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jerzwriter · 1 year ago

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All in the Past

AU Mini-Series Part 1 of 3

This started as a request from @angelasscribbles for ONE scene. Three parts later... I decided to make this a follow-up and alternate ending to one of my favorite short, angsty AUs, Unblemished, because we needed more angst. All three parts will be posted today.

Series Summary: Tobias & Casey were friends turned lovers whose different dreams led them to become friends once again. Two years after their painful breakup, Casey has moved on. Tobias is in town to attend his friend and one-time love's wedding, with his new girlfriend on his arm. It's just the wedding of an old friend, or, is it?

Part 1 Summary: Tobias and Meghan leave Boston to attend Casey's wedding in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's a little getaway, a happy trip to see his two friends get hitched. But prewedding events lead to unexpected and uninvited emotions coming to the surface. Tobias gets a cold shoulder from Sienna, and their frank conversation leaves more questions than answers.

Book: Open Heart (Post Series)

Characters/Pairings: Casey MacTavish (F!MC) x M!OC, Tobias Carrick x F!OC, Sienna Trinh

Rating: Teen

Words: 2,700

Series Masterlist

Tobias x Casey Masterlist | OH Masterlist | Full Masterlist

Ladies and gentlemen, we have touched down at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where it is 80 degrees, and conditions are bright and sunny. We thank you for flying Transit Airlines and wish you the best with whatever brings you to the area.

"Sir?" A woman gently nudged Tobias's arm when he didn't reply. "Sir... I'm sorry, but I need to get...."

"Oh, of course," Tobias apologized, jumping from his seat to allow the woman through.

He was usually the first to get off a flight, but today, he found himself lost in his thoughts, and he still hadn't found his way back as he reached into the overhead compartment to grab his bag. All it took was an arm looping around his waist to snap him back into the present. The petite, red-haired beauty's smile lit up the cabin as she held him tight; she was as happy as he was pensive.

"I missed you," she beamed. "You were such a gentleman agreeing to give that mom your seat so she could sit with her child, but I have a warning for you."

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "What’s that?”

“If we’re ever on a flight longer than two hours, you’re prohibited from doing that. I need you near me... deal?”

“I’ll tell you what. If we’re ever on a flight longer than two hours, I’ll spring for first class, so it’s not an issue.”

“Hmmm, I could handle that,” Meghan smiled.

“Good,” he smiled, taking her hand. “Now, let’s get off this plane.”

~~~~~

He couldn’t describe his mood if he tried. Melancholy was too sad; wistful may be more fitting, though neither truly worked. He was happy, he reminded himself. More importantly, Casey was happy, too. It had been over two years since that cold Boston night when they tearfully said goodbye. Fast friends from the start, they eventually turned into much more. When different goals ended their dreams of “forever,” they were heartbroken and said goodbye, foolishly believing it was where their story ended. People don’t always see the invisible string that binds souls that are meant to be connected, and when Casey’s phone rang three months later, not answering was never a consideration. They started as friends, and perhaps that’s where they were meant to be. That’s what they were now. Friends. Good friends.

“Welcome to the Umstead Hotel,” an overexuberant young woman smiled. “What name is your reservation under?”

“Uh... Carrick. Dr. Tobias Carrick.”

“I have you right here! You’re in town for the MacTavish-Duncan wedding?”

“That’s right,” he nodded.

“Wonderful! The couple is hosting a cocktail reception for their out-of-town guests in the lounge at six.”

“That’s so sweet!” Meghan gushed, taking hold of Tobias’s arm. “We’re going, right?”

“Of course,” he smiled with some apprehension. “As long as I get in a nap... that early flight wiped me out more than I thought it would.”

“Fine, old man,” Meghan laughed as they entered the elevator, her head firmly on his shoulder.

He was just tired. He told himself. Besides, it was normal to feel emotional when a good friend was married. And Casey was among his best. It all made sense. Perfect sense.

~~~~~

The evening found him at the bar alone, anxiously twirling his old-fashioned in his hand. They had only been in their room fifteen minutes when Meghan realized she left her shoes in Boston. She was in an Uber on her way to the North Hills Mall in minutes, leaving Tobias to his nap. She promised she’d be back by six, but Tobias knew her well enough to know if shoe shopping was involved... he’d be lucky if she returned by ten.

He noticed a small group of wedding guests mingling toward the back of the lounge but didn’t recognize any faces. The normally social doctor wasn’t in the mood for small talk, so he stayed put. He didn’t want to come at all, but hurting Casey’s feelings wasn’t something he was willing to do. Now, it looked like she was a no-show for her own party, so he made a decision. He had already waited the requisite twenty minutes; he was finishing this drink and then making a beeline back to his room. But as he raised the glass to his lips, he heard her voice. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, he’d know it anywhere.

“Hello, stranger!”

They were just friends now, nothing more. So why did he feel his heart flutter? His signature smirk was firmly in place before turning to greet her. A natural defense mechanism to keep the butterflies at bay. But when his eyes fell upon her, all pretense disappeared.

How did she only become more beautiful? Etheral is how he’d describe her. Blonde hair pulled into a whispy updo, with delicate off-white flowers pinned to hold it in place. Her matching silk dress gracefully skimmed over every curve that he knew so well, and her smile. That smile had melted his heart and pulled him out of more bad days than he dared to count. And after all the years he’d known her, after all they had been through, it still rendered him speechless. Noticing his silence was lasting too long, he jumped from his bar stool to embrace her. A brilliant grin hid the war of emotions battling inside him.

“Stranger indeed! I haven’t heard from you in a while, kid. I was beginning to think you rescinded my invitation.”

“As if!” Casey laughed. “It hasn’t been that long. You try managing a busy career, a publishing deadline, and planning a wedding for two hundred of your nearest and dearest. See how much time you’d have to chat.”

“Casey... do you ever see me in that position?” He asked wryly.

He swore he saw her smile falter, and a bit of her effervescence was gone. But why would it be? She was happy. It must have been one old-fashioned too many.

“No,” she spoke softly. “I guess I don’t.”

“You look stunning,” he smiled. “How do you plan to outdo this on your big day?”

“Stop,” she said with a playful slap on his arm. “I’m immune to your flattery by now, don’t you know?”

They both laughed nervously as his eyes roamed the room. Still, no sight of Meghan, and someone else was missing, too.

“Where’s Craig? I haven’t heard from him either. I was going to see if we could shoot some hoops before the wedding.”

“He got called into an emergency surgery,” she shrugged. “The glamourous life of doctors. And where is Mandy? You said you were bringing a plus one. I assumed she’d be joining you.”

“Mandy? It’s Meghan,” he chuckled. “Mandy and I broke up some time ago.”

“Oh, sorry. It’s hard to keep up with you. So, where is your latest and greatest?”

“She had to run to the mall for a few things. But she’ll be back soon.”

“Good,” Casey smiled politely. “I can’t wait to meet her. How long have you two...” She raised her hands, visibly checking herself. Her cheeks red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business...”

“It’s OK,” Tobias laughed, reassuringly touching her elbow, then dropping it when the gesture took both by surprise. “It’s not a state secret. Only a few months... don’t worry... we’re not headed down the alter anytime soon.”

Casey let out a wry laugh, and her words came out more curtly than intended. “I didn’t expect you would be.”

“Yeah,” Tobias muttered, gulping down the remains of his drink. “Walking down aisles isn’t exactly my thing. Is it?”

“Well, it was your excuse for ending things with me,” she replied with her arms crossed. “But you never know. Sometimes people change.”

Casey felt her stomach drop. What if he had changed? Accepting that Tobias was generally opposed to marriage was one thing, but if he ever took that step, she’d have to admit that marriage wasn’t the issue... she was, and that was too painful to imagine. She began to perspire, and was filled with worry. This wasn’t the reaction she should be having when her wedding was just over a day away. Her eyes darted around the room, desperate for a reason to escape.

“Well, I should mingle with the other guest,” she settled on. “Without Craig here, it’s double duty for me. But you and Meghan will be at brunch tomorrow morning, right?”

He hadn’t been aware there was a brunch. And since laying eyes on Casey, attending more wedding events was the last thing he wanted to do, but he detected the hint of pleading in her voice.

“Do you want me there?” he asked softly.

Casey nodded effusively. “I do.”

“Then I’ll be there,” he assured. “We both will.”

~~~~~

Brunch was... awkward. Tobias was sure Casey thought seating them together was a good idea, but she probably didn’t know how long Sienna Trinh could hold a grudge. And with Sienna’s plus one coming down with the flu, Tobias, Meghan, and Sienna made for an awkward trio.

Casey viewed their breakup as mutual, but Siennna saw things differently. Tobias was a stupid man who let his commitment issues ruin a wonderful thing, leaving her friend heartbroken. He hoped more than two years passing and Casey marrying someone else would have changed Sienna’s opinion of him, but all indications said otherwise. Sienna picked at her stack of blueberry pancakes as they all struggled to make small talk. Perhaps they could talk shop?

“So, Meghan, you’re at Edenbrook, too? What department do you work in?”

“I’m a paralegal. I work with the CEO.”

“Oh,” Sienna smiled politely, that didn’t work. After more uncomfortable silence, Meghan made the next attempt.

“I’m really looking forward to the wedding. The venue they selected is just beautiful! I’ve seen it on some wedding shows but never thought I’d get to attend a wedding there.”

Sienna held back a laugh. “I can understand that. I mean... because we live in Boston, and you know... you’re with Tobias.”

Losing patience, Tobias tossed his linen napkin on the table. “And what’s that supposed to mean, Si?”

“Just that you avoid weddings like the plague. I was shocked to hear you were coming.”

“It’s Casey’s wedding,” he smiled tersely. “Do you think I’d miss it?”

“I guess the answer’s no,” Sienna smiled smugly.

“You know, I’m going to run to the ladies' room,” Meghan announced.

Sienna wiped her lip, “I’ll join you.”

“No,” Meghan insisted. “I need a moment away from this cold war, and if you both care about Casey as much as you profess to, maybe you should work out whatever... this... is before her wedding day. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Tobias and Sienna sat slack-jawed momentarily, then a slight smile formed on his lips.

“I guess I deserved that,” Sienna stated. “Meghan seems lovely, and no matter my feelings toward you, I shouldn’t have made her uncomfortable. I owe her an apology.”

“Maybe what we owe her is doing what she asked us to do,” he replied. “Sienna... what exactly is your problem with me? I know people can be bitter about their best friend’s exes, but Casey and I are good friends. If we put the past in the past, why can’t you?”

Sienna shut her eyes, warring over how much she should or should not say.

“It’s different,” she started cautiously. “I got to see the extent of the damage after the two of you fell apart. Whose apartment do you think she ended up at that last night in Boston? Who do you think she sat on the phone listening to her cry all night after she moved? I know you were hurting after things ended, but I experienced her pain. You were spared that.”

“Sienna, breakups are painful. You know that! And no, I didn’t see her immediate aftermath because we felt not contacting each other for a while would be for the best. But I was living through my own personal hell. It was hard on both of us.”

“Then why’d you do it? Tobias? All she wanted was a future with you... You’re the one who said it wasn’t possible!”

“We wanted different futures. Hers included a wedding... just like this one... a house in the suburbs, two kids, and a dog. I never wanted that and didn’t want to promise her something I couldn’t guarantee. Don’t you think I had wished I could? I could put you on the phone with my best friend. Kerry would tell you how wrong it was for Casey to want that life more than she wanted me... but you’re both wrong. We made a choice together, and it was painful as fuck. But, Si, it wasn’t my fault.”

“I guess,” Sienna sighed. “It’s just hard to see you both throw something so special, so rare away. It’s two years later and still hard to see.”

“I understand, but... Casey was dating Craig six months later, and she’s marrying him tomorrow. She and I are friends, hell, Craig and I are friends... so why are we even discussing this?”

“Because I’m her best friend... and I know how someone should be acting before they get married... and I still don’t see that in Casey.”

“What... what are you talking about....”

“She’s happy, sure... to a degree... but I’ve seen her when she was truly happy, and this seems like a facsimile.”

“Sienna,” he stalled, “She’s busy planning this weekend and under a lot of stress, but I’ve been around them. She loves Craig.”

“I know she does,” Sienna replied. “But she was in love with you.”

Tobias sat in stunned silence when he noticed Craig mingling with guests across the way. Looking for any excuse to evade the topic, he spat, “There’s Craig, uh... I’ve been looking for him... wanted to see him before the wedding, but he seems a little evasive...”

“Of course he has. Don’t you realize? Tobias, you’re the one who got away. You’re her best friend... other than me... that is. Do you think he needs a reminder before he says his I dos?”

“I... I thought coming here was the right thing to do... I just wanted to... to be here for them... and to see...”

“To see what?”

“To see she really moved on. To really... let her go.”

“Right,” Sienna smiled. “But you’re over her. I’m glad we talked, T. I think my bitterness toward you is just my overprotectiveness of Casey. I love her. But I can be a bit of a momma bear.”

“No shit!” he said with a half-smile as Sienna narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m trying to make amends. Shut up before I change my mind. Truce?”

“Of course. How could I be mad at you for being protective of Casey.”

“I know,” Sienna smiled, pushing away from the table. “Do me a favor. Just lay low until the wedding. Be there to support her, then go live your life and let Casey move on with hers. We have to trust that she made this decision knowing what’s right for her, and... we should both respect that.”

“I never intended to do anything but.”

“Good.” Sienna looked up and saw Meghan approaching the table. “I owe you an apology and want to thank you. This talk was overdue, and I promise. We’ll be grown-ups from now on.”

“Hey, I was being a grown-up,” Tobias protested.

“Tobias, is this the hill you want to die on?” Sienna snapped back.

“Continue...” he grinned.

Sienna extended her hand. “It was very nice meeting you.”

“It’s lovely meeting you, too,” Meghan agreed. “Maybe we can get coffee back in Boston?”

“Sure, I’d like that. Tobias, I like her... be good to her.”

Tobias slipped his hand into Meghans and smiled. “That’s my intention. Thanks, Sienna.”

After Sienna walked away, Tobias turned to Meghan and thanked her for forcing them to talk. “You’re pretty special, you know. that?”

“I do,” she smiled sweetly. “But let's go back to our room because now it’s our turn to talk.”

"About?"

"About why we're at this wedding..."

"Meg," Tobias sighed. "We're here to see my friend... my friends... get married. Nothing more."

"Good, then it won't be an issue to have a quick talk about it...right?"

He let out a soft sigh. It was the last thing he wanted, but he knew better than to think Meghan would let it go.

"Right," he stood up, extending his hand to her. "Lead the way."

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @choicesjuly2023challenge - Fairytale

#choices fanfic #open heart #open heart fanfic #choices open heart #open heart choices #tobias carrick #tobias carrick x f!mc (past)#tobias carrick x f!oc #oh!f!mc x m!oc #sienna trinh #playchoices fanfic #choices the stories you play #playchoices

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choicesflashfics · 2 years ago

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Week 25 Prompts:

“You’ve given me enough memories to last a lifetime.”

“Not all love stories get a ‘happily ever after.’ Sometimes … it’s just once upon a time.”

“I haven’t laughed like this in a long time.”

Trace the Steps - @ao719 (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!MC)

Memories of You - @bebepac (The Royal Romance; F!MC x M!OC)

Marabelle - Falling (Ch. 3) - @tessa-liam (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!OC)

Rock On - @liaromancewriter (Open Heart; Sienna Trinh, F!MC, Raleigh Carrera from Platinum)

#choicesflashfics #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #choices prompt challenge #choices #playchoices #week 25

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alj4890masterlist · 2 years ago

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30 various Choices drabbles all centered around kiss prompts. *Updated list of kiss prompts and pairings*

Evidence (Thomas Hunt x OC)

The Green-Eyed Monster (Ethan Ramsey x OC)

The Statement (Jackson Nevrakis-Walker x Nicky Beaumont)

Escaping for a Moment (Ernest Sinclaire x MC)

Silence (Drake Walker x Olivia Nevrakis)

The Sleeping Bag (Aislinn Tanaka x M!MC) *NSFW*

The Truth Comes Out (Hugh Crawford x MC)

The Apology (Ethan Ramsey x OC)

On Impulse (Maxwell Beaumont x OC)

Making It Believable (Prince Emerick Rhys x Juliet Nevrakis-Walker)

It's Over (Leo x Madeleine)

Over the Top (Tobias Carrick x F!MC)

In Times of Comfort (Thomas Hunt x OC)

To Make It Better (Tom Sato x F!MC)

Just Try (Liam x Madeleine)

Slipping Away Together (Thomas Hunt x OC)

So This is Goodbye? (Jax Matsuo x MC)

Visceral Reaction (Tobias Carrick x F!MC)

From the Heart (Ethan Ramsey x OC)

Anytime, Anywhere (Liam x MC)

Just You and Me (Prince Ellis Rhys x Emily Beaumont)

Snap (Bertrand Beaumont x MC)

Sparks of Hope (Thomas Hunt x OC)

The Promise (Liam and his daughter)

Right At Last (Jackson Nevrakis-Walker x Nicky Beaumont)

Just a Dream (Tobias Carrick x F!MC)

It's Time to Say Goodbye (Maxwell Beaumont x OC)

Second Thoughts (Raleigh Carrera x MC) *NSFW*

Washing Away Your Troubles (Trystan Thorne x F!MC) *NSFW*

Confession Time (Thomas Hunt x OC)

#thirty kisses in thirty days #choices the stories you play #choices fan fics

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choicesmonthlychallenge · 2 years ago

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[March Prompts] || [March Masterlists]

