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artificialqueens · 4 years ago

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Not A Ghost, You're In My Head (Your Move 3/3) (Branjie) - Ortega

a/n: this has had about fifty billion potential titles, but rest assured that finally this is Your Move 3, only a year and a bit late. i really hope u all enjoy the end of the saga, and sorry and thank u to those who have been so patient! i’ll shut up now bc quite frankly uv all waited long enough for this. (title’s from Forever by Charli XCX pls listen to it it’s such a Branjie song)

fic summary: “Everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t.”

***

The smell of coffee and the warmth of the cafe inside hits Brooke like a ton of bricks as she walks in, blinks a little, and scans the room to find a seat. Eventually her eyes settle on a small booth through the back, away from the clatter and hiss of the coffee machines and probably the closest thing to quiet that they’ll get in a public setting like this. Sliding into it, Brooke shrugs her jacket off, lifts up a menu, puts it down again, drums her nails against the tabletop and takes her phone out. She checks the time, then checks her reflection in her phone’s camera. Briefly she finds it crossing her mind that she’s probably put more effort into her outfit, hair and makeup today than she had for their first date. What had she worn for their first date again? She can’t remember. She supposes it doesn’t matter now.

Putting her phone down, Brooke digs her toes into the soles of her shoes and takes one deep breath that she intends to be calming. Instead it leaves her feeling as if she is trapped under a sheet of ice with a millimetre of air to work with before she sinks underwater. Part of her feels as if she is already sinking. The other part of her feels as if she sank a month-and-a-bit ago and here she is, sitting waiting in a cafe, a living shipwreck. Sometimes her ribs feel like huge, cracked planks of wood, an empty vessel where something once lived. Sometimes it feels as if her heart is a sail, a huge mast broken in two with two long, ragged dagger marks scarring the sheet and rendering it useless. Other times she feels like a huge, heavy propellor is cutting into her stomach and churning it up, though that’s mainly when she makes the mistake of scanning social media (and isn’t madness doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?)

Today, Brooke just feels hollow.

Suddenly her phone buzzes harshly against the table and Brooke’s heart involuntarily leaps as she picks it up, an aftershock of the past seven months that will eventually dissipate with time. At least, she hopes so.

V: i can’t do this today

V: i’m sorry

Brooke feels as if an elastic band inside her has suddenly snapped. She doesn’t know if she feels relieved or if she wants to cry. Feeling a blush prickle against her cheeks and a lump form in her throat, her body seems to make the decision for her.

B: It’s okay don’t worry. Another time x

What does she expect? Brooke isn’t supposed to be the heartbroken one, Brooke isn’t meant to be the one that is sitting crying at a coffee shop table as if she’s the one that’s been broken up with. She wipes below her eyes and dabs lightly at her lashes with her fingers before pulling her jacket back on and walking quickly back through the door of the cafe she’d stepped through not even five minutes ago.

They’ll try again when she’s ready.

***

Brooke sinks on top of her bed, letting out a huge, deep breath of air until her stomach feels as if it is concave. It had been Vanessa that was the cautious one, it had always been Brooke making the big decisions about their relationship- a fact that, she cruelly reminds herself, remained true til its very end. She blinks very slowly. Her eyelids are so fucking heavy and tired. She took the morning off work to accommodate her plans and now she has nothing to do. Sitting and staring at the ceiling until her eyes burn is a nice impromptu plan.

Her phone suddenly hums in the silence of the room. As if she’s been shocked by jump leads, Brooke spins over on her bed and grabs her phone from her bedside table, her heart hammering at an unhealthy rate. She feels the disappointment sink through her whole body when she sees the name on the screen.

“Hey.”

“Hey, boo. Calling to see how you were, but your tone kind of says it all for me.”

Brooke rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well. Vanessa never showed.”

“I know. She phoned me.”

The cardiac arrest is back, alive and unwell in Brooke’s ribcage. “What did she say?”

“That she felt like an ass. I asked her what donkeys had to do with anything.”

Brooke shakes her head and laughs in spite of herself. “You’re the fucking worst.”

“I know. How are you doing?”

Brooke frowns deeply. “What, that’s all you said? That’s all you’re going to tell me?”

A sigh comes from the end of the line. “Brooke, maybe you have to let her go.”

“No, come on, Yves, that’s not fair. Don’t talk to me like I’m obsessed and still clinging on because that’s not…it’s more complicated than that.”

“I mean. It was you that ended things.”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me,” Brooke sighs, her heart feeling sick and empty.

“Look, just give her some time. You can’t just expect everything to go back to the way things were. Because…” her friend pauses on the end of the line, as if she’s about to deliver something Brooke won’t want to hear. “…well. Things might not.”

“I thought you were phoning to cheer me up,” Brooke says, deadpan. Yvie has the audacity to laugh.

“No, sorry, sorry. I just…you know. Best friends tell you shit you don’t want to hear sometimes. That’s part of the contract I signed back in high school,” Yvie’s affectionate warm laugh comes down the phone and Brooke finds herself smiling. It’s impossible to stay mad at Yvie; she may look fierce on the outside but Brooke knows she’s secretly a Care Bear brought to life via magic spell. Brooke is sincerely happy they’ve been friends for so long. They’ve helped each other and been there for each other through a lot, of course, through situations that are arguably worse than this, but Brooke is glad she has Yvie during this absolutely shit time. Vanessa had loved Yvie too when she’d met all of Brooke’s friends. Sure, she’d got along with Plastique and Nina and had eventually warmed to Bianca (although that had been a struggle after some of Bianca’s snide comments), but Yvie had welcomed her into Brooke’s life with open arms and had treated her as if they had been friends all their lives too. Brooke knows Yvie still speaks to Vanessa just to check in on her. She doesn’t mind.

“Do you wanna go for drinks tonight? Or food, if you feel like drinks will descend into stuff you’ll regret,” Yvie continues down the phone. Brooke exhales slowly.

“…Honestly Yves, it’s fine.”

“I’ll come to the apartment then. I just don’t want you wallowing. Wallowing’s for hippos. You’re not a hippo. You’re a…graceful crane.”

“You’re drunk already.”

“Maybe I am, and what the fuck of it? Right, I’m coming over tonight with lasagne in a tinfoil tray. Preheat your oven now. I’ll be round at 7. Love you, bye.”

“Bye. Love you too,” Brooke raises her eyebrows as she hangs up the phone. She remembers when she used to sign off like that all the time.

***

Brooke remembers those days of being in love with Vanessa, when the sex was passionate and gentle and full of fire and tenderness all at once. She remembers how it felt to look at her for as long as she wanted, taking in each glossy thread of hair, each small speckle of colour in her eyes, each individual and perfectly curled eyelash. Vanessa would always laugh at Brooke when she did that, telling her she was a creep, to stop staring at her. Now Brooke wishes she’d looked just a second longer, because she’s clearly not committed it all to memory.

