you’re going to probably get natural links to it as well. Number eight is just monitor your brand mentions. You probably get some if you’re a real company and you’re doing other types of marketing besides SEO, you probably get brand mentions. Use BuzzSumo, use Brand24 and literally just set up triggers for your brand name, your domain name your CEO’s name, your name, whatever, you’re gonna get references.

I like these two services particularly because they catch things really really quickly. Brand24 is great for catching Facebook, Twitter, forums and a lot of miscellaneous content like video. So when Neil gets mentioned in all these videos Brand24 picks it up.

BuzzSumo usually gets the rest with all the blogs and all these other places and it goes straight to your email so every day you get emails saying ‘Hey, you got mentioned here, here, here, here.’ All you have to do is say, ‘Hey, thank you for mentioning me. Would you mind linking to my website?’ It’s not a hard ask, it practically works every time.

So check it out.

Find and pitch people in the industry that are publishing newsletters. In the growth hacking industry how many people are publishing newsletters and curating good content? There’s guys like Hiten Shah, GrowthHackers.com has their newsletter, Inbound has their group newsletter. There’s hundreds of people who have newsletters and even companies like FreshDesk, invoicing software, or boring finance stuff, they publish a small business newsletter and it might not be called a newsletter it might just be able weekend recap or whatever, but what they’re doing essentially is sharing with their audience some really good links. Easy way to get links but also traffic and then that traffic you get in front of other people’s audiences and you keep producing good content and again consistent content marketing and you keep getting featured in this.

We had a client – we just published one article and all we did we didn’t do any link building or any promotion all we did was buy some Facebook ads to make sure we had some shares and social proof and we hit up all the newsletters around referral marketing and we got featured in three.

Those three generated 50 customers and that was the quickest easiest way to essentially get customers for them.

And so they were super happy but then we also got links and things like that. Alright just as I talk to you about watching your own brand watch your competitors brand. Add your competitors to BuzzSumo and Brand24. Yes, you can do it with Ahrefs, Open Site Explorer all the old-school SEO tools which are awesome by the way, but with BuzzSumo and Brand24 what I like about them is they get it when it happens so when somebody links your competitor, mentions your competitor, shoot them an email right away. You’re more likely to get a response at the very least or an yes if you do it immediately or at least in a timely fashion. Whereas the old school way of Ahrefs, Open Site Explorer through Moz, you wouldn’t see those links right away, And the last thing I want to leave you with is my very favorite tactic.

I used to do this in a lot of lead-gen industries, is sponsor local events.

I would sponsor sports teams, college clubs, like clubs at universities and create scholarship programs. It works pretty well – scholarships works pretty well still if you do a legitimate way meaning you do a press release, you kind of do other things to make it look like a real marketing campaign. But College clubs – here’s an example: I had this site in the insurance space, we sold car insurance or we were a lead gen-site for car insurance and so we hit up all the clubs at all the universities who had car clubs, right? If you’re into cars, cool. You might have a club at your University. And there was probably about 50 or 60 universities that we reached out to that had car clubs and we’d just sponsor them all.

We got all these nice .edu links, in fact, some of the clubs we’d actually sponsor their shirts and spent like $500 buying them t-shirts. So they’re wearing our like spammy little domain – it’s like freeinsurancequotes.org or .net it was something really ghetto, but it worked. And we ranked, and we made tons of money, but it was through sponsoring college clubs.

Now you can do this with chess, the small business club, the entrepreneurship, millennials, whatever, they all exist. You can also go to other companies like GE, Google, they have car clubs too, so I can get a link from freaking Google by sponsoring their Track Day. And so it’s really really easy and hey if Google links to me it must be good, right? Outside of the search result.

So it works really really well. Give it a try. These 11 tips and tactics do work. Again, its SEO it’s going to take time, a lot of hard work, and a bit of patience Thanks guys. (applause).

Source – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agYSyVVhtYk

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