#one specific playlist had 4 mother mother songs. that's 4 too many if you ask me | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

asimawv · 4 years ago

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I write and conceptualize story to music, so I’ve compiled a playlist of 30 Darkest Dungeon-specific songs that I listen to when writing (and subsequently re-writing) in no particular order, which I hope will help you set the vibe too. :+)

Names in bold are links for easy listening - tons of Hozier and Of Monsters and Men up ahead, five minute warning.

1. ‘Fire and the Flood’ - Vance Joy

If you listen to nothing else on this list, listen to this one - it’s the kind of song that’s made for movies about yearning. Folk influences, choruses of trumpets and vocal harmony, and instruments that are layered for a rich, resonant sound. This is the song I imagine Dismas and Reynauld horse-racing through a crowded outdoors market in the hamlet to, and the song I listened to nonstop freshman year when I first started writing The Myth of Sisyphus.

You're the fire and the flood And I'll always feel you in my blood Everything is fine When your hand is resting next to mine Next to mine You're the fire and the flood

The chorus is built around biblical allusions to the fire (the burning bush signifying first contact) and the flood (destruction of the first world), the beginning and end. Every line is similarly evocative of Darkest Dungeon in their simplicity (“I’ve been getting used to waking up with you,” etc.)

2. ‘Soldier, Poet, King’ - The Oh Hellos

By the title alone you can guess who this is for. Even the Guild quote for the Leper approaches these three things as the defining parts of his character (specifically it’s “a ruined man, a warrior, and a poet.”) This song coincidentally has an old world influence to it, with a Medieval Renaissance style from a guitar playing a lute-adjacent melody.

There will come a ruler Whose brow is laid in thorn Smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei oh lai oh Lord Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord Smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei oh lai oh Lord

To be smeared with oil is to be anointed by a prophet and thus chosen by god himself to be king, just as David was and his boy after him (presumably Solomon). There’s something strangely wistful about the imagery, which is just how I like my songs about bygone kings.

3. ‘Exit Hymn’ - Bear Attack!

This song is about the end of the world in a version where everyone simply stands together in silence watching, rather than having the masses swarming in panic.

Lovely shapes to the world descending, Brothers and sisters. Lovely shapes to the world descending, Brothers and sisters Mute.

It defies Lovecraftian horror, which is based on the premise that “common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large” - it flies in the face of existential nihilism and the despair that it should bring us. That’s why I like this song for deaths in the end-boss fight; it also has a special place for other death-related ideas, like full-party wipes - entire teams of people vanishing into the dungeons, gone insane, holding hands while the darkness surrounds them.

It’s a bare song which has a sanctity to it, mostly just piano and rain and human voices. Just what you would hear at the end of the world.

More under the cut:

4. ‘Pursuit of Glory’ - Jhameel

This song is laid-back. It doesn’t have the Homeric intensity that some of the other songs here do - it’s a guy with a guitar and vocal harmony. By god is it a great piece of writing though (all of Jhameel’s older songs have that quality to them), and all of it is evocative of Darkest Dungeon.

So many eyes set on the path to glory Too many ties, friendship is for the lonely Can't still my heart, my tongue has tasted folly Thirsty for art, hungry for power and money

This is a song for everyone in the barracks, especially the ‘laundry list’ of people and their approaches to the pursuit of glory.

5. ‘Good Old Days’ - Macklemore (feat. Kesha)

This fucker put a Macklemore song in here. I did, yeah. It’s not even the only song with Kesha in it here (I’m sorry.)

It’s a sentimental pop song, and I am sentimental to a fault. This is Darkest Dungeon AMV material, and I always mishear one of the lines as “we were underground, loaded mercs in that 12-passenger van” so it’s here.

We've come so far, I guess I'm proud And I ain't worried about the wrinkles around my smile I've got some scars, I've been around I've felt some pain, I've seen some things, but I'm here now Those good old days

6. ‘Past Lives‘ - Kesha

Here it is, the other Kesha song - this was introduced to me by a good friend, also in a Darkest Dungeon context. There’s just something about the lovers spanning time trope and finding each other in one life to the next that is irresistible (for the obvious reason in the context of Darkest Dungeon.) It’s a soft song, totally out of place in Kesha’s typical discography, and has a line about losing someone to the crusades, so... you know.

There's just somethin' about you I know Started centuries ago though You see your kiss is like a lost ghost Only I would know But I, I keep on falling for you Time after time Time after time

7. ‘Viva la Vida’ - Coldplay

You cannot fight this. You know that this is the song for King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, you know it is. Did you know the official name of this genre of music is “Baroque pop”? Yes, that means more songs like this exist. You will live with this information now.

Don’t fight it. Just let it wash over you.

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason I can't explain Once you go there was never, never an honest word And that was when I ruled the world

Mirror, sword, and shield, the three other members of his party, his missionaries in a foreign field. Thinking emoji. I typed that out so I wouldn’t have a repeat of the crab emoji incident.

8. ‘The Boxer’ - Jerry Douglas (feat. Mumford & Sons, Paul Simon)

Partly inspired by the Bible, Simon & Garfunkle’s ‘The Boxer’ is a folk rock song about poverty, loneliness, and homesickness. It’s written and sung in a style that’s strongly reminiscent of older times, and the final verse about its eponymous boxer is particularly powerful:

In the clearing stands a boxer And a fighter by his trade And he carries the reminders Of ev'ry glove that laid him down Or cut him till he cried out In his anger and his shame "I am leaving, I am leaving" But the fighter still remains

This is what I use for Dismas’ life leading into organized crime and his foolish abandonment of stable job prospects in a half-baked bid for fame, as well as being punched down over and over again but with nowhere else to go. That last part is widely applicable across the cast.

9. ‘I Will Wait’ - Mumford & Sons

I am but a simple man. I see 'folk rock' and add it to my Darkest Dungeon playlist. This song I use for Reynauld - it has that sort of “salt of the earth,” somewhat biblical humility in its choice of words and style.

Raise my hands Paint my spirit gold And bow my head Keep my heart slow

10. ‘Little Lion Man’ - Mumford & Sons

Have we not beaten this song to death yet? Can you blame us? This is the people’s song. We reserve it for all of our favorite fuck-up characters, as primal as Saturn devouring his son. We love this song. Jesus.

Tremble for yourself, my man, You know that you have seen this all before Tremble little lion man, You'll never settle any of your scores Your grace is wasted in your face, Your boldness stands alone among the wreck Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

The line about learning from your mother in particular is why I think of this song for Dismas’ introspection, but I also associate it with the Hellion.

11. ’From Eden’ - Hozier

There’s too much Hozier in my playlists. There is so much of it, and it’s all important to me, says the hoarder. There’s something about profoundly intimate folk music that I love, and god put folk, R&B, blues, and alt rock into a Vitamix for 45 seconds to make Hozier.

Honey you're familiar like my mirror years ago Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword Innocence died screaming, honey ask me I should know I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door

‘From Eden’ is, according to Hozier, about idolizing someone from a distance, written from the perspective of the devil “looking longingly at something he desires - for everything that he does not have.” I associate this song with the Grave Robber for its playfully nihilistic tone - Audrey does say something to the effect of being left for dead by high society and the affectionate bordering condescending address is on-brand.

12. ‘Cherry Wine’ - Hozier

‘Cherry Wine’ is unabashedly about domestic violence, and its sincerity is heartbreaking, the sanctification of the blood spilled in the name of keeping her.

The way she tells me I'm hers and she is mine Open hand or closed fist would be fine The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine.

This song is strongly tied to the Vestal for me.

13. ‘Work Song’ - Hozier

A song about unconditional love - heaven and hell were just words, indeed.

When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her

I think of this song for both Dismas and the Abomination - it’s a song about love transcending spiritual and even physical need, complete devotion, but something about it is also not quite right. It’s morbid and excessive, self-pitying, and almost ugly in its sincerity.

14. ‘Sunlight’ - Hozier

The strong gospel influence with the choruses, church organ, religious fervor - I think it makes a great song for traveling scenes and church/altar scenes.

I had been lost to you, sunlight Flew like a moth to you, sunlight oh sunlight Oh, your love is sunlight Oh, your love is sunlight (sunlight, sunlight) But it is sunlight

15. ‘Arsonist’s Lullabye’ - Hozier

The gospel this time is paired with electric rock instrumentation. Something about the lamentation is unapologetic and matter-of-fact in its disturbing inclinations - this is Paracelsus’ song. Arguably representative of Bounty Hunter and Flagellant as well.

Now that I think about it, it’s great for Abomination as well. Damn.

All you have is your fire And the place you need to reach Don't you ever tame your demons But always keep 'em on a leash

16. ‘We Sink’ - Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men are closer to the indie rock/pop spectrum with influences of folk, with much less biblical influence and more folklore-inspired lyrics. They make for great trailer and action songs.

We are the sleepers, we bite our tongues We set the fire and we let it burn Through the dreamers, we hear the hum They say come on, come on, let's go So come on, come on, let's go

In Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos, dreams are how the Old Ones commune with humans on the earth’s surface while they slumber in the ocean depths (Cthulhu fhtagn meaning “Cthulhu is dreaming”); I like to think of the ‘sleepers’ as the heroes being tasked to “set the fire” and the ‘dreamers’ being the Heir and Ancestor driven by some unseen force to unearth the antediluvian underground.

17. ‘I Of The Storm’ - Of Monsters and Men

Very somber song, overwhelmingly piano and snare drum and vocals. Also a great death scene song, or for introspection around the campfire, or played to reveal a major event.

If I could face them If I could make amends With all my shadows I'd bow my head And welcome them

18. ‘King and Lionheart’ - Of Monsters and Men

My favorite OMAM song - it’s clearly written about two children, kind of reminiscent of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ in its fantastical nature, and very upbeat about the end of the world.

His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly Pass the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind Though far away, though far away, though far away We're still the same, we're still the same, we're still the same

This part is reminiscent of the Leper’s journey, but the mentions of taking over a town, howling ghosts, the end of the world, a black sea and creatures lurking below, etc. are all evocative of Darkest Dungeon.

19. ‘Little Talks’ - Of Monsters and Men

Also very upbeat for its subject matter - according to OMAM, it’s a narrative of a woman speaking with the ghost of her dead husband, or going insane and believing that she’s speaking with her dead husband.

Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear 'Cause though the truth may vary This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

The call-and-respond style of the song is haunting. I like this song for expeditions and afflicted heroes.

20. ‘Wolves Without Teeth’ - Of Monsters and Men

Suitable for both Occultist and Abomination, being consumed by an unseen and otherworldly force that inhabits them - well, maybe just rarely seen, in the Abomination’s case. Special mention to OMAM’s ‘Human,’ same conceptual backing but more raw.

You hover like a hummingbird Haunt me in my sleep You're sailing from another world Sinking in my sea, oh You're feeding on my energy I'm letting go of it He wants it

21. ‘Desierto’ (Original Motion Picture Score) - Woodkid

This is a full album, because all of it is dark orchestral cinema music described as ‘unsettling,’ with the sole exception of ‘Land of All,’ which has vocals to it. I reserve this album for writing fight scenes and for particularly unsettling events because it’s tense and wordless. I read Junji Ito to this soundtrack too, it’s insanely high-strung and discordant.

22. ‘Iron’ - Woodkid

‘Iron’ qualifies as Baroque pop - you might recognize this as the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations song. The large-scale, cinematic style of it and thematic lyrics make it great for writing about dramatic encounters or brigands.

This deadly burst of snow is burning my hands I'm frozen to the bones, I am A million miles from home, I'm walking away I can't recall your eyes, your face

23. ‘Never Let You Down’ - Woodkid (feat. LYKKE LI)

Another somber song, orchestral with some industrial noise in the mix - another great introspection song, or one for a scene with some hard decisions to be made.

Will you come along cause I'm about to leave this town In my eyes, a waterfall, all I can hear, a siren call Could you be waiting by the shore, oh I could drown without you Will you be holding out the line when I fall?

24. ‘Run Boy Run’ - Woodkid

Church bells, fast percussion, strong orchestral presence. For chase scenes, obviously, but great for fast-paced sneaking scenes as well. Also has a strong quasi-Medieval fantasy setting style to it.

Tomorrow is another day And you won't have to hide away You'll be a man, boy! But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!

25. ‘I Love You’ - Woodkid

Don’t let the scream effects and aggressive percussion at the beginning deter you (it kind of took me by surprise the first few times too) - it soon fades into more of the church bells and melodic string accompaniment.

Oh yeah, unrequited love song? It’s free (mental) real estate, baby.

Is there anything I could do Just to get some attention from you? In the waves, I've lost every trace of you Where are you?

26. ‘Vagabonds’ - Grizfolk

A rare departure from folk! Grizfolk is alt rock/indie pop. Stylistically it doesn’t match the feeling of Darkest Dungeon, but lyrically it’s almost 1:1 to arrival in the hamlet and the subsequent expeditions. Good song for writing about recruits bonding.

Oh this careless ground, guessing this is home now Oh in no man's land, at least we're still standing And we're all just fighting, some of us will not return And there's no redemption in trying to find your way out

27. ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ - Lorde

Great trailer fuel, if you’ve seen the AC: Unity E3 trailer with this song - I listen to an extended version when writing fights in the Guild, especially one where two heroes are beefing. It’s got a primal kind of thing going on. I also associate this song with the Arbalest - lyrically, it fits her backstory like a glove.

Welcome to your life There's no turning back Even while we sleep We will find you

Acting on your best behavior Turn your back on mother nature

28. ‘Torches’ - X Ambassadors

More alt rock/indie pop - kind of a rallying song for dark expeditions, hopeful but still somber in nature - some gospel elements. X Ambassadors’ more popular ‘Renegades’ is also a fun tavern song.

Come on, carry your flame Carry it higher Leave it in the darkness Carry your torches

29. ‘Passing Afternoon’ - Iron & Wine

This is a song I use for reconciliation or domestic scenes - Dismas with Junia in the garden, for example. It’s soft and kind of meandering, and features vintage piano - you know, the piano you heard in the basement of your church turned community center as a child.

There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon And she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her Wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms

30. ‘Some Nights’ - Fun.

You know this song, your mom knows this song, everyone knows this song from like, middle school. Thought it’d be fun to end this list on an uplifting and very popular song. This is the song that a Disney adaptation of Darkest Dungeon would use in the Training Montage™ - from the point of view of Reynauld. It hits all of the points - being their commander rather than their equal, his stern and antisocial zealotry with no true ideology behind it, the ghost of his wife.

Verse 2, starting with “Well, that is it, guys, that is all / Five minutes in and I'm bored again” is where I see it transitioning to Dismas.

Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end 'Cause I could use some friends for a change And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again Some nights, I always win (I always win) But I still wake up, I still see your ghost Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know

_____

Well that’s all from me! Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the replies, and I’d love to know what you think about my personal picks. :+)

#darkest dungeon #playlist #song reccomendations #fic: the myth of sisyphus #give me that hozier baby

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cakesunflower · 5 years ago

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No Need Convincing Me [Tattoo Artist!Calum AU] Part 4

Summary: Elodie Banks hadn’t expected to get so caught up in her best friend’s tattoo artist. But all it took was one meeting with Calum Hood for Elodie to feel herself drawing towards him and the ink on his skin. Maybe once she was rid of a miserable relationship and the insecurities that came with it, she’d allow herself to realize that Calum was just as wrapped up in her.

A/N: a part of this chapter is pretty self indulgent, if i do say so myself. y’all will know why while reading---keep in mind that i work at Calvin Klein hehe

All Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 5 | Part 6

Part 4

“The house feels so empty without you.”

Elodie let out a light laugh at her mother’s words, looking up from her chicken alfredo. When her mom called her up and asked to meet up for lunch, Elodie was more than happy to join her. It had been almost a week since she moved out of her home and into Dominique’s—their, as her best friend corrected—apartment and as someone who had spent her entire life living with her parents, it was something to adjust to. But Elodie would be lying if she said she wasn’t already enjoying living with Dominique.

“You’ll adjust,” Elodie told her as she picked up her glass, sipping at the red wine as her mom let out a scoff.

“A mother never gets used to not being around her child,” her mom said matter-of-factly, though a gentle smile slipped onto her lips. Elodie was an exact copy of her mother’s; from the honey colored hair and button nose and always smiling lips. The only difference between them were her mom’s dark blue eyes, Elodie’s own brown she inherited from her father. In this moment, Mrs. Banks’ eyes were taking in the sight of her daughter, watching her, observing her, before she let out a breath. “But you do seem happy. More so than I’ve seen you in a long time.” With a raise of an eyebrow, she inquired, “Is it because you’re not under our roof or does this have something to do with the end of your relationship with Nathan?”

Despite the fact that her parents were close friends with Nathan’s, Elodie didn’t feel the need to hide the contentment from not being with him from her mom. But that didn’t mean she didn’t feel nervous confiding in her mom about feeling as though she was finally free from being wrapped in Nathan’s unyielding grip. Sugar coating the details would be the way to go in this situation.

“A little bit,” Elodie conceded, licking her lips and tasting the wine. At her mom’s encouraging raise of eyebrows, Elodie continued with a sigh, “I know you love Nathan but I just. . . I couldn’t breathe when I was with him. And I know that probably sounds dramatic, but—”

“It doesn’t sound dramatic, honey,” her mom cut in with a shake of her head and frown knitting together her eyebrows. She folded her arms on the table, the single diamond pendant she loved wearing glinting against her neck. “If I’m being honest, I had a feeling you weren’t too happy with Nathan. You looked. . . Free in London and when we got back you just looked deflated.”

A wry smile quirked at Elodie’s lips. “Like a balloon?” she joked, her mom scoffing out a laugh. Honestly. Nathan just popping her like a balloon wasn’t a far off comparison.

“I hope you don’t feel guilty for breaking up with Nathan,” Mrs. Banks said, raising her eyebrows as a way of trying to get her own thoughts across. “If you weren’t happy with him, then ending that relationship was the best thing for you. I don’t love Nathan nearly as much as I love you. As long as you’re happy, that’s all I care about.”

