#ok. so the guy from school i visited emailed me today like: good news! we unanimously voted to extend u an offer here

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

🚨Warnings: Light p in v smut. Some angst. Lots of fluff. My grandfather’s name really is in the Smithsonian.🚨

Plain Gold Ring V:

Exactly Like You

“I know why I waited

Know why I've been blue

I've been waiting each day

For someone exactly like you” - Nina Simone

——————————————————————

Your last day in D.C. felt like the last day of your life. This life. Every article of clothing was packed. Every knickknack and tchotchke sent with the movers. You were ready for your next life. Did your next life include Andy?

The weather was beautiful. Sunny. Not too hot. You and Andy had planned on spending it outside seeing the sites. He had never toured any of the museums. You invited Jacob along. The second you said it you wished you hadn’t. You felt like a home wrecker even though Andy promised Jacob wouldn’t see you that way.

Andy was bristling with excitement. “He’s going to love you, baby.” You were not great with kids. You actively chose not to have them. You loved your nieces from a distance when they were little. Now that they are teenagers you feel a little more at ease with them. You are their cool rich aunt who spends an absolutely outrageous amount of money on them when you visit. You nearly fainted when Andy asked if you’d like to have children.

“Aren’t I too old for that?”

“You’re only three years younger than me. I know a lot of women who had their career before they had a family.” Your face snapped from terrified to anger real quick, “Not that you can’t have a career and be a mother. People do it everyday. Shut up, Andy.”

“You’re cute when you’re nervous. Have you thought of having children with me?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Well, yeah. I’d like to have a couple more.”

“Oh. A couple he says.” You could feel the hives forming. “This seems like a good conversation to have right before I leave.”

He ran his hands up and down your arms. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to pressure you. You haven’t thought about it? Not even a little?” The door buzzed in the nick of time.

“Jacob’s here! Hallelujah!” You wiggled out of his arms to grab your shoes.

He laughed shaking his head. “We’ll finish this conversation later, young lady.” he pressed the intercom button, “Hey come on up, buddy. This is going to be great, honey.” He loved your nervous laugh and the way you fidgeted with your fingers. Just the fact that you were nervous told him you would love his son.

You heard voices coming from the living area. Fucking hell. Was that Lori? You contemplated going out of the window. You went into the bathroom to grab some lip balm. You knew full well that it was in your bag on the kitchen island. You were just staying out of their way. When you heard the front door close you reemerged.

“Ready to go?” Your eyes were wide and you were way too smiley. If Andy didn’t know better he would think you were on drugs.

“Yeah. I think no more coffee for you ok?”

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Y/N.” Jacob extended his hand.

“Nice to see you too. So! The Smithsonian. What part are you most interested in seeing?”

“Air and space I think.”

“Then that’s where we’ll start. My grandfather’s name is actually on a plaque. I’ll show you. He was in the navy and built planes that were used in Korea I think. And my dad’s picture is there. He works for a division of NASA back in Louisiana where I’m from. He developed this little part of the rocket booster. He’s literally a rocket scientist.”

“That’s really cool. I’d love to meet him sometime…..”

Andy was loving every second of this. You and Jacob really got along. You were making plans to visit your father and stepmother over the summer and maybe hit the beach in Florida. Jacob’s face lit up at the prospect of meeting your family. Both Andy and Lori were only children. Jacob didn’t grow up with cousins or really any kids his own age outside of school. He seemed pretty comfortable with the idea of you and Andy together.

Andy tested the waters a little by holding your hand. Jacob didn’t seem to notice. By the time you got to the next part of the museum he had his arms around your waist. He even kissed you a couple of times. Nothing but a tender peck here and there. Jacob didn’t seem to mind when he showed you affection.

After lunch Andy dropped you off and then ran Jacob back home.

“So, what are you thinking?” Andy asked with nervous trepidation.

“The museum was cool. I really liked the rockets. It’s cool that Y/N’s dad made those.”

“Did you like Y/N?”

“Yeah. Sucks she’s moving. Do you think you’ll move to Chicago too?”

“Kind of depends on you, bud. I know you’re getting older and you don’t need Dad around very much anymore. I don’t want to miss anything. You’re my only baby.”

“I could spend summers with you. You look really happy. I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. Even before the trial. I’d miss you but you should be happy.”

The whole way inside Jacob talked about you. He clammed up when Lori walked in.

“Hey, guys. Did you have a good time?” She kissed Jacob on the forehead.

“We had a great time. Ok, Jake. You have the number where I’ll be. I’ll be back on Wednesday. If you’re not busy next weekend you can spend the night. I have your room all set up. Love you.”

“Ok. Love you. Have a safe flight. Tell Y/N I said bye.” He escaped to his room before the arguing started.

“If it’s ok I’ll pick him up from school Thursday. Did you sign the papers?”

“She went with you?” Her voice was deadly quiet.

“She did.”

“Didn’t want to tell me that before hand I guess.”

He sighed and wiped his face with his hands, “I’ll have him back Sunday night. See you later.”

“Fuck you, Andy. You can’t even give me the courtesy of telling me my son would be meeting his father’s whore!”

He slammed his fist on the counter, “Did you sign the papers or not?” She threw the manilla envelope at him.

“They’re signed.” He took the papers and walked out slamming the door. He contemplated moving again. He has a month to month lease on his place. It wouldn’t be hard for him to find a job. He knew Jacob would be fine. Chicago was looking better and better. After all the baby talk this morning he wouldn’t burden you with anything else domestic for today.

——————————————————————

You were zipping your last suitcase when you heard Andy come in. You packed all of your sleep clothes so you were wearing Andy’s t-shirt and panties. Dinner was ordered and he had a drink waiting on the counter. He called out for you. When you rounded the corner into the living room he caught you in his arms.

“Hey, handsome.” you cooed in his ear. He nuzzled your neck and stroked your back. “You ok? Was Jacob….he hates me. I knew it.”

He tightened his hold on you, “Honey, he loved you. He talked about you the whole way back.”

“Then why is your face all worried?”

“Because I’m keenly aware that this is our last night together in my place. That when I come home Wednesday you won’t be here. I’ll go to work on Thursday and Jeremy will be in your office. I have really good memories in that office and now they’re ruined. I don’t want to wake up without you.”

His hands traveled up your bare back then back down to cup your ass. “The delivery app says they’re going to be here in twenty minutes. Think you can finish in time?”

He lowered his head between your breasts and nodded yes. Before you knew it your panties were off, his pants were down and he was fucking you against the wall. His pace was relentless. You hooked your ankles at the small of his back and leaned back so you could rub your clit. Your fingertips brushed against his dick every time he pumped in and out of your cunt. You both came in fifteen minutes.

You ate dinner on the veranda loving the cool breeze on your bare skin. As much as he wanted his t-shirt to smell like you, he like naked picnics way more. Admittedly, a big chicken Caesar salad wasn’t the sexiest food in the world. Still didn’t stop him from licking dressing off of your chest when it dropped off your fork. He was determined to fuck you in almost every room in this place.

You slept tangled and sticking together all night. You had finally gotten over your need for bed space. You’d miss it when he wasn’t there. All night the two of you wanted to bring up moving in together. Neither of you had the guts to say it. You didn’t want to beat a dead horse. He didn’t want to freak you out. Good thing you’d be long distance for a while to work on your communication skills.

——————————————————————

Your new place was beautiful. You rented a big new condo close to Millennial Park. Your office was on Michigan Ave so you weren’t far from there thought walking was highly discouraged. It wouldn’t be possible in heels anyway.

You and Andy worked diligently unpacking and cleaning. When the last box was unpacked and broken down you both collapsed on the couch. “I feel disgusting.”

“You have that nice big bathtub. Bet we can both fit.” He raised an eyebrow at you and nudged your side.

“You are insatiable, Mr. Barber. Whatever will I do without you?”

“You’ll bust from horniness. Come on.” He hoisted you up from your comfy spot and pulled you into the bathroom. While he undressed you filled the water with soft musky oils and some bubble bath. You lit candles and eased in to relax. He washed your hair massaging your scalp with his fingertips. He held you in the warmth until your fingers and toes were pruned.

For the rest of the week, if you were sitting it was on Andy’s lap. If you were sleeping it was in his arms. By Tuesday morning, you had both finished up conference calls and responding to emails. You had cleared the rest of your day to spend together.

As the sunlight dwindled it had become harder and harder to part. You couldn’t take it anymore. You had to have the conversation you had been dreading since you stepped off the plane.

“Andy, I don’t want to sound like a nagging girlfriend but, I really want you to move in with me. I know it would be so hard leaving Jacob but I have plenty of room. He can spend every summer here if he wants. I’d love to have him. I feel really strongly that this is leading somewhere. I’ll even talk about babies if you want.”

His heart was bursting. You kept rambling on trying to convince him. Little did you know he was already convinced. “Stan is going to kill you.” He laughed and pulled you onto his lap. “Give me a few weeks to wrap up everything.”

When you dropped him at the airport there were tears but you knew you’d see him soon. “I love you, baby. I’ll call you as soon as I land.” He kissed you like he would never get to do it again.

“I love you too. See you soon.” He smiled through his tears.

“See you soon.”

——————————————————————

That weekend he spent all of his time with Jacob. He planned on spending every moment he could with his son. Jacob even had his first few weeks planned starting with meeting your family in Louisiana.

When he brought Jacob home on Sunday he worked up the courage to tell Lori the news. “Do you have all of your stuff for your English assignment? If not I can bring it by before school tomorrow.”

“I got it, dad. I had fun this weekend.” They hugged. He smelled Jacob’s hair and kissed him.

“Love you. Be good for mom.”

“Love you too!”

Lori stood in the doorway with her arms folded protectively over her chest. “So she’s gone?”

“Yep.”

“So what now? What does this mean for you?”

He pulled out the kitchen chair and rested his head in this hands. “This wasn’t a fling, Lori. I’m moving to Chicago. Jacob is real excited about spending summers with us.”

“Do you love her?” Tears shimmered in her eyes and her voice wavered. It would be cruel to lie to her.

“Very much.” It stung to hear. With nothing left to say Andy stood to leave.

“Andy!” she called after him. When he turned she wrapped him in a hug. The two of them embraced for several minutes.

When he stepped onto the sidewalk outside of the building his phone buzzed in his pocket. He saw your face smiling back at him.

“Hey, baby. How was your day?” He looked up at your old window and thought of how the two of you started, the past he left behind and smiled at the sound of his future on the other end of the line.

[thadelightfulone]

All I Want... 25 Days of Christmas Challenge, Day 24

December 26th

DeeDee woke up and stretched her arms out. She sat up and looked around at her settings. She was in her bed and could smell him all around her. DeeDee looked down at her hoodie and inhaled. The last thing she remembered was talking to Erik and crying into his chest. 

“Oh my god,” she closed her eyes. She sniffed the hoodie again, “Well, that didn’t go as planned.”

DeeDee went to her bathroom and freshened up. She walked to the kitchen and suddenly stopped.

“Good morning Beautiful.” He put his cup down as he greeted her.

“Erik,” she drew out. “You’re still here?”

“I couldn’t leave you like that.” He walked up to her, “You cried yourself to sleep in my arms. So, I put you in your room and stayed out here last night.” 

He pointed at her couch. She could see the neat pile of blankets and pillows stacked on one end.

DeeDee looked at him, he was dressed in suit pants, an open button up shirt and an undone tie around his collar. She reached up and buttoned up his shirt.

“Thank you,” she spoke softly, “for everything.”

“Thank you for talking to me.” Erik grabbed her hands in his and kissed her knuckles, “I really like you, too.” 

She giggled and lowered her eyes, “I do like you, you know. I just need time to think about things.”

“Take all the time you need. I know you like me and I will hold that knowledge with me as I leave today.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah, I gotta go back and close out the year for the Centers.” He lowered their hands, “You know you can come visit me whenever. Just let me know and I got you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he leaned over and kissed her. “I hate to greet you and run, but I have a flight to catch.”

DeeDee sighed. “And I have brunch with the girls today,” she pouted. 

“Are you ready for that?”

“No, but I need to handle it now before it gets worse.”

“Come here.” 

DeeDee stepped closer to him. Erik wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her closer and kissed her again. She reached up around his neck and deepened the kiss. They stayed in that embrace until she pulled back.

“I’m going to need all of that to get through it.”

“Take as much as you want. I got more to give.” He pecked her all over her face.

“Don’t mind if I do?” She tilted his head down towards her.

DeeDee giggled into the kiss as Erik nibbled on her lips.

---

DeeDee parked her car and held onto the steering wheel. Erik wouldn’t let her follow him to the airport, so they said their goodbyes at her place. Now, she was sitting in the restaurant parking lot, getting up the nerve to face her so-called friends. She said a short prayer and got out of the car.

Beverly and Phyllis were already seated at their usual table. They stood up and she waved them off. She sat down and no one said anything. DeeDee ordered some hot peppermint tea.

All three just looked at one another. Phyllis picked up her drink and took a sip. 

“We heard about the job.” Beverly opened up the conversation.

“You’re taking it right?” Phyllis asked. 

“I don’t know yet. I’ve been thinking about my future and where I see myself.”  

“Okay and that means what?” 

“You can’t possibly mean Erik?” Phyllis scoffed at her.

“Why would you say that?” 

“Oh, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with him. But do you really think you are a good match for him?”

“Excuse me?” DeeDee glared at Phyllis.

“Look Dee, we never thought you would find the person behind the letter. Let alone meet him in person.” Beverly calmly replied.

“You told me to go after the guy since his words had such a profound effect on me, and now, he’s too good for me?” DeeDee looked between them both and pointed at Phyllis. “You were the one who sent the email for me. And since then, you have been acting really fucking weird and I just don’t get it.” 

“Dee we love you, but -” Beverly started.

“You maybe, but not her.” DeeDee rolled her eyes at Phyllis.

“But you’ve never really let yourself connect with anyone before.” Beverly continued.

“I was focused on school and making sure I finished.”  

“So, we figured this was a good push in the right direction.” Beverly shrugged. 

“You’re joking, right?”

Beverly looked down and Phyllis sipped her drink. 

“You were supposed to become more open to building a relationship with someone here.” Phyllis mumbled.

“Wow!” DeeDee sat back, “That still doesn’t explain anything that Phyll has done in the past month.” She scooted her chair in Phyllis’ direction, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“You really expect me to believe that?” 

DeeDee put her hand up to stop them both from interrupting her.

“I miss one monthly brunch and you cussed me out. You continue to push Brandon on me which is fucking disgusting especially after I told you I wasn’t interested in him. And then I have no idea how to explain that fuckshit you tried yesterday.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Explain yourself.”

No one spoke up.  

“I don’t have all day.” DeeDee stirred her tea and took a sip. “You know why and how you’ve been acting the way you have. And let’s be honest, it has nothing to do with me and Erik.”

“She’s afraid you’re gonna leave us.” Beverly softly spoke up.

“So, she acts like a complete bitch to me? She brings Brandon to our family Christmas knowing that I would bring Erik?” DeeDee stared at them, “All of this was to get me to stay. In what world?”

“I didn’t know you would bring him.” 

“Save it Phyll. Bev has asked you to come for years and then you finally popped up. It’s not a fucking coincidence.” DeeDee took another sip of her tea. “I have only ever wanted your support while I worked towards my career goals. You know the same unwavering support I gave the both of you.” 

“DeeDee, come on.” Beverly said.

“No Bev, you two should be happy for me. Not just professionally but personally.” She gathered her jacket and purse. “It’s ok though. I honestly don’t care anymore.” DeeDee sighed, “Bev, I love you cause we’re family and you have held this crapshoot of a friendship together far longer than necessary. But I’m done.”

“Done?”

“Yes, done. This friendship is a wrap. I need to focus on my next moves and I don’t need the added stress from my friends,” she put air-quotes around friend, “trying to sabotage or annoy me at every turn. I can’t deal with that and the two of you.” She stood up and signaled for Beverly to stand, “See you at the next family event.” 

DeeDee hugged her then looked at Phyllis.

“If I never see you again, it’ll be too soon.” 

She turned and left them frowning at the table. 

---

DeeDee sat in her car and took a deep breath. She pulled her phone from her purse and looked at the time. Erik should be in the air now. Which means she can’t call him yet. 

“Damnit,” She tapped her nails on the top of the steering wheel.  

She turned the key in the ignition when her phone rang. DeeDee turned the phone over and accepted the call. 

“Hello.” 

“Hello, may I speak with Deidre Chabert.” 

“Speaking.” 

“Hi, this is Dean Stephanie Porter from University of California, San Diego. Do you have a minute?” 

“Dr. Porter, yes, I remember meeting you.” DeeDee paused and exhaled, “Uhhh, yes, I can speak.”

“Great, I’ll keep this short, but we wanted to let you know we were very impressed with you during your visit last month. Your research aligns with what is already being completed here and we would love to add you to the faculty of our Chemistry department here.” 

Deedee pulled the phone away and silently screamed. 

“Really?” She rushed into the phone. 

“Yes, I will be sending over the formal offer, so you can look it over and make your final decision. But we would really love for you to join us in the new academic year.” 

“Thank you so much, Dr. Porter. I will let you know what I decide.” 

“Great, I look forward to hearing from you DeeDee.”   

DeeDee hung up the phone and cried. 

Taglist: @teakturn​ @ghostfacekill-monger​ @shaekingshitup​ @nahimjustfeelingit-writes​ @woahitslucyylu​ @ladymac82​ @bugngiz​ @eyeknowmywrites​ @ajspencer1892​ @arafatih​ @issimplyaamazinggg​ @tchallasbabymama​ @killmonger-fics​ @beautifullmelodyxx​ @raysunshine78​ @fd-writes​ @ljstraightnochaser​ @just-peachee​ @kaleidoscopeofsoul​ @sincerelykas​

[klaumiel]

Bad Boy’s comeback.// Fanfic Skylar Quinn.

Another boring business class, why do we need to know this? How will this help me with my future designer projects? Egh …I’m so glad is the last year.

I stared at my laptop, trying to focus on the class, but I found it boring as hell. I looked around; everyone else looked no less bored than me.

I checked some of my old emails- might as well clean my mailbox I’m sure it would be less boring than this class. I stopped seeing an email that I sent to Mrs Price a few weeks ago. I looked at the attached photo of Skylar Quinn; I didn’t forget him… who would? This unbelievably hot bad boy who I met on Lovelink just a few weeks ago.