She decides to go into the office. What else can she do? Yvie is annoying, but she’s right, Brooke can’t just sit and wallow. Or she could, but there’s case files that need updating and Brooke can either be sad at home lying in bed or sad at work doing something productive. Sad is the wrong emotion, she supposes. Empty is maybe more accurate. She is past the point of sad. Sad had happened when they’d had that argument and Brooke had played her trump card, best card in the pack at the time. Now she knows it had been a tarot card in disguise, the fool, and Brooke hadn’t at all known what her future would hold. She still doesn’t.

She walks into her office, past people that used to fear her, respect her. Perhaps they still do, but Brooke can still see the glint of sympathy in their eyes, hear the note of pity their voices hold. Brooke says good morning to Nicky, her new secretary. She hasn’t fired her yet, probably won’t ever fire a secretary again no matter how horrendous they are. Vanessa never came back after that day and Brooke doesn’t blame her, but she hopes she’s found another job. Nicky, she supposes, isn’t horrendous. She’s efficient and calm and obedient. Brooke knows she’s attractive too, and for a moment she allows herself to wonder if there is a parallel universe where she’s sought out a relationship with Nicky instead. Maybe a bit of random fucking with a pretty girl could take her mind off everything. Brooke laughs to herself in her office. She’s clearly losing it.

Detox comes in around half an hour later. Brooke’s done no work, simply staring at an excel spreadsheet and feeling her eyes glaze over but being unable to work up the motivation needed to blink. Detox puts a cup of coffee down on her desk and Brooke lets out a laugh.

“Jesus Christ, D. I’m not dying.”

“Could’ve fooled me. Seen happier faces at a fucking wake,” Detox jibes softly, pushes the cup closer to Brooke. “How are you today?”

Brooke leans back in her chair, swears she catches the scent of Vanessa’s perfume. It is gone almost as quickly as it had appeared and all Brooke is left with is approximately 45,000 memories, none of which she wants. “I’m shit. But I think that might be my new normal, I’ve felt like shit for so long. So I guess shit is the new fine. Therefore I’m fine.”

Detox exhales through her nose, the hint of a humoured smile playing on her lips. “The old you would be beating you up and taking your lunch money if she heard you talking like that.”

“Believe me, I’ve already beaten myself up enough.”

Detox gives a heavy sigh of frustration, shifts from one foot to the other. “You need to sort your shit out, Brooke.”

“What are you, my Mom?” Brooke snaps back, now as frustrated as her friend. She wants to be left alone to stew in her own lack of emotions. Detox doesn’t relent.

“Look, I’m gonna give you two choices. Number one, you accept that everything’s over with Vanessa, that you fucked it, that you’ve made your bed and now you need to lie in it. But from what I can see of how you’re acting just now, you don’t want to do that.”

“No, I’m not fucking doing that,” Brooke sighs, tearing her hands down her face and wishing Detox would leave.

“Second option is, you start a constant campaign of non-stop attempts to win V back. Flowers, texts, cards, we’re talking borderline Joe from You.”

“Of course you watch that trash.”

“But you get the point?” Detox persists, annoying incarnate. “Brooke, you can’t…you can’t go on living like this. It’s been over a month, it feels like I’ve lost this bitch that used to be my friend.”

Brooke supposes she has lost her sense of self. She goes through her days without showing a single emotion, instead preferring to let them all out in the courtroom, raining down upon witnesses relentlessly as if every case has been a personal experience. She’s won her past six in a row and she puts it down to the fact that she now focuses every single fibre of being that she possesses into her career and job and work and anything that doesn’t have to involve emotions whatsoever.

“Look, I’ll..I’ll think about it, alright?” Brooke waves her away, rubs her forehead long-sufferingly. The whole thing is annoying her, becoming less of a heartbreak and more of a headache.

Detox smiles and punches the air. “That’s my girl. Have a think. Right, I’ll leave you alone. See you later.”

Have a think. Brooke wants to laugh. She hasn’t been able to stop thinking since the day Vanessa left.

***

Brooke misses her.

She misses the way Vanessa just got her humour like no-one else did. When she’d have a client waiting for her and Vanessa would send her her first impression or opinion of them in advance, and then Brooke would have to hold in her laughter for the duration of her meeting because holy fuck yes, the woman’s hat did make her look like a bat and combined with her cloak it did make her look like the villain in a superhero movie.

She misses the way that Vanessa had sort-of-not-quite-not-officially moved in with her. Some of her clothes are still strewn around the apartment: a pair of black heels left by the door that she’d worn out to dinner with her, an emerald green lace underwear set that had fallen underneath the bed and Brooke had stuck in her washer-dryer, the cosy pyjamas that lived under one of Brooke’s pillows folded not-quite-neatly and covered in creases, and a white silk shirt that Vanessa had worn to work and Brooke had peeled off her when they’d arrived home, pressing kisses to her bare collarbones, chest and stomach. Vanessa used to crash her way through the apartment and often Brooke wondered if it was her mission to make as much noise as possible as she loaded the dishwasher, hoovered the living room, sang off-key in the shower. Brooke’s apartment has been so deathly quiet since she left, a funeral sort of quiet. Mournful and still and ghostly and cold.

Sometimes Brooke is sure she sees in black and white.

She remembers the day when they told each other they loved each other for the first time. There had been no ceremony, no grand gestures. In fact the pair of them were watching a film on Brooke’s couch- The Little Mermaid 2, Vanessa eager to force her love of Disney sequels onto her girlfriend. Brooke had looked away from the TV just for a moment, just to see Vanessa’s reaction to whatever was happening on screen, and when she lay her eyes on her she felt that familiar feeling of falling hit her like a wave all over again. It had happened quite a few times that fortnight or so, and the urge to tell her grew with every moment they shared together. Brooke watched her smile like a dork at the TV, the light in her eyes shining and the good in her heart visible just by looking at her. Brooke had laced their hands together, Vanessa taken by surprise and meeting her gaze with a funny sort of smile on her face. Her nose had crinkled up as she’d laughed at her.

“What?”

Brooke had pulled her close and kissed her without saying a word, trying to tell Vanessa without actually telling her anything. She was scared to say it first. She was scared to say it at all.

When Vanessa broke away, she gave Brooke a look that seemed to reach into her soul. Then she looked down at the blanket they’d thrown over them and gave a shy laugh.

“I wanna say something but I’m scared.”

Brooke still remembers the way her heart had beaten right out of her chest. If she tries she can still feel it.

“Say it. Say it, because I want to say it too.”

Vanessa had made eye contact again, her face nervous and hesitant, and Brooke wanted to kiss her fears away but that would have stopped her from saying what she wanted so desperately to hear.

“I love you. I’m in love with you.”

“I’m in love with you.”

Almost as quickly as they’d said it they were pulling each other in, their lips meeting desperately as they melted into each other. And Brooke hadn’t taken her to bed and they hadn’t had passionate, lovestruck sex on the couch. They had sat and kissed on the sofa with the film playing in the background like teenagers, the feeling of being in love communicated without even having to say anything else.

Brooke had finally understood why people in musicals randomly burst into song.

She wishes she had known the last time she’d said it to her would be the final time. She wishes she could say it to Vanessa again. It’s still true. She’s still in love with her. She had fallen so hard.

