#miami swim week photographers

[mediamaze]

w/ Art Hearts Fashion

DESIGNER Lybethras MODEL Liz Rodriguez EVENT Miami Swim Week VENUE Fontainebleau Miami HOST Art Hearts Fashion PHOTO | VIDEO Tony Filson AGENCY KissMyKite MEDIA World Fashion Media News

HMU Billion Dollar Brows, Unite Hair, The Beach Waver, Japonesque, April Love Pro, Aqua Hair Extensions

ART HEARTS MKTG Libby

WEB https://www.kissmykite.com/runway-fashion

#kissmykite @kissmykite

4K Video at: https://youtube.com/shorts/f2A6QwHXZv8

[kissmykite]

Fashion Model Jenna Dykstra for Designer Giannina Azar at Miami Swim Week by Fashion Photographer Tony Filson

[tvstaff]

https://www.instagram.com/stories/kissmykite/3542173742110279762?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=Yms4a3BoaHVscGQ5

Popimpresska Haute Couture Fashion shoot in Aruba where fashion photographer Tony Filson photographed Fashion Model Sanne Ooms in a Gold full length evening gown on the beach and in the water.

Model Sanne Ooms for Fashion Designer Olga Papkovitch on a tropical island fashion shoot by the famous Miami Swim Week Photographer Tony Filson of KissMyKite

[qnewsau]

aussieBum Finale at Miami Swim Week 2024

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/aussiebum-finale-at-miami-swim-week-2024/

aussieBum Finale at Miami Swim Week 2024

Skipping merrily around YouTube as one does, I suddenly stopped on a video of the aussieBum Finale at Miami Swim Week 2024.

Yes, it’s all fun and games until someone gets an eye poked out.

Anyway, I still had the other eye, so why let a little thing like that kill the vibe? I whacked on an eye patch and resumed my viewing.

(Luckily, I’m not actually at Miami Swim Week. Computer viewing is so much safer.)

aussieBum Finale at Miami Swim Week 2024

aussieBum

Australian men’s swimwear and underwear manufacturer aussieBum is run by Aussie businessman Sean Ashby from Sydney. Despite having no overseas sales representatives, 90% of aussieBum sales are offshore.

During the 2017 Marriage Equality debate, aussieBum donated 100% of profits from its Equality range to Australian Marriage Equality.

‘Germany’s Next Topmodel’: wind and rain.

Doug Inglish: Then and Now – before & after, years apart.

Image: Twitter

Bel Ami models photographed by Tarek del Moreno for Addicted.

Image: Bel Ami models photographed by Tarek del Moreno for Addicted

  MAFS hunk Billy stripped off for new Manscapes charity calendar.

Byron Bay guys bare all for 2020 Manscapes calendar.

Manscapes Calendar 2021: hot nudes in aid of mental health.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[dtba]

Art Hearts Fashion Kicks Off Miami Swim Week 2024

Words by Shirley Reynozo

Miami Swim Week is the ultimate fashion extravaganza, where the hottest swimwear trends take center stage against the backdrop of Miami's vibrant culture and stunning beaches. This annual event showcases an array of innovative designs from renowned and emerging designers, highlighting everything from daring bikinis to elegant one-pieces to fashionable cover ups. 

It's not just about the runway; Miami Swim Week is a celebration of creativity and inclusivity, with events that bring together fashion enthusiasts, influencers, and industry professionals. With over 30 designers, this week was filled with inspirational moments. On Friday May 31st, Designers Gyv Me Body, Bad Sisters, Pink Melon Swim, Asola Swim, Ca Rio Ca, Willfredo Gerardo, Xbqini,  Chavez Inc, and many others showcased their collections at the iconic venue as well. Each designer brough ingenuity to their swimwear collection, more than just bathing suits they represented a culture around body positivity. Breaking from the traditional expectations of what is considered beautiful on the runway. From plus size models, to middle aged models, trans, non binary, to even destigmatizing plastic surgery, Art Hearts Fashion worked tirelessly to represent the multiplicity of our existence. One may say to themselves, it’s just swimwear- how can you make an entire week of shows around bathing suits. Well clearly Art Hearts Fashion has it figured out!  

Art Hearts Fashion is the leading platform dedicated to bringing innovative designers and artists to the forefront of fashion week. Their coast-to-coast contemporary events get the most renowned designers and the sharpest up-and-coming emerging designers to the runway in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and beyond. Founded in 2010, AHF has become a driving force for fashion, art, and entertainment. 