Heir of the Europen candy manufacturing business, passionate about robotics, in that kind of nerdy way, what I've learned later on.He wanted to quit his Business studies that were only needed for the family business that he inherited, but he didn’t enjoy it, well, he hated it. I decided to help him with the first step and sent his projects to his teacher Mrs Price.

Just a couple of days in our chatting he tried to steal a car from Mrs Price to visit me, it was the craziest idea ever. I knew then that this guy means trouble, but instead of cutting him off, I was more intrigued by him, I wanted to get to know him better. I could say that this guy definitely deserves an official nickname Adrenaline Junkie.

A few days later, Skylar invited me to -what I thought at the time –his house, for a date. This was our first time seeing each other in the flesh. I still remember the moment I saw him in for the first time in his red tight swimsuit showing all the right things the way it should.  Even now, the thought of those abs and muscled arms give me hots. We spend some excellent time, but just before we got to the best part of the date, the house's real owner showed up.

Only then Skylar told me this was the Chief police officer's house and not as stupid me thought –his. We ran for our lives, I hid in the bushes, but Skylar left me there- alone. I was furious, that’s not how you treat your date!

After a few clumsy attempts to apologise, I forgave him this small fuck up and demanded a proper date. Unfortunately, before we managed to have one, his school lab caught on fire, and he was accused of being behind it, because of his previous clashes with police.

He decided to escape, but he promised me he would come back for me. This was the last time I heard from him; I had no idea what happened to him. Did he got caught? Did his grandparents help him disappear?

Damn you, Skylar Quinn! Why do I always fall for bad boys? What they have in them that is so damn hot? Why couldn’t I fall for some sweet nerd who would bring me chocolates and flowers and take me to the cinema and snuggle under the blanket, and shit? Instead, I was head over hills for a guy who steals cars and runs from the police, breaks into the Chief officer’s house to impress a girl on their first date, and then just runs off and then gets in trouble for something he actually didn’t do this time.

He didn’t reach out to me for over a month since he left and it was concerning. I thought for a second that maybe he forgot about me already, we saw each other twice, we weren’t a couple, we weren’t even dating. He probably ran away somewhere and just forgot about his promise; I guess he is that type—a heartbreaker.

I’ve been thinking about him from time to time; I wasn’t able to use Lovelink again. After all that I give up, for now, I didn’t need more troubles in my head, or maybe it was hope that pushed me away from meeting anyone else? Hope that he will text eventually? Come on, woman! You are not fifteen, and this is not a movie. He simply ghosted you!

I got snapped from my thoughts by people getting ready to leave the class. Thank God, this is over.

After class as always, I went to the gym to let out some steam, came back to my empty apartment sat my single ass on the couch with the box of chow main nuddles and beer scrolling through Netflix looking for something to watch. Bridgerton, for the third time … because why not.

Few minutes into the series, I saw my phone flashing from the coffee table, I reached to see who could want my attention on Tuesday afternoon. It was a message from an unknown number, a photo of me in the class looking out the window- today! I started to panic; someone is watching me! Started to type ‘’Who are you…’’ when another message popped. ‘’ You look like you can use some fun J… I missed you. S.’’

S? Skylar!? Holy shit!  I instantly replied ‘’ Skylar? Is that you?’’ I saw three dots jumping on the screen; I was getting impatient. ‘’Maybe…come to the roof and find out for yourself ;)’’ Roof!?  

I was puzzled, but as always before using the useful part of my brain used for logical thinking, I  turned off the TV, put my shoes on and walked out the door right to the elevator. I lived in one of the tallest apartment blocks in town and never been on the roof.

I pressed the level 25 and looked in the mirror, fixing my messy hair. What if this is not Skylar? What if is some kind of serial killer? Fuck it; my life is dull anyway. At least they will talk about me in the news; I will be dead but famous.

The elevator’s door opened, suddenly I felt stressed, scared but walked out towards the last few stairs, leading to the roof. I opened the door, and the warm summer breeze hit my face. I could see the whole town from there, the sun was going down on the horizon behind me, the view was mesmerising, but that wasn’t the reason I was there. I walked forward and looked around, but I didn’t see anyone…great … this must’ve been some stupid joke.

I turned around to go back to the elevator and go back home, already properly annoyed, cursing whoever decided to make that stupid joke and myself for falling for it.

Then I saw him leaning on the door with his arms crossed, and his signature cocky smirk on his face. His black hair messy from the breeze, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunset, tight burgundy shirt exposing his muscular arms, God he looked like a masterpiece.

Without saying anything or leaving my gaze, Skylar approached me slowly, grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles ‘Hi, gorgeous.’ he smiled, with ‘this’ look in his eyes that give me butterflies when I first saw him. Did I missed him? Hell yes, I did!

‘What are you doing here ?�� I asked, pointing with my other hand at the roof, my other hand still firmly in his.

‘I promised I would come back for you, remember? So here I am.’ He smiled, squeezing my hand ‘It’s silly, but … I missed you.’ He said and looked away shyly like he was scared to see my reaction. Skylar Quinn, shy? Unbelievable.

‘It’s not … I missed you too.’ I said, he looked at me again ‘I’m delighted to see you; also, I was worried. What happened to you after?’ I asked, he took a small step closer and looked me in the eyes.

‘I will tell you everything, in just a moment, but first …’ he said touching my cheek with his fingers which gently slipped behind my neck and pulled me closer for our lips to meet, he kissed me gently but urgently, I returned the kiss burring my fingers in his soft black hair. His lips were soft and gentle; I felt the butterflies dancing in my stomach and warmth reaching my body. Skylar traced his fingers down my back with the other hand, still firmly holding the back of my neck, rubbing my cheek with his thumb. I felt the heat building between us. After a few precious minutes; we pulled away, Skylar grabbed my hand and pulled me to the other side roof. I saw a blanket and some cushions neatly laid on the ground with lanterns on each side, a bottle of wine and some snacks waiting for us.

‘Oh wow, Skylar Quinn… what happened to you?’ I giggled.

‘I owe you a date, and that’s all I could think of that doesn’t involve breaking the law.’ He laughed.

‘Impressive, I am shocked.’ I smiled, sitting on the blanket next to him. He reached for two glasses and a bottle of wine and then I touched the cushions and realised ‘What the hell!? Are those my cushions!?... and blanket?’ I raised my eyebrow. ‘Did you break into my house, Skylar?’  he started to laugh, for some reason I wasn’t surprised, he’s laugh was so adorable and hot. I couldn’t be angry at him; after all, he was here, he kept his promise. I will have plenty of time to be mad at him to break into my apartment.

‘I did borrow a couple of items from you, indeed.’ He said, not feeling sorry what so ever, and passed me the glass.

‘Well, so tell me… what happened after you left the library?’ I asked sipping the wine.

‘Police caught me; there was no way I could escape. I’ve spent the last month in jail…’ he said looking down.

‘Oh my God, Skylar! That’s horrible … why they kept you so long?.’

‘Chill, all is good now. They found the guy who did it, and they let me out. It wasn’t that bad; I was lucky to have a cool cellmate for most of the time there, Damien made this whole experience a lot easier. I hope to meet him again once he is out, rough around the ages but a cool guy, good friend material. He helped me realise a few things, and I am grateful. ’ Skylar said with a warm smile.

‘I’m glad everything is good now, I was worried that you escaped and ghosted me, we weren’t really dating or anything, so I thought you forgot about me and just moved on.’ I said, looking at my wine glass.

‘I actually want to tell you something, but please don’t laugh, ok?... Promise you won’t laugh.’ He looked at me, with his piercing blue eyes sending shivers down my spine, I nodded. ‘I’ve been thinking about you every day. You showed me a different view on life. Thanks to you, I understood that it is important to pump the breaks from time to time for the right person. And I am ready to do that, for you… I’m willing to slow down a bit. After our date, I realised I put you in danger, and that wasn’t cool, I care about you, you know?’ Skylar brushed his hand down my arm, his eyes not leaving mine.

‘I had no idea you felt that way, Skylar… Well, it’s not like we had much time to develop anything yet, but in that short time I think I started to like you.’ I said smiling, somehow deep inside I was glad he was willing to change. ‘I'm really glad  I met you, even though you fucked up from the start by leaving me nearly naked in the bushes in the broken in the house.’ I gave him a slightly angry look, but still smiling.

‘Damn it! You will never forgive me this small fuck up, huh? He said, rubbing the back of his neck; I could see in his eyes that he was sincerely sorry.

‘I’m only teasing you silly.’ I laughed and gently pushed his shoulder.’ I hated you for a split of a second, but I had fun after all.’ I smiled; I could see the relief on his face but looked nervous playing with strings of the cushion, there was something on his mind, and I couldn’t put my finger on it ‘Something wrong?’ I asked, tipping my head down to him, to meet his eyes.

‘No, everything is perfect. I am just trying to think how to… hell … I’m not good at these things.’ He said

‘Just spill it.’ I said, holding his hand, Skylar shifted a bit closed.

‘So, I know we aren’t dating or anything, but I like you, and I would like to see where this thing between us go. So my question is, would YOU like to continue where we left off and see where this goes?.’ He asked a little bit shy, looking so precious and adorable, like a completely different Skylar. ‘Listen, if you are already dating someone, that’s fine … just tell me.’ He said, getting more nervous.

‘I am not, actually since you left I didn’t open Lovelink once. I kind of hoped that you would come back, and to answer your question… yes I would like to pick it up from when we left it.’ I smiled ‘How about we come back to the moment in the pool, before the whole running away happened?’ He shot me a cocky smirk.

Skylar took an empty glass from my hand and put it aside, and sifted closer to me, grabbing the back of my neck and gently pulled towards him.

‘So... where were we?’ He asked with a hungry voice; I could feel his breath on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burring my lips in his. He kissed me gently at first but with each touch deepened. Skylar lied me gently on the cushions, exploring my body with his hands. His touch was caring and loving, but at the same time hungry and passionate, he slipped his hands under my shirt, teasing my bare skin with his fingers, my hands tracing trough his hard abs under his shirt, unable to wait any longer we pulled from the kiss and quickly tossed our tops aside for our bodies to touch.

We kissed and touched each other all over, completely lost in time. He stopped for a second and looked at me with his piercing blue eyes and smiled.

‘You are beautiful; you know that?... Thank you.’ He brushed my cheek with his thumb.

‘For what?’ I asked, trying to catch my breath.

‘For waiting, you are special, and I don’t want fuck this up … I am glad I swiped right.’ He said, sliding his hand under my leggings, I tilted my head and moaned with pleasure when he reached my most tender spot, he kissed and sucked my neck while teasing me with his hand pushing me to the edge, the view of his perfect muscles from that angle only fueled my desire. I wanted him, all of him, I moved my hand from his chest to his jeans undoing the button and the zip reaching for his excitement already waiting for me ‘Oh Fuck!.’ He moaned into my ear when I started to move my hand on him.

The sun completely disappeared from the horizon; the city's lights and stars surrounded us, warm summer breeze danced between our now naked, sweaty bodies. Skylar knew exactly where to touch me where to kiss me driving me crazy; we didn’t care that someone could see us, this moment was perfect. We could hear the echo of our moans bouncing around us, creating a perfect melody; we could definitely be heard, and that adrenaline made it even more special.

Who would’ve thought that my afternoon would turn from eating nuddles on the sofa alone working myself by the view of the Duke, to making love with the hottest bad boy on this planet on the roof of my apartment block under the stars, feeling like I own the world. You know what Bridgerton? You can go an hide yourself; this is a million times better.

If someone asked me to choose where I want to be, I would choose this moment a hundred times over.

The fact that this sweet guy came back to me, gave me a boost of confidence and made me realise how much I like him, I didn’t know what future will hold for us, but I was ready to find out. Goodbye my dull life, welcome Skylar Quinn.

[its-clementime]

That Something : Part 2

Title: That Something: Part 2

Pairing : Clementine x Louis

Word Count: 1897 words

Summary: Clementine has a chill day with AJ until some unexpected news causes her to make a decision.

Previous Part Next Part

A/N yes Lee ughh I love him :)

Part 2:

Clementine woke up to the sound of sirens instead of her alarm. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up in her bed. She saw AJ, still sound asleep. “At least he can get his beauty sleep,” she thought, smiling to herself. She got up and shuffled around the tiny apartment, going to the kitchen. As she was putting toaster waffles in the toaster, she heard a little voice. “Clem?”

She turned around to see AJ, in his disco broccoli pajamas.

“Hey, AJ” She stopped for a second to embrace him and ruffle his lil’ afro. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping in? It’s summer after all.”

“I want to be up with you. Can we go to the park today?” He gazed at Clem

“Hmmm,” Clem faked thinking about it, putting a hand to her chin “I’m not sure.”

“Pleeeaase?” AJ went up on his tippy toes and pouted his lips.

Clementine giggled, “Okay, I’ll ask Lee, and if he says I can we’ll go after you finish your breakfast.” She got a plate and laid out 2 toaster waffles for AJ. “Bon Appetit, Goofball.”

Lee opened the door to his room, “Ya’ll know I can hear you, these doors aren’t that thick.” he took a seat at the tiny table in the kitchen, still in his Janitorial uniform.

“I thought you would’ve been asleep, you had a long shift yesterday.” Clem added.

Lee sighed “Well, I have a longer one today. But you guys enjoy yourselves, go to the park.”

Clem looked to AJ, “Get dressed, we’ll go soon then.”

“Ok!” AJ excitedly went into their room.

Clem looked at Lee. “I’ll make some coffee.” She started scooping coffee grounds.

“Thanks, Sweetpea.”

“Lee,” Clem took a breath, “I know you don’t want me to, but I know I’m old eno-”

“You’re not getting a job.” Lee cut her off, “You’re young, you need to focus on school. And you do have a job, you take care of AJ.”

“AJ is going to school soon. I just want to help out.” Clem admitted, “I feel bad, Lee. You took us off the streets, for no reason! I mean, we’re not related but you cared for us anyway!” She sputtered. “I just want to earn it.”

Lee sighed, “Clem, you deserved to be adopted and you deserve to be cared for. You don’t have to do anything to deserve it.”

Clem hugged Lee, “I guess you’re right. I’m sorry for arguing, it’s just- I wish you wouldn’t be exhausted over us.”

Lee patted her head. “For you, it’s all worth it sweetpea. Go out and enjoy the park.”

Clem smiled at Lee, “I will.” She turned to her and AJ’s room. “AJ! C’mon it’s time to go!”

“Coming! AJ popped out of the room and darted to the front door.

“Let’s go then.” Clem said while ushering AJ through the door, putting her hat on as she stepped out the door. “Bye Lee!”

The city of Galeview was huge. Clementine and AJ lived in the rough side of town, while only a few short miles away, the city’s elite lived in luxury. Galeview was also where Ericson Prep was located.

Clementine loved her city, but since AJ was with her today, she’d stick to the safer streets. Usually, when she was alone after school, Clementine would explore a different part of the city; she’d roam the streets just because she could. Visiting her favorite hole in the wall places, such as a rooftop with an abandoned greenhouse with the best view of the city, or a skate park hidden inside a junkyard. She loved the city because she knew everyone, but was always a stranger. Everyone was going through a struggle, and there was a type of unity with the people in these derelict places.

There was one place that she found where she was actually known, and that was the Garcia Family Restaurant, where she had visited every day after trying their burgers. Eventually she became buds with the staff, the Garcias were just people she genuinely liked (she would secretly work there from time to time, waitressing or flipping burgers). She especially hit off with Gabe, playing cards in the back with him sometimes. They walked past the small, yet well maintained building, Clementine waving to Mariana and Javier who were cleaning the windows.

Eventually, they made it to the richer side of town, where AJ’s favorite park was. It had a nice swing set that even Clem enjoyed using, one in a while.

Clem was pushing AJ on the swings when he asked her, “Clem, is kindergarten fun?”

“Yes, it is AJ, and you’ll get to make new friends.”

“Why do I need new friends? I have you.” He grinned.

Clementine giggled, “AJ, you can have more than one friend. Some people say it’s good for you.”

AJ turned his head, “Clem, do you have a lot of friends?”

Clem stopped pushing AJ, letting gravity do its thing. “I have friends when it matters.” In all honesty, Clem had been a loner until she met AJ, who was for the most part her only friend. It’s not that she couldn’t make friends with people, she just never found it necessary. People at her school were cordial and all, but nobody really made an impression on her. She had other things to focus on anyway.

Clem and AJ walked home, taking a minute to stop inside the Garcia Restaurant. Javier waved them to the bar seating, where he was cleaning glasses. The restaurant was a nice Cuban/American food joint, with burgers and fries plantains and everything in between. The store was a classic diner design with Latin flare, little lights and Cuban flags around the store. A baseball game played on an old-school block tv in the back.

“Hey Clem, AJ. Coming back from the park?” Javier asked, putting his towel over his shoulder

“Yeah, AJ here wanted to see the new tire swings they put in.” Clem replied, helping AJ sit on a stool.

“Wow, must be nice to have improvements in their neighborhood. We have more craters on this street than Mars I’m pretty sure.” Javier pulled out 2 glasses. “You guys want a drink? It’s on the house.”

AJ nodded, and Clem replied, “Thanks.” It was a hot August day and even though the park was fun, it was pretty hot after a while.

Javier poured their drinks, “Apple juice for AJ and classic H2O for Clem.”

Clem asked with a suspicious smile, “Javi, why are you being so particularly kind to us today?”

“Okay, you got me.” Javi admitted, leaning onto the bar “I need a favor, Gabe’s gotten through summer school okay, but he really needs a tutor for math.”

“Oh?” Clem swirled her drink with her straw “Why do you think I’m smart enough to do it?”

“Don’t play dumb, Clem. We know you were in the top 5 percentile in your class. Gabe’s in your class and he sees you getting all those accolades.” Javi replied. He wasn’t wrong, Clem was extremely gifted in math and science. It was something she kept to herself though, she preferred to spend her time skateboarding and exploring instead of doing homework.

Javi added “Gabe’s a good student, and we’ll pay you.”

Clem thought for a minute, “Sure, that sounds pretty cool." This could be a job Lee might be okay with, since its school involved.

AJ, finishing his apple juice, asked Javier “What are accolades?”