Elodie had no idea how much she needed to hear that. Sure, her mom didn’t truly know the extent of terrible things Elodie had to listen to that Nathan would throw her way, but Elodie didn’t see any point in divulging that information. It was over. It was done. Elodie had a feeling if she told her mom about it, then she would either confront Nathan or his parents about it, maybe both, or tell Elodie that it happened in the past and there was no point in bringing it up now. Elodie couldn’t be quite sure what the reaction would be to the truth, and she wasn’t entirely sure which would be worse.

Her grip on the fork tightened. She kind of hated that she second guessed everything because of Nathan.

As she and her mother waited for the waiter to bring by the check, Elodie’s phone buzzed with the text, and she fought the smile from tilting at her lips when she saw Calum’s name.

Calum 2:03PM

Just a heads up—I might kill Dom for inviting me to this thing her parents are throwing.

—

Elodie 2:03PM

Do you at least have a reason for your murderous intent?

—

Calum 2:04PM

Dunno who she thinks she is assuming I’ve got any suit other than my Halloween one lying around. And I hate the mall.

—

Elodie 2:05PM

You just need a good guide. I’m more than happy to offer my services :-)

—

Calum 2:05PM

Where are you? I’ll pick you up.

After her mom slid into the back of her car and left with a hug and a kiss to Elodie, she walked over to where her own car was parked and waved her hand at Flynn, her driver, to keep him from getting out of the car. He shot her a quizzical look as she got to the driver’s side and he lowered the window. “All good, Ms. Banks?”

“Yeah,” Elodie nodded, hugging her denim jacket closer to her body. It was particularly chilly today. “I have a friend coming to pick me up, so you don’t have to stick around. I’m good for the day.”

Flynn nodded, offering her a kind smile. “Whatever you say, Ms. Banks. Have a good day—call if your plans change.”

She waved him off, watching as the town car drove off, and Elodie stepped back towards the restaurant and leaned against the wall as she waited for Calum to arrive. Arms crossed over her chest, Elodie let out a breath as she watched the cars drive by in the seat in front of her. Her cheeks felt warm, the glass of wine she had with her lunch being the cause of it, but the flips of her stomach definitely were because of the fact that she was about to hang out with Calum—go shopping with him. Elodie would be embarrassed by her bold behavior of inviting herself along if it weren’t for Calum instantly telling her he’d pick her up.

Elodie found herself thanking Dominique’s parents for throwing whatever gala they were hosting—at this point, Elodie just went to these parties without much thought over what they were for. And she was also grateful for Dominique inviting Calum and everyone else. Elodie couldn’t help but think it would be refreshing to have them there among the usual faces she saw at these kinds of events.

She pushed aside the thought of Nathan being in attendance.

And it wasn’t hard, when a black Range Rover pulled up in front of her, her heart jumping at Calum holding his hand up in a greeting wave from the driver’s seat. She took a breath as she walked around towards the passenger door, feeling her smile return when Calum leaned over to the center console to open the door for her, the gesture a bit too sweet for her to handle.

“I appreciate you helpin’ out a lost cause,” Calum chuckled as Elodie settled, strapping in her seatbelt as Calum began driving once more. The car smelt like the citrus freshener dangling from the rearview mirror alongside an Evil Eye pendant, as well as the ever so familiar scent of Calum’s cologne.

Elodie shot him a quick smile, trying not to focus too hard on the leather jacket and black cargo pants he somehow made work. “No, I’m more than happy to,” she told him, leaning back into the seat as her gaze dropped for a moment, eyebrows raising at the familiar small box sitting in the small compartment under the stereo system. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

She noted Calum glance at her before looking down at the package and then returning his gaze out to the road. “Only when I’m stressed,” he told her as the song playing through the car changed into one by Coldplay. Elodie had a feeling the playlist in the tattoo shop was one of Calum’s making. She wondered if she imagined a nervous tinge creep into his voice when he added, “’M sorry if it smells—”

“No, no,” Elodie interrupted, not wanting him to think she had some kind of issue, and she didn’t want to insult him, either. “My dad smokes, so I’m used to the smell.” With an embarrassed chuckle, she added, “I kind of like it, actually.”

At that, Calum let out a laugh, the sound raspy and breathy and a bit too adorable for Elodie to handle. “Really?” he questioned, the amusement apparent in his tone.

Elodie waved him off, feeling her own grin pull at her lips as Calum made a right turn, one hand on the wheel while the other rested on windowsill. She tried not to stare. “Yeah, yeah, I know it’s strange. Don’t judge.”

Calum snorted, throwing a glance her way. “You’re helping me with this suit shit. No judgement here, doll.”

If the shopping trip consisted of him dropping any more cute little terms on her, Elodie wasn’t entirely sure she’d be able to make it.

When they arrived at the mall, Elodie’s eyes took in the various store fronts as she asked Calum, “Is there a specific store you wanna check out?”

“Um, honestly,” Calum sounded, looking lost in thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and glancing down at her. “I think I’ve got the shoes and shirt part covered—I just need, like, a suit jacket and pants to go with ’em. ’M not picky; something nice and not flashy that I can wear again for some other occasion, I guess.”

Elodie hummed in acknowledgement, trying to think of the many stores she knew to be in this particular mall. “What about Calvin Klein? They’ve got some cool stuff.” She also kind of wanted to check out their new sweaters. And needed underwear—though Elodie doubted she was gonna buy some right now.

Calum puckered his lips and put up his hands with a shake of his head. “Hey, I’m followin’ your lead, El.”

She decided she liked the sound of him saying her nickname.

They entered the store, the music mixing in with the chatter of customers, and Elodie’s gaze instantly drew over to the suits, and before she could think twice, her hand grasped Calum’s and she was pulling him along. Elodie didn’t allow herself to think of her bold move, instead absently admired the warmth of his touch and the coolness of the few rings he wore as they weaved past people and tables and displays.

There was an entire section dedicated to dress shirts, suit jackets, and different styles of pants to go with them. Elodie glanced at Calum, watching him look up at the jackets hanging up higher than she could reach, and asked him, “What color were you thinking?”

Calum let out a scoff of a laugh, raising a single eyebrow at her. Elodie admired how much taller he was than her, almost an entire foot. “I only have two dress shirts, sweetheart. A black and a white one. Whatever will go with either.”

The suit options the store had were black, navy blue, and grey, and Elodie pulled her lower lip into her mouth as an image of Calum in a particularly colored ensemble flashed through her mind. Would it be self indulgent to pick out an outfit for him that she would like to see him in? “I think a black suit would be best,” Elodie told him, listening to the thoughts running around in her head. When Calum’s dark eyes met hers, she added quickly, “It goes with everything and I think it’d be pretty on brand for you.”

At that, Calum laughed with a raise of his eyebrows, the amusement glimmering in his eyes as Elodie mirrored his smile. The sight of the crinkles by his eyes had her heart jumping. “On brand?” he repeated with an all too knowing smirk.

Elodie’s cheeks flamed, breaking their gaze as she tucked some of her hair behind her ears. “You know what I mean,” she mumbled before clearing her throat. “Suit jackets shouldn’t be hard to pick—pants are the main thing.”

Calum sucked at his tongue, turning his head to look at where the various styles of pants were hanging in divided sections. Elodie followed him as his fingers danced across the tops of the hanging pants, gesturing to one of the sections and glancing at her questioningly, “What ’bout these?” She moved around him, looking at the labels on the pants before twisting her lips to the side. Her gaze lifted to look at him, her expression one of hesitance that had Calum’s shoulders dropping and asking defeatedly, “What?”

“These are classic fits,” she told him with a gentle laugh, hand finding his leather clad bicep almost automatically as she steered him over to the pants to their left. “You wanna go for slim fit. They’re more fitting and better for suits.” Calum rolled his eyes with a huff, though there was no real annoyance present as he gave a shake of his head with pursed lips. When his lips quirked ever so slightly, Elodie knew he wasn’t really bothered by her words. Though, she was bothered that she needed the reassurance, thanks to Nathan. She pushed thoughts of him out of her head as she asked Calum, “Do you know your pants measurements?”

Calum hummed, stepping forward as he looked at the numbers on the labels. “Yeah, I know my waist,” he told her as he sifted through them. “Length always comes up differently.”

Elodie waved him off. “Just grab whichever ones you think are closest. Try as many on, we can figure it out.”

She watched as Calum looked through the pants, and she took that moment to look at the suit jackets. Fortunately, the tags with the sizes were attached to the sleeve, dangling from the material, and so Elodie looked through them trying to figure out which size would best fit Calum. He had broad shoulders and muscular arms—she looked at the tags towards the end where the few larger sizes were.

“Alright, I guess I’ll try these on.” Elodie turned around to see Calum holding three pairs of pants, all carefully hanging from their hangers.

She hummed in approval before nodded towards the jackets. “Which do you think will fit you best?”

Calum blew a raspberry as his dark eyes flickered up to them, prompting Elodie to laugh gently as he pursed his lips thoughtfully. He looked at the tags before nodding. “I can try those two on—they’ll probably fit best.”

He looked at her then and Elodie recognized the expectant expression he wore, before she let out a laugh with a raise of her eyebrows. Her voice still soft, as always, she asked, “You think I can reach up there?”

Calum’s dark eyes flickered between her and the hanging suit jackets, before realization softened his features and Calum snorted. “Right,” he laughed before offering her the pants.

She took them from him and took a step to the side, eyes watching as Calum easily reached up and hooked two hangers between his fingers and pulled them off the rod. Elodie felt her throat tighten as she drank in the sight of the expanse of his neck, the chains peeking out from under his clothes, as well as the sharp line of his jaw. Not for the first time, Elodie found herself admiring just how gorgeous he was.

When he retrieved the jackets, the two of them walked through the store towards the fitting room hallway, where one of the associates unlocked a room for Calum. He hung the jackets on one of the hooks and Elodie stood in the doorway, holding out the pants for him. As he put them down on the little bench and stood straight, Calum raised an eyebrow at her. Elodie could tell he was fighting a smirk as he asked, “Want me to do a fashion show for you?”

Elodie smiled, crossing her arms over her chest as the associate opened another room for someone else. “It’s the only reason why I’m here.”

Calum scoffed and Elodie took a step back as he closed the door. She leaned against the opposite wall, gaze dropping to where she could see Calum’s feet under the door, watching as he took off his Doc Martens and pushed them to the side. Elodie busied herself on her phone then after pulling a thread out of her floral denim jacket, trying not to think too much of the man behind the door, until it swung open a few moments later.

When she looked up, she couldn’t stop the short giggle from escaping her, fingers coming up to worry her lips as she looked at Calum—and at his bemused expression. “I’m gonna go with a no on these ones,” he deadpanned, head dropping to look at the way the pants went to his feet. They were too long.

“No, no, I think those are perfect,” Elodie teased, feeling a bit lighter in his company. He still tickled her stomach, made her skin flush excitedly, but despite all of that, every moment which past that she spent in Calum’s company, she grew more and more comfortable. And it didn’t scare her or make her anxious—it made her excited and nervous, but in the good way. In a way she didn’t mind feeling again and again when it came to him.

“Fuckin’ hilarious,” Calum grumbled, looking down and kicking at his feet almost childishly, which only widened Elodie’s grin. She had to admit—even though the pants were a bit too long, the sight of Calum in dress pants with an emerald green shirt and leather jacket was pretty.

Elodie grinned, tilting her head charmingly. Where this rush of confidence was coming from, she wasn’t sure. But Elodie wasn’t going to lie—she’d never felt more like herself. “I know.”

Calum shot her a mocking, derisive close mouthed smile, complete with narrowed eyes and pushed up cheeks before he shut the door once more, the action followed by Elodie’s giggles. She waited for him for a while, watching as customers came and went in and out of the fitting room, and the longer she waited, the more furrowed her eyebrows got.

She took the few steps towards the door, arms crossed and head ducked to listen after she asked, “Calum? Everything okay?”

The response came in form of the door opening, and Elodie looked up to see Calum standing there in a new pair of pants and one of the suit jackets. Her brown eyed gaze took in the sight of him, in his socks and dress pants and green shirt and suit jacket, and felt her heart jump into her throat. It was unfair how he made the outfit work. Maybe he should just wear that to Dominique’s parents’ party.

Calum held his left hand out as a show of displaying himself, the other one holding the door because it would otherwise close on them. “So?” he asked, glancing down at himself. “These fit pretty well. What d’you think?”

Elodie used the excuse to take in the sight of him, approaching him slowly and without much thought. Calum was right—they did fit him pretty well. The black suit jacket hugged his arms and spread over his shoulders nicely, and the black pants hugged his thighs snugly and comfortably as well. He had tucked in his shirt into the pants and Elodie fought herself from biting the inside of her cheek because it looked good.

“Yeah, they do,” she said truthfully, her gaze lifting to meet his eyes as she found herself in the room. Calum’s gaze never left hers. As she gestured to him subtly, she asked quietly, “You mind if I—”

He didn’t let her finish, giving a shake of his head with his raised eyebrows. “Not at all.”

Elodie flashed him a quick, nervous smile, highly aware of his burning gaze on her as she stepped towards him. The scent of his cologne was ever present and subtle as her nimble fingers fastened one of the two buttons on the jacket, hands automatically going to smooth the material against him without much thought. Her gaze was on the jacket, feeling her throat working because of their proximity like it always seemed to do, and Elodie was aware of the music playing in the store gradually fading out as the drum of her heart grew more prominent with each passing second.

“There,” she said, voice coming out as a whisper as she briefly pressed her lips together. The button was glimmering under the lights of the fitting room. Elodie smiled, not yet meeting his gaze as she spoke softly, “You look good in a suit.”

The compliment slipped out without much thought, flamed her cheeks, but it was an honest one. Sure, he was still in socks and a T-shirt with no tie, but Calum still looked undeniably good. Honestly, if he showed up like this to the party, Elodie wouldn’t mind at all.

She felt him move a bit as he scoffed lightly, hearing the smirk in his voice as he replied, “Just wait until I’m in the entire monkey suit.”

Elodie picked an invisible piece of lint off the jacket. She had a feeling if she looked Calum in the eyes, she wouldn’t be able to keep herself standing. But that didn’t stop the words from tumbling out of her lips, as if she suddenly had no filter. “You’ll blow everyone away.”

She heard and felt the slow breath Calum released, the sound soft and quiet, just like his raspy voice as he said, “There’s only one person ’m tryin’ to impress.”

His words effortlessly lifted Elodie’s gaze, her brown eyes widened a bit because of the unexpected statement, while Calum looked completely at ease with his warm eyes watching. But Elodie picked up on the slight hesitance within his irises, like he wasn’t sure if his confession was welcome, and all Elodie could bring herself to do was stare at him. Because what if she was misinterpreting what he was saying? What if she was reading into something that wasn’t meant for her?

God, she needed to stop doubting herself.

They were silent, only the music from the store and vague sound of people chatting infiltrating their space, except Elodie couldn’t bring herself to care about anything other than the man she was standing in front of. Calum was looking down at her, taking in her doe eyes and stilled breath, and Elodie’s skin was flushed pink as she ended up stammering out, “Really?”

He smiled, soft and sweet and completely stealing Elodie’s breath as he sucked in his lower lip briefly before confirming, “Yeah.” Calum tilted his head ever so slightly, gaze running over her in admiration, in a way no one has really looked at her before. A slow breath escaped him, almost as if he was holding something back, confirming so when his voice dropped an octave as he said, “And ’m tryin’ real hard to be a gentleman and not kiss you.”

“Don’t.” The word escaped Elodie before she could help it, a rushed and desperate whisper as she looked at him. When she saw something flash in Calum’s eyes, Elodie swallowed the excited lump in her throat, the fire bubbling in her veins, silencing the demonizing thoughts in the back of her head that sounded a bit too much like her ex as she expressed, “Don’t be a gentleman.”

Calum’s jaw tightened ever so slightly at Elodie’s words, watching her, studying her, as Elodie found the confidence to keep her gaze level with him. Her heart was pounding in her ears, drowning out the sounds of anything else, as she waited. There was no room for doubt, not when Calum had said what he said, but Elodie felt her nerves jittering with excitement, with impatience, wondering if he was going to listen to her. Wondering how the hell they got to this point, but not at all questioning it because she wanted this. And she deserved giving herself what she wanted every now and then, didn’t she?

There was a change in Calum’s expression when he realized Elodie meant what she said, blinking once to allow for the softness of his features to set as his lips parted ever so slightly. They stared at each other for what seemed like a stretch of minutes, brown against brown, and there was a subtle movement on Calum’s part as he allowed for his arm to drop, the action followed almost immediately by the sound of the fitting room door shutting behind Elodie. Now it was just the two of them in the small space of the fitting room, secluded from the rest of the store, and the fluttering in the pit of Elodie’s stomach intensified as Calum took the smallest of steps towards her, which was all that was needed.

This was happening. This was really happening. Elodie found herself tilting her chin up slightly, wanting to do something to get to the point where she wanted to be, breath hitching in her throat when Calum’s hands lifted to cup her cheeks. His touch was warm, rings cool, fingers tangling a bit into her hair, and Elodie had never felt such a fire simmering in her veins than she did in the moment of when Calum tilted her head up a bit and his thumbs gently grazed her skin.

His touch was so soft, holding her carefully, and Elodie watched as Calum’s gaze dropped to her lips softened with pink lipstick. Her heart thundering, Elodie watched Calum’s throat work briefly before he was leaning down and Elodie’s eyes fluttered shut as his lips pressed against hers in the softest kiss Elodie had ever experienced. His lips were plush against hers and it was enough for a jolt of electricity to shock through Elodie’s body, feeling her entire body yearning to melt into Calum’s immediately.

But the two of them pulled away too soon, except that it wasn’t the end of the kiss. Calum’s hands remained cupping Elodie’s face, noses tucked together and their breaths sounding over the music and their pounding hearts as if they’d just ran a marathon. Their eyes opened together, though both of their gazes dropped to the lips they’d just touched before looking at one another at the last second.

Elodie met his gaze through her eyelashes, his dark eyes sending a thrill down her spine, noting the question swimming in them. Noting that he so badly wanted to do it again, but was looking for her approval. God. That was hot.

She tilted her lips forward, giving him her answer.

Calum’s lips met hers once more, though this time more firmly, more boldly as he sucked at her lower lip, and Elodie was opening her mouth to him almost immediately. He tasted like mint gum as she felt his tongue tease hers, and the sensation of his scruff tickling against her skin only had Elodie melting into Calum, wanting to completely submit herself to him as her arms slid around him, feeding the desire of wanting him close.