Art Hearts Fashion is more than just a fashion platform; it’s a thriving, inclusive community. From the moment I stepped into their vibrant world, I felt the warmth and genuine camaraderie that defines their team. The environment is less about competition and more about collaboration, creating a familial atmosphere where everyone is welcomed with open arms. Whether a model, a publicist, events staff, photographer, influencer or editor, everyone joined collectively to orchestrate a phenomenal runway experience.  

I felt embraced when I met team members such as Timur Tugberk (PR), Tara Gaines (PR) and Erik Rosete (Art Hearts founder). The space didn’t require code switching, if anything they encouraged you to show up as your whole self. This differs from my NYFW experience, as there are different rules for social conduct and etiquette. At Miami Swim Week those unspoken norms go out the window. You’re encouraged to yell at the models at the top of your lungs, which I’m sure gives them the momentum to keep strutting down the runway. This sense of belonging and support fosters creativity and innovation, making Art Hearts Fashion not just a place to showcase talent, but a home where designers, models, and fashion enthusiasts can truly thrive together.

As models strut down the catwalk, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement, setting the tone for the swimwear styles that will dominate the season. Whether you're looking for high fashion or beach-ready comfort, Miami Swim Week is the place where summer fashion dreams come to life.

Special Thanks

Thank you to Art Hearts Fashion, the king of Miami PR - Timur Tugberk, Tara Gaines and to The Gabriel Miami South Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton. 

Thank you to our stylish sponsor, Kendria owner of Dria Dair for uplifting women of all backgrounds. 

Thank you to our phenomenal sponsor, Snatched Plastic Surgery, who has truly made Miami Swim week a phenomena experience. The Founder & CEO Claudia Borges, is a dynamic and accomplished professional experienced Medical Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the medical practice industry. Skilled in Analytical Skills, Sales, Medicaid, Spanish, and Managed Care, Claudia is a lovely example of a Latina entrepreneur with beauty, brains, and community oriented philosophies. Thank you for making this Miami Swim Week Season memorable for us all!

Paula Callejas

Cody Chris Collection

Caroline Derpienski

Giannina Azar

Pink Melon Swim

Asola Swim

Ca Rio Ca

Chavez Inc.

[dfashionmagazine]

#fashionDesigner: Naughty Boy Golf

Known for making gold sexy and stylish, this men’s fashion brand defies convention and preconceived notions known in the world of golf. ⛳️ Break dancers and revealing fashion ensembles inspired by bees to boxer briefs with gold 3D butterflies and insects and of course, breathable fitted golf shirts with insect patterns, Naughty Boy Golf kept the audience entertained and engaged the entire time.

Models walk the runway wearing Naughty Boy Golf during Miami Swim Week 2023 Powered by Art Hearts Fashion at the Fontainebleau Hotel on July 8, 2023 in Miami Beach. Photo by Arun Nevader/Getty Images

Event: MIAMI SWIM WEEK 2023 Organised by : Art Hearts Fashion @artheartsfashion Designer: Naughty Boy Golf @naughtyboygolf Photographer: Getty Images Fashion @gettyfashion

[coralmorphologic]

A selection of the looks Natasha Tonić and we presented @ Paraiso Miami Beach for swim week this past Sunday. Natasha’s designs are based on natural forms, colors of the coral reef, and photographic CM images, all dyed and printed on hemp and organic cotton in the USA. More looks and the full runway show 🔗 soooon!

Thank You to everyone that worked with us on the show! Paraiso and Funkshion for the flawless production and presentation, the models who walked with a mission, the hair and makeup teams who actualized a real sci fi vibe, and Y.Kunz Jewelry’s beautiful reef-inspired jewelry. Thank You to Natasha for the vision, and Kimi Recor for the soundtrack.

Each swimsuit sold in this line plants a coral onto the reef with Ocean Gardener, so stayed tuned for when it’s online!

[xavierbrownxl]

xander | xavierbrownxl

[mediamaze]

Fashion Designer Giannina Azar at Miami Swim Week Art Hearts Fashion photographed by Miami Swim Week Fashion Photographer Tony Filson of KissMyKite  https://www.kissmykite.com/miami-swim-week?pgid=lpslaxp9-276b48b4-e0fd-4b2f-b6ac-00b3d4ba939a

[shelovescontrol91]

New Camila Interview

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interviews/camila-cabello-latin-revolution-immigrant-america-industry-got/

The interview is locked unless you have a user so I posted it below. Bolded are some interesting parts

One afternoon in March 2012, Simon Cowell was taking a cigarette break backstage at Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina, where he was judging auditions for the American X Factor, when he came across a girl lying on the ground, sobbing.