“It’s another word for rewards, like trophies and ribbons, you get an accolade when you do something right; like for Clem, she got the highest match score in her class.”

“Oh.” AJ thought “Can I get one?”

Javi smiled, “Yeah, here’s an accolade, just for you.” He turned around and gave AJ a chocolate bar from the register.

Clem smiled “Thanks Javi, get Gabe to text me the tutoring details, but it’s about time me and AJ got home.”

Clem opened the apartment door, AJ running under her arm to their room to go play with his disco Broccoli. She saw Lee at the kitchen table.

“Lee. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

He looked up to Clem, almost startled. “I stopped by for my lunch break.” He looked confused. “Clementine, did you apply for a scholarship to Ericson Prep?” He showed his hand, holding an envelope with a fancy emblem, addressed from the office of scholarship admissions.

Clem’s jaw dropped, she remembered filling out a little application in her email, but she sure as hell didn’t think it would mean anything. “I totally forgot about that. What does it say?” She didn’t understand why she asked. As if it mattered.

Lee’s hands had a slight shake as he opened the letter, his eyes scanning the paper as he murmured, reading it to himself. Suddenly his eyes opened to the size of dinner plates.

“CLEMENTINE! YOU GOT IN! WITH A FULL SCHOLARSHIP!” Lee yelled, with enthusiasm and vigor Clem hadn’t seen in a long time. AJ peeked out the door from curiosity.

“That’s great, but that doesn’t change anything.” Clem replied nonchalantly

“What do you mean? You’re going to Ericson. Do you know how many doors this opens for you Clementine? You could be able to pursue anything you want!” Lee embraced her. “I’m so proud of you sweetpea, you’ve worked so hard.”

Clem shrugged of Lee’s embrace. “Do you think I could even survive with all those spoiled brats that go to Ericson? I’d be crucified. Plus, I don’t think I could keep up with them.” She had a tightlipped expression. “I’m not a part of that world.”

Lee looked at her seriously, “Clem, this could change your life forever, don’t let reasons like those hold you back.”

AJ came out of his room to find out what was going on. Clem looked at him, she saw his cute little curious expression; she noticed the tears in his jeans and how worn his little shoes were. She then looked around the kitchen, the bleak wooden cabinets, the half-working AC unit in the window, and that’s when she realized.

This wouldn’t just change her life. This would Change AJ’s life, and Lee’s. If she was able to work her way out, she could make it so that AJ could have a Christmas, and Lee could stop working himself to death. Heck, she could finally get a proper haircut instead of having Lee as a stylist.

Clem turned to Lee smiling, “I guess I’m going to Ericson Prep.” she had tears in her eyes after realizing her opportunity.

She hugged Lee and pulled AJ into it too.

AJ looked to Clem with a quizzical expression, “What’s going on?”

She wiped her tears. “We just got the best accolade a person could get. We’re getting a second chance.”

Clem went to her room and pulled a suitcase out from under her bed, it had been a while, almost ten years since she last used it. The same suitcase she had when she finally left her foster home, she was bringing to Ericson.

Clem took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. “Hey, uh Javi? I won’t be able to take that tutoring job after all, I’ll be occupied.” “What will I be doing?” She smiled, putting her hat in the suitcase.

“I just got my second chance.”

A/N Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please reblog! :)

I’ll update soon

[miraclejune]

HERO’S SOUP: Chapter 7

Hunt

Panic-stricken Hyunjin was running around the house, he just found out the shoot was in 30 minutes and he hasn't even taken a bath yet. "Woojin! You should've said something!" The said alpha sat on the couch, eyes following Hyunjin roaming around like a headless chicken and eventually disappearing into the stairs.

"Sorry. I also forgot it was today." Woojin finally stands up, walking to the back door that leads to the garage. Chan pokes his head from the kitchen, "Are you gonna drive him to the shoot?" Woojin nods, he really doesn't have any choice. It's also a way for him to apologize to Hyunjin, the least he can do to make up for it.

Taking the car keys from the table beside the door, he receded from Chan's view.

Woojin bears down on the horn, he had already parked in front of the house. Hyunjin pops out the front door, with a duffel bag and a backpack. He knocks on the trunk, Woojin presses a button to pop open the hood. Hyunjin shoves the contents in his arms before rushing towards the shotgun seat. "Fix your hair." and Hyunjin did, with a slight tinge of red on his cheeks. "Just go already."

Chan closes the fridge and moves to the living room, switching the channel of the TV to the local news. "Um," Chan removes his gaze from the screen and sees Changbin walking towards him, Felix trailing behind him. "Why was Hyunjin losing his shit upstairs?" Chan scooted over, making room for the two. "Late for his shoot." But Changbin puts up his hand and shakes his head, refusing Chan's offer. "We're heading out for grocery shopping. Wanna come?" the vampire stared at him for a few seconds, deliberating in his head if he would go.

Chan would usually refuse to do such a task because Hyunjin and Jisung would always fight over the trolley every time they went shopping. But this time it was just Changbin. He could deal with Felix's bullshit, so he stands up, pressing the off button on the TV remote.

He follows the two outside. "We can take the SUV." Changbin does an 'OK' sign with his hand and walks out the back door, Chan, and Felix trailing behind him. He proceeded to press the button near the garage door to stop it from closing. "Woojin took the sedan?" Chan scanned his eyes around, nodding his head at Changbin.

He then made his way around multiple cars lined up, stopping beside the SUV. "Chan, catch." He turned right in time to catch the keys Felix flung to him. Slightly impressed because Felix knew the right key. The fox grins at him. "You already know your way around the house, you sly fox."

Chan fastened his seat belt, "All set?" Changbin clicks his seat belt securely, holding up a thumbs up to Chan through the rear-view mirror. He glances at Felix before pulling out of the garage when the fox nodded at him.

"The infamous Hyunjin is late yet again." Changbin snickers and looks out the window, they wobble a bit when Chan pulls out to the road. Chan smiles at the wolf's remarks. "Is Hyunjin always tardy?" Felix blinked multiple times, looking at Changbin at the backseat through the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah. He couldn't keep track of his schedule. Always getting lost, is very hard to wake up. Always giggling and cuddling. Ugh." Felix and Chan look at each other through the rear view mirror before chuckling. Changbin's snarky remarks towards Hyunjin kept them entertained the whole ride.

-

"Wait," Hyunjin sits up straight from the shotgun seat, planting his face on the window. "Isn't this Seungmin and Jeongin's university?" Woojin hums, maneuvering the vehicle through the gate. He didn't answer Hyunjin's question until they had parked. "Yeah, it is." Hyunjin glares at him for the late response.

The alpha chuckles and proceeds on opening the trunk, he pulls out a duffel bag, handing the backpack to Hyunjin. "How did you not recognize what their school was? Didn't you say you wrote the details yourself?" Hyunjin trailed beside Woojin, both scanning their eyes around the grounds.

"Well, I did. But it was before we met them." Hyunjin grins in defeat.

"Should we try to attend university too?" the small wolf nudges the alpha's left arm. Woojin smiles at him. "Maybe you guys should. I'm too old for this." both snorted. They made out the staff for the shoot in the middle of the field. One of them spots Hyunjin and waves in their direction. Hyunjin jogs towards them.

"Sorry I'm late, director!" he huffs out, pretending to be in a 'rush'. Woojin trails behind him and bows at the director, apologizing for their tardiness. "It's alright. Let's get you prepared. MAKEUP!"

Hyunjin hands over his backpack to Woojin, both went inside the trailer provided for the model. Hyunjin sits down in front of the vanity table, checking his appearance in the mirror. He already knows the drill.

Woojin sits on the far end of the trailer, Hyunjin whines, motioning the older to sit beside him. Woojin rolls his eyes. "This is why I don't like to accompany you to shoots.'' One of the staff pulls a chair for him near Hyunjin. He thanks the staff and sits down, eyes locked onto Hyunjin's reflection in the mirror. "Can we go see those kids after the shoot?"

Woojin hums, fishing his phone from his pocket to check on Jeongin and Seungmin's class schedule. He personally asked them to give him their schedules. Jeongin had no hesitation when he typed it down on Woojin's phone, but Seungmin was hard to persuade. The witch was clever, he asked about Woojin's past in exchange for the schedule. It was an unfair bargain, really. But he was intrigued by Seungmin. So, he played along.

"We could. But Jeongin has class until 9 PM." Hyunjin pouts, the stylist breaks into a smile. He pouts more, making the rest of them laugh. Woojin shakes his head 'such a child'. The wolf glares at him. He forgot they were all connected through their heads. He grins. "Love you, Jin."

"Hmp."

Out in the field. The director explains the first take while the staff double checks the equipment. Hyunjin has to dance in the field, while the camera does a 360 around him. After the stylist finished fixing his hair, Hyunjin practiced one of the routines beforehand. He was used to dancing on the spot, but freestyling right now isn't the best choice. Hyunjin struggles a bit with choosing a routine.

The director apologizes for asking him to do such a task, they forgot to add the further details of the shoot on the email. But, Hyunjin gives them a warm smile telling them it was okay. After a while, he settles with the easiest one he has.

"Okay! Take one!" and with that, the shoot continues on.

Woojin, on the other hand, went back inside the trailer. Hyunjin gave him approval that he was okay, and he can manage. He hesitantly walked towards the dressing room, plopping on the sofa provided. "So," the alpha looks up from his phone. He sees the stylists and staff gathered around him. He gives them a soft smile, making most of them blush. "Yes?"

"You're Hyunjin's manager, right?" Woojin nods. He leans over, placing his elbows above his knees. He looks up to them through his lashes. "Yes. I guess you could call me that." he lets out a deep chuckle. He found the staff's actions quite hilarious, but he also laughed because he knew his effect on them.

The staff swooned over the man in front of them. His dark hair perfectly falling over his forehead, his monolid eyes burning holes in their faces, his tall nose was decorated by a small yet eye-catching mole, and lastly, his pink lips that go well with his protruding front teeth. They could agree he was also model material. Especially with his well-built physique.

"O-oh. Yes. Um... why doesn't Hyunjin sign under management? I bet he had tons of offers before. He's really good-looking." the makeup artist blushed, she was up close and personal with Hyunjin. She was even surprised he had zero makeup on. His skin was so plump and soft. It doesn't make sense how men who use the same soap they use for their dicks also use it on their faces to have great skin.

Ah, another victim of Hyunjin's good looks. If only they knew how much of a soft boy he is. And an idiot. And a whiny bitch.

Woojin hums before finding the right words to answer them. "Well. He's thinking of going to university soon, and I think he doesn't want any other distractions. So, a commitment to management wouldn't be such a great idea." the staff nods at these remarks. So, is Hyunjin still that young?

They thanked him and asked if he wanted anything to drink or eat, which the alpha politely declined. They disperse and Woojin is left alone.

"Take a break!" Hyunjin sprints towards the trailer, Woojin was busy fiddling with his phone to take notice of the wolf, not 'visibly' wagging his tail in front of him. "Woojin. Let's go meet Seungmin! His office is that glass building across the field. Please!" the alpha gets up from his seat. He tells the staff where they are headed.

A few people from the school who were helping with the shoot offered to accompany them but Hyunjin was already sprinting across the field. Woojin sighs and shakes his head, slightly bowing to the students. "Sorry about that idiot." he turns his back and jogs after the small wolf.

Hyunjin pushes the glass door. Eyes littering around the office. He spins around, taking in every detail. This was the council office? This place is so classy. His feet came to a halt upon hearing someone clearing their throat. "What are you doing here, Hyunjin?" the witch stood behind him, arms crossed. His face was far from amused.

Hyunjin turns around, grinning widely at the witch. "Hello, Seungmin~ I came to visit!"

"Fucking wolf, how are you so goddamn strong."

Woojin arrives a second late. He sees Hyunjin 'strangling' Seungmin.

"Jin. Let go of him, come on." the wolf pouts. Removing his arm around the witch's neck. Seungmin fixes his shirt, completely ignoring the annoying wolf in front of him. "Woojin." Woojin gives the witch his toothy smile.

"Hey. Sorry about this dingus." he walks past Hyunjin, giving Seungmin a brief hug. They turn their backs on the beta.

"W-wait! What about me? No hug?" Hyunjin whines as Seungmin sends him a death glare. Nonetheless, the witch motioned him to follow them. Seungmin swore he imagined the wolf wagging his tail in excitement.

Now that image will be stuck in his head for god knows how long. "Let's head upstairs." The three of them moved up to the 2nd floor. All the heads turning, following their figures until they vanished at the stairs. The president has guests over. And they were not from the university either? How surprising. Usually it's just Kazuo.

Hyunjin caught most of their attention. He was dressed up and looked stunning. The officers were literally drooling over him, well, the girls mostly. Hyunjin glances at them, making a few of them blush. Woojin knew the wolf was clueless about his effect on the students. 'Woojin, why are they looking?'

But knowing Hyunjin, he would definitely be a blushing mess if he tells him the real reason why they were looking. Well, technically there were 2 reasons, but yeah. You get the idea.

'Well... You do know Seungmin only opened up to Chan and the rest of us.' Hyunjin smirks. Unaware of his action that created a fatal blow on the students' hearts, he started teasing the witch walking in front of him.

"Seems like someone doesn't have friends... OUCH!" he glared, picking up the pillow that was thrown at him. He slumped down on the sofa, nuzzling his head against the thick blanket on the edge of the seat.

"Hyunjin, you're gonna ruin your clothes and hair plus your makeup." the wolf whines propping himself up with his elbow. He settles to sit down, pulling the blanket over his lap.

"So, Pres, how's your work?"

"Don't call me that, Giggles."

"Hey! When did I become 'Giggles'?"

"Oh, come on, you giggle at everything."

"He's right. You do giggle a lot, Hyunjin."

"Fuck off. Both of you."

The room went still. Woojin settled in front of Hyunjin. Crossing his arms as he leaned back. His eyes never left Seungmin's back. The witch didn't bother taking a seat, keeping his front facing the glass walls. "Never thought the shoot I approved weeks ago would have you as a model."

Hyunjin snickered, reaching his hand out towards the snacks on the table. "Can I have some of these?"

"Yeah, help yourself. There are drinks in the fridge too." Hyunjin grabs a whole pack of cookies. Shoving 2 pieces in his mouth before offering some to Woojin, which the alpha declined, a faint chuckle coming out of him. Hyunjin shrugs. He neared the mini-fridge; fishing out a can of soda. Chugging it down in one shot.

"Seungmin, you never told me there was a barrier around the school. It's pretty strong too, a high-class wizard/witch could've done it. It didn't cross my mind that you were that stro--" Hyunjin stops halfway his peevish remark upon seeing the look on the witch's face.

The witch looks at the two wolves back and forth. A faintly quizzical look came into his incisive stare. "What are you talking about, Hyunjin? There is no such barrier around this institute." Hyunjin shrugs, giving the witch a vague answer. He pulled out his phone, scanning the message that alerted him. "It's the staff." he gives Woojin a look. "They want us back." the alpha nods, fixing his crumpled shirt as he stands.

"Seungmin, are you sure about the barrier?" Woojin's voice, with a tentative question in it, rested in the air. The two wolves leave the premises, well... not after Hyunjin shoved the rest of the cookies inside his coat. The witch stood there; a faint tremor of amusement was on his lips. "There's no barrier." his voice was almost like a whisper. 

-

A frigid touch of the hand yanked Jeongin out of his trance. "Jeongin, the class ended 10 minutes ago. Are you alright?" The concerned look on the professor's face made his eyes go wide in surprise. He abruptly stands up, whipping his head around the room. It was just him and the teacher. He scratches his head and bows at the teacher.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Hyerin I didn't get enough sleep last night. I'm really sorry." daydreaming about going on a trip with the pack really pulled him out of reality. He should've been more careful.

His professor smiles, patting the boy on his shoulder. He looks up and gives her his biggest grin. He knew the effect of his braces wouldn't work on his professor, unlike Hyunjin, but at least he could give it a try. "It's okay, Jeongin. Do you have class after this?" They trail out the room. Jeongin slipped on his backpack as they walked down the hall. "My next class is at 6 PM." she hums in response. Only their footsteps can be heard, there were little to none students walking around. Making the situation a bit awkward for Jeongin.

She was his 'Introduction to Music' professor. Ms. Hyerin was known to be very lenient with her students, but she knows when to be strict. She's the head of the Music Department faculty. Jeongin had to admit he was really impressed when he found out about it. She was only 28 years old and she has already achieved so much. Plus, she was very pretty.

"I've heard about Seungmin." Jeongin panicked. He knew the rumors would get to the faculty. But he didn't expect his teacher to bring it up so casually. "Ma’am. We’re just friends." she chuckles. "I know." the boy sighs in relief, bringing his two hands to cup his heated face. "Who would have thought you would stumble upon a witch?"

"Yes. I never expected him to be like that, Ms. Hyerin. It was so sudd..." His words trailed off brokenly. Jeongin stood there bewildered, his wide eyes locked on his teacher's back as she continued walking.

"How did you know..." she turns around, giving him a glance of extraordinary meaning. With a small smile, her eyes flashed yellow for a second. Bringing chills down his spine.

"I guess you could say, we go way back."

Before Jeongin could grasp the situation, she disappeared around the corner. The faint smell of her sandalwood perfume wafted in the air. With a glassy stare of deprecating horror, he anchored himself with his hand on the wall. "What the hell happened?" he slid down to a squat, holding his trembling hands against his chest. It wasn't news to him. He hangs out with a group of 'supernatural beings', but why was he so terror-stricken?

"Jeongin? Jeongin, are you alright?" his dilated pupils tried hard to focus on the person in front of him, the figure sat down meeting his eye level. "Seungmin..." the look on the boy's face, a soft insidious plea. Seungmin's lips formed into a thin line before he spoke, "What did you see?" eyes quivering, Jeongin tried his best to find the words. "N.. not what. Who..." a cold breeze came upon them, as they sat in silence for about 5 minutes.

Seungmin hoisted the boy up, "Let's go to Hyunjin and Woojin, yeah?"

A slight tinge of calmness settled on Jeongin's spirit. He grasped Seungmin's arm tight, "They're here?"

"Oh yeah, Hyunjin's photoshoot is here, at the field outside." Jeongin composed himself. The mention of wolves calmed him down quite a bit. They walked towards the field. Jeongin was awfully quiet, not that he's not. But this time, Seungmin could feel the boy shaking under his touch. 'Who did he see?' the witch thought.

His mind wandered around to the possibility of someone threatening the boy. Was he really threatened? Jeongin couldn't have reacted this way if he was not scared. Is that person connected to whoever’s hunting him down?

Was he/she the same person who put up those spells around Jeongin's house? 

The witch could rule out his family. So, it must be someone from his school. Seungmin's eyebrows furrowed, that's strange. When he entered the boy's house, he knew the spells were done inside. There's no way it was someone from this university.

Seungmin stared at the boy. Not a good thing to say, but Jeongin has no friends. Not until he met the pack. He couldn't have invited his classmates over; they were indifferent to him. Wait, maybe someone from the faculty? But why would a professor visit his house? As far as his research could tell, Jeongin had good grades and he doesn't have attitude problems either. He drew near to a desperate resolve, but he couldn't find any.

Their footsteps led them to the field. Hyunjin was busy practicing his moves, but his nose could tell that Jeongin was near, he wanted to run to the boy, but his work came first. Woojin comes out of the trailer, waving at them. "Woojin!" regaining his composure, Jeongin scurried to the alpha, engulfing him into a tight hug. The warmth of the alpha washed away his fears completely. He felt safe. "Hey there. Is your class done?"

"Yeah! Seungmin told me you guys were here." Woojin's eyes found Seungmin's disheveled and distraught figure. No one else could tell otherwise, but he knew something was bothering the witch. He led the boy to the shoot. Hyunjin gives the staff a fleeting glance, asking them for a break. When they nod in approval, he attaches himself almost instantly to Jeongin. Which the boy reciprocated wholeheartedly.

Woojin walks back to Seungmin's spot. Both stood there gazing at Hyunjin who was peppering the boy with so much love.

"What happened?" Although in doubt, Seungmin told the alpha all his worries. Woojin stood there, nodding his head while listening intently to every detail the witch was saying. Once Seungmin came to a stop, Hyunjin was already doing his take. Jeongin stood at the side, admiring his fluid movement.

Jeongin didn't know Hyunjin could dance. He didn't know anything about the pack. Yeah, they haven't known each other that long yet. It wasn't even a week, but he felt disappointed. Not having a clue about the people who accepted him as a friend. Jeongin's eyes faltered. His focus on Hyunjin doing his moves was taken away.

'...we go way back.' piercing yellow eyes flashed inside his head. He shivered. Ms. Hyerin... out of all the people. Why his professor? How did he know who Seungmin was? Were they friends?

No. Chan told him Seungmin had no 'friends'. Then, was Ms. Hyerin his enemy? Can she be trusted? Jeongin ran a hand through his locks, he was losing his mind.

Woojin's eyes rested on the boy. The gloomy look on his face was telling him that he was still pretty much shaken by the events that occurred. 

"Can you clear up your schedule?" Seungmin nodded, his knees almost giving up on Woojin's serious tone. His first attempt to answer the alpha failed. So, he cleared his throat and tried his best not to stutter. "I'll ask Jeongin to skip his night class." Woojin turns back to him, giving him a soft smile. The witch jokingly scoffs, making Woojin laugh. Seungmin saw how the alpha's laughter died down, his usual beaming face transitioned into a haunting and horrible sense of obscurity.

"Let's discuss this now."

The witch swore he could hear the rumble behind the alpha's voice.

[obrientheknot]

4.26

So here we go… The second dress is no longer an option because it’s going to cost $975. The secondhand dress already sold…womp.

So here’s the issue now, I really want to put boning in the dress, in the bodice portion, because there isn’t much to it. I need some structure in my life. I’m not exactly small breasted… and I feel like some support would be helpful. Additionally, I want to feel like on my wedding day I’m wearing a gorgeous dress and I’m all tucked in and ready to go and right now the dress just kind of makes me feel like I’m in a maxi dress with some extra fabric.

When I first tried the dress on and decided I liked it I had emailed the seamstress that BHLDN had recommended and he said it’s possible to put boning in the dress and that it would cost $1000. Clearly I’m not going with that guy but I’ve been having issues with the tailors I’ve seen since.

This week I made three appointments with three different tailors:

The first one was a hard no. He said first he could only put boning in the seams of the dress and I only have two, one on either side of the bodice. That sort of upset me because how the heck am I supposed to keep the girls in tact? He also wouldn’t give me a price on the other alterations a.k.a. taking the dress in, putting in new cups, putting in a bustle, hemming it, etc. He told me I would have to get a corset and wear it underneath… but it’s an illusion top so I’m not too keen on the idea of wearing a corset. I walked out of that shop feeling discouraged.

Same-day new tailor. I walk into this woman’s shop and she was a super little Russian lady. During prom when I was in high school and any other dress I needed altered I would take it to this little foreign woman around the corner from my house and she was the best, but she died, and this woman had me feeling right at home. I felt really confident and was super excited about her. I put the dress on and she immediately realize it needed bigger cups, needed to have it bustled, she knew what I needed before I spoke.

We got to the end of the appointment and I said could you put boning in and she said “oh you’re not interested in corset?” And I said “no I would like the illusion top” and she said “OK no problem we put in boning” I was like what??? That was so easy. I asked her about pricing and she goes in the back and then comes back out and says $325 and my jaw fell off again. I was like “oh that’s all?” and she said “you wanted to cost more?” And I said “oh no thats just a lot less then all the other people that spoken to” and she said “when you don’t have many workers you make things good for customer.” So I walked out of there feeling super awesome super excited loveing my life.

Then I go home and realized she never really explained what kind of boning. Like did she mean she could put it in the side seams like the other guy?? Now I’m agonizing and I call the $1000 place again to ask what kind of boning they would be able to do.

Fast forward to yesterday and they call back. The girls like “hey we got your voicemail, and yes we can do the alterations” I’m like yeah I know that but on the phone I was like “oh that’s great! I was wondering if you could explain how you’d install the boning in the dress” because I figure if they can explain it the way I want it, I know it’s possible, I can go to Russian lady. I think the chick saw right through me and was like mmmm no sweaty :) she was like “you’d have to come in for the initial consultation so we could show you”. Oh word. I’m like “oh okay! Is there a fee associated with that?” I swear to god I snorted when she said “yes the initial consult is $250.” And I said “oh huh okay” and she’s like “we usually do 4 visits after the initial consult, at $50 a visit, plus the cost of alterations” so now, in my head, we’re at $1500. I said “oh that’s reasonable! Anything else?” And she’s like “well we could schedule you for a consult now!” And I said “Lemme consult my assistant and I’ll have her get back to you” and she said “no need! There’s an online portal! Will you be bringing your assistant?” And I said “oh yes! In fact she here now, I’ll talk to you later!” And then pretended to talk to someone else and hung up. Whack.

So this brings us to today, the most eventful(not) of the consults! I found a little mom and pop shop in town. Walk in, they’re watching the news in the store so business must be BOOMING. I said hi! He said let’s see, I pull out the dress, he said um no we are not a factory..to which I was like..what? Short answer was no and I walked out.

I’m getting kinda stressed. What if my boobs fall out at my wedding 🙃

Kyle wouldn’t care, my mom might though.

I have an appt with a custom dress maker on Monday so we shall see how it goes!

[themarchblessing]

SETTING THE TONE

SABRINA

Looking up from my phone I spotted Julian walking through the door. Since I’m back in New York maybe for good this time, I plan on settling and raising Izaiah here. It only feels right to think that Julian should be apart of all this. Even though he and I never worked out I still want him to be apart of his son’s life. That’s why I’ve asked him to meet me here today. So we can talk about our child and set some boundaries

“Hey..” he said just as I stood up to greet him.

“Hi..” I smiled gently. We embraced each other in a quick, formal hug, parting after about a minute. “How are you?” I asked ushering him to sit down across from me.

Julian sat back and took his beanie off, setting it on his leg I assume. I can’t really see from this angle so I’m guessing he put his hat on his thigh for the time being. “I’m alright. How are you? How’s Izaiah doing?” He rebutted moving in closer to the table.

A waitress came by and took our order. I’ve been craving caffeine for some reason and being that it’s mid January, the seasonal flavors for drinks are still in. So for my order I asked for a gingerbread latte and a slice of pie.

“We’re doing good. The move was smooth. I’m just waiting on some furniture pieces to come in but overall everything is okay. How are things with you? Are you seeing anyone?” I regretted asking him that the second it came out of my mouth.

He shook his head rather quickly, glancing at me with a pleading look in his eye. “No, it’s just me these days. So what did you want to talk about?”

“Well now that I’m back I want to extend the invitation to you to be apart of Izaiah’s life. I’m not forcing you to stick around, buy him anything, watch him, or pick him up from school. None of that. I’ve got everything handled but if you would like to see him you just call me. I’m not a difficult person to work with and I-”

Julian touched my hand stopping me from speaking any further. “You don’t have to explain anything, Sabrina. Ever since we broke up I’ve been wondering about how you two are doing. Yes, I would love to be apart of Zay’s life and yours. For parenting reasons of course.” He hit me with an easy smile that seemed to settle my nerves.

“Do you want to see a picture of him?” Already going into my little backpack I pulled out the pocket size photo album that Zay and I made over the holidays. I opened it up and handed the whole book to Julian so he could have free reign of what he’s looking at.

“Damn he’s beautiful and he’s big now. How old is he..six?” Julian asked flipping to another set of pictures.

“Mhm, he’ll be seven in March.” Touching the necklace of his name that’s around my neck I reached for my phone seeing a message from Corey. Me changing the settings on my iMessage didn’t allow me to even get a preview of what Corey sent me. But I’m with Julian right now and it would be rude of me to use my phone in the middle of our meeting.

“He’s your twin seriously.” Julian handed me the book back. “Look I never told you this but I’m really proud of how far you’ve come on your own. I had no doubts on whether you could handle being a single mother but I still thought about you guys and worried. So let’s talk about these visitations.”

And this is where the beginning of something beautiful begins.

After Julian and I discussed every detail of what visitations and weekends will be like, we left the coffeehouse and went our separate ways. I finally check my message from Corey to see that he asked me to stop by. Zay is with Ravyn right now and even though I want to bring my little man with me I think Corey and I need some time to talk. About everything..

I stopped home to change before I headed over to Corey’s. I felt just a little bland the last I saw him and switching outfits really increased my mood and confidence. Parking alongside the street I grabbed my little bag and stepped out of the car handing the valet my keys. Corey and his fancy ass way of living drives me crazy sometimes. But then again his career allows him to live large if he pleases. I entered the lobby and walked over to the elevator pressing the button for the third floor.

My nerves began getting the best of me but of course before I could try and get off the elevator I reached his floor. “Shit..” Sighing sadly I walked off and followed the directions he sent me through text. Corey is really living nice these days. I can’t even fathom what he pays to stay in this place. When I came to suite 317 I put my phone away and knocked softly.  

“I’m coming!” I heard him yell from inside. Quickly I pulled my braid out and unraveled it, tousling my curls a little bit. I even put on more lip gloss just for the hell of it. The door opened up and there he stood with a broom in hand, no shirt on and a pair of shorts. Same old Corey, always has to be half naked in a home setting.

“You still dress the same too.” I spoke peeking around to make sure I didn’t see any feminine garments anywhere. For all I know he could have been busy with company and I would never want to intrude on his private time.

“Why should I change? I’m at home. Come in.” He nodded me inside. I stepped across the threshold instantly realizing that he’s in the middle of cleaning. Still I discreetly searched for anything unusual. “Nobody is here so you can stop looking.” He muttered from behind me.

Going over to the table against the wall I took my shoes off and set my bag down. “So this is what you’re day consists of huh? Cleaning?” Turning around to face him I hugged myself close to shield off the chill that crept up on me. My choice of jeans  and this little jacket were not a smart move. Thank goodness for long sleeves.

“Pretty much. I’m not taking any calls for a few days as far as work goes since you’re back in town. I didn’t know when you would coming by so I just figured I’d clean up a little. What’s wrong? Why do you look like you want to tell me something..” He asked leaning the broom up against the door.

“I saw Julian this morning.” I replied instantly. I’m a terrible liar and being that Corey knows all of my habits and flaws I can’t hide shit from him even if I tried.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded in silence. “What happened?” He inquired. He then walked us back to his room where he must have been in before I came. We reached his room where he went off into what looks like his bathroom.

“Corey?” Taking off my jacket I placed it on a hook attached to his bedroom door. Walking around the room and stopping at his little sitting area I scanned over the photos he’s collected. Pictures of us, his family, and his work all took up the space on the table. “Oh my gosh look how young we were. God we were babies.” Picking up the frame I glided my fingers over the glass. The image of Corey and I with our classmates when we graduated from high school brought back memories. A lot of good and bittersweet memories.

“There’s more where that came from in the other bedroom.” Corey speaking freaked me out and just as I almost dropped the frame I hugged it to my chest.

“You cannot just walk up on people from behind! Damn you Corey..” Rolling my eyes I set the frame down and took a seat on his bed.

“Sabrina..can we finish this conversation from the other night please?” Corey laid in front of me with his feet hanging over the edge. He got comfortable with a pillow under his chin for support.

“What do you want to know?�� I began.

“Why you left? Why didn’t you give it a little time? Why didn’t you reach out more? What happened with Julian..all of it. I want to know everything. I won’t talk, I’ll just listen and respond at the end.” He said.

I went on to tell him everything that happened from my 30th birthday party up until the move back to the city. The conversation was emotionally draining for so many reasons. There’s just so much that I couldn’t fathom telling Corey through a letter or an email or a phone call. He stepped out for a good ten minutes and I’m guessing to take some time for himself. I felt so bad when I heard him sniffling in the bathroom. I never meant to upset him or make him cry. We talked and talked and once the air was cleared we put in a movie and moved forward just like old times. My conscience feels so light and airy. Talking everything out really helped to wash away any guilt and hidden pain I’ve been harboring for so long.

“You hungry? Or did Julian fill you up enough?” I took him serious until I decoded the sexual innuendo in his question.

“I didn’t fuck him. We met in a coffee shop ok? You don’t have to be so nasty.” Getting up from the couch I met him in the kitchen to look through his pantry.

“How was I supposed to know? He might have wanted to give you a welcome back present. Sit yo ass down and stop looking for food!” He exclaimed, pulling me by the hand out of the pantry. I had just spotted a snack I wanted too until he pulled me out.

Sitting on a barstool I tapped my knuckles against the countertop. “Me enfermas.” I huffed watching him shrug carelessly that I said he makes me sick. Rolling my eyes and shaking my head at how annoying he can be I crossed my legs. “Why do you have to make so many sexual references huh? Are you going through a drought right now? Where’s your go-to girl?”

“As a matter of fact I am going through a temporary dry spell so my mind is all over the place. Why do you keep putting me on the spot? Why do you keep hinting at my non-existent love life?” he took out a folded up piece of paper from inside a drawer, reading over it. I heard a phone going off from nearby and it took me a minute to realize it was mine.

Seeing Izaiah’s school calling I accepted the call quickly. “Hello?” I said.

“Hi, is this Sabrina Guerrero?” A woman spoke mispronouncing my last name.

“Yes this is she, how can I help you?” I rebutted.

“My name is Marie Hammond and I’m the secretary here at your son's school. I’m calling to inform you of an open house on Tuesday that we are having for the parents of the incoming students. Will you be able to come?” She asked.

“Yes I will be there. What time does it start?” Once I got all the information regarding the open house, said my goodbye and put that date and time in my calendar. Going back over to the barstool I was sitting in I tapped my foot against the leg of the chair.

“Mommy stuff?” Corey turned around to open another draw. A menu for a Thai spot that delivers 24 hours a day made my mouth water. I didn’t realize I was this hungry but thank goodness Corey is buying.

“Yeah there’s some open house at Zay’s school on Tuesday.” As I spun around in my chair I got a brilliant idea. “Could you watch him for me while I go and meet his teachers?” I proposed with glee.

Corey put his phone down in the middle of dialing and glared at me intently. “You’re not serious are you?” His pleading tone for me to change my request made me snicker.

“Yes I am serious. C’mon. Don’t you want to get to know him? He’s been asking about you. He called you the camera guy last night.” When I heard that come out of my son’s mouth I spit out my drink. I wasn’t expecting him to find such a specific term for Corey.

“Let me order this food and we’ll talk. Same as always right?” Corey picked up the phone and continued to press on the keypad staring at me heavily.

“With chicken yes. Can you please order pad Thai for Izaiah? And sticky rice please?” Smiling at him I kept quiet while he ordered. I couldn’t resist admiring all of the little changes he’s made to himself as much as he’s stayed the same. I really missed having him around while I was down in Chino.

“Last name Howard. Yeah it’s suite 317. Ok, thank you.” Corey slid his phone back into his pocket and opened the freezer taking out a rectangular, metal pan. “I made this and I want you to tell me if you like it. Hm..” Accepting the spoon from him I dipped it inside the pan having difficulty. Corey helped out and gave the spoon back.

Without question I put the spoonful in my mouth, breaking down everything slowly due to how cold it all was. “Cherry garcia, really?” I spoke in mid swallow. “How and when and why?” I rambled, getting another sample.

“I’ve had a lot of downtime over the years so I took your advice and picked up another hobby.” He shrugged lazily. He held this proud look to him as he should feel that way of himself. Corey is very talented in so many ways so to find out that he’s now baking and into making ice cream from scratch is really impressive.

“Zay is going to love you forever you know that right? Without question, this is really good. I’m proud of you Corey. I feel that I don’t share that with you enough but I truly am. You’ve really changed for the better since we were little and I seriously hope that you end up with a good girl.” Standing up I went around the island and rinsed my spoon off. I also put Izaiah’s treat back in the freezer.

“Bri please don’t start riding my dick about a girlfriend. I’m already trying to let this one chick down easy because I just don’t-“

My ears perked up and I got excited hearing about a girl. “What girl?” I poked him in his chest waiting for more information.

“I’m not telling you shit because there’s nothing to tell. I don’t really like her and she’s too feisty for me. She lives to pick fights and I hate that shit. There I told you something now stop riding my nuts about this and go sit down until the food comes. Go..” Corey demanded. He stood behind me and pushed me over to the couch. We both sat together getting back into the movie. I kept sneaking glances at Corey. The movie is good but I want to talk.

“What Sabrina? What do you want to know?” He huffed. He positioned himself at an angle throwing his arm behind the couch.

“Do you ever want to get married? Like has your mind changed at all from the last time I asked you this?” I started off my round of one hundred questions with a big question wondering what his mind state is.

“Marriage? I don’t know. If I find a good one and she knows how to act right and not care about what I can buy her then maybe I’ll put a ring on the bitch finger but until then..I’m not thinking about it. Women these days are so materialistic, so fake, so into the most shallow things in life. I can’t stand dating because you have to take the time and energy to go through multiple people just to find the right person. It’s tiring.” He explains.

“Corey not all women are like that. You ever think maybe it’s the women you attract?” I challenged.

Corey hummed to himself and combed through his goatee with his fingers. “It could be.” he agreed. A knock at the door and his phone going off interrupted what he was about to say next. He looked at his phone and then stood up running back to his room. He came back with some cash in his hand and a twenty dollar bill in the other. “The twenty is for the tip, I’ma take this right quick. It’s Brian and yes I’ll tell him you said hi.” He placed the money in my hand and left the room again.

Going to his front door I opened it to see the food here. “Hi.” I said.

“Hello, delivery for Howard. 317 right?” The guy said handing me the food.

“Yes. Here you go.” I handed him the tip and the money. Once I got the change I carefully shut the door with my foot. “This is a lot of food. What the hell did you get Corey?” I grunted to myself at how much this bag weighs.

“Nigga..no. I told you to leave that girl alone. You asked me for advice and I gave it you now you’re asking me if I’m sure that’s what I meant..” Corey said coming into view. He looked up at me and smiled gently. He threw up his index finger signaling that he needed a minute to get Brian off the phone.

I let him continue and in the meantime I want to see my baby boy. I started a facetime call as I began setting up plates for Corey and I.

“Mommy!” Zay shouted suddenly. I dropped a fork on the floor in the process of trying to fix my plate.

“Hi my love, how are you?” I asked, regaining focus.

“Coloring. Titi is making me lunch. Where are you?” Zay asked. I looked down at the screen to see his face super close to the camera.

“What’s she making and why are you so close to the phone baby? Back up a little bit.” I encouraged seeing him distance himself from Ravyn’s phone. “That’s better. What’s titi making?”

“Spaghetti with meatballs. I’m so happy mom because I’m so very hungry. You never answered my question mama, where are you?” The curiosity in Zay’s voice made me melt that he’s concerned of my whereabouts.

“I’m at Corey’s house. Look over there but be quiet, he’s on the phone.” Setting the container down I picked up my phone and switched the view to put Corey on the camera. “You see him?”

“I see him. What’s that in the counter? Is that noodles?” Now the excitement comes into play. I told Corey my baby loves noodles.

“Yeah papito that’s noodles you saw. Corey and I are about to eat too. Don’t worry I’m bringing you so many noodles home ok?” I put the phone down to finish setting up our plates.

“Aw mommy you’re sweet. Tell Corey I said hi for me ok? Titi says it's time to eat now.” Izaiah mumbles sounding sad that he has to go.

“Oh honey don’t look like that and don’t sound so sad. I’ll see you later. Have fun with titi and behave. I love you Zay, I love you so much. Muah..” Blowing him a kiss I caught the one he blew back.

“Besos mommy.” I let Zay hang up since my hands are full. Footsteps nearby confirmed that Corey had gotten rid of Brian. “Looks like you both are having girl problems.” I teased, moving aside so Corey could wash his hands.

“Shut up girl. I’m not having girl problems that’s Brian. That nigga stays having problems with the women he fucks with. Was that lil man on the phone?” He quizzed reaching for a little rag in the basket across from the sink. Tossing the small towel in a basket next to the trash can he took over the food preparation. I washed my hands also since I have nothing to do.

“Yeah that was him. He says hi.” I nudged Corey with my hip as I stalked over to the refrigerator. Taking out a glass I filled up mine with water. I took out a beer for him.

“How do you spell his name? I’ve been curious about that since I first heard you say it.” I froze up a little at his question. I’ve never told anyone where I got the spelling of my son’s name from.

“Um..well..it’s uh, like yours.” I mumbled quietly.

“Bri you know I can’t hear that shit. How do you spell his name?” he requested again.

“His name is spelled exactly like yours.” I stated louder. Corey stopped moving which told me that he was staring at me. When I turned around I was proven right.

“Like my middle name? As in I-z-a-i-a-h? What?” The deer in headlights look on Corey’s face made my stomach flip flop. “For real?” he whispered.

“For real. Please don’t be upset or make this a big deal Corey. You’re a big part of my life and I really liked the name Izaiah and I didn’t want to think of a different spelling so I stuck with yours. Nobody knows.” I don’t know why I felt the need to defend my reasoning for the spelling of my hijo’s name but this is a sticky situation.

“Not even the seed guy knows?” He pushed gently, handing me my plate and my glass I left by the refrigerator. I hadn’t even realized I moved away from that spot until now.

Nodding in certainty I took the plate and went back to the couch. I got situated with my plate on one of the trays Corey keeps under his coffee table. He joined me once again after he closed the curtains and did some other stuff around the room.

“Bri..” he called to me. I gave him eye contact, pushing my food around with my fork. “As weird as it is, I’m honored that you thought about me enough to name your son after me. It means so fucking much. I don’t want you to feel bad about your decision at all because you have no reason to.” Corey sank back into the couch and used his fist to support his cheek.

I had to put my fork down as a tear slid down my face. “Stop..” The caring plea for me not to get upset made more tears come out. “Lori please don’t cry on me. You don’t have to be upset.” He wiped my tears with both of his thumbs making those butterflies return. When I finally met his stare I felt like my body was slipping in and out of consciousness. Corey has the most beautiful eyes of any man I have ever met because he’s so honest. He’s everything a woman could ever ask for. I then recalled him using my other name that only he uses too.

“You called me Lori. I haven’t heard you call me that in what? Six or seven years.” Swallowing the mass in my throat I licked my top lip to clear off the excess tears.

“The moment called for it. Look um..” He took one hand away from my face and set it between us. “I’m sorry for how I first acted when you told me that you wanted to have a baby. I should’ve been more supportive of you and your decision. After all these years I’ve had time to really reflect and I’m sorry. You came to me with such personal and special information and I should’ve reacted differently. I never meant to hurt you or not keep in contact with you while you were away. You being gone was hard on me. And to keep it one hundred, I couldn’t settle because you were gone. It didn’t feel right to lock anything down without you here. It’s like I need your blessing or something but whatever. I just wanted to get that off my chest.” He took a deep breath and leaned closer. He softly kissed my forehead causing my eyes to slowly shut. I took in a huge breath, holding onto his shoulder for support.

I live for these type of moments especially with Corey. He used to be so hard, mean, and emotionless. Now at thirty-five he’s the complete opposite.

“Thank you.” I whispered reaching over to place my hand over his. I didn’t know what else to say. I forgave Corey long ago for how he acted when I first told him about my donor idea.

“I love you Sabrina and I always will. I’m always gonna be here when you need me.” He placed another kiss on my forehead, scaling back and reaching for his food.

As we settled into our movie and meal my mind began to drift. A million and one different thoughts filled my head about a million different things. I believe Corey will settle into his role in Zay’s life just fine and I also believe that our relationship will go back to what it used to be. I trust the path that I’m stepping into now that I’m home.

[tyzerman91]

Hard Shell, Soft Middle

Request: Hi there. Can you do a Tyler Seguin imagine where you guys have been best friends since high school and you even accepted the offer to go to Texas State to be closer to him and fade the distance in your friendship, cause you low key have loved him all these years. But it happens that he begins dating your best friend from University instead but you're still his go to for everything and you lash out at him one night for it cause you feel used, and he eventually realizes he loves you too.

Word Count: 2023

A/N: I don’t even know what happened here.

The only reason you applied to Texas State was to be closer to Tyler. But after getting accepted and picking you enitre life up to come to Texas, it seemed you and Tyler couldn’t be further apart.  More and more you were feeling like you should have stayed in Toronto.

But you never would have met Marie. Who upon rooming with one semester, became a great friend. So much so that you roomed together the following semester. You both had your own apartments now, as you preferred to live alone- easier because you keep a weird schedule.  She ended up getting not one, but three roommates. And you always wanted to offer to let her move in, but a small part of you- and it was the worst part of you, refused to do so. Not because you didn’t like her, because you do but because as of just under two months ago she began dating Tyler.  You barely kept it together when he came to you for advice, but to have them both asking for it? You’d end up on an episode of Snapped.

“Is Marie more of a wine and flowers or beer and pizza?” Tyler asked.

“Wine and flowers, Tyler. Expensive.” You reply pulling the take out menus from your kitchen drawer.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem.” You say. But Tyler is already out the door.

…

“I’m just not sure. Sometimes I feel like the only reason she’s even with me is because I’m an NHL player.” Tyler has been venting for the last hour. “But I don’t know how to bring it up without sounding like...I don’t know like I don’t trust her or something.”

“It’s been a couple months, Tyler. You don’t have to trust her in every aspect. If you’re feeling like this you should talk to her about it.” You snap. “Not me.”

“Sure (Y/N), I guess you’re right.” Tyler holds his hands out as if he’s trying to shield himself from your words.

…

“You’re still coming right?” Tyler asks from your sofa. “(Y/N)? Are you listening to me?”

“What? Sorry Ty, I’m studying.” You sigh.

“I asked if you were still coming?” Tyler repeats. “I asked you about it weeks ago. You’re still going to come to the game right?”

“I don’t think so.” You reply.

“But…” Tyler’s face falls.

“Ask Marie. I’m sure she’ll go. But I really have to study.”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry.” Tyler stands to leave. “I’ll- uh, let you know how it goes.”

You watched him leave. It broke your heart to watch him. But you had to start thinking of yourself. Tyler was happy with Marie.

…

“She was cheating on me.” Tyler doesn’t even wait until he’s all the way in the door before speaking. “I was pretty sure she was, but- what are you doing?”

“Yoga.” You say from your floor. “It’s supposed to help relieve stress.”

“Does it work?” He asks sitting on your sofa. “Because it looks painful.”

“It does. But only when I don’t have stress sitting on my sofa.” You snap. You unfold yourself and sit on the floor. “What Marie drama can I help with today?”

“Did you miss a class or something? Because you’re being more snappy than usual.” Tyler asks. “Forget to pick up milk? Miss an episode? What?”

“No I didn’t miss a class.” You try to calm your breathing. “I graduated three days ago. I don’t drink milk. And I haven’t watched anything on TV, save for hockey, in years.”

Tyler doesn’t say anything. You know you should stop, but you can’t. It’s like word vomit.

“You’d know if you took a second and put some effort into our friendship. But really the only time we even talk is when you need advice, or need me to let your dogs out, or when you need someone to listen to you vent about Marie.” You take a breath. “But when I needed you to drive me to the ER because of a 3 day migraine, you couldn’t be bothered because Marie wanted to go to dinner- for the fourth time that week. Or when I got a flat tire and called you, you couldn't help because Marie wanted to watch a movie. Or let’s talk about three days ago when I fucking graduated and guess who couldn’t be bothered to come.”

“(Y/N)...” Tyler begins.

“No. Look, I get that you have a girlfriend now. And that’s fine. But it’s not ok that you expect me to drop everything to help you when you can’t do the same. You come to me for every little thing. Meal prep? Me. Watch your dogs? Me. Drive you to the airport? Me.” You keep going because if you stop you’ll cry. “I can’t do it anymore. You’re my best friend Tyler. But I can’t keep doing this. You have to stop coming to me for everything. I don’t want to hear about your problems with Maire. I’m not going prep your meals. And I’m not going to drive you to the airport. I can’t. If you need someone to watch the boys, you can drop them off. But that’s it. Anything else, ask Marie or one of the guys from the team.”

“Do I get to talk now?” Tyler asks.

“Did you not hear a single word I said? Of course not because-”

“I heard you. Now you’re going to listen to me. Please.” Tyler gave you the puppy eyes.

“Fine, say what you want. But then you have to leave.”

“Maire was cheating on me. Or I guess, used me to cheat on her serious boyfriend from Ohio. He’s visiting and I went to surprise her.” You immediately feel horrible. You had no idea Marie had a boyfriend back home. She never mentioned him once. Not that you expected her to, not when she was dating people here too. But you knew Tyler would take it hard. He wasn’t as tough or heartless as people thought he was. “We broke up. Obviously.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter. Your migraine? Is it gone? Did I really not answer? Who did you call? Are you ok?”

“Tyler it was two weeks ago. No, you answered to tell me you were busy. I called Stephen. I’m fine.”

“Stephen?”

“Johns? He plays with-”

“I know who he is. Why did you call him?” Tyler is firing questions. And for a second you forget that you want him to leave.

“I called you first. You said you were busy. Stephen wasn’t.” You snap. “I couldn’t wait for you to clear time in your schedule for me. Sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.” You shake your head. “Look, you should probably go. I’m really sorry about Marie. I didn’t know- I wouldn’t have introduced you guys if I’d known. But I’d still like for you to go.”

“(Y/N), why? We’re friends, right?” Tyler runs his hand through his hair. “Friends hang out.”

“Yeah, friends do. But I’m not so sure we’re friends. I don’t think we have been for a while now. Friends don’t treat people the way- friends don’t use-” You can’t find the right words. You don’t want to be friends with Tyler. You never wanted to be friends. You wanted so much more, but friends was all you could get so you took it. But now, now you regret it. Having Tyler as a friend wasn’t enough. And having whatever you have now definitely wasn't enough. It just left you feeling used.

“You’re right. I haven’t been a good friend lately. I’m sorry. But I can’t lose you.”

“You can’t lose something you never had.” Your shoulders slump in defeat. Tyler doesn’t say anything else. He stands and leaves, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Once you’re sure he’s gone, you cry.

…

Two weeks. It’s been two weeks since you told Tyler you couldn’t be friends. You weren’t sure how you were going to get over him. Which was stupid because it wasn’t like you’d even been together. You really were pathetic. But Ben & Jerry didn’t judge. And you had more free time to work on your skating, which was great because starting next season you would be back in Toronto- working with the Maple Leafs.  You wanted to tell Tyler about your new job, but every time you picked your phone up, you would remember you weren’t friends anymore.

The knock at the door startled you.  You weren’t expecting anyone. You unfolded yourself and stood up. Throwing a newly acquired Toronto sweater on you walked to the door.

“Toronto? Really (Y/N)?”  Tyler smirked from your porch.

“What are you doing here?” You ask stepping aside. You might not be friends, but you weren’t going to make him stand on your porch either.  He walks in taking his shoes off at your door.

“Well, I came to talk. And apparently not a moment too soon, because you need an intervention. Toronto really?”

“But- I’m in the middle of something. Can’t you just email me or something?”

“Yoga? Don’t stop on my account. I can talk while you do that.” Tyler sits on the sofa. Motioning for you to continue. “Really, you can continue. I just need your ears.”

“Just say whatever you need to. Yoga only works if I don’t have external stress sitting in my house.” You grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

“I realized something.” He says looking proud of himself. “I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t crushed when I found about Marie. I spent the last two weeks thinking about it.”

“Congratulations. Now, can I get back to what I was doing?”

“Sure, but I’m not finished.”

“Hurry up. I have a meeting soon and need to shower before.”

“I didn’t really like Marie. Not as more than a friendly acquaintance.” Tyler said.

“I’m glad you got that figured out.” You sit on the other side of the sofa. You’ve given up on your yoga session today.

“That’s not all. I also know why none of my other relationships worked out.” He’s almost jumping from his seat. “You.”

“Excuse me?” You recoil. “You can’t blame me for your failed relationships.”

“But it is your fault, well not really your fault not like you purposely sabotaged them.” Tyler tries to explain, but is really just making it worse. “I’m not explaining this well. I had it all planned out and it’s not going as I planned.”

You don’t say anything.

“Look, I’m in love with you. And I’m pretty sure I have been for years I just didn’t realize it.” He reaches for your hand. “And I’m really hoping that you feel the same.”

“Yeah.” You say sadly. “I do.”

“Then why do you sound like your dog just died?” Tyler says softly.

“Because. In a few weeks, I’ll be relocating.” You say just as softly. You’re destroying your own heart at this point. “Toronto.” He says. It’s not a question. “Why?”

“I got a job.” You reply. “And I missed home.”

“Where will you be working?” Tyler asks, interested.

“With the Maple Leafs.” You play with the hem of the sweater. “On-ice rehab.”

“Well, it’s not ideal. But it’s not the end of the world.” Tyler says after a minute. “We can make it work. That is, if you want to try.”

…

“I’ll see you after?” Tyler’s arms are wrapped around you.

“Yes.”

“And you’ll make sure to leave the Toronto apparel in your office?” He mumbles in your hair.

“I guess I can do that.” You laugh.

“Thank you.” He leans down, placing a kiss on your lips. “Because, there’s a 50/50 chance they will win- and if they do I don’t want them to have you wearing their merch too.”

You laugh.

“You know, they have it all wrong. You’re not heartless. You might have a hard shell, but you’re all soft in the middle.”

“Keep it down.” He laughs. “I love you.”

“I love you too- now you have a game to play and I have a job to get to.”

“Good luck kiss?”

“Good luck kiss.”

[jadedfanfiction-blog]

Chapter 2

Ok so I know you read the beginning of this and wondering how in the hell did I get myself here. I'm twenty-three years old, with two degrees, a dream job at DDC House Design, the top interior design house on the east coast and I am officially 6 weeks pregnant. Well I am going to have to take you back to about 8 months ago when I stepped out on a dream and chased it all the way to New York City.

"Congratulations Sloane Taylor,  

This letter is to thank you and to acknowledge of your offer of employment to join the staff of DDC House of Designs with an entry level salary of $176,000. We feel it would be out mutual advantage to advance our final decision. Will contact you via email to advise you of your employment packet.  

Sincerely, DDC House Designs

"OOOOMMMMGGGGG, Mommy come her look! Omg look at this email!"

"What is it Sloane you are calling my name like you crazy."

""Look mom I got the designing job in New York?"

"Wow that’s great baby girl I'm so proud of you." My mother said with conviction,  

I looked up at my mother that had a sweet and sour look on her face when she heard me say New York.  

"Ok mom please don’t ruin this moment with that look ok New York is not that far away.  