His warmth seeped into her wonderfully as he kissed her, the electricity sparking her blood like fuel to a fire as Calum moved them so Elodie’s back was pressed against the wall and her front against Calum’s as his lips continued to work against hers. She felt his hands lower from her cheeks, palms brushing the sides of her neck as his thumbs grazed the line of her jaw on either side. He kissed her feverishly and Elodie was consumed by him; by his touch and lips and his cologne enveloping her as warmly as he did. Kissing him was everything she thought it’d be and more; he kissed her like he meant it, like he enjoyed it, like this was all he wanted to do. She hoped he knew it was mutual.

The sound of a phone ringing in proximity had their kiss breaking far earlier than either one of them would’ve liked, breaths heavy as Elodie leaned her head back and watched as Calum’s head dropped as a frustrated huff escaped him. It was his phone.

Elodie wondered if her face looked as red as it felt warm, felt her lips tingling as Calum dropped one hand from her to reach for his phone sitting on top of his clothes on the little bench, his other hand still on the side of her neck. She wondered if he could feel her racing pulse beneath his fingers.

Calum’s dark eyes met Elodie’s, the breath she’d barely gotten ahold of hitching in her throat when she noted his lips pinkened with their kisses and her lipstick. Her stomach was in excited knots. “Yeah, Luke?” he answered the call, his voice gruff and raspy and sexy. She kept her eyes on him, felt the smile tug on the corner of her lips when Calum’s thumb brushed along her jaw once more. His touch was a never ending thrill of shocks running through her body. Calum gave a roll of his eyes at whatever Luke was saying on the other end, mocking him to get a gentle giggle out of Elodie. “Yeah, I’ll be back in about twenty.”

When he hung up with an almost defeated sigh, dropping his phone back on the pile of his pants and leather jacket, Elodie allowed for her smile to widen just a bit. “Back to the shop?” she asked knowingly.

“Yeah,” Calum sighed, the corner of his lips tilting ever so slightly in a smirk when his thumb not so innocently grazed along her lower lip and Elodie’s throat worked at the action. It sent a shiver down her spine, unsurprisingly. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Wanna come by? If you don’t already have plans.”

His thumb gently pulled at her lower lip and Elodie was going to need him to stop doing that unless he wanted her to collapse on unsupportive knees. The way he was watching her wasn’t helping, either. “I’ve got no plans.”

Calum grinned, pretty and breathless, and for the next few minutes he changed back into his clothes while Elodie wandered into the main area of the store, heart rate slowly returning to normal and the flush in her cheeks dissipating as she walked over to the women’s section and picked up two pairs of different colored sweatpants in her size. She shopped at Calvin Klein enough to know what size fit her best.

When Calum wandered out of the fitting room, holding only the pants and jacket he wanted, the two of them stood in the short line in a mutual and comfortable silence until it was their turn. And once Elodie placed her sweatpants down on the counter after returning the cashier’s greeting, she promptly picked up Calum’s clothes from his arms and placed them down as well. “Hey—what’re you doing?” he asked in bewilderment, stepping up to push his things away from hers.

Elodie swatted his hands away, noting the amused smile on the cashier’s face as Elodie told him, “I’ve got this.” Looking at the cashier, she told her, “These are all together.”

“Elodie,” Calum spoke up, the protest obvious in his tone as she looked up at him. She saw the frown knitting together his eyebrows as the cashier rung up the sweatpants and then his items, which were obviously more expensive. Calum gave a shake of his head as the total came up to nearly three hundred dollars with the four items together.

Before he could add on, Elodie cut him off with a pointed raise of her eyebrows, pulling out the credit card from her wallet while her free hand grasped Calum’s wrist, feeling the metal of his bracelet under her touch. His eyes met hers and she smiled, sweet and genuine. “Let me do something nice for you.”

The words were obviously familiar as they clicked in Calum’s head as the ones he’d said to her after he pierced her nose, and Calum let out a scoff of a laugh as he shook his head down at her. Elodie noted the amusement mixed with exasperation in his expression as he braced his hand on the counter to face her. “The piercing was, like, a sixth of what you’re tryin’ to pay.”

Elodie shrugged, putting the chip end of her credit card into the reader and ignoring the breathless protesting sounds of “El, come on—” that escaped Calum.

It was paid for and Elodie was handed a bag with her sweatpants while Calum’s suit jacket and pants were hung up and put in a proper garment bag before handing it over to a reluctant Calum. “Thank you,” Elodie smiled at the cashier before the two of them walked out of the store and into the mall, glancing up to look at Calum. A startled laugh escaped her, surprising them both, as she took in the sight of him, amusement coloring her tone as she asked, “Are you pouting?”

Calum instantly flattened his lips, chin lifting as they kept walking towards the mall entrance they’d come from. “No,” he denied almost childishly, which only prompted another laugh from Elodie. He was totally pouting and Elodie found it exhaustingly adorable.

But then as they got into his car, a thought crept into Elodie’s head, as loud as the sound of the car door shutting and echoing in the parking garage. Elodie felt her chest tighten as she settled into the car and strapped in her seatbelt, eyebrows furrowing as she looked towards her knees because the thought in her head, belonging to a voice not her own, wondered fiercely and loudly if she somehow. . . Insulted Calum.

Nathan—he hated whenever Elodie offered to pay for something when they were out. And she knew it was because of that superiority complex and that control he liked to have over Elodie, and her paying for something for both of them definitely stung his manhood. Even if that wasn’t Elodie’s intention—God, she’d only wanted to do something nice. Her stomach twisted, briefly wondering if her paying for the clothes rubbed Calum the wrong way, even if she tried to silence that twisted voice in her head with the reminder that Calum wasn’t Nathan.

Her throat was tight, but the words slipped past her lips anyway. “I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

Calum had started the car, the engine of the Range Rover humming quietly, and instead of pulling out of the parking spot he paused. Elodie could feel her gaze on him, feeling the heat of it on her cheek as he asked, “What?”

The sound of her nails clicking filled the car, and Elodie wished she could stop the action right away, but she bit the inside of her lower lip as she watched her deep red nails click together and spoke, “If I crossed a line. . . I’m sorry.”

“What’re you—El, hey.” Calum shifted in his seat, body facing Elodie’s as his hand covered both of hers, effectively stopping her clicking nails. She sucked in her lower lip, gaze on his hand on hers, before finally looking at him despite being hesitant to do so. His dark eyes were on her, eyebrows knitting together not in annoyance, but in reassurance, features soft. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her, but there was a flash of realization across his face as he leaned towards her, raising his eyebrows. “That voice in the back of your head that sounds like Nathan? Tell it to shut up.”

Her eyes widened, gaping at him in dumbfoundment because apparently Calum could read her frighteningly well. Elodie’s lips parted, ready to say something her brain hadn’t come up with yet, before pressing them together once more and swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. The fact that Calum just knew the insecurities taunting Elodie in her head sounded like her ex had her heart jumping, but she also felt a familiar warmth flurry in her stomach. The look in his eyes, inviting and understanding, easily erased the doubt that had sprouted in Elodie’s head, loudly telling her that he wasn’t at all feeling the way she had feared.

Elodie pulled her lips into her mouth before exhaling softly, gaze dropping in sheepishness as she mumbled, “Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, doll.” Elodie pressed her lips together, quirking them up in an apologetic smile which had Calum letting out a small huff of laughter. His eyes watched her, took her in, before speaking up, “Wanna know something?” Her eyebrows quirked ever so slightly, silently prompting him to continue. Calum leaned in even loser, the gap between them minimal as Elodie kept her eyes on his, and Calum tilted his head ever so slightly, causing his nose to brush against hers. “You don’t ever have to doubt yourself with me, alright?”

Her heart was practically floating in her chest at Calum’s words, the heat rushing up her neck and spreading across her cheeks. He somehow knew the right things to say, and he meant them when he said them, which only had Elodie falling for him more quickly. And she didn’t mind, because he was not Nathan. Calum was better.

“Alright,” she repeated in a murmur, smiling adorably, before feeling that gentle confidence came back and she asked, “Can you kiss me again?”

Calum grinned, not even being able to hold the smirk as her request excited him unexpectedly, and merely hummed in affirmative before closing the distance between them and pressing his lips to hers. The electricity crackled between them in the closed space of the car as Calum’s free hand cupped her cheek. She liked that he did that when he kissed her. She liked his kisses. God, she liked him.

And the way he kissed her, unabated and like he never wanted to do anything else, let her know it was completely mutual.

*****

When Calum slid into limousine—an actual stretch limo that pulled up in front of his apartment building—the first and only thing he noticed was Elodie amongst his friends. Her coat covered the top of her dress, but Calum noted, in the blue light of the limo, that it was a deep emerald color, the expanse of her right leg shown through a slit, and he felt his throat tighten as he settled against the leather seat.

So Calum nudged Michael, who was sat between Calum and Crystal. But both Michael and his girl were separating Calum from Elodie, so he looked at his friend and said, “Switch.”

Elodie couldn’t fight the smile as Michael blinked at Calum before realization dawned on him, snickering as he got up, figure bent because they were in the back of a limo. He settled in Calum’s space once he had gotten up as well, and Crystal scooted away from Elodie and towards Michael as Calum finally settled into Crystal’s place. He ignored the immature and teasing whistles and whoots from their friends as his left arm dropped around Elodie’s shoulders, pulling her into his side and murmuring into her ear, “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi,” she returned, just as gently, quelling the fire in her cheeks as she saw the smirk Dominique sent her way. Elodie allowed her hand to brush along his thigh, taking a soft breath as she glanced up at him, “The suit looks good on you.”

He smirked, looking down at himself briefly. He’d gone for the all black look, borrowing a tie from Ashton and bringing out one of the two pairs of dress shoes he had. The last time he’d worn them were to his sister’s college graduation, Calum was glad they still fit and looked new. “I had a lot of help,” he told her as the sounds of their friends chattering mixed with the music playing. Apparently Luke had the aux cord that the driver offered them. Calum’s own gaze dropped to Elodie’s dress, fighting the urge to run a hand along the exposed skin of her leg, instead using his free hand to run a finger along the dress. He smiled at the soft and smooth material. “Velvet, huh?”

She smiled, innocent but not at all, and Calum couldn’t help but think she would be the death of him.

They arrived to the hotel where Dominique’s parents were hosting their event, a party thrown just to prepare for the holiday season coming up even though November just started, and Calum eyed the paparazzi gathered outside, taking pictures of the guests arriving and heading inside. An attendant opened the door and Michael stepped out, and Calum knew he had to keep it moving as he followed Crystal. The paparazzi wasn’t too loud, though their cameras continued flashing as Calum fastened a single button on his jacket and held his hand out to Elodie, who stepped out of the car with her bare leg flashing gorgeously before she ducked out of the car, a smile lighting up her face as she looked up at Calum.

“A lot of photographers,” he observed, not distastefully, as her arm linked with his so naturally, so unafraid of the pictures being taken. Not that Calum was afraid of them—he just couldn’t help but wonder how Elodie and Dominique could be used to this. He would get dizzy after just seconds against the flashes.

Elodie rubbed at his arm as they walked, her voice gentle as she said, “We’ll be inside in a second.”

As they walked up the steps and entered the hotel, doors opened by the doormen, Luke let out a small huff of laughter and murmured to Calum, “Nothing like being in the city’s elite entourage, huh?”

Calum chuckled at that as he gave an agreeing shake of his head. If he was being honest, he sometimes forgot both Elodie’s and Dominique’s families belonged to the richer side of the city, mostly because neither of them truly acted like it. They sometimes dressed the part, but other than that, it was a fact of their lives that Calum often forgot. Except when Elodie bought him the suit he was now wearing and he accidentally made her feel guilty about it. For that moment, he kind of hated himself for making her feel that way.

Before they entered the hall where the event was taking place, they went to the coat check so the girls could take off their jackets, and Calum felt his breath hitch in his throat as Elodie shrugged hers off. Her dress was spaghetti strapped with a deep yet elegant cut, and the velvet dress hugged her beautifully. How he was supposed to keep his hands off of her throughout this party, Calum had no idea.

As she tucked in her little ticket into her purse, Calum stepped up to her, his front against her back, ducking his head to brush his lips against her ear as he whispered, “You’re killing me, doll.”

Elodie let out a breathless, almost sheepish laugh as she looked up at him with glimmering eyes, and Calum had a feeling she knew exactly what she was doing. He fucking adored how some of her innocence seemed to slip away when it came to him. Calum watched as her brown eyes took him in, from his shoes right up to his eyes, and he felt his chest tighten to see her so openly admiring him. “Now you know how I feel,” she hummed before Dominique ushered for them keep moving.

Calum let out a laugh as he followed her, eyes taking her in appreciatively, admiring every single aspect of her. She was gorgeous and Calum had no idea what to do with himself.

But about an hour and a half later, after Calum and everyone else were introduced to Dominique’s parents—apparently Elodie’s were out of town, though she had made sure to let Dominique’s parents know they send their love, to which Dominique’s mom laughed and said she knew given that she was on the phone with Elodie’s mom just hours before—Calum could feel a heated gaze on him, one he hadn’t been able to shake off as he took in his surroundings.

The hall was decorated in white and reds and greens, a band playing Christmas songs on stage and several beautifully decorated Christmas trees were placed around the room. One of those walk-in cloud-like photo booths was in one corner, and in another was an area to take pictures with Santa, probably for the kids Calum saw running around. He bet Dominique’s parents would regret bringing along Santa when someone who’d sipped too much eggnog happened to fall into his lap.

Calum sipped on his whiskey, grabbing it from the bar as opposed to the champagne being carried around by the waitstaff, dark eyes looking over the rim of the glass and catching sight of the guy towards the other side of the banquet hall. So far, Calum had been perfectly fine at this event, sipping his drink and mostly sticking with the boys and Sierra and Crystal. They didn’t feel out of place, enjoying each other’s company and the drinks, while Dominique and Elodie did their rounds to greet people they knew—alongside Ashton, who was dragged by Dominique. Calum had smirked into the glass at Ashton’s mildly bewildered gaze. He’d been boyfriended.

About damn time.

“Is that Elodie’s ex that keeps staring at you like he wants to spit in your drink?” Calum looked at Crystal, who was raising her eyebrows and looking past Calum’s shoulders.

Calum lowered his glass and the group of them looking over, and he felt his teeth automatically grind together at the sight of Nathan. He stood by a table with a bunch of people, nursing his own drink, and staring at Calum with a look dangerous enough to kill—it barely tickled Calum. So he just stood, taking another long sip of his burning whiskey as his eyes locked with Nathan’s. His glare intensified, and all Calum did was eye him coolly despite his own irritation brimming.

“Yeah,” Calum turned to look back at his friends, their gaze shifting back to him as he smirked. With a single shrug, Calum mused, “It’s cute that he thinks he’s being intimidating.”

Michael snorted, one arm around Crystal as he told Calum boredly, “You should’ve broken his arm when you had the chance.”

Crystal swatted at him, though no real malice or disapproval was present, as the rest of them laughed and Calum sucked at his teeth. “Not in front of Elodie,” was all he said, and it was reason enough. Sure, after what he saw Nathan do and say, Calum had no problem setting him straight. But doing so in front of Elodie wasn’t at all on his agenda. Calum wasn’t a violent person, but Nathan was lucky as hell Calum didn’t make good on his promise of breaking his arm.

“I heard my name.” The smile tugged at Calum’s lips as Elodie stepped up to his left, Dominique and Ashton also stepping into their little circle as he looked down to see Elodie.

She smelt like expensive perfume, fruity and pleasant, and Calum reveled in the feeling of her fingers intertwining with his, their joined hands hanging between their bodies as she smiled up at him. “Just wonderin’ where you ran off to,” he told her, not wanting to unnecessarily bring up Nathan.

Elodie let out a breath as their friends dissolved into conversations of their own. Her gaze dropped briefly, the pretty fake eyelashes she wore only accentuating her eyes as she looked up at him again. “I’m sorry about that—as the only one from my family I have to, like, make my rounds and greet everyone. So boring.”

“Don’t apologize,” Calum told her, a smile tugging at his lips as he said, “You were like a social butterfly. ’T was cute.”

“It’s boring,” Elodie repeated with an airy laugh, leaning her temple against Calum’s arm as the rings they both wore gently scraped together in their joined hands. The smile remained on Calum’s face as he looked down at her as she listened to whatever their friends were talking about. It comforted him to know how comfortable she was becoming in his presence.

It had been a few days since they kissed in that dressing room, and between now and then, the two of them hung out a couple of times. Whether it be Elodie dropping by the shop after classes or Calum visiting her apartment, they enjoyed each other’s company. He watched as she became more and more at ease with him, and Calum never wanted her to feel anything but that. If Nathan treated her worse than what Calum had witnessed, Calum wanted her to know what it was like to be looked at, to be spoken to, and to be treated by someone who truly appreciated her, liked her, wanted her. Who would never even think of speaking to her the way Nathan did.

So Calum kept her attention whenever he could as the group of them sat down at a table with their drinks, all of them chattering and taking pictures and enjoying the party Dominique’s parents were hosting. They even walked by the table at one point to talk with Calum and all the friends their daughter brought by they weren’t familiar with, and Calum liked them. They seemed like nice people—not that he assumed otherwise. Rich people only caring for their fellow elites and looking down at others wasn’t a kind of group Dominique and Elodie belonged in, in Calum’s opinion.

Eventually, they found themselves in the photo booth, taking turns in taking couples pictures and groups pictures, sifting through the table of props. When Sierra and Luke were about to finish their pictures, Calum and Elodie looked through the props to see what to pick up. “Oh, here,” Calum smirked, picking up the arrow sign that said naughty and handing it to Elodie while picking up the nice one for himself.

Elodie laughed, holding it by the stick before picking up the Santa hat and handing it him. “Wear this,” she said while picking up the reindeer headband and putting it on, and Calum snickered while doing as he was told. Her adorable grin was worth it.

They stepped into the booth and as the timer went down after Elodie clicked on it, Calum pulled her to his side and the two of them held up their signs, making sure their own pointed at one another’s, an angelic grin on Elodie’s face while Calum wore a smirk, chin tilting as he looked into the camera. Briefly, he admired how she only just reached his shoulder even in her heels.