The girl was Camila Cabello. She had just turned 15, and for her birthday had asked her parents – Cuban immigrants living in Miami, who were making ends meet as a shop assistant and car washer – to drive her the 12 hours from their home to the auditions. Cabello explained to Cowell that, having been kept waiting for two days to see the judges, she had just been told by the producers that time had run out and she should go home.

“Apparently she was a reserve,” Cowell tells me over the phone. “So I said to her, ‘Listen, I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, or what a reserve is, but since you’re here, come and audition.’ Five minutes later, she sang [Aretha Franklin’s Respect] in front of 7,000 people, and it was sensational.”

Cabello has a pint-size frame and a gigantic, intoxicating voice. What it lacks in technical finesse it makes up in youthful passion and romantic melodrama. Cowell installed his charismatic young discovery as the (unofficial) lead singer of a group comprising four other female contestants, and Fifth Harmony was born. After finishing the competition in third place, they signed to Cowell’s Syco label, becoming a sort of sister act to his other X Factor protégé group One Direction. Within months, Fifth Harmony had racked up a platinum-selling debut album of chart-friendly feminist anthems, a sold-out world tour, two performances at the White House and tens of millions of young fans.

For Cabello, that was just the start. Last year, Havana, the second single from her number one debut solo album, became the sound of the summer. An ode to the city where she was born and raised, featuring slow, sensual vocals layered over a Cuban-style piano riff, Havana made the singer the first female artist to achieve a billion streams for a single song. Whether or not you’re a fan of Cabello, you’ll have heard it.

This summer, the 22-year-old has repeated the impossible. Señorita, a Latino love song from her imminent second album featuring fellow pop star (and, as of July, boyfriend) Shawn Mendes, has once again conquered the charts. Talk about power couple: according to Spotify, the online music-streaming service, 21-year-old Mendes and Cabello, who picked up two MTV Video Music Awards for Señorita last week, are the most listened to artists in the world after Ed Sheeran. “Havana was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of success, and she’s just… done it again,” says Cabello’s manager Roger Gold, who first met the singer while serving as Fifth Harmony’s lawyer. “We never thought it would be this massive.”

When I repeat Gold’s words back to Cabello over an oh-so-millennial oat milk latte in a vegan café in Montreal – the latest stop on Mendes’s world tour – she grins. “It was the same with Havana,” she says, keeping an eye on the windows for the fans that have been camped outside her and Mendes’s downtown hotel since the couple were photographed ambling adoringly around the city together the day before.

“Everyone said to me, this is a Latin song, it could never be the single. Label heads and friends were saying I needed to add more production, that it was too slow,” continues Cabello, before absent-mindedly pouring coffee on her grey cashmere jumper and earnestly imploring me for laundry advice. We dab her sleeve with water as Cabello tries out my accent. “I’ll have a flaaat whiiite,” she drawls, mischievously, again and again until steer her back to the story. Persuaded that Havana would never get radio play, Cabello released Crying in the Club as her first solo single instead. But when the album was released, it was Havana that listeners pounced on. 

“It was surreal: kids were coming up to me asking, ‘Are you Havana?’” she says. The song was nominated for two awards at the Grammys, where Cabello became the first female Latin artist to open the ceremony.

Cabello’s grip on the charts is part of what Gold calls “a ground shift”. “Latin artists have gained enormous global acceptance in the pop world in the last few years,” he says. Until 2017, a Spanish-language number one was vanishingly rare, limited to Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and novelties such as The Macarena. That changed when Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s 2017 Despacito, written entirely in Spanish, became the most-streamed song in history.

That same year, the number of Spanish-language songs in Billboard’s Hot 100 jumped from three to 19; this year’s tally is already at 16. Such is the influence of Latin culture on current pop that Madonna’s Madame X album single Medellin, released in April, featured Columbian reggaeton star Maluma, and breakout Spanish star Rosalia’s modern spin on old-school flamenco graced the John Peel stage this year at Glastonbury. In between, of course, came the juggernaut of Havana. 

Cowell says he never really thought about Cabello’s Latin roots when he met her. “And then of course it occurred to me years later, that she was turning things around.” He has since had success with another Latino group, CNCO. “So maybe I owe a lot to her.”

Even singers of non-Spanish heritage are now cashing in on the genre, as Justin Bieber proved with his hugely popular remix of Despacito. “It’s definitely annoying when people take things, but sometimes I’m inspired by things that aren’t necessarily my culture,” says Cabello. “I think with globalisation, genre doesn’t exist any more. It was surreal hearing people sing the chorus to Havana. So many young people had never even heard of the place.” 