"I know honey but its far enough and you don’t have any family up there. "

See my mother in my eyes is being her usual over protective self at the mention of me going somewhere that isn't Greensboro, North Carolina. I've been here my entire life and I can't wait to leave. Nobody here has hope or dreams of anything outside of those city lines. Don’t get me wrong I love my hometown and I am proud of where I come from, but I want to see the world. I graduated college last year from North Carolina A&T with my Bachelors in Business and a Minor in Art since of course my mother would have had a heart attack if I would have gone out of state. Hell, I think she might have had a minor stroke if I went to East Carolina University, so I didn’t even test the limits. I am by far not a small-town girl but I hold my values. Most of the girls I graduated out of high school have kids now including my best friend Amina Walton who I have known since kindergarten. We met on the first day when she asked me to push her on the swing on the playground and now we have been inseparable ever since. She had her daughter Skylar our freshman year in college and I love her to the moon and back but I know for sure I am nowhere near ready to be a mom.  

Mommy, I can take care of myself I am an adult and plus I have done everything you have ever asked of me. I stayed in Greensboro longer than I had planned on it. It is way past time for me to travel and leave."

"I understand Sloane, but what are you going to do it something goes wrong or you need something."

"then I will call home and ask. Mom you have to learn to let me go you are starting to smother me and I am an adult. I love you I really do but I am taking this job,"  

I had to put on my firm voice but I know I was hurting her feelings by saying that. It has been me and my mom for years after my dad died and she couldn’t help but hold me close. I can't really blame her though she really stepped up and played both roles perfectly to win an Oscar.  

"well what are they offering you to have you move so far?"

"they are paying my rent for my apartment, full benefit coverage, paid vacations and all holidays off. Come on mom, it is no way I am going to ever find a job like that here."

"ok ok Sloane. When do you have to leave after you accept the job?"

"Two-weeks..."

"two weeks! That is too soon how will you pack and get all of your things there in time?"

"they are sending movers mom, everything will be fine.  

I was so excited I couldn’t contain myself while she was in my room. Once I finally got her to see things through my eyes she walked out my room. I closed the door and let out a silent scream. I count help it. It felt like such a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I am leaving this place behind and not looking back.  

Two weeks flew by I couldn’t believe my whole life was packed into 30 cardboard boxes and I was counting the hours to load them in a moving truck. I didn’t think I was going to be this sad to leave when I made the call and accepted the position. Amina through me a huge going away party last night and it seemed like the entire city came out to see me off. Including my ex Zayvion. 

We dated for 3 years and I learned everything I don’t deserve in a relationship. I know what you thinking and no he didn’t cheat on me but let's just say college can really change people. Everything was perfect in that honey moon phase but after he crossed and pledged Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Secrets pushed us apart and turned us against each other. I didn’t expect to see him there and I know Amina didn’t invite him so of course he heard through the grapevine that I was leaving. Everybody loved us together being that we were the "black Love Lives" couple of the century. I can't deny he was fine for sure 6"4, golden peanut butter skin, full pink lips and chocolate brown curls. With a smile that made me melt and eyes to steal my soul.  Who could turn him down? At one point I never thought I could. Not to mention his dick game was powerful I swear that’s how he pledged on line. Freshman and Sophomore year, I had a nice size four body, but Junior and Senior year I filled out in everything. My body couldn’t lie that he wasn’t putting it down before dorm curfew and the whole campus could see it.  

He approached me with that suave walk and pearly white smile smashed across his face. I got a little weak at the knees as I watched him approach me from across the back yard. All my girls giggling behind me talking about "girl here he come" "mmm you sure you wanna leave that behind" "girl he so damn fine". I rolled my eyes at all of them, "look yall need to calm down and play it cool nobody is thinking about that boy." But on the inside my heart was racing. He walked up and said " what's up yall?" His voice rang in my ears so vibrant sending me to reminisce when he would whisper in my ear with my legs up on his shoulders and he hitting my spot just right. Damn I missed that feeling. My pussy started tingling and the thought of his hands rubbing down my thighs to spread my legs.  

"Sloane you good? "

I snapped out my daydream, "yeah I'm good, what are you doing here?"

"I heard Kiwan talking about it and I was surprised that I didn’t get an invitation so I thought I would make a surprise appearance. "

"well I didn’t make the guest list so I hope your feelings weren't too hurt."

"A little bit, but it's nothing a hug can't fix though," he shrugged his shoulders and held his arms out and open for me.  

It couldn't hurt just to hug him right? I contemplated at first then I just gave in and stepped in for the hug. His Prada cologne hit my nose and mesmerized me. His chest was thick and muscular. I could feel in his back where he had been hitting the gym and it was doing his justice.  

"awwww look at my favorite couple." I hear coming from behind him a familiar voice. Zayvion's best friend and line brother Kiwan. He was cool and about the only friend he had that I actually liked.  

"shut up you are so annoying"  

"don’t do me like that friend, you know im always going to team Sloane and Zay"  

"Shut up bro " Zay laughed and nudged Kiwan. "you play too much"  

"ok when yall stop frontin' let me know. Speaking of frontin whats up Amina you not gonna speak ? "

" Boy bye no im not speaking to you." Amina gave him the hand and walked off. Kiwan always had a thing for Amina since sophomore year and she tried everything to turn him away but I know on the low she had a little flutter for him. All it took was when she mentioned she had a daughter and he instantly got excited and said he would love to meet her one day. It definitely took Amina by surprise most guys take off at the mention of a kid but he held his own.  

"Bro when are you just going to let that go man?" Zay always joked him for how Amina loved to give him the cold shoulder.  

"Never bruh, you don’t understand we got a thing its just on the low."  

We all burst out laughing and everything felt like old times. In that moment my heart felt a little heavy. Am I really going to leave all of this behind. My friends and family for the big city? I wanted to say im staying but I knew It was just in the moment and when I got there it would all fade away.  

*Alarm rings

I woke up not realizing that I had fallen asleep in the middle of my day dreams. Today was the day. I reached over to turn off my alarm and my notification list was longer than usual. I scrolled down and saw Amina, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Daily Quotes and to my surprise Zayvion. My eye widened and I didnt even think he still had my number. I didn’t want to open his message to make it seem like I missed him or was pressed to see what he said so I just went to answer Amina. She said she was on her way to help me load the moving truck so I needed to get up and shower.  

Im going over my check list to make sure I got everything to load up as I see her pull up in her red Volkswagen Jetta. I didn’t even have to turn around to know it was her because I could hear the 90s r&b playlist bumping from down the street. The car doors closed and I heard my little angel Skylar's voice call out for me " Auntie!" I dropped my notepad and swept her up in my arms for a huge hug. She has gotten so big so fast and I cant believe I am about to leave her. I have been there since day one and in the delivery room when she was born.  

She hugged my neck so tight then pulled back and asked "auntie why is all of your stuff in that big truck where are you going?"  

I wanted to lie and say no where without you but I couldn’t. "auntie is moving to new york remember for her big girl job." She just smiled back at me and said "well are you going to visit me and mommy because we are going to miss you."  

"of course pumpkin and you and mommy are going to come visit me on the airplane right?"

"yes" she squealed. "good now go see meme she has cookies." I put her down on her feet and she took off running into the house. Amina walked up behind her and hugged me which is something she never does.  

"what is wrong with you, im not dying" I said.  

"what do you mean you are not dying?" She look confused at what I asked her.  

"uhm you are hugging me like im dying tomorrow not moving away."  

"well you might as well be! We have spent every day of our lives together since kindergarten, what am I going to do now that you have out grown this place?"

"well you know you can always move there too eventually, they need nurses in every state."  

"yeah I know but I have Skylar and I don’t really want to take her from my mom."

"you cant limit your self because of other people Mina." I always wanted so much more for Amina. She had potential to be so much more than she allowed herself to step out of her comfort zone to be. We were similar but our differences made us great friends.  

"girl are you sure you are ready to move like what is going to be the first thing you do when you get there?"

"shit find the nearest Junior's Cheesecake and walk the Brooklyn Bridge." We burst out laughing but I couldn’t be more serious.  

"how did it feel seeing Zayvion last night? I had no idea he was going to show up even though the whole city was In that shit. We was lit for sure."

"yeah It was super awkward and intense at first and it felt like old times." Speaking of Zay I totally forgot he had texted me this morning. "He texted me this morning and I didn’t think he would remember my number."

"why wouldn’t he? Bestfriend now you know that boy still love you and he know he fucked up."

"to bad that was not my problem then and its not now. He shoudnt be trying to press me now its been a whole year since we broke up and he wants to wait until the day before I leave to reach out? No thank you ill pass." I rolled my eyes and went to grab some boxes. It was no need for me to text back now.

We loaded the truck in a matter of 2 hours and nothing was left but my suitcase and backpack for my flight in the morning. My mom had to work but she would be off intima to take me to the airport. Amina and Skylar stayed over for one of our famous living room sleepovers.  

"You know your going to be ordering out every night when you get there because you cant cook?" She laughed trying to joke will she made all my sleepover favorites.

"shut up I can cook enough to survive! Plus that’s what restaurants are for to order out of."

"yeah but your going to miss this home cooking believe it or not because you know I can burn." Amina was the perfect wife and mom type. She had all the qualities not to mention she was beautiful. Milk cocoa brown skin, full curly natural hair that she passed on to Sky and she was 5"4 slim thick thick for sure.  

"yeah I am, you spoil me bestie. Thanks for everything!" I smiled at her and she just smiled back because she wasn’t the sentimental type but I know a tear filled her eye on that one. She finished cooking and we turned on the black Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston our favorite movie. Amina was sleep first as usual then sky and me. My mom came in and woke us up in time to get ready for me to catch my flight. We parked the car in the departure parking lot and they walked me to my gate. I hugged Amina and Sky trying to hold back tears. Then my mom who was wiping her eyes quickly so I wouldn’t see her crying.  

"oh mommy its ok don’t cry. I am going to facetime you as soon as I land."  

"I love you Sloane be safe ok?"

"I love you too mommy!"  

*now boarding flight 5477 to New York City at Gate 4*

"that’s me guys! I will call as soon as I land." I picked up my bag and walked to my gate. Handing my ticket over to the flight attendant I took one last look back at them waving bye to me I waved back walked through the doors. I found my seat and adjusted myself for the take off. I had a window seat so I could see the airplane wing. I took a hug deep breath and settled my nerves. This was the start of a new beginning and the plane started rolling.  

[butwelivehappilyeverafter-blog]

Romeo and Juliet with grunge ~ Part 1

This is the first thing I have written on here and I do plan on uploading more chapters. If I do write any more for this I will be leaning more into the fluffy dark comedy(?) genre so any feedback is appreciated. 

~~~

Part 1

Betty breathed in as she stepped outside for the first time that morning. The air was unusually warm for November, however an icy chill struck her as a gust of wind swept through the trees. She headed back inside to get her coat, finding her mother and father talking in hushed tones by the stair. They sprung apart as soon as they saw betty observing them.

“Everything ok honey?” Alice asked, her Stepford smile faltering slightly under Betty’s icy stare.

“Just came to get my coat” she brushed off her mother’s attempts to help her and ruched out of the door and onto the familiar road to Riverdale High.

Everything had changed in the Cooper household when Betty’s sister Polly had gotten pregnant and fled the small town of Riverdale to raise her baby with her boyfriend Jason. Betty hadn’t been aware anything was wrong until she came home from vixen practise 6 months ago to find her mother and father sat round the kitchen counter. They explained Polly’s ‘less than ideal’ situation. The shame of a baby born to unwed parents was too much for them. They had given Polly ultimatum, either she gave the baby up for adoption, or leave town.

Betty had cried more than she thought she ever could that night, the tears just wouldn’t stop. She had always admired Jason and Polly’s relationship. Polly had had a crush on Jason for years, but she knew being with him could only be a pipe dream. However, when Jason had asked her on a date to pops a year ago, she was ecstatic. Hal and Alice, although, did not approve. They forbade her to go anywhere near him or that family, but Polly didn’t care.

She’d spent hours getting ready, convinced this was the night she and Jason would confess their love for each other. She had snuck out of her window and returned in the early hours of the morning and snuck into Bettys room to tell her about the dreamy boy who had confessed his love to her that night. They had spent all that night chatting and planning for the future, a future neither realised would be coming true for Polly, sooner rather than later.

She hadn’t spoken to Polly in a while, their only means of communication were email drafts in a shared account Polly had set up so they could still talk, against their mothers misguided wishes. It was revealed a few months back that she was having twins, this and their impeding due date meant the young couple were rushed off her feet trying to get everything in order with the money Jason had saved before the Blossoms cut him off. The last message she had received Polly had invited her to come up to Ohio and stay with them. Away from “the evil clutches of Alice Cooper” was how she had phrased it. Home may be hell but there were other factors to consider. She was a senior with a 4.0 GPA to maintain, as well as her amazing friendships, old and some new. She couldn’t leave them all behind, so she had politely declined. It had ruffled Polly’s feathers a bit, something Betty chalked up to hormones, hence her lack of reply but betty knew she’d get over it soon enough.

Betty rounded a corner just as she heard somebody shout her name. She whipped her head around to see Archie Andrews waving at her from a few feet away. She smiled, only slightly forced as he approached. Archie had been her next-door neighbour since before she could remember, they had grown up together with Kevin Keller, the sheriff’s son, as the three musketeers.  They had been inseparable as kids, something Archie still hung on to, much to Betty and Kevin’s dismay. While they loved their friend, he could be a bit clingy and was yet to grow out of his childhood crush on Betty. Something he wasn’t the subtlest about. Betty always laughed off his advances, and when she did he would move onto the next girl falling over themselves at his muscles, but he could never seem to shake those feelings he’s held onto for so long.

“What’s up Coop” he said, swinging his arm over Bettys shoulders “I didn’t see you this weekend”

She chuckled and carefully removed his arm “Hey Arch, sorry I was busy”

“You’re always busy nowadays. We hardly see you anymore”

“I’m meeting you guys at Pop’s tonight, you’re coming right” she said as they walked through the gates

“Of course, it wouldn’t be right if I wasn’t there” Archie laughed as they walked through the lot. His eyes drifting to a group over by the motorcycle bay. “That Southsider’s looking at you again Betts”

Bettys eyes drifted to where Archie was staring down a dark, brooding looking boy. A cigarette dangled from his lips as he retrieved a lighter from the leather jacket that hung across his shoulders, boasting the infamous South Side Serpents logo.  She locked eyes with him and he smiled at her. She stifled a blush and looked back towards the doors. “pay him no mind Arch. Come on I need to speak to Veronica about practice tonight.”

Archie reluctantly tore his eyes away from the boy after giving him a disgusted look and followed Betty inside.

***

“What you staring at Jones” Sweet pea smirked, glancing at Jughead, “In another stare down with that Northside jock I see.

“He’s a clueless dickhead, not unlike most of the jocks here” Toni pipes up from his shoulder “He’s lost so many brain cells he doesn’t even see that that chick he’s always with isn’t interested. Just stares at her with puppy dog eyes, it’s quite depressing actually”

“Well, I feel bad for her. Putting up with men is hard work” Sweet pea interjects

“I wonder if she’ll give me a go” Toni says, “If there wasn’t that stupid rule I might actually go there”

“Rules be rules Toni” Jughead took a puff from his smoke before continuing “we all agreed before we came to this school we weren’t going to touch the Northsider’s. We want no strings attached for when we have to go back to Southside High. It’s not like a Serpents true love would be a Northsider anyway”

Sweet pea saluted him as Toni huffed “Too good to be true anyway, but you’ve got to kiss a few princesses before you find your true love. My luck I’ll end up with a frog”

“Yes, you have to kiss a few but you don’t have to bang them as well Toni” Jughead laughed at Sweet peas remark as Toni smirked.

“Personal preference. I like to make sure they’re not the one before I let them go”

Yeah, yeah” Jughead laughed as he stubbed out his cigarette and stood up “See you guys at the Wyrm tonight”

“Sure thing” Sweet pea said as Jughead skulked off towards Riverdale highs doors

***

“I’m sorry Kev, but no” Betty said as they walked out of English towards the cafeteria.

“Please please pleaseeee Betts. It’s my fault we broke up this time so it’s my responsibility to fix it! I need your help”

Betty rolled her eyes. She had just been informed of her best friends frankly insane idea to get his on again off again boyfriend, Moose, back after their breakup this weekend.

“Has it occurred to you Kev that you and Moose may not be that healthy as a couple. I mean this is at least breakup number 8 and that’s only the ones I hear about. I don’t like you getting hurt again and again”

“I hear your concern and believe me I understand but it was all my fault this time!” He took a deep breath and looked at the floor “Joaquin was back in town for a few days visiting him Grandmother and like the stupid romantic I am I kissed him at the game after party at the Whyte Wyrm. Of course, Moose saw, and I have been working my but off to make it up to him, but nothing works.” He collapsed onto a chair at their usual table, head in his hands.

“Is he still trying to rope you into his stupid plan to get moose back” Veronica asked as she sat gracefully next to Kevin. “Come on Hun, its time to move on and try someone new”

“Coming from veronica lodge who had been in love with a certain ginger since she came here and won’t act on her feeling cause she’s too afraid” Kevin taunted, sitting up to face the fuming raven haired goddess.

“You know full well why I can’t do that, if you liked them you would be scared too!” she whisper shouted “and… oh shit, they’re coming this way”

Their table of 3 turned around to see Cheryl Blossom strutting towards them. Her usual red lipstick was replaced by a dark plum as she seated herself opposite Veronica

“Afternoon, outcasts.” She sounded monotone as she leant forward and stole a grape from veronicas plate “How are we all doing this fine winters day”

“I was fine Cherry, until Satan in Louboutin’s stole my food that is.” Veronica fired back, looking pleased with herself.

“Enough pleasantries, I like to limit my time at this table to 2 minutes, should it affect my reputation. So, I’ll get straight to the point. Vixens practice will run late today so better inform that criminal daddy of yours and tell him not to send the limo till 7” she stood up and brushed off her skirt “That’s all”

“Always a pleasure, Cheryl” Kevin said as she walked away. “I swear that girl has an ego bigger than Reggie’s, I don’t know what you see in her V”

“Oh, bad girls are the best kind of girl, a lot more intriguing to unravel” Veronica winked at Kevin ad the turned to Betty “No offence B, I’m sure some guys love a good girl too”

“How do you know I’m not a bad girl.” Betty said, looking down at her salad “I could be naughty, a risk taker”

Veronica and Kevin looked at each other then back to Betty as Archie sat down “It will be a cold day in hell when betty cooper does something daring” he said, “No offence Betts but you don’t submit a paper until you’ve done at least 3 drafts, it’s part of your endearment”

Betty stood up and grabbed her bag “On that supportive note, I have an article to finish. I’ll see you all at Pop’s later”

Betty walked purposefully away as Archie watched, looking confused “Was it something I said?”

“Oh Archiekins, how anyone finds you charming is beyond me” Veronica said packing up her lunch and beginning to follow far behind betty “I wish your next hook up good luck!”

Archie looked towards Kevin, disgruntled “Just the lads today then Kev”

“Just the way I like it” Kevin said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

***

Jughead walked through the unfamiliar halls of Riverdale High. It had been just over two weeks since Southside high was victim of an arson attack, culprit not caught yet. They had been moved to Riverdale high affective immediately and after a few first week jitters (such as fights between jocks and serpents) they were all settled in. Jughead was only certain of the location of one room, the ‘Blue and Gold’. He had been taken on as a writer as soon as his English teacher realised his talent that had gone unrecognised at Southside high.

He found the door unlocked and sat in his usual corner, laptop open on his lap as he tried to finish an article on how the Southsider’s had been settling in in this unfamiliar environment when the door opened.

***

Betty stood in the doorway of the blue and gold office to find the only other member huddled in the corner. She nodded at Jughead before closing the door, sitting at her desk and taking out her laptop to finish some work on her latest article.

A few minutes passed in relative silence before Jughead looked up from his laptop and said “Look this is ridiculous. It’s been a while, I’m pretty sure none of you friends are about to burst in and- “

Before he could finish, he was cut off by Bettys lips on his in a passionate kiss. He stands up to meet her, pressing his body against her and he can instantly feel all the tension in his and hers bodies melt away. His hand slides under her pastel sweater, his hand wrapping around her back as he brought her as close as he could, breathing her in.

One year ago, if somebody told him he would have found the love of his life, a Northside princess, and that he would be here with her right now, the happiest he’s ever been, he would have thought you were insane. But here he was. They had met 11 months ago when his sister, Jellybean’s, teacher had said she was falling behind on her English Lit and if the 14-year-old didn’t pick up her grades her GPA would begin to fall. When he enlisted the help of a tutor from the Northside he didn’t expect somebody as seemingly perfect as betty cooper to turn up on his doorstep, and, truth be told, he despised her at first. She was too perfect, too pure, too everything he wasn’t, and it pissed him off. He told her as much for at her first month, them both falling into a mutual hatred. That was until the day she turned up at the trailer, late, eyes blotchy from crying and hand dripping blood. He sent Jelly off to give Hot Dog a walk while he comforted her. She told him about her overbearing, abusive mother, her weak father who never stood up for her and her party girl sister who was never there to defend her. At that time, she had just been shouted out of the house by Alice Cooper for refusing to take her unnecessary ADHD medication. For the first time, he looked at her. Really looked at her, and suddenly he realised. She wasn’t the perfect Northside princess he thought she was. She was a brave fighter, battling daily in her own home. Trying not to drown under expectation but this very moment she had finally been broken. He then realised, they were the same. He told her of his past. How his mother left him when he was 7 and Jelly was 4. How their father turned to gangs and alcohol to drown out the pain. How he was living in the flat above the Whyte Wyrm till he was sober enough to take care of his two kids who now lived alone at the old trailer, practically orphans. She clutched his hands when he had finished telling her, tears in her eyes, telling him it would all work out I the end. That was when he broke down in her arms as she whispered sweet nothings in his ear until he was fit enough to tend to her injuries.

She apologised repeatedly for going to him and not her friends as he cleaned her palms and bandaged them up in the old bathroom in his trailer. But he was glad she did and told her so. He had invited her to stay there for the night on the couch, an offer she agreed to almost immediately, making him chuckle. All these memories were rather hazy, but it’s what happened that night, after Jellybean had gone to bed, that he would never forget.

***

They both sat on the old beaten up couch. It had been a fun night after Jellybean had come home from the walk. They had raided the cupboards and found assorted snacks to tide them over while Jughead ordered a pizza. The girls talked all things engine (most of the jargon going right over Jughead’s head) they played poker with assorted chocolates which jellybean worryingly won. It was now around 10pm and Jughead and Betty were currently setting up a movie on his laptop.

“Ok, we’ve got Rear view window or Rebel without a cause. Take your pick and be warned I will judge you very harshly.”

“They are both cinematic masterpieces, but I have to say I’m a sucker for James dean.” Betty smirked as Jughead nodded in agreement.

“Rebel without a cause it is then”

As the title screen began to play, Betty shuffled from her position at the end of the couch, closer to the screen on Jughead’s lap.

“You can come closer Bets. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t bite” Jughead smirked as Betty rolled her eyes and pressed her body up against his side, his arm moving around her shoulders. He gulped at her proximity, he could feel her breathing under him and it gave him a weird feeling in his stomach, “Better?” He asked

She nodded, looking up at him, their faces inches apart. “Thank you Jughead, nobody’s ever done so much for me without an ulterior motive before, it’s a welcome change”

He was upset shed been treated so badly, she was so kind and gentle “You deserve the world Betty, even if other don’t see it, I do now. I’m sorry I was a douchebag before, can you find it in that full heart of yours to forgive me?” he pleaded

She looked at his eyes then her gaze flicked down to his lips, he felt this otherworldly force pulling them together as she moved in and kissed him. Lips on lips. It was slow and steady and unsure but also magical. He felt fireworks and when she pulled away, he leaned in for more and she accepted it gratefully. He abandoned the laptop, still playing, on the coffee table as she pushed him down on the sofa and kissed him, both wanting more, feelings of want they had disguised as hate over the past month all came to a head as she went to pull her shirt over her head.

He stopped her, placing his hands over hers “Not tonight, there will be plenty of time for that another time, that’s if you’ll have me?”

She giggles and nods as they both just stare into each other’s eyes, seeing the other so clearly for the first time.

“We forgot about the film” She whispered against his lips a few minutes later

“You know what? Fuck the film” He said, sitting up and closing the lid to the laptop. Betty was still straddling is lap so he picked her up and began walking with her in the direction of his room as she squealed.

“Oh god, he was going to fall hard for this girl” was the only thought in his mind at that moment. He wasn’t wrong either.

***

She pulled away for air after a few minutes and looked up into his deep blue eyes.

“I missed you Juggie” She whispered, hands playing with his hair, his beanie having fallen off earlier.

“We spent the whole weekend together Bets, don’t you remember. I’d be happy to remind you if you don’t…” He ran his hand back down from its place on her lower back and moved it to pinch her waist. She giggled at the action but pushed him away.

“There’s nothing I’d like more Jug, but I have vixen practice and if we don’t want Ronnie storming in here in 20 minutes and blowing the cover we’ve done so well to maintain, I suggest we leave it there Romeo” she blew him a kiss as she packed up her bag and walked up to the door “I love you Jug”

“I love you too Bets, so fucking much” He walked up to her and kissed her cheek. “Have a good practise, I’ll see you tonight”

With that he winked, and she left, keeping a straight face in case anybody took notice of her unusually good mood. No one had so far. They had been dating for 10 months and nobody had suspected a thing. Covert make out sessions under the bleachers and in the blue and gold were daily. They also spent at least 3 nights together every week. Either he snuck through her window or, when her parents were out visiting Polly (a weekly occurrence), she would sleep at the trailer. As great as it all was, mornings at the trailer were the best. J.B was the only person who knew about their relationship, so they were able to lay on the PDA, much to her teenage disgust. They’d lay around watching movies, eating whatever betty made that morning and they were always in a great mood thanks to last nights ‘activities’. She loved her life with Jughead, she still had the stuff at home and the mounting pressure at school wasn’t helping, but when she felt her lowest, he would always pick her back up.

But she was tired. Not just tired, exhausted with keeping it all a secret. She needed to let the world know she was in love. But now, they weren’t allowed to be together. It was Jughead’s estranged dad who enforced the rule as leader that no serpent was to get involved with a Northsider when the schools merged. It was a smart move, however very unhelpful to her. She and Jughead had already been involved, months and months of being emotionally and intimately involved. They were in love, and she was sick of hiding it like a dirty little secret. It was time to tell someone.

~ tbc ~

[farfarbetterdream]

another tag game!

I was tagged by: @absentmindeduniverse. I enjoy seeing you on my dash and reglogging (probably too much) from you!

rules: answer these 85 statements about yourself, then tag 20 people. 

damn that’s a lot of statements. and a lot of people to tag...

last

1. drink - water. before that, coffee. 2. phone call - skype call with my parents 3. text message - a friend about her afternoon plans 4. song you listened to - Astronaut by Gregory Alan Isakov 5. time you cried - a week ago

ever

6. dated someone twice? - no. never even dated anyone once. 7. kissed someone and regretted it -  never kissed anyone besides a dare when i was 10 that barely counts, so... 8. been cheated on - again, never been in a relationship so no. 9. lost someone special - romantically, no. family, yes. 10. been depressed - not sure 11. gotten drunk and thrown up - ok yes BUT iblamethecheapalcoholnottheamoutidrank

fave colours

12. forest green 13. a nice warm neutral tan/beige 14. deep blue

in the last year have you…

15. made new friends - yeah! 16. fallen out of love - would have to fall in love first 17. laughed until you cried - all the fucking time 18. found out someone was talking about you - nope 19. met someone who changed you - not really 20. found out who your friends are - yeah i guess? 21. kissed someone on your facebook friends list - wow this thing is just trying to rub it in my face that i’ve never been kissed, isn’t it :/

general

22. how many of your facebook friends do you know irl - pretty sure all of them. or at least used to know irl.

23. do you have any pets -  black standard poodle named Tikva. his name means hope in hebrew, because we got him right before the 2008 election and Obama’s slogan was hope!

24. do you want to change your name - when i was a lot younger i used to consider changing to the normal american pronunciation of hannah instead of the hebrew pronunciation. now i like it.

25. what did you do for your last birthday - it was my 21st so even though i’m abroad and could already drink, I went out and celebrated by going to a few bars and pubs.

26. what time did you wake up today - 4 AM when my noisy flatmate came in >:( then again at 8.

27. what were you doing at midnight last night - zzzzzzzzzzzz

28. what is something you cant wait for - getting to travel around the Scottish Highlands and do a bunch of hiking over spring break!

idk why there’s no 29...

30. what are you listening to right now - not currently listening to any music but in general i’ve been listening to dermot kennedy a lot recently

31. have you ever talked to a person named tom - my best friend in preschool was named tom. then we didn’t see each other for six years. then we went to the same middle school and was a dick to me. probably because he wanted to be part of the cool crowd and i was decidedly not cool 32. something that’s getting on your nerves - my flatmate constantly being so fucking loud and waking me up all the time 33. most visited website - my university email 34. hair colour - brown 35. long or short hair - currently just past shoulder length but that’s longer than i usually like it 36. do you have a crush on someone - maybe. i had a crush on a guy last year for a while. haven’t seen him in forever but also haven’t gotten any new crushes. if i saw him again i think i’d probably still have a crush on him tbh. good thing he’s graduating so i’ll probably never see ihm again :/ 37. what do you like about yourself - honestly? most of the time nothing. 38. want any piercings? - i have one lobe piercing and one cartilage piercing in each ear, but I want more. probably won’t get it though since my ears don’t heal very well from them. 39. blood type - O negative. universal donor, woo woo. 40. nicknames - hannahleh and pumpkin by my parents

41. relationship status - unfortunately single

42. zodiac - Aquarius 43. pronouns - she/her 44. fave tv shows - Black Sails, The 100, and Doctor Who. Also Game of Thrones, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Wynonna Earp, The X-Files, and countless others. 45. tattoos -  no but i kind of want want 46. right or left handed - right handed 47. ever had surgery - i had my wisdom teeth removed, but that’s it. 48. piercings - two on each ear 49. sport - i run and work out for exercise and recreation, but have never done any sports. i enjoy watching basketball occasionally  50. vacation - i like going places with beautiful nature to hike in or lots of historic sites to visit. technically you could say that i’m on an extended vacation right now since i’m studying abroad in scotland. last vacation was to Italy, next one is to the Highlands (unless it decides to snow). 51. trainers - such a weird word. yeah i wear them a lot because i run/work out and also they’re so comfortable to walk around in

more general 

52. eating - does this mean what i’m eating right now??? if so then nothing. at tortellini, spinach, chicken, and a sweet potato about 2 hours ago. about to go eat some chocolate fudge ice cream.

53. drinking - water. i constantly sip water.

54. i’m about to watch - nothing. i’m about to go eat dessert, take a shower, and then do homework.

55. waiting for - the results of the two essays i’ve turned in so far this semester, spring break, and The 100 season 5 premier

56. want - fresh baked cake or cookies, to see my family and my dog, warm weather, to fall in love, to figure out what i want to do with my life 57. get married - definitely, but not anytime in the near future.

58. career - currently a student, don’t really know what i want my career to be in. probably something related to sustainability, environmental education, climate change, cultural heritage protection, or museums. something that helps the world.

which is better

59. hugs or kisses - hugs 60. lips or eyes - i’m assuming all of these are about what we prefer/care more about in a romantic partner. eyes maybe? 61. shorter or taller - kinda have a thing for really tall boys. 62. older or younger - definitely older. 63. nice arms or stomach - holy fuck nice arms do something to me. 64. hookup or relationship - relationship. zero interest in hookups.  65. troublemaker or hesitant - hesitant. that’s my middle name. jk it’s leah. but i would actually say that being hesitant is one of my worst character traits.

have you ever

66. kissed a stranger - we’ve already established here that i have kissed no one. 67. drank hard liquor - i tried rum once when i was like 12 because we found it in a cabinet in our house and i wanted to be like a pirate. pretty sure my dad laughed at me when i choked on it. also done shots of hard liquor. 68. lost glasses - occasionally but only for very brief periods of time. sometimes i’ll take them off at home and forget where i left them in the house. 69. turned someone down - yes 70. sex on first date - no 71. broken someones heart - no but then again i’m usually clueless/oblivious so idk. maybe disappointed people briefly but not broken their heart. 72. had your heart broken - no  73. been arrested - naw 74. cried when someone died -yeah 75. fallen for a friend - i got a crush on a guy i was friends with freshman year of high school. 

do you believe in

76. yourself - rarely 77. miracles - no 78. love at first sight - i don’t think so. attraction, yes. love, no. 79. santa claus - jewish, so no. 80. kiss on a first date - please someone take me on a first date and kiss me. 81. angels - no

other

82. best friend’s name - i’m don’t really think i have a best friend. i have a number of close friends but i’m not good at opening up to people the way i think best friend connotes. but probably my oldest closest friend has the same name as me. 83. eye colour - green 84. fave movie - The Princess Bride even though I always get annoyed by how little Buttercup does. Crossing Delancey is my favorite rom com because it’s hilarious and sweet and super jewish. Also Romancing the Stone because it’s an adventure rom com. The Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley is gorgeous. Also always a sucker for the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and the Lord of the Rings movies. 85. fave actor - Tom Hanks because he’s an amazing actor, I’ve liked him in everything I’ve seen him in, and he’s just a precious human being.

tagging a combination of people i know irl and mutuals that I’ve mostly never talked to because i’m super awkward, you can do this if you want, or feel free to ignore it: @the-sadpotato, @ryostrenchcoat, @pinevillagegirl, @ineedpeetalikehekneadsbread, @hufflepuffhermione, @dweebshark, @kleinundasinine, @im-wallpapering-my-locker, @captain-fflewddurfflam, @thedarrparrot, @theavathedork, @geese-juggler, @addyleeliu, @bellarkeaddict, @thren0dy, @veganmewsings, @mistamie

[architectuul]

Discovering Kosovo

I was virtually traveling to Kosovo, to meet Bekim Ramku, architect, urban designer, curator and critic based in Prishtina. He runs Kosovo Architecture Foundation (KAF) and Prishtina Architecture Week (PAW). Bekim served as a Research Fellow at MIT’s Department of Urban & Spatial Planning in Cambridge, USA. 

He is also the founding chair of the DoCoMoMo National Chapter in Kosovo  and founding member of the Future Architecture Platform. Previously, he served as the Curatorial Advisor to Martino Stierli, the Philip Johnson Head Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and as the Commissioner to the Kosovo Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Architecture Exhibition in 2012 and 2014. 

---

Docomomo Kosovo Workshop in 2017 | Photo © KAF

In 2020 you transfer Kosovo architecture festival online where you created four and a half weeks of program online? Bekim Ramku: In totally we had 36 presentations with two workshops. Lectures are easier to organise online as there is no need for any special logistics. What you miss is the physical interaction, which we have during the festival in Prishtina. It is of course more difficult for the organisers but it gives a sort of charm that you can’t get via the online festival. 

What are the analysis of the festival dissemination from this years edition comparing with the other years?  BR: We have three time more visits than usual number. In our festival we run 40  to 50 activities, meaning lectures, debates, workshops, exhibitions, and we get 5000 followers. This time we got more that 15.000 visitors, which means we received the global reach. 

Alejandro Aravena’s lecture on KAF 2015 | Photo © KAF

You are also working at Docomomo Kosovo on the protection of modernism in Kosovo; what was the acceptance of the architecture from Yugoslavia in Kosovo after the MoMA exhibition? BR: It is difficult as people are still mentally connected with Serbia on the topics of Yugoslavia. Bringing on the topic to protect the Yugoslav architecture is alway controversial here. When I was giving interview before the MoMA exhibition the journalists would ask me to speak about the library and Kosovo architecture and were not so much interested in Yugoslav architecture. You have a lot of people that think it’s kind of provocative topic but also people who understand that Yugoslav is an important architectural period to be protected. Unfortunately people that think that this architecture should be demolished are in majority, particularly in the government. It happened that the appearance of the modernist architecture changed because of such people, like Kosovo Parliament redone in the 1960s by Juraj Neidhardt, the Rilindja Print House by Georgi Konstantinovski, Civil Engineering School in Prishtina and a lot of other buildings in Kosovo. Recently Arber Sadiki, who was part of MoMA exhibition, published a book on Prishtina modernism.  

Conservation and management plan for the National Library of Kosovo | Photo © KAF

If I am not wrong you succeed to list the National Library in Prishtina on the list of protected heritage of Getty Foundation? BR: In 2016 we were fortunate enough to do a project on the National Library with the Getty Foundation Keep it Modern Grant. We did the conservation management plan and a Dossier to enlist the building on the permanent list. It it still on the temporary list because we have this strange body called Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage, which is dysfunctional several years but it decide who gets on the permanent list. We were told by the administers that we deliver the most complete Dossier they ever saw and it will probably be the first building in Kosovo on the permanent list. 

Antoine Wilmering opening the Getty exhibition KAF 2018 | Photo © KAF

What about the presentation of the monument of the National Liberation Struggle in Yugoslavia? BR: The one from Bogdanović in Mitrovica is still ok, there was a beautiful monument in Pec made from bronze, which has just disappeared. They made an awful abstract park. In Prishtina there was a sculpture of Boro and Ramiz and the Boro’s head was taken off. There is a joke saying can you return it because that’s head is Ramiz’, the other guy is Boro, you mixed them up. In Kosovo polje is also a beautiful monument, which is still not demolished. It is really difficult to protect them, we send a long list of monuments and buildings, we would like to enlist on the temporary list, but there is not enough information or value to protect them. It also depend on who is in the ministry of culture, then monuments for partisans will probably not be on this list. 

Opening the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2016 exhibition at Epoka University, Tirana | Photo © KAF

David Basulto lecture on KAF 2018 | Photo © KAF

You mentioned that is quite difficult to present anything with the predisposition of Yugoslavia in Prishtina; would maybe help to transfer the idea of solidarity and unity in the sense of today’s Europe in the context of new togetherness? BR: It is difficult to get support from public institutions because they would always comment “fine, good for you, but find the money somewhere else”. Even when we produced the modernistic map of Prishtina there were problems with the modernistic ones as the authors were mostly Serbian. We were therefore turned down and not funded as we shall present more Albanian architectures. The modernist map of Prishtina was so funded by the French Embassy. 

Ivan Kucina lecture at KAF 2018 | Photo © KAF

You are also a Founding Member of the Future Architecture platform, what did it bring to KAF?  BR: Future Architecture brought a lot to KAF! We were in a difficult position when we joined. It helped KAF financially and we brought interesting people to Kosovo. People that apply to FA are pioneers in the architecture field. We for example invited people from Bartlett that are doing video games urbanism, we did a workshop with Architecture for refugees in Roma neighbourhood and many others. We presented all these people to local students with tools and methodologies that are not introduced in schools, so it is a kind of alternative education for them. 

Babau Bureau Workshop Vila Rotonda KAF 2018 | Photo © KAF

Was is your personal experience on global scale, with MoMA in New York?  BR: It was interesting as an initiative as I meet Martino Stierli just few months before he was named a new head curator at MoMA as his partner is from Kosovo and they came to visit Kosovo. We did architecture tours and Martino said he would love to do an exhibition about Yugoslavia. Few months later I got an email from him as an official invitation for working on the exhibition asking help to introduce him to the people from the region, to Vladimir Kulić, Matevž Čelik, Maroje Mrduljaš and others. Of course MoMA is a powerful organisation and institution, they gathered original drawings, models and plans. At the end there was this conflict of interest regarding the original material, should it be kept in MoMA or return back. On Matevž initiative we did the letter where we asked for the material to be returned back to the host institutions. I could say that Balkans network is much more collaborative than the global one. For us is always important to invite people form the region and show that Kosovo in different as they imagine it. 

The National Library Pristhina at the MoMA exhibition in New York, 2018 | Photo © KAF

[kerishaharris]

Beyond job hunting, *what* is LinkedIn for?

Once upon a time, LinkedIn was little more than that obscure site that seemed to pop out of nowhere, and we only learned we were on it after Googling ourselves (no judgment, we’ve all done it). If you’re anything like me, your first reaction was what on earth is this, and more importantly, um, why does this thing know where I work?!? But in time, LinkedIn grew to be a sort of news/social networking/career development one-stop-shop, and more recently, a legitimate source for media consumption and a must-have for landing your next gig. Not a bad growth arc there, LinkedIn.

(hey, I know her!) Why LinkedIn’s growth is different

Founded in 2002, LinkedIn struggled for a bit to find its footing among a social media field that was growing ever-more crowded by the minute. For a while, its purpose was a little unclear. Is it for job hunting? Bragging about our latest career development? Stalking the dream company we wish we worked for? No one was certain. Part of why the network grew the way it did was that unlike other social networks that require users to opt-in and join, your initial LinkedIn profile was generated for you based on your publicly available employment information, you just had to claim yours. So as LinkedIn began to grow and refine itself, most of us were already on the platform and able to take advantage. And while Facebook and YouTube continue to (unsurprisingly) dominate the social media landscape, LinkedIn has slowly but surely increased in popularity. According to Social Media Today, LinkedIn is now up to 690 million total members. Unbeknownst to me, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion, and as recently as 2018, LinkedIn contributed $5.3 billion in revenue to its parent company. That’s because unlike other social media platforms that rely on advertising, LinkedIn offers career-building opportunities that users are willing to pay to unlock, such as help with sales and hiring.

Real tips from real pros

(Self Made Millennial says LinkedIn’s algorithm looooves native content) Although I am happily employed in a new role I’m thrilled with, I admit to checking LinkedIn almost daily. For the most part, I visit to be nosey to learn more about where my former colleagues are working, what projects they’re up to, and frankly, what companies are hiring for my specific skill set (it’s how I landed the job I have now, so thanks LinkedIn). Far less frequently, however, do I visit LinkedIn to consume media. For that, I turn to email lists I’m signed up for, like The Morning via the New York Times, Twitter, and my Apple and Google news alerts. But interestingly enough, times are changing and LinkedIn has become a place for thought leadership, think pieces, career-related blogs, and long-form media content. 

Writing for Kinsta, Maddy Osman notes that content on the LinkedIn feed, inclusive of articles written on/for the platform, generates 9 billion (woah!) impressions per week, and that it drives more than 50 percent of social traffic to B2B sites. A study by OKDork found that how-to articles, long-form content, and posts that included at least eight images were among the top-performing pieces of content. Interestingly though, only a tiny percentage of LinkedIn users are posting content to the site regularly.

What I do like about LinkedIn’s content feature is that unlike a piece from WSJ or CNBC, I’m not hearing from a journalist on a specific beat looking to scoop the industry. Rather, I’m hearing from real professionals offering advice based on their own experiences and lessons learned throughout their careers. I see some potential value in that. Still, with so few users actually creating the content, it’s hard to say whether any of the media found on LinkedIn is helping or advancing the brands or influencers creating it. The real struggle? Doing LinkedIn “right” Because LinkedIn is still kind of figuring out exactly what it is and who it’s for, I haven’t seen too many brands actually master a LinkedIn presence that makes sense or adds real value. Full disclosure: most of my engagement on LinkedIn as a communications and marketing professional has been to remember to post something (ok, anything) on it at least every few days just to say I did. Terrible, I know, but I have it on good authority that I’m not the only one. It seems fewer people engage with LinkedIn looking for news or media, but rather, are there looking for career growth and development. According to Osman’s deep-dive into the numbers of LinkedIn for Kinsta, more than 20 million companies are listed on LinkedIn and 90 percent of recruiters are using it to fill more than 14 million open jobs. In terms of who is using LinkedIn, the Pew Research Center notes that LinkedIn is most popular among college students and graduates, as about half of college grads use the platform, compared with a mere 9 percent of people with a high school diploma or less using it. It seems pretty clear that students, as well as educated working professionals, are using it for reasons primarily tied to career development and networking.

(Emily preemptively looking for the next Emily on LinkedIn) What’s the future for LinkedIn? I commend LinkedIn for its efforts to innovate and turn itself into more than just a job-hunting and recruiting tool. Recent rollouts like LinkedIn Live for business pages allow brands to combine the best parts of interactive social media and smart career development, and reach their audience in new ways. A real standout here in my opinion would be the New York Times, which has tapped into LinkedIn Live to bring together journalists and subject matter experts for live, interactive video conversations. But in reality, I think LinkedIn is just too much of an outlier, and that it can only mimic the best of what other digital and social networks have to offer. Looking for the next great gig? LinkedIn’s your jam. But beyond that, I think I’ll stick to the other guys.

[backtomylakearearootsstory]

S1E3

:

At the funeral Deja sat with the family while trying to hold back her tears. She remembers the time that stayed with her aunt all summer one year. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Quincy was giving council to Malachi about his transition to middle school. “Son” he said, “you are getting ready to embark on a new journey. You’ll have some good times and some bad times. I’m hoping that you will use these next three years to excel socially as well as academically. You’re a smart young man so I have no doubt that you can handle this” Malachi, sat at the kitchen table looking at a photo album that he noticed in his mother’s room.

“Dad?”

“yes son?”

“Who are these people right here with mom?”

“Those are some of her cousins” 

“So Mom’s family is from Louisiana and you are from Mississippi”

“Yes, your grandmother migrated to the LA area for a better life. She grew up during the worst of Jim Crow, she left once she got married”

Malachi continued to question “I’m still not sure why she never went back to visit. Her family would come see her and us once every few years…..but not the other way”

“I’m sure she has her reasons, your mother bought you and Aundrea down to Louisiana when you were three, QJ was a newborn at the time, look, there’s the picture! Wow, I haven’t seen this picture this picture in ages.”

He continued: “Your grandmother grew up in a region that was not particularly kind to people like us at the time. I can relate being from Mississippi, I joined the military, eventually I was stationed here in LA and knew I wanted to settle here.”

At the funeral when it came time for Helen to speak, she could not hold back. She talked about them growing up and  how they both had dreams about what their lives would turn out like. 

“After I left, we communicated mainly by letters and  phone, when I began to use email, I was able to exchange pictures with her of family milestones and vacations. The last time I saw her was 10 years ago, she came out to see me unexpectedly. She loved the area, though she could not understand why shopping was so expensive. She loved a bargain. We went to Long Beach on a Wednesday and I remember bringing her to Hollywood. She had considered moving here and she would always ask me on her visits here when I would come home to see her. I regret it every day. This is a regret that I will carry to my grave, the fact that I never conquered my fear.”

So many got up to speak including her son Jameson, who is now living in Baton Rouge with a family of his own. He spoke about the relationship he had w/ his mother, he stated that she was often very protective of his as a single mother and him being her only child. He never knew his father. He stated that she considered him a huge blessing considering her circumstances, she had many medical problems and because of it, he was seldom able to go anywhere as a child. He was at home quite a bit. While he resented this growing up, he will always miss his mom and he does understand that she had good intentions, after all, he went to LSU on a full academic scholarship as well as an athletic scholarship. He majored in business and obtained an MBA. She was his biggest fan. “I know she’d be proud to see us all today, Yvonne, Clarissa, Deja, Azalea, Anita, I see you guys right there, y’all were like a second family to me and I would light up when Mom told me that you were coming for the summer, “I was probably closest w/ Yvonne being around the same age. I remember my mother nurturing that relationship in particular, I actually think she was one of the few people that I was trusted with……………” He paused for split second and ended his speech with “Mom, I’ll miss you, I wish I had gone home a bit more once I got to college, RIH mama”.

After the service, Yvonne and Jameson exchanged contact information, including their social media information and headed to the burial. 

Once the burial ended and Deja could get a moment to herself, she contacted her husband using face time

“How was the service?”

“The service was very emotional”

“How’s your mom holding up?”

“She’s alright, she needs some time to grieve though. Are the kids at home?”

“Yes, Malachi is right here. Andrea is across the street” 

“Hi mom”

“Hey son, you ready for school next week?”

“Yeah, I guess….how’s Louisiana?”

“It’s hot! Far hotter than Los Angeles! I can’t wait to get out of these hot ass clothes””

“Mom, when are we going to go down there.”

“I’m hoping soon, I would like for you guys to come. You need to  be well hydrated. Get your dad back on the phone”

“Hey dad she wants to talk to you”

“See you later son”

“Ok ma’”

“My flight leaves tomorrow, I should be back Monday. I’m going to go change, I’ll call you back this evening”

“Okay, I’ll see you later, I’m going bring him to a pool party”

To be continued with episode 4.

[noheroes-allowed]

12/10

officially got rejected today. laid in bed finishing my 4740 project and my other group members don’t even know the amount of effort I put in. it’s fine though. they didn’t purposefully slack off or anything. I just have unusually high standards I suppose and can’t function in groups.

other news. today was the segc social. maya definitely likes keith. hahahahahahaa she literally got up halfway through and went to sit on the other side of the table to be next to him. this girl jesus. I sat next to her bc there was only one seat left and was like oh you’re maya right. which I only know from stalking her fb. and she was like yeah and you’re lucy right and went back to talking to mahdia lmao. I talked to chloe and sergio and xavier though. and it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. we were talking so much that everyone else on the other side finished their food and we weren’t done at all. also when we were ordering it skipped all the way down to me without me knowing. and I was like wait what. and then the waitress came down and sergio was like wait what. and then spent so long picking his dinner. like she went and got everyone else’s. and came back and he still wasn’t ready. and then collected everyone’s menus and he finally settled on something. and when chloe came in the waitress came back and asked her. and she was also panicked. idk I think it’s funny how we all went through that. on our way out keith was like I felt so far away from you guys. directed mainly at xavier. and I was like you missed our game.

secret santa was also really cute. we went around and said clues for what we bought and I guessed phyllis bc she said decor. she got me the hanging picture thing. and a plant. when everyone went around via was like oh you’re holding the present in your hand. and phyllis was like no this plant is for me. but then she was like plot twist! this is for you. and I was the surprised pikachu meme. it was so cute. ahhhhhh. also like mahdia knew what I got her and I knew what phyllis got me bc we all made wishlists. but wow I did not expect to be so happy opening it. and I talked to mahdia after and she was so happy to get my gift too. gifts are so nice. so weird

when we were walking after dinner the group got split up. bc half of us was waiting for xavier. we saw a party bus on the way and jokingly said we should just say it was ours and get on. but then xavier was like no wait lemme ask if we can take a pic inside. and we did lmao. and then I was talking to keith going upstairs and I told him he missed it. he was wearing his athletic jacket from high school and idk if it was his jacket or what but his shoulders looked hella good today. fuuuuck. maybe I never paid attention but also maybe it was the jacket. when thomas said his gift was $40 and keith and I both mouthed 40 and looked at each other. I went to the bathroom and opened the door to him. lmao I’m lame but at least I know it.

we played the voting game and I got first in line for hell. which I love. lucy is short for lucifer. also people said I was mysterious. also that I would be from the future. also dhanush was like the funny thing is and said a spiel about trivia and then I was like wow that was so funny sarcastically and everyone laughed. making fun on dhanush is easy. damn I miss our invested team. on our way out dhanush was like lucy is wrecking me today but I know she has a soft spot for me. which is true in a way. like I wouldn’t make fun of him if I didn’t know him enough. but then I said sungjae was my favorite. he’s so unproblematic and soft.

I’m really glad I went today. sergio is cool. I wanna hang out with him more. chloe is cool too. I wanna be friends with them and xavier and sungjae and phyllis and thomas. he’s so funny. and keith oops. although I feel like I could actually really like phyllis and thomas and sergio. there was a post semester survey and I think I answered those three for the people I wanna get to know better. I didn’t put keith bc I didn’t wanna expose myself even though only the presidents probably see the survey. but now I genuinely have those three as my answers. and tbh anyone there today was chill. like why did I waste so much time. I could’ve like tried talking to people more. watch me next semester though forget this feeling. and have that irrational anxiety around these people again.

I’m happy I went. I’m happy I stayed even when a huge group of people left after secret santa. accidentally fell asleep and woke up at 6:40 and then stayed in bed for another 10 minutes debating if I should just not go. bc getting ready and walking would take 30 min and sometimes showing up late sucks more than not going at all. but I did it. I took a bus and was only 15 minutes late. I think it was a blessing in disguise when there was only one seat left and it was at xavier’s end. even though initially I was like oh keith is on the complete other end of the table. like in my row and furthest from me where I couldn’t even glance at him if I wanted to since he was too far to talk to. but it’s ok. sergio and chloe and xavier made up for it.

when we were leaving xavier was like lucy you should talk more during g-body. aw. I will try I guess. I hope so. also I need to go to secon next sem. bc I definitely missed out on bonding last year bc I didn’t go.

yesterday keith and I talked before class. and it was fun. he asked about my project and I asked about his. he said that apparently his guy thought they weren’t working on the project and sent an email like yeah this semester was a failure. apparently a bit nicer but still. I thought it was mean. and I asked him about his finals. and then this dude like heard him talking about public finance and interrupted. and then he was like wait sorry what was your question. cutie. I love when he turns around to talk to me. bc he could just talk to his friend sitting next to him but he turns around and talks to me and includes me in the conversation sometimes even when I don’t even really know his friend. he asked me what I’m doing next summer. and oof. I was like don’t ask me that question. he asked me if I was doing anything over break. he’s going to florida to visit family. I’m getting my wisdom teeth out. he did it summer after freshman year. his friend is gonna be in sab fran. I said I had family there and visited last summer. we talked about the masters presentations. and I said one of them was sloppy and kind of annoying. I asked him when his last day was. his last final might be the 17th but I don’t remember. I said mine was the 16th but I’m leaving the 21st. and he was like oh that’ll be a chill few days then. but I’m picking up shifts for work. oh that’ll be a profitable few days then. I asked if he was gonna be on my project team next sem. and he was like will you have a good project. but it would be fun. more fun than the other ones. I do not know for sure if I heard the last part right but if he did. damn son

also I felt bad when I walked in late and they were like lucy! and I saw keith turn a little to wave at me but I was like too anxious and trying to figure out where to go and didn’t like say hi to him. sad. I asked him yesterday if he was going today. he said he was going to dinner but had to leave kinda early afterwards. he said he wanted to sleep. which sad. why didn’t he stay longer. I wish he was there for the voting game.

hahahaha last semester I wanted to ask keith to go to an apo fellowship with me. but I didn’t wanna expose myself. but it’s the end of the semester again and I wanna hang out with him again. oof this time I don’t even have anything to ask him to do with me. I just wanna hang out and eat lunch or something