#oc: courtney davrees

[halleiswriting]

WIP INTRO // PLATONIC ACTIVITIES WITH FRIENDS

genre: contemporary romance

tag: #wip: pawf

status: drafting

pov: first person, present tense

synopsis:

After a brutal roasting at their friend’s engagement party, hopeless romantic Will Howell propositions the commitment-phobic and promiscuous Ava Cross with a friends-with-benefits arrangement so he can learn how to take relationships less seriously. The idea is undeniably terrible because there’s no way Will won’t catch real feelings; nevertheless, she accepts after her curiosity and boredom get the better of her. Ava anticipates their extreme differences of temperament to extend to the bedroom and that’ll be the end of it. 

But when their first rendezvous goes better than she expects, she figures there’s no harm in continuing and tells herself that Will would sooner grow sick of her than form genuine romantic interest. Except, as the summer goes on, and as they become closer as both friends and lovers, something she never anticipated happens: she begins to fall in love.

main characters:

ava cross// 29 yrs. esfp. taurus. songwriter/employee at poca-a-poco music emporium. plays eight instruments, her favorite being the piano. freudian illness diagnosis: mommy issues. mascohist (watches bravo). fiona apple stan. brokenhearted whore (affectionate). dislikes most of her family but LOVES her found family. needs a hug yesterday. proud ‘cat mom’ of Stephanie and Christine.

will howell// 29/30 yrs. isfj. virgo. high school math teacher. scouted by a silicon valley recruiter right out of hs but burned out seven months in. the most hopeless romantic who has ever walked the earth (emphasis on the ‘hopeless’). former gifted kid so there’s a lot to unpack there. favorite part of his week is therapy but not all the times his friends psychoanalyze him. owns emotional support dog Mimi with trauma issues of her own.

the squad:

wren lin// 29 yrs. istj. scorpio. internal medicine physician. ultimate mom friend. college roommate of ava and her bestest friend. gives ruthlessly good advice. all the brain cells in the group belong to her. has mastered the illusion of a put-together life. could maybe follow her own advice occasionally. has a lot of pent up rage.

courtney davrees// 30 yrs. intj. taurus. 6th grade history teacher and baseball coach. best friend of will. sometimes so practical he’s a drag. surprisingly fun at parties. please help him loosen up. cannot dress for the life of him but his sweater vests suit him so its okay. 

mabel najm// 29 yrs. estj. gemini. professional influencer slash sugar baby. drama queen. party planner of the group. fashion icon. despises the French but adores their accent and clothes and Vibes. actually super financially responsible.

brooks merriwether// 29/30 yrs. enfp. leo. a man of many professions. from extremely new money. grew up in the inter-dimensional hellscape of australia. has done every drug imaginable. actually a really devoted friend. needs to learn how to enjoy his own company.

kahlo baxter// 29 yrs. infj. sagittarius. sells jewelry and art on Etsy but also works in a craft store. annual butterfly hatcher. her best friend is her pet snake. fueled by the destruction of property. low key a witch. sometimes plays music with ava and used to upload soundcloud songs with her.

hamid rostami// 30 yrs. capricorn. commercial cinematographer. squad deserter because he fell in love and his fiancée needed to move back to philly for school. so much big brother energy saves all of his excess protective testosterone for worrying about ava. flannel and jason mraz enthusiast. still friends with ava’s ex.

excerpt:

He answers by strengthening his arms around me, like a tight force field protecting me from all the harm in the world. We’ve hugged before, but this time feels different—granted, all of those have been while we’ve been sweaty and nude and gasping with the recent throes of passion and pleasure. This embrace feels like the beginning of a spiral, or a new skin. Maybe like crossing a boundary, a picket line. I bury my face in his chest, soft and cotton and smelling like clean, clean rose soap and so inviting and safe.

taglist: @kainablue @thatfizzyyyy