Calum couldn’t remember the last time he took photo booth pictures—maybe it was when he’d gone to Six Flags with the boys and they all crammed themselves in a much smaller space—but he found himself enjoying doing this with Elodie, especially because she was so into it. They changed poses for the second picture, dropping the signs on the floor as Calum pulled her in front of him, her back against his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist as he rested his chin on top of her head, his face in the space between her reindeer antlers that only made her laugh in the picture while he grinned.

The last picture consisted of Calum pulling out a prop he had swiped from the table at the last minute, Elodie’s eyes catching sight of the fake mistletoe hanging loosely from the top of a stick. “Smooth,” she commented, her grin wide as Calum held it above their heads.

The mischievous look glimmered Calum’s eyes, wiggling his eyebrows down at her and adoring the pink flush in her cheeks, and Elodie gave an amused shake of her head before her hand rested on the back of his neck to pull him down for a kiss. Calum returned the kiss just as fervently, unable to fight the smile that slipped to his lips as his free hand wrapped around her waist and held her close. She tasted like the champaign, and he knew he tasted like whiskey, but neither cared as their lips moved together and eventually the familiar sound of the camera shutter went off.

“Come on,” Elodie giggled against his lips, her hands gripping the lapels of his jacket and trying to pull away. She wasn’t very convincing of it. “Let’s see our pictures.”

Calum groaned lightly, not even bothering to hide the pout on his lips as Elodie pulled away from him, head tilting back as her hand grasped his free one and he turned to follow her out after they picked up the dropped signs. Once they stepped out, taking off their head gear, Elodie took the two strips of pictures from the photo booth runner’s hand and just as she was about to hand one to Calum, it was snatched out of her hand.

Calum’s jaw tightened when he looked from the offending hand to take in the sight of Nathan in his clean cut dark grey suit. Elodie tensed next to him as Calum muttered, “For fuck’s sake.”

“Aren’t you two a happy couple?” Nathan derisively mocked, raising his eyebrows at the photo strip before scoffing and lifting his gaze. He ignored Calum and the severity of his scowl, looking straight at Elodie as he jeered, “You left me for this bullshit?”

Calum felt Elodie’s hand grip his arm, and he was proud of the steadiness in her voice as she responded, “I didn’t leave you for anything. I left you because of you.”

Damn fucking straight.

Nathan’s eyes narrowed at her, jaw set as he thwacked the strip against his finger. Calum’s gaze was sharp; if he wrinkled the picture, Calum may just break his finger. Or his entire arm.

Tilting his chin, Nathan scoffed. “When’d you get a mouth on you?” The contempt was flaring in his green eyes, and Calum felt his muscles tighten at the look he was giving Elodie. The party continued on in the hall, but Calum was aware of their friends stepping over, ready to jump in if they needed. Calum hoped they didn’t have to, for Elodie’s sake. Nathan’s tone was patronizing as he continued, “I liked it better when you kept it shut.”

Calum’s teeth gritted, a rush of fiery heat sizzling through his veins because he was two seconds away from shoving the Santa hat in his hands down Nathan’s throat for the way he was speaking to Elodie. She broke up with his pathetic ass, she shouldn’t have to deal with this any longer than she already did. It was increasingly becoming difficult to not make good on his promise of some broken bones.

He chanced a glance at Elodie, noting her pursed lips and tight expression, feeling only some relief when he didn’t see her brown eyes glass over. The fact that Nathan didn’t seem to have the power of making her cry anymore was a step forward, and Calum would be damned if he let Nathan try to push forward.

But before he could say anything, Dominique strode over, tall and purposeful as she snatched the photo strip from Nathan’s hand and snapped, “And I liked it better when you weren’t a part of our lives.” She came to stand on the other side of Calum, her own scowl fierce. “Walk away before I beat Calum in breaking your nose.”

Calum noted the way Ashton’s eyebrows shot up at Dominique’s firm words, looking nothing but in awe of her, and Calum would be too if he wasn’t so focused on keeping his sharpened gaze fixated on Nathan. But the man no one wanted around scoffed, looking at Elodie once more as he asked, “You have other people fight your battles now?”

Calum felt Elodie’s grip on his arm tighten, but then he also felt her free hand grasp his own, giving it a squeeze. He returned the gesture earnestly, jaw set and eyes narrowed at Nathan, and he felt Elodie take a breath as the band on stage began playing Drummer Boy. Elodie’s voice was calm, steady, and the gentleness in which she spoke had only the slightest bit of an edge to it, but her words were sharp as she responded, “There’s nothing left to fight, Nathan. I think it’s time you understand that.”

“And I think it’s time you walk the fuck away,” Dominique started. Calum had a feeling she had been waiting for this since her and Nathan’s animosity started. Her tone was icy, not to be messed with, as she continued, “Leave before I have security kick you out. I don’t give a shit if our parents are friends—it’d be worth it to see you land on your ass outside in front of all the paps.”

Nathan’s gaze went from Dominique to Calum, who was fighting the sneer that threatened to escape as his scowl remained tight on his features. He saw the hatred in Nathan’s eyes towards him, fierce under the fire that was simmering, but Calum didn’t waver in the slightest. All he felt towards Nathan was a mutual hatred for how he treated Elodie; for the time Calum knew her and however long their relationship lasted.

And then Nathan looked at Elodie and Calum didn’t know why it surprised him when he noticed the way Nathan’s gaze didn’t at all soften when he looked at his ex-girlfriend—as if she was the one in the wrong and he was the victim in this situation. There was no love lost between them, it seemed, and while Calum knew that to be true on Elodie’s end, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting from Nathan. The guy was a control freak with an anger issue—no doubt he was more pissed about losing someone to have a grip on than a girlfriend who cared about him until she couldn’t anymore.

Nathan gave a click of his tongue. “Not worth it,” he scoffed before turning and walking away, not looking back as the distance grew between him and everyone else.

Before anyone could say anything, Dominique held the picture strip out to Calum and said, “Here—it’s probably got Nathan germs on it, though.”

Calum took it from her just as Elodie let out a gentle laugh at her best friend’s words, and the sound was enough to loosen Calum’s muscles, especially his jaw. His teeth had began to ache from how hard he was clenching it. “I’m probably the one with the most Nathan germs, to be fair,” Elodie commented, making Dominique dramatically shudder as Ashton stepped up to her.

As Elodie’s words registered in Calum’s head, his face scrunched up, giving a shake of his head as he sounded through a quiet groan, “Oh, jeez, gross, El.”

She giggled softly, her body relaxing now that she was no longer in the presence of her ex, squeezing Calum’s hand once more. “Sorry, sorry,” Elodie hummed, letting go of his arm to look at the strip in her hand. “These are cute,” she added in a soft murmur.

Calum finally looked at the pictures in his own hand, taking in the three images as a gentle smile curved at his lips. He felt Elodie’s warmth seep into him, but the heat that ran through him because of Nathan dissipated and transformed into a welcome heat spreading through his chest, comforting. The pictures were cute, but Calum gave that credit to Elodie, who was grinning without care in them. Happiness looked good on her.

“They are,” Calum agreed. It wasn’t lost on him how happy he looked in the pictures, too. He liked it. This was definitely going up on his fridge or something.

“Thanks for sticking by my side,” Elodie then said, her voice soft once more as she tilted her head up to look at him, and Calum noted the appreciation dancing in them.

He realized in that moment that he hadn’t even said anything to Nathan when he interrupted them, instead just hoped his eyes would show the murderous intent. His lips curled upwards once more at the sight of her bright eyes and pink cheeks. “You don’t have to thank me, doll,” he told her, before his smile became an impressed smirk. “’M proud of you for putting him in his place. You’re pretty badass, Elodie Banks.”

His compliment had her grin widening happily, the flush in her cheeks darkening adorably as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling and shrugged in mock modesty. “I have my moments,” she giggled before reaching up, because even in her heels she wasn’t nearly as tall as Calum, but he got the message and ducked his head to meet her lips with his halfway.

Whatever the two of them were, it was new and fresh. But even though it was unexpected, both in the fact that she was kind of with Calum and the fact that he wanted to be with her, Elodie knew at least one thing to be true: being with him made her feel more like herself than she had in a long time.

tags: @irwinkitten @sweetcherrymike @meetashthere @valentinelrh @softforcal @astroashtonio @hereforlukescruff @novacanecalum @captain-what-is-going-on @angelbbycal @singt0mecalum @hopelessxcynic @lfwallscouldtalk @bodhi-black @findingliam-o @softlrh @calntynes @calumsmermaid @erikamarie41 @quintodosuniversos @longlastingdaydream @babylon-corgis @lukehemmingsunflower @imfuckin10plybud @pastelpapermoons @conquerwhatliesahead92 @rotten-kandy @metangi @neigcthood @ohhmuke @old-zeppelin-shirt @5sos-and-hessa @trustmeimawhalebiologist @vxlentinecal @pettybassists @vaporshawn @lu-my-golden-boi @visualm3nte @isabella-mae13 @dontjinx-it @lifeakaharry @neonweeknds @antisocialbandmate @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave @calpalbby @grreatgooglymoogly @sunnysidesblog @gorgeouslygrace @cocktail-calum @miahelizaaabeth @madelynerin @dramallamawithsparkles @theagenderwhocriedwolf @kaytiebug14 @hoodskillerqueen @bitchinbabylon @empathycth @xhaileyreneex @inlovehoodx @calistheloml @aestheticrelated @bloodlinecal @sublimehood @madbomb @raabiac @britnicole11 @outofmylimitcal @fluffsshawn @bloodmoonashton @vxidhood @tea4sykes

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skottydawgblog · 4 years ago

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Top 25 Albums of All Time

Scott Welsch

Criteria:

Every song on the album must be attractive for listening. No “skippers” on the album. No, “Eh, that song kinda sucks” on the album. *Greatest Hits albums ARE NOT acceptable for this list. (This rule devastates me, as it disqualifies Foo Fighters)

2. The album/music/lyrics should still be relevant (and listenable) today.

3. The artist can’t just be for a specific crowd or followers (e.g. Jimmy Buffet, Grateful Dead, Moody Blues, etc.).

4. There is no need for the album to have won any awards or previous recognition.

5. I could have easily made this a “Top 100”, but I have a life.

TOP TWENTY FIVE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME:

#25 Billy Joel — Glass Houses

I played this album at bedtime growing up. I listened to side one, flipped the album, then listened to side two until the needle lulled me to sleep by making the “click click” noise at the end of the record. The album features Billy Joel’s first song to reach #1 status on Billboard (Still Rock and Roll To Me).

#24 Guns n Roses — Appetite For Destruction

My best friend in the 80s said to me, “Have you heard of this new band?” and handed me a cassette tape (in 1987). I listened to the entire cassette from start to finish the first time, and thought to myself, “Oh, man. These guys are gonna be huge.” Sure enough, Guns n Roses became one of the best-known names in modern rock. Their debut album (Appetite) has a buffet of glorious songs to listen to. Repeatedly.

#23 Elton John — Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John released this album as a two-disc set because he ended up writing and recording more songs than required by his recording company for the release. His creativity had kicked in full force (and then some). He recorded it in Jamaica (the country, not the neighborhood in Queens, NY).

#22 Red Hot Chili Peppers — Blood Sugar Sex Magik

The Chili Peppers’ fifth studio album, BSSM pushed them into mainstream. Prior to this album, the closest they had gotten was with a Stevie Wonder cover of Higher Ground on the Mother’s Milk album. No one has ever duplicated the variety of melodic undertones created by the combination of acid-rock, soul-funk, early alt-rock, and blues style on BSSM.

#21 Billy Idol — Billy Idol

Billy Idol’s debut album, released in 1982, was an absolute success after his breakup with the band Generation X. The song Dancing With Myself (track 11 on the 1983 reissue of the album) was actually a song originally recorded BY Generation X (with Billy Idol on lead vocals). It was a retail failure when released with Generation X, but when Billy Idol re-recorded and re-released it as a solo artist, it went mainstream.

#20 The Police — Zenyatta Mondotta

This was the last album The Police recorded by combining their reggae and punk music style before they switched to a more “popular” music style. Songs like Canary In A Coal Mine and Bombs Away had innuendos of political undertones, while Don’t Stand So Close To Me and De Do Do Do De Da Da Da were more lackadaisical and humorous.

#19 Van Halen — Van Halen

This album is an anomaly. Van Halen is a very well known band. They produced twelve albums. Yet, this is their debut album and has their legacy songs. The album has reached Diamond status by selling over ten million copies. It has one of the best-known guitar instrumental songs in history (eruption).

#18 Nirvana — Nevermind

This is my nod to the Foo Fighters, since they are not eligible for the list. Nevermind was the cork that popped and brought alternative rock (as a whole) into the mainstream. It basically created a whole new genre of both musicians and fans.

#17 Lynyrd Skynyrd — (Pronounced Lĕh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd)

Well…Free Bird, of course. I don’t need to write any about this album more than that.

#16 Pink Floyd — The Wall

I used to just listen to this album and watch the movie because it was the cool thing to do. Then, once I picked apart the meaning behind both (the music and the screenplay), it was totally eye opening. Pink Floyd was successful at concept before concept was cool.

#15 The Doors — The Doors

The Doors recorded this album in less than a month, yet it will inspire musicians for centuries. Critics often rate it the best album of all time.

#14 Rainmakers — Rainmakers

The Rainmakers self-titled album epitomizes my “100%” criterion. Every well written song tells a story, either historically or humorously. Also, The Rainmakers made rockabilly cool when no one knew what rockabilly was.

#13 Rush — Moving Pictures

With so many amazing Rush albums to choose from, it was difficult to pick just one. However, the rules of my list narrowed it down to Moving Pictures. I have spent countless nights in my life listening to this album from start to finish. Although Side B has no songs that ever received radio play, they are still AMAZING songs.

#12 Linkin Park — Hybrid Theory

This debut album launched Linkin Park into their river of greatness. Linkin Park was initially rejected by 42 recording agents before recording Hybrid Theory and becoming one of the all-time greatest alt rock bands.

#11 Beastie Boys — Licensed To Ill

Licensed To Ill is one of the fastest selling debut albums in history. It gained Diamond status (over 10 million copies). Some claim that Licensed To Ill is the best punk rap album ever released.

#10 Van Halen–5150

5150 was Van Halen’s debut album with Sammy Hagar as lead singer. Each song has crisp, clear instrumentals and incredibly well written music. Although the album received negative reviews from critics, each song creates different feelings and scenarios with the tempos and feelings. I know, I know. Van Halen is already on this list. However, as stated: this album is with Sammy Hagar as lead singer. The previous one was David Lee Roth.

#9 Violent Femmes — Violent Femmes

This was Violent Femmes debut album. It was the party album of the eighties. Every partygoer knew every lyric to every song. The Femmes had one of the most distinctive sounds of the times and remains an enduring classic. The minimalism and simplicity of their music created the attractiveness, and their lyrics are a drug.

#8 New Order — Substance

This is a compilation (2 disc) album. NOT a greatest hits album. It contains a ton of great New Order music. The only reason I made the exception (of “Greatest Hits”) is because it has a “B” sides disc included with many unreleased, 12-inch, and dub versions of the original songs. For New Order fans, this is a gold mine.

#7 The Who — Who’s Next

There are so many great tracks on here. The primary reason this one made the list is Baba O’Riley. This song (often mislabeled as Teenage Wasteland) was originally 30 minutes long. I would have had no problem with the song being that long.

#6 Prince — Purple Rain

Purple Rain had innovation that was unheard of in the early ’80s. For example, When Doves Cry does not have a bass line. The consolidation of R&B with rock was a new concept. Lastly, Prince’s guitar playing on this album was out of this world.

#5 U2 — Joshua Tree

Bono’s “great romance” and fascination with the United States served as the inspirations for The Joshua Tree. I wonder if Bono would have found today’s United States as inspirational? One of the BEST songs on this album- Running To Stand Still.

#4 AC/DC — Back In Black

This is one of the best-selling albums in history. It is AC/DC’s leanest, meanest album of all-time. It will always sound timeless and simple, yet savagely crafted.

#3 Led Zeppelin — IV

This album defined not only Led Zeppelin but the sound and style of 70s hard rock. It encompassed heavy metal, folk, pure rock-and-roll, and blues. This album not only served as a cornerstone but also a turning point for the future of music. Just don’t ask a guitar player to play Stairway (or Freebird).

#2 Nine Inch Nails — Downward Spiral

It’s no surprise that Trent Reznor collaborated with Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins on this album. The instrumentation throughout the album is amazing. Every song leads into the next (it should, as it’s a concept album). Just don’t listen to the lyrics too closely. It could prove very, very depressing!

#1 Pearl Jam — Ten

Ten was the debut album from Pearl Jam in August 1991. Although most consider Pearl Jam a “Grunge” band, the album is more classic rock music. Most of the songs on the album began as simple instrumental band jam sessions that Eddie Vedder then wrote lyrics to go along with. The songs on Ten, despite their deep, dark lyrics, will remain on playlists for generations to come. Ten is powerful, insightful, deep, dark, thought provoking, and brilliant. “Why is the album named ‘Ten’?” you ask, when there are eleven tracks on it? Jeff Ament’s (the band’s bass player) love for NBA point guard Mookie Blaylock provided the inspiration. Blaylock’s involvement in a tragic car accident hit Pearl Jam like an injury to a family member. Blaylock’s jersey number was — you guessed it — Ten.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Steve Miller Band — Book of Dreams

This album has a few legendary songs on it: Jet Airliner, Swingtown, Jungle Love, and True Fine Love. The only reason it did not meet the cut is because it has some “eh” songs on it. However, a host can play this album straight through at a party or a get together, and no one will complain.

The Cars — The Cars

This is an amazing album. Clean, crisp guitar. Ric Ocasek’s vocals and lyrics are powerful. However, two songs (I’m In Touch With Your World and Dontcha Stop) prevent this album from meeting the “100%” criterion.

#rock music #music

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slaminthebackofmy · 4 years ago

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i’m gonna put my playlist on shuffle and write what the songs remind me of while i listen to them, no one asked and no one cares but i’ve had so much caffeine and sugar today that there is no way in fresh hell i am going to bed anytime soon,

this is unnecessarily long, i’m just terrified of losing memories and i need these written down

deadroses - blackbear - september 2019 when i was getting ready for school. i used a rose cleansing water and the smell of it reminds me of this song, it was super warm and i had just come back from vacation in bulgaria with my family. used to watch the sunset with this song pretending i’m the main character. one time we went to a supermarket on the outskirts of town with this blasting in the car

anxiety - blackbear - almost the same as the previous one, october 2019 when i got led lights under my bed and i was just calming down from 4 months of paranoia and sleepless nights

one for the road - arctic monkeys - weird mood in december when all i would listen to was arctic monkeys and the nbhd, spent most nights on the dining room table blasting these just quiet enough to not wake my parents upstairs, my neighbours probably wished murder was legal

miroh - skz - miroh came out about a month after i found skz so i was still new to their music and the day it came out i was kinda sick and staying home from school so i got to enjoy the full thing in peace, i spent the next few days watching finding skz and then i blasted this throughout april which was a weird and rough month oh and also i started that other writing blog

often - the weeknd - i used to blast this in the 8th grade while i played that one paper airplane flash game before i discovered the magic of headphones fkgslkjgn

sweater weather - so many memories attached to this pretty bitch, finding it first through a sam and colby vine, walking home in the 6th grade from the dentist at night, standing on my balcony and watching super strong winds bring in very dark storm clouds almost completely covering the light from the sky above, except for one small window of light, last december

fantasy - dye - i found this i think last summer but it reminds me of my childhood and watching samurai jack for some reason

rumors - neffex - i accidentally clicked on a lyric video for this while i was staring at the moon one evening and the sky in the background picture of the video was exactly the same as the sky i was looking at and it just reminded me of a mid 2000′s teenagers room in my town, like older boys i used to have baby crushes on as a kid would have a room like that, gray walls, wooden desk with a computer and a bed with gray sheets with a window right above it and moonlight shining in, a red electrig guitar mounted on the wall and a skateboard leaned against the wall

arabella - arctic monkeys - i listened to an hour loop of this for a week straight non stop in december, i specifically remember dec 21st and wrote a lot on here

do i wanna know - arctic monkeys - there’s a few with this one, firsty it’s finding this song in the 9th grade when i was going to a youth club and i started listening to it because a girl from france that was there that i had a crush on liked it, secondly, finding bts in 2018 and listening to this while staring at the stars in a black tshirt, flannel and jeans with converse(yes i was that kid) and feeling the very moist air hit the back of my neck after we just got back from someone’s house that was selling clothes from home.

i miss the old u - blackbear - a lot of these are on my balcony because i love the sky lol but this one is too and just standing on my balcony in autumn 2019 after i got back from school just to watch the sky melt into a coral pink and orange

how you like that - blackpink - summer 2020, all i did was learn to play the ukulele and struggle with an issue i don’t wanna mention, the entire summer, with this playing in the background, i got my new laptop so i blasted this on there instead of my phone like most of the others on this list, also worked out to this song a lot

fly away - thefatrat - playing transformice in 2017 for HOURS and talking to dodgy people on there

dirty laundry - blackbear - you guessed it, getting ready for school in 2019, same as most other blackbear songs

god’s menu - skz - this came out the day after i got my laptop and the day that i got my ukulele, i remember watching the online concert while i waited for my mum to come home and bring me the uke, i watched it in my room in the dark and i literally had way more fun that i probably should have but they were so hyped up it was lovely

chateau - blackbear - autumn 2019 on my balcony watching the sunset

wonderland - caravan palace - similar to how you like that, listened to this all of summer 2020 while i was struggling with that issue, i used to pace around the second floor of my apartment with this song on and strut to the beat

feel special - twice - just when school started in 2019, i watched every studio ghibli movie that summer so i associate this song with those, i used to get ready for school with this blasting, and i remember dreaming about sana sitting in the rain a few times

pumped up kicks - going home from bulgaria in 2017 and getting stuck with no gas or cash in a little border town, we got there super late and most money exchanges were already closed so we had to get money from someone’s basement:) also summer 2020 when i learned to play this on the uke and it’s super easy and still my favourite one to play

why’d you only call me when you’re high - march 2018, i was making sugar cookies with leftover frozen dough from the last time i had made them, and while they were in the oven i went out on the balcony just to stare at the stars on the west

wow - danceracha - january, gameshow, that’s all i’m gonna say, i’ve been skipping through the songs once i wrote what i had to say but i’m gonna have to let this absolute bop play through, it’s the gay in me, why is this song so good what the FUCK

faggot - msi - reminds me of my childhood for some reason i think it was played a lot in some places, reminds me specifically of when i would walk home with my mum and see people sitting in an internet cafe we passed everynight that had neon signs inside

chronosaurus - april 2019, lee know saying tick tock tick tock getting closer was stuck in my head, almost got youtube premium just to be able to download that music video, may 2019, went on a school trip and listened to this on the days leading up to it, currently waiting for lee knows tick tock tick tock getting closer to play omfg why does he say it so well sjflkfj

505 - arctic monkeys - autumn - winter 2020, just sat in my dining room playing this and staring off into space

victory song - skz - LISTEN TO THIS 승전가, jisung and chan lifting their shirts lived rent free in my mind for a few months after this came out

cherry - itzy - summer 2020, issues and dancing a lot

get cool - skz - just got into them, feb 2019, used to listen to this when i was trying to learn their names🥺

hayloft - mother mother - oooohh a recent one, late january 2021, fell in love with a tiktok girl and decided to get my life together, played geoguessr with this on loop

love scenario - ikon - may 2018 when i was just really starting to get into kpop, this was one of the first non bts songs that i loved, i used to listen to it while reading wattpad lol

snap out of it - jan 2021, gameshow, reminds me of felix for some reason

hot girl bummer - late summer 2019, crying at night because of anxiety and pretending i was okie dokey during the day

daddy issues - the nbhd - may 7th 2018, super stormy outside, it was my younger cousins birthday, i spent the day in this one oversized shirt with donald duck printed all over it pretending i was talking to my crush at the time and staring at the rain clouds

be with you - cadmium - summer 2020, pacing around my apartment and those issues and finding this song through a video about those issues, i can’t find the channel anymore:(

reckless healy - january 2020, i was doing eyeliner all the time and just vibing, i had my doggie and all i did was scroll through tiktok and listen to music

ghost - confetti - november 2020, pretending i was the main character while singing this through my entire apartment

knee socks - arctic monkeys - same exact thing as arabella

goodnight i’ve been writing for so long and i’m finally tired

#for me #u can see my sparkle dying out as i continued the songs lol

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thelaurenshippen · 4 years ago

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oh hey, here’s a playlist from 2017 that I realized wasn’t on my website with the rest of them and that I totally wasn’t thinking about because there’s actually a part two that has never seen the light of day that may or may not be incoming

notes on my website and also under the cut

As I write, I like to build playlists for all my characters and, occasionally, will make playlists as a character as well. These playlists are part of my writing process and I take them far more seriously than anyone should. Sometimes the playlists come together instantly and effortlessly and sometimes I play around with them for months. As such, there are a fair number of cast-offs that never make it onto the final, official playlist. That's what this playlist is.

So here we are: all the songs that nearly made it on to the character playlists but got cut for various reasons. Those reasons tend to fall into one of a few categories:

There wasn’t space / another song was serving a similar purpose

The song was right for the character but not right for the character at the beginning of their story (which is what most of the playlists are)

The mood/genre/tempo of the song was out of place in the playlist

I discovered the song after the playlists had been put together.

All my playlists are very specifically ordered, so adding or removing songs after their publication is more or less impossible. Instead, I would throw songs into this B-Side playlist as they appeared, meaning that, unlike most of my playlists, the order here is random (aka this playlist has NO flow). Here is a list of where they would have gone had they made the final cut. The characters are listed above the tracks, with a link to the playlist in question.

A/N, 2020: These are the B-Sides specifically from pre-Season 4. Back in August of 2017, I did a sticker giveaway to see what folks would guess about which songs were for which characters - these annotations were published after that giveaway and thus, there's some reference to how people guessed!

WADSWORTH

1. “Heavy Metal Lover” - Lady Gaga

This is a Wadsworth song through and through in terms of style and swagger. There just wasn’t space for it.

But would you love me if I ruled the world

DAMIEN

2. “Reaper Man” - Mother Mother

This is a song that was recommended to me as a Damien song by tumblr user kalgalen and I am actively mad that I didn’t know this song before making Damien’s playlist. The style, the lyrics - everything about this song is Damien. And it actually fits perfectly after the opening track but by the time I was made aware of it, it was too late.

Oh yeah, I’m an ugly mess/not in the face, but in the head - regardless of how attractive Damien is, this is something he thinks. God, what an edgelord line this is.

Oh yeah, I got no choice/got no choice/but to love myself - I mean, it’s just all there.

A/N, 2020: this song eventually made its way onto a playlist - my playlist for A Neon Darkness, Damien's book.

CHLOE

3. “Her Morning Elegance” - Oren Lavie

I love that this song really conjures a visceral image to your brain - it paints such a vivid picture. It’s delicate, but determined. I think Chloe sometimes moves through her world separate and observing and that’s what this song is.

There’s also an amazing music video that I think Chloe would watch over and over again.

I got a lot of submissions guessing that this was a song for Sam and I really see that too. It fits well with the aesthetic of her playlist and the theme of fighting for your life everyday definitely resonates with Sam, as does the “Nobody knows” lyric. But the lyrics are also about being out in the world, which is something Sam doesn’t do but Chloe wants to continue to do desperately, despite her ability making it difficult.

CALEB/ADAM

4. “Blue and Yellow” - The Used

This was a song suggested by my sister for Caleb and Adam because of the colors involved and also because The Used was a band we both listened to a lot when we were emo teenagers like Adam. Ultimately, this song feels very dated as early emo and didn’t quite fit musically on any of their mixes, either in-universe or not.

And it’s all in how you mix the two/and it starts just where the light exists/it’s a feeling that you cannot miss/and it burns a hole/through everyone that feels it

5. “Stupid for You” - Waterparks

This is another song that was recommended to me, this time by a tumblr user and it is absolutely perfect. I didn’t even realize that there was pop punk being made like this anymore, so I was delighted.

You’re yellow, I’m natural blue/let’s get together and be green like my insides - I mean??? Couldn’t have said it better myself

Also, the refrain of “stupid for you” fits perfectly with the “I’m the guy who’s been so stupid about you that it broke my fucking super power!” I mean, I clearly ghostwrote this song.

ISO: the tumblr user who suggested this song. I have scoured both of my blogs to find the ask to no avail so if it was you, please raise your hand.

Both of these songs would go on a Caleb/Adam ship mix if such a thing existed. But in fact, both their mixes are in-universe and, while one of them might put this on a mix now, it would have been way too vulnerable of a thing to put on one of those earlier playlists. I've linked to their second in-universe mix - the quite lovey one that Adam makes for Caleb.

MARK

6. “Time Machine" - Robyn

This definitely felt a little too on the nose for Mark, so I went with “Hang With Me” instead. But Mark loves Robyn and would love the DeLorean reference in this so it was very tempting. It’s also a song all about making impulsive decisions, which Mark definitely does a lot, but in classic Robyn style, it’s such a bop despite the serious lyrics. That balance fits Mark perfectly.

7. “F U” - Miley Cyrus

I know this song is about someone cheating, but it is such a good angry-fuck-you song that I can’t help but think of it in the context of Mark’s feelings towards Wadsworth. Having missed the heyday of pop borrowing from dubstep and the increasing use of internet slang, I think Mark would have gotten out of The AM and fallen hard for this song. I imagine many an afternoon before Joan gets home from work just angry dancing around the living room singing along to this.

SAM/MARK

8. “Someone to Fall Back On” - Jason Robert Brown

This is 100% Sam singing to Mark about being his knight in shining armor. Sam is hard on herself - doesn’t realize her own strength - so the self-deprecating lyrics really work for her. It didn’t make it on the playlist because it felt like it was a little further down the line in their relationship - somewhere around Episode 40.

I’ll take your side/if I’m the only one/I’m used to that/I’ve been alone/I’d rather be/the half of us/the least of you/the best of me

I got a lot of guesses for Frank on this one, which completely fits. He’s quite a bit more confident in his abilities than Sam - if he thinks he can be your knight, he’ll say so right from the get-go.

9. “Can’t Get Started With You” - Ella Fitzgerald

This is pretty self-explanatory. It didn’t fit with the very particular structure that I created for the Sam/Mark playlist and it also felt like a later stage of their relationship. That playlist was them falling in love and wanting to be in the same time; this song is getting close to that but then getting pulled apart again, first by Damien and then by the difficult realties of actually trying to have a relationship. If the previous track is end of Season 3 for them, this is a Season 4 song.

A/N, 2020: it certainly is a Season 4 song, because it actually ended up going on their Season 4 playlist.

DAMIEN/MARK

10. “Elvis Ain’t Dead” - Scouting for Girls

So…this is a reject from an as of yet published playlist. I know - not fair. Think of this as the free square on a bingo sheet. In the course of writing Season 3, I was motivated to make a playlist for a relationship that was becoming increasingly interesting to write. While this playlist could certainly be seen as a ship playlist, I have no intentions to ever put these characters together in a real way, but their dynamic was so compelling that I wanted to explore it. I will eventually release the playlist because it’s one of the best I’ve made, but I didn’t want it influencing anyone’s reaction to the end of Season 3. Loose lips sink ships.

I wish it was me you chose/Elvis ain’t dead/and you’re coming back

Okay, okay, I won’t leave you hanging because a few people actually guessed this one right - it’s from a Damien/Mark playlist. This is actually one of three unpublished Damien mixes - for whatever reason, music is the fastest and easiest way for me to connect to him. He really brings out the playlist-making skills in me.

A lot of people guessed that this was Agent Green which I absolutely love. Poor Owen.

A/N, 2020: I didn't link to the playlist originally, but it exists now! To this day, I think it's some of my best work.

ROSE

11. “Carolina” - Harry Styles

This was mostly rejected because I felt stupid having two songs called “Carolina” on one mix and Sara Bareilles trumps Harry Styles (as much as I love him). But in style and content, this really feels like a Rose song.

#playlist #playlists #b-sides #the bright sessions #man elvis ain't dead still really slaps

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reddieorrnot · 5 years ago

Note

4 for the reddie prompts please! Xx

here you go!! this is number 4 off of this prompt list.

i got so many prompt requests so fast omg i like to make these so long too,, i’ll try and get as many done asap and i hope you like this!! “My parents are going out of town this weekend.”

Eddie looked up from the comic book in his hands, and glanced over to Richie. The teen was lying on his bed, throwing a ball into the air and catching it before it fell on his face. Eddie found it humorous how Richie’s feet nearly hung over the foot of his bed, his height seemed to have betrayed his desire to keep the same bed throughout adolescence. When Eddie didn’t answer, Richie sat up and continued to speak.

“My dad’s got some dentist convention and my mom wanted to go. Doesn’t that sound so dumb, a dentist convention? What’re they gonna do, inspect each other’s teeth? See who can brush the best?” Richie looked genuinely confused, which prompted a giggle from Eddie who set down the borrowed comic.

They had been spending all afternoon at Richie’s, it being originally a plan for Eddie to receive some tutoring, but the two had finished way earlier than expected. It bewildered Eddie, how good at math Richie was. The boy only needed to learn a lesson once before being able to do the problems, along with applying further thinking with more difficult questions.

He would never admit it to anyone, but Eddie always stared in awe and amazement as Richie knit together his eyebrows ad solved his homework in record time. And apparently, Richie was also good at explaining how to answer the problem, because Eddie felt much more confident in his abilities after an hour of getting homework help from Richie. Neither one felt particularly in favor of ending their hanging out, so they decided to just relax in Richie’s room until Eddie needed to leave.

“I bet you’d do great in their teeth brushing contest, my little hygiene freak.” Richie crawled over to where Eddie was, sitting on the edge of the bed. Before Eddie could stop him, Richie brought his hand up and pinched Eddie’s cheek with a smile.

“Oh, stop it, Rich,” Eddie swat the hand away from his face, thinking about Richie’s comment. He secretly found pride in how clean his mouth was, and how pearly white his teeth were. He didn’t do the whole routine night and day for nothing.

“Come on, Eds. You know you would, you got a yapper so squeaky clean I bet kissing you would be like a minty oasis!”

It was stuff Richie said like that which made Eddie’s flutter, or the heat in his body to rise to his cheeks. Richie always was a flirt, saying things Eddie knew he didn’t mean. But there were moments where Richie would say something, something that indicated Richie had to think about his words, and it would leave Eddie damn near breathless.

“Shut up, and that isn’t my name,” was all Eddie could muster before returning his attention to the comic in his hands.

Richie had scooted over right next to Eddie, peeking at the comic and reading along. He must have gotten bored because soon Richie started speaking again.

“Maybe I should move everything in the house two inches to the left while they’re gone and see if they notice when they’re back…” Richie pondered, rolling onto his side and looking up at Eddie. As stupid as it was, it made Eddie giggle.

“That’s so dumb. But it sounds like something you’d do,” Eddie let out an exasperated sigh.

“They’d be so confused! Bumping into everything!” Richie exclaimed while rolling off the bed.

He stood to his feet and put on his best impression of his father, Went Tozier. “Here I am back in my home from my dentist convention, where I earned an award for farthest stethoscope up my ass-”

“Dentist don’t use stethoscopes, Richie,” Eddie cocked an eyebrow in amusement, only to be shushed by Richie.

“Guess I’ll just go and sit in my favorite chair! One I don’t even have to look at to sit in!” Richie then professionally strutted to an invisible chair, in a way that Eddie had to laugh at because it indeed did look like the way Went walked. Richie then mimed going to sit down, but landing right on his butt instead. He then put on a shocked expression, “Blasphemy! Could’ve sworn this chair was more to the right! Am I insane?”

Perhaps it was the voice, or the expression, or the concept of it all, but Eddie started to laugh so hard he fell back onto the bed holding his sides. Between the giggles, Eddie could hear Richie scrambling up and moving over to his side. Once Eddie’s laughter died down, he turned his head over to see his lanky best friend lying right next to him, Richie had the stupidest grin on his face.

“When I’m a big and famous comedian, and you’re my arm candy, I’ll be able to pick out your laughter at all my shows.”

Eddie hoped Richie couldn’t sense the nerves radiating off of the smaller boy.

“Like enough people will find you funny for you to have shows,” Eddie teased.

“Of course they will, Eds! And if not, I’m sure they’ll come for your cuteness,” That earned Richie a shove in the arm.

“You’re so weird, and stop calling me that. Your parents go out of town and the first thing you wanna do is alter the whole house by a few inches. Other teens would do other things,” Eddie rolled his eyes as he brought back their focus to the original topic. Richie’s eyes flickered with thought, filling Eddie with a mix of intrigue and anxiety.

“Okay, then I’ll do something other teens would do.”

Eddie’s brown eyes widened in fear, zoning in on Richie, something that could be easily mistaken for excitement. “Are you going to have a party?”

Although he opened his mouth to answer, the ringing of a phone cut Richie off before he even began. Just like that, Eddie’s attention was fixated somewhere else, and the discussion was over.

***

A few days later, Eddie lay on his own bed, listening to music play in his earphones. It had been a playlist Richie had made him, claiming he needed to expand his musical interests. And while Eddie didn’t like all the songs, he did like that Richie had sat down and made him this. At the first chorus of Boys Don’t Cry by The Cure, Eddie heard a phone ring. He thanked the universe that his mother wasn’t home, knowing she wouldn’t be happy with such noise blaring throughout the house. Abandoning his music, Eddie made his way over to the phone and lifted it to his ear.

“Now which of the stunning Kaspbraks am I speaking to?” Richie's voice filled the air around Eddie, familiar and deep.

“God, I hope you don’t usually start off like that, my mother would probably have a stroke.”

Richie laughed, “Oh, don’t worry your pretty head, Eddie Spaghetti. With all the things your mother and I do, I’ve come to learn that that woman's heart can take anything.”

Eddie’s face twisted in disgust, “You got a reason for calling me, Trashmouth? Or can I hung up and cut short your comments about my mom?”

“One day you’ll accept my ravishing romance with Ms. Kaspbrak,” Richie purred and had been any other statement in that tone, Eddie would have melted. Instead, he simply muttered a refusement, one that went ignored, nonetheless. “I’m calling you on this fine day to see if you can come over tonight? Possibly sleepover?”

“I’m not helping you move everything over two inches,” Eddie simply replied, getting ready to hang up the phone.

“Good, because I wasn’t gonna ask you. Think you can come?”

As much as Richie teased and joked, Eddie would never pass up a request to go over to his best friend’s house, especially sleepover. He found himself spending hours laughing at Richie’s jokes, eating things from his pantry that Eddie’s mother would faint at, and listening to the ramblings Richie went on. It all was Eddie’s own bliss, something he would never say out loud. But the concept spoke volumes loud enough in his own mind.

“Yeah, I’ll be there. What time?”

“Come around nine, and don’t wear or bring pajamas,” Richie said.

“Huh?”

“Just dress cute, like you usually do but even cuter. And don’t bring anything, I’ll let you borrow clothes or whatever.”

There was a beat of hesitation on Eddie’s part before he spoke, “Um, okay. You’ve got my spare toothbrush in your bathroom right?”

For reasons Eddie didn’t understand, Richie chuckled at the question. “Of course I do, never touch it. Remember, dress pretty, cutie!”

Before any questions could be asked, Richie had already hung up, leaving Eddie with his confusion alone. He put the phone down and looked over his shoulder toward the clock, he had about an hour to get ready and head over to Richie’s. He’d make sure to leave a note on the fridge for his mother, stating that he went over to Bill’s for movie night and would spend the night there. He would probably get yelled at for something so short notice and absent of her permission, but there wasn’t much else to do. So then Eddie commenced on picking out an outfit.

He supposed that he and Richie would probably go see some sort of movie or something, as they’ve done many times before. He didn’t get why he had to specifically dress nicely, though. He never got those instructions before they went to the movies.

You dress nicely for dates, a voice in Eddie’s head said.

He quickly repressed the thought and went to work in his closet.

Over time, he eventually settled on a pair of high waisted jeans, one of his favorite pairs, He liked the way it made his thighs look (and his ass), and dressing nicely to Eddie meant tapping into his confidence. He then picked out a dress shirt, one that was vertically striped with yellow, black, and white. Eddie then remembered some fashion advice Beverly once gave him, as he looked into the mirror. He tucked the dress shirt into his pants, and popped open the collar.

He immediately looked less like a businessman and more like those men in movies that always made Eddie blush. Wanting to top it all off, Eddie grabbed a belt he usually wore with pants that were too big and slid into the holes of his jeans.

He looked… hot.

A bubble of self-assurance formed in Eddie, as he shot himself a grin in the mirror. Whether Richie planned on them seeing a movie or what, Eddie was going to be hanging out in style. Picking out his outfit had taken a lot longer than Eddie had expected, noticing on the clock that he had about fifteen minutes to work on his facial appearance before needing to start walking over to the Tozier household.

Rushing into the bathroom, Eddie dug through the cabinets of medication until he reached what he had been looking for.

Eddie’s mother hated his curly hair, claiming it had to be neatly compact and short. But in a desire for adventure, or as much as he could get, Eddie had bought a hair product behind her back for volumizing curls. He swallowed nervously, placing the right amount into his palm and running it through his hair. As he finished and started to style it in the mirror, Eddie felt pleased with how he looked. For safety measures, he then brushed his teeth and did a few rounds of mouthwash. He couldn’t be sure that Richie truly did have Eddie’s emergency toothbrush in his bathroom, even if Eddie had forced him into never touching it a few weeks prior.

Soon Eddie was leaving his house and making his way over to Richie’s.

At first, he didn’t really notice it. Maybe his head was just somewhere else, daydreaming or wandering in thought. But it wasn’t long until Eddie saw how many cars were parked on the streets approaching Richie’s house. Even then, he didn’t think too much about it.

Some dumbass is probably just having a party, Eddie thought.

It wasn’t until he was standing in front of Richie’s house, when he saw tons of cars, heard music playing, where he realized.

It’s my dumbass having the party.

Eddie thought Richie was insane, didn’t he know better? By the looks of it, it looked as if Richie had invited the whole fucking school. Sure, cops didn’t care much and Richie wouldn’t necessarily get his party shut down, but it was just crazy.

Eddie suddenly understood why he had gotten asked to sleepover. Richie wanted Eddie to be here tomorrow morning so he’d have someone to help him clean up, it was pathetic. Richie hadn’t even told him there was going to be a party, but still expected him to help pick up the remains? Frustration erupted within Eddie as he made his way up the front lawn. Understanding more or less how parties worked, Eddie didn’t bother to knock. He opened the front door and was engulfed by the scene before him. Kids from all over his grade were walking around or chatting, cups in their hand and music filling the atmosphere. Had this been another day, Eddie would have taken advantage of such social event and would try to find his friends to have some fun. But he desperately wanted to give Richie a piece of his mind, so he shut the door behind him and went to work on finding his best friend who he was majorly pissed at.

First, he checked the living room, coming to face only a ton of teens dancing and singing along to the songs that were playing.

Then, Eddie made his way to the kitchen, expecting to see Richie chatting it up with a ton of girls and a beer in his hand. He was surprised to see none of this, but was grateful to come across Beverly and Ben leaning against the counter talking.

“Hey there, Eddie!” Beverly’s big smile cued that she was at most a little tipsy, which was fine. As long as she could point Eddie in Richie’s direction. “You look so hot!”

Ben chuckled and nodded, “She speaks the truth, you look really good, Eddie.”

His anger simmered down a little bit, enough to flash them both a small smile and feel flattery flutter in him. “Thanks, guys, any clue where Richie is?”

“He’s upstairs, I think. Saw him go up there a few minutes ago,” Ben said, trying to help. He received a small mutter of thanking from Eddie as he turned and made his way to the staircase.

Beverly took a long sip of her drink before leaning her head on Ben’s shoulder and letting out a dreamy sigh. “They’re really cute, aren’t they?”

Ben hoped Beverly couldn’t hear how loud his heartbeat got. “Yeah… Yeah, they’re really cute,” He told her while his mind struggled to stay grounded.

Eddie climbed the stairs, moving past more and more people. He wondered where Richie could be. He unintentionally had the thought of Richie hooking up with someone in one of the upstairs rooms, getting sick at the concept. Eddie pushed the idea away and continued with his search by banging on the first door he saw, the bathroom.

“Richie?” He called out.

An unfamiliar voice replied, and Eddie didn’t pay much mind to what they said, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t Richie.

He then moved on to Went and Maggie’s room, attempting to turn the doorknob but it wouldn’t budge. He then heard a giggle from the other side and a female call out, “Occupied!”

Richie wouldn’t giggle, Eddie told himself as he turned away from the door. Lastly was Richie’s own room, where he walked over to and turned the doorknob. Thankfully, it wasn’t locked.

As Eddie looked into the room, before him was indeed Richie, sitting on his bed with the same type of cup Beverly had while looking out his window. Eddie knew Richie probably wasn’t drinking though, with a party this big, Richie usually didn’t risk blacking out and not getting to remember all the fun. At the sound of a door opening, and the other noises from the party it invited, Richie turned his head and faced Eddie.

“Eds! You’re here! Was waiting for you to show up,” Richie’s initial face of happiness quickly morphed into a look of shock. “Holy Christ Eddie, I know I told you to dress cute but you didn’t have to come looking downright sexy!”

Eddie wished he wasn’t mad, or else he would have paid more attention to the compliment. Shutting the door to try and achieve silence, Eddie spoke.

“You’re throwing a fucking party?”

Richie must have heard how upset Eddie sounded, because his eyes got big and suddenly there was a pout where his smile had previously been.

“You… You told me to...?” He replied.

“I- What? No, I didn’t, Rich,” Eddie pursed his lips, trying to imagine in what universe he’d tell Richie to throw a party.

“Yes you did, when we were hanging out here a few days ago? When you said moving everything over two inches was stupid?”

Eddie groaned, throwing his head back, “I asked you if you were having a party. I didn’t tell you to have a party.”

Richie then shrunk into himself, frowning, “Oh.”

“Wait, did you throw this whole thing because you thought I told you to?”

The host of the party turned away shamefully, mumbling a small, “Yeah. Thought you’d like it, even though I should’ve known you don’t usually like big scenes.”

It was because Richie always had this impact on him, an impact that made Eddie putty in his best friend’s hands. But seeing Richie pull an act so great just for Eddie, to do something Richie thought he’d like, made all his anger vanish. It was replaced by gratefulness and empathy.

“Even though I never really asked for it, this was all a very nice thing to do, Richie. You know your house is gonna be trashed tomorrow morning, right?” The gentler voice made Richie gain a small smile, an improvement of mood that was enough to launch him into one of his voices.

“Nothing a few good hours of labor can’t fix, me ol’ chap!” He said gleefully in an awful British accent. It was so awful it made Eddie laugh, and that was all Richie needed.

“Well, then let’s go and enjoy your party,” Eddie said, putting his hand out for Richie to sat and stand up. Richie did so, not caring to grab his cup on the way.

When Eddie thought Richie was going to let go of his hand after standing up, Richie surprised him by not doing so. Instead, he gave Eddie’s hand a light squeeze as he started to make his way over to the door of his room. It made Eddie’s mouth run dry, and bundles of nerves ignite in his stomach.

Richie placed his free hand on the doorknob, but then pulled away.

Turning back to face Eddie, Richie leaned down to the shorter boy’s ear and whispered, “I wasn’t joking around earlier. You look really fucking good, Eds.”

Eddie would have been convinced he died right there and then if Richie hadn’t opened the door, and pulled them back into the event.

In the end, turns out he really did want this party.

#reddie #reddie prompt #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #richie x eddie

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wowweeharrystyles · 5 years ago

Text

mixtapes & memories

Love Is A Mixtape by Rob Sheffield definitely had its impact on me & inspired me to write this piece. This is one of my favourite playlists, so I decided to write around it.

Harry x Y/N | 5.2K words

(Italicized bits are flashback memories)

Here’s a link to the playlist, too !!! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1kPsDksn0oQcF9uOLIioUH?si=nGKLi3FBREyrcR5iAc9UbQ

It’s nights like these you look back on. Nights like these that you’ll remember forever. Nights like these are the ones you hope everyone you love gets to experience with the one they love.

Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

A giggle bubbles in your throat as Harry presses a kiss to the soft skin under your ear. Harry nonchalantly pulls away as if he wasn’t intending on making a mark on your skin when he sees his car being pulled up by the valet. His arm leaves your waist as he pulls out a few bills to hand to the valet. Verbally thanking the young man, you walk towards the car and see Harry now waiting with the passenger door open for you. Shining him a bright smile you step down into the low riding Ford Capri. Before closing your door Harry helps you move some of the fabric of your skirt into your seat with you as to not close it in the door. He shakes his head with a smile before walking round to get into the driver's side.

“What’re you shaking your head for?” you ask through a chuckle.

“Just look beautiful tonight, sometimes can’t believe I get to spend my time with you,” he says as he shuts the door and shifts into drive.

You groan his name in faked annoyance. You really don’t have anything coherent to respond with but he knows the feelings go both ways.

There’s a moment of silence while the cd that is in the stereo changes to the next song. You both still quite like the idea of mix tapes and prefer the sound of the 1970 stereo, (only having updated it by adding a CD player rather than an aux cord). Your favourite mixtape being the one in the player now. There’s a wide selection on this disk and in your handwriting, the title “feels like home” is scribble in sharpie on the top of the silvery-gold CD.

There’s a wide variety of songs on this CD, some of your favourites, some of Harry’s, songs that you grew up listening to, it’s got it all. As you 2 got to know each other in the beginning you both discovered that music played a big part in how you were raised and grew up.

Just about every single Saturday growing up, you were woken up by your parents blasting their music collection throughout the house. Dad would play Phil Collins or Fleetwood Mac and Mom would blast Paul Simon, Michael Jackson or Donny Osmonds and once in a while Shania Twain’s Greatest Hits. On the morning of your oldest sisters wedding she played “Going To The Chapel” at full volume, on repeat, to wake everyone up.

Every Saturday, without a doubt, she would go one by one into everyone’s room and dance around and sing to whatever was playing downstairs. It wasn’t always your favourite way to be woken up but looking back on it, you miss it from time to time.

Sometimes Harry will try to recreate these Saturday mornings - with a fresh cup of coffee in hand - dancing around in his boxers, his latest favourite blasting through the apartment. It only makes his regal flat feel more like home and makes up for the time apart.

Harry’s mother, Anne, had raised Harry with similar music taste. The 2 of you liked to compare first experiences with Fleetwood Mac and stories passed down by both of your parents. Your dad repeatedly recalls taking his baby blue Ford van down to Florida for spring break the year Rumours was released, blasting the album on the hot, packed beaches throughout the coast of Florida. Harry recalls Anne singing along to Landslide and Dreams as they drove around Cheshire. Dreams was the first song he learned all the words to.

The opening drums of ‘Dreams’ vibrates through the speakers of the car as Harry starts to drive away. He starts to sing along right away. You know he doesn’t realise that he always does this and it makes you smile everytime you hear his smooth voice

I’ll Be There For You - The Rembrandts

Neither of you can bare to miss the claps at the beginning so when Harry can’t get his hands off the wheel to clap along, you restart the track. Both of you break out in a fit of laughter at the ridiculous habit and continue singing as loud as you can, dance moves included (at least what you could manage while buckled into your seats). Harry’s signature “rain starts to fall” hands always make you roll your eyes before tossing your head back and laugh even more while still trying to sing along.

Honestly, neither of you have been able to keep track of how many times you’ve rewatched F.R.I.E.N.D.S. on your own, nonetheless together. (It’s a lot and you’ll both just leave it at that.) Harry had suggested that you 2 should start watching it from the beginning together when you two ordered takeout one night in the first month of knowing each other. That night repeated over and over again, neither of you caring to go out on fancy dates so much, only wanting to spend time together.

You had just finished season 6 the night before Harry had to jet off to Japan or New York or Italy (honestly, you can barely keep track). While facetiming one night while he was gone you caught a glimpse of his tv screen in his hotel room.

“Harry?” you questioned.

“Yes, love?”

“Are you watching FRIENDS without me?”

“Uhhh…” he stutters out, looking back at the TV that was playing without sound. “I can explain!” he rushed out. You faked an annoyed look (even though you were actually kind of annoyed by it). “Listen, babe, love, sweetheart, I was bored and missing you… I thought i’d just watch one episode…”

“One?!?! Looks like you’ve definitely watched more than one!”

“I’m sorry, love!”

“Fine, well that means I have to catch up, then. What episode are you on?”

“Uhm, I think episode 4,” he whispers.

“4?!?! Harry!!”

“I’m so sorry!!! Like I said, I was bored and missed you. Always reminds me of you.”

“Oh come on, be a normal boy and have a wank if you miss me.”

He shouts your name in surprise. “Oh my god.” His cheeks start to turn a light pink shade.

“Oh, stop blushing. You’re acting like a child. Be a man, have a wank or call me, don’t watch FRIENDS.”

After a short moment of silence you both meet eyes and burst into a fit of laughter.

That specific conversation gets brought up every time Harry has to leave, a little inside joke. Between “I’ll Be There For You” and the next track Harry suggests that you 2 should start rewatching FRIENDS again.

“That’ll be like the 5th time,” you comment. “Think this time you’ll be able to make it through the entire show without watching an episode without me?”

“I can’t make any promises,” he confirms with a giggle.

Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon

There’s a handful of Paul Simon on this mixtape. You have your mother to thank for that. After dinner each night your mom would put on a Paul Simon album while you did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen as a family. To this day you’ll opt for Paul Simon’s Greatest Hits while you clean yours and Harry’s home. He knows this music makes you feel like you’re back home with your family and can nick away at the homesick feeling you get once in a while. There’s something about the classics - “Still Crazy After All These Years”, “Diamonds on the Soles of Your Shoes” “Kodachrome” - that make your heart light and bring a smile to your face.

During one trying week, Harry had used the Greatest Hits Album to settle you down. Work had been awful, one thing after the other, day after day, nothing went right and you were at the end of your limits. To add to the that Harry had been traveling back and forth for the better part of 3 weeks. A text from your parents asking how you were and when you would be visiting next had been the last straw.

Harry came home mid day on a Saturday and on his way into the house he dropped his belongings in a trail from the front door to the bedroom. That morning, you had decided to try to turn your mood around, knowing Harry would be home soon, you went out to a yoga class and picked up groceries to make Harry’s favourite meal. When you got home after him, you proceeded to trip over each of his belongings on the way to the kitchen. You were cursing loud enough that it woke him up. He came downstairs in a pair of workout shorts and a messy head of hair.

“Baby!” He exclaims when he sees you putting away the food. When he tries to give you a hug and kiss you shrug him off.

“You left everything all over. I tripped on every single fucking bag on my way in. I get that your tired and traveling sucks but at least fucking put it all in one spot.”

“Woah, I’m sorry,” he says, taken aback. Nothing from their conversations earlier this week or even this morning had lead him onto the mood you’re in now.

“Don’t even,” you say with a bit of a bite to it.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asks with equal bite. You whisper a ‘nothing’ and continue what you’re doing. “It’s not nothing if you’re this upset”

“Just leave me alone, Harry.”

“I haven’t seen you in days!!! I’m not just leaving you alone. I fucking missed you and I have no idea why you’re acting like this.”

“It’s not my fault that you haven’t seen me. I’ve been here this entire time. Not all of us get to jet off to be an international rockstar and do no wrong. I got ripped apart this week at work. Everything I did was wrong, I fucked up, you don’t know what that’s like.” you take a deep breath, tears building in your eyes. “and now my parents are nagging me about coming home to visit and I can’t take any more time off work cause I’ve used it all to come see you on tour.” When you wipe the tears from your eyes you see the look on Harry’s face and your heart drops into your stomach. You’ve never spoken to him like this and you never meant for anything to come out like this. “I’m sorry,” you yell even though you don’t mean to, “I just miss home and I’ve been so lonely without you here and I don’t know, it all just came out.” He doesn’t respond and now you’re embarrassed and beyond upset about all of it. You whisper an apology as you turn and leave the kitchen.

Everything hurt as you fell to the bed. You groan a little in annoyance when you immediately smell Harry’s cologne on the bed, fresher than it’s been in weeks. Tears fell to the pillow for what felt like ages. You didn’t know what you wanted to happen next. Did you want him to come find you and try to say something to make everything better somehow? Were you hoping you would muster up the courage to put yourself back together and go downstairs begging for him to forgive you? You really had no idea. It was a while later when you could start making out sounds from the 1st floor. It wasn’t until the music got louder that you paid more attention.

One room of speakers at a time (he can be such a cheeky fucker sometimes) the music eventually reached your bedroom where you were still laying face down on the bed. ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ echoed through the entire house now. While wiping your face with a cool cloth as you realised what he was doing. You quietly made your way back down the stairs and peaked into the kitchen where Harry was busy cutting up some veggies on the large island. When you come into view, Harry puts down the knife and wipes his hands off on the cloth that is hanging off his shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I really didn’t mean what I said. It all came out wrong.”

“Shhhh,” Harry shushes you as he brings you in for a hug. “You’re right, I don’t know what it’s like at your job and I haven’t even bothered to ask.” He says after pulling back to look you in the eyes. “Being homesick doesn’t help when you’re stressed, either. And it really doesn’t help when I’m gone either.”

“I’m still sorry. I should’ve never said any of that. I yelled at you. You just got home. I’m so sorry.” Harry kisses your forehead. “I’m so sorry. I can’t even believe what I said.”

“Its okay, baby. I accept your apology. We’re good, okay?” You nod and he kisses your forehead again. “Thought some Paul Simon might calm you down.” you nod again, a small smile playing on your lips. “And I’ve looked at the calendar, no need to take work off, we’ll go back home to visit your parents in a few weeks. Leave Friday Night come back Monday morning. I wouldn’t mind some time away from work and the city either.”

Paul Smon continues to play and you give Harry a big hug, burying your head into his chest. You really can’t believe how you got so lucky. You spend the rest of the night making dinner together, dancing around and singing to the Greatest Hits Album that’s playing through the entire house. Later that night Harry brings a bottle of wine and 2 glasses to the living room where the 2 of you sit on the ground in a pile of blankets and pillows and you share every single detail of what happened at work.

When you’re back at your childhood home a few weeks later, you and Harry are in the kitchen with your parents, Paul Simon playing and cleaning up after dinner.

The start of the memory may not be the best you and Harry but it ends on a good one and there are plenty more that outshine it. Paul Simon can fix a lot you figure. Makes you feel like you’re home wherever you are.

Don’t Wait - Mapei

“Can we get fries and milkshakes?” you ask with a bright smile on your face, lashes fluttering in attempt to persuade him. You know he won’t say no, regardless. You both know that once one of you mentions fries and milkshakes that it’ll be a long night of driving around town, city lights casting the perfect backdrop.

About 8 months into your relationship you had called Harry randomly one night. You had just seen him hours ago at lunch but he had a night full of meetings about whatever project he was working on currently and you both knew it was going to be a long night so you had retired back to your place for the night. You were surprised when he answered, the background on his end also surprisingly quiet.

“I’m craving fries and a milkshake,” you had stated, receiving a chuckle from Harry on the other line.

“I’ll pick you up in 15 minutes.”

“What?” you said unbelieving.

“Just got home, getting out of this dang suit. I’ll be there in 15.” You were silent on your end. “You want fries and a milkshake, yeah?” you hum a yes. “Okay great. I’m in love with you and I want to see you. We’re getting fries and milkshakes.” You huff in disbelief. Even if you did have some sort of response you don’t know if you could get it out (still a common occurrence to this day).“Love, still there?”

“Uh yeah,” you say through an obvious smile.

“Great. Leaving now.”

When you get into Harry’s car he greets you with a kiss and then a toothy grin, dimples on full display. He looks cozy and relaxed in his threadbare tshirt and yellow adidas track pants, you can’t see his feet but you know, without a doubt, he’s wearing his white vans.

Once you’ve got your fries and milkshakes, one vanilla and one chocolate so you can share, Harry picks up his phone and presses play on a new song. You hadn’t heard the song before, but as it progresses it adds to your already light, happy mood. With the cool breeze flowing through your hair with the windows down as Harry takes you both on a drive you can’t help but lean over and place a quick kiss on his cheek. His eyes wrinkle on the outside corners.

“Fry?” he asks just like how he asks ‘kiss?’ time and time again. His voice is just loud enough to hear over the music, and you quickly oblige his request as if he were to reach for a fry himself his free hand that isn’t attached to the steering wheel would have to leave it’s warm, comforting spot on your thigh.

As Harry pulls away from the drive-thru, a bag of fresh fries in your lap and 2 milkshakes in the cupholders, you skip through a few tracks before you find “Don’t Wait” by Mapei. The intro of the track instantly makes Harry smile and he reaches to turn up the volume. When you turn to feed him a fry you giggle at the sight of his huge smile, gums on show and eyes crinkled at the side.

A friend indeed, come build me up

Come shed your light, it makes me shine

You get the message, don't you ever forget it

Let's laugh and cry until we die

If it wasn't for you I'd be alone

If it wasn't for you I'd be on my own

Some things never change.

Make You Feel My Love - Adele

You’re thankful for the frozen milkshake and you allow it to cool you down as the hot LA breeze blows through your hair. You still don’t know your way around LA very well but you recognize the direction Harry is taking. There’s a small lookout point on the hills where you know you’ll end up in the next 10 minutes.

Taking the milkshakes and bag a fries with you, you both step out of the car after Harry has parked in the perfect spot at said lookout point. You’re the only 2 out here, it’s probably passed midnight by now. He’s left the car on enough just to keep the mixtape playing.

“Sometimes I wish we could’ve grown up together,” you say out of the blue while flipping through your old yearbook. You’re trying to find an old group photo with your High School group of friends. With a friends wedding coming up you’re trying to find all the best photos for part of her gift.

“What makes you say that?” Harry asks from the couch above you. “We get to grow old together instead.”

“It’s just, looking through all these old photos, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have experienced High School together. Imagine football games on Friday nights, or going to the christmas dance!” you exclaim. “Oh! I bet you would have been really creative with asking me to the Prom.” When you notice the confused look on his face you remember that 1. British schools were much different and 2. He didn’t do the whole high school experience regardless of the country. “Well I guess you don’t ever have those thoughts cause you never experienced those things in the first place.” You laugh to yourself. “I still wonder what it would have been like.”

“I think 17 year old me would have been scared shitless to ask you to prom, nonetheless to pick you up that night and have your dad answer the door.”

“Oh my dad loves you and you know that.”

“Hah, he didn’t right away! Imagine if he met me when I was a teenager! I would not be sitting here right now.”

“You’ve got a point, I guess.” You go back to flipping through the yearbook in front of you, once in a while showing Harry a photo.

“I’m gonna go grab a glass of water, need anything?” You shake your head no and thank him before he leaves the room.

When Harry comes back to the living room he’s without a glass of water but has gained a black suit jacket on top of his t shirt and sweatpants. You look at him, confused.

“Harry, what are you doing?” He doesn’t respond, instead you start to hear music playing through the speakers. Pulling his hand from behind his back he presents you a flower, a rose from the vase in your bedroom. You laugh, still confused, but accept the rose anyways.

“Would you dance with me?” He asks offering his hand to you. You take it and let him help you up off the floor.

Harry wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you close to him and you slide your arms around his neck letting your hands dangle at the back.

“You’re unbelievable,” you say quietly.

“I know this isn’t anything like your Prom, but a slow dance is a slow dance yeah?” A small smile forms on your lips before you press them to his. You let your fingers play with the curls at his neck. Resting your head on his chest you let him control the dancing, swaying around in circles. He’s humming along to the song and there’s something about Adele that is so quintessentially high school. You close your eyes and let yourself pretend that you’re back in high school. When the song ends you lift your head up and thank him with another kiss.

Later that night you take back your earlier statement. It’s when you’re sitting at the dining table with a hot meal presented in front of you that Harry made himself that you realise that you would rather be here now how the 2 of you are instead of having grown up together. You agree that growing old together sounds like the best thing in the world.

“Doesn’t matter the time or place, I’ll love you always,” you say, “but I like this time, I like right now.”

When “Make You Feel My Love” starts to play, Harry sets down his shake and takes yours as well to set down with his on the hood of the car.

“Can I have this dance?” He asks. It’s almost like he planned the timing. You sway with each other for a moment before you’re both so wrapped up in each others arms and the kisses become deeper that the dancing stops and you just basque in the presence of each other and this moment. The cool wind continues to blow through your hair and it only gives the 2 of you an excuse to pull each other closer to one another. After the song ends and the mixtape continues, Harry wraps his arms around your shoulders, now having his front to your back, he pulls you back with him as he leans against the hood of the car. He rests his lips near your ear, placing kisses along your ear, jaw and neck as you both take in the view in front of you.

“I like right now,” he whispers your words back to you from months ago.

I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers

This song had a handful of memories linked to it. Hundreds upon hundreds are with your childhood best friend and one specific one with Harry. Right now, you’re both singing at the top of your lungs without worrying how either of you sound. You were both shivering a little after staying at the lookout for too long. Now you’re trying to warm up a bit and singing along at full volume seems to be helping.

Harry had come home to a silent house one night, eventually finding you puffy-eyed with tear streaked cheeks curled up on the couch in the dark. Noting your phone thrown across the room, he approached you cautiously.

“Love?” he almost whispered, not to startle you. “Love, what’s going on?” He questions when he meets your face. Sitting down on the floor in front of you he wipes your cheeks before questioning you again. “Gotta tell me what’s wrong so I can help ya.”

“Did you see the article?” you stutter out. You know he doesn’t go lurking around the internet so you can’t be angry about him being clueless to why you’re upset. He shakes his head eventually before he slowly grabs his phone.

The first article that comes up when he searches his name makes him curse under his breath. Someone’s hacked your private social media accounts and photos of you growing up, family information and anything and everything is all over the tabloid sites. You knew this was part of the territory, dating a musician, model, actor, all of it, but this was much worse than some papz photos with Harry out for coffee or post yoga.

Harry does his best to calm you down, holding you against his chest, apologizing up and down for putting you in situations like these. At some point a little while later, you’ve relaxed and decide make a joke in hopes to make yourself and Harry, a little bit better.

“It’s a good thing you’re pretty, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth it.” A look of fake offence washes over his face. “Love you,” you add before kissing him lightly.

“Come on,” Harry says pulling you up off the couch. He turns the house speakers on and presses play on his phone. “I Wanna Get Better” starts blasting through the house and you can’t help but smile. Your best friend and you would always blast this when one of you were having a bad day. It never fails to make you smile and forget whatever was bothering you. This song automatically forces a wide smile across your face and with how swollen your eyes are from crying, you can barely make out the image of Harry dancing around in front of you. The rule is you have to play the song on repeat until you can’t remember what had hurt you in the first place. It’s takes a few rounds of the track and a handful of kisses from Harry to get you to forget why he started playing the song.

“A little better?” he asks when the 4th play comes to an end. You nod with a smile before pulling him for a kiss.

“Much better.”

Though this song is always played during bad times, it’s nice to hear it during happy ones. It reminds you of times with your best friend from home and it reminds you of Harry’s kindness, how he’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, make you feel loved and be 110% sure that you’re happy.

Fallingforyou - The 1975 and Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

You slipped ‘Fallingforyou’ by The 1975 on shuffle when the 2 of you took your first road trip together. Driving from Harry’s place in LA to a getaway in San Francisco for a few days, you had opted to drive instead of fly (more time just the 2 of you). The conversation died down for a moment, both of you engulfed by the epic scenery in front of you. You had control of the music for the most part, Harry making requests once and awhile, but it had been forgotten while the two of you had debated which was the best romcom ever made for the better part of an hour. So when you both agreed that having different favourites was okay, the silence was welcomed, small smiles on both of your faces. That’s when a feeling of absolute contentment washed over you. You knew exactly what song was needed for the moment.

Your relationship wasn’t that new, but it wasn’t as official as it is now. You hadn’t said ‘I love you’ yet, but you both knew the thought was there (you hoped he’d say it sometime during this trip and if he didn’t you definitely would).

You always loved this song. You remember hearing it live for the 1st time when you saw The 1975 on a whim during your first year of university. You cried. You couldn’t really help it. Though you’ve never related to the lyrics exactly in the way they’re meant to, they still hit you. Right now, this relationship isn’t one sided, you know that but, I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you, hits you harder than it did when you heard it live.

Harry’s got his wrist resting on the top of the steering wheel, the other resting in his lap. His curls are a bit unruly from the wind that has been blowing through them, his skin has a soft tan to it. You can’t help the smile that crosses your face. Harry must see your smile from the corner of his vision because he takes a quick glance at you and returns the grin, crinkles appearing around his eyes. The hand that was resting in his lap searches yours out and you happily accept the gesture.

On this night, and in this light,

I think I’m falling, I’m falling for you.

Tangling your fingers with his, you bring them up to your mouth and press a soft kiss to the back of Harry’s hand. You hold his hand with both of yours in your lap now. The wind blows through your hair and you sing along to the words quietly and it’s not till the end of the song that you realise that Harry had been singing along as well.

It’s when Harry’s driving you back to your hotel after dinner that night in San Francisco, ‘Chasing Cars’ by Snow Patrol playing quietly in the background, that he says “I love you.”

‘Fallingforyou’ transitions into ‘Chasing Cars’ and Harry pats the open space between the 2 of you in the front seat. The traffic light in front of you turns red and you take the opportunity to slide from your side of the car to the side of Harry’s torso, his arm wrapping around your shoulder immediately. Rebuckling yourself into the middle seat, he presses a kiss to your hair and whispers “I love you” repeatedly until the light turns green.

~~~

As the speakers quiet, the track list coming to an end, Harry turns to you and locks eyes before speaking.

“Should we play it again?” He asks. Without missing a beat you press play on the stereo. Neither of you have any obligations in the morning. A late night of driving would most definitely turn into sleeping in the next morning, then spending the day reading in bed and watching silly romcoms. Driving all night sounded like the best plan in the world.

Landslide echoes through speakers and the empty roads around you, Harry’s voice quietly singing along. You don’t think you’ll ever get tired of this mixtape.

Let me know what ya think !! feedback & comments are always welcome ! THANK YOU FOR READINGGGG <3

#harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfic #harry writing #harry styles one shot #harry blurb #harry styles blurb #writing #fanfic #harry styles fluff #Harry Drabble

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whereisten · 5 years ago

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The Wedding Singer

Summary: You are an up-and-coming singer and songwriter who is thriving in the wedding singer business. When you find yourself singing for your former best friend Samantha Perez and not-so-former crush Yuta Nakamoto, shit really hits the fan.

Multi-part series: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Part 1

Word Count: 4,000 words

Being a wedding singer in Miami, Florida was no simple feat, you thought to yourself. There was no one quite like a picky bride. But a picky bride and groom? That was another challenge in itself.

Especially on this specific day. April 29, 2019. You were meeting your clients in their lavish home in Brickell. Everything was very pristine but cold. You felt like you were in a homey clinic.

“Y/N, it’s so nice to meet you!” A young woman rejoiced when she welcome you inside. “Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice. I’m Renee Torres.” Renee was the one who contacted the agency.

“It’s nice to meet you! My manager told me this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up so here I am!” You felt a little more at ease with meeting a friendly bridesmaid. Thankfully, she wasn’t catty like other bridesmaids you’ve had to interact with. “Fantastic, if you’ll just follow me.” Renee led you into the living room.

“Sam. Yuta. This is Y/N!” Renee left you with the couple.

Your heart fell when you heard her name.

And his.

Holy mother of God. Samantha Perez.

And Yuta Nakamoto.

“Y/N!” Your former friend Samantha Perez stood up from her loveseat and hugged you. “How long has it been? Eight years?”

“Oh my God, Samantha,” You said as you lost whatever oxygen you had left in that second.

“Y/N,” Yuta said as he joined you and Samantha. “It’s so great to see you.”

And there he was. The boy of your dreams. Well, no longer a boy. But still possessed that boyish charm that wrapped everyone around his little finger. Yuta Nakamoto was a star basketball player even when he was in middle school. You always hid behind your group of friends when you all went to every one of his home games. You drew the line at traveling to his away games, unless it was a championship.

Yuta was always beautiful. A radiant smile from the very first day you met. He was always kind to you in every class you’ve ever shared. He’d lend you a pencil on the very rare occasion when you were the one asking for one. He danced with you at homecoming when no one had asked you and you were very near the point of crying all the way home, feeling sorry for yourself. He bought you a rose every year on Valentine’s Day.

Well, he did that for every one of his female friends back then. But still. He didn’t have to do that.

But that was Yuta. The nicest “could’ve been a dick because he’s hot and popular but was not” guy.

As for Samantha, she was always beautiful, too. With her flawless makeup and fantastic bone structure. Her excellent sense of fashion. Heels that could you me neatly in the heart if she kicked you to the ground . Samantha also went to every one of Yuta’s basketball games with you and your friends, you recalled. However, once sophomore year started, she dipped and started hanging out exclusively with the popular kids. She did a complete 180 with you and until this day, you never understood why.

So eventually you stopped wondering.

Until today.

Once Samantha released you from her vise-like grip, Yuta hugged you and your throat went completely dry. He smelled just as amazingly as you remembered. Woodsy mixed with his cologne that he’d used since high school.

When Yuta released you, you said, “Congratulations to you both.” Very convincing, Y/N. Hopefully, they let you leave after singing a song and decide to go in a different direction so you never have to see them again.

“Thank you, Y/N,” Samantha said as she sidehugged Yuta. She was really rubbing it in your face. Especially since she knew you were in love with him for the longest time. Even before she was. Samantha may have crushed on Yuta like the rest of your friend group had. But she had many boyfriends throughout high school. But never Yuta.

“I had no idea you sang, Y/N,” Yuta said, looking particularly interested in you.

“She was spectacular in the junior year talent show,” Samantha nearly purred in his ear. She was massaging his chest. You had to fight yourself from cringing outwardly.

That wasn’t a compliment. Samantha was toying with me. We were supposed to be having a business conversation but Samantha was talking to Yuta like she was ready to rip his clothes off. And it would increase her libido if she did it in front of me.

You shivered.

“Are you cold, Y/N?” Yuta asked. For someone who was clearly getting seduced in front of a third person, he was awfully attentive.

You shook your head. “No, I’m fine, thanks.”

He smiled. Fuck you, Nakamoto. I know you don’t know the effect you have on people, especially me. And that pisses me off.

Samantha began, “Well, Y/N. Renee sent you a list of songs that we’re interested in having performed at the ceremony as well as the reception. So I would like to hear a song from each selection.”

You gulped. You’ve always dreamed of serenading Yuta when you finally had the courage. You thought the chance passed you by. But now that you had a chance, it was too late.

Samantha and Yuta sat back down on the loveseat. Samantha motioned for you to start.

“Which song did you pick from the ceremony list?” She asked.

“Let’s Stay Together by Al Green,” you replied.

Yuta’s big smile reappeared. He really needed to quit it or else you were going to place your head under a faucet and let cold water run over your head.

Samantha said, “Begin at anytime.”

So you did. You took a deep breath. Released. Closed your eyes and gave it to them acapella.

You stopped after the first chorus. Yuta jumped out of his seat and clapped. Samantha clapped politely from her seat.

“Y/N, your voice is incredible. You’re hired!” Yuta said as he took your hands.

You tried to hold onto his praise and not the fact that he was holding your freakin’ hands.

Samantha got up from her seat. You removed yourself from Yuta’s grasp. Samantha said, “Sweetie, I would like her to sing a song from the reception playlist and then we can discuss it.”

Yuta shot her a look. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he looked to be in disbelief.

Enjoy being married to that, Yuta. God help you.

“Okay,” you said, “I’ll sing Yours by Ella Henderson.” As much as you detested Samantha, she had the same taste in music as you and you had to give her high praise for her song selection.

As you sang again, you felt more confident. You felt secure and powerful. You had a gift to share with the world, you told yourself. And if Samantha didn’t see that, she could fuck off. You could sing at as many weddings as you wanted. And hopefully, someday, score a recording and songwriting contract.

When you finished once again with the chorus, Yuta turned right over to Samantha. “There’s no question. She’s the one.”

Not the right choice of words, Yuta. I winced.

Samantha sighed. “Of course, she is. Y/N, you’re hired.”

;;

Jungwoo was cackling across from you at the cafe table. He couldn’t stop. Johnny cringed but you knew he was fighting the laughter that would escape him at any second.

“Jungwoo...it’s not that funny,” you groaned.

Johnny caved. “Are you kidding me? It’s hilarious. Yuta is getting married to that she-demon?”

“Yes,” you replied.

“Yuta was always smart. He took AP Physics with us!” Johnny protested.

“Booksmart doesn’t always translate to lifesmart. If that’s even a word…” You should propose it to Webster’s Dictionary.

“Dude, you must’ve felt like your heart was being RIPPED out of your chest and stomped on the ground. For hours. To the rhythm of a Cascada song. That intensely.” Jungwoo was always so profound.

And merciless.

“Well, It’s been eight years so thankfully, I only cried once since the meeting,” you answered.

Mind you, the meeting was yesterday afternoon.

“So you’re going to do it?” Jungwoo asked.

“Why not? They’re paying me a fortune.”

“Samantha has it out for you to this day,” Johnny warned.

“Oh, I know. But...the more I thought about it...she’d want me to run and hide. I mean, she’ll also want to see me squirm at her wedding. A present no one else can give her but me. My pain and suffering.”

“Why go through with it? Why are you letting her torture you-oh God, you think Yuta will change his mind and run away with you? Oh honey bunches…” Jungwoo took my hands in his. Uh oh…he only threw “honey bunches” out when I was being truly pitiful.

You smacked him. “Don’t be silly. Yuta and I are never going to happen. We were and always will be platonic. He’s an undeniable flirt and too nice for his own good. That’s something Samantha will have to deal with. But me? I’m going to sing my ass off and make everyone cry like they’ve never cried before. I’m not going to let Samantha get to me.”

Much.

Johnny frowned. “I hope you’re right…”

“Sometimes I gotta be. And this is one of those cases in which I am!”

“Alright alright...Let’s change the subject.” Jungwoo scratched his blonde coconut head.

You smiled. “How’s it going with Vanessa these days?”

He blushed while Johnny chuckled. “She’s great, Y/N. She’s the first girl who has ever laughed at my jokes without a hidden agenda.”

“And how can you tell?” Johnny asked. He gave me a knowing smile as he directed that question to our friend.

“Because I walked her to her apartment and she cooked me dinner and then sent me off.” Jungwoo had a daydreaming look on his face. He was smitten.

“And you weren’t upset about that?” You asked.

“Not at all. I want to take it slow.”

You cooed. “Our little Jungwoo is finally becoming a man.” You, Johnny, and Jungwoo befriended each other during your stint of musical theater at the University of Miami. It was yours and Johnny’s senior year and Jungwoo’s freshman year back then. Three years later, Jungwoo was a senior now. Johnny was a producer, working at DC Records, a very affluent label in the States. You were very proud of your friends.

They were still idiots, though, and that made you feel even more fond of them.

“Okay okay next topic,” Jungwoo demanded.

You sighed. “Well, Samantha is so anal that she’s choreographed her entire wedding.”

Johnny and Jungwoo frowned at each other in confusion.

“Which means I’m going to every rehearsal, even if I’m not ‘performing’ the entire time,” you said.

“You sure it’s not Yuta who enjoys a good musical number?” Johnny chuckled.

“Yuta, as perfect as he may be, is no dancer,” you answered.

“I seem to remember you raving about how Yuta was an amazing dancer after Homecoming junior year,” Johnny delivered that sucker punch.

High school you had a big mouth. “But then we saw his Cupid Shuffle senior year.”

Jungwoo begged, “Send that video my way, please. I gotta see what is so special about this Yuta Watanabe.”

You and Johnny corrected him, “Nakamoto.”

Jungwoo shrugged. “Whatever.”

;;

A week had passed since you were hired by Yuta and Samantha. Today was the first day of rehearsal for the ceremony AND the reception. The rehearsal space was at the Brickell City Centre Ballroom. The ceilings ran high with diamond chandeliers. The dance floor stretched far and wide. Although the tables were covered, you already knew you would love to have your own wedding here. It probably cost a fortune.

The irony? This wasn’t the venue for the happy couple’s wedding.

There were over 50 people present. Most likely, some of them were dancers while the rest was the wedding party. You recognized some of your high school classmates. Although you weren’t particularly chummy with any of them, you still greeted each other.

Samantha got up on the stage and spoke into the microphone. “Alright folks, we’ll get started in ten minutes. In the meantime, feel free to grab some water bottles and snacks!”

Maybe Samantha could be redeemed. You walked over to the snack table. Your heart almost stopped when you nearly tripped on your wedge. Oh for God’s sake...Please don’t let me fall.

You almost did but someone grabbed you before you kissed the floor. You awkwardly clung onto a stranger as he dipped you. You two looked like you were in a freeze frame of a tango.

You looked up into the brown eyes of your savior and your body temperature reached astronomical levels. His eyes and even his eyebrows were sharp, making his face all the more striking. His black hair tickled your right shoulder.

“Oh my God I am so sorry! Thank you for catching me.” You rambled as you regained your balance and let him go.

He asked, “Are you okay? You seem panicked.”

So much for thinking you had it together.

“I’m okay, I promise,” you reassured him.

He lifted an eyebrow and it was the most attractive thing you’d ever seen. “If you say so. I’m Taeyong, by the way. The best man.” He offered his hand.

You shook his hand a little too enthusiastically. “Oh, hi. I’m Y/N. The wedding singer.”

“Oh, so you’re the infamous Y/N.”

“Oh dear God…what did Samantha say about me?” Yeah, you were panicked.

Taeyong chuckled. “Nothing. Yuta’s the one who wouldn’t stop talking about your voice.”

You blushed at yourself for jumping to conclusions and being in the presence of this man. “Oh.”

Taeyong said, “I can’t wait to hear you for myself.”

You gulped. It was the way he said it. You didn’t know if everything that he said came off so sensually or if it was all in your head.

;;

Rehearsals were in full swing. The wedding party was practicing their ceremonial entrance. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were paired up. Maid of honor Renee was paired up with Taeyong. He had an effect on everyone, it seemed, because Renee was almost to the point of melting.

Renee told you that you would be able to leave in the next hour after your rehearsal to the ceremonial entrance. The wedding party and the others would scrutinize you, then. Including the best man. And suddenly, all of the nerves hit you.

No, Y/N. These are clients. They don’t know anything about you and if they did, they would remember your Jesse McCartney phase and that you took very meticulous notes in every class you had together. That was that. None of them cared about how you liked Yuta. Everyone liked Yuta. There was even a waitlist to ask Yuta out in high school. So what made you stand out from the other girls? You were just a nice girl from high school, okay? Now show them who you grew up to be.

You got up on the stage and stood up at the mic, having pre arranged the songs with the sound guy. You were waiting to get approval from Samantha that Johnny perform piano and guitar with you, come wedding day.

It was just you and the microphone. And surprisingly, this was the first time you weren’t anticipating Yuta’s reaction.

Samantha and Yuta approved your cover of “Let’s Stay Together” that they decided that you would perform it during the ceremonial entrance.

The instrumental began. You sang the first verse. “I’m...I’m so in love with you. Whatever you want to do...is alright with me…”

You didn’t know what it was that happened to you when you sang. You just kind of transformed into the version of yourself you wished you could always be. Jungwoo told you that you turned into a seductress when you sang. Johnny said that you should own who you were and never look back.

You liked to close your eyes when you sang so you could really get into the song. But you chose to make eye contact with Taeyong since he was a stranger and in that moment you found it easiest to interact with him. Plus, you wanted him to know that you were interested and see if you really were a seductress.

Might as well shoot your shot.

When the song ended, you were overwhelmed by the roaring applause and you smiled. They could call you Miss Colgate Optic White with how big your smile was that moment. Taeyong was grinning right at you. You only noticed that he had moved closer to the stage. There was a little girl right beside him. She had wavy blonde hair and brown eyes.

She looked a lot like Samantha.

Samantha gave you a thumbs up and motioned for you to leave the stage. That was it for today. Thank the Lord. You went to grab your purse and water bottle when the little girl surprised you and only stared at you.

“Hi…” You said carefully.

The little girl took this as a cue to let it all out. “Oh my God, you are amazing. You are better than Leona Lewis, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, and Adele combined. And you’re pretty like a princess.”

The little girl couldn’t have been more than seven years old. She was adorable and very enthusiastic. Her words warmed your heart. “Thank you. Nah, I wouldn’t say that. But I do want to be a singer like them. Someday.”

The little girl’s mouth opened. “Please. That would be awesome! I’m Sonya!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sonya. I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N, will you marry my brother?” She asked.

Well, that was a shock. You laughed. “Who’s your brother?” It sounded like you were entertaining the possibility of marrying her brother.

“Taeyong!” Sonya yelled.

Wait.

Taeyong, you realized, hadn’t been that far away from you and Sonya during your little exchange. He approached you. Sonya wrapped herself around one of his legs. “This is my big brother, Taeyong.”

“We’ve met, Sonya,” Taeyong said as he smiled fondly down at his sister and met your gaze with that same expression.

“She is perfect for you,” Sonya said, “I know he’s a neat freak and very very bossy but he’s a great guy. I think his plushie collection is pretty cool, too. Do you like plushies, Y/N?”

Taeyong gaped at his sister. You giggled.

“A plushie collection, huh?” You teased.

“He has Piplup and Pikachu and Rilakkuma, too,” Sonya bragged. “He would buy you a lot of plushies, Y/N. So please marry him.”

“Sonya, why do you want me to get married so badly?” Taeyong asked.

Sonya sighed. “Because Sam is getting married. And I want you to be happy, too.”

Wait a minute. What did Samantha have to do with this?

“Wait, how do you know Samantha, Sonya?” You couldn’t hide the frown on your face.

“She’s my sister, Y/N. She is my sister from Mommy and Taeyong is my brother from Daddy,” Sonya said. She definitely said this a lot.

You couldn’t conceal your shock.

“Y/N? Are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost,” Taeyong said, concerned.

“You and Samantha…” You began.

“Step-siblings. Sonya is our half-sister,” Taeyong explained.

How did you not know about this?

“Oh.” That was all you could muster.

“So what do you say, Y/N?” Sonya asked. “Will you give my brother a chance?” Sonya looked so hopeful and kind and radiant.

You started to see the resemblance to Samantha. The wide-eyed dreamy expression she used to have when you were in primary school. The giggly and teasing lilt in her voice. Her laugh most of all.

“Sonya, leave Y/N alone,” Taeyong said.

Sonya pouted. “Fine. But I’ll try again next time. And the time after that. And the time after that. You are coming to the next practice, right Y/N?”

You nodded.

“Good!” Sonya smiled. “There’s hope! Bye Y/N!” Sonya ran off to Yuta. Yuta scooped Sonya off the ground and spun her in circles.

“Y/N?” Taeyong asked cautiously.

You looked at him. “Samantha and I were friends. A long time ago.”

“Really?” He raised his eyebrows.

“It...didn’t end well.”

“But if that were true, why are you here?” He asked.

“Good point. There’s a lot of reasons I can think of.”

“Like?” Taeyong wasn’t hiding his intrigue.

“Please don’t laugh.”

“Now you know if you start off with that...There’s a guarantee that I will laugh,” he said.

“That is so true.” You sighed and continued. “She and Yuta hired me because...I clearly don’t suck at what I do.”

“Oh, definitely not.” Taeyong gave you a deep, meaningful look. Like he had more to say.

You gulped. “And Samantha probably wanted to throw it in my face that she was marrying Yuta.”

“You know Yuta?” He asked. A trace of disappointment was on his face. It was almost as if he knew where this was going.

“We all went to school together up until high school. Samantha and I were chapter members of the Yuta Nakamoto fan club.”

He asked, “Wait, that was an actual club? I thought Yuta’s high school friends were bluffing.”

“There wasn’t an actual club. There may as well have been. The waiting list to date Yuta was very real, though.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Were you on the waiting list?”

You laughed. “Hell, no. I didn’t think I had the right to be.” You regretted saying that last sentence. Your low self-esteem from high school was coming back in waves.

He glared, his jawline very prominent in that second. “Is that so?”

“I...have no idea why I’m telling you all of this but...don’t look too much into it. I’m just here to do my job.” And then go home and have some green apple sangria to numb the pain.

“You...don’t still like him, do you?” Taeyong asked. “Yuta?”

You winced. “Do you want me to lie?”

“Nope.”

“I kinda still do. But it’s been years since I’ve seen Samantha and Yuta. I don’t know who they are now. I never really knew Yuta in high school, either. We weren’t that close of friends.”

Taeyong still looked annoyed.

“What’s with that look?” You asked.

“I was going to ask you out...but now with the truth out…I’m not so sure.”

Your jaw dropped. Someone was going to have to help you pick it up off the ground. “Wait, what?”

“From the moment you grabbed a chocolate chip cookie, I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to ask you out. And then I caught you before you fell. And then you sang. And then it was really over for me.” Taeyong moved closer to you.

You didn’t want anyone to be suspicious of you and Taeyong. After the bomb dropped that Taeyong was Samantha’s brother, you were even more on your toes.

“Taeyong…” You didn’t know what to say. He felt a spark, just like you did. Who knew your clumsiness could work in your favor?

“If you’re still into Yuta…” Taeyong said.

You interjected. “Taeyong, I’m attracted to Yuta. But do I like him enough to really say I like him? Even love him? No.”

Taeyong put his hands in his pants pockets, waiting.

“Taeyong, we just met. I think we still need to get to know each other before we entertain the idea of a date.” You couldn’t believe you were saying this. Did the fact that Samantha was his sister now deter you at all?

His somberness faded completely. “Really?”

“Yes,” you said.

“Okay, well how about a movie tonight?” He didn’t waste anytime.

“What were you thinking of watching?” Please say horror. Please say horror. Please say horror.

“I’ve been wanting to see The Conjuring 3...Are you into scary movies?” He asked, hopeful.

It was as if the Lord smiled down upon you at that second.

Well, that day, the Lord smiled down upon you. Multiple times.

Part 2 (Coming Soon)

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