The trouble with falling is that she had to hit the concrete eventually.

***

Another day goes by and a new one begins. Nicky comes in at half past nine with Brooke’s coffee. Vanessa always used to have it sitting out for her when Brooke arrived, a little heart drawn in the foam with caramel syrup making the coffee too sweet, just like her. Brooke can forgive Nicky, though. She suffered through another sleepless night and she needs the coffee more than she needs a lot of things. Doing her makeup this morning had been like painting a corpse, and Brooke tries not to feel embarrassed as she takes in Nicky’s perfectly painted face in contrast to her own. She thanks her, takes the cup and assumes Nicky will leave.

“Ms. Hytes,” Nicky says, surprising her. She stands in front of her desk, her brow furrowed in concern. “You’re hurting.”

Brooke almost drops her coffee cup in surprise. In days of old she would’ve fired a secretary on the spot for having the audacity to address her in such a way, make such an assumption, but Brooke is tired. She can’t be bothered to deny it, it would take more energy than to simply admit it. She deals in facts, and it is a fact after all. “Yes, Nicky, I am.”

Nicky pouts a little sympathetically. There is a pause in which Brooke assumes she’ll leave. She doesn’t. Instead she speaks again. “Who was the girl that broke your heart?”

Brooke can only blink back at her, her eyelids heavy from lack of sleep. She could tell Nicky to go back to her desk, she supposes, to get on with her work. But she’s in a rare mood to talk about things, so Brooke cracks a small, indulgent smile. “And how do you know it was a girl?”

“Men can’t break hearts like women can,” Nicky says softly, philosophically. Brooke isn’t sure she’s right but she supposes she’s never had any experience with men to disprove the theory. She sighs, nodding.

“Yeah, it was a girl. Her name was Vanessa,” Brooke says, the name feeling too clunky and odd in her mouth where once it had felt like a prayer. “I guess she didn’t break my heart. I broke hers and then by proxy I broke my own. It was a stupid mistake, we had a fight and…things were said that I regret but she still won’t talk to me. And fair enough, why the fuck would she?”

Nicky nods slowly, wraps her arms around herself to give herself a hug. “I have the same. Uh, I am escaping a girl who broke my heart. But even though she hurt me, I still love her. How does that work?”

“Because emotions are stupid and they don’t work in a logical way,” Brooke shrugs instantly. She’s had a lot of time to think about the subject. Looking at Nicky, she can see the pain behind her eyes, the hurt behind the calm facade of her perfect makeup. “Who was your girl?”

Nicky smiles sadly, nostalgia getting the better of her. “She was named Jaida. She was a model, like I used to be. I don’t wish to talk about her much. It’s still sore."

"Yeah. It’s still sore for me too.”

“You say you broke Vanessa’s heart?” Nicky asks shyly. The words are like a stab through Brooke’s chest, confirming the whole thing, validating it. Brooke nods wordlessly. Nicky gives a small laugh. “Then probably she still loves you too. Like me for Jaida.”

Brooke laughs, disbelieving even though she’d be lying if she said Nicky’s words don’t strike even the tiniest bit of hope into her heart. “No, I think that ship has sailed, Nicky.”

Nicky raises her eyebrows, shrugs. “You should call her.”

“Tried that.”

“Well, call her again,” Nicky persists, her voice calm and relaxed despite her insisting. “I wait for my call from Jaida every day."

Brooke feels sad for the young girl. She’s clearly lived so much of her life already at such a young age- she’s from France, but her CV stated that she moved to America to work in the modelling industry, which clearly didn’t work out if she’s making coffee for Brooke. "You should go back into modelling. You’re wasted here.”

Nicky frowns. “I am a waste…of space?”

Brooke laughs at the misunderstanding, waving her hands and shaking her head in protest. It’s the first genuine laugh she’s had in a long time. “No, no, no, no, God no! Wrong expression. Um…you’re too good at modelling to be working as a secretary. You have too nice a face.”

Nicky blushes, making Brooke’s face hot too. She hopes her compliment didn’t come out wrong. Nicky is smiling again, the regret plain on her face. “I would love to, but I would risk meeting her again and I am not ready for that.”

Brooke’s face contorted. “But you want her to call you?”

Nicky sighs, scuffs her foot. “It’s different when you have her in front of you and she’s beautiful."

Brooke shrugs in agreement. "That’s fair enough.”

Nicky lingers, tilts her head thoughtfully. “Can I do anything to help, Ms. Hytes?”

The Parisian lilt to Nicky’s voice makes everything sound like a proposition, even though Brooke doesn’t think she means it. She knows that she could probably have Nicky in her bed by the end of the day if she wanted to- they’re both hurting and broken hearted and yearning to be needed and wanted again, and Nicky is gorgeous but it’s not Nicky she wants. Her porcelain skin just reminds Brooke of Vanessa’s in contrast, her neat blonde hair brushed carefully into its bun reminds her of how wild and loose Vanessa’s used to be, her blue eyes remind her of Vanessa’s dark ones. Brooke shakes her head, gives a tight smile of gratitude. “No, Nicky. Thank you for this, but I think we’d both better get back to work.”

Nicky smiles in agreement, giving a little nod as she exits Brooke’s office and takes a seat back at her desk. Brooke looks at her phone in its place on her desk, reaches out to take it. She scrolls to Vanessa’s name in her contacts and hovers her finger over it, millimetres separating her from potentially hearing her voice again.

She discards her phone onto her desk and opens an email.

***

They had been the best months of Brooke’s life. She couldn’t stop telling Vanessa how much she loved her once she’d started and Vanessa couldn’t seem to either. They were the worst kind of honeymoon phase couple, or perhaps the best. Detox had cooed over them like a mother hen and Brooke had let her guard down a bit at work. Well, a lot. She’d loved being able to show Vanessa off as her girlfriend, she’d loved being able to kiss her throughout the day, squeeze her hand as she showed a new client into her office. They would exchange ridiculously soppy emails during meetings. Everything was perfect.

Until it wasn’t.

Brooke has spent so long blaming the business trip, blaming Priyanka, blaming Vanessa, blaming her work, blaming the distance. It was none of them. It was her fault. She did all of it.

Brooke had flown out to Florida for the weekend. There was a conference that her law firm had to attend there, Detox was speaking. Brooke had been looking forward to it as she knew one of her old friends from her Law degree would be there. She hadn’t seen Priyanka in ages; she was still based in Canada and practising there, but they still texted and when they’d found out they were both going Brooke had been excited. Priyanka is one of those rare exes that’s still a friend, their breakup back in their early twenties being a mutual decision, and Brooke knows there’s no attraction there anymore.

But of course, Vanessa didn’t.

Brooke should’ve done more to reassure her, she knows this. If she looks back she can see how agitated Vanessa had been during the leadup to the conference for a full week- biting her perfectly manicured nails, a small frown on her face without her knowing, moments where she’d stare off into space. Vanessa knew about Priyanka (they’d both talked about their exes) but Brooke had told her it had been amicable and mutual. Besides, she told Vanessa how much she loved her every single day. It wasn’t as if Brooke had hidden the fact that Priyanka was going to be there that weekend, or shielded her phone when they’d been texting each other. She’d had nothing to hide.

Brooke almost wishes she had been more secretive now. Maybe it would’ve changed things.

The conference had been fun, even though Brooke now holds it in the same regard as the beginning of a horror movie, the calm before the cyclone. She’d phoned Vanessa when she had arrived, eager to reassure her but she could still hear the worry in her tone, the anxiety. Still, it hadn’t stopped her meeting up for drinks with Priyanka that evening in the hotel bar, laughing and chatting like they’d always used to and doing silly Boomerangs with the cocktails they’d ordered. Brooke told her all about Vanessa and Priyanka was thrilled for her, saying how excited she was to one day meet her. Brooke had got her phone out to show her some photos when Priyanka had looked at her own and gave a little exclamation of surprise.

“Oh! Is her nickname Vanjie?”

Brooke had narrowed her eyes, watching as Priyanka scrolled. “Yeah, why?”

“She’s watched my Insta story already. Doesn’t follow me though. Probably just doesn’t want to be weird,” Priyanka had shrugged. Brooke had shrugged back, offhandedly agreeing but internally embarrassed. She’d known why Vanessa had watched her story- she’d been checking up on her. Brooke hadn’t liked that.

When she’d arrived home, everything gradually came crumbling down, the pair of them slowly removing the Jenga blocks of their relationship one at a time. Their hug had been off when they’d seen each other again, their conversation had been the small talk of strangers. And then it had happened. Vanessa had brought up Priyanka, Brooke had brought up the Instagram stalking. Vanessa had brought up how weird she found it that she still wanted to hang out with an ex, Brooke had defended herself and told her they were only friends. Vanessa had expressed how worried she’d been, Brooke had been hurt.

“When have I ever given you reason to be worried?”

“Well shit, when you met up with your ex for drinks?”

Brooke had hit out, called Vanessa out on her jealousy.

“Well maybe I do get jealous! But it’s only ‘cuz I don’t ever want to lose you, fuck, I just don’t want to think about you with anybody else, that’s all!”

“But you don’t have to! Priyanka is my friend, that’s it, that’s all there is to it!” Brooke remembers how irritated she’d been, how exasperated. “Don’t you trust me?”

“I trust you! Of course I trust you. I just don’t trust her,” Vanessa had sighed frustratedly, pulled another block out.

“Well I’m not going to just not see one of my friends for the rest of our relationship, V!”

“So you’re choosing her over me? That it?” Vanessa had questioned. Brooke still remembers the tears in her eyes. She’d known Vanessa hadn’t meant to say that, she knew Vanessa knew she was being unreasonable. But Brooke had reacted instantly, thinking in absolutes, or perhaps not thinking entirely.

“Fuck, Vanessa, well if it’s that black and fucking white to you then what the hell are we doing anyway?” she’d yelled, the finality still hurting her if she thinks about it. The raised tensions in the room had come to a boiling point. Vanessa had gone quiet.

“What are you saying?”

Brooke had committed and she was still angry, still frustrated. She’d doubled down. “Why the hell are we doing this if there’s no trust in our relationship?”

The realisation had dawned slowly and sickly like tar over Vanessa’s face. “You’re saying you want to break up?”

Brooke hadn’t replied, only stared at the floor. Vanessa had taken it as an answer.

She’d left.

Brooke had regretted it, but she’d known they would make amends. It had just been a silly argument, and things had been said that neither of them meant. She still loved her. They still loved each other. Brooke had given it an hour, waited for her to cool off before she called her to apologise.

Vanessa hadn’t picked up.

Brooke’s still waiting on her to call back.

***

Brooke is ten minutes away from a firm meeting when she gets the text.

V: i’ll be at Rialtos for the next hour

V: your move i guess

She doesn’t even think about the decision, simply acts. She asks Nicky to send her apologies, tell the director that she’s had to go home with stomach pains. If she gets a disciplinary it’ll be worth the risk. She crashes out of her office like a tsunami, her bag and her coat swinging wildly from the crook of her arm. Rialto’s is a five minute walk from her office but she makes it in three even in her stilettos. It’s only when she sees it on the corner on the sidewalk opposite that an overwhelming feeling of panic and sickness hits her like a gut punch. She’s been waiting for this moment for the past month-and-twelve-days (she’s counted), but now that it’s here she almost doesn’t know what to do. She’s never felt nerves like this- all of her nerve endings are buzzing like broken strobe lights and every time her heart beats her whole body feels it. It had been different the first time they were supposed to meet up and talk things out because Brooke had been there first, she could sit for a while and psych herself up. But this time Brooke knows that Vanessa is sitting at a table in the bar just across the street, and all that’s separating them is a busy road, a door and a few steps. Brooke steels herself, forces herself to take a few deep breaths as she checks her reflection in the shop window beside her. She looks a fright: no makeup, sleep-deprived bags under her eyes, the only thing remotely presentable about her is her hair which she threw into a low ponytail that morning. Then again, she supposes that Vanessa’s seen her without makeup before. Brooke thinks Vanessa’s seen every possible version of her, apart from of course this one. She takes another deep breath, turns around and stares the bar down as if she’s going to war.

It’s time.

Brooke dashes across the road and it crosses her mind that perhaps it would be better to just let fate take its course and get hit by a yellow taxi, but that’s the coward’s way out so she reaches the bar entranceway, pushes the door open with a huge, held-in breath. Rialto’s is dark inside with dim red lighting, and so even at four in the afternoon it seems as if it’s midnight. There’s red booths with black lacquered tables that shine under the crimson of the lamps positioned above them and the walls are covered in framed pictures, none of which Brooke takes in because she’s searching, slowly yet frantically as if she’s attempting to both prolong and speed up this whole situation. One booth near to her to her right holds a cheerful couple, another on her far left houses an old man drinking a cup of coffee.

And then she sees her.

She’s got her back to the door but Brooke recognises the wave of her blonde hair, the tie-dye of the oversized hoodie she’s wearing. She recognises the acrylic nails and the chunky rings that pattern the hand that’s curled around what looks like a French martini on the table. A searing, painful memory of their first date at Le Bernardin wrenches Brooke’s heart. She takes another deep breath and walks forward even though she feels like she’s going to be sick. She stops just at the table and the breath is knocked out of her lungs.

Vanessa looks up at her, her face impassive. Her makeup is perfect, but then Brooke wouldn’t have expected anything else. There’s dark roots at her side parting but Brooke thinks she somehow suits them. Apart from that she looks exactly the same, just how Brooke remembers her.

“Hi,” Brooke greets her feebly. Vanessa somehow communicates a shrug through a blink.

“Hey,” she says, taking her hand off her glass to gesture to the seat opposite her. “Sit.”

Brooke nods as she sits down in the red leather seat, and it’s only then that she notices there’s a second cocktail opposite Vanessa. It looks like a pornstar martini, it’s one of Brooke’s favourites.

“I ordered you one. Figured it might make this easier,” Vanessa explains. Her expression doesn’t break. Brooke is touched by the gesture.

“Thanks,” she says. Her hands shake as she reaches out to take the glass, sips at it and feels the sweetness of the vanilla vodka and the tang of the passionfruit coat her dry mouth. Her stomach’s still churning as Vanessa sits regarding her for a moment. Brooke wants to say something. She wants to immediately apologise for it all, even though she’s left twelve voicemails and twenty texts saying the same thing. She wants to ask how Vanessa is, even though that would be the most idiotic of things to say. Eventually she decides to lead with a compliment.

“You look great.”

Vanessa sniffs. “You don’t.”

Brooke takes the hit, supposes she deserves it. “I’ve not been sleeping great.”

“Yeah. Yvie’s mentioned,” Vanessa looks down at her lap, blinks. When she looks up again she’s clearly ready to speak, and Brooke’s heart is in her mouth. “So, we need to talk properly.”

“Yes.”

Vanessa looks down at the table, then into Brooke’s eyes. Brooke can tell she’s having a hard time doing so. “Uh, first off I wanna say sorry.”

The apology knocks Brooke for six. She feels herself frown involuntarily. “For what?”

“Well, it was wrong of me to try an’ make you choose between me and your friend. I knew it was wrong the moment I said it but I was jealous, an’ I was hurt. But that don’t excuse it, so I’m sorry.”

Brooke shakes her head. She’d been annoyed at Vanessa for that at the time, and she’d have maybe appreciated an apology a month ago, but just now it only seems trivial in the grand scheme of things. “Vanessa, you don’t…you don’t need to apologise for this situation.”

Vanessa narrows her eyes at her and there’s a warning look in her gaze, so Brooke drops her protests and shrugs a little. “But I accept your apology.”

Vanessa nods, clearly following some internal script. Brooke is happy to go along with it, to play her part and say her lines, whatever they’re meant to be. She’s so used to immediately taking control of every situation she finds herself in, and even though her stomach feels sick and she feels as if she’s in an interrogation room she doesn’t mind playing the role of the witness and letting Vanessa be the lawyer for a change. She supposes she is on trial in some way.

“Now…I know that you’re sorry, you’ve made that pretty clear, so I don’t want another apology from you,” Vanessa begins, and part of Brooke doesn’t like that because she does want to say sorry, but maybe that’s just for her own benefit and not Vanessa’s. Vanessa sighs as she continues, looks down at her drink and this time doesn’t break eye contact. “But I need you to know how much you hurt me.”

Brooke winces. She realises Vanessa’s waiting for confirmation. “Okay.”

Vanessa pauses, and the breath she takes is shaky before she speaks again. “I…loved you so much, Brooke Lynn.”

The past tense slices Brooke in half.

“I never loved anyone like that before in my life. An’ I always thought you were too good to be true, like somehow one day I’d wake up and our whole relationship would be a dream. I never stopped tellin’ you how lucky I was or how much I appreciated you or how much I loved you. An’ you never stopped tellin’ me either. You made me feel so loved, an’ so precious, an’ so…fuck, sorry.”

Vanessa’s tone grows frustrated, anger layering with the tears Brooke can see in her eyes as she tips her head up, swipes at them like a tiger to wipe them away. Brooke thinks her heart might be breaking again, halves into quarters.

“An’ so that day, when we had that fight,” Vanessa continues, staring steadfastly at Brooke. “All of that, everything we had…it was like it didn’t matter anymore? Like everything we’d shared an’ everything I’d told you an’ everything you’d told me…like, what, that was all for nothing?”

“It wa-”

“Just lemme get this out, please,” Vanessa puts a hand up, stops her. “It was like everything I knew about you was just…nothing. I didn’t know you anymore. An’ I know it was a stupid fight and we shoulda been able to work that shit out, but…I was hurt. I’m still hurting. You hurt me.”

Vanessa stops. She’s done. Brooke wants to cry. She swallows the feeling down before she speaks.

“I behaved like a dick. And I said stupid things, but by the time they were out I couldn’t take them back. I didn’t mean any of it, Vanessa, I just…opened my mouth and said whatever got there first. That’s my fault, I know that. And I know I’ve apologised before but I haven’t had the chance to do it in person, so I’m honestly so sorry for hurting you. For making it seem like our relationship meant nothing to me. Like you meant nothing to me. You mean the world to me, you still do,” Brooke sighs, trying to make the deep breath she takes to stave off her tears subtle. She can’t meet Vanessa’s eyes when there’s tears in her own so she fixes her gaze on the passionfruit half floating in her drink as she continues. “And you don’t have to accept it, just as long as you hear it.”

“I know,” Vanessa says instantly. She looks calmer now she’s said her piece and heard Brooke’s, and she takes a sip from the two little black straws sticking out of the martini glass. She suddenly rolls her eyes, a bitter smile spreading across her face. “Fuck you, Brooke Lynn.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I mean…fuck you for making me still love you. Fuck me for still loving you,” Vanessa sighs, resigned. The words make Brooke’s heart give a leap and she can’t help the smile she instantly tries to suppress and fails. Vanessa narrows her eyes at her, her expression turning serious. “But that don’t mean I forgive you.”

“I know. You don’t have to,” Brooke says guiltily. She thinks about saying it, wonders if it’ll guilt-trip Vanessa and she doesn’t want that, but indulgently and selfishly she says it anyway. “I still love you. I never stopped.”

Vanessa winces as if she’s been shot, her expression instantly turning into one of discomfort and her eyes squeezing shut. Brooke frowns. “Sorry.”

“Stop apologising, Christ. You’re so fuckin’ Canadian,” Vanessa sighs exasperatedly as she puts her head in her hands, and Brooke probably would’ve laughed if she hadn’t been trying to repair the most important relationship of her life so far. Brooke feels awkward and she’s in this conversation without a map, unsure which direction it’s going in.

“Where do we go from here?”

Vanessa drains her glass, foam and syrup all that’s left. She leans back in her chair and folds her arms over. There’s a tiny smile that’s back on her face, and it makes Brooke’s hopes start to climb.

“Well,” she shrugs a little, her guard still up but ever so slightly lowered. “You can start by buyin’ me another drink an’ we can take it from there.”

Brooke nods, grabs her purse and almost sprints to the bar. She orders another French martini and another pornstar- she thinks she’ll be needing it. As she waits for their drinks and the sound of ice in a cocktail shaker cuts through the air, Brooke sneaks a look at Vanessa in the booth. She’s so gorgeous. Brooke’s happy to see her again, despite the circumstances. Just as she makes to turn back around, Vanessa’s head snaps up from the phone in her hand and their eyes meet.

Vanessa’s gaze is soft and the small smile on her face is warm.

Maybe they’re going to be okay.

#rpdr fanfiction #ortega #not a ghost you're in my head #your move #branjie #angst #lesbian au #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #detox #nicky doll #yvie oddly #priyanka

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jpllotteringwholocked2210 · 7 years ago

Text

My first fanfic Pt. 3

Hi guys!! Firstly, I want to say SORRY for not uploading this sooner - I said it would be up soon and then waited THREE MONTHS :((( I am so sorry!!! But please still read it!! I’ll put the whole thing up as usual so you don’t have to scroll through old posts to find Pt. 1 and 2...! <3 Sorry guys!! Hope you like it...

THE LAST THOUGHT.

Will Solace woke with a start. Loud bangs were coming from his neighbour’s room again. He rolled over and peeked at his phone to check the time.

03:47.

What. The. Fuck.

Will groaned, hoping to god that they would stop moving and making such a racket soon, and he nestled his face back into his bright blue pillow decorated with suns. He exhaled, his blond curls drifting over his freckled forehead.

Bang. Bang. BANG.

Oh, for fuck’s sake, Will thought.

He had no idea what these noises were, but they had been happening for days now, ever since his new neighbour moved in.

He didn’t usually get annoyed, but it was all he could do to not scream at the wall in frustration. He hadn’t even met his new neighbour, as they seemed to never exit their apartment. Obviously still alive though, with all this noise. Will frowned, and wriggled further down his bed.

At first, he had hoped his new neighbour would be cute and funny and friendly (and, as Leo wouldn’t stop reminding him, “maybe even boyfriend material, amigo!”), but no such luck. He didn’t even know what gender his neighbour was, and after all this racket, he didn’t care if they were the sexiest man alive.

BANG.

Staring at his ceiling and cursing silently, he resolved to knock on their door tomorrow and sort this out…

***

Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEP. BEEP. BE-

“Ugh.”

Nico di Angelo smacked his alarm clock, swiping at his bedside table, and threw his black duvet over his head, grumbling about the loud noises he heard last night at an ungodly time that morning.

Nico only moved in a few days ago, but he didn’t want to make any effort to get to know his neighbours despite his half-sister Hazel’s insistence that he should “at least try to pretend he had friends and a bit of a life”. Although that made Hazel sound harsh, she was a lovely person and an even better sister, and she really cared for Nico, which is more than Nico could say of anyone else. Besides, she had a point. Nico had never really made an effort with people, mostly because he was terrified of what they’d think of him.

“Weirdo.” “He’s not normal.” “Bell-end.”

Nico buried his face in his mattress, curling up in a foetal position whilst trying to forget the high-school dicks that took great pleasure in tormenting him. High-school had ended a year ago. He was nineteen. He should be over this.

He wasn’t.

Nico looked at his alarm clock.

07:35.

He didn’t have to get up for anything, but getting up made him feel as if he had some sort of purpose in life, even if he just went back to sleep later. He sighed and got up slowly, rubbing his eyes and running a hand through his dark tousled hair.

“You’ve got to stop doing that, you’ll go bald Neeks!!” His sister’s voice echoed in his head. 9 years, and Bianca’s voice was still in his head.

He pushed a button on his De Longhi coffee machine and made himself an espresso. Hazel had referred to his new coffee machine as his “pride and joy” (which, Nico thought, was quite accurate as he was pretty sure his body was 90% coffee beans). He slumped onto his black leather armchair that his millionaire father had “generously” deigned to give him, coffee in hand, and thought about the sleep he’d missed. Whatever Hazel said, after these annoying banging noises, Nico was even more certain he never wanted to get to know his stupid neighbour.

***

When Will woke up to his alarm, he felt as if he’d only been sleeping for a second since he’d been disturbed earlier.

“Bloody new neighbour with their bloody nocturnal habits…”

Will looked at his phone, and cursed when he read the text that his friend Piper had sent him.

“WILL I AM TOTALLY SCREWED FOR TODAY. SERIOUSLY.”

“Shit. Shit. Fuck. Shit.” Will groaned and put his palms to his forehead in annoyance. They had a test today that he had completely and utterly forgotten about.

Med school was turning out to be way harder than he thought. Not that he expected it to be easy, exactly, but the tests every week were even starting to wear him down, and he was definitely the most upbeat person there.

He got out of bed and ruffled his hair, pulling up his pyjama trousers so he didn’t trip over the bottom of them, and shuffled into the kitchen area of his flat.

Oh no.

Will looked around at his flat and wrinkled his nose. Pizza boxes and beer bottles covered the floor from last night. Why had he allowed Leo to come over?! It always ended like this, and Leo never ever helped tidy up. For one person, Leo not only ate like a horse, but also made so much mess it looked like a hippo had rampaged through the room.

Will sighed and rubbed his forehead. He was already running a little late and couldn’t afford to clean all this up now, so instead of sorting it out, he wandered to the fridge, pulled out a yoghurt and sat down. His phone buzzed.

“WILL I SWEAR TO ALL THE GODS I CAN’T DO THIS TODAY.”

Will wasn’t worried. Piper said this every morning there was a test and somehow managed to get above 80% every time. People usually would find this annoying. But Will chuckled. He loved Piper, as she was the only other med student who, when faced with Will’s bright clothing and incessant smile, grinned just as widely and said “I like you!”. Naturally, people thought they were going out, but Will didn’t mind it. It was better than having to openly admit the truth.

“You are not allowed to like boys, William. It is not normal.”

His mother’s voice echoed in his head.

At least with Piper herself, Will didn’t have to pretend. Piper knew straight away that Will was gay, and that didn’t bother her at all. In fact, she made it her mission to point out all the men she thought “worthy”. Once, Piper walked up to a guy in their class, and pointed in his face, wiggling her eyebrows at Will. Of course, at the time, Will was so embarrassed, he went tomato-red, but now Will giggled and blushed slightly at the memory. He really did love Piper.

He checked the time again.

08:05.

He suddenly remembered his resolution to confront his new neighbour.

Maybe that can wait till tomorrow…? Will mused, not really desiring any sort of conflict. Or maybe just after class… He decided to wait until later to choose.

He tugged at a strand of hair that fell in front of his blue eyes, wrestling with the possibility of calling in sick to avoid the test. But, as usual, Will felt guilty at even the thought of that, and so texted Piper to say he was on his way, and went back to his bedroom to get dressed.

Okay… he thought, as he left the apartment. Time to face the music.

***

Nico heard a bang as his neighbour left their apartment. He guessed they were quite clumsy, because every single morning he heard a thud as they closed their door, occasionally accompanied by an “Ow!”. Nico rolled his eyes and sighed. Clearly, this neighbour was deaf or something, especially considering all the loud noises that had been emanating from the flat next door.

Nico put his coffee mug down on the ridiculously expensive black marble coffee table, (another “present” from his father) stretched in his armchair and dropped his head back, glaring at the ceiling.

Wasn’t the whole point of not being in school so that I could restart my life? Find a hobby? A career? A friend…?

Nico sighed and rubbed his eyes. A friend was the least likely of the three he would ever have. He never had got along with people. People didn’t get along with me, he thought. Not since Bianca died… Nico breathed deeply. He really missed her. He missed her ability to cheer him up with only a look, the constant glint in her eye, her laugh, her energy, her voice…

Great. Wallowing in self-pity. Nice.

A faint buzz interrupted his sombre thoughts. Nico forced himself to stand up, glancing at his mobile phone that he’d chucked on the kitchen worktop.

Neeks. Emergency with Dad. Hazel xx

Ugh. Leave it to our father to screw things up.

Be right there N x

Nico picked up his keys and was about to step out of the door when he looked down and realised he was still wearing his novelty Darth Vader pyjamas that Hazel had given him as a joke. Nico smirked despite himself, and went back to his room to quickly pull on black jeans and his ACDC t-shirt. Hazel called this his “rock-emo look”, but Nico had always felt black was his colour.

Yet another thing people at school took the piss out of me for.

He tugged his trainers on, grabbed his leather jacket and stepped out the door, raising his eyebrow at a mound of miscellaneous cardboard that resembled…pizza boxes?…outside his neighbour’s door.

Typical, he thought, turning his back on the curious disorganised lump and striding through the corridor to the outside world.

***

Well, that was awful.

Will ran his hand through his hair, frowning at the space where his test had been. He sighed, and looked over at Piper who was grinning at him, mouthing “THAT WAS NOT TOO BAD”, and he made an extreme pouty grumpy face to show her that he did not feel the same. Piper winked at him and stuck her tongue out, her hazel eyes shining.

Will sulked, wrinkling his nose and scrunching his eyebrows together, but couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter when Piper stood up and melodramatically blew him a kiss. Piper tossed her braided hair over her shoulder and winked again, giggling at Will as he struggled to keep a straight face. Will really loved her to bits.

“Why the looooong face, Will?”

Will looked up from his seat and met Piper’s inquiring eyes, and shrugged his shoulders. “Pipes, the test was so bad. I don’t even know if I answered half of the questions in comprehensible English!”

Piper tilted her head to one side, her choppy fringe drifting across her forehead, and put her hand on his shoulder. “Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you thought it was!” She grinned and ducked to catch Will’s eye, and he smirked back, standing up to sling his rucksack over his shoulder. They walked for a minute or so in silence. Will was still worrying about the test, and Piper wasn’t sure whether she should interrupt his thoughts. They stopped outside their classroom and Piper checked her phone.

“Ooh we’ve still got ten minutes! Shall we just stay here?” Will nodded, but stayed quiet. Piper frowned, but then her face lit up with a wide smile. “I have something for you!”

Will frowned at Piper. “Ummm Pipes, last time you said that, you introduced me to Leo. I don’t need to remind you how well that turned out.”

“Oh Will, don’t be so dramatic, you love Leo now!”

“Yeah I do”, Will admitted, “but not in the way you hoped!”

Piper chuckled, and pulled something that resembled a fur-ball out of her tote bag. “Here.” She pressed it into his hand.

“Pipes…why have you given me a dead rat?”

“It is not a dead rat! Jeez, Will. Is this the thanks I get for giving you a lucky rabbit’s foot?”

“A what?!” Will dropped it, squeaking and wrinkling his freckled nose in disgust. Piper picked it up again, putting a hand on her hip and waving the foot at Will.

“A lucky rabbit’s foot. According to mum, it’s meant to bring you all the luck you need!”

Will looked at the strange object, slightly freaked out by the idea of it having belonged to a real animal. “Well if it was so lucky, you could’ve given it to me before the stupid test then…” Will grumbled, gingerly taking the foot and stuffing it in his jeans pocket.

“Will, why are you being such a grump today?” Piper pouted, furrowing her eyebrows.

Will looked at her and sighed, feeling guilty. “Sorry Pipes, I just didn’t get a good night’s sleep. It’s this neighbour! They don’t seem to understand that 4am is not an appropriate time to refurbish their flat!”

Piper studied Will’s face for a second, before bursting out laughing. Will felt his face grow hot, and was slightly confused at Piper’s reaction.

“What?! Pipes this isn’t funny! It is so annoying and I can’t get any sleep and it’s endless and- PIPER!”

Piper was crying with laughter, doubled over and cackling loudly. “I’m sorry Will, it’s just, your face, and you looked…so furious” Piper wheezed, and Will stood opposite her looking disapprovingly. Piper was just standing there, guffawing in the middle of the corridor.

“Are you quite finished?” Will crossed his arms, attempting to look annoyed, but really just smiling along with her.

Piper had tears streaming down her face, and was laughing so hard that she was spluttering, and she started coughing loudly.

“Oh god, Pipes! Are you okay?!”

Piper just nodded and giggled, and Will rolled his eyes at his friend.

“Pipes, you are certifiably insane.”

“I’m not the one who sounds like a grandpa at the age of 19!”

Will chuckled, and just as he did so, the bell rang to signal the start of class. Ugh, Will thought. More brain-work.

As they wandered into the classroom, Piper mused “So…Will…this neighbour…are they cute?”. Will turned around to Piper winking, with a mischievous glint in her eye, and he rolled his eyes for the second time in five minutes.

Yet, as Will sat down and pulled out his books from his bag, he found himself thinking… what if they are…?

***

Slipping his motorbike keys into his pocket, Nico knocked on Hazel's door. He hadn't noticed his father's black Mercedes S-class outside, which was confusing, as Hazel had clearly mentioned trouble with their father. Nico figured that, in usual crap father-style, he had left after upsetting Hazel.

Probably without even apologising or realising he had upset her. That would be classic oblivious and uncaring dad.

Nico sighed, knocking again on Hazel's golden door of her flat. Nico remembered the day she picked that colour. He had thought then that it was absolutely ridiculous to have a golden door, but Hazel's heart was set on it. And when that happens, I know to let her have it.

"Hey, Neeks!!"

Nico flinched at Hazel's bright, unwavering smile and her diamanté-studded top. She leapt onto him, giving him a huge hug, and he smelt her coconut shampoo in her caramel corkscrew-curls as she buried her face into his chest.

He couldn't help but smile as his sister stepped away and, with a little faux curtsey, waved him into her apartment.

"Coffee?" Hazel sweetly smiled, and gestured to the coffee machine.

Nico chuckled softly. "Go on, then."

Hazel beamed, and walked towards the marble countertop in her kitchen.

Nico was almost grinning too until he remembered why he had come in the first place.

Dad.

Nico took a deep breath and looked at Hazel, rubbing his arm in nervousness. "So...what happened...?" Nico studied Hazel's face. She still seemed surprisingly cheerful.

"What happened when, Neeks?"

"Um...wi-with dad?" Nico frowned, confused and concerned that Hazel was showing no signs of worry or distress. "As in, when he came over...what did he say?"

Hazel wrinkled her nose, pouring some coffee beans into the coffee machine. "...hm?"

"Hazel. You texted me?!" Nico exclaimed, now even more confused than ever.

“Oh, aha I did, didn’t I?”

“…Hazel…?!” Nico’s eyes narrowed, impatient for an explanation.

“Ummm…” Hazel looked at the ground. “I lied.”

“What do you mean? Why…?” Nico scanned her face, attempting to detect any slight hint of an explanation.

“I wanted to ask you something…kinda…important…and wanted to, well, make sure you came over…” Hazel mumbled.

Nico felt guilty as he saw his sister shift, seemingly uncomfortable, tugging on a curl.

“Hey…”, Nico stepped towards Hazel and rubbed her arm. “I’ll be here for you whenever, you know that.” Nico frowned, worried, and nudged Hazel’s arm, as if supplicating an explanation.

Hazel took a deep breath, and nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Well…basically…there’s this…ummmm…” Hazel blushed slightly.

“Yes…?”

“Guy.” Hazel squeaked out, looking everywhere but at Nico.

Nico’s eyes widened and his eyebrows almost shot upwards and off his face. He looked at Hazel, and she met his gaze with worried eyes. Then, Nico snorted.

“What…?! Neeks!! What is it?!”

Nico doubled over laughing, wheezing slightly. Any semblance of a ‘bad boy’ persona had evaporated as Nico started crying with laughter, shaking slightly as he spluttered:

“Nothing…aha…nothing! Just – Well I – I thought you were about to tell me something awful! Not that you liked a boy!”

Hazel punched Nico in the arm. “This is serious!!” she exclaimed, with a fiery look in her eyes.

Nico looked at his sister, attempting to keep a straight face. “Alright, alright! I’m – aha – I’m sorry!”

Hazel blushed furiously, turning her back on Nico. “Here’s your coffee.” She said, plonking it down on the kitchen surface in front of him.

“Hey, Hazel…I think it’s great you have found someone. Really.” Nico smiled at her. “What’s his name?”

“Frank.” Hazel grumpily supplied.

Nico tried to suppress another chuckle that almost forced its way out of his mouth. He coughed, “Ah, how do you know him?”

“School. He’s in my Art History class.”

“Great! I know how much you love that.” Nico smirked. “…He isn’t the reason you’ve been gushing about those classes is he…?”

Hazel narrowed her eyes, lightly punching Nico’s arm again. “Shut up! No, he is not!!”

Nico snickered, and this time Hazel couldn’t help herself either. She giggled and gave Nico a hug, and Nico wrapped his arms around her, giving her a little squeeze and resting his head on the top of her caramel curls.

“Honestly Hazel, I’m so happy for you.” Nico stepped away, grinning again. “So…when can I meet this Frank?”

“Neeks! It is not anywhere near serious! And you are not scaring him off, okay?!”

Nico raised his hands in surrender. “No of course not!” He smirked. “Just need to make sure he’s good enough for my little sis.”

“Hmmm...” Hazel raised an eyebrow. “How about…no?”

“Awww come on Hazel, I’m intrigued now!” Nico smirked again.

“Not now!” Hazel narrowed her eyes cunningly. “Anyway, what about you?! Is there anyone for you, big bro?”

Nico just rolled his eyes and shrugged.

Yeah right, as if there would ever be anyone who would like me.

***

Will pushed his shoulder into his door, turning the key. He threw his bag on the floor and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table, resting his hands on his temples.

“Ughhh…” Will groaned. That last class had been hell. Will had been completely lost from start to finish, and he got a headache in the last 20 minutes that had made it even more impossible to concentrate.

His phone buzzed, and Will glanced at it, still cradling his temples.

“Hey amigo, you still up for the party tonight?”

Shit.

Will had forgotten that Leo had invited him to a college party, and if he was brutally honest, he really did not want to go. But, he also didn’t want to let Leo down.

He started typing:

“Hi bro, yeah I would love to!”

Then he remembered the last time he went to one of Leo’s college parties. Will had been left all alone within 5 minutes of him arriving because Leo had found some poor girl to spend the night with, and Will ended up sitting on a sofa with two other guys who kept asking him whether he’d be up for a threesome.

Ugh.

“Actually, I’m sorry bro, I’m not feeling too well. Hope you have fun!”

Will sent it, relieved that he had made the decision not to go, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He stood up, sighing, and thought of the sleep he had lost the previous night. Will then remembered he still had to confront his neighbour about that.

Maybe some other time…

He picked up his bag and made his way towards his bedroom, collapsing on his bed with his bag under him and his shoes still on.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Will frowned into his pillow. Surely that wasn’t someone knocking on his door? He had already told Leo he couldn’t go this evening, and he wasn’t expecting Piper.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

This time Will couldn’t pretend it wasn’t for him. He scrambled to his feet, shuffling out of his bedroom. He opened his door.

Wow.

Will was greeted by, put quite simply, the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He had thick, wavy, jet-black hair, gently parted at the side, and was wearing a leather jacket that hugged his shoulders and arms. His skinny black jeans accentuated his muscular yet lean physique, and Will’s eyes widened as he noticed a strip of skin peeking out between his ACDC t-shirt and the waistband of his jeans. Will suddenly felt extremely underdressed in his light blue jeans and yellow t-shirt. He hurriedly attempted to smooth down his curly hair, which was undoubtedly tousled from his earlier collapse onto his bed.

“Um. Hi.”

Idiot. Hi?! Any stupid person can just say hi!!

“Hello. I’m your neighbour. Nico di Angelo.”

“Hi.”

Again with the hi?! AGH!

“Um, I mean hi. Nice to meet you Nathan.”

“Nico.”

FUCK.

“Nico, sorry! It has been a long day! …I like your um…jacket.”

I LIKE YOUR JACKET?! William Solace what are you doing you stupid man?!

“Thank you. I was actually knocking to…to say hello.”

Will grinned broadly. “Oh, well hello!”

Nico looked slightly surprised. “Er…what’s your name?”

Stupid!! Why didn’t Will say his name before?!

“Oh, I’m Will. Will Solace.”

“Great.”

Great…? What did that mean…?

Will felt himself blush furiously as he had eye contact with Nico’s chocolate-brown eyes, and averted his gaze.

“Well, it was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too – er, Nico.”

“Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

Will closed his door, and leant against it. What had just happened?! Will had a god for a next-door neighbour. An actual god. He was gorgeous! And his voice…so rich and…well… sexy. Will took a deep breath, attempting to register what had just happened. He slid down to the floor by his door and put his hands on his cheeks. He was burning hot!

Ugh…I probably looked a right red idiot! Getting his name wrong, and then complimenting him on his jacket…Argh…!

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine his neighbour’s face again, still in slight shock from the encounter.

***

What just happened?!

Nico walked back into his apartment, and sat in his armchair. At first, he hadn’t even wanted to meet his neighbour, but then he resolved to confront them about the loud noises, before it got even worse. He had been so ready to get angry, but something had happened. He just lost all sense of anger when he looked at…Will, was it? There was something about him that made any anger he had dissipate…Something about his freckled face and curly blonde hair that slightly stuck in all directions…and his tight jeans…and his even tighter yellow t-shirt…

He looked down at his outfit and cursed slightly. He looked like an overgrown middle schooler that listened to music alone in his room. But why would that bother him? It never usually did, in fact, he revelled in the fact that he still rocked the all-black look and didn’t care what people thought.

Idiot.

Nico relaxed into his chair, crossing his ankles. He thought back to Will’s grin…how it lit up his whole face, illuminating his already perfect features, making his blue eyes sparkle.

Shit.

Nico’s eyes widened.

What am I thinking?! Perfect features?! Sparkling eyes?! Oh gods…

Nico chewed on his bottom lip, sighