#man lifts in dubai

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[platoapproved]

Daniel & Louis or Daniel/Armand doing something happy/peaceful, OR a situation/moment for one of the above that you wanna see in fic but haven’t (their happiness is not required)

“This is silly, Daniel.” Louis wasn’t a good liar. Daniel had gone toe-to-toe with plenty of those and Louis just didn’t have it in him. Sure, Louis could make his voice as flippant and dismissive as he needed. He could pull on one of those charming lopsided sarcastic smiles that crinkled the corners of his eyes and doubled as a reminder that he was the most handsome man on the planet. He could get 90% of the way there. But there was always some detail that gave him away. It was his hands, this time. Daniel had watched Louis lift up the camera to examine it. He was cradling it like it was the most precious thing he’d ever touched. “No, it isn’t.” Louis traced his fingers along the seams of the leather, folded down the front of the case to get a better look. He touched the little crank at the side, fingertips hesitant. Like he was touching a ghost. “That’s the same kind you had in Paris, right? I tracked it down. Took a while, too. At first, I thought about getting you one of those new fancy ones, you know? But I figured…pick up where you left off.” “I didn’t leave off. I—” Louis didn’t finish the sentence. He cut himself off with a short, breathy laugh, shaking his head. He was still smiling in that way that Daniel recognized as an attempt to cover up hurt. This was such a raw nerve for Louis; Daniel had seen that all the way back in Dubai. “You what? What were you about to say—you failed? That’s bullshit, Louis. You barely let yourself get started.” Louis scoffed even as he opened up the camera and started to load in a roll of film. It might have been 70 years, but his fingers remembered all the steps. “It was a hobby. A– a pretentious affectation. I was just killing time. I’m not a real artist. I never was.” It was Daniel who laughed, now. He’d never really been an ‘I can fix him’ kind of guy, but there was a first time for everything, right? Certainly if anybody was qualified to teach Louis to ditch the modesty and imposter syndrome, Daniel thought he fit the bill. He’d never had much time for humility, personally. “Naw, c’mon, Louis. You’re way too old to still believe that crap. It’s not predestined. It’s not an identity, man. Like some people are artists and some people aren’t. It’s a thing people do. It’s a skill that takes practice. You gave up before you got enough of it. Why not try again? You’ve got the time.” Louis looked unconvinced, still. That was fine. Daniel didn’t expect to build Rome in a day. It was a good enough start, that Louis lifted the camera to his eye and aimed it at Daniel. He gave a big smile, show off those long fangs, tongue out and middle finger raised. Louis rolled his eyes, and Daniel heard the shutter click.

[myysaints]

Hello, I saw your requests are open.... if you feel like it and like the idea I'd like to see Japanese kpop idol reader x yuki where reader had been an idol for like 7 years and she's very private like when someone asks about her TMI she's just like i bought this shirt on sale 😐 so when she was asked in an interview if she watches any sports or stuff her members sort of out her for being an f1 fan and then her group gets invited to a race where her and yuki get spotted standing a bit too close (nothing couple worthy but they did look suspicious)... ensure f1 and her fans on twitter being in flames where a lot of her fans are like, lol no I refuse to believe we might lose our queen to a guy that goes vroom vroom but it just gets quite after that so no one thinks about it until a picture of them kissing gets out and people are like I waited three and a half years, Asian man did it in one week only for her company to announce that they had known each other since childhood and they are childhood sweethearts with a 10 year history and like the whole f1 grid being like yuki! You had a girlfriend this entire time

So sorry if this is too specific, if you don't like it you can just skip the request 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

°˖ ⊹ ꒰ YT22 ꒱ REAL OR NO? ─ YUKI TSUNODA

... (PART ONE)

YUKI TSUNODA x f!japanese!kpop idol!reader

⌗︙・ summary — you’ve known yuki tsunoda all your life, but the world doesn’t know that. so when your relationship is accidentally called into the spotlight, fans understandably freak out – after all, who thought that these two worlds would collide?

genre — social media au, fc: sakura from le sserafim

notes — thank you anon for the request!!! it was so cute i spent the whole day absolutely going ham on this fic, which is why it's... so.... so long.... i also changed some details but they're very very minor. hope i did your request justice, and enjoy!

www.youtube.com

[ENG SUB] WHAT SECRET IS LE SSERAFIM’S Y/N HIDING FROM FANS? | KNOWING BROS

yourusername uploaded to their story.                                29s

[caption: Thank you alphataurif1 for having me at the Suzuka GP! 파이팅 🤍💙!]

yourusername

Liked by le_sserafim, yukitsunoda0511, alphataurif1, and 3,274,302 others

🏷  alphataurif1

yourusername  ただいま (I’m home) ~ 🇯🇵🏎

view all 1,009,284 comments

alphataurif1  かわいい (Cute) 😊

       Liked by yukitsunoda0511 yourusername  thank you admin!

yukitsunoda0511  幸運をもたらしてくれてありがとう (Thank you for bringing me good luck)！

yourusername  どういたしまして (You’re welcome)！おめでとう (Congratulations)！

seulgiphoria  SLAY RECOGNISES SLAY

hannitokki  begging on my knees for just one chance

landonorris  Seeing you in the paddock today made me fearless 😉

yourusername  too bad that didn't help you go faster ... dearhyunjin  LMFAOOOO SHE HUMBLED HIM REAL QUICK

www.youtube.com/Formula1

PRE-RACE INTERVIEW WITH YUKI TSUNODA | ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2023

f1wagupdates

Liked by 932,882 others

f1wagupdates  Submitted by anon 🙈 SPOTTED! After the Yuki Tsunoda and an unknown woman (could it be the same girl from Suzuka?) seen entering the driver’s hotel lift together. The pair were clad in matching outfits. According to anon, the woman had a mask over her face and “looked like she didn’t want to be recognised”. 🤔 Who could this mystery woman be?

view all 546,237 comments

miradrivescars  THEYRE IN MATCHING OUTFITS 😭😭😭

ynsserafim  someone find where y/n is QUICK

isaluvsyn  they just finished their world tour right?? i think their last stop was in dubai channieslix  that was like 3 weeks ago babe im sure y/n is looooong gone and back in korea by now LOL

bitemelando  it’s the same hat as the one in the suzuka picture so it’s probably the same girl

verstrappon  yall gotta chill it’s just a regular schmegular black cap damn 🤣

minimumverstappen  kpop twt is gonna have a field day with this one lol

...to be continued !

© myysaints

[fredwkong]

Hey man, been lifting for a good 3 years now and I'm loving the growth, but i'm nowhere near my end goal size. Think you could help me achieve my dream body of a sweaty, hairy arab bodybuilder? thanks.

If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a personal hand in helping you through this transformation. I mean, you did ask for my help, not Himbo Maker’s.

A few days after you submit your request, some friends start complimenting you on your tan. Yeah, it’s the end of summer, you’ve been getting out a bit, but you’re more the type to burn in the sun than brown at all. But when you look in the mirror, you’re definitely several shades darker than you used to be. And is that… hair on your face?

You chalk it up to a natural test increase. I mean, you’re hitting PRs every time you lift, lately. You must have changed something in your diet or habits, that’s all. Sure, you find yourself posing cockily every time you pass a mirror now, but you’re just admiring the absolutely disgusting pumps you’ve been getting, and checking out the thickening beard on your tan cheeks.

When the sleeves burst on your favourite shirt, you have to admit that you’ve been growing at an unreal rate. Your biceps added, what, six inches to their circumference in as many weeks? All that extra size and body hair has you sweating all the fucking time, so you always look oiled up, and the stench of sweat emanates off you in waves.

It seems like all this extra muscle’s been powered with brains, though. All you seem to be able to talk about these days are your PRs, your social media presence, and your upcoming trip to Dubai. You can’t wait to party, lift, and fuck 24/7 with tons of other like-minded Arab bros. Better take another duck-faced flexing selfie to get all your new bros horny thinking about you!

I can't wait to see how enormous you'll get on your trip.

[karahalloway]

(Less Than) Noble Intentions: Chapter 20 - Steal Me Away

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale’s problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: (Less Than) Noble Intentions

Chapter Summary: Drake is back... but that doesn't mean that it's a happy reunion...

Word Count: 4,300

Rating/Warnings: M (shouting, guilt-tripping, dangerous driving, swearing in multiple languages, one over-heated kiss)

Chapter theme song:

Chapter 20 - Steal Me Away

I whirl around in disbelief. "Drake...!"

He's stood before me with two days' worth of stubble, regarding me with a long-suffering look.

But it really is him.

And I feel my heart swell, even though I can tell that he's not exactly best pleased to find me in a random antique shop in the middle of Rome.

The muscle in his jaw twitches. "I turn my back for one goddamn minute and—"

"What are you doing here?" I blurt.

"I can ask the same of you, Gale..." he counters, folding his arms over his chest. "Because this sure as shit ain't no bridal boutique."

My chin lifts on its own accord. "I decided to make a detour."

"Jesus fucking—" He rakes his hand through his hair. "Did you leave your brain in a ditch somewhere in the process?"

My eyes widen. "Wha—! No! I—"

"The city is crawling with paps!" he almost shouts, jabbing a finger towards the door. "Who are looking for any excuse to make a meal out of you! Did you not think for one second that—?"

"What?" I counter heatedly, stepping up to him. "That I should cower and hide instead, like I'm to blame for it all? I told you — I refuse to let these people—"

"Well, it would've been a damn sight better than making me chase you across half the fucking city!"

"Why were you even chasing after me?" I demand, my own ire flaring. "You're supposed to be in Dubai!"

"Been there, done that, got the jet lag to prove it," he hits back sarcastically. "But just because I'm gone doesn't mean you suddenly have carte blanche to fuck off on your own."

"Says the person who walked off without so much as a 'see you later'..."

His mouth hardens. "I didn't want to—"

"Also, I'm not on my own," I continue testily. "Allard and Schweitzer—"

"—are fucking fired," he cuts in, suddenly darkened mocha eyes flashing. "They should never have—"

"Ch'è qualche problema?"

"No!" Drake and I snap in unison.

The old man falls mute before muttering something disparaging under his breath.

I continue staring at Drake, heart thumping and chest heaving in the wake of our dust-up.

He glares back unblinkingly, jaw clenched as the tension rolls off him in palatable waves.

I reach up to adjust the strap of my tote indignantly. "So much for trusting each other, huh, Walker?"

"Dammit, Gale," he growls. "That's not what—"

Grabbing the wrapped box off the counter, I stomp past him without a backwards glance. "See you back at the embassy."

He has some nerve, showing up out of the blue t—

I barely make it two steps before he's grabbed me by the arm.

I open my mouth to retort...

...but I'm not given a chance to get a word in edgeways, because in the next instant, he's slammed me against his chest, laying claim to my mouth with a ferocity that's on the verge of being savage.

The fight whooshes out of me as my arms fly up to wrap themselves 'round his neck, even as I feel his fingers dig against the soft cotton of my dress, pulling me to him like a long-lost ship to anchor.

"Christ, girl," he growls against my lips. "You send me off the edge of reason..."

"I'm... sorry..." I gasp, clinging to him helplessly as he trails down the line of my jaw. "I didn't mean to—"

"Ah... l'amore... non è bello se non è litigarello."

Drake starts as he gets clapped roundly on the back.

Peeking up, I see the shopkeeper smirking at us conspiratorially as he ambles past.

"Err... Sì," coughs Drake, pulling back from me. "Sto certamente imparando che a mio spese..."

The man laughs in response. "Non capita a tutti?"

"You speak Italian?" I gawp, feeling a flush creep up my cheeks as the old man throws us a wink over his shoulder.

"Uh... Yeah..." Drake mutters, running his hand over the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. "With Bast."

"Oh." I glance between him and the old man. "What did he say?"

"An old proverb," Drake says, looking just as embarrassed as I am feeling about the fact that we'd inadvertently let our dirty laundry rip in the company of a complete stranger. "Love is not beautiful if it does not quarrel."

My cheeks redden further. "I-I see..."

"It's kind of a compliment..." he admits, shooting a sidelong glance over at the man, who's now busy dusting some shelves. "But we should probably get out of his hair."

"Definitely...!" I chirp, diving towards the saving grace of the exit.

"Err... La saluto," offers Drake on his way out. "E scusi il disturbo..."

"Eh!" comes the scoffed response. "Chi non risica non rosica. Ma è meglio stare attenti con lei! Donna buona – vale una corona."

"Lo so..."

"Everything alright?" I ask as Drake joins me on the baking pavement.

"Yeah," he assures me, not quite meeting my eye. "Just giving his two cents..."

Something flashes across his face, too fast for me to read.

But before I can ask him about it, he's already marching me across the square.

"What about Allard and Schweitzer?" I protest, trying to squint behind me as Drake navigates us 'round the incessant stream of sightseers. "Are they—?"

"I sent them back to the embassy," Drake replies, yanking me back as a pair of kids dart out in front of me.

"You didn't actually fire them, did you?" I gasp.

"Sure as hell thinking about it," he mutters, moving us forward again.

"If it's any consolation, they did try to talk me out of coming out here..."

"Clearly not hard enough."

"I can be very persuasive when I want to be," I remind him.

He lets out a low breath. "Don't I fuckin' know it..."

"Look," I say, coming to a stop and turning to face him. "I get you're pissed—"

"That's putting it mildly."

"—but don't take it out on Allard and Schweitzer," I tell him flatly. "They didn't do anything wrong... and I actually get along with them."

He holds my gaze for a long time before answering. "They're not your friends, Gale."

"Maybe not in any conventional sense," I admit. "But getting me a security detail had been your idea, Walker. And I know I was against it initially, but Allard and Schweitzer have been able to be there for me when you haven't."

His mouth hardens.

"And I know that grates you," I continue quickly, before he can cut me off again. "But we knew from the start that this was going to be the case, so if you do need to leave, then I'd prefer to be left with people I can trust. And I trust Allard and Schweitzer — with my life. Which is actually saying a lot."

He holds my gaze for what feels like a full minute before answering. "I'll think about it."

"That's it?" I demand in disbelief as he grabs my wrist to pull me after him again. "After all that, you're just going t—?"

"I said I'll think about it."

I glare at his back. "You're a dick."

He rounds on me like a wolf. "I'm a fuckin' realist. And the reality is that Allard and Schweitzer messed up. Big time. And I don't care how much you like them, or how many times you've braided each other's hair—"

My eyes narrow. "That's not—"

"—because none of that fucking matters out here! What matters — the only goddamn thing that matters — is keeping you safe. From the paps, from the aristos, even from your ownfucking self, if you're about to do something stupid. And at that, they've unquestionably failed. So, no. I'm not about to cut them a break. Especially not on your say-so. Because the stakes are too fucking real, and I'm not gonna let anyone play dice with your life. Least of all the people whose one job is to look out for you. Got it?"

I force myself to blink back the sudden tears in my eyes. "Yeah..."

"Good," he grunts. "Now get on."

Glancing past Drake, I spot what is very literally the last thing I'd expect to see him with.

I scoff up at him. "In your dreams, bud."

"Gale," he warns, reaching for one of the helmets that's hanging from the black and white moped's frame. "I'm not in the fucking m—"

"Well, neither am I," I hit back tersely. "So, you can take that deathtrap of a Vespa and shove it."

"First off," he counters, tossing the helmet at me. "It's a Piaggio. Second, the only reason I had to resort to this is because you decided to bail."

I catch the helmet irately. "So, you're saying that this is my fault?"

"Damn right, it is," he confirms, extracting a second helmet from the storage compartment nestled beneath the seat. "It's got all of 50cc so it's underpowered as fuck."

"Then why the heck did you get it!"

"Because it's the fastest way to get around the city."

I snort at him. "You mean, it's the fastest way to get into an accident..."

He prays for deliverance under his breath. "Gale, for the love of Christ, will you just—?"

"No," I declare, folding my arms. "The last time you conned me onto the back of your motorbike, I literally thought I was going to die. And after seeing how everyone in Rome drives, I have no interest in—"

"You drive, then."

Drake's unexpected offer pulls me up short. "Wait. What?"

He pulls a set of keys from his pocket. "It's a one-time offer, Gale. Either you take the wheel, or I do. But you've gettin' your ass on this sorry excuse of a bike, one way or another."

"I..." I swallow thickly. "I don't know how..."

"I'll walk you through it," he assures me. "There ain't much to it."

"Somehow I doubt that..."

"Clock's tickin', girl..."

I heave a breath before shoving my head into my helmet. "Okay, fine. I'll do it."

"Figured you would," he murmurs, holding the keys up. "You know where these go?"

"Up your ass," I retort, snatching the keychain from his hands.

The corner of his mouth twitches — whether in amusement or annoyance, I can't tell.

Not that I really care. I can be a jerk, too. But, I figure that at least with me driving, we won't rack up any speeding tickets or near misses on our way back to the Cordonian embassy, which is where we are staying for the two nights that we are in Rome for.

Walking up to the moped — admittedly with more swagger than I'm actually feeling at this moment — I grab the handlebars and swing my leg over the middle of the frame.

After a quick inspection, I locate the ignition switch and slot the key in.

But before I have a chance to try and turn the engine on, Drake's hand appears in my line of sight.

Reaching between my legs, he opens a hidden compartment in the frame. "For your bag."

"Oh," I say in genuine surprise, taking my bag off so I can tuck it away. "That is actually kind of neat."

"Last thing we need is for you to lose your stuff..." he drawls, shutting the glove box back up.

As he straightens again, his arm brushes the bare skin of my knee. And despite (or maybe because of) the unresolved tension shimmering between us in the wake of our heated reunion, I can't help but feel a familiar zap of electricity course through my nerves at the inadvertent contact.

"No kidding..." I concede, somewhat hoarsely. Clearing my throat, I add, "So... umm, what's next?"

"Grab the break and turn the key over as far as it'll go."

"So, kind of like a car," I surmise, following the instructions. "Why isn't it starting?"

"Because you only turned the electronics on," Drake advises. "To kick the engine off, you need to disengage the kick stand, and then press the start button."

"Jesus Christ, this is complicated..." I grumble as I scoot off the seat so I can try to figure out how to do what he just said.

"No more complicated than sailing a yacht," Drake counters, watching my antics from the safety of the pavement. "Just give it a shove ."

"How will that—?"

"It's got a rear-mounted kickstand," he says. "You disengage it by rolling the bike forward."

"Right," I grumble, feeling like a total idiot. "Because that's so obvious."

Maybe I should've let Drake drive, after all...

"You still holding the break?"

I snap my head up as I give the handlebars a hard push. "Huh?"

A squeal erupts from my mouth as the moped suddenly lurches forward beneath me, and I have a moment of sheer panic as I wrestle with the hunk of metal to keep from crashing to the ground.

"I told you to hold the break..."

"You could've been more specific!"

He lets out a low breath. "You good?"

"Yeah," I huff, finally managing to find some semblance of balance with an uncooperative moped  stuck between my legs.

"Turn her on, then."

I scan the buttons in front of me. "Err..."

"The one by your right thumb."

Shifting my grip, I extend my thumb out to press the button...

"You still holdin' the break?" Drake asks.

I quickly tighten my hold on the left-side break. "Yes."

Drake eyes me unconvincedly. "Just checking..."

I stick my tongue out at him.

"Hey," he objects. "You're the one who wanted to do this, Gale."

"Yeah, everything is my fault today..." I grumble as I press the start button.

The moped sparks to life beneath me, and I feel a massive rush of achievement.

"I did it!" I cry, meeting Drake's eye with an unadulterated grin.

He quirks a brow at me. "Y'know you're still stationary, right?"

"Shut up."

Drake steps up to the bike with a shake of his head and flips out the passenger foot rest. "Last chance to bow out gracefully, Gale."

I glance over my shoulder at him. "If you're trying to pull some kind of reverse psychology on me, Walker—"

"Wouldn't dream of it..." he assures me dryly, mounting up as well. "But my word is gospel, y'hear?"

"Aye-aye, Cap'n," I say sardonically... while trying to ignore the heat of his body and the instinctive urge to lean back into it as he settles down on the narrow seat behind me.

Because as much as I missed him, and as glad as I am that he's back, our volatile reunion has served as a stark reminder that we never finished our conversation back in Applewood. Not only that, but thanks to the almost break-neck speed at which things have been happening, the list of topics for discussion has only grown since then.

And the last thing I want is for us to fall down the same toxic hole that we did in the wake of Christian's surprise reveal in Valtoria.

I just have to hope that we'll be able to squeeze in some much-needed couple time before even more things pile up between us.

Not to mention, I'm desperate to know what had happened with Tariq in Dubai... and whether Drake's record-fast turnaround is a sign of some much-needed success, or even more demoralising failure.

But, first things first: getting back to the embassy in one piece, without the paps chasing us.

I feel Drake roll his eyes at me. "Wrong salutation, but never mind... Now. We're gonna do this slowly and gently. There's a lot of people around, and we don't need you on the front page of the Sun again because you accidentally torpedoed a toddler."

My throat constricts. "Y-You saw that?"

"You'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't," he mutters. "But right now, your focus needs to be on driving this thing. So, eyes up front and ignore everything else."

I swallow down my nerves. "Okay..."

"Your right hand controls the throttle. Your left hand controls the break," Drake instructs. "For the love of God, don't mix that up, or I'll be on the phone to your patents explaining why you suddenly need skin grafts."

I wince involuntarily at the gruesomeness of that particular image. "Got it."

"It's a mistake you'll only make once," he warns grimly. "To get going, twist down on the throttle while slowly easing up on the break. Don't jerk it, or you'll face plant into the speedometer."

"Anything else?" I ask, somewhat nervously.

As anticipated, driving a motorbike is a lot more nuanced than Drake made it look back in Cordonia. And I'm having some serious second thoughts about this whole thing...

"Keep your feet off the foot-stand until you've got enough momentum to stay upright."

"How will I know that?"

"You'll feel it," he assures me. "Like on a bike."

I bite my bottom lip.

"Hey," he says, brushing his fingers across my hip. "You got this, girl."

The familiarity of Drake's touch — even though it's fleeting — unwinds something in me. Because it's an unspoken reminder that no matter what may be going on around us... or between us, it's not going to come in the way of the promise that he made me.

I suck in a steadying breath. "Okay. Here goes."

Readjusting my grip on the handlebars, I twist my wrist down. Feeling the engine start to rumble with increased vigour, I gentle ease up on the break.

The Piaggio begins to creep forward.

"Watch the road, not the instruments," Drake cautions from behind me.

Lifting my eyes up, I carefully navigate us 'round the oncoming pedestrians, keeping my feet suspended alongside the moped, in case I need to make an emergency stop.

But, as we move away from the iconic landmark, the crowd starts to thin out, and the street widens. Passing a fruit and vegetable stand, I let go of the break fully, the bike pulls forward eagerly. Feeling slightly more confident, I add a bit more gas so I can finally lift my feet up without capsizing our delicate operation.

"Not bad," Drake approves. "You just gotta relax a bit."

I flush inadvertently. "I am relaxed."

"Your shoulders say different. You're driving like Quasimodo."

"Oh." I make a concerted effort to straighten my posture. "Better?"

"Yeah. But now you need to drop your elbows."

"So much for this being easy..."

"It is," he insists. "Once you get the hang of it."

"You and your technicalities, Walker..." I grumble.

"Everything's got a learning curve," he reminds me. "But we just might make a Hell's Angel out of you yet."

I snort back at him. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Evil Knievel. We haven't made it back to the embassy yet."

"Then you might wanna knuckle down for this next part."

"Why? What's—?"

I get my answer as we round a corner and come parallel to a busier-looking road.

Great...

"Right here, then first left," Drake advises as we approach a somewhat complicated-looking three-way intersection.

"Umm... Okay..." I mumble, eyeing up the noticeably faster-moving traffic on the main road with more than a bit of trepidation.

"No one's gonna give you room, so you'll have to gun it," comes the no-nonsense tip from behind me. "The indicator is by your left thumb."

A Fiat whizzes past, but the next car is some distance away. Taking a breath, I flick the indicator on and twist down on the throttle to merge into the gap.

"Move over one more," Drake shouts over my shoulder. "You're taking up the bus lane."

"Where the heck does it say that?" I demand, casting my head around in confusion.

"On the sign we just passed..."

"Was it invisible?"

"Hey," counters Drake. "You wanna argue with me, or a cop?"

"Neither," I concede sourly, making the switch to the left-side lane after a quick check in the mirror. "But they could've made it more obvious..."

Drake scoffs. "It's Rome. The bastards are trying to catch you out."

"Clearly," I agree, taking a left at the traffic lights...

...straight into a two-way fork in the road.

"Umm... What now?" I squeak, trying to hedge my bets as much as I can in the rapidly shrinking room that I have to make a decision before I run into the curb.

"Stay left."

I start to turn the bike, only to yank it back violently with a yelp as a car that I hadn't realised was trying to overtake me blows past with a scream of its horn.

"Vaffanculo!" yells Drake, throwing his hand out angrily at the other driver.

"Ohmygod..." I rasp, my entire body shaking in the wake of the near miss.

"Fuckin' asshole," gripes Drake. "You okay?"

I swallow thickly past the lump in my throat. "I... think so."

"If you need to pull over..."

I shake my head. "No. I'm fine. I just..."

"...get a kick outta playing chicken?"

"I don't do it on purpose!"

"You sure?" he asks dryly. "'Cause you definitely seem to be making a habit of it..."

I open my mouth, but quickly think better of it... as Drake has a point. I have had a few too many near misses lately. "Sorry... It isn't intentional. I thought that since I'd left the indicator on, that—"

"I know," he assures me, laying a hand on my hip again. "I'm not blaming you. But all the calls you've had have been too close. And..." His fingers tighten against the material of my dress. "I just don't want you to—"

"I know," I concede softly. "I don't want that either. And I'm not normally this accident-prone, I promise..."

"Except when your blood sugar's low," he corrects wryly.

His words cause me to clench my eyes together in consternation. "Damn it, the croissants..."

In the whirlwind of Drake's surprise reappearance, I'd forgotten all about the primary reason for sneaking away from the bridal boutique.

"What croissants?" queries Drake.

"The pistachio ones I was supposed to get from this little bakery next to the fountain that the Italian President had recommended."

I feel Drake's disbelieving gaze knife into the back of my head. "Seriously? That's the reason you were out playing hooky?"

"One of them, yes..." I reply evasively.

"Putain de merde..."

"Apparently they're very good..."

Drake mutters something under his breath. "Pull over."

My eyes widen. "What? Why?"

"Because it's past noon, and you're clearly starving."

"I'm fine," I insist, even though the only thing of substance I've had since this morning was the cup of coffee on Olivia's jet. "I'll just grab something when—"

The Piaggio lurches to a stop as Drake slaps a hand on the break. "No. You won't."

My eyes widen as my feet fly out on instinct to steady the suddenly stationary moped. "Why not?"

"Because the staff at the embassy already have their work cut out pulling together tonight's dinner, so the kitchen is off-limits," he explains, hopping off the back. "And you won't be able to take two steps outside to grab a sandwich without picking up a pap tail."

"Then why have we stopped in a dead-end alley?" I ask in disbelief as Drake pulls the moped it onto its kickstand while I'm still sat gaping at him from the seat.

"Because we just passed one of the best restaurants in Rome," he states. "So, I'm buying you lunch."

His cinnamon-laced eyes meet mine, and I see a sudden flash of rawness in his gaze... a silent plea entreating me to say yes. Which means this is about more than just food.

"Okay," I accede, wondering what could've prompted such a sudden change of heart. "But what about the paps? Aren't you worried we'll get spotted?"

"See any people?" asks Drake, reaching across my lap to turn the ignition off.

"No, but—"

"Exactly," he affirms, pocketing the keys. "This is one of the few places in the city where you ain't gonna bump into a reporter."

"How do you know?"

"Because apart from the fact that Sugo actually makes its own pasta, it is also a stone's throw from Parliament," he explains, offering me a hand to help me off the bike. "Which means that pencil pushers from every level of government come here to ink deals over carbonara, so no one — staff included — is gonna mess with the status quo."

"Sounds like something out of a mafia movie..."

"Where d'you think Hollywood gets its ideas from?" he drawls, pulling his helmet off to stow it in the under-seat compartment. "Places like this. Which is why no one will bother us here. Especially not the paps. It'd be a death sentence for this joint if their tight and discreet ship suddenly sprung a leak."

"Good to know," I acknowledge, unclipping the clasp of my own helmet. "But how did you even find out about this place? Let alone got in?"

"Leo," Drake replies, taking my helmet to clip it onto the handlebar. "He's on a first name basis with the chef."

I quirk a brow at him. "Sounds like there's a story there..."

Drake extricates my bag from the glove box with scoffs. "It's Leo. There's never not a story. But let's get you inside first. Before you pass out on the pavement."

"I'm not going to—" My stomach rumbles in pointed disagreement. "Okay, I am hungry. But where exactly is this place? There's nothing here apart from the back-ends of buildings..."

"Have I ever let you down when it comes to food?" he asks with a raised brow.

"No..."

"Then trust me."

The story continues in Chapter 21 - You Give Me Reason

A/N: Translations for the Italian below:

Ch'è qualche problema? - Is there a problem?

Ah... l'amore... non è bello se non è litigarello. - Ah, love... It is not beautiful if it does not quarrel.

Err... Sì. Sto certamente imparando che a mio spese... - Err... Yes. I am definitely learning that the hard way.

Non capita a tutti? - Don't we all?

Err... La saluto. E scusi il disturbo... - Err... Farewell. And apologies for disturbing you.

Eh! Chi non risica non rosica. Ma è meglio stare attenti con lei! Donna buona – vale una corona. - Eh! No risk, no reward! But you better take care of her! Good woman – worth a crown.

Lo so... - I know...

Vaffanculo! - Fuck you!

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(Less Than) Noble Intentions only (let me know if you want to be added!)

@thetruthisthatiloveyou @anakjaybon-blog

[paddockbunny]

Your comments about Pierre have me wanting a Pierre oneshot from you!!!

The Moustache Test Drive

Summary: Pierre finally gave into you and grew in the moustache to his beard…but he wants you to “test drive” it to make sure it stays Rating: 18+. Pairing : Pierre Gasly x Reader Word Count : 1,793. Trigger Warnings : 18+, NSFW, adult content, adult language, oral female receiving, slight fingering, slightly rough action 💞Authors Note : Seeing as Mr Gasly hasn’t given us any gif worthy clips of his delicious new addition (if he still indeed has it) then we’ll roll with this hot af one ✌🏼

You buzzed with excitement. It wouldn’t be long till you were off the plane and back with your new boyfriend to celebrate the New Year. You had only properly been dating Pierre for the past three months and everything was still new and thrilling. And while you felt like you were in a fast paced, blissful haze you also felt strangely settled and content with him. All of your friends back home were right though when they told you not to get ahead of yourself and just take the moments as they came. You knew he had a bit of a history with short term relationships (and being a massive flirt) so knew to keep things at a nice steady pace instead of jumping head first into things. But none the less, as soon as the wheels of your plane touched down in Dubai you couldn’t contain yourself.

Pierre text you as soon as you were off the plane and heading toward the first class luggage reclaim area to get your luggage (as Pierre had booked your seat for you he spared no expense) to tell you that he was waiting for you in the arrivals hall. You were so eager to get through and get your hands on him. You had last seen him two weeks ago and yet you were addicted to him your fingers tingled for wanting to be on his skin.

While the lovely man from the airline pushed your multiple bags for you on a trolley you broke out into a gigantic smile when you saw him. Pierre was standing there waiting for you with a smile on his own face too. And then something just grasped hold of you and you broke into a slow sprint to get to him quicker. And when you reached him his arms engulfed you and you were lifted clean off your feet. “Fuck, I’ve missed you!” He sighed as he held your body to his. All you could think of was how it felt to be back in his energy and how strong his body felt around you. As Pierre lowered you back to your feet you needed his lips on yours, you craved it above all else. Your hand went to the back of his head and he got the hint but right as his lips touched yours something was different and you immediately pulled your head away to check. “Pierre!” You gasped and he looked at you with mocked confused as to why you had stalled. “What is that?” It came out of your mouth without even thinking but it wasn’t because you were appalled it was because it was amusing and you realised he had listened to your pleas. “Oh! This?” He tan his fingers over the newly formed hair filling the space between his upper lip and his nose. “I’m trying it out….my girlfriend begged me.” He did that signature Gasly smirk and cheeky tongue thing that drove you wild. “I didn’t beg you.” You playfully tried to correct him but he wasted no time putting his hand around your neck and pulling you back into him. “We can debate that later, just shut up and let me kiss you.” And so you did. And he did. And it was fucking perfect.

It didn’t take long till you were both back in Pierre’s suite. He stood watching as the hotel porters unloaded your luggage from the bellhop trolley in slight amazement and dumbfounded-ness. “Mon Amour, are you on vacation or moving in?” And you rolled your eyes. You had over packed - yes, that was true - but you wanted to look good for him and he hadn’t told you anything about what this Dubai trip would entail so you wanted to be prepared for every eventuality. You had enough bikinis to last the full two weeks and also plenty for activities outfits like sand-dunning and (god forbid) if he wanted to jump out of a plane and skydive. Glancing at the cases you figured at least you would always be dressed appropriately. After Pierre shook the palm of the porters hands - tipping them generously - they left the suite which finally left the pair of you alone, you immediately thought of the moustache again.

“So what made you give in?” Asking him playfully while removing your sweatshirt and catching a glimpse of the newly formed upper lip invader. He turned to you but didn’t comprehend what you were referring too till you rubbed your top lip. With an exhale and a joking eye roll he told you; “Well, this really beautiful but kind of annoying girl said I looked like a baby wolverine and I guess I want to be the full grown, wolverine that gets to do this….” The whole time he had been speaking he closed the space between the pair of you and without a shred of hesitation he grabbed you round the waist and shoved you forcefully - but in a super hot way that made a gasp leave your body - against the wall to the side of you. An agreeable “hmm” purred from way down deep inside your body as you adjusted to having your back flat against the cool, cold wall. From Pierre’s expression you knew the noise you had just made pleased him immensely.

“I think you need to take it for a test drive.” He hummed. His eyes flickering down to your lips before falling lower to where your chest was heaving in your sports crop. “What do you mean?” You sort of knew what he was hinting at - it was one of the main reasons you really wanted him to grow it in the first place - but you liked the feral side that came out in Pierre when you acted so innocent with him. Without one single moment of indecision Pierre grinned smugly before slowly getting on his knees before you. You tried to regain control of your breathing because it had become erratic as soon as Pierre’s fingers hooked under the waistband of your leggings and began to pull them down. He paused for a second to pull your trainers off and finished getting you out of the sage green tight Lycra. You whimpered his name when the slightly rough pads of his fingertips ran up and down your thighs but his eyes were on the prize and he was laser focused. Intently you watched him as he reached for your simple thin thong and just as he had done with your leggings he pulled it down your legs tantalisingly slowly. Pierre’s hand then firmly went to the backside of your thigh and your eyes left left him as he repositioned himself and put your leg over his shoulder, his mouth now tormentingly close to where you were desperate to feel him.

Pierre worked quickly. After fleetingly glimpsing up to you he ran his index and forefinger up and down your dampening folds before finally he stopped teasing and parted you. Pierre’s tongue then swiped over your sensitive bundle of nerves in one featherlight and slow, so painfully slow, stripe. You sighed as he continued driving you insane by taking his time with you. The tip of his tongue stroking up and down, up and down. The pressure wasn’t enough and you were sure you hadn’t breathed since Pierre began this torture so your shoved your hand through his hair to urge him to step it up a notch. Which he did. He took your hint and sealed his mouth around your now aching, pulsating clit and sucked strongly. The action made a full shiver rack through you and you it made a sound of sheer pleasure roll from the back of Pierre’s throat, as if he was devouring his favourite meal. You mentally thanked your body for its response because Pierre gripped hold of your butt and made sure you got all the strength of his tongue. Your breath caught in your throat as his name was teetering on the tip of your tongue but he surprised you by pulling away and looking at your pussy, glistening with a mixture of your wet arousal and his saliva. He clearly admired it for a moment before he delved back in and this time his tongue went lower and this time you felt the moustache graze against your sensitive little bundle. “Fuck!” You gasped, unable to hold it back anymore. You wanted him to know how good it was, how good he was, his good his tongue was. Your fingers tangled into his hair and pulled on it so he knew how badly you wanted more. Which he gladly gave you but all you could think of was the new sensation of his moustache. The slight prickly sting against your fleshy bud was a reminder of all the begging you did weeks ago to get Pierre to stop shaving his upper lip. It wasn't a selfish move - be truly looked better with it and it completed his beard - but fuck, as he was close to making you climax you mentally thanked yourself for being so relentless.

However, it was Pierre that was the relentless one now and he really stepped on the gas and accelerated all of the movements he was making. Short, longing licks were replaced by merciless lapping of his tongue and you had been so focused on the feel of the upper lip addition that you missed him adding his fingers into play. You had become a panting, quivering mess by the time your orgasm was hammering down on top of you and you were struggling to hold out. The attempt really was futile because Pierre hummed against you and his fingertips found the fleshy mound inside of you and grazed it repeatedly. And that was it. You were gone in seconds. You came so hard that the leg that was holding you up almost gave way. Your body vibrated as Pierre brought you to the edge and pushed you over it. You orgasmed so hard that you would testify to seeing stars in front of your eyes, they were clamped that tightly shut. And he lapped up all of the juicy mess that you made. He always praised you and claimed you were his favourite taste in the world and it was no different now. The only difference was when Pierre sat back on his knees and your leg fell from his shoulder you couldn’t help but bite your lip at the look of him. His moustache was glistening, coated in the product of your orgasm.

“Is it staying?” He was so arrogant in the way he asked you but in the come down of your high you shakily laughed

“It is absolutely staying.”

[yuuuta95]

Super Rich Kids

Pairing: Nakamoto Yuta x Reader (ft. Taeyong, Jaehyun, Ten, and Xiaojun)

Warnings: sexual content, mention of suicide (but not really)

Summary: Spending the summer at a country club sounds like torture. Spending the summer at a country club with Nakamoto Yuta, Lee Taeyong, Jeong Jaehyun, Lee Ten, and (a brief appearance from) Xiao Dejun is even worse.

Word Count: 18.4k

Soundtrack: Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean

A/N: This is my first post. A reworking of something I wrote a while ago. I hope you like it! Let me know your favourite parts! ^^

one

“Stop being so dramatic; I’ll be joining you in two weeks. My new step-bitch wants to take me shopping in Dubai so we can ‘bond’ but I know it’s just a massive excuse to convince my dad to give her his credit card so she can fulfil her gold-digging fantasies”, Sana’s voice echoed through the loudspeaker of my phone as I finished packing my bags. I walked over to my bed, falling back onto it and turning my head so that I was facing the phone I had laid on my pillow.

 “I’m sorry, Sana. If it makes you feel any better, while you’re splashing the cash in Dubai, I’ll be suffering a slow and painful death at the country club. God knows why my dad and Jessica insist on spending all summer there when there are so many other places to visit and so many other things to do that don’t involve making forced conversation with a bunch of rich, sexist men, their trophy wives and their spoiled children!” I sulked. I lifted my head as I heard Sana giggling on the other line.

 “Didn’t you just describe your own family, Y/N?” she laughed. As the realisation hit me, I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

 “I’m not spoiled though”, I argued, though my smile never left my face.

“You are a little… Oh, shit, I have to go. The step-bitch is calling me. You’re so lucky your dad married someone who at least cares about you. My mommy treats me like a burden she has to bear in order to continue getting access to unlimited money. Okay, I really have to go now, she’s coming upstairs. I’ll see you in two weeks, yeah?” Sana didn’t give me a chance to reply before hanging up. Burying my head deeper into my pillow, I screamed. This was going to be another dull networking event disguised as a holiday. Same shit, different year.

“Y/N… sweetheart, we’re here”, I slowly opened my eyes and saw Jessica smiling down as she gave me another gentle nudge. “Your father and I are going to go check in; make sure you lock up the car when you get out”. With that, I felt car keys being pushed into my hand and the car door being closed. I lifted my head and looked out of the window just in time to see her shuffling away in her heels, struggling to keep up with my dad who clearly didn’t care that she was having trouble in her new shoes. He really didn’t deserve her. I reached into my bag and pulled out a mirror, trying to salvage my messy hair and clean up my smudged makeup. How had I managed to end up looking like such a mess within the space of a 3-hour car ride and nap? A few moments later I emerged from the car looking somewhat presentable. I locked up the car, not failing to notice that it was parked right in front of the club in a reserved parking space. It must have been one of the perks of being close friends with the club’s owner, Lee Soo-man.

 “Dude, isn’t that Y/N?” I heard a voice mumble. I recognised it immediately… Jaehyun. My head whipped back to find what I could only describe as my worst nightmare. Standing in front of me, smirks covering their features as they each gave me a once-over, were Jaehyun, Yuta, Ten and Taeyong. I could feel my heart racing as I tried not to feel too insecure under their gazes. As always, Yuta was the first to speak.

“You look like shit”, he scoffed before adjusting his bag pack and making his way towards the reception building. I rolled my eyes. Typical prick. I looked over at Jaehyun expectedly. He was Yuta’s right-hand man and usually the one to add onto any insult that had been thrown my way.

 “Hmmm, I’d still fuck you”, he simply winked before following on the heels of his best friend, shadowed by a bored looking Ten.

“In your dreams, Jeong”, I yelled after him. Frustrated and already planning how I was going to avoid those jerks for the whole summer, I turned to find Taeyong staring at me as a result of my sudden outburst. I shifted uncomfortably as I waited for him to say something. He simply smiled and nodded before following the others. As luck would have it, the boy I have been crushing on for the past year was the one who had just barely acknowledged my existence then walked away. Why couldn’t he have been the one to say he wanted to fuck me?

As soon as I got into my room, I collapsed onto the bed. Why was the universe punishing me? Not only could my best friend not be here for the first two weeks of this dumpster fire, I was going to have to deal with Yuta alone. I could handle Jaehyun; he was just a cocky playboy who used his admittedly gorgeous face to manipulate vulnerable, attention deprived trust fund girls into letting him fuck their brains out. I knew him too well to fall for his techniques. I could handle Ten; he was uninterested in everyone and everything, only looking up from his phone occasionally to drop a sarcastic comment or two. He didn’t care enough about me to bother me… I’m not going to lie, that actually made me crave his attention a little. Taeyong… I could barely handle him but anyone would only have to look at his face to see why. He was sculpted by the Gods yet was so unaware of his beauty. I didn’t understand how someone so sweet and friendly could be mixed up with someone like Yuta.

Oh yes, Yuta, the one boy I couldn’t handle.

He was the definition of a spoilt brat, using money to buy whatever and whoever he wanted. Urgh, I couldn’t understand what had possessed me to sleep with him repeatedly over the course of the five years I’d known him. He was rude, selfish, materialistic and arrogant, yet I’d managed to let myself get lost in him. I’d managed to let him whisper sweet nothings into my ear as he pulled my hips into his, thrusting desperately as I trembled beneath him. I’d even managed to repeatedly allow him into my mouth, my swollen lips wrapped around him as he tried to control his grunts out of fear that someone would discover us in the empty classroom. Despite our regular arguments and less-than-friendly manner of addressing one other, we had always found our way back together. I eventually broke it off when I realised that my crush on Taeyong would never become anything more than a crush if I was secretly fucking one of his best friends. Yuta didn’t take it so well. He accused me of being desperate for ‘pining after a guy who was worse than all the fuckboys he knew combined’. He tried to convince me that Taeyong wasn’t as he seemed and frankly, I found his attempt at sabotaging Taeyong to be pathetic. Since our ‘break up’ almost 6 months ago, I hadn’t seen or heard from Yuta, and had therefore mistakenly assumed I would never have to deal with him.

 “Y/N, we’re going out to dinner. Do you want to join us?” I looked towards my door and found Jessica smiling at me. Before I could respond, my dad’s voice came booming from the living room.

“She has to go. What will Lee Soo-man think if my whole family isn’t there? It’ll look like we don’t appreciate his hospitality. Y/N, wear something presentable, and be out here in 10 minutes”, he bellowed. I could see the apologetic look on Jessica’s face as she closed the door, leaving me to get ready.

The ballroom where dinner was being served was massive to say the least. But with its expensive art, frosted windows, golden walls and extravagant chandelier, it looked like it was trying too hard. As we were shown to our table, I couldn’t help but notice that there were seven plate settings, meaning we were expecting to entertain four other guests. I sighed as I adjusted my dress, becoming more self-conscious of how low cut it was. I turned around and scanned the room looking for… Yuta? Taeyong? I wasn’t sure. Either way, I found neither. Turning back in my chair, I almost let out a scream as the previously unoccupied seat in front of me now had a raven-haired boy whose attention was consumed by the device in his hand.

 “Hi Ten”, I tried to usurp his concentration. He simply looked up at me, gave a forced smile and returned to him device. “Okay then”, I mumbled under my breath. Ten’s father and mine were good friends so it was no surprise that they had chosen to combine our family dinners. Like I said, this was all a big networking event disguised as a family getaway.

 “Ten, please put that thing away”, his mother said, her voice so overly sweet that it was obvious that she was upset with him. Ten let out a dramatic sigh before slipping his phone into his pocket and staring at me, as if to say this is your fault.

“You have my attention. What do you want?” he simply stated.

 “Is being a total asshole a pre-requisite to being in Yuta’s squad?” I shot back.

“If it is then you seem to have a thing for assholes”. I furrowed my brows. “Don’t think I’ve missed your pathetic attempts to get me to talk to you. Or your whatever with Yuta. And, God, you look like a love struck puppy every time Tae walks past you. It’s only a matter of time before you start lusting after Jaehyun as well”, he mused, “Good thing Xiaojun is volunteering this summer otherwise I’d have to endure you eye-fucking him as well”.

 “Ten! That is enough!” his mother had clearly been eavesdropping on the conversation, not trusting her antisocial son to interact like a normal human being.

“It’s okay, ma’am”, I smiled sweetly at her before turning my attention back to Ten. “You’re more observant than you seem”, I simply laughed. Without his phone, he was looking for some entertainment and clearly riling me up was his idea of a good time.

 “You don’t have to be observant to notice the drool falling from your lips when Tae is anywhere within your line of vision”, he retorted, “As for Yuta, you two really weren’t as subtle as you thought… And me? Whenever you see us at school, you say hi to me first, even though we’re not friendly. It’s because you crave what you can’t have; it’s a subconscious thing. But who can blame you? Just look at me, who wouldn’t want a piece?” he winked. I rolled my eyes. For someone who was constantly looking down at his phone, he saw a lot more than other people did. I stated to wonder if he had discussed all of this with the others. As if he had read my mind, Ten simply smirked and said, “Don’t worry. These are all our little secrets”.

I had somehow managed to get through dinner, using all my energy to ignore Ten’s gaze. I was starting to want anything but his attention. He had this intense way of undressing people with his eyes. I’d felt naked as I took forks full of pasta to my mouth. This hadn’t been helped by the fact that my already low cut dress kept slipping down, resulting in Ten occasionally glancing at my chest.

 “Ten, why don’t you walk Y/N back to her family’s suite?” his mother suggested when she noticed how restless I was becoming, having finished my food half an hour ago. Ten, whose gaze had now shifted to a red head a few tables down, looked at me and raised his eyebrow as if to ask do you want me to? I gave a subtle nod and got up from my chair. I made my way to the exit, and could hear Ten’s footsteps not far behind.

A refreshing gust of wind hit my face as I stepped out of the ballroom. It was its own separate building meaning that I had to walk across the artificial field to get to the building where our suite was. Although I could have allowed the short two-minute walk to be a silent one, I found that familiar craving for Ten’s attention creeping back into me as I noticed that he was already looking down at his phone.

 “So who was the red head?” I questioned.

“Why? Are you jealous?” Ten grinned at me.

 “No… I was just curious. You kept staring at her. Could you be crushing on her perhaps?” I countered.

“Leave the psychoanalysing to me, Y/N”, he laughed, “No, I don’t like her. But she likes me. I can tell she’s been crushing on me for a while. She was looking for me from the moment she entered the ballroom, and when she finally found me, she couldn’t stop looking back again and again… and again. I was bored so I looked back”, he spoke as if he was reciting a well-known fact.

 “What are you?” I looked up at him in disbelief. He let out a laugh. A genuine laugh; and it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever heard.

“I like psychology. I like analysing people. Humans are so fascinating. I read somewhere that humans are their true selves when they think no one is watching so…” he waved his phone, “I often pretend I’m not watching”. I couldn’t help but laugh at this new revelation that uninterested Ten was actually secretly analysing everyone.

 “Apart from all that bullshit from dinner, what can you tell me about who I am?” I asked. He stopped in his tracks, looking taken aback by the question. I stopped and turned to see what he was doing. He unlocked his phone and tapped the screen a couple of times before clearing his throat.

“I have here in my notes…”

 “In your notes?!” I cried.

“Shhhh. I have here in my notes, ‘obsession with Tae shows destructive personality, dated (or at least fucked) Yuta then broke his heart, desperation for Ten - that’s me – shows a desperation for male attention possibly brought on by paternal issues, pupils dilate when looking at Yuta suggesting attraction, actually pupils dilate when looking at Jaehyun, Taeyong, Xiaojun and Ten – me again – so possibly just super thirsty’. Again, I think that might be because of your paternal problems”. I stood there, shocked at the incredibly accurate yet also very invasive analysis.

 “I have some questions”, I muttered.

“Naturally…”

 “Why is my ‘obsession’ with Tae destructive? What makes you think I broke Yuta’s heart? And how the fuck do you notice my pupil’s dilating? You hardly ever look at me!”

“You did break Yuta’s heart. I can tell. He hasn’t been the same since you two stopped… whatever the fuck it was you were doing. He’s crankier and he just sleeps with a shit ton of random girls like he’s trying to forget something… or someone. How cliché. As for the eyes thing, I watch you closer than you realise. Don’t be embarrassed though, we’re all pretty fucking hot. You’re one of our many, many, many, many admirers”, he smirked as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, “And Tae… You like him because you think he’s not like the others, right? That he’s charming and humble and shy? But honestly, Tae is as manipulative and cocky as they come. The only difference between Jae and Tae is that Jae is upfront”. My mind is suddenly reminded of Yuta’s own warnings about Taeyong. “Tae is like me; he likes psychology. But unlike me, he uses it to fuck with girls. Surely, you should be able to realise that it doesn’t add up that he is friends with people who are supposedly so unlike him… birds of a feather flock together. There are so many signs that he’s playing you and a dozen other girls but you’ve subconsciously erased all…”

 “Okay, geez, stop!” I finally shouted, “You can go back! I can find my own way back to my room!” Ten really was using me as a form of entertainment because he wasn’t on his phone. Before he could respond, I was already turning on my heels and making my way to the building ahead of me.

“Be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing, Y/N”, chuckled Ten. I ignored him as I continued walking.

two

Be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing, Y/N.

Be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Be careful of wolves.

Be careful.

These words had not left my brain in the last three days. I hadn’t spoken to Ten since that night although I did occasionally catch glimpses of him and Yuta walking around the club. To my relief, neither of them even bothered to acknowledge my existence. I was still incredibly upset at the fact that Ten had essentially told me I had severe daddy issues which made me crave male attention. No wonder I’d never seen him or heard of him dating anyone; despite being insanely attractive, he wasn’t exactly a charmer.

“Y/N?” I heard a knock at my bedroom door. Panic set in my chest as I shuffled off my bed and cautiously made my way to the door. That deep voice didn’t belong to Jessica or my father, the only two other people with access to the suite. As I reached the door, another knock resonated through my room. Okay, if it was a murderer, they wouldn’t have been knocking, right? I turned to door knob and swung the door open only to come face to face with…

 “Taeyong?! What are you doing here?” I made no effort to hide the surprise in my voice. He stood there in a plain white shirt and swimming shorts, a shy smile rested on his lips.

“Your dad told me you hadn’t left your room in a few days. I-I wasn’t asking about you; he was talking to my dad and I was just there and he saw me and he just asked me to invite you out or something...” Taeyong sped through his sentence so quickly I had to take a moment to process what he was saying. “Anyway, I don’t want you to be bored and alone, and some friends of mine have booked out the West Court Swimming Pool for a party that’s starting in about an hour so I was wondering if you wanted to come? I know it’s already like 9PM so I understand if you don’t want to come.” I froze in place, simply staring at the Greek God before me; this sculpted piece of art who had just asked me to hang out with him. As I smiled, about to accept his invitation, it dawned on me that his ‘friends’ were the boys I’d been trying to avoid.

 “Actually… I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” I started.

“Is it because of Ten and Yuta?” he surprised me by asking. I looked up from my feet and into his eyes, nodding. “Ten told me what he said to you. It was pretty shitty but that kid just lacks a lot of social skills so don’t take it personally”.

 “He told you that he told me you’re basically evil?” I found myself asking. Taeyong’s eyes widened and I immediately regretted what I had said.

“No, he told me that he told you that you crave attention or something like that… Wait, he said I was evil?” Taeyong held my gaze as I tried to think of an excuse. I couldn’t so I just nodded. “I mean; do you think I’m evil?” he asked. I shook my head and he seemed relieved. “Listen, you didn’t hear this from me but Ten likes you. He’s had a crush on you for about three years now so maybe he’s trying to weed out the competition because he’s – I don’t know – obsessed with you or something”. Overwhelmed by this new revelation, I stood speechless for a few seconds before deciding to use this opportunity in my favour.

 “The competition? That would imply that you like me too”, I questioned. Again, Taeyong’s eyes widened at my response and he immediately ran his hand through his hair.

“Wow, I really shouldn’t have come. Your dad was worried about you so I just thought… Now I look pathetic; it looks like Ten and Yuta really did mess up my chances”, he stated. At the mention of Yuta’s name, my entire body began to burn up with anger. I just knew that he had been involved in this. Ten and Yuta were trying to sabotage Taeyong, and by me avoiding their entire group, I was playing into whatever this was. But if according to Ten, Yuta still liked me, and according to Taeyong, Ten liked me, why were they working together to – no, I was looking too much into this. I liked Taeyong and he had just revealed that he liked me too so that’s what I would put my energy towards.

“No, you don’t look pathetic. Actually, I’d love to come to the party”, I beamed. Taeyong immediately smiled back.

“That’s great! I’ll wait for you in the living room if that’s okay”. I nodded, closed my door and ran to my unpacked suitcase to pick out some swimwear before I changed my mind.

“You look nervous”, Taeyong observed as we walked hand-in-hand to the West Court. I looked up at him and he gave me a small reassuring smile. As we approached the swimming area, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet it was. I also began to realise that the West Court building didn’t seem to have any lights on as we walked towards it.

 “It’s really quiet and dark”, I stated, hoping Taeyong could explain why there was no sign of life. As Taeyong opened his mouth to say something, I felt a sudden mass of water being poured over my head, completely soaking into the floral dress I had thrown on over my swimwear. Suddenly, I was being bombarded with what felt like water balloons. I felt Taeyong’s hand pull me so that I was standing behind him. My initial reaction was to laugh at this surprise attack but as my body started getting itchy and hot, I realised that something wasn’t right. As an influx of water balloons continued to come our way, I brought my hand to my nose and took a quick sniff; there was a faint smell that told me that this wasn’t just plain water. “WHAT THE FUCK?” I suddenly shouted. The water balloons continued at a steady pace until one hit my straight in the face, the liquid going right into my eyes. The intense burning caused me to collapse onto the pavement, my head in my hands.

 “STOP!” I heard Taeyong call out. Almost immediately, the attack ceased. The lights on the side of the pavement that had previously been off suddenly sparked on. With my eyes burning, I couldn’t make out the faces of the figures around me but I could see their panicked body movements as they tried to defuse the situation.

“Fuck! Was that supposed to happen?” I recognise the voice that belonged to Jaehyun. I felt Taeyong pull me closer.

 “What was in those balloons?” Taeyong asked as he used the back of his hands to wipe my now stinging eyes.

“It was water infused with-with some of-of those hot J-Japanese bath s-salts of Yuta’s. Shit! I don’t think they’re supposed to get in the eyes!” I heard Jaehyun panic.

“Well they did so now what?” Taeyong spat out. Another voice I couldn’t recognise spoke up.

“It says to seek medical attention on the package”, the voice said. My vision was now un-blurring and as I lifted my head to look up at the figures in front of me, Taeyong grabbed my head and used his thumbs to wipe over my eyes, getting rid of the excess liquid.

“I’ll take you to the medical centre”, he whispered as he helped me up. “You guys clean this mess up and go back to your suites”, he ordered the others. As Taeyong and I started making our way to the medical centre, I quickly looked back and saw four figures begin to clear up the mess they had created.

��I can’t believe you have to wear an eye patch for the next couple of days”, laughed Sana as I recounted the previous day’s events for her over the phone.

 “I know right. And my dad is making me go out to watch a polo match in a few minutes”, I sighed. I had just finished putting on the final touches to my makeup but the massive black eyepatch covering my left eye and the redness still in the right eye took most of the attention.

“I’m sorry. Just wear a really big hat and keep your head down”, Sana tried to comfort me.

 “This would have never happened if you were here!” I cried out.

“Actually, yes it would have. If Taeyong had come to your door and asked you to go to a party with him, would you have been like ‘no, Sana is here’?”

 “Okay, fine! You’re right. I still can’t believe how sweet he was yesterday. He stayed with me until midnight in the medical centre and then walked me back to my family’s suite. Why does he hang out with those Neanderthals?” I felt myself getting angry just at the mention of his friends.

“I can’t believe Yuta and Ten would stoop to that level. Jaehyun, I can understand because when he’s not fucking girls, he’s harassing them”, Sana spat out angrily.

 “Yeah, they must have been furious to find out that Tae and I were coming to the party together… If the party was even real. I bet they set it all up just for that attack”, I mused.

“But then they wouldn’t have known Tae was going to bring you… Unless he was in on it too”.

 “Why would Tae be in on something like that? He was attacked too”, I shrugged off the claim, “I have to go now. I’ll talk to you later”. After exchanging goodbyes with Sana, I went into my dad’s room and grabbed the biggest hat I could find in Jessica’s collection before making my way down to reception to join my family.

The polo match was as dull as I had expected. I sat at our family’s table alone as my father and Jessica had gone to mingle. The tall lemonade in front of me had quickly become too warm under the intense heat of the sun. I found myself sweating but resisted the temptation to take off my hat as it had done a great job at hiding my eyepatch.

 “Hello Y/N. Fancy seeing you here”. I felt the presence of two bodies sitting either side of me.

“Hello Yuta. Are you surprised because you were expecting me to be blind after your little stunt last night?” I shot back.

 “What the fuck are you talking about?” he chuckled. He leaned his head forward and upon catching a glimpse of my red eye and eye patch, his smile fell. “What happened to you?”

It took all my energy not to slap him. “Oh it turns out that Japanese bath salt stuff isn’t eye-friendly”, I sarcastically retorted. Ten had now leaned forward and was studying my face too.

 “You’re a weird chick, Y/N. What are you actually talking about?” Ten joined in.

“Why are you two even talking to me? You’ve been blanking me for days”, I changed the subject, tired of their fake innocent act.

 “This polo match is dead and we thought terrorising you would cheer us up but it looks like someone beat us to it”, Yuta’s hand had found its way to my face; he gently stroked the involuntary tears falling from under my eye patch. I grabbed his wrist and pulled away his hand in an attempt to stop the fluttering in my stomach as our skin made contact.

“You don’t get to act like you care when you didn’t even say a word last night”, I hissed.

 “You keep referring to ‘last night’ like I’m supposed to know what the fuck you’re talking about”, Yuta hissed back.

“Yeah, Y/N, you sound a bit confused. Are you sure you didn’t eat any of these bath salt things?” Ten continued analysing my face. “Your face is so swollen. You should go to the medical centre”, he added.

 “You two are such assholes. You see how bad the damage is in day light so now you want to relinquish responsibility”, I scoffed.

“I’m literally going to fucking drag you out of here by your eyepatch if you don’t start making sense”, Yuta exhaled in frustration. As I opened my mouth to shout at him, I spotted Taeyong quickly making his way to the table.

 “Y/N, come with me. Don’t let them bother you anymore”, Taeyong took my hand and pulled me away, leaving behind a very confused looking Ten, and a very furious looking Yuta.

“…so then Ten told me the party was a West Court and I should be there at around 9PM. I never knew they were going to ambush us like that. Yuta told me earlier this morning that it was payback – whatever that means”, Taeyong explained.

 “How did they know I was with you? It didn’t even seem like there was a party to begin with so what if you hadn’t run into my dad then ended up inviting me?” I tried to make sense of everything.

“I-I don’t know Y/N. I just know that I texted them while you were getting ready to explain why I was running late”, he sighed. We were sitting in the reception area of the club’s main building enjoying the feeling of air conditioning hitting our hot skin. There were so many things that still didn’t make any sense. Taeyong looked at me and gave me a sympathetic smile before saying, “This is all my fault… You still look beautiful though”. I had long since removed my hat and allowed my puffy face to be revealed to him.

 “No, I don’t. My face is swollen”, I echoed Ten’s words. Taeyong simply leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

“You’re actually kidding me, right?” Taeyong and I both quickly turned to face Yuta and Ten who were now standing just a few metres away from us. “Tae, we agreed that she was off limits”, Yuta growled.

 “She’s not a possession”, Taeyong shot up in his seat and took a step closer to Yuta.

“You manipulative… What is this I hear from Jaehyun about bath salts and water balloons?” Yuta stepped closer to Taeyong.

 “I don’t know. You tell me; they were your bath bombs. Stop trying to act innocent now that you see the damage you’ve done”, Taeyong didn’t back down and now the two boys were standing there with their faces only inches apart.

“Tell me, Y/N...” Ten suddenly spoke up, “… did you actually see me or Yuta wherever the hell you were attacked last night? You seem pretty sure that we were there”. I carefully thought back to the night before. The stinging in my eyes. The blurry vision. Only being able to make out dark figures. Only being able to recognise Jaehyun’s voice.

 “There were four people who orchestrated the attack, and I know that one of them was Jaehyun. I didn’t recognise the other’s voice. And that leaves two others”, I worked out. Yuta rolled his eyes.

 “Tae has more friends that just Ten and I. That could have been anyone”, he countered.

“Then where you last night?” Taeyong suddenly asked. Yuta turned his attention back to Taeyong.

 “I can’t say…” Yuta’s voice was low and menacing.

 “And what about you, Ten?” Taeyong smirked.

 “…I can’t say either”, Ten cleared his throat.

“How fucking convenient”, I muttered before getting up from my seat and grabbing Taeyong’s hand. Yuta’s eyes immediately landed on our entwined fingers and I could tell he was angry.

 “Dude, I said she was off limits”, he simply said to Taeyong before turning around and making his way to the reception door. Ten began to follow but turned around before reaching the door.

 “Did you ever think that maybe five guys orchestrated that attack and one of them was the one standing by your side”, Ten chuckled humourlessly before leaving. Taeyong squeezed my hand tighter and looked down at me smiling. It made no sense for him to have been a part of it and so for the second time that day, I dismissed claims that he had been involved.

“There you are!” Jessica shouted from across the field. I ran over to her and my father; they were sitting at our table, my boiling hot lemonade keeping them company.

 “Please put the hat back on, Y/N, your face is a bit of an eyesore right now”, my dad mumbled. I placed the hat back on my head. “Honestly, you go out one night and I get a call from medical at stupid o’clock telling me that some boy is bringing you back home”.

“She was attacked, darling”, Jessica gritted her teeth.

 “What was she doing out so late at night anyway?” my dad huffed.

“You’re the one who told Taeyong I hadn’t left my room in days…” I countered.

 “And why would I do that? What business do I have discussing you with this Taeyong boy?” he turned to me.

“Well, maybe he just overheard you when you were speaking to his father about me”, I stated.

“And what business would I have discussing you with his father?” my dad looked perplexed. Come to think of it, he had a right to be confused. The situation made little sense now that I thought about it.

 “Tae came over yesterday and…”

“Oh, my fault”, Jessica laughed nervously, “He told me you two had plans and that he wanted to come and get you because you weren’t answering your phone… so I gave him our suite key”.

 “You gave a boy the key to our suite so he could visit my daughter while we weren’t there?” I heard my dad start to argue but my thoughts were elsewhere. Taeyong had not tried to call me, and up until he had come up to my room, we did not have plans…

three

Taeyong placed another chaste kiss on my lips as we walked hand-in-hand down the beach. It was getting late but the summer sun was refusing to set. The beach was only a 15-minute drive from the country club but I knew we had to leave soon in order to make it back in time for yet another networking dinner.

“Walking on the beach. Who would have thought Lee Taeyong was so cliché?” I giggled. Taeyong smirked at me.

 “What can I say? I’m full of surprises”, he whispered as we came to a sudden stop and he pulled me into an embrace. We stood there in silence for a few seconds before I pulled away from him.

“We should really be getting back now. My family is meeting up with the Jeongs before the dinner to pop open a bottle of champagne. Something about a business deal or whatever”, I mumbled, upset that I had to pull myself away from this perfect day. Ever since the stupid prank Jaehyun, Yuta and Ten had pulled five days ago, along with the mystery guy, Taeyong and I had spent every day together; we’d gone to restaurants outside of the club, we’d gone shopping, we’d walked on the beach and… we’d made out on more than one occasion. Taeyong wasn’t trying to rush me into anything deeper, and I truly appreciated that.

 “Okay, let’s go. I’m sorry you’ll have to spend time with Jaehyun though”, he laughed as he led me towards the stairs to the car park. “I know you still haven’t forgiven him and the others for what they did”.

“I’d be less upset if Yuta and Ten would actually admit that they were involved”, I huffed. Taeyong let out a sigh.

 “Like I said before, they’re both just trying to fuck with us. Ten is head over heels in love with you so he doesn’t want to see us together. And Yuta is still bitter over your break up, I guess”.

 “Did everyone know about Yuta and I because I thought we were a secret”, I laughed nervously.

 “Don’t worry. Ten and I are the only ones who really noticed. We’re more observant than other people”, he stated. I was immediately reminded of the night that Ten had told me that him and Taeyong were a lot alike but Taeyong used his ‘observations’ to manipulate girls. After learning that Taeyong had lied about having plans with me so that Jessica could let him into our suite, I’d been wary of him. However, having spent these last few days with him, I didn’t feel manipulated. He was sweet and considerate and hadn’t tried to get into my pants or anything so I was struggling to see how this benefited him in the slightest. Yuta and Ten had made no attempts to apologise or offer an explanation as to where they were during the night my eyes were almost burned out of my skull. Jaehyun had offered a very sincere apology but then instantly gone back to being his fuck-boy-self the next time I’d seen him. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him at the pre-dinner celebration.

As luck would have it, I arrived at our family suite only to be met by my father, Jessica, Mr Jeong and Mrs Jeong toasting to whatever they were toasting to. Jessica immediately explained that they had decided to make it a ‘adults only’ thing and that I would have to go to the Jeongs’ suite to wait for them to finish their mini-celebration. Then they’d call us down to dinner. I’d essentially cut my date with Taeyong short to come back and be forced to hang out with the mess that was Jaehyun.

As I entered the Jeongs’ suite, I couldn’t help but notice that it was twice the size of ours. With its tall ceiling and grand furnishing, complete with a jacuzzi on the balcony, I could tell why my dad had been so eager to close his deal with Mr Jeong’s company. My father was nothing if not money and power hungry. It would explain why he spent most of my life trying to raise profit instead of his own daughter.

 “All of this could be yours if you married me one day”, I heard Jaehyun’s voice cut through my thoughts. I turned around to see him standing there with his hair dishevelled and half of his shirt buttons undone, a small smirk playing on his lips. It didn’t take a genius to notice that he had just finished fucking some girl in his room. And sure enough, as I was about to reply to his comment, a disgruntled blonde stumbled out of his room with her heels in her hands.

 “So, you just go around promising marriage to every girl you see, huh?” she spat out as she struggled to fix the strap of her red dress.

 “It’s the fastest way to get them into bed”, Jaehyun shot back, smiling.

“You’re lucky you’re rich and hot, but at the end of the day, does that money buy daddy’s attention?” she taunted.

 “See, all I heard was ‘you’re rich’, ‘you’re hot’ and ‘daddy’. I just fucked your brains out, okay… learn to share; Y/N is standing right there if you maybe want to…”

“You’re disgusting, Jeong Jaehyun. I can’t believe I actually liked you”, tears began forming in the girl’s eyes.

 “Gee, listen, I’m sorry Rochelle…”

“IT’S ROSÉ YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!” And with that, the blonde spun around and stomped towards the door. She struggled with it for a second before flinging it open and storming out.

“How rude. She didn’t even close the door”, Jaehyun mused, “Sorry you had to see that, darling”.

“You’re disgusting”, I mirrored Rosé’s words. Jaehyun brought his hand up to his chest in fake hurt.

 “I thought we were cool now”, he pouted. I rolled my eyes before falling back onto the large black sofa in the middle of the living room. I took my phone out of my pocket and began texting Taeyong. I heard Jaehyun’s footsteps coming towards me but I ignored them in an effort to remain calm and stop myself from attacking him. That Rosé girl clearly had very real feelings for him and he used that to his advantage then discarded her like a used tissue. “I said I was sorry about the balloons, okay?” he sighed as he took a seat next to me.

“No, not okay, Jaehyun. You, Ten and Yuta are such dicks”, I finally replied after realising that Taeyong would not be responding to my text for a while. Jaehyun looked at me, confused.

 “I get why I’m a dick. But what did those two idiots do to piss you off?”

“The same thing you did”, I shot back.

 “Babe, how many times have you been attacked by bath bomb infested water balloons this summer?” he laughed. I didn’t need to ask what he meant because I understood. Yuta and Ten hadn’t been there. “If you want, I can get Jisung, Jaemin and Jeno to write official apologies and we can get up at dinner tonight and read out our letters and cry and…” He continued with his sarcastic train of thought as I suddenly realised that I had spent the last five days angry at the wrong people. The three little Js, as everyone stupidly referred to them as, were boys from the lower year of our school who occasionally carried out Yuta, Jaehyun, Ten, Taeyong, and Xiaojun’s dirty work in order to impress them; I guess they hoped that by the time the older boys graduated, they’d become the new fuck-boy clique that got all the girls and was envied by all the guys. I felt disgusted that I lived in a world where young boys aspired to be like…

 “Jaehyun. Shut up. I’m over it”, I snapped. At that moment, I realised that I could use this opportunity to confirm what my heart already feared to be true. “I forgive you, the Js and Tae”, I said. I waited for Jaehyun’s face to twist in confusion and for him to ask me why I’d mentioned Taeyong but he simply smiled and nodded. I suddenly felt so stupid. I’d let Taeyong manipulate me for these last few days and turn me against Yuta and Ten… but to what end? What was he getting out of this?

An hour passed and I was thankful that Jaehyun’s fuck-boy façade had faded after about 10 minutes. As much as he liked to believe he was this heartless playboy, and as much as he liked to make others believe it too, he was actually a very decent guy. Some would go as far as to say that he was actually… cool; and not in the school popularity way, in a genuine and fun-to-be-around way. I still had to deal with the occasional pervy comment every now and again though. But he helped me forget about the mess that I would have to deal with later that night; I needed to confront Taeyong and apologise to Yuta and Ten.

“What are you thinking about?” Jaehyun whispered. My head was rested on his shoulder and his head was rested on my head as we watched TV.

 “I’m thinking… how are you this bearable when I normally want to punch you in the teeth?” I chuckled. Jaehyun laughed along.

 “Don’t go around telling girls I’m bearable! You’ll fuck up my street cred”, he simply replied before we settled back into a comfortable silence.

This time dinner was held outside. I’d quickly run to my suite, changed and redone my makeup when I got a call from Jessica telling us that they were heading to dinner. My father would not have appreciated me showing up in a swimsuit cover up. The dinner location was stunning; it was next to the lake and the trees were covered in dozens of fairy lights. White tables and chairs were carefully placed across the grass, and live classical music filled the space. I immediately started looking for either one of the boys I needed to talk to tonight and as luck would have it, I spotted Ten sitting on a chair by the lake looking down at his phone. I quickly grabbed my own chair and made my way towards him, startling him a little when I took a seat beside him.

 “Fucking hell”, he gasped.

 “Sorry, I thought you’d see me coming. Isn’t seeing stuff your super power or something?” I laughed. Ten shot me a dazzling smile before he looked back down at his phone.

 “Does this mean I’ve been forgiven for what I may or may not have done?”, he suddenly said. I knew he had realised that I’d worked out the truth and was trying to apologise. He wasn’t going to let this be easy, was he?

 “I don’t know what Tae wants from me but yeah, I’m sorry. I was… I am being played and I didn’t want to believe it because of my stupid crush”, I sighed, “You have to admit it looked so suspicious though! You and Yuta wouldn’t tell me where you were on that night and you’d both spent all week together throwing me dagger eyes”. Ten observed me for a moment.

 “You’re right. It was all a bit shady” he pondered.   

“So I’m guessing you’re not head over heels in love with me like Tae said?” I could feel my heart pounding as I waited for an answer but Ten simply burst out into laughter. I looked over at him and saw him struggling not to fall out of his chair as he continued cackling. Eventually, his laughter died down and he wiped the tears that had escaped from his eyes.

 “Sorry but that’s hilarious”, he stifled a giggle.

“Glad to know being attracted to me is that funny”, I made no effort to hide my hurt.

 “Shit, sorry. I’m guessing Tae failed to mention to you that I am 100% gay?” he smiled at me. My heart stopped. Suddenly, things started coming together. I’d never seen or heard of any of his relationships with girls but I assumed that he was just more private than his friends. I remembered him telling me that he was looking at that girl ‘just for fun’ the first time our families went to dinner but I’d assumed he meant that he wasn’t interested in her specifically. He did spend a lot of time with Yuta and they had failed to tell me where they were the night I was hurt. Was he… was he…?

“Are you dating Yuta?” I suddenly shouted out loud. Ten’s eyes widened and he turned to face me. We stared at each other for a few seconds before he started howling with laughter yet again. This time, he failed to restrain himself and ended up slipping out of his chair, unable to control his breathing.

 “Stop! You’re killing me”, he managed to choke out, “Yuta? Me and Yu… Oh my gosh, this is too good”. I sat in my chair, completely unimpressed by the entire situation. Why was he laughing at me?

 “If you’re not secretly dating him, then where were the two of you that night?” I snapped. Ten had managed to regain composure and had found his way back into his seat, still wiping away at his tears.

“I don’t know about Yuta because I wasn’t with him but I… Okay, promise not to tell Yuta but… I went to visit my ex. I made Yuta promise not to let me see him again but I caved that night and drove out to meet him in town. Tae must have found out through Jeno or something, that kid is a super spy, and he knew I wouldn’t say anything in front of Yuta when he asked so I’d look pretty guilty. God knows what he has on Yuta. Dude, I can’t believe you thought I was dating Yuta. You two had a thing; you know he’s straight”.

 “Sexuality is a spectrum”, I defended myself. Ten gave me a small shrug before looking out at the lake.

 “Wow, Tae really has us playing into his hands, doesn’t he?”

“Why are you friends with him?” I asked the question that had been plaguing my mind all this time.

 “Jae and Tae get on well because they both run on sex. I already told you that Tae and I are super similar so we just click. Tae and Yuta argue a lot because they both have ‘alpha male tendencies’ but they have this inseparable bond. Tae and Xiaojun have been friends for a very long time. They get on extremely well. I guess Tae is that one friend who is super annoying and starts shit all the time but the good outweighs the bad, you know. And to be honest, we usually don’t care about his schemes because they’re usually directed towards people we don’t really know or care about”, Ten mused. I sat there and thought about how strange this group’s dynamic was but apparently it worked. “What are you going to do now? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you running around with Tae”.

“I want to beat him at his own game”, I thought aloud.

“Good luck with that. Tae isn’t stupid. If you try and flip this around on him, he’ll see it from a mile away and manipulate the situation so that you end up worse off”, Ten warned me.

 “I can handle him. I just need to get inside of his head”.

“Okay, so if I ask you right now what Tae is trying to get from you, can you tell me? It’s obviously not sex because no offence but if he wanted you, he would have had you by now… many times”, Ten looked at me apologetically but he had a point.

“I don’t know what he wants”, I sighed, defeated. I thought back to the information I had garnered and tried to figure out what he wanted.

I told you she was off limits.

Tae and Yuta argue a lot because they both have ‘alpha male tendencies’.

And then it hit me. Tae wasn’t trying to get anything from me. He was using me to get something from Yuta.

four

“I can’t believe you’re not even coming anymore! I spent all my time here counting down till the day you get here and now you’re telling me that you’re just staying in Dubai?” I yelled at Sana’s sun kissed face through my FaceTime app. I shot up from the comfort of my blankets and waited for her excuse.

 “Y/N, I’m sorry! My dad surprised the step-bitch with a trip to Hawaii and so they’re going to be off doing God-knows-what for the rest of the summer. I can’t exactly show up to a family country club resort alone”, she pouted.

 “You can stay with my family!” I almost shouted. Sana let out a sigh as she readjusted the angle so that I was now looking at the sunset from her hotel window.

“This is my view right now! I just want to chill here for as long as I can. The country club sounds so dramatic right now. I heard from Rosé that you’ve been hanging out with Jaehyun for the past couple of days. She says she saw you in his hotel room once and she’s seen you guys walking around together, eating ice cream and all that. Y/N? Is there something you want to tell me?” Sana had now readjusted the camera onto herself and she smirked at my shocked expression.

“No, I am not dating Jaehyun… He’s just been helping me with a plan to get back at Tae. I asked Ten to help but he said he didn’t want to get involved, especially with the losing team. He’s so sure Taeyong is already one step ahead of me. He’s so disrespectful!” I huffed.

 “Hey, don’t say that about my future husband!” Sana scolded me. It had taken all my self-control not to tell Sana that Ten was actually gay. It wasn’t some big secret or anything, Ten hadn’t really hesitated to tell me, but it also wasn’t my job to go around announcing it to people who didn’t already know. I loved Sana but she was such a gossip; if I told her, she’d needlessly blow it out of proportion.

 “Whatever. At least Jaehyun has been a big help. We’ve come up with a plan. It’s simple but effective. He wasn’t hard to convince; he was bored so…”

 “He’s a billionaire with unlimited access to anything and any girl… He can’t get bored; it sounds like he just really likes spending time with you”, Sana wiggled her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes at her statement. “So, what is this masterplan?”

 “Taeyong is using me to get something from Yuta but I don’t really understand what he could possibly want. I haven’t seen Yuta since I accused him of the water balloon thing so I can’t even ask and I’m pretty sure he blocked my number because he’s not responding to any of my texts. Jaehyun hasn’t seen him either and apparently every time he calls, Yuta always says he’s busy. Taeyong hasn’t talked to him either so his plan must not be working because how do you get something from someone if they’re not there?” Sana nodded along eagerly at my ramblings, “The plan is to step up the game. Tae must be getting desperate for Yuta’s attention so I’m going to make him think I want to sleep with him then when he comes into my room, I’ll tell him I’m going to get something and that I’ll be back. Then when I leave, he’ll get naked and Jaehyun will be in the room already with a camera, he’ll take a picture, and we’ll basically own Tae because we’ll have his nudes. Then we’ll make him confess everything”. I smiled proudly at my scheme.

 “That is the single most ridiculous, convoluted, barely R-rated High School Musical bullshit plan I have ever heard in my entire existence”, Sana snorted, “No wonder Ten called you the losing team. That sounds like the plot of a Gossip Girl episode. It took you three days of talking to Jaehyun to come up with that?”

 “Shut up! It was my idea and Jaehyun is just going along with it”, I pouted.

“Damn, that boy must be in love with you if he’s going along with this rejected Teen Wolf storyline”, Sana’s laughs continued to fill my room.

 “You’re such a bitch”, I sulked, trying to hide my own smile. I had to admit, it wasn’t one of my finest plans. “I have to go now. I have an awesome plan to carry out”.

“Oh, you have second plan?” Sana cackled as I hung up on her. I laughed to myself as the room fell silent. Ten had told me that going against Taeyong was dangerous and that I would end up worse off so was this really the plan I wanted to go with?

“Sana is right. It is a shit plan”, Jaehyun simply said as we walked towards the pool.

 “So why were you going to help me carry it out?” I cried as I playfully hit his arm. He stumbled back in fake agony as I rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh at his childishness.

 “Because either way, it’s going to be fucking hilarious. I’m on both sides here, babe. Tae is my boy and you… you’re hot”, he smirked, snaking his hand around my waist. I quickly pushed him off and started walking faster.

“I can’t have someone who is on both teams. You might double cross me. I assume that in your twisted mind, Tae takes priority?”

“Bros before hoes”, Jaehyun shrugged. I had to admire his loyalty, I guess.

“Why are you even helping me then?” I finally decided to ask.

 “Like I said, you’re hot”

“There are girls around here who are fifty times hotter than me that you could be… entertaining”

 “You’re a different kind of hot”, Jaehyun simply smirked as he looked down at me. As I was about to ask what he meant, I heard Taeyong’s voice calling my name. Jaehyun and I both stopped and turned as we saw Taeyong running toward us.

“Hey baby”, Taeyong smiled as he finally reached us. He pulled me by the waist and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Jaehyun shifted uncomfortably as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Taeyong must have noticed the shift in atmosphere too because he suddenly let go of me and looked between Jaehyun and I.

 “Was I interrupting something?” Taeyong asked almost mockingly. He looked at Jaehyun, then back at me again before slowly nodding his head, “My bad. I’ll catch you tonight at Mark’s party, right?” he looked over at me. I gave him a forced smile and nodded.

 “I’ll see you then”, I said, my voice barely a whisper.

“Hey, and I heard Yuta will be there!” Taeyong beamed. He turned his head to Jaehyun, “Me, you and Yuta seem to have a lot of catching up to do”. Jaehyun clenched his jaw and kept his eyes trained on Taeyong.

 “I don’t think so. Nothing much has really happened lately”, Jaehyun shot back.

“Well then let’s change that tonight”, Taeyong smirked. He turned back to me and pushed his lips onto my own. I almost stumbled back but Taeyong’s arm snaked around my waist once more as he pulled me closer. He slid his tongue into my mouth and I stupidly let him. After a few seconds, Taeyong finally pulled away with his signature smirk plastered on his face. He turned to Jaehyun and winked before turning around and walking back in the direction he had come from.

 “Are you sure you want revenge because from where I’m standing, you’re pretty happy being his play toy”, Jaehyun scoffed. I adjusted my dress, embarrassed.

 “I can’t let him know I’m onto him”, I tried to justify my actions. Jaehyun let out a chuckle.

“He knew something was up from the second he saw us together… You know what, you’re boring me now. I’m gonna go find one of those girls who is fifty times hotter than you to entertain me”. And with that, Jaehyun turned around and started walking back in the direction Taeyong had gone. I stood there, confused by what had just happened. As I was about to follow Jaehyun, I heard a clap from behind me. I turned to see a smiling Rosé walking slowly towards me, applauding.

 “I never thought I’d see the day Jaehyun got a taste of his own medicine”, she smiled.

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

 “You just made out with Taeyong in front of him. I could practically see the jealousy bubbling up from all the way down there”, she threw her head back in laughter, “I should be more upset at you for stealing the guy I like but after the way he has treated me, I’m happy the universe is punishing him… even if that means I have to permanently lose him to you”, her smile faded a little.

 “Oh no, it’s not like that. He was just helping with something”

“When was the last time you saw Jaehyun just ‘helping’ some girl with no ulterior motive?” Rosé rolled her eyes, “How do you do it? You managed to get Ten to actually fucking look at you for longer than he looks at that damn phone, you’ve got Taeyong making out with you and taking you on dates, you’ve got Jae crushing on you, and I even heard rumours that you and Yuta were a thing. Are you just working your way through the group? If so, let me just tell you, Xiaojun is a phenomenal fuck. I hooked up with him last year and to this day, he is still the best sex I’ve ever had. Don’t tell Jaehyun”, she laughed as she began walking away. I was left standing in the middle of the sidewalk again, alone and perplexed.

I sat on the sofa in our living room as I scrolled through Instagram. There were already a shit ton of stories from Mark’s party being posted. The party had only started about an hour ago but people had already blown up all of their social media, telling everyone what a good time they were having. After what Rosé had said to me, I’d realised that this was all getting too messy. This wasn’t just some summer drama; once we got back to our normal lives, I’d still have to deal with these boys on a somewhat regular basis. As I sat there in my tank top and pyjama bottoms, ignoring Taeyong’s texts, my phone vibrated yet again.

Unknown: Hey. It’s Yuta.

I immediately replied.

Y/N: Why the new number?

Unknown: I have more than one phone you know.

Y/N: What do you want? You blocked me on the other one?

Unknown: Yeah, sorry about that. Why aren’t you at Mark’s thing?

I looked at the message for a moment and contemplated what I could say. It then dawned on me that I was trapped in this stupid cycle of lies and manipulation. Why would Yuta contact me from a completely different number instead of just unblocking me on his other phone? Come to think of it, when we used to be whatever we were, I only ever saw him with one phone. I was tired of the games so I simply replied.

Y/N: Is this really Yuta?

The reply piqued my curiosity.

Unknown: Come to the party and find out ;)

By the time I arrived at Mark Lee’s suite, it was practically overflowing with people and some party goers had started drinking and hanging out in the corridors. It took me approximately ten minutes to actually get into the suite itself, and even then, it was so packed it took me an additional five minutes to get to the kitchen. As I reached the counter which was covered in drinks, my phone buzzed again.

Unknown: You actually came. You must still really be into me.

I rolled my eyes and replied.

Y/N: I still don’t know who I’m talking to. Taeyong, if this is you, I’m done with your games.

I pressed ‘send’ only to look up and immediately regret my decision. Taeyong’s frame made its way through the crowd. He spotted me, smiled and started making his way towards me. I looked back down at my vibrating phone.

Unknown: This isn’t Taeyong. I told you it’s Yuta.

I looked up again and saw Taeyong getting closer, no phone in his hand.

“I was scared you wouldn’t make it”, Taeyong shouted over the music as he finally reached me.

“Here I am!” I yelled back. He smiled at me and leaned in closer to my ear.

 “I just wanted to say that I think I’m done”. I looked up at him, confused.

“Done with the party? It only started an hour and a half ago”, I was getting tired of straining my voice.

 “No, babe, done with this”, he motioned between us, “You obviously aren’t as oblivious as I thought”. Wait, he was shutting this down? If anything, I was the one who should have been getting to dump him. Even though we weren’t dating, I wanted the satisfaction of breaking it off. I found myself sighing with relief anyway, glad it was all finally over. I was going to be on the next flight to Dubai tomorrow morning no matter what my father had to say. This place was suffocating me.

 “Whatever. Bye Tae”, I turned to leave but turned back to ask one final question, “What were you actually trying to achieve here?” Taeyong simply smiled and looked around the room. He leaned into my ear once again.

 “You’ll find out in a bit. I still need you for one more thing. Jaehyun asked me not to hurt you but I’m already doing him the favour of leaving you alone”, he simply said. I stood there, perplexed.

 “I refuse to be part of any more of this silliness”. And with that, I turned to leave. As I reached the entrance, I checked my phone for any texts from Yuta I may have missed.

Unknown: Come to the room with the white door. I need to talk to you, Y/N.

I still needed to apologize for not believing him about the water balloons. I also now wanted to make sure we were in a good place. I missed him more than I liked to admit. When we weren’t too busy fucking, we actually had a great time together… secretly of course. Sneaky movie dates, spending time at each other’s houses, and even going on long drives out of town just so we could talk; I missed our relationship which wasn’t really a relationship. I wouldn’t admit this to anyone but Yuta was my first love and I wished my stupid crush on Taeyong hadn’t made me ruin what we were… what we could have been.

Y/N: I’m on my way.

I turned around yet again and pushed my way through a dark corridor, towards the white door which was decorated with a sign that read ‘DO NOT ENTER’. Looking around for any other possible options, I realised that this had to be the door Yuta was talking about. I twisted the door knob and attempted to push it open but it must have been barricaded from the inside. I attempted again to open it. Again. Again. Once more. Suddenly, the door flung open.

 “Can’t you read, you fucking…?” Yuta stood before me shirtless and with his hair dishevelled. His eyes instantly widened as he saw me. It took less that a second for a gorgeous red headed girl to appear behind him in nothing but a bra and panties. She held onto his arm and looked over at me before attempting to hide her almost-naked body, embarrassed. “Y/N…”

 “Is this what you wanted to show me?” I could feel the tears threatening to fall from my eyes. In reality, I had no reason to be this upset. But after finally admitting to myself that I loved Yuta, it hurt to see him with someone else. Even though I knew he’d been sleeping around. I guess seeing it with my own eyes hurt more than I anticipated.  

 “What are you talking about?” Yuta looked down at me. By the looks of it, Yuta had been a little too preoccupied to have been the one texting me. I could think of nothing but to run away so I did. I pushed my way through crowds of people yet again and made it to the entrance. I turned to look back and see if Yuta had made an attempt to follow me but he hadn’t. Before I turned to leave, I did however notice the big smile on Taeyong’s face as he watched me.

five

I knew I was being ridiculous.

 It was 4AM in the morning and after crying in my room for what felt like forever, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and just pack my bags. I didn’t know where I was going but I just knew that I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want to go to Dubai and ruin Sana’s drama free break, and I didn’t want to go back home because that would just remind me that when the summer comes to an end, I have to go back to school and confront… him. At this point I didn’t even know who ‘him’ was. I didn’t want to confront Taeyong because I could already see his smug grin mocking me. I didn’t want to confront Jaehyun because he was mad at me for some strange reason. And I most definitely didn’t want to confront Yuta after seeing him with another girl. Again, I knew I was being ridiculous. I was mad at Yuta for sleeping with someone else when we weren’t dating? Yeah, that’s insane.

I threw the last dress into my suitcase and hastily zipped it up. I’d made the bed and emptied the wardrobe; I was ready to leave. I wanted to go before my dad or Jessica woke up so that I wouldn’t have to deal with that mess. I took one last look in the mirror; my makeup was smudged and my hair was… I don’t even know what my hair was doing, but I didn’t care. I grabbed my suitcase handle and made my way into the living room. I quickly realised that dragging my suitcase on a hardwood floor wasn’t exactly the stealthiest escape plan so I ended up lifting the heavy case and waddling to the door.

“We’re almost there, doll”, the taxi driver looked at me through the rear view mirror. I had anxiously been fidgeting with the watch on my wrist, and the loose string from my jeans… and the handle of my bag… and my hair. He had obviously sensed my negative energy and felt the need to reassure me that I was almost at the airport. Little did he know that his statement only made things worse. The closer I got to the airport, the quicker I’d have to make a decision about where exactly I was going. I grabbed my phone from my bag; I hadn’t looked at it since I left Mark’s party. I had 3 new messages. One was from my service provider telling me about the ‘exciting new offers’ they would give me if I introduced a friend. The other was from Jaehyun.

JJ: Hey. Sorry about what happened earlier. I let Tae get the best of me. I also got sucked up in this fight for your heart and somehow managed to convince myself I liked you too. You’re fucking cool and we’d be great friends but I don’t think my feelings are that deep… Anyway, I told Tae to leave you alone and not hurt you so you’re in the clear now ;) Erm, also I saw you talking to Rosé after I left… Is she still mad at me? :’(

I laughed at his message but still felt annoyed by his attitude towards me earlier so I simply texted back.

Y/N: She said Xiaojun is a phenomenal fuck.   

I felt petty but I knew he’d see the humour in it… eventually, and we could laugh about it… eventually. I really did want to be his friend. If there is one thing I’d learned this summer, it’s that Jeong Jaehyun was alright. I hoped he’d clean up his act and apologise to Rosé. I moved on to my final message. It was from Ten.

TenOutOfTen: Dude, what did you do to Yuta? He’s in my room practically crying?! I hope you burn in hell for indirectly making me wake up so early… bitch.

Again, I laughed at the text but my laughter soon faded when I re-read the first half of the message. Yuta was in Ten’s room, crying. And he must have mentioned me because Ten had asked me what I had done. I checked the timestamp on the message; it was sent 50 minutes ago. My curiosity had me wanting to tell the taxi driver to turn back immediately but just as I was considering this option, the taxi pulled up to the airport. It was large and bright yet startlingly quiet. I hopped out of the vehicle and paid my driver.

 “Keep the change”, I smiled as I adjusted my bag and began walking away.

“Keep the change? Oooh, splashing the cash, are we?” I heard a voice laugh. I turned back to the taxi rank and saw a figure sitting on his suitcase. I didn’t immediately recognise his voice but as he turned his head back to me and I saw his face, I rolled my eyes. Xiaojun.

 “What are you doing here? I heard you were volunteering or something like that”, I dragged my bag back towards him. He stood from his perched position and suddenly towered over me.

 “I finished my volunteer stuff. It was fun but Taeyong’s texts told me that the real fun was at the country club. I came to see the drama is real life but it looks like the female lead is leaving before curtain call?” Xiaojun smirked.

“You left your volunteer position to come watch some petty feud between Yuta and Tae? I thought you were the more decent of the fuckboys”, I let out an exaggerated pout.

 “Don’t flatter yourselves. The programme was a short one; I’m going to the club because my parents need me to complete their ‘happy family’ set up”, Xiaojun explained, “The petty feud between Yuta and Tae was just a nice little treat”.

“Well I hate to break it to you but it’s all over now”, I was about to turn around when Xiaojun chuckled.

“Over? According to Jaemin’s texts, you walked in on Yuta and Umji. Tae confronted Yuta about fucking his ex. And now Umji has broken up with Yuta because she doesn’t want to be part of their ‘sick little dick measuring contest’” Xiaojun turned around and looked down the road, “Why the fuck is my Uber taking so long? I can’t stand getting into taxis I didn’t order. It’s creepy as fuck; the dude could be some insane looney who bought his taxi sign on eBay and you just get in his fake taxi and…”

“Wait a minute…”, the cogs were turning in your head and you were finally starting to see the bigger picture. “Yuta was secretly dating Umji, Tae’s ex, so Tae started messing with me as a warning for Yuta to back off?”

 “Basically, yes. Jeno accidentally told Tae that he had seen Umji leaving Yuta’s house one morning when he’d gone over. Tae and Yuta are idiots who never talk shit through so instead of Tae asking Yuta to stop seeing Umji, Tae decided to pretend he didn’t know and try to get Yuta to admit it himself. Yuta played dumb so Tae got pissed and decided to give him a taste of his medicine by targeting the one girl he knows Yuta gives a shit about”, Xiaojun pointed to me.

 “Why was Yuta dating Umji anyway?” my jealously was getting the better of me, “When Yuta and I were… He told me he couldn’t stand her”.

“Ego. It’s all about ego when it comes to Dumb and Dumber. Even though you refer to us so lovingly as ‘fuckboys’, we do have our weaknesses. Tae’s is Umji and Yuta’s is you. We all know each other’s weaknesses and they instantly become off limits but after Tae and Yuta had yet another alpha male standoff, Yuta hooked up with Umji because he wanted to prove to himself that he was better than Tae. Umji was the first girl who ever really properly distracted from you so I guess he kept her around… I don’t know”, Xiaojun threw his glance down the road yet again but there was nothing in sight.

 “You know you can track your Uber on the app. It tells you how far it is?” I simply stated.

Xiaojun raised his eyebrows and looked back down at his phone. “This is my first time using this. I usually have the family’s driver take me everywhere but I didn’t want to wake him so early”, he tapped at his phone, “It’s close”. We stood there in an uncomfortable silence before I decided to turn around and leave; I finally had the whole story. “Why are you leaving?”

 “Why not? Your idiot friends have been using me as a prop in their game and I’m tired”, I sighed.

“It’s all over now though, right? Umji and Yuta are over. Him and Tae are pissed at each other but they’ll hug it out in a few days. Everything is chill”, at that moment, Xiaojun’s phone beeped and he looked down to read his text, “Maybe not…”

“What is it now? Did Umji reveal that she was pregnant? Did Jaehyun propose to Rosé? Did Yuta and Tae finally admit their feelings for each other and finally make it official? At this rate, nothing would surprise me”, I chuckled humourlessly. As I said this, Xiaojun’s Uber pulled up in front of us.

 “You might want to get in and come back with me, babe”.

“And why would I do that?” I laughed.

 “I just got a text from Ten and…” My own phone suddenly vibrated in my hands. I looked down and couldn’t understand what I was reading.

TenOutOfTen: Your idiot ex got drunk and fell off a roof. He’s at the General Hospital downtown!

six

Five years earlier

It was just my luck that the day my father had told me he couldn’t pick me up from school, it just so happened to start pouring down with rain. I usually had a driver who would come get me but my mother had asked my dad to do it for a month in an effort to ‘improve our relationship’. My father hadn’t been too fond of that idea but he did it anyway. He probably did it out of guilt; my mother was growing suspicious of his ‘innocent friendship’ with a new employee at his company, Jessica. I’d met her once and she seemed lovely. My mother was probably just being paranoid. Anyway, my father had promised to tell the driver to pick me up instead but he’d obviously forgotten as I ended up standing outside the school doors for 45 minutes.

 “Are you okay, darling?” a voice rang from the bottom of the stairwell. A woman with beautiful long black hair had stepped out of her car and was staring at me, a wet, crying teenager at the top of the stairs, freezing my butt off. “Where are your parents?” she asked.

 “I don’t t-thing anyone is c-coming”, I stuttered. She gave me a sympathetic smile and asked where I lived. I told her.

 “Oh, you’re Y/N, right? We live just three houses away from you; we moved in last month. I met your mother at brunch a few weeks back and she told me she had a daughter but you couldn’t make it because of tennis practice”, she beamed at me.

“Oh”, was all I could say. This had all been true. I’d skipped brunch a few weeks back in favour of playing tennis with this girl I’d met a few months ago called Sana. She was very sweet and I knew we’d become good friends.

 “I hope you don’t find this odd but… if you need a ride, I can take you home. I’m actually here to pick up my son Yuta; he should be finishing lacrosse try-outs in a few minutes. Maybe you know him, he’s your age so he could be in some of your classes!” I shook my head. I didn’t know him.

“But if it’s alright, I’d really like a ride back home, ma’am”, I sniffled. The woman smiled sympathetically and nodded, walking over to her car and opening one of the back doors. I strongly considered the fact that I might be getting kidnapped and that this Yuta kid didn’t actually exist but I was too cold and wet to care. Plus, maybe if I went missing, my dad would feel super guilty and actually care about me for a minute. I made my way down the stairs and into the woman’s car. She closed the door and walked over to the driver’s side, slipping herself into the seat. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as we sat there in silence for about 3 minutes. Suddenly, the passenger door swung open and someone took that seat. I couldn’t see their face properly but I could I could see their black, rain-soaked hair.

 “Yuta, this is Y/N. She lives a few houses down from ours”, his mother turned in her seat to point at me. Yuta slowly turned his head and shifted his body so that he could see me clearly. He was beautiful. How had I not noticed him before? My eyes scanned his face at least ten times, my gaze lingering on his pink lips, before either one of us finally spoke.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N”, he smiled, “I’m Yuta”.

Present day

Xiaojun held me close as I cried into his coat. The Uber ride felt never ending. Xiaojun hadn’t said anything since I’d started sobbing after I read the text. He’d simply just walked over to me a hugged me, held me for a minute, then ushered me into the car. I knew this wasn’t entirely my fault but I had definitely played my part. If anything happened to Yuta, I would never forgive myself. I finally pulled away from Xiaojun and looked down at my phone. There were no new messages. I don’t know what I was expecting; maybe I wanted to look down and find a text that read ‘just kidding’ followed by an eggplant emoji and a winking face. I could handle this being some sick twisted joke better than I could handle Yuta actually being critically hurt.

 “We’re here”, Xiaojun’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I immediately opened the door and sped towards the hospital entrance. As I ran towards the building, I could make out two figures walking out; Taeyong and Jaehyun. They both looked distraught, Taeyong more so than Jaehyun. It was probably the guilt eating away at him. Jaehyun saw me and immediately called my name. I ran over to them and into Jaehyun’s arms.

 “What’s happening, Jaehyun?” I tried to control my sobs.

“It’s alright, babe, he’s in surgery right now so there’s no more information we can get until after it’s over”, he whispered. We both stood there in our embrace for a while before we pulled away. I looked over at Taeyong who stared back with red, apologetic eyes. He was hurting, maybe even more than me, but I was too upset to care. I wanted to hit him, to slap him across the face and tell him this was all his fault. I wanted to tell him that if anything happened to Yuta, he would have to live with it for the rest of his life. He would have to understand that he caused all of this because of his stupid ego. But as I looked at him and saw the broken boy staring back, I realised that he already knew.

 “I’m so sorry”, he simply said before turning away and walking towards an already waiting car.

 “I should probably go with him. If you want to, you can come with us. Nothing is going to happen for the next couple of hours”, Jaehyun sighed. I vigorously shook my head.

“No, no, I want to be here. I want to be right here. Nowhere else”, I protested. Jaehyun nodded as a small smile appear on his face.

 “Your guys have one fucked up love story, huh? I’d love to hear it one day”. And with that, he followed in Taeyong’s footsteps.

 “Jaehyun, can you please take my suitcase back to the club. It’s over there with Xiaojun”, I smiled weakly. Jaehyun gave me a small nod and made his way to Xiaojun who was struggling with both mine and his suitcases.

“Y/N! Thank God, you’re here!” I heard as soon as I walked into the hospital waiting room. It was Yuta’s mother.

“Mrs Nakamoto”, I called as I ran into her arms. We held each other tightly and I found myself sighing with relief. She was probably the only person who truly knew the extent of my relationship with Yuta, well, apart from the hooking up. She knew how much he truly meant to me, despite the aloof demeanour I treated him with over the years.

“He’ll be alright! Don’t worry; I’ve prayed and I’ve prayed. He’ll be alright”, Mrs Nakamoto comforted me as she pulled away from our hug. “The injuries aren’t as bad as I thought they’d be. He probably broke a few things but his head wasn’t hurt that much so there is no possibility of anything more than a concussion”. A sigh of relief escaped my lips once again. I finally took the time to look around the small white room. Apart from myself and Mrs Nakamoto, the only other person in the room was Ten who was sleeping on the dark blue sofa near the vending machine.

 “Why didn’t he go back to the country club with Tae and Jaehyun?” I asked.

“Jaehyun didn’t think it would be a good idea for Taeyong and Ten to be in the same car together. Ten is pretty furious at Taeyong. He said he was going to leave in a different car but then he fell asleep soon after. I wish I had a blanket for him”, explained Mrs Nakamoto. I look over at Ten one more time and smiled at his small figure, curled in a little ball as soft snores filled the room. “What happened, Y/N? Why did my baby try to kill himself?” I looked back at Mrs Nakamoto whose eyes were now filling with tears.

 “Oh no! He didn’t try to kill himself. He was just being drunk and dramatic. Don’t worry, Mrs Nakamoto, he’s not suicidal”, I offered her small smile.

 “I really hope you’re right… God, I’ve missed you. You never come by the house anymore”, Mrs Nakamoto sighed as she took a seat; I went and sat next to her.

“I know. I’m sorry”.

We sat in a comfortable silence for about ten minutes before the waiting room doors swung open and I turned to see the last person I wanted here tonight. Umji.

Three years earlier

“I’m not going to tell you”, I screamed through my laughter as Yuta tickled me. I tried to push him off of me in an attempt to escaped his grasp but he was too strong. I could feel myself edging towards the side of the bed so I decided to give in before we both fell onto the floor of Yuta’s bedroom. “Fine, fine, I’ll tell you!”.

Yuta immediately stopped his attack on my body, and he sat up at the foot of his bed. He looked over at me expectedly. “I don’t understand why you’re being so difficult. I know all the date-worthy guys at school. I could set you up with anyone”.

“I don’t have a crush though. I just think there are some cute guys”, I explained.

 “Like?”

“Jaehyun”

 “He’s such a player!”

“He’s cute! Okay, Taeyong”

 “Even worse!”

“What? Okay, fine. Xiaojun”

“Better but still not good enough for you”

 “Why do you hang out with them if they’re such bad guys?” I laughed.

“I’m a bad guy too”, Yuta shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. I wished I could argue against this point but deep down I knew that he was right; I just chose to ignore his cocky rich boy side. “Choose someone outside of my friendship circle. And stop checking out my friends!”

“Hmmm, what about Ten?”

“I SAID SOMEONE OUTSIDE MY FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE, YOU IDIOT! Plus, that would never happen, trust me”

“Why not?”

“Just choose someone else!”

 “Mingyu”. I’d seen him playing lacrosse when I went to watch Yuta and I remember thinking he was one of the most gorgeous boys I’d ever seen.

“Oh. Yeah, he’s cool, I guess. I could get him to ask you out”, Yuta mused. I tried to hide my excitement.

“What about you? Who do you like?” I found myself suddenly curious.

“No one in particular. Who do you think I’d look good with?” Yuta crawled across the bed so that he was now sitting next to me, our heads both resting on the headboard.

 “You’d look good with… Sakura, or maybe Karina, what about Umji?” I analysed all the beautiful girls in our school.

“Hmm… what about Sana?” he asked, turning his head to look at me.

“You can’t like Sana! She’s my closest friend”

“Exactly! That’s how it feels when you say stuff about Xiaojun and Jaehyun and all those guys”, he pouted. I laughed and turned my head to face him. Our faces were close but we were used to invading each other’s personal space.

“Okay, fine. I’ll stay away from your clique of players and you stay away from Sana. I can set you up with Umji and you can set me up with Mingyu”, I smiled.

 “No, I can’t stand Umji. She’s so fake, and she lives on drama. She loves starting it, being part of it and talking about it; she pretends she doesn’t but really, she craves being the centre of attention. She’s more Tae’s type”, he laughed and I laughed along with him. “Why are we talking about this again?”

 “You said that this is the ages when teenagers start losing their virginity so we should start dating to get the process going”, I whispered against his lips. I hadn’t noticed that our faces had drifted even closer together. It was then I realised that if we didn’t stop, we’d kiss.

 “Well, I just realised that things would move a lot quicker if we just skipped all that dating shit and went straight for the sex”. And before I could ask him what he meant his lips were on mine. I had never kissed anyone before and I was sure he hadn’t either so we both moved slowly and cautiously. Yuta pulled me up onto his lap, our lips staying connected. We moved them in sync for some seconds when I felt Yuta’s tongue slip through the small gap of my slightly open lips. It felt strange at first; someone else’s tongue was in my mouth, but I quickly found my own tongue beginning to explore his mouth. I felt his hands slipping under my t-shirt and working their way up to my bra. As he was about to unhook my bra, his bedroom door flung open. I pushed myself off him and innocently looked towards the entrance.

 “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Mrs Nakamoto looked between Yuta and I, flustered. Yuta awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair and jumped off the bed.

 “You didn’t interrupt anything”, Yuta mumbled.

 “No, I did. I’m sorry. I was just going to say I’m going out for a bit but now I’m not so sure”, Mrs Nakamoto chuckled. “I mean; I knew you guys liked each other but I didn’t know you were secretly doing whatever this is. Maybe I shouldn’t have let you guys have all those sleepovers…” she continued to tease us.

 “That was the first time, okay. We were just… testing something”, Yuta walked over to the door and attempted to close it.

 “Oh no, no! Just because I like the idea of you two being together, doesn’t mean I’m going to continue letting you hang out in this bedroom with the door closed. I’m too young to be a grandmother! No sex until you get married, guys!” Mrs Nakamoto exclaimed. Yuta groaned, and I simply buried my head into my hands and wished I could disappear.

Present day

“What are you doing here?” I jumped up from my seat and quickly walked over to Umji.

 “The same thing you are. I’m here for my boyfriend”, Umji rolled her eyes at me, “Just because we went through a bump in our relationship doesn’t mean I don’t love him and care for his well-being”.

 “You didn’t go through a ‘bump’, you broke up. And please don’t say you love him because you don’t and he doesn’t love you”, I spat out. Umji rolled her eyes again and took out her phone. She unlocked it and tapped at it until she seemed to find what she was looking for. She turned the phone to face me and I looked over the device; it was a picture of a big bouquet of flowers with a card that simply read ‘love Yuta’.

 “He had this sent to me on my birthday, along with a custom-made Tiffany necklace. What did he ever do for you? From what I heard, you were a quick fuck when he was bored”, Umji smirked. I could feel my blood boiling at her words but the picture she’d shown me calmed my nerves. I remembered Yuta telling me that flowers and a necklace are…

“Excuse me, sweetheart, but unfortunately the doctor said there can only be a maximum of three guests”, Mrs Nakamoto suddenly chimed in. I turned to face her but her eyes were settled on Umji.

 “Then why can’t Y/N leave? I’m his girlfriend”, Umji whined, “And who the hell are you to decide who stays and who goes?”

 “I’m his mother”, Mrs Nakamoto retorted, “And from what I hear, you’re no longer his girlfriend… Thank God”. Umji’s eyes suddenly widened as she realised who she had just addressed in such a rude manner.

 “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were his…”

“I think it’s time for you to go, Umji”, I smiled as a flustered Umji tried to formulate an excuse. “And don’t pretend you care about him. If anything you’re probably just here to live tweet the drama for the whole school”. Umji looked over at me ready to say something but then decided against it. Maybe she could tell that I’d been crying and distraught and in no mood for her shit. She simply nodded slightly and turned on her heels to leave. Before she closed the door, she turned to look at me one last time.

 “I know he doesn’t love me. And I know that you weren’t just an occasional fuck. Whenever I was with him and you walked by, I could feel all of his attention shifting to you. And you didn’t even have to try”, Umji confessed, a sad smile playing on her lips. She finally closed the door and left you standing in the waiting room.

“Occasional fuck? Hmm, it looks like my no-closed-bedroom-door rule didn’t help much” Mrs Nakamoto suddenly chuckled humourlessly from her seat. I knew that she was very religious and had truly not wanted me to sleep with Yuta outside of wedlock. I sighed as I walked over to her.

 “I’m so sorry Mrs Nakamoto. We just… we couldn’t help it”, I looked at her apologetically.

“Hormones are a powerful thing I guess”, she smiled at me. “So when did it happen the first time? Where?”

I groaned and buried my head in my hands like I had when she’d caught Yuta and I making out on his bed.

“Oh come on, I’m just curious”, she laughed.

 “This is so weird!” I joined her in her laughter. After a long pause I decided to get it over and done with. “It was about 3 months after you caught is making out in his room… My mother had just found out about my father’s affair with Jessica, she’d packed up her things and left without so much as a goodbye to me. I was distraught and angry. I just wanted to get away from everything so Yuta stole your car, sorry about that, and we drove for hours and hours and just talked. We went to a beach and I cried and cried and we talked some more. After that I felt much better and we decided to head back home. By that time, it was so dark and we were so tired that Yuta decided to take us to your beach house instead, again sorry about that. We watched my favourite film and ate my favourite snacks; I just felt so safe with him. One thing led to another and we ended up sleeping together that night”. I smiled at the memory. It was the first time I truly felt like I was in love with Yuta. I think I’d loved him before but that was the first time I really knew.

 “I can’t believe my car and beach house were involved in this”, Mrs Nakamoto joked. I giggled. I wanted to tell her more, it felt good to share.

 “After that night, we started… being intimate quite regularly. But as we grew older, Yuta became more and more influenced by his friends. I could no longer ignore the person he was becoming and it killed me. So, we drifted apart but we still…I don’t know, I guess we still loved each other. So it became more a hate-sex kind of thing even though there were times when he’d come over to my house and find me crying because of a fight I had with my dad. I’d expect him to just leave but he surprised me each time by taking me out for a drive and treating me like he did that day”, I took a deep sigh. It wasn’t until Mrs Nakamoto’s fingers were wiping away my tears that I even realised I was crying.

 “Your mother loved you more than anything in the world. I hope you know that”, Mrs Nakamoto cooed.

 “Then why did she leave without me?” I sobbed.

“Your dad didn’t give her much of a choice…”, Mrs Nakamoto admitted.

“What does that mean?”

 “It’s not my responsibility to tell you. Talk to your dad when you get back, okay. Actually, I’m going to call a car for Ten, you should go with him. I’d really like to be alone”.

“I’ll see you back at the club, okay?” Ten gave me a sleepy smile as the car dropped me off at the beach. I smiled back and nodded, getting out of the vehicle.

It was now 7:30AM and I still hadn’t slept. My mind was too chaotic right now. It took less than 2 minutes for me to find the perfect spot in the sand to sit and watch the waves. I thought about every trip to the beach with Yuta. I thought about every heated encounter we had, both sexual and verbal. I thought about how no matter how much we fought and teased each other; we’d always find our way back in each other’s arms. Most importantly, I thought about how we’d never vocally admitted we were in love.

 “He’s going to be fine, you know”. I looked up to see Taeyong standing next to me. I quickly got up from the ground and tried turning to walk away. Taeyong grabbed my arm. “Wait! Please!”

“What is it, Tae? You want to apologise? Because that’s not going to fix anything. Yes, he’ll be fine but the fact that it even had to escalate to this level is disgusting”, I spat out, pulling my arm out of his grasp.

 “You don’t think I know that?” Taeyong fired back. He frantically ran his fingers through his hair. “Yuta is one of my best friends. But he hurt me. I love Umji so much. Yes, she’s a bit of a bitch sometimes but I love that about her. She’s such a fucking drama queen but I could sit there all day and listen to her talking shit about people I don’t care about…”

“Why are you telling me this?” I suddenly spoke up.

“Because you know what it’s like to ignore all the bad because the good outweighs it. That’s what it was like with Yuta, right? He’s an arrogant dick and he thinks he’s better than most people but you looked over that because you loved him. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to think I did this for the sake of being malicious. I did it for Umji. You were just an easy target because I knew you had feelings for me; I’m sorry”, Taeyong looked at me apologetically.

“You know… I actually broke things off with Yuta because I wanted to be with you”, I laughed at my own stupid confession. “Goodness knows what I saw in you”.

“I’m hot”, Taeyong flashed me his killer smile. A few weeks ago, I would have fallen to his feet at the sight but now I felt nothing. Okay, not nothing, he was still exceptionally attractive.

“Why do I always fall for such conceited idiots?” I joked.

“Knowing you’re attractive doesn’t make you conceited. That’s just a mind-set sold to us by the beauty industry to make us insecure so we buy their crap”, Taeyong stated almost robotically. And it suddenly reminded me of Ten and how he’d warned me that him and Taeyong were extremely alike. “I don’t understand why you gave up on a guy you love for a guy you were kind of crushing on though”.

 “I thought maybe if I moved on, I could forget him. I didn’t want to be in love with him forever. I wanted to be with someone who was always nice to everyone. Not just secretly nice to me. And I didn’t want to just be an occasional fuck”.

“We both know you weren’t an occasional fuck. Yuta talked about you so much without even realising it; ‘Guys, doesn’t Y/N look different today? I think maybe she did something different with her hair… she looks stupid’, ‘Hmm, this candle smells so good. Y/N has one like this… she’s so stupid’, ‘Why was Mingyu flirting with Y/N at lunch today? I thought he was dating someone else… Did you see her giggle? She’s so stupid’” Taeyong’s impression of Yuta coaxed the hardest laugh I’d had in a while. “The guys and I came to the conclusion that calling you stupid was his warped way of saying he loved you”.

 “He’s so stupid”, I mumbled, and it was Taeyong’s turn to let out a laugh.

“I really hope this shitty situation at least brings you two together… properly this time”. I smiled at Tae and found myself wishing this shitty situation would bring him together with Umji.

One year earlier

Yuta quickly put his lacrosse shorts back on while I pulled up my panties. There wasn’t much room to move in the janitor’s closet but we’d made it work.

 “I hope you realise that was the only time I’ll let you fuck me without a condom”, I scolded.

“I know, I said I’m sorry! You think I want a kid right now? I just ran out, okay, but I really needed you before this game”, Yuta rolled his eyes while he helped me fix my hair.

 “You should keep track of all the random girls you sleep with so you can manage your condom supply”, I huffed, “I don’t want kids right now either”.

“I only have sex with you, idiot, we just go through boxes really quickly”, Yuta retorted. I froze as I processed the new information; Yuta only slept with me? He must have felt my suddenly static state because he stopped and looked down at me. “Do you fuck other guys?” His voice was small.

 “No! I’m just surprised because I thought for sure I was one of many. I hear girls talking about all the gifts you give them and so I assumed you were wooing them or something”.

“Okay, first of all, who says ‘wooing’? And second of all, I give girls flowers and sometimes jewellery; it’s no big deal when you have money. Flowers and necklaces are basic gifts; you don’t have to think about them and they’re not really that personal. At least not to me. If I really like a girl, I’d buy her something with significance to our relationship, you know”.

 “If you don’t sleep with these girls, why do you buy them flowers and all that?” I asked.

“My friends don’t know about us and I’d prefer they didn’t find out so I have to keep up appearances and make it look like I’m trying to get laid”, Yuta shrugged.

“You’re ashamed of me?” I gave him a fake pout. Yuta took a step forward and kissed me softly on the cheek.

 “Of course I am. I can’t have people knowing we’re a… thing. I’m awesome and you’re… stupid”, he chuckled. I didn’t take anything personally; we’d both agreed to keep our escapades quiet to avoid drama and complications. “I have to go now. The game starts in 5 minutes and I told Coach I was just going to the bathroom really quickly”.

 “Good luck, jerk”.

“Are you coming?”

 “No, my dad wants me to have a family dinner with him and Jessica”, I gagged, and Yuta looked at me with sad eyes.

“Oh… well, since you can’t come to my game, you owe me. We can go to the beach tomorrow, yeah?” he smiled. He made it sound like I was doing him a favour because I was missing his game but I could tell that he was doing me a favour because he could tell that I was upset at my father who was trying to replace my mother.

“Fine, I guess I owe you that much… Thanks”, I smiled. Yuta leaned down one more time, this time placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

Present day

I’d been back home for three weeks now and the first day back at school was tomorrow. Summer was officially over. After that day at the beach with Taeyong, we’d gone back to the country club where my father had shouted at me for trying to leave without telling him then proceeded to have a driver take me back home. He didn’t even let me check on Yuta before I left. All updates on Yuta’s condition had being given to me via his mother’s phone calls, and Ten, Jaehyun, Taeyong and Xiaojun’s texts. They told me he was fine and that he hadn’t even broken a single bone, although he still had some damage in his right ankle and had to walk around with crutches. I wanted to talk to him but every time I tried to ask his mother while we were on the phone, I’d chicken out.

 “I’ll see him tomorrow at school, Sana!” I groaned as she tried to persuade me to call him, “He still has my number blocked probably so it would be no use”.

 “You’re just making excuses! Call him on a different phone. You can’t ignore a guy who practically jumped off a roof because he was distraught about losing you”, Sana whined over the phone.

“I’m not ignoring him. I just want to give him space… And I’m pretty sure he just fell. What time are you getting here anyway?”

“I’m closer than you think”, Sana chirped. Suddenly the doorbell rang.

“Wow, impressive”, I laughed.

“What is?”

 “That you’re already at the door”, I said as I made my way to the entrance.

 As I pulled open the wooden door, Sana’s voice rang out from the device in my hand, “I’m not at your door…”

I froze in place as I looked at the person staring back at me, mirroring my motionless state. “Yuta…”

“H-hey Y/N”, he stammered, “I was wondering if…” Before he could even finish his sentence, I’d crossed the threshold of my house and thrown myself into him, hugging him tightly. He seemed caught off guard for a second before I felt his arms squeezing around me.

 “You’re okay! You’re okay!” I sobbed into his shirt. I’d been told multiple times that he was fine but seeing him here in front of me felt so unbelievably amazing.

“Yeah, I’m okay”, he laughed into my hair. We stood like that for minutes before we heard an awkward cough from behind us.

 “Sana! You’re here”, I blurted out. Yuta’s arms fell to his side and I took a step back, separating us. Sana looked between Yuta and I, a knowing smile on her face. She silently walked past Yuta and myself, entering my house and shutting the door. I stood outside my closed house and awkwardly looked up at Yuta; he let out a short laugh while quickly faded back into the silence.

The front door suddenly flew open and Sana quickly snapped a picture on her phone. “Say cheese”, she beamed before slamming the door again.

 “Umm, that was… weird. I… I just came here to… to let you know that… I’m not always that dramatic. You know, the whole roof thing. Yeah… I also wanted to apologise for…”

 “I love you”, the words sped out of my mouth before I could stop them. Yuta stared at me; his eyes wide. “I just… I wanted to say it loud just once”.

“You still love me after all this shit”, Yuta chuckled to himself, “Wow…”

 “Yeah, I guess I’m just stupid”, I giggled, embarrassed.

“You’re not stupid”, he smiled, “I love you too”. My heart stopped. I’d always imagined what it would feel like to hear him say those words but truly no fantasy lived up to the real thing.

“I guess we’re both stupid”, I whispered. Yuta closed the gap between us and rested his forehead on mine.

 “If Sana wasn’t here, I would have loved to take you out on a proper date”, he mused. Suddenly, the door flung open yet again and Sana, phone in hand, sped past us and down the driveway.

 “See you at school tomorrow!” she yelled as she disappeared into the distance.

“Your friend is so fucking weird”, Yuta laughed.

“Urgh, don’t even get me started on your friends”. We both chuckled, still holding each other. We had such a long way to go and so many broken things to fix but I loved him and he loved me and hopefully at the end of the road, that would be enough.

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Ruben Dias x Reader - Fake Love Part 4/8

⚠️ Warning ⚠️

18+

Reader is a kindergarten teacher. Nothing more nothing less. But following an accident whistle vacation in Dubai she somehow makes her boyfriend believe that she does somthing else for a living, something that earns her way more money than she has. Her boyfriend, Ruben, is just happy to have found someone who understands him so well, someone who doesn't want him for his money since money isn't an issue for neither reader or himself. Or so thinks. Would finding out the truth ruin their newfound relationship? Readers thinks so, and does everything to keep up the lie, although it has some bad people from the middle east looking for her.

Enjoy!

"Taxi!"

You called for one outside of the airport in London. You were tired from the journey and longed for a hot shower back at your apartment.

"Taxi!" You shouted, quite desperate for one to pull up.

"Y/N, chill." Alicia said. "Our ride will be here in a minute."

"Our ride?" You frowned.

Alicia nodded, phone still pressed to her ear. "I'm consulting the Siddiq family right now, see if they can send us a...."

Alicia's eyes widened with terror as you lunged for her phone, forcing her to hang up.

"Whatta fuck Y/N!"

"Are you crazy?" You hissed

"Am I crazy, are you crazy Y/N? Give me back my phone for fuck sakes."

You held her phone behind your back, refusing to return it. "Alicia we are not doing this. We can not continue spending somone elses money. It has to end. Right now."

"Why? They owe us don't they?"

"No Alicia, they owe us nothing, especially not you." It was not her leg that grilled in the fire. "The Siddiq family has shown us enough kindness then we deserve, this will not go on any longer, agreed?"

She didn't agree. However, she could tell how serious you were about this. "Fine." She said, stretching out a hand, demanding her phone back.

"Who are you gonna call?"

"Well, it's not Ghostbusters, is it? I'm calling a taxi."

You handed her back the phone, a sly smile on your face.

The days passed quickly there on, like your time in Portugal never happened. The burn on your leg healed but roughly, the skin not as smooth on that part of your leg. The only times it bothered you was when you got out of the shower, standing naked in front of the bathroom mirror. However, no one was gonna see you naked, at least not for some time. Yes, you felt guilty for giving Ruben a fake number, but you held your ground when it came to not live off of some rich business man in Dubai. It was the only reason Ruben was interested in you in the first place, because he thought you were rich like him. But no more lies. Meeting Ruben was a lie and even though falling for him felt real it was built on a lie and no relationship could ever flourish from somthing like that, right?"

"Miss?"

"Miss?"

"Yes, Simon?"

You snapped out of your daydreams, peering over your desk to see one of your kindergarten students with a pen up their nose."

"It's stuck." He said.

You sighed, rising from behind your desk. "Let's go to the nurses office shall we?"

"Okay."

You had one of your colleagues come in and cover for you whilst you escorted Simon to the school nurse. Yes, your life was really back to it's glamorous self.

"Hey, Y/N? Need a lift?"

It was Byron, seen crossing the school parking lot to get to you. You were really not in the mood, still adjusting being back to work. All you wanted to do was go home and lay in your bath.

"Sure Byron, why not."

He was considered a friend, although you know he never really got over your brief hook up in university.

"The kids are glad to have you back."

"Oh, thanks Byron. That's nice of you to say."

He drove you home the long way, avoiding the highway that would only take you ten minutes to arrive.

"Not only the kids." He added. "I missed you too."

Your smile was stiff, but at least it was something.

"When Nina told me what happened to you in Dubai I got so worried that I had to take a day off just to calm myself down, not to worry the kids that their teacher wasn't coming back to work."

"That sweet of you Byron. But it wasn't a serious thrid degree burn, my skin heald pretty quickly." Your boss Nina made it seemed like you lost a limb or something. Mainly because Alicia's dramatic Tik Tok's had people assuming the worst. Even your parents called you in concern after your brothers came across one of Alicia's vlogs from the hospital in Dubai.

"Well, I'm just glad you're back."

"Thanks Byron."

He was a sweet guy, not relationship sweet, but a descent human being sweet. You appreciate how much he cared for you as a friend.

"I have no problems giving you a ride to and from work, I mean we're basically on the same schedule."

"Thanks Byron, but I don't think that will be necessary."

Alot of people had offered to help you out,  even your boss suggested you'd cut back on your hours a work, however, it wasn't necessary. You needed something to take your mind off things. With things you meat, your agonizing thoughts of what could have been between you and Ruben.

Arriving home, you grabbed yourself a light snack from the fridge whilst waiting for your hot tub to fill with water. Once it did you, stripped yourself of your clothes, slipping I to the scolding water, allowing the heat to relax your muscles. You did not stay relaxed for long though, seeing as there was an incoming facetime call from your phone. "What?" You grunted, since now was not the time to hear about the latest gossip at Alicia's workplace.

"Hey, gorgeous,"

You stiffened at the sound of his voice.

"Ruben?"

You were looking into the screen of your phone, in disbelief of who was staring back at you. It was Ruben, with his hair sprouting in every direction as he looked to lay back in a bed, one arm draped behind his neck. "Um...hi." You stuttered, not really sure how any of this was possible.

Ruben smiled "I just wanted to see how you're doing and see if you're missing me as much as I'm missing you."

"Um, how...?"

"Did I get your real number?" He chuckled.

Heat rose to your face.

"Well, after calling "your number" over a hundred times, Fabio let me get in touch with your friend who told me what was going on."

"Alicia gave you this number?"

"Mhm." He nodded, tossing what looked to be a grape, into his mouth. "She told me that you thought that I wasn't that into you, that perhaps I was only out to screw you over or something."

"She did what?"

"It's ridiculous, I agree. How do you even come up with something like that? I mean you're the one who screwed me over by letting me call a fake number like an idiot."

There was a jab in your stomach as his tone was serious, laced with sincere hurt. "Ruben I'm so sorry. I didn't..."

"Let's not play the blame game." He waved. "Your friend made it clear that you haven't been dating for a while and that your game might be a bit stiff."

"Pardon?"

Ruben laughed.

"I am not stiff."

"I believe you." He said, although he had trouble talking between laughs. "I mean you look pretty relaxed in that bathtub back there."

You gasped when you realized. "Oh my god. Ruben I'm...." Embarrassed. You were terrible embaresssed, sinking deeper into the water to cover yourself. You and Ruben hadn't talked for days and the first thing he sees is you slipping him a nipple.

"It's okay, Y/N, really. The view is great from here."

"Oh shut up."

You put the phone away, letting Ruben have a good view of your bathroom ceiling. The tub needed more water, and bubbles, lots of of bubbles.

"There you are." He exclaimed, once you returned to the screen, now neck deep in in the water. "Thought I lost you for a sec."

"Ruben, maybe now is not the time." You said, tormentented by how stupid you must come across to him.

"Y/N." He said, his voice now restrained.

"What?" You muttered, trying to stare at anything but the screen.

"Look at me."

Your eyes looked up, meeting Ruben's kind gaze.

"You're good, okay. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable by calling unexpectedly. I just...." He sighed, a hand running through his already messy hair. "I can't seem to get you out of my mind."

You sunk deeper into the water,  biting down on your lip. "Me too. I can't stop thinking about you either."

"Well, when can we meet?" He seemed excited that your feelings were mutual.

"Ruben, I'm not sure I'll be going back to Portugal anytime soon. I mean I have a job to do and..."

"Y/N." He said. No. Chuckled.

"What's so funny?" You frowned

"You really don't watch football do you?"

"What do you mean?"

Ruben sat up in bed, showing off the tracksuit he was wearing. "You said you've heard of Manchester United, no?"

"Yes, the English team that you told me played in the Premier League."

"Right. Well I play for their arche rivals Manchester City, meaning I live in Manchester, England."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah."

"So, you're not from Portugal?"

He chuckled. "I'm from Portugal Y/N, I was born and raise there. But just like you I was just on vacation. I got back to Manchester yesterday."

"So what you're saying is that we're both in England as we speak?"

"Yes. And my team has fixtures in London all the time, meaning I'll be able to come see you between games."

"Right."

The problem was that you had once again lied to Ruben when he asked you were in England you lived. You figured London sounded more suitable abode for a business woman, not Chells Way, Stevenage.

"Y/N, you alright?"

The downside about facetime was that your emotions were all on display. Ruben clearly caught your reaction to his offer and it was not what he had expected.

"Of course, there is no pressure for us to meet." He said, clearing his throat. "I just thought, that it was something that we both wanted."

"I want to meet." You nodded, although your voice betrayed you. "I just...my job, you know?" It was another lie. You were piling lie upon lie on this fake love of yours. Nevertheless, Ruben ate it all up, nodding understandingly. "I get it."

He was so kind. He didn't deserve this from you, from anyone.

"Ruben?" You whispered, following a moment spent in silence.

"Yes."

"I really missed you."

A muscle jerked in the corner of his lips. "I missed you too."

"Tell me." You sighed, leaning back against the tub, splashing water around yourself. "Tell me how much you've missed me."

Ruben froze for a brief moment, seeing you redirect the camera angle in a way that revealed more of your body.

"Alot." He gulped, watching you dip a hand between your legs.

"Yeah? Tell me more."

He couldn't see all of you through the murky water. But as the layers of bubbles disappeared with your slow shifts, the swell of your breast resurfacing.

"Oh, baby don't do this to me." Ruben's head fell back against his pillows as he too adjusted his camera angles. You watched him slip a hand down his sweatpants and stroke whatever he was hiding in there. "I missed you so much, wishing you were here, with me." He moaned, chest heaving up and down with his heavy breathing.

"Ruben, please. Tell me what you want to do to me." You up the pace of the movement between you legs. You we drawing small circles against your clit, the sensation sending chocks of lightning to your body's nerve endings.

"I want to fuck you, hard." He groaned.

"Yeah, and?"

"Fuck you hard and watch your tittes bounce when you ride me."

"Yes, and?" You were squinting your eyes, primitive moans leaving your mouth, echoing throughout your bathroom.

"And..." He grunted on the edge of something. His movements down his pants were faster than yours, unable to contain himself.

"And, Ruben? Please tell me."

"Baby, I can't. I'm close." Ruben's camera shook with the bouncing of his bed. You watch him please himself, please himself to the image of you.

"Me too baby, me too." You arched your back in the tub, one of your legs going over the edge, opening yourself up wider. "Look at me baby, watch me come for you."

He seemed unable to multitask, having to slow down as not to make himself come before you. He watched you please yourself to the point of screaming his name, you're fingers buried deep inside of you.

"Fuck." He groaned, staining his bedsheets with the erruption of his cock.

"That felt good." You smiled, regaining your breath, coming down from the high. "I can't believe I just did that."

"Me neither." Ruben said, no longer in his bed. He looked to be in a small bathroom, washing his hands. "Sametime tomorrow?"

You shook your head, unable to hide your smile. "Goodbye Ruben."

He smiled, a cheeky smile. "Goodbye Y/N."

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

Mars in Capricorn🧨

I feel like this placement is such a flex and I’m really really jealous of it. These women literally get men who can provide for them and a lot of the time older men that is due to Capricorn being the father the older man figure in a life and the attraction to older men and probably a lot of the time having issues., all these women at one born in their life of being with an older man, and is the man you’re attracted to, I mean let’s go to Anna Nicole Smith, Howard James Marshall, who is literally a billionaire, met her at the strip club, not saying all these women are gold diggers, but they like to have a bag and they can get back, and they get provided for, and I feel like every woman has that right to be provided for man. I generally do maybe it’s because I’m an earth and I have in the 10th., I’m honestly like go go get what you want, I mean Anna and her husband had an arrangement arrangement together, imagine them he’s leaving together he probably would’ve had a heart attack, they had an arrangement and his son didn’t like it, but this man was a billionaire and he wanted a sexy woman on his own and he better than Nicole Smith one of the most beautiful women in the world if not th beautiful.

Then we come to Amber Hood who wanted to make us start in Hollywood for a long time and I believe you went for party party to try and find that way they either are both of these things or one or the other they can fuck their way to the top, now I look at Madison a bit of a side but I still love her, taste older and old before that time, this is why they are attracted to this kind of man. They have serious issues which we found out with Austin the case I don’t know her dad was very close with Johnny, but we don’t know the relationship completely with the dad and her., but she got something with Elon Musk go ahead like men before too long and it’s not Elon Musk Twitter Elon Musk people in the blind item ,world will agree that, Elon and Amber were each other soulmates. Don’t worry Elon features twice in this post. because look at him and Grimes anyway going back to Amber and her child a lot of people agree that Amber‘s child is with Elon because she had her ex frozen when they were together supposedly allegedly. but Grimes of had a long relationship with Elon also and a lot of Elon‘s girls start with Bruno and then go blood but I think Elon likes a crazy man man pixie girl, the edge of them and that they could ruin them any time.

On the list is a very sad one Aaliyah and her relationship with R. Kelly and name – who are both a lot older than her but Dame was a lot closer in age or Kelly obviously did some very inappropriate stuff really and the creep met her when she was 12 through her uncle which makes it even sadder Barry Hanson, a Aaliyah was a Capricorn sun as well and very, she had that hook up with dad as she’s on but I’m jealous of the situation with the money and being built up by a man and having a man that looks after you let’s be honest don’t we all want?, we don’t come on. How nice would it be for a?, And look after you and you didn’t have to worry about a thing., obviously this placement shows up different ways, like I said with Aaliyah she was vulnerable and it naturally came into her life, I with Amber feel it was more sort out the same with Anna.

Lindsay Lohan, who moved to Dubai and has had the most, who dated her maybe apart from Leonardo DiCaprio and Warren?beatty , the oldest profession goes on in the world. She said she moved out there because of the paparazzi hounding her, but I think it was more, away from that too, but also to get towards men with money, Lindsey allegedly has attend to like stealing as well, even though she’s rich, shoplifting or lifting is a rush, another addiction?

I can’t think of the exceptionally massive age group she said, but I’m sure she has some we don’t know of. Samantha Ronson, who I feel is at least 10 years older than her,.

Holly Madison, holy Madison had a relationship with you having, she was in the Playboy mansion and she became the number one girlfriend, do you see what I mean and the Playboy secrets?, Many of Hughes friends have said that she loved it at the time and then she became the opposite, and now she does a podcast talking about Playboy she hasn’t stepped away from it so she still making money from it from some degree if you Hefner, I’m saying that that’s bad. I’m just saying the obvious..

Traumatised for many years, I’ve noticed with these people we don’t see dad at all in their lives actually if I think of all these people, maybe Michael Lohan and of course Lindsey is going to have daddy issues with a man like that.

Drew Barrymore, Barrymore may not, have been with older people, but she went out with Eric out of hole , and hung around with Courtney Love when she was literally literally just, she was also partying in studio 54 when she was very very young, hanging around with people much older than her, and doing drugs and very young age. Around these people had died she had a very trauma, he was a drug addict and an alcoholic, was famous and become lineage of famous people in Hollywood.

We have the Olsen, and talk about Mary Kate Olsen, with Oliviar, They had a huge age gap. She even looked like one of his children she was even shorter than one of his children. I, it looked really creepy another person who’s not in the college here is Amanda Bynes and we know what happened there., know quiet on set .

And then, obviously you have Catherine Jones he’s been with Michael Douglas like forever , obviously many decades older than her. I just think it’s a placement I’d like to brag about it obviously has its , have my mars in the 10th house , and let’s talk about men with this placement Brad Pitt , Shia LaBeouf , and how they all a bit dodgy , and I’ve been all over the place with women

. Who allegedly did stuff with Michael Bay who is very abusive?, To her and they fell out., very casting couch,

[makethatelevenrings]

Somewhere Only We Know - FOUR

Chapter Warning: swearing, spoilers for 2x03, mediocre writing

Series Masterlist

“Fucking hell,” you grunted as you tried to balance a camera bag, your work bag, and the box of treats in your hand while simultaneously attempting to lock your car door. Glancing over your shoulder, you realized with dismay that after succeeding at this, you would somehow have to open the door to the training facility.

“Oi, babes, let me get that for you,” Keeley, your hero and savior, called. She exited her own car and took the large box out of your hands which considerably lightened the load on your arms.

“Y’know, if you needed me to kill someone, I would do it without question,” you gasped out as you finally locked the door to your car. She grinned and bumped her shoulder against yours.

“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind. What’s today’s treat?”

“Blueberry and strawberry muffins. Blue and red, like Richmond’s colors.”

“Fucking brilliant. Have I told you that yet? You’re fucking brilliant.”

“You’re just trying to butter me up for more sweets.”

Keeley batted her lashes at you and shrugged. “I might be, but I’m not lying. I wouldn’t be opposed to some brandy snaps if you ever make those.”

You chuckled. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

Keeley led the way to the locker rooms through the maze of halls. The blonde announced herself with a loud “knock, knock” before she pushed her way in. You set your camera bag and work bag down so you could take the box and free up her hands.

“Sam, I think I have something you might want to see,” Keeley exclaimed. “You want to look at your photos from the Dubai Air shoot?”

He had taken the photos a few weeks ago and they had the edits done in no time, giving you and Keeley a chance to come up with a few ideas on how to promote it.

“Ooo, yes please. I am very nervous, but also very excited. That’s similar to whenever Colin drives me anywhere in his Lamborghini.”

“Ah, it’s true. It’s way too much car for me,” Colin agreed. Having witnessed him trying to back out of a parking space yesterday, you knew it to be true. The boys gathered around to look at the photo and, of course, they all started ribbing him. In the short time you worked here, you quickly learned that these boys cared deeply for one another but didn’t hesitate to tease them endlessly. Despite the fact that you were still unsure about your place at AFC Richmond, you were warming up to them and, in turn, added onto the teasing when you had the chance.

“Sam, how does it feel to be the new face of teenage vandalism?”

“It’s remarkable. I feel honored,” he jested in earnest.

“Bro, why are you wearing your kit on the plane?” Bumbercatch added.

“It’s the only way they know he’s a footballer.” Jamie Tartt’s insufferable voice piped up above the crowd. Every head turned towards him, including yours. From what Colin had told you, Jamie hadn’t been the kindest guy in the locker room and it certainly seemed as though he had it out for Sam. Probably because Sam was a damn good player and Jamie was, well, an insecure twat.

His face fell and he recognized that his joke didn’t land. It’s hard to land a joke if all you were known for was cruelty. Hefting up the box in your hand, you lifted the lid to display the muffins inside to the boys.

“A little Richmond treat,” you announced before slamming the lid down before Jan Maas could grab one. “That you will receive after practice because there is no way in hell I’m being blamed for you all puking on the pitch.”

“But…” Bumbercatch whined.

“No.” You were firm but your eyes glinted with humor. “If you puke, you owe me a hundred. Do you want to be indebted to me?”

“No, ma’am,” they mumbled and began to disperse. You headed into the office to give Beard a muffin and to also store the box away until after practice. Keeley instructed the boys on joining Bantr as you placed a muffin on his desk.

“Your blueberry muffin,” you announced.

“I could kill a man for your food,” he replied, practically pouncing on the treat.

“I’m…not sure if that’s a joke or not.” But you thanked him nonetheless and tucked your box into the hiding place Beard made for you with the promise that he got first dibs. You walked back out into the locker room just in time to see Jamie fucking Tartt standing up and opening his big mouth. Oh, this had to be good. You leaned against the doorframe to the office and watched him put his proverbial foot in his mouth.

“I know I wasn’t the greatest teammate. I did some shitty things. I said some shitty things. But I want each and every one of you to know that I’m truly sorry and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to make it up to ya. Yeah?.” Was this some kind of Twilight Zone? Or was Jamie Tartt actually apologizing for his behavior?

Silence met his declaration and you almost started to feel bad for the guy when Colin piped up.

“You called me a jaundiced worm.”

“Right, yeah. I’m sorry about that, Colin.”

“In a profile for my hometown paper.” You held back the snort of laughter that threatened to escape you. Sure, Colin was probably the closest friend you’ve made on the team next to Keeley, but jaundiced worm was kind of funny.

“You hit on my mum,” Bumbercatch interjected. “In front of my dad.”

“I apologize for that, Bumbercatch. Please tell your father I’m sorry. And give Janice me best, yeah?”

You muffled your laugh into your hand and turned so your back was to the team. Christ, that was funny as hell. The room descended into shouts, both French and English, as everyone tore into Jamie. Hell, you did start to feel bad for the guy. But he asked for this.

Ted directed the team to go outside for practice and you pushed off the wall, intent on following so you could get some good shots for the various social media platforms. Grabbing your bags, you sidled up next to Colin.

“A jaundiced worm?” you choked out through a laugh. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. It’s a creative insult, though.”

“My da thought it was next to the funniest thing he’s heard since Thatcher croaked,” he complained.

You patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, if you were a worm, I’d still be your friend.”

A sniffle from behind you drew your attention to Dani who wiped a tear away. “That was a beautiful thing to say.”

That set off another round of laughter but this time Colin joined in. At least you were able to make him laugh after all the chaos. Practice wasn’t bitterly cold this week, but you were still bundled up in a jacket, gloves, and a Richmond beanie. You wished bitterly that you had a hot coffee or tea right now, but you knew they would be waiting for you back in your office. Fumbling with your camera, you tried to keep your fingers from growing stiff from the cold. Your focus was on the screen in front of you to see if you had enough photos from today so you could go inside.

That’s when you heard someone shout your name.

Your head snapped up just in time to see a ball flying towards you. With a yelp, you ducked and it slammed into the wall behind you before bouncing back and hitting your legs. It stung but it wasn’t as bad as a direct hit.

“Are you alright?” Sam exclaimed as he jogged over. You scooped up the ball and tossed it towards him. He caught it easily, but didn’t leave. This team was full of softies.

“I’m fine, Sam. Truly. I guess that’s a sign I should head in and start editing these.” You lifted your camera with a shrug and then bent down to pick up your bags. Before you straightened up, another voice joined Sam’s.

“I am so, so sorry,” Jamie Tartt apologized. “The ball just got away from me and I put too much power behind it and-”

“It’s not a big deal. No harm, no foul, right? I’m fine. Seriously.”

Sam shot Jamie a dirty look but you didn’t want that. You didn’t want the boys blaming Jamie for a genuine accident. You knew that standing on the edge of the pitch was always a risk. And you hadn’t been paying attention. That was your fault, not his.

“Go practice before Nate blows his whistle,” you said. Maybe you could go get some work done at the cafe Keeley introduced you to. That would get you away from the prying eyes and constant questions. As much as you appreciated working at Richmond, you weren’t the kind of person who would delve their entire being into their work. Everyone here seemed intent on being close-knit and connected. You were just the girl that posted shit on Twitter.

Keeley approved your idea of working at the cafe and reminded you that you didn’t need to constantly update her on your whereabouts. She was a very chill boss and if you kept delivering quality content, she really didn’t care where you got your work done. That found you at a small table tucked into the corner with your laptop in front of you and a half-drunk vanilla latte clasped between your hands. Steam curled off the top of the mug and you inhaled it, drunk on the heady scent of coffee and the warmth it provided.

You were so engrossed in your work that the plate being laid in front of you made you nearly jump out of your skin. Heather, one of the baristas, grinned at your surprise but apologized.

“I didn’t order this,” you protested.

“I know,” she retorted and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. “He did.”

Jamie Tartt stood at the counter with a to-go cup dangling in his hands and a sheepish smile on his lips. He had some stupid baseball cap on his head that proclaimed him as an ICON and his flashy clothes made you roll your eyes but you gestured for him to join you.

“I just wanted to apologize for almost hitting ya,” he explained. “And I figured you like pastries and stuff so…yeah.”

“Sit down if you’d like,” you offered. He fidgeted for a moment before accepting your offer and sitting across from you. “I’ve been meaning to set up a meeting with you, to be honest.”

“With me? What’d I do? Don’t tell me the jacuzzi pictures are back.”

You suppressed the urge to roll your eyes once more and sighed. “No, I meet with everyone to discuss their social media presence, goals, and management they might work with. It’s to make sure I can cater to you all while building a steady presence.”

He sat back, his eyebrows raised, and nodded. “That…is smart. I’ve got a manager but, I don’t know, I’m not really sure he’s helping me.”

“Is he the one that convinced you to do a reality show?” You hid the disdain over that choice well because he clearly didn’t notice.

“Nah, that was all me. I won’t be doing that again, by the way. I don’t really have any goals, yeah? Nothing for the socials, that is. I should but…” He shrugged. “Gotta figure out what I’m doing with the team first.”

The day’s events flashed through your mind, from him being absolutely demolished in the locker room to the boys ignoring him on the pitch. Jamie looked genuinely defeated by today. His shoulders curved in, giving him the appearance of a boy protecting himself against the world. Something told you that it was a familiar position for him to be in.

“Have you ever considered that the team needs to see you be part of them rather than just hear apologies and see no change?” As you spoke, you unwrapped the muffin and cut it in half before putting one half on the wrapper and placing it in front of you and pushing the plate with the other half in front of him. Jamie opened his mouth to refuse, but you merely raised an eyebrow. He gratefully broke off a piece and ate it, chewing on the sweet as though he was chewing on your words.

“I dunno. I don’t think they’ll ever see me as anything but the twat I was.”

“Then make them see.”

Doubt painted his features, but you weren’t going to entertain his insecurities right now. Instead, you flipped your laptop around and showed him the photo you were editing. “Got any caption ideas for this?”

The two of you sat in the small cafe for nearly three hours, drawing up ideas for posts and analyzing pictures. Jamie was a genuinely funny person when he wasn’t insulting someone and you found yourself laughing at his quips more than you expected.

By the time you realized the sun had set, it was well past the time you normally get home. “Shit, I better get home. I need to prepare stuff for my other job.”

Jamie silently stood as you packed up all your stuff. You expected him to just say his goodbyes and leave you there, but he surprised you once more. He carried the dishes up to the counter and then doubled back to help carry your camera bag and laptop case, leaving you with just your purse.

“It’s dark. I’ll walk you to your car,” he explained.

“Thank you.” He acknowledged your thanks with a dip of his chin and then followed you outside into the cold winter air. You really needed to pull out your bigger coat because it was just going to get colder. Your teeth were chattering by the time you reached your car parked on the street. Jamie stowed your bags in the passenger seat and then he stepped back from your car and shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. You couldn’t stop the small smile from slipping across your lips.

“Yeah. Have a good night, Jamie.”

He waited until you were in the driver's seat before he walked off in search of his own vehicle. Cranking the heat on high, you took a moment to relax back against the soft fabric of your car seat and exhale a deep breath.

Maybe Jamie Tartt wasn’t the twat you thought he was.

Maybe, just maybe, you should practice what you preach and give him a chance to show you that he’s changed.

Tag List: @shiptheship​ @teigo-the-explorer​ @geeksareunique​ @queenofthekill​ @actuallybarb​ @for-fucks-sake-im-alive @maggiecc​ @alipap3​

[dreamsgazer]

A Bit Closer

Anon requested this fic (my answer here), and I don’t dislike how this turned out!

Hope you all like it, and if so, please comment and reblog, it’s always so appreciated! If you have a request, feel free to send an ask !

Masterlist | AO3 here

Warnings: swearing, mention of blood, murder

“No.”

“Bro-“ Lemon sighed pinching his nose.

“Absolutely not!” Tangerine reiterated, rebelliously lifting his chin.

“We need her.”

“The fuck we do!” the man hissed back, ice-coloured eyes sparkling with outrage “The last thing we need is a rookie to fuck up with the assignment!”

“I’m right here, asshole!” you pointed out from the couch where you had been sitting for the last ten minutes, done with being ignored by the Twins.

Tangerine scoffed, glaring at you, but you firmly cut whatever foul reply he was going to spit “You are right, I’m not as seasoned as the two of you when it comes to killing people. However, this mission requires someone smart enough and subtle enough and discreet enough to infiltrate that mansion, retrieve the envelope, and get out as quickly as possible. Neither of you can do that without leaving a trail of corpses behind.”

“Hey, come on now!” Lemon’s outraged voice didn’t stop you “Also, your last mission was such a clusterfuck that I’m surprised someone is still willing to hire you.”

This last part wasn’t exactly true, and you were aware that things in Dubai went south well before the Twins appeared in some sheikh’s palace, but you couldn’t hold back your resentment at being treated like an incompetent child by Tangerine.

“Ok, ok, calm down now. Both of you!” Lemon interjected, pressing a hand on his brother’s chest “I would say to try working together just this once. I dunno about you two, but I could use the money.” Tangerine huffed and cursed before accepting, and he made sure you knew he was agreeing only because the job was ridiculously well compensated. You rolled your eyes at that but refrained to underline you all worked that kind of job for the exact same reason. “And I’m no rookie when it comes to stealing stuff and information,” you added tightening your lips, still offended “Just because I stir away from corpses and troubles doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing. Which is why I was contacted as well for this operation!” Despite the rough start, the mission went incredibly well, all considered – sure, Tangerine had to help you at a certain point, but while retreating from the opulent estate, the envelope full of compromising photos of a very prominent political candidate enjoying himself a bit too much was safely in your hands.

The Twins escorted you to the place agreed for the exchange, and an hour after the photos were gone and your trio was a bit richer.

Lemon grinned “Well, I don’t want to say I’ve told you so, guys-”

“Then don’t,” Tangerine huffed, arms crossed over his chest and a frown barely hidden by his Versace sunglasses.

His Twin tutted “But I did tell you two that it was worth a try!”

“Agreed,” you conceded because not doing so would have been both rude and dishonest, especially towards Lemon. Tangerine could go fuck himself, but his brother had been nice to you for the entirety of the mission. You were just too stubborn to admit that Tangerine was there as well, when you needed a quick way out from that party, having heard someone approaching the studio you were in. He hadn’t left the villa until you both could walk away unnoticed, his arm on your back guiding you outside as if you two were just a couple of bored guests at a normal party.

Lemon beamed at your words snapping you back to the present. He had insisted to give you a lift to the airport. It had been a surprise that Tangerine wanted to tag along.

After that mission, you interacted with them a bit more often. You sold the Twins some intel for a task in Bucharest, then accompanied them to a quick negotiation with some gang about a ransom, and once you flew to Canberra to help them deal with a “fucking authentic Diesel” according to Lemon. The Diesel was dealt with before the day was over, and you found yourself patching up both in a tiny safehouse in desperate need of a cleaning. Truth be told, you expected Tangerine to fuss more about your doing when you pressed a cloth against his ribs, but the massive blood loss and possibly some exhaustion made him quiet and almost… collaborative. As quickly as you could you cleaned his wounds and stitched them, noticing for the first time that his skin was warm, and his muscular torso littered with scars and tattoos. Some of them were nice and others had been clearly done after a job. You wished you had the courage to ask him about them.

“For how long have you been doing this job?” you heard yourself asking, instead. An answer wasn’t really expected, but he surprised you “More years I care to remember. Got my first assignment when I was 18.”

Your eyes widened and he almost challenged you to say something. Which you did, and from his expression, it was clear it wasn’t the reply he wasn’t expecting “It must have been hard. But no wonder you are such a skilled hitman, after all.” A beat of silence, and then he snorted “Are you going to make us pay extra for the nursing service?” You looked him in the eyes, noticing a mischievous grin dancing on his face. Repressing your equally wide one was hard “Of course. And if you don’t stop moving, Tangerine, I’ll double the price.” Tangerine’s laugh was unexpected. It was nice and warm, boyish, in a certain way. You scolded yourself for thinking something kind about him. You berated yourself even more in the weeks after that chat when you finally admitted to yourself how enjoyable it had been to have him pleasantly talking to you, and how nice his skin had felt under your fingers.

You weren’t utterly surprised when the Twins recruited you for another mission. Nothing too big, they said, but they needed someone expert in recognising a counterfeit document. You weren’t sure what to expect from Tangerine after Canberra, but it was disappointing to see he had retreated again into his shell, barely talking to you.

You flew from London to Paris, and he seemed lost in thought, leaving you and Lemon to chat and occasionally glancing at him. They had booked an elegant hotel suite near the Tour Eiffel, and you couldn’t contain your enthusiasm about it. The enthusiasm slightly faded after dinner, when Lemon out of nowhere asked you if you ever carried a gun with you. Tangerine and he had already had a first contact with the gang boss who had the document they needed to inspect, and when they returned to the hotel where they left you the Twins were clearly annoyed and wary.

“No,” you replied, pulling your eyes away from the enchanting view of Paris at night “I don’t usually need a weapon, so I don’t have one. As you could see, my style is more… a sneaky one.” “Did you ever hold one, though?”“Of course, I held a gun before!” you replied, indignantly, hands planted on your hips. Lemon nodded “Cool, and did you ever shoot anyone?”

You hesitated and Tangerine scoffed from behind his book. Your cheeks flushed in annoyance and a hint of embarrassment. Lemon was kinder to you “That’s alright, I’d say you have been lucky if you never had to kill anyone. However,” he said while taking out a second gun from his holster “you’ll need to learn. Just in case.” “I thought this was going to be an easy job.” Tangerine’s voice intervened calmly “It will be easier if we don’t have to worry about you strolling around without protection. Lemon has a fucking “bad feeling” about it.” Lemon didn’t seem to care for his brother's sceptical attitude and just nodded in agreement.

You weren’t too pleased that their afternoon meeting risked putting you in a situation where you were going to need protection. Shooting was not definitely something you were eager to do. Killing, even less.

There was a precise reason you had decided to stick with theft, spying, and selling information here and there, and that was because you didn’t think you had in yourself the will to end someone else’s life. Destiny may had forced you in this peculiar field, but you had sworn to yourself you would stir away from troubles as much as possible.

Maybe collaborating with the Twins was a terrible idea, after all. Troubles seemed to like and follow them, and you knew – you feared – it was only a matter of time before you got involved in a situation you were unequipped to handle. Not that it was your intention to say that out loud. Tangerine would probably mock you forever and possibly gloat at finding out you were so scared at the mere thought of shooting. Apparently unaware of your internal conflict, Lemon brought you to the other side of the suite. A good chunk of time passed before he declared his satisfaction after teaching you how to properly hold a gun and keep the correct pose “You are not bad at this. I think you could actually hit a possible target, if they don’t move too much.”

You nodded, not trusting your voice, and handed out the weapon to him.

“Keep it,” he shrugged “just in case.”

Your thanks were sincerely grateful, but you so much hoped the gun wouldn’t be needed.

Except that you ended up needing it. Someone snitched on your trio, possibly one of the many enemies the Twins had made in the field. The meeting set up to allow you to inspect this infamous piece of paper was a trap, and guns appeared everywhere.

Tangerine pushed you beyond a staircase, shouting at you to not move from there, before running to help Lemon. It had been when you thought that the worse was passed that you saw a man getting up from the floor, grabbing a shotgun laying next to him. Your hands moved before your brain could process the thing. One moment that man was aiming at the Twins, and the moment after you were pulling the trigger of the little gun Lemon had given you.

The sound was so loud it hurt your ears.

The man fell on the ground with a sinister thud. The blood slowly started to spread under him. He was dead. You had killed him. Someone was talking to you and you swallowed the bile in your throat, trying to focus on the voice suddenly so close to you. “It’s okay, darling. Give me the gun now, it’s over.” You ignored Tangerine’s voice could be so gentle. He quickly grabbed the weapon from your frozen fingers, passing it to Lemon and not letting your hands go “Good girl. Look at me. We gotta move, alright?” You nodded once, your head spinning, and Tangerine’s free hand cupped your face “He deserved it, I promise. You did well, so, so well.” Unsure of what answer would be appropriate, you followed him when he gently tugged you, his arm resolutely holding you against his side, his body shielding your eyes from keep staring at the corpse on the floor.

Lemon’s smile was as gentle as his brother’s grip around your shoulders when he opened the car door for you “Tangerine is right, you did nothing wrong. You saved our lives!”. The drive back to the hotel was unnaturally silent and keeping your body’s trembles at bay was the only thing distracting you from the thought of what you did.

Lemon proclaimed he needed a shower as soon as you set foot in the suite, and with great surprise, Tangerine didn’t go to his bathroom. Instead, he forced you to sit on the velvety sofa and gave you a glass of whiskey. His hands around yours, he helped you drink a sip of two. It was disgusting, but the warmth it spread in your limbs was welcomed. Tangerine smiled at you, tentatively “I need to shower as well. I suggest you do the same. It… helps, trust me.” It helped a bit, but the echo of the shot was still in your brain and the sight of the dead man planted in your brain when you reached them in the living room, seeing they had the room service deliver a dinner you barely touched. Nobody talked much and you felt their eyes checking every single movement. Lemon called your name “We are sorry things went shit like that.” You nodded, sipping a bit of water “It’s ok, I should have expected that sooner or later – well, it was meant to happen, right?”

That night you couldn’t sleep. Clearly. Maybe crying would have helped, but your throat felt dry and constricted, your eyes even worse. You were frozen in shock and fear. The bedroom seemed too little and the ceiling too close. With a gasp, you threw your covers away and quickly walked in search of fresh air. Tangerine was laying against the balcony’s railing in the living room. You hesitated, but he turned sensing your presence and motioned for you to go to the terrace with him.

“Can’t sleep?” a flicker of light sparked in the night and he lit his cigarette with expert gestures “Want one, love?” You didn’t know if it was his unexpectedly kind voice, or the fact that he used a pet name, or the fact that it felt as if the two of you were the only ones awake in the entire city, but you couldn’t answer, a painful lump of tears forming in your throat. You just hoped that the relative darkness of the terrace was enough to hide your distraught state.

“Perhaps I should go – I should go back inside,” you murmured, clearing your throat and clasping together your shaking hands. It was not a surprise, but a real shock when Tangerine took a step closer to you, his hands gently enveloping yours to steady them. You felt everything at once, your eyes finally swelling with tears, your lip wobbling, cheeks flushed in mortification and a not little amount of pleasure in having him so close, despite everything.

A huge sob escaped your contracted lips regardless of your valiant efforts to compose yourself.

Tangerine paused the tiniest fraction of a second before taking you in his arms. Pressing your face in the gentle curve where his neck met his shoulder, you wept and sobbed for what it felt an hour. Only when your sobs started to slow down enough for you to take a quivering breath, you realized Tangerine’s hand was moving in slow circles on your back, the other one lightly holding the back of your head. You knew you shouldn’t have lingered against Tangerine letting him softly cradle you, let alone closed your eyes focusing on your heartbeats.

Surely, he was going to recover from that moment of weakness soon enough, pushing you away and hurting your feelings. Feelings that you are too tired to hide anymore, at least to yourself. Pressing your forehead against his shoulder, you wondered when it happened, exactly. When did you develop feelings for him? When did you start hoping he would text or call about a job just to have the resemblance of a contact?

You should have known you were heading in that direction the moment you jumped on an airplane to Australia just because he was there. You should have suffocated whatever you felt but you couldn’t, and now your heart was at risk to be broken. You sighed against him. It was stupid, but oh you were so ready to take the risk.

“Better?” His voice was tender, tickling your temple. You straightened your shoulders, gently pushing against his body “A bit, yes. I’m sorry.” His hands slipped from your nape and your back, just to lend on your elbows, not really allowing you to go too far away from him “What the fuck are you sorry for, love?”

You laughed despite yourself at his quizzical face and choice of words, a solitary tear dropping down your cheek with the movement. Tangerine caressed it away with his thumb, following an imaginary path util he could reach your lower lip, slowly stroking it. The fire under your skin roared alive, making you feel giddy and tingly.

He slowly bent over, clearly giving you time to stop him, to walk away as you should have done if either of you had an ounce of common sense.

Tiptoeing, you instead surged forward, quickly mimicking his previous gesture, and grabbing his nape with shaking fingers.

His pleased laughter died against your lips, when you opened them for him, swallowing his thrilled groan, your doubts, the horror of that day. Every caress of his hands had you feel more centred again. Every swipe of his tongue against yours had you moan and push away bad thoughts. You wanted everything he could give you, and he felt so willing to indulge you.

Tangerine backed you up against the wall, keeping you pressed between the marble surface and his body, squeezing you so tight you weren’t sure off where he started and you ended.

“I’m so fucking sorry I pulled you into this mess,” he panted, his lips kissing every inch of your face he could reach “and you shouldn’t be around us. I can’t guarantee you it won’t happen again, love.”

“I know,” you replied breathlessly “I know. But you didn’t pull me, I decided to -”

He kissed you again, almost ferocious and then he breathed his confession against your swollen lips “I did it. Lemon didn’t want to get you involved this time, he suspected something was off before we arrived here. But -“

Tangerine stopped, his moustache twitching with the nervous movements of his lips “I wanted to see you and I didn’t want to simply pop up at your home and ask you out. Couldn’t risk embarrassing myself if you told me to fuck off, could I?”

You couldn’t hide your surprise and he grunted “I understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with me ever again. If I had listened to my brother... but you know how I am, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” you nodded slowly, hands caressing his handsome face “you are stubborn and have the mouth of a sailor, and care for the ones you love more than you care for yourself.”

“A pretty flattering portrait,” he smiled, grasping your wrist and pressing his mouth there.

“What happened wasn’t your fault. Or Lemon’s. You were right to mock me because I don’t usually carry a gun with me. I’ve been naive for too long, for someone working on this kind of job.”

“I wasn’t mocking you. I was laughing at myself, because you are too good for this life, too innocent, and I’m a dangerous man who does terrible things, and I should just tell you to fuck off and never return, you know?”

You nodded “Yes, but I wouldn’t listen to you if you tried.”

“Yeah, I feared that much.”

You hugged him, needing to let him know that you wanted this - him - as much as he did. Things weren’t going to be easy all the time, but you genuinely thought you could build something glorious together.

“Tangerine?”

“Yes, love?”

“As soon as we are back home, you are going to properly ask me out, ok?”

“More than ok.”

He sealed the promise with a kiss. You were in this together.

[fredwkong]

Hi, I heard you do vacations?

I recently moved to Boston and I thought a vacation would be a good way to bond with my roommate. I've only known him since moving in so it would be nice to develop a closer relationship. We both like the heat and exploring different cultures so maybe a destination like Saudi Arabia/Mexico/Brazil/etc would be nice. Thank you!

( I understand if you don't take requests but thought I'd try, I love your stories)

Thanks for your booking with FWK Vacations. We're connecting you to your tropical getaway right now! Please get comfortable and prepare.

When you wake up, the first thing you feel is the oppressive heat. It’s a dry, dusty warmth that has you sweating in seconds. It definitely doesn’t feel like Boston. The next thing you notice is an overwhelming smell, like armpits, feet, and unwashed dicks all at once.

You open your eyes and find yourself in a small room. You’re lying on a bed next to the heavy weight of another man, and a small window with blinds over it lets in a bit of light from outside. A ceiling fan is stirring up the musky air, released by both of you as well as the pile of dirty headscarves and filthy clothes in front of the dresser.

You take stock of your body as you become more aware. You’re naked under the blankets, just like the warm, sweaty body next to you. You have brown skin and a thick physique, and you feel a well-groomed beard on your face. You’re sweaty and the air is thick with musk, but you don’t feel dirty. In fact, you suddenly think that you can probably go a few more days before your next bath. The boys love your natural stench, after all.

With that thought, you grab your phone from next to the bed to check if any horny boys have messaged you on Grindr. It’s nearly 5 PM, you notice. Nearly time to get ready to go out and pregame for another night of partying in Dubai. You lift up your arm and cover your roommate’s face with your musky armpit to wake him up.

He moans, and his big dick spurts a bit of pre onto your leg as he comes to. He loves every one of your smells, and you’re more than happy to share them with him. “Bro,” you say, “time to go.”

A few minutes later, the two of you are groomed and dressed in the cleanest clothes you could find in the musky pile, and stinking up the hotel hallway on your way out for another night out as a pair of Arabian fuckboys. You're definitely getting a unique cultural experience.

Enjoy your vacation!

Want to go on vacation? Drop me an ask!

[growingstories]

Arabian nights, an All inclusive sequel

In the bustling city of London, there lived a young Arab man named Khalid. At the age of 22, Khalid was the son of the third wife of the Sheikh of Dubai, living a life of privilege and luxury. With no responsibilities to burden him, he spent his days indulging in extravagant dinners, attending lavish parties, and focusing on an intense gym routine to maintain his physique.

Whenever Khalid went on holiday, he went to the resorts of his dear friend Alexander. Here he was accompanied by his trusted companion, Matthew, who served as his private butler. Khalid admired Matthew and had witnessed his transformation from a young, skinny twink to a handsome, muscular man. This drastic change was all thanks to personal trainer Jacobs efforts and rigorous training sessions.

However, Khalid's life took an unexpected turn when he received a summons back to the palace in Dubai. His powerful uncle had passed away, leaving behind a vast empire of real estate holdings and infrastructure projects. As the designated successor, Khalid was responsible for managing his late uncle's affairs.

Living in the palace proved to be a challenging experience for Khalid. The days were filled with strict protocols, strict schedules, and a lack of privacy. He longed for the freedom he once had in London, and in an attempt to make his life more bearable, he hired Matthew as his private butler once again.

Matthew was thrilled to be given the opportunity to live within the palace grounds, residing in a luxurious suite with everything he could possibly desire at his fingertips. He was now responsible for ensuring Khalid's schedule was as enjoyable as possible, accompanying him to the gym, serving as a constant travel companion, and organizing elaborate dinners.

Their routine mainly revolved around lifting weights, aiming to maintain their muscular physiques. In addition to their intense workouts, they were constantly surrounded by mouth-watering food. The palace servants made it their mission to provide an endless supply of delectable dishes regardless, of how often Khalid and Matthew declined.

As time passed, Khalid and Matthew found solace in other each's company. Living in the palace proved to be monotonous at times, with the only excitement being the various culinary delights that them awaited. Over the years, their bond grew stronger, and the pounds accumulated. Both Khalid and Matthew gained a  staggering 40lbs each, their once svelte figures expanding with muscle and indulgence.

Their mutual love for food and comfort kept them content, despite the unchanging routine and the noticeable increase in their weight. Khalid, concealed beneath his flowing Arab robes, remained blissfully unaware of his transformation. However, as Matthew struggled to find clothes that fit, he couldn't help but acknowledge the immense gain in size.

Nevertheless, neither of them had any intention of changing their ways. Comfort and indulgence overruled any desire for a healthier lifestyle. Although their days seemed repetitive, their lives were undeniably comfortable, and they continued to revel in each other's presence.

The years rolled by, and with each passing one, Khalid and Matthew's weight continued to climb. The routine of lavish dinners, extravagant parties, and minimal physical activity persisted. Five years after their journey together began, they found themselves 150 pounds heavier, their once toned bodies hidden beneath layers of excess weight.

Khalid, still blissfully ignorant of his transformation, embraced the luxurious life that the palace provided. As long as he wore his flowing robes, which concealed his figure, he believed he remained the same. On the other hand, Matthew increasingly struggled with his added weight, continuously needing larger shirts and jeans to accommodate his ballooning size.

Despite the growing health concerns and the boredom that came with their lifestyle, neither Khalid nor Matthew had any intention of changing. The comfort of their surroundings outweighed any desire for change or adventure. They had grown accustomed to routine their, finding solace in the familiarity of their existence.

And so, Khalid and Matthew continued their lives of excess, indulgence, and companionship within the gilded walls of the palace. Though their experiences lacked excitement and variety, they found solace in their shared love for food and their unbreakable bond. Their lives provided them with comfort, even though the price they paid were there sixpack abs. 

[csainzsgirly]

Mile high club with Charles on the way to Dubai 🧎‍♀️

I'd suck that mans dick in a plane any time

"Mon amour..." Charles warned a little when your hand moved over his thigh, your fingers rubbing over the material of his sweats. He looked so fluffy, so delicious, so sleepy with his hair still messy, a pair of sweats and a sweater thrown over himself, his glasses on, the stubble. It had your thighs clenching together the whole time you looked at him while the plane gained altitude and flew through the clouds. "Baby, we have to be on this plane a couple more hours," you hummed, getting out of your seat and settling into his lap.

"You've been so busy," you continue. "And this weekend will be busy, we might not get any time together," you purr, your fingers curling around the material of his sweater. It was easy to persuade your boyfriend, as a little swiveling of your hips and sweet caresses of your fingers were enough to make his thighs part a little further and his cock slowly grow hard. You kiss his cheek, down to his jaw, sneaking your hands under his shirt to feel his abs as you slide down to your knees between his legs. Charles helps you lift his hips and pull his sweats down, his underwear, simultaneously.

Your hand wraps around his pretty cock, your thumb brushing over the red tip that's leaking precum already. Charles' lips part with a soft moan as he watches you jerk him slowly, squeezing a little toward the head. Charles lets his head fall back against the seat as your tongue licks the head before you take the tip into your mouth. His hand gathers your hair behind your head as you lick up his shaft, then you suck his cock down your tongue and bob your head up and down. Charles moans, his hips bucking a little up towards your mouth, soon coating your tongue with his cum.

[n2qfd]

Welcome to program 377 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

1:43 MFSK32: Program preview (now)

2:52 MFSK32: Slim Dubai skyscraper just one apartment wide*

7:55 MFSK64: Laser communications for historic moon flyby

13:10 MFSK64: This week's images*

28:39 MFSK32: Closing announcements

* with image(s)

Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on X/Twitter now: @SWRadiogra

From New Atlas:

Incredibly slim Dubai skyscraper will be just one apartment wide

By Adam Williams

November 01, 2024

Work is currently underway on an extremely slim new skyscraper in

Dubai. Despite its supertall height of 380 m (1,246 ft), the

tower will be just one apartment wide – or 22.5 m (73 ft).

Not to be confused with the New Muraaba, the Muraba Veil is

designed by Pritzker Prize-winning RCR Arquitectes. It also

involves engineering firms WSP and Arup, with Muraba developing.

Inspired by traditional Arabian housing, it will be located on a

prime spot in Dubai and wrapped in a porous stainless steel

Mashrabiya-style mesh, or "veil," intended to take the sting out

of the harsh Dubai sun. Its interior will consist of 73 floors

and from the renders we can see it will be a lot longer than

wide, allowing it to fit 131 luxury residences.

The apartments themselves will range from two to five bedrooms,

with prices starting from AED18,000,000 (US$4.9 million). Each

spans the full width of the tower, providing unobstructed views

of the Dubai skyline and indoor-outdoor living. As you'd expect,

for that sort of money there will be lots of amenities, including

a restaurant, art gallery, cinema, an amphitheater, and even a

subterranean spa.

"Muraba Veil is our response to the unique landscape and culture

of Dubai," says Rafael Aranda, Founder at RCR Arquitectes. "Our

goal was to design a building that feels connected to its

surroundings while pushing the boundaries of what a skyscraper

can be. The Veil stands as an emblem of a new architectural

approach – one that reflects both heritage and modernity."

The Muraba Veil is the latest of several ultra-slender

skyscrapers that are either already completed or at the planning

stage, including 11 West 57th Street, and the Pencil Tower Hotel.

We've no word on the expected date of completion for the Veil at

this time.

https://newatlas.com/architecture/muraba-veil-dubai/

Image: The Muraba Veil is an incredibly thin supertall skyscraper

in Dubai that will have a width of just 22.5 m (73 ft) ...

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Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...

Before RSID: <<2024-11-09T23:08Z MFSK-32 @ 7780000+1500>>

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net

From Phys.org:

Communications user terminal prepares for historic moon flyby

By Ariana Tantillo

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

November 4, 2024

In 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the

moon's surface—a momentous engineering and science feat marked by

his iconic words, "That's one small step for a man, one giant

leap for mankind." Three years later, Apollo 17 became NASA's

final Apollo mission to land humans on the brightest and largest

object in our night sky. Since then, no humans have visited the

moon or traveled past low Earth orbit (LEO), largely because of

shifting politics, funding, and priorities.

But that is about to change. Through NASA's Artemis II mission,

scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2025, four

astronauts will be the first humans to travel to the moon in more

than 50 years. In 2022, the uncrewed Artemis I mission proved the

ability of NASA's new spacecraft Orion—launched on the new

heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System—to travel farther into

space than ever before and return safely to Earth.

Building on that success, the 10-day Artemis II mission will pave

the way for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the

lunar surface, with the goal of establishing a future lasting

human presence on the moon and preparing for human missions to

Mars.

One big step for lasercom

Artemis II will be historic not only for renewing human

exploration beyond Earth, but also for being the first crewed

lunar flight to demonstrate laser communication (lasercom)

technologies, which are poised to revolutionize how spacecraft

communicate. Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory have been

developing such technologies for more than two decades, and NASA

has been infusing them into its missions to meet the growing

demands of long-distance and data-intensive space exploration.

As spacecraft push farther into deep space and advanced science

instruments collect ultrahigh-definition (HD) data like 4K video

and images, missions need better ways to transmit data back to

Earth. Communication systems that encode data onto infrared laser

light instead of radio waves can send more information at once

and be packaged more compactly while operating with less power.

Greater volumes of data fuel additional discoveries, and size and

power efficiency translate to increased space for science

instruments or crew, less expensive launches, and longer-lasting

spacecraft batteries.

For Artemis II, the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications

System (O2O) will send high-resolution video and images of the

lunar surface down to Earth—a stark contrast to the blurry,

grainy footage from the Apollo program. In addition, O2O will

send and receive procedures, data files, flight plans, voice

calls, and other communications, serving as a high-speed data

pipeline between the astronauts on Orion and mission control on

Earth.

O2O will beam information via lasers at up to 260 megabits per

second (Mbps) to ground optical stations in one of two NASA

locations: the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New

Mexico, or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Table Mountain

Facility in Wrightwood, California. Both locations are ideal for

their minimal cloud coverage, which can obstruct laser signals as

they enter Earth's atmosphere.

At the heart of O2O is the Lincoln Laboratory–developed Modular,

Agile, Scalable Optical Terminal (MAScOT). About the size of a

house cat, MAScOT features a 4-inch telescope mounted on a

two-axis pivoted support (gimbal), and fixed back-end optics.

The gimbal precisely points the telescope and tracks the laser

beam through which communications signals are emitted and

received, in the direction of the desired data recipient or

sender. Underneath the gimbal, in a separate assembly, are the

back-end optics, which contain light-focusing lenses, tracking

sensors, fast-steering mirrors, and other components to finely

point the laser beam.

A series of firsts

MAScOT made its debut in space as part of the laboratory's

Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) LEO

User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T), which launched to

the International Space Station (ISS) in November 2023.

After a few weeks of preliminary testing, ILLUMA-T transmitted

its first beam of laser light to NASA's LCRD satellite in

geosynchronous (GEO) orbit 22,000 miles above Earth's surface.

Achieving this critical step, known as "first light," required

precise pointing, acquisition, and tracking of laser beams

between moving spacecraft.

Over the following six months, the laboratory team performed

experiments to test and characterize the system's basic

functionality, performance, and utility for human crews and user

applications. Initially, the team checked whether the

ILLUMA-T-to-LCRD optical link was operating at the intended data

rates in both directions: 622 Mbps down and 51 Mbps up. In fact,

even higher data rates were achieved: 1.2 gigabits per second

down and 155 Mbps up.

"This first demonstration of a two-way, end-to-end laser

communications relay system, in which ILLUMA-T was the first LEO

user of LCRD, is a major milestone for NASA and other space

organizations," says Bryan Robinson, leader of the laboratory's

Optical and Quantum Communications Group. "It serves as a

precursor to optical relays at the moon and Mars."

After the relay was up and running, the team assessed how

parameters such as laser transmit power, optical wavelength, and

relative sun angles impact terminal performance. Lastly, they

contributed to several networking experiments over multiple nodes

to and from the ISS, using NASA's delay/disruption tolerant

networking protocols.

One landmark experiment streamed 4K video on a round-trip journey

from an airplane flying over Lake Erie in Ohio, to the NASA Glenn

Research Center in nearby Cleveland, to the NASA White Sands Test

Facility in New Mexico, to LCRD in GEO, to ILLUMA-T on the ISS,

and then back. In June 2024, ILLUMA-T communicated with LCRD for

the last time and powered off

"Our success with ILLUMA-T lays the foundation for streaming HD

video to and from the moon," says co-principal investigator Jade

Wang, an assistant leader of the Optical and Quantum

Communications Group. "You can imagine the Artemis astronauts

using videoconferencing to connect with physicians, coordinate

mission activities, and livestream their lunar trips.

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-communications-user-terminal-historic-moon.html

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net

This week's images ...

Flowers in the indoor conservancy at the Minnesota Landscape

Arboretum. https://tinyurl.com/23u95lzm ...

pic_2024-11-09_231507z.png

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Looking like a face, this image combines mid-infrared light from

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and ultraviolet and visible

light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The smaller spiral on

the left, IC 2163, passed behind NGC 2207, the larger spiral

galaxy at right. https://tinyurl.com/22xnqr33 ...

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pic_2024-11-09_231653z.png

Migratory birds fly in the Hongze Lake Wetland National Nature

Reserve in Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, October 30.

https://tinyurl.com/22gwwyh8 ...

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Scottish photographer David Gilliver uses a light sabre and long

exposure to create effects like this "Ribbon Dance."

https://tinyurl.com/27tgh3r9

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The Stone Bridge over Bull Run, west of Washington DC, at sunrise

November 3. https://tinyurl.com/27l5tzl7 ...

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Guelder Rose berries at the Lewes Urban Arboretum in Lewes,

England. https://tinyurl.com/27oonzcx ...

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Red autumn leaves at the Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire,

England. https://tinyurl.com/2dbm366f ...

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A large tree in Gaithersburg, Maryland, showing its colors.

https://tinyurl.com/29yzqom8 ..

Our painting of the week is "Murnau [Germany], Street With Women"

(1908) by Wassily Kandinsky. https://tinyurl.com/2y2mj6bf ...

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