Cabello donated the proceeds from the song’s music video to support young, undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers – those who entered the US as minors and are seeking resident status. Her YouTube channel has been inundated with messages from Latino fans thanking her for making them feel more welcome in America. Cabello suffers from anxiety and tends to steer clear of social media but when I mention the messages she clasps her face with both hands and her eyebrows shoot up under her curly fringe. “Really? That makes me so happy. That’s why I want to tell my story, because when I saw pictures of what’s happening at the border, my heart was broken. That’s my story too.”

Cabello was six years old when her mother, an architect, carried her across the Mexican border, telling her daughter that they were going to Disneyland. “I have this one memory of my mother taking me into a gas station, but that’s it,” she says. They were detained for 22 hours before being allowed to proceed to Miami. Her father, originally from Mexico City, joined them illegally a year later after swimming across the Rio Grande. “I didn’t know what was happening,” Cabello tells me. “I just had a Disney calendar and I crossed off every day until he arrived. 

“It’s why my mum loves that film, Life Is Beautiful,” she says, referring to Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning comedy about a Jewish father and son taken to a concentration camp during the Holocaust. “Obviously I’m not comparing my story to that in terms of, you know… but it’s the same idea of a parent pretending it’s a game to protect their child.”

Cabello’s as yet untitled new album, out later this year, is a tribute to first love. She describes the experience in terms of the 2001 film Amélie, which she watched for the first time last year. “Before, I was Amélie,” she says, comparing herself to the film’s titular dreamer, played by Audrey Tautou. “I was just living in my own imagination. I didn’t go out and meet people. I didn’t really make any friends. Amélie’s thrills are the smallest things, like being looked at.” 

As a child, she hated attention so much that she would cry when people sang Happy Birthday to her. Her X Factor audition was the first time she had sung in public, and helped her realise she could transform on stage. “Now I’m like Amélie at the end of the film, when she falls in love for the first time and breaks out of her shell.”

Of the 72 songs Cabello wrote for the album, only a small number will appear, each one dealing with the minutiae of relationships. Keen for me to hear some, Cabello summons her mother Sinuhe, who travels with her daughter everywhere and arrives at the café with an iPhone on which she plays me two new songs. One is a heavy, gothic ballad reminiscent of vintage Avril Lavigne; the other, a Latino song carried by a powerful brass section that makes you want to get up and salsa.

As with her last album, Cabello has a writing credit on every track of the new one – a rarity in an era when so many hits are manufactured by teams of writers and producers. Is she making a statement? “No, but I need to tell my own stories,” she says. “I still regret my first single, Crying in the Club, because I didn’t write it and it didn’t feel like me. I had the chorus to Havana, but I went with what was safe, what industry people said had worked before. Turns out, no one has a clue.”

When Cabello uses the word “industry”, her expression, usually warm and trusting, becomes uneasy. The absence of freedom she experienced early in her career as part of a label-curated girl group appears to have bred a distrust of the system. 

“Fifth Harmony was like its own separate person. It’s like we were serving Fifth Harmony,” she says, tugging on the sleeves of her grey cashmere cardigan. After Cabello left the group in 2016, she was accused of betrayal, and things got nasty – when the four remaining members opened the MTV Video Music Awards in 2017, an elevated platform showed the silhouettes of five women, until one was unceremoniously shoved off the stage as the performance began. “It’s so normal for groups to disintegrate. I think it has to be some miracle for five people to stay together,” she says. "I’m so interested to see what makes it different for Little Mix [and X Factor girl group still going strong since they formed in 2011]”. 

In 2020, Cabello will make her next career move – into acting. James Corden personally picked her to star in and contribute to the score of a modern musical version of Cinderella, which he is producing. “He saw my L’Oreal advert where I was basically just being an idiot, and he thought that was cool,” she explains. She sounds a little daunted – and is currently taking acting classes – but it feels like the obvious next chapter in a life that is taking on a fairy-tale dimension of its own. 