Thank you for participating in the March Challenge. I am grateful for everyone who contributed. I hope you had fun and the prompts brought you some inspiration and motivation to create. Please let me know if I'm missing anything or I made a mistake. I will accept late entries for a couple of more days. 💛💛💛

⟢Nightbound:⟢

Couple Portraits [Nik x F!MC] by @ladylamrian

⟢Open Heart:⟢

As Long As Your Mine, Art [Bryce x F!OC] submitted by @storyofmychoices

Daddies and Doctors [Ethan, Tobias] by @beyondsimsreality

Highways & Byways Part One [Ethan x F!MC] by @jerzwriter

Highways & Byways Part Two [Tobias x F!MC] by @jerzwriter

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear (text fic) [Ethan x M!MC] by @dr-colossal-pita

The Missing Piece [Tobias x F!MC] by @jerzwriter

Sadie's Self-Care Sunday #25 [Ethan x F!MC] by @peonyblossom

Sorry, Tobias [Tobias x F!MC] by @jerzwriter

When The Clock Strikes Twelve [Sienna x M!OC] by @liaromancewriter

⟢Red Carpet Diaries:⟢

Mr + Mrs Hunt (forehead kisses), art [Hunt x F!OC] submitted by @theartoflovingthomashunt

⟢Crossover:⟢

Rock On [F!MC, Sienna, Raleigh] by @liaromancewriter [Open Heart/Platinum]

Good Hair Day(visual) [Raleigh, Lily, Olivia, Maxwell, Matt] by @beyondsimsreality [Platinum/Bloodbound/The Royal Romance/Red Carpet Diaires]

#nik ryder #nightbound #open heart #bryce lahela #ethan ramsey #tobias carrick #sienna trinh #thomas hunt #red carpet diaries #platinum choices #raleigh carrera #the royal romance #bloodbound #march2023 #choices march challenge 2023 #choices march challenge #march masterlist #march2023 masterlist

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openheartfanfics · 2 years ago

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Newly Added Fics

Mar 18 - 31, 2023

ETHAN X F!MC

Bad Dreams - @liaromancewriter ☁

Ethan finds that stubbornness runs deep in his family. [Domestic; Family]

Common Ground - @inlocusmads ☁

First dates suck. But if you are anything like Ethan and Jane, dissimilar but happy to listen and also incredibly chaotic, you might just have a good time. [Date]

Highways & Byways - @jerzwriter ☁Ⓜ

Ethan & Kaycee were on an early morning drive to Providence, and Kaycee finds the highway signs inspiring.

If Only I Could - @cariantha 🎭

After conducting surveillance on Louise, Sawyer is frustrated with Ethan’s mixed signals. [2.7]

ETHAN X TOBIAS

Daddies and Doctors - @beyondsimsreality ☁

Tobias and Ethan take out their kids. [Platonic]

Sorry, Tobias - @jerzwriter ☁

Tobias wants Kaycee to introduce him to her gorgeous friend, but when he won't take no for an answer, Kaycee has to set him straight. [Platonic]

SIENNA TRINH

Rock On - @liaromancewriter ☁

Sienna and Cassie meet an international rockstar. An OH/Platinum cross over fic. Feat. M!Raleigh Carrera [Platonic]

SIENNA X M!OC

When The Clock Strikes Twelve - @liaromancewriter 🛸🦚

Max tries to take his shot with Sienna, but obstacles have him doubting if they’re inevitable.

TOBIAS X F!MC

Highways & Byways - @jerzwriter ☁Ⓜ

Tobias & Casey heading out of Boston to head to his college reunion in DC for the weekend. Tobias never saw the sign, but Casey did.

Karma - @lucy-268 🎭

After Samantha and Tobias break up, Tobias has regrets. Feat. Bryce Lahela, Sienna Trinh

The Missing Piece - @jerzwriter ☁

Casey's heading out for a night with friends, and Tobias is on Dad duty. The night goes well overall, but it's not complete until Casey returns home. [Domestic; Family]

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

#open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #open heart fanfics #open heart fanfiction #choices fanfics #choices fanfiction #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #sienna trinh #sienna trinh x mc #tobias carrick #tobias carrick x mc #newly added fics

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lorirwritesfanfic · 3 years ago

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Heartfelt Apologies

Author's note: Late submission to @choicesnovchallenge2021. This fic was supposed to written to Silly Love Stories event, got incredibly delayed because I had a hard time to writing it and another week delayed because I was too lazy to edit 😅 [Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Pixelberry Studios] Book: Platinum Pairing: M!Raleigh Carrera x MC (Tiffani) Rating: E Word count: 3442 Reading time: ~14min Summary: After making a dumb comment and causing an internet drama, Raleigh tries to find his way back into Tiffani’s heart. Based on the prompts: Choices November Challenge - day twenty two: music / Baby Come Back

Heels clicked on the marble floor while Tiffani paced in the living room of her penthouse. The wall clock ticked loudly, making her glance at it more often than she would even dare to admit. Weeks passed since she publicly broke up with Raleigh and, deep down, she knew it was for the best. She was growing tired of playing pretend for the cameras and so was he. Yet, she didn't think this necessary distance between them, even if it was just a fake relationship, would be so hard.

To keep up appearances, Raleigh has been seen with the newest Hollywood starlet and he did everything to deflect questions about Tiffani. It was the right move for both of their careers, but certainly not the one they followed.

Tiffani glanced at the clock on the wall again and scowled.

Two minutes?! What the heck?!?

What was it about the time that life seemed to stand still and, at the same, move so fast when he was around, but without him, seconds felt like long tortuous hours? He said he would be there at 12am sharp. Raleigh Carrera isn't exactly known for his punctuality, but he never made her wait. Besides, he wasn't late. She simply was impatient. And the yearning to be with him didn't make it any easier.

Just then, the elevator doors opened. Calmly removing his jacket, he strolled in with a smirk. "Hey, beautiful."

"Finally..." She growled as she rushed to him, locking her limbs around him as she jumped into his arms.

Grabbing her backside firmly, he whispered in her ear making his way to the master bedroom in haste. "If I knew you were still awake, I would've come sooner."

"I couldn't wait until tomorrow morning. We have so little time together…"

Her fingers dug in his hair as he sat on the bed, taking her with him. Her legs disentangled from him and she knelt on the mattress, each leg on either side of him.

His hands moved up to her waist and he smiled, marveling at the view of Tiffani discarding her green sweater on the floor. "Show how much you miss me."

"Gladly."

With a sly grin, she slowly took off each piece of her clothing and rolled her hips back and forth against him. His hands ran up and down her curves, marveling at the view of her grinding on his lap. Fingers dug into her flesh as a bulge gradually became evident in his pants. She then helped him out of his clothes and shared heated kisses with him, proceeding with her slow and sweet torture without layers of fabric.

Pulling her flush against his body, he peppered kissed down her neck, collarbone and breasts. One of his hands trailed down and reached to caress the soft flesh between her legs.

"You're so ready for me, Tiff..." He murmured, stroking her center in small circles.

Moans escaped her lips as the enticing touch of his hand drove her to the edge. Eager to find release, her hips moved faster. Legs began to tremble and her movements became erratic as she reached her high. Before she could recover, he flipped her down on the bed, pulled her legs over shoulders and sunk into her.

The heat within her body increased in tandem with every thrust of his hips. She couldn't fathom how she felt so satisfied a moment ago, but still wanted more. All she knew was her need to feel every little bit of his manhood inside her as his lips whispered the sweetest and dirtiest words along with her name.

When waves of pleasure could no longer be held back, Tiffani cried out, finding release once again. He followed suit, easing out of her and spilling his hot seed on her stomach. She looked at her belly then at him with a curious look.

"You didn't have to do that. I'm still on the pill, you know."

"I figured you would be. But that wasn't the reason why I pulled out." A mischievous smile played on his lips as he gazed at the cum streaks on her belly.

"You perv," she scoffed, throwing the pillow that supported her head at him.

Laughing, he dodged the pillow attack and playfully bit her calf before he got up to clean himself up.

Tiffani watched him walk to the en suite with a content sigh. With all the ups and downs in her career and personal life, moments of bliss became rarer. Which is why whenever she felt at peace, she always made sure she'd savor it to the fullest. She then reached for her phone, tapped the screen a few times and a seventies rock ballad began to play in the background.

"Tiff?"

She giggled. Raleigh was so picky about music and she could only imagine what he had to say about the song. When he poked his head out of the en suite, she got out of the bed to grab a hairbrush from her dresser and winked at him .

"Babe, don't tell me you—" He trailed off as she walked/danced across the room lip syncing the song.

"Spending all my nights, all my money going out on the town..."

"You can't be serious..."

"Doing anything just to get you off of my mind..."

Raleigh pressed his lips together in annoyance, but soon he couldn't contain his amusement. Her exaggerated dramatic performance captured his attention and a smile tugged on his lips. Once she reached the chorus, he pulled her into his arms and swayed to the beat of the song with her.

"You're unbelievable, Tiff," he whispered. "Only you can be this goofy and sexy at the same time lip syncing a tacky ballad from the seventies."

"Hey! 'Baby Come Back' is a classic!"

"If by 'classic' you mean old and tacky..." He teased.

"It's a timeless song! The rhythm is captivating, the arrangements are anything but outdated, anyone can relate to the lyrics at some point in their lives. It's a great soft rock ballad!" She insisted.

"There are better songs, hermosa."

"I beg to differ," she purrs.

"Alright. How about you come back to bed with me, baby?" He waggled his eyebrows.

She chuckled. "So cheesy."

"Says the person who just lip synced 'Baby Come Back'. But hey, anything to make you smile is worth it," he says, tickling her and kissing her neck, coaxing her until they fall back in the bed.

The next day

Tiffani brushed her teeth calmly when a notification pinged on her phone. She glanced at the screen quickly and ignored it. After weeks having her name involved into stupid rumors, rivalry with Jaylen and her fake breakup with Raleigh, the last thing she needed was to check on Twitter and find more gossip about herself.

But as her phone pinged unceasingly with messages, she picked it up. It was probably her manager or producer checking in to see if she has any new material for the next album.

"What the..." She glared at her phone screen, rage coursing through her veins as she read the content of the messages and tweets. "Carrera, you jerk…" She fumed, stomping out of her room.

The moment she stepped into the lounge, Raleigh grinned at her. "Morning, hermosa. How about we—"

"You asshole! How could you?!" She snarled.

His eyebrows rose. "What?! Babe, what's going on?"

"Oh, you don't know?" She sneered. "You're trending on Twitter!"

Tiffani shoved a tablet next to him on the couch. On the trending topics, a hashtag involving Tiffani's name, several tweets of people mocking both them and a retweet posted by Raleigh with the sentence 'bitches be crazy' had hundreds of thousands of likes and retweets.

"Tiff, I didn't mention anyone specifically. It could be about any of my exes."

"Oh, really?" She smiled, but the look in her eyes was ice cold. "Then why is everyone associating it to me?"

"I don't know! I was bored and retweeted something dumb as a joke."

"A joke?! Seriously, Raleigh?!" She snapped. "You don't understand the impact of the words you just said about me, do you? Or how it affects any of your ex girlfriends?"

"Babe, come on... It isn't that bad..."

He moved closer to her, but she stepped back, staring at him in a mist of sadness and frustration.

"You really don't get it, do you?" She shook her head and sighed. "We're done. Get out of my apartment."

"Tiffani—"

"GET OUT!!!"

"Fine! Whatever!" He yelled back, grabbing his jacket and a few personal things before heading to the elevator. "I hope you realize how stupid this fight is before it's too late."

She let out a humorless laugh. "Don't hold your breath, Carrera!"

With that, Raleigh entered the elevator and they glared at each other until the doors closed.

A week later

In the set of One In A Million, shooting any scenes involving Raleigh were a complete disaster. He arrived late every single day, either constantly hungover or still drunk. He barely exchanged words with the crew, ignored many of the producers suggestions and even made a few candidates cry during the mentoring scenes. Though it made his mean jury persona more believable, a few people realized it was more than just another moment of Raleigh's usual rebellious acts.

As he poured himself another shot of whisky, the assistant assigned to him in the reality show knocked on the door and opened it.

"Mr. Carrera, you're on in ten minutes."

"Whatever..." he grumbled, waving his hand dismissively.

The assistant disappeared for a few seconds leaving the door opened while talking to someone in the hallway.

"Close the fucking door, Spencer!" He yelled.

"Sorry, sir..." The assistant replied and looked back at the person outside the door. "Um... Mr. Carrera?"

"What?!"

"Ms. Wilshere is here to speak to you."

"Tell her I'm not available."

"I can hear you!" Avery's melodious voice echoed through the walls.

Raleigh pinched the bridge of his nose, chastising himself. "Ah, what the hell... Let her in..."

Seconds later, Avery walked in and studied him from the reflection of the mirror. "I think the biggest sponsor of the show would be disappointed that you're not having their drink."

"Hm..." He glanced at the mini freezer sent by the sponsor and smirked. "You're right. I should switch to Cuba libres." He then stood up and opened the mini freezer to grab a Coke and a bottle of rum.

Avery shook her head and approached him. "Raleigh, we're not exactly best friends, but I know this isn't you. Do you realize what you've been doing all week?"

"I've been doing exactly what I'm paid to do," he mumbled, pouring the entire content of the mini bottle of rum into a tumbler.

"No, you're not. Your stage persona may be a jerk sometimes, but you're not a jerk!"

"That's not what I've told lately..." He answered as his Cuba libre was done, lifting the glass to his lips.

"Raleigh, I know there's something else entirely and don't try to deny it."

He rolled his eyes. Of course she did. Avery was like a mentor to Tiffani and they became friends surprisingly fast. "What? Are you going to take her side and lecture me about how sexist I was?"

"No. I think the thousands of tweets and articles about you lately made that pretty clear," she retorted.

Raleigh's shoulders slumped in defeat. After days replaying the whole fight in his head and reading the many articles written about it, he understood what Tiffany meant and why she felt so hurt. He was a complete jerk to her and his exes, even he didn't mean to.

"I'm not a misogynist, okay? That was just a..." He squinted his eyes, trying to remember the right words.

"A temporary lapse of judgement?"

"Exactly."

"You have to tell her that, Raleigh."

"Easier said than done, Wilshere. By the way, that's exactly what she said..." He paused as he recalled Tiffani's reaction. Her voice filled with anger and disappointment replayed in his mind once more as he repeated her words to him. "'We're done.'"

"Please..." Avery placed a hand on her hips and stared at him. "You know better than I do that how she feels about you and it won't go away just because you said something stupid. Tiff is a romantic and it won't be hard for you to find a way back to her heart. You just have to admit you were wrong and that—"

"I just can't live without her?" He uttered as the lyrics of a song came to him as a striking realization. The lyrics of that awfully old and tacky song.

"Well, if that's how you feel about her, sure. Why not?"

"Alright." He put down his drink. "I'll do it. But I need your help."

"I will. And now that we're at it, maybe you have to apologize to a few people as well?" Avery suggested as she gave him a sweet and disarming smile.

"Fine..." He sighed.

"Brilliant!" Avery clapped her hands and beamed at him. "Let's go."

"Now?!" He grimaced.

"Yeah now! Come on!" She grabbed his arm, pulling him out of his backstage dressing room.

Three days later

Tiffani closed the door to the recording booth heaving a frustrated sigh. It had been days since she tried to finish recording a song unsuccessfully. Micah was a great producer, tried to be supportive and help her out, but despite his efforts, the song didn't make out as she or anyone at record label hoped. And the pressure to deliver an outstanding second album was rising each new day.

Unluckily, she knew the reason for her creative block. And she had no one else to blame for it if she couldn't sing a song about falling in love when she was hurt. As she passed by the hallway with platinum albums, anger built inside her again. There was another person she could blame for her terrible week. But he wasn't going to just swoop in and save the day. Not this time.

She waved to the receptionist of the studio, walked outside and looked around. But to her surprise, there was no sign of Hank waiting for her. She then picked her phone and called her driver.

"Hank, where are you?"

"Hey, Tiffani. I'm stuck in traffic on Fifth Avenue, sorry... Can you wait inside the studio?"

"No..."

"You had another bad day at the studio, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." She breathed.

She couldn’t hide her feelings from Hank so easily, even if he wasn't looking right at her. Luckily, he was a good friend and there was no reason for her to pretend to be fine inside the car.

"Hey, I'm just a few blocks away. You could take a walk, give yourself time to think... Before you know, you'll be in here and I'll get you home," Hank suggested.

"Okay. I'll see you soon." Tiffani hung up and shoved her hands on her coat pockets to fight the cold.

She was just one block away from Fifth Avenue when someone in a sports car slowed down and got out to reach her.

"Tiffani!" Raleigh called.

"Go away!" She replied without looking back.

"Tiff, please!"

"No!"

"At least, let me explain!"

She turned around, throwing him an icy glare. "Is there really anything to explain?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm not in the mood. I'm going home."

"No, you're not. You'll be in your car, stuck in traffic, eating candy bars and thinking about how much of a jerk I am."

"Don't flatter yourself, Carrera." She scowled.

"I know you will, hermosa." He then stood in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "And you know what? You're right. I am a jerk and what I did was stupid. But I'm sorry. And I'm ready to do anything for you to forgive me."

Tiffani sighed as mixed feelings built up inside her. "Raleigh, I'm tired. I can't deal with this right now..."

"Okay, okay... But I'm going to prove to you that I can change."

As they approached Fifth Avenue, Raleigh ran towards the middle of the traffic jam.

"What the..." She observed him running between the cars and jumping a few to get to the middle of an intersection. "What the hell are you doing, Raleigh?!"

He turned around and grinned at her. "Enjoy the show, babe!"

Just then, a familiar drum beat and a bass rhythm blasted through the loudspeakers spread on the sidewalks. Tiffani looked around in astonishment as she realized what was happening. "You've got to be kidding me..."

On a small improvised stage in the middle of the intersection surrounded by a large crowd, Raleigh stepped on it to join his band, picked up his guitar and put on a headset microphone as the other musicians continued to play.

"Hey y'all! How is everyone doing this evening?" He greeted the crowd with a smile, who cheered in response.

"I know I screwed up your chances to get home early. Sorry not sorry…" He smirked at the crowd. “By the way, thanks to Avery Wilshere and Hank Hatora for figuring out a way to help me legally jam the traffic.”

“What?!” Tiffani blurted as the crowd cheered at Raleigh, who continued to address them.

"Y'all must have seen a stupid shit I did last week. That cost me so much I can't even put it into words. But I'm going to sing about it and prove to the most beautiful woman I've ever met that I love her and y'all are going help me, alright?"

While the crowd shouted yes and applauded, Raleigh locked eyes with Tiffani, who slowly got closer to the stage.

"Tiffani Liang!" He pointed to her in the middle of the crowd. "This one is for you, babe."

Tiffani stared in shock as Raleigh began to play the guitar and the song started at last. As he sang, goosebumps spread over her skin.

"Spending all my nights, all my money going out on the town,/doing anything just to get you off of my mind..."

That same soft, romantic melody with unique guitar arrangements she had heard and sang along on the radio all her life, the one she lip synced as a joke and he mocked suddenly gained a new meaning.

"But when the morning comes, I'm right back where I started again,/ trying to forget you was just a waste of time..."

In Raleigh's voice, the lyrics were filled with passion and regret. Somehow more romantic and soulful than the original version, the song captivated the audience, who sang along with him the entire time.

"Baby, come back! You can blame it all on me. I was wrong and I just can't live without you!"

During the entire chorus, Raleigh's eyes never left Tiffani's. She was well aware of his tricks to make it look like he was gazing into someone's eyes in the middle of a crowd. But this time, she could feel it.

The song was about to reach its end, he stopped singing and spoke again as he climbed down the stage to meet her. "Tiff, you were about everything. About how sexist I was, how unreasonable I was and about this song. It is timeless and I couldn't stop listening to it since I left your apartment that day."

Her heart raced in her chest and mouth went dry. She could barely believe he revealed their secret.

"You said you're tired. Well, I am too. I'm tired of hiding my feelings from the world, of pretending I don't care about us when you're all I think about." He moved closer, reached for her hand and pulled her close. "Tiffani Liang, will you forgive me and be my girlfriend for real?"

The crowd went wild as Tiffani stared at him mesmerized. This was an insane and completely over the top way to apologize, especially when they weren't supposed to be seen together. Then again, dating Raleigh Carrera meant expect the unexpected.

"You're crazy..."

"That ain't news to you, babe," he joked.

"Raleigh, I..."

"Say yes." He pushed the microphone away from his face to whisper in her ear. "Let me be yours for real, Tiffani."

The crowd surrounding them began to chant 'forgive him'.

"You don't know how to play fair, don't you?"

"All is fair in love, babe."

Tiffani shook her head, but smiled. "I forgive you."

Cradling her face, he leaned in and kissed her as the crowd applauded them. As they pulled apart, she pressed her forehead on his.

"So you enjoy the old and tacky song now..." She teased.

"Hey, don’t mock the classics."

The two of them chuckled.

Avery then swooped in to take the stage. “Hello everybody! Let’s cheer for the happy couple singing our hearts out!”

As one of Avery’s ballads began to play, Tiffani looked back at Raleigh. “It looks like you have everything all figured out.”

“I do. Including a strategic exit just in case…” He nodded towards Hank, who leaned on the car at the corner of the street not far from where they were.

“Are you ready to get out of here, babe?”

“So ready.”

Tiffani then intertwined their fingers as they held hands and disappeared into the streets.

#choices fanfic #platinum fanfic #raleigh carrera #m!raleigh x mc #n*fw #choicesnovember2021 #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates

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openshearts · 4 years ago

Text

forever & always

m! raleigh x mc

2.7k words

candace peforms a song she wrote about her and raleighs breakup at the vinyls and things get messy

a/n: forever & always by taylor swift is a bop please listen to it. Funny story, the idea for this fic came to me while I was singing forever and always alone to myself but imagined I was singing it to a stadium full of fans like any normal person would

*the words in italics are lyrics from the song

Candace has never been shy about putting her own emotions into the songs that she releases, whether about finding herself or some kind of romantic angle. People seem to like that kind of thing, feeling like they know the artist through their music. She’s never minded, all of the speculation and her putting herself out there-until now.

Forever and Always was a last minute addition to her second album. Last minute almost being an understatement seeing as it was ready to go onto the album about a month out from when it was set to release. Fiona had been very upset about that, but eventually she’d gotten over it due to some extenuating circumstances. It had all paid off anyway, the song ended up being the most popular one off the album, even though it wasn’t initially released as a single it started getting circulated to radio stations and ended up being more popular than the actual single they’d released before the full album.

Which of course is the whole problem. In her haste to get the sound fully produced and put on the album as the final track, Candace had neglected to think about how she would feel about having to hear it over and over, or talk about it in interviews or perform it in front of actual people. Forever and Always is a song she started to write two days after she broke up with Raleigh Carerra and finished a week later after she’d moved out of the apartment they shared. Now she heard it almost everyday when she went out, when she was in the car, and it hurt more than she thought it would.

And now she’s supposed to perform it at the vinyls.

“I’m not doing that,” She tells Fiona, not even able to look the other woman in the eye. Candace shuffles around her apartment looking for a pair of her glasses that she's put in some drawer or on some table. “Can you tell them I won’t do that? I will do any other song, any other one.”

“It’s the most popular song on the album,” Fiona reminds her, “It's higher on the charts than any other song you’ve done, it’s synonymous with you now, it’s kind of your defining song.”

Candace finally finds the pair of glasses in a kitchen drawer and sighs, “Of course it is. Just my luck that it would be my defining song, the one I can’t listen to without tearing up.” Neither of them says anything, and Candace pulls a bag of pretzels out of the cabinet, then opens them which makes a lot of noise. “Okay,” She relents, “I will perform the song, but just know that I resent being forced to, and that I will need alcohol as soon as i'm done.”

“Both are noted.”

The night of the show comes around and Candace can’t shake the sense of impending doom that she keeps pulling at the back of her mind. The dress she’s wearing is one of her favorites of all time, but even that can’t stop the upcoming performance. It’s all made worse by the fact that she realized after she’d already agreed to do it that Raleigh was going to be there and see the performance. She knows that he knows the song is about him, just like she assumes the rest of the world does, just because there is no other logical option. Their relationship was public knowledge, and eventually so was the breakup.

She starts the performance and feels confident. She knows what she’s doing, it’s what she loves to do: sing for people and know that they hear it that they hear it, and like it. She catches his eye briefly during one of the verses but she looks away before any motion can come out of it.

So here’s to everything, coming down to nothing

Here’s to silence that cuts me to the core

Where is this going?

That one almost gets her, not because she’s looking at him but because she can feel his eyes on her, she knows he’s watching and it she wonders if he knows what those words mean to her. How much had it blindsided her when he just casually brought it up over dinner? She doesn’t think about it too much, just keeps going until she gets to the final chorus. Just as she thinks she’s actually going to do this and make it through without anything terrible happening she reaches the last chorus.

And it rains in your bedroom everything is wrong

It rains when your here and it rains when your gone

Cause I was there when you said forever and always

The emotions overwhelm her so much that she doesn’t even see that she’s looking at him, and that she’s crying. Suddenly she’s very aware of the fact that she’s looking at him, and tears are flowing down her face faster than she can wipe them away. She doesn’t stop singing, but she feels trapped in the moment like she can’t pull herself away from her own humiliation happening right in front of her.

But she finishes the song.

She waits until the lights are down before she all but runs off the stage. She runs through the stage, through the backstage, and out into the cold air. She walks away from the building, tears flowing down her face still. A chill goes down her body as she stands out there not knowing what to do but painfully aware that she just embarrassed herself on national TV. She wraps her arms around herself, mind running with thoughts of if she’ll ever come back from this or if for the rest of her career she’ll be asked about the night she cried looking Raleigh Carrera in the eyes.

At least if she thinks about her career she won’t think about how much she misses him. She turns towards the building just as Avery comes rushing outside, clearly she’s been looking for her in the arena. “Hey,” She says, running up to Candace even though she’s in heels, “Are you okay?”

Candace sniffles, “Yeah.” Avery gives her a look, and she lets out a breath before saying, “Fine, No I’m not. I just ruined my entire career and embarrassed myself on national television. I am never going to live this down.”

Avery looks sympathetic and quickly wraps her up in a hug. “It’ll be okay love,” She says, “People are going to forget eventually.”

Candace doesn’t believe that for a second, because if it was her she would never forget that. Her mind races with the thoughts of how many buzzfeed listicles it’ll end up on, how many articles will be written in the next few days about her, how many tweets she’ll be tagged in about her very public emotional breakdown. Fiona comes out of the door next, clearly out of breath from some kind of running to find her.

“Excuse my french,” She says when she catches up, “But what the fuck was that?”

“The consequences of making me perform a fucking break up with my ex in the audience,” She says, tears start to from in her eyes, “God, I fucked up.”

“This can be handled,” Fiona says suddenly, “It’s going to go away eventually.”

“That’s being optimistic,” She rolls her eyes.

“Well you are going to have to go back in there tonight, because if you're not there to accept your award then it’ll make this whole thing that much worse.”

Candance’s phone buzzes in her jacket pocket furiously, she doesn’t even move to get it though because she knows exactly what’s going to be there when she turns it on. She has never in her life wished she could disappear without a trace more than this moment. She looks back towards the door, knowing that Fiona’s right, but the instinct to turn and run flashes through her mind multiple times.

She turns back to the two women standing in front of her and tucks a hair behind her ear, “They could posthumously take away the award for being a crybaby.”

“Posthumously means you have to be dead.”

“I might as well be,” She groans loudly, “From now on I am going to be known as the girl who got her heart broken by the bad boy and then lost her shit about it on the vinyls, that’s the kind of thing that follows someone around.”

Neither of them can quite argue with that. She knows that she has to go back in, but standing out here for as long as she possibly can allows her to convince herself that she doesn’t have to. That she can just wander off into the distance, go home and shut herself into her apartment for the next three and half days, or longer if no one comes to physically drag her out.

“I’ll go back in,” She says, like it’s even a choice, “But I’m going to stand in the back and I want out as soon as it’s possible.” Fiona nods, and turns back to typing something on her phone. Candance walks back into the building, avoiding eye contact with every single person who passes her by. She goes back to the dressing room and takes off the glittery outfit she performed in, putting back on the gold dress she showed up in, with its ribbon sleeves tied in bows where it meets her shoulder. As she looks in the mirror she’s silently thankful she’s never been one to wear mascara, because makeup dripping down her face is the last thing she needs.

She stands at the back of the hall, thankful that everyone’s back’s are to her. Suddenly someone stands right next to her, and when she looks to see who it is she almost throws up right then and there. “What the fuck do you want?” She angrily whispers.

Raleigh doesn’t look at her, he looks out at the room ahead of them and the announcer giving some speech about the next award. Candace looks behind her to see if anyone is looking at the two of them, because pictures of them together would put the icing on the cake of terrible things that could happen tonight. “What happened?” He asks, his voice genuine.

“You fucking broke my heart,” She almost growls, “And now everyone knows that I am unstable.”

“I’m sorry,” He says.

“You say that now.”

“I’ve always been sorry,” He says, finally turning to look at her.

She doesn’t move, but something comes over her and she turns to look him right in the eyes again. Again tears start to prick in her eyes, and she wipes them again, cursing herself for crying at all the wrong times. “If you were sorry, you wouldn’t have been such an ass.”

He looks embarrassed, “You were better off without me,” He says, “You still are.”

“Because I’m doing great,” She grits her teeth and tries not to raise her voice. “You love to decide what people should think of you, decide what other people should do. Maybe once in a while you could get your head out of your own ass and let someone care about you for longer than a minute at a time.”

He opens his mouth to say something but a sound from the front of the room stops the conversation. Up in front of the stage, the announcer says, “And for female artist of the year, Candace Dorian.” Candace rolls her eyes, suddenly very uninterested in having the eyes of the entire room again. She starts walking as soon as she hears her name, suddenly cognisant to the fact that she has a long way to go to get onto the stage, which is another awkward moment that no one wants tonight.

She gets up onto the stage without a problem, and she’s not exactly nervous, just painfully aware that everyone knows what happened but she had to pretend like it didn’t happen at all. She takes the award from the hands of the presenter, and beams at the audience, “Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me and supported both of my albums. Music is everything to me, and I’m so grateful that I get to share it with everyone.” When she thinks it’s enough she walks off the stage.

She gets another award that night, for song of the year and when that is over she’s in the car on the way home. It’s not that she’s ungrateful for winning, if the performance had gone off without a hitch then she would be on top of the world at the after party without a care in the world. Now she stands in the bathroom of her apartment, changing her clothes into the sweatpants she knows she’ll live in for the next few days.

It’s when she’s finally laying on the couch, the newly delivered comfort food sitting on the table in front of her that she realizes that she misses him. That she wouldn't feel half as mad if she didn’t miss him so much, if she didn’t want him back so much that just looking at him makes her want to break down into tears. She feels stupid for even thinking that, because the way that it looks, the way it looks like he broke her heart and she took him back without even thinking about what kind of harm it could bring her. The whole world knows how much she wants him, and that feels like she’s shown her entire hand.

A couple of hours later, someone knocks on the door and she doesn’t even move. She doesn’t want to talk to anyone, she doesn’t want anyone to even look at her. When the knocking doesn’t seem to stop, she begrudgingly gets up off the couch and opens the door. Of course, the person standing there is the last one she wants to see.

“You were right.”

“What do you want?” She groans.

“You’re right,” He says again. “I pushed you away because I’m fucked up, and I convinced myself that you would be better off without me, because I love you so much that I don’t want to hurt you.” He rubs the back of his neck self consciously, “But it seems like I already did.”

“No shit,” She deadpans, she knows she should feel something about this but the events of the night have made her numb.

“I’m sorry,” He says, reaching out and taking her hand.

She wants to scream, she wants to somehow shake herself back to life but she’s been so sad for so long that her body has all but shut down. Instead of being happy now she’s thinking about the fact that this will have to come out eventually, but not right away because it’s tentative. She wants something permanent, she wants him to say that she’ll stay because right now it feels like the only feeling that's permanent is the one where she longs for him even when he’s technically hers.

“I love you too,” She says, “But I can’t do this if it’s going to be the same thing. I was always so afraid that you would leave me, even when you were standing right in front of me, and then you left and I didn’t think I would ever be able to get over it.” She stops talking suddenly because she doesn’t know how to say it, she doesn’t know how to tell him that she wants him so badly but at the same time she’s scared to let him in again.

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you,” He says, taking advantage of the lapsed into silence, “I never wanted to hurt you, but you were right I was being selfish.” He sighs, and then looks at her for a long time, “I came here to try and not do the same shit I always do. I came here to tell you that I’m not going to leave you, I’m not going to make choices that affect us without telling you and I came here to tell you that I love you. I love you so much and seeing you cry because of me was the worst thing.”

“You really did make me cry in front of millions of people.”

“I’m never going to be able to live that one down, am I?”

She pulls him in for a kiss, which turns out to be everything she’s been missing and more, and then says, “No,” still smiling, “But I still love you.”

And that’s all he needs to hear.

#platinumweekend #vinylawardschallenge #raleigh carrera #raleigh x mc #m!raleigh x mc

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utterlyinevitable · 4 years ago

Note

24,26,34 for Raleigh x MC 👀👀👀 I think it’s a good mix

24. things you said when we were alone 26. things you said in writing 34. things you whispered in my ear

From the things you said prompt list. Send me a pairing and number and I’ll write a mini fic!

---

Nobody Knows The Whole Truth

Everyone knew Cadence Dorian, the midwestern sweetheart, had a way with words. Not only did her debut album go certified platinum, but all the songs she ghostwrote topped the charts.

Everyone knew of Raleigh Carrera. They knew his image, his voice, his affinity for danger and property damage. To the world, Raleigh Carrera was a certified bad boy.

Everything everyone knew was only half of the truth.

Nobody knew who Raleigh and Cadence were when they were together. When all they wanted is to share a peaceful dinner, hold hands, and have Raleigh carry her at the end of the night when her heels got too painful.

In public, they were the poster couple for on-and-off, toxic lovers. Raleigh is the flirt; sizing up opportunity after opportunity, and drinking a little too much. Cadence is the goody-two-shoes keeping him on a leash, and severing it once he gets too rowdy.

Every public encounter between them has a layer of tension implied.

After weeks apart, they ran into one another at the MoDA Gala. Their very public breakup stunt still very fresh in the public psyche.

They bumped into one another on the red carpet - literally. Raleigh turned to avoid a few reporters and knocked into Cadence posing for photos. It had the potential to be a PR nightmare.

The crowd gasped.

The pair just looked at one another as Raleigh went to steady her. His hands firmly on her body and thousands of pairs of eyes watching their every move as he leaned over;

“You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.

Cadence bit the inside of her lip, schooling her features from the bright smile threatening to oust them. Raleigh pulled away all too soon for her liking. But not soon enough for them to not get throngs of questions thrown at them;

“Are you getting back together?” “Have you worked through your issues?” “Will you be making music together in the future?” “How do you really feel about the break up?” “Can we get a picture together for the fans.”

The evening droned on and on and became more about business than the charity they’re here to support. There were only so many networking and industry conversations Cadence could take. And none of them were quite as endurable without Raleigh by her side.

The worst part of the evening by far was their publicists making sure they weren’t seated at the same table, keeping them apart for appearances sake.

Eventually Cadence needed a breather, a healthy dose of reality. So she made a sneaky decision. As no phones were allowed at the gala, she wrote on a napkin and whisked across the room to slip it under his champagne flute.

Then she waited in the shadows of a roped off area.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she said with a flirty smirk as Raleigh rounded the corner.

“This is bold,” he commented with his signature smirk. “What’re you gonna do with me now that you have me alone?”

“Murder sounds good. But be a dear and please keep your blood to yourself. This is a Zadie Couture original.”

He let out a laugh and crossed the distance. His hands reaching out to wrap around her waist before kissing her lightly, yet with the force of all their bottled up feelings.

“How was the rest of tour?” he asked when they broke apart.

Her face lit up and Raleigh’s heart skipped a beat. “Amazing! I can’t believe I sold out Troubadour!” Her fingers trailed to tangle in the strands at the back of his neck, “Missed you though.”

“Knew you could do it, kid.” He pressed a sweet peck to the tip of her nose.

Cadence smiled then leaned into him so that their lips met once more.

When they pulled away they gave a knowing look.

“Let’s go home.”

They slipped out of the event one at a time. Hank drove Cadence home and Raleigh called an Uber. They entered their building through separate entrances - her through the front door and him through the parking garage.

They met back up in the elevator where no one but building security could see them together.

Once they were safely home, Raleigh wasted no time in freeing Cadence from the confines of her corset.

“Oh sweet oxygen!” she sung as the dress fell to the floor and she could finally take long, deep breaths. All she wanted was the sweet comforts of home. “Where’s my onesie?”

“Under the pillows where you left it,” he said matter-of-factly as he began stripping off his suit.

“You didn’t wash it!?”

“No,” Raleigh shrugged, “Why would I?”

She looked at him, dumbfounded, “I’ve been gone for three weeks.”

How did he not think to wash the dirty clothes? She thought to herself.

Their eyes met as he told her, “It smells like you.”

________________________________________

Masterlist

@choicesficwriterscreations

Perma:

@rookiemarsswiftie @lucy-268 @binny1985 @thegreentwin @queencarb @danijimenezv @starrystarrytrouble @terrm9 @interobanginyourmom @adrex04 @maurine07 @mercury84choices @schnitzelbutterfingers @theeccentricbibliophile @wingedhairstylemusicweasel @kaavyaethanramsey @mvalentine @rookie-ramsey @drariellevalentine @lifeaskim @otherworldlypresents @therookie @aylaramseycarrera @angela8754 @fireycookie @stateofgracious

#aylaramseycarrera #asked #raleigh x mc #raleigh carrera #raleigh carrera x mc #male raleigh #m!raleigh x mc #platinum #choices platinum

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choicesficwriterscreations · 8 months ago

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CFWC LGBTQIA Masterlist March

✒️ = Fanfic | 📱= Text Fics/Edits | 🎨= Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQIA

AMERICAS MOST ELIGIBLE

Cherry Blossoms Dancing In The Sunlight ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Contestant x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

BACHELORETTE PARTY

Gardenia in Blossom ✒️🏳️‍🌈🔹| BP NB!MC - @aallotarenunelma

BIG SKY COUNTRY

Pink Azaleas For a Love That Saved Us ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Dallas James x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

BLADES OF LIGHT & SHADOW

Blades MC Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈 by @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

A Burden We Both Share ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Valax x Nia Ellarious - @livelaughlovecassie

Nia Ellarious x MC Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈 by @gaiuskamilah

Orc Meets Girl ✒️🏳️‍🌈🔹| F!Orc!MC & F!Human!MC - @noesapphic

BLOODBOUND

Kamilah Sayeed x F!MC Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈🔹by @vampirkit

CRIMES OF PASSION

Gabriel Rose 🎨🏳️‍🌈 by @lilyoffandoms

So Was it Honestly the Best? ✒️🏳️‍🌈| m!Trystan Thorne x MC - @choices-ceri

THE ELEMENTALISTS

Surprise Selfie! 🎨🏳️‍🌈| Beckett Harrington x MC - @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Your Love is Sweet Like a Honeysuckle ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Griffin Langley x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

ENDLESS SUMMER

Grandchildren: Beatriz ✒️🎨🏳️‍🌈| Estela Montoya x F!MC - @marmolady

GUINEVERE

Lancelot du Lac 🎨🏳️‍🌈by @lilyoffandoms

THE HAUNTING OF BRIARWOOD MANOR

Chicory Flowers For My Beloved ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Eleanor Waverly x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

HIGH SCHOOL STORY

Count the Red Roses ✒️🏳️‍🌈🔹| Michael Harrison x NB!MC - @aallotarenunelma

IMMORTAL DESIRES

Gabe Adalhard Flower Crown 🎨🏳️‍🌈 by @lilyoffandoms for @aria-ashryver

Lavander Sass ✒️🏳️‍🌈| NB!MC, Original Characters - @aallotarenunelma

IT LIVES SERIES

Noah Marshall x MC Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈by @payroo

LAWS OF ATTRACTION

I thought that I was special...🎨🏳️‍🌈| Gabe Ricci, NB!MC - @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Martin Vanderweil Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈 by @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

The Three Fates 🎨🏳️‍🌈| Original Characters - @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Watcha Doing Down There?🎨🏳️‍🌈 | NB!MC, OC - @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Weird, but not a sin🎨🏳️‍🌈| LOA NB!MC - @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Wind Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈 by @lilyoffandoms for @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Wind: Goldenrod (NB!MC)🎨🏳️‍🌈by @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Windverse Art 🎨🏳️‍🌈 | NB!MC, OCs by @cammarada (C: @oh-so-youre-a-nerd)

OPEN HEART

Bryce Lahela x M!MC Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈by @/artbyainna (C: @icecoffee90)

Your Death, Your Dog, Your Declaration ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Bryce Lahela x M!MC (eventual) - @mydemonsdrivealimo

With Warning (Series)✒️🏳️‍🌈 | Bryce Lahela, Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @jerzwriter Part Five: Captain Lahela and a Serving of Common Sense

PERFECT MATCH

Alstroemeria as in Adoration ✒️🏳️‍🌈| PM F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

PLATINUM

Wisteria Will Intertwine Around Our Wrists ✒️🏳️‍🌈| M!Raleigh Carerra x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

QUEEN B

I'm Not Needed, Never Will I Be ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Ina Kingsley x MC - @kwaj115

RIDE OR DIE

Ride or Die Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈| F!Logan x M!MC - @cadybear420

THE ROYAL ROMANCE

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia (Series) ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Liam Rys x M!MC - @justcallmefox89

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Stitched Sunflowers ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Dean West x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

SAVE THE DATE

Origami Daisy ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Simon Hendricks x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

WISHFUL THINKING

Amaryllis Bliss ✒️🏳️‍🌈🔹| Jamie Lewis x F!MC - @aallotarenunelma

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camiddletonxox · 4 years ago

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Her Wildest Fantasies

Pairing - Male Raleigh Carrera x Charity Middleton (Platinum)

Rating - General and fluffy

Note - This is a random fic I thought of, its not my best but I wanted to upload something...

Taglist - @drakewalkerfantasy @ao719 @princess-geek @polishchoicesfan @binny1985 @desireepow-1986 @adriansbiss @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @hatescapsicum @itscassandral @thequeenofcronuts @gardeningourmet @heauxplesslydevoted @whimsicallywayward15 @imbibecausofethanramsey @waitingforalana @regencylady1810 @dailydoseofchoices @storyofmychoices @sanchita012 @sushiharrington @maurine07 @queencarb @alexabeta @schnitzelbutterfingers @alookseeblog @red-rookie @choicesficwriterscreations

—————————

Summary - Charity invites Raleigh to come and sing with her as he admires her from back stage

Word Count - 678

————————

He had never seen such a vision. She was beautiful and the way she sung her heart out, was the most majestic site he had ever seen. Raleigh knew that this was were she belonged, on the stage, her fans were listening to the words of this beautiful song.

“She is brilliant” Hank was like a proud father, watching the newly titled pop princess sing, the emotions she felt as she sung her heart out.

“She always has been” The pop-star smiled proudly as he heard the beautiful little rifts she did with her insane vocals. As the finished her song, she turned to her boyfriend, a smirk on her face and he immediately knew what he was going to be asked to do and with such a beautiful woman as his girlfriend, he knew there was no way he would be saying no.

“LA, I have loved performing for you tonight, and I love being able to share my music with you” her voice was full of gratitude, the crowds were as crazy as a bunch of wild monkeys, all cheering her name. She couldn’t help but smile, this is why she did what she did. She waited for the cheering to subside for her to continue.

“WE love you Charity” a young girl screamed and Charity placed her free hand on her heart, this was always her wildest dream to be a singer and be this famous, but now her wildest fantasy was her reality.

“Thank you” she says and she just took in her surroundings and she put her microphone to her face. “This time a few years ago, I wrote a song, and for so long I could never ever get the lyrics right” she started and all the crowd went insane, she looked over to where Raleigh was backstage. “And somehow I almost lost my career over this song”

Raleigh chuckled, but the memories of when they had to sneak into a concert just so she could sing was more painful, not worth reflecting on.

Charity’s voice distracted him from his thoughts that were now starting to take over. “And I was so lucky when I got to show this song to the world because of a special reason. Not because it was the song that described my childhood better than all my others. But, because, I got to sing with one of the most amazing men I have ever known, I have ever met” The slight hint of Raleigh had the females in the arena going insane.

“A microphone” one of the stage hands told Raleigh, shoving a microphone in his face but he took it, and he waited for her to call him on stage, after all tonight was all about her.

“Ever since we went public with this song, this duet and ever since we announced our relationship, this man has been my rock. He makes me want to be a better version of myself, he inspires me more than he will never know, so if he is willing, because we didn’t plan this, but please come on stage, Raleigh” her begging eyes were enough fo him to join her on the stage. The crowd went crazy, some screaming Raleigh over here, some teenagers looked as if they could faint as the handsome singer made his way onto the stage.

The loved up singers embraced for a moment before Raleigh planted a gentle and sweet kiss on her lips before whispering into her ear, “I will always sing with you, mi amor”

The two of them were just so lost in each other, they almost forgot about the crowd before the chanting brought them back, the whole of the crowd chanting Love Who I’ll Be, over and over.

“Did you ever dream of this moment, Charity?” Raleigh asks her softly and in response, she shook her head.

“Never in my widest fantasies” she responded and the two of them looked to each other lovingly before the music started and they duetted, not able to keep their hands off one another.

#platinum #choices raleigh #platinum raleigh #Male Raleigh #raleigh carrera #male raleigh carrera #choices raleigh carrera #m!raleigh x mc #raleigh x mc #raleigh carrera x mc

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cavillkingdom · 5 years ago

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Someone: Hey, are you alright?

Me: Yeah.. Sure.

Also me:

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mrsrhys23 · 5 years ago

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Cadence Dorian Carpool Karaoke

Paring: M!Raleigh x MC

Word count: 1,165

Warnings: None

A/N: I don’t own any of these characters, they belong to Pixelberry Studios. This is a part of @cxld-play and @bi-cookie’s @choicesfebruarychallenge. The prompt is Karaoke.

Permatag: @desiree---1986 @cordoniaqueensworld @itschoicesstuff @emilypowell001

“Thank you for helping me get to work,” James Corden smiled, turning to face the young singer.

, “My pleasure,” Cadence Dorian smiled.

“Do you mind if we listen to some music?” He asked.

“No, lets see what’s on.” James switched the radio on and love who I’ll be blared through the cars speakers.

“Lost in the darkness, you showed me the light,” Cadence sang as James got ready for Raleigh’s upcoming part.

“I was feeling heartsick, until you made it right,” James sang, not exactly on key but good enough.

“Nice,” cadence commented. “Baby, no ones perfect, but I know what I’m worth,” She continued, her voice sounding nearly identical to the recording.

“Ready?” She asked.

“I’ve finally found someone who understands,” they sung in a near perfect harmony with each other.

“No more doubt,” Cadence sung, pointing to James.

“No more pain.”

“No more feeling like I am to blame,” they sung together again, James smiling widely and Cadence joining him.

“My days will be brighter,” she started, pointing to the man beside her again.

“And I will fly higher.”

“And I’m gonna love who I’ll be.”

Cadence picked up her water bottle and held it like a microphone, singing her next line into it. “No more doubt.”

James shook his head laughing, “No more pain.”

She leaned in closer to him, holding the bottle in front of them both. “No more writing history in vain.”

“My days will be brighter,” Cadence continued, all the anxiousness she had been feeling about doing this interview fading away. She was now in her element after all.

“And I will fly higher”

“And I’m gonna love who I’ll be,” and with that, the song came to an end and the two high-fived. James switched the radio off for a minute, turning to her and they caught up in traffic.

“Talking off Raleigh Carrera-“

“I mean we weren’t but carry on,” she interrupted.

“What is going on with you two? The reason I ask Is because there’s a rumour you two aren’t together anymore?”

“How did that even start?” She asked, her brow furrowing.

“Well, you two got engaged-“

“Yeah-“ she nodded.

“You wore the ring a few times and then no one saw it again and you’re not wearing it now either. Are you two together or are you not? What is going on?”

“Absolutely nothing. We’re still together, we’re still getting married in August, everything is fine. The reason I’m not wearing my ring is simply because It needed resizing. It was a bit too big and kept falling off and I don’t want to lose it,” she explained.

“That's what I like about you: you’re honest. Now we’ve got that out the way…” James reached back over and turned and the tune to in love with a liar.

“Don’t know who you think you are, but I know what I’ve seen,” the both of them started. “You try to play all innocent but I know where you’ve been.”

Soon the song drew to an end and James turned to her, switching it off again. “Who broke your heart?”

“No one,” Cadence laughed.

“Come off it, you don’t write a song like that had someone not either broke your heart or pissed you right off.”

“We don’t need to talk about it. Let that just stay buried. Where it belongs,” she dismissed. “I was so nervous about coming on this show. I really was.”

“How can you say ‘no’ to some carpool karaoke and driving around LA with me?” he asked, gesturing down at himself, eliciting a laugh from the singer. “Its a serious question.”

“I couldn't,” she smiled, shaking her head and getting a nod from him.

James switched the radios back one and once again the duo started belting out lift me up.

“Salt on your skin and stars in your eyes. You’re close in the darkness and I’m all out of lies. Take my heart and made it your own . You’re everything that I’ve ever known. I tried to resist you, I tried to keep my distance, I tried to play it cool but I’m no match for your persistence. And if you lift me you me up! When the fog rolls i, you lift me! When the Cold sets in you, you give me! The strength to take on anything, oh anything. I see by the light you bring. You lift me up, you lift me up!i see by the light you bring, you lift me up, you lift me up.”

The song drew to a close and James turned to her. “That song is the reason you’re where you are today,” James noted.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “Had Avery not seen it I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“That was mental, wasn’t it though?”

“It was insane and it still hadn’t quite sunken in yet that this is my life now nearly three years later.”

“You’ve taken some time off recently, haven't you?”

“I just needed to take a break, relax a bit and then come back hopefully with a new outlook and mentality.”

“I mean you haven’t stopped for three years. That is a long time without a break,” he mentioned. “That is commitment.” .

“I’ve loved every single second of it, I’ve made some amazing friends and done some incredible things, I went on tour too and it was phenomenal but it takes a lot out of you,” she explained.

“What have you been doing with your time off then?” He asked.

“Well, I’ve been planning my wedding. I kind of wish I had done it when I was a kid like most little girls and I wouldn’t be so stressed over it now. I travelled a little bit, spent time with some family, wrote a little bit, I’ve just spent most of it relaxing and enjoying myself,” she explained.

“To honour your fiance-“ he reached back over and soon Famous- Raleigh's song blared. She shook her head with a grin as the intro played.

“Moving in time on the dance floor. You got me sweating for it. You need someone to keep your fire lit, lets make our exit. Can’t keep my hands off of you now and I know you don't want me to stop. Can't keep your hands off of me now and I know i don't want you to stop. neighbours knockin’ But we know they can't blame us, yeah, baby i treat you just like you are famous!”

“Now,” James started when the song finished, “That is a sexy song right there. The question is: does he treat you like you’re famous?” James asked, turning to her with a very serious expression on his face.

She raised an eyebrow at him, “Yes,” She nodded, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Thank you so much for helping me get to work,” James smiled, giving her a high five as they pulled up at CBS studios where the Late Late Show is filmed.

#choicesfebruarychallenge #platinum fanfic #m!raleigh x mc #carpool karaoke #choices:stories you play

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