“You know what,” Cowell had told me before hanging up. “I would never have guessed, all those years ago, that when I met someone who was having the worst day of her life, who was crying at the back of that arena, that now we’d be having this conversation. Can you believe it?”Camila Cabello’s new single is out on Thursday

[mediamaze]

X Revolve at Miami Swim Week - Art Hearts Fashion

Revolve by Michael Costello at Miami Swim Week hosted by Art Hearts Fashion Shot by Tony Filson of KissMyKite

[onedressandonelove]

Selling Your Home

Selling a home can be a long and exhausting process, whether you are doing it in a seller's market or a buyer's market. Understanding how to sell your home fast regardless of the housing market conditions can make certain you get the most from the purchase. If You're thinking of selling your home in 2020, here are the top tips for selling your home quickly:

Offer a Reasonable Price Setting the perfect price for your house is one of the best ideas for selling your house quickly. Look around the area to find out how much similar properties (property comps) have been sold for in the past couple of weeks or months. Performing a CMA will enable you to set the perfect price for your region. To save money and time, consider hiring a fantastic realtor to research local real estate values.

Improve Your Curb Appeal In regards to home selling, first impressions are extremely important. A couple of curb appeal strategies for any home seller would be to ensure that your yard is mowed and the landscaping is well done. Your outside walls and your driveway should also be as neat as possible. Improving curb appeal is one of the important strategies for selling your residence.

Understand Your Home’s Unique Selling Proposition When considering tips for selling your house, think about what makes your home stand out. Does it have a bigger compound than neighboring houses? Is it closer to the train station or mall? As a home seller, make certain to capitalize on the unique selling point of your residence.

Depersonalize the Home When you've lived in the house for a while, you probably have a lot of memories and history within it. However, if you would like to sell it quickly, you'll have to depersonalize it. Put away all of the personal junk and trinkets before permitting a prospective property buyer to look at the house.

Eliminate Bad Odors Do away with foul smells that could turn off prospective buyers. Some of the suggested tips for home selling would be to clean drains and bins, get the carpet cleaned, throw away old furniture, and make enough venting. You could also think about creating pleasant smells using freshly brewed coffee or baked bread.

Sell at the Right Time The best seasons for selling a house in the US housing market 2020 will be spring and summer. Whether in San Francisco, Miami, New York, Boston, or Washington, many families like moving through these seasons before the new school year starts. Moreover, the weather in these seasons is more conducive to home viewing.

Make Minor Repairs Your condo, multi-family home, townhouse, or single-family home does not have to be perfect so as to sell. However, you want to make minor fixes to various regions of the real estate property. This might be faulty wiring, a leaking toilet, a hole in the fence, or stains on the walls and ceilings.

Take Professional Photographs One of the best tips for selling your house is to follow your listings with terrific photos. Consider hiring a professional photographer to take photos and even videos of your dwelling. You may even offer prospective buyers virtual tours online.

Find the Right Real Estate Agent Working with a realtor will help sell your home much faster. The agent ought to be conversant with home market trends for the area and equipped to stage your home professionally. He/she should also be happy to publicize your property on all platforms.

Get Rid of Clutter Clutter in your house will put off prospective buyers. When selling a home, it's vital to remove all the unnecessary things from the interior and exterior of your property. By way of instance, one of the tips for selling your home is to eliminate some furniture out of the rooms to make them seem more spacious.

Stage Your Home Staging is essentially setting up your house professionally to make a solid impression on land buyers. This could even mean leasing furniture for showing the house. If you don't possess the experience, hire a professional home stager. If you wish to learn how to stage your house for selling, a simple search on Google will show great staging tips like including mirrors to make little rooms appear smaller or large touches like adding new flowers to space.

Offer Some Extras Among the methods for getting the most for your home when selling is to give a few extras. As an example, you could offer to cover closing costs or provide a transferrable home warranty. This will make your house stand out from the competition.

Add Some Features Another one of the amazing tips for selling your home is to earn the property memorable by adding custom designs like a new roof, an outdoor swimming pool, a new roof, an outdoor swimming pool, a new patio, or custom windows. This won't only enhance the property's ambiance, but also raise the home value.

[dreamcatchersza]

Living The Dream: Gabriel Perez Silva

Born in Colombia and raised in South Florida, 21 year old Gabriel Perez Silva is an amazing fashion photographer who takes shockingly beautiful stills.

He has photographed 🌍 renowned models such as Bella Hadid, Winnie Harlow and Fenty Beauty model, Duckie Thot.

I caught up with this 🗽 based photographer to talk about the passion he pushes…

• Growing up as a young boy from Colombia/South Florida, did you ever imagine you would be one of the hottest up and coming photographer, at just 21 years old?

I always believed in myself, but I don’t think I ever saw myself becoming known for art in particular. I wasn’t really into art or fashion at all when I was younger, but looking back I was an artist all along.

• From 🏊 for the Colombian National team, to becoming a professional photographer…how did that transition happen?

I was trying to find a way out for many years coming. The year I had between being “the swimmer” and being “the photographer” was amazing. I was able to just be a regular kid for once, fucking just 🆒 it all day. My surgery didn’t let me work as a lifeguard that summer and it really let me focus on my work.

• You mentioned on on your Twitter that you actually dropped out of school to chase your dreams, how was that whole experience like?

😂 this is my second time leaving school, and by the looks of it, it probably isn’t the last time. I just can’t go back to school right now because of the point I am in my career right now. Leaving was way more stressful for the people around me than for myself. I always believe in myself. If you don’t who will?

• What’s your thought process like before you start a shoot?

Its a mix of excitement, and sometimes stress, but also sometimes relaxation.

• Why fashion photography?

I read one time the fashion photographers are like the rockstars of the community and I think my brain subconsciously held onto that. I also like meeting and interacting with new people. My time in Italy is when I first developed an interest for Fashion Photography.

• What challenges have you faced as a fashion photographer in 🗽?

Everyone tries to use you. Everyone wants free 💩. Everyone is trying to prove themselves. You have to be strong and understand your worth.

• You have shot some pretty big names, including models, Winnie Harlow and Bellast Hadid…who is the one person you would 💛 to shoot some day?

I would 💛 to be able to shoot ..myself one day lmaoooo. I always feel like if I shot myself it would be dope. Naw, but seriously not really anyone in particular. The way I 👀 it if theres someone I really wanted to shoot. I can do it, if I really wanted to make it happen. 

• What was your reaction when you found out that Vogue had posted your Met Gala photos?

I was hella hype. That was a big goal of mine, and I didn’t think it was gonna happen that day at all.

• As a travel enthusiast, which city do you plan on visiting next?

I’m figuring that out right now. I’ll be in Miami for swim week in July, then I have some jobs in LA. Probably Toronto for a weekend, Europe in september and 🗽 in the middle.

• What legacy do you want to leave in this 🌍?

I want to show the kids you don’t have to be perfect to make it. You don’t need to follow the outline to be successful. Is the success you want really what you want or what you think you should want? I want to spread kindness, 💛, and positivity with a sprinkle of controversy, and that exactly what I’ll do in the next few years.

Hopefully, we’ll 👀 you in South Africa soon.

You can follow Gabriel’s work on Twitter: @ggabipe124 and on Instagram: @_youngshot. I am @DearTlotli you can follow the Blog here on Twitter and IG: @DreamCatchersZA

[ontherockswithsalt]

A Made Man

/1/ /2/ /3/ /4/ /5/ /6/ /7/ /8/ /9/ /10/ /11/ /12/ /13/ /14/ /15/ /16/ /17/ /18/ /19/ /20/ /21/ /22/ /23/ /24/ /25/ /26/

A/N: It’s soft, it’s Christmas time. It’s Jamie and Noble opening presents on the phone together because why not? Thank you to @cards-onthetable whose idea it was for Jamie to include a gift for Bianca. I hope this eases your mouth pain even for a moment.

Chapter 27.

“I’m gonna be pissed if it’s broken. Is it broken?” I wonder, propping the phone between my ear and shoulder as I drag a retractable blade across the top of the box that I had come home to the day before.

“I don’t know,” Noble chuckles. “I can only see something sitting propped up against my door. I just pulled in the driveway.  Don’t open yours yet!”

“Alright.” My shoulders lift and I leave the box there on my coffee table without peering inside. “I’m excited, okay?”

“Were you the kind of kid who tore through like, five presents on Christmas morning before anyone realized you weren’t waiting for everyone else to take turns?”

I grin, pacing over to the living room window. “No. Are you kidding? That was Danny.”

“Oh, right right,” Noble muses. “Then you probably took the longest because you’d open one thing and be immediately obsessed with it, reading the instructions or whatever and couldn’t bring yourself to move on to the next one.”

“What is this analysis of my personality? I thought you were just using me for my body.”

“For the most part I am. But then I went and fell in love with you.”

“Rookie mistake,” I mutter. “And yes, that’s exactly how I was.”

“Alright, there’s a box,” he lists. “And then another like, big rectangle thing here from you.”

“Okay, I just hope the rectangle thing’s not broken.”

“We’ll find out.” He manages and I can hear him move to get everything inside the house.

A few weeks ago, Noble and I had briefly considered not exchanging gifts for Christmas. The oh no, I don’t need anything excuses didn’t last long, though once the season really hit and we both just sort of gave in to the temptation. Usually gift buying stresses me out. It’s too much pressure. My rational conscious always overanalyzes whether something is practical or necessary, or something they already have, or something they wouldn’t use, and it takes the fun out of the whole process. But this year, I couldn’t help but get excited. Figuring out something Noble would like was fun for me and it had been a long time since I’d put that much sentimental effort into getting a gift for someone.

Once I found out he was going on vacation over the holiday, I scrambled to get everything shipped in time for him to open it before he left.

“So am I opening yours, or are you opening mine first?” He wonders, then decides, “Open one of mine.”

Amused, I make my way back over to the coffee table and assess the contents of the large box he sent, pulling out the brown packing paper. “Okay, I’m opening the big one.” Inside are three wrapped gifts and a card. “And I'm putting you on speaker.”

Sitting on the couch, I pull the wide, shallow gift box onto my lap and begin to tear off its pine green paper. I take off the lid, move aside the tissue paper and find a black canvas, almost tactical looking backpack. “Oh sweet.”

“Is that the backpack?”

“Yeah man.”

“I thought it'd be good for all that weekend traveling.”

“To visit my side-piece poolboy? It's perfect.”

“Hey, it's lawnboy not poolboy. There's a difference,” he corrects. “And I'm making a mental note because side-piece lawnboy is definitely some role play I'm down for.”

“Yeah, same here,” I muse while I inspect the zippered pockets. “Hey believe it or not, the backpack I've been using I've had since college so--”

“Oh I'm in total shock, sweetheart,” he deadpans.

I have to laugh. “But this one is way better. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

“Open one from me,” I instruct. “And there’s one in there for Bianca. Just… if you want to give that to her when you see her.”

He utters this rumbling “Aww--”

“Yeah, yeah,” I sigh.

“That’ll mean a lot. That’s sweet.”

“It’s like an etched, stemless wine glass and I put a bunch of red Starburst in it, so--”

“God,” he exhales, almost miffed. “You little shit. You’re gonna make me have feelings for you.”

I smirk. “Hopefully that one didn’t break either.”

“And hey, she drinks wine out of a coffee mug, so that’ll be a definite upgrade. She'll love it. I’ll make sure she gets it before we head to the airport tomorrow.”

“Alright, good. Now open one of yours. The big rectangle.”

“You mean the broken one?”

I panic. “It's broken?”

With a soft chuckle he assures me, “I'm kidding. No I don't think so.” Then I hear him go to work pulling off the paper until it's quiet for a second.

“Oh hey now--” He starts. “It's your neighborhood. Did you take this picture?”

“Yes.”

“And you had it framed. Dude, this is dope,” he raves in almost this sing-song. “I love it so much.”

“Good.” I sit back on my couch and think about the photograph, blown up to sixteen-by-twenty, that I thought would make a cool print for his house. “A little Brooklyn for you down in Miami.”

“Well when I really need some Brooklyn down in Miami, I'll get your ass a plane ticket.”

“Since you can't hang my ass up in your living room, that might be a better alternative.”

“Look at you,” he muses. “With the photography skills. I love that street, by the way. Damn, that's some homesick shit I wasn't ready for.”

The historic district where I live, with all it's charming pre-war rowhouses and quiet streets, looks good captured in black and white. Down my block, it's only a short walk to the promenade that stretches along the East River where we had roamed around a little one morning the last time he was here.

“Your turn,” Noble speaks up. “Open another one.”

“There's a card here--”

“No-no-no, open that later. Don't open that on the phone with me. It's gross.”

With a pleased little smile, looking forward to reading that on my own, I set the sealed envelope aside. “Mmkay. I'll do this medium-sized one.”

“Don't give me a hard time about it,” he warns. “I think I have a firm grasp on what kind of nerd you are but--”

“Hey,” I groan in protest as I tear open the package. “You got a complaint?”

“No, you didn't hear me complain--”

“Oh good because I was about to tell you where you can put it.”

“You can always tell me where to put it, Jamie.”

Tilting my head back, I dig my teeth into my bottom lip and take a moment to appreciate him. “Are you really about to leave the country for five days? Because I… miss you in such a dumbass way.”

His laugh through the phone makes me smile as I finish pulling off the paper. “I miss you regardless.”

“Yeah but you'll be off swimming with dolphins and snorkeling or whatever and too busy to remember me suffering in this city at Christmas time.”

He scoffs. “Oh please. Don't you know me at all? I'll be day drinking and taking naps on the beach.”

“Strangely, that's a hotter visual for me,” I reason. “Okay I'm opening this. Let's see what kind of nerd you think I am.” Tearing open the package, I inspect the rattling box, my eyebrows lifting eagerly. “A wooden fractal puzzle? Hell yes, bro.”

On the other end of the line, he cracks up. “That thing looks like torture, so if you want nothing to do with it, I understand--”

“No way, man. I'm gonna do it right now.” After I pull off the plastic wrapping, I examine the intricately cut geometric looking design on the lid.

“If nothing else, it'll look cool on your coffee table.”

“I really do like it though,” I decide.

“Well good.”

“Now do the bigger one from me.”

“Alright,” he agrees.

“You’re gonna give me shit about this one,” I preface while I hear him tear the paper. “But I know you don’t have one and I’m kind of upset about it.”

After a moment, he laughs. “You got me a flashlight.” He states it with amusement more than curiosity.

“Because you’ve said before you don’t even have one. Which I can’t believe considering you live in a damn hurricane capital--”

“And you sent batteries with it!” Then he groans, “Ugh, you’re cute.”

“I’m prepared.”

“This is a pretty badass Maglite, though.”

“There’s more,” I tell him.

“Oh my god,” he mutters as I hear him shift around the paper inside the box to find it. “Is this a fucking Swiss Army knife?” And then he cackles one of his loud laughs that triggers one of mine.

“Hey, you needed one of those too!”

“Oh, who’s gonna fuck with me now?” He teases.

“Nobody when you’re carrying that piece.”

“I’ve never had one of these,” he says and I can tell he’s inspecting it. “Shit, this thing’s kind of intense. Out on the town and need a screwdriver? Check. Carving wood on the go? Check.”

“You can gut a fish with it,” I suggest.

“With a blade like that? Good lord,” he laughs.

“I'm just saying you could. If you had to.”

“You fucking savage,” he murmurs and the low note in that accusation makes my lips twitch. “I’ll leave that to you when we up and move to the frontier.”

I glance down with a satisfied smile. “Mmkay. Well we've got a flashlight and a puzzle. So let's go.”

“The last present for you is very important, then,” he notes. “It'll come in handy when we’re in the wilderness.”

“Oh jeez.” I take out the remaining package from him. Pulling off the paper reveals a black and red metal canister with little silver hearts all over it. “Sexy Truth or Dare?” I question him and just hearing me saying it elicits another heavy chuckle from him.

“Hell yeah.”

I shake my head with a laugh as I give it a glance and screw off the top. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You wanna play?”

I consider it. “Next time you’re here, maybe.” My answer is murmured absently since I’ve already started to pull out the flat sticks printed with the various prompts. “If you had to choose between only oral sex or only penetrative sex for the rest of your life,” I recite, “which one would you pick?”

Noble can only answer with a disapproving groan.

I continue, pulling out another one. “What is the largest age gap you’ve had between you and someone you’ve had sex with?”

His next groan is even louder. “Oh shit--”

“Ha!” I cough. “Do you know the last name of everyone you’ve had sex with?”

“Damn!” I can hear the grimace in his voice and it cracks me up. “I feel attacked.”

I let out a weary moan and rub my eyes. “Oh man, I’m gonna get answers to so many things I never wanted to know.”

“Wait, read a dare. I’m way better at those.”

Clearing my throat, I flip the sticks over that I had pulled out. “Do your best to make me orgasm in the next five minutes--”

“Easy. I could do that from here.”

“Mm-hm,” I hum, before I read the next. “Fuck me in a room where we’ve never had sex before.”

“Oh-ho! Now we’re talking.”

“That’s hard. I don’t have many rooms.”

“Next time you’re here, we’ll go do it at Bianca’s place while she’s at work.”

“Nice.” The I pull out another one. “Wait a minute. Pretend you’re a cop and arrest me for the crime of being too sexy--”

He shouts another laugh. “Yes, please. I’ve always wanted to.”

“We’ll see if I let you.”

Gradually, his amusement tapers off and he lets out a heavy sigh. “Those are hilarious.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty good,” I agree.

“If I come up there and we get snowed in, we can have a game night.”

“I like that.” Clearing away some of the wrapping from my couch, I move to consolidate all the unwrapped gifts on my table.

“Well thank you,” he starts. “For my awesome presents. I love everything.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for mine,” I tell him, getting up to take some of the trash to my kitchen, bringing the phone with me. “You all ready to leave tomorrow?”

“Pretty much. It’s like an hour flight. And then it should be a pretty chill few days.”

“Take lots of pictures.”

“Of me in a lounge chair? Alright I will.”

“I wouldn’t turn those down.” I smile. “But it is Christmas, so I hope you’ll be more generous than that when it comes to the pictures you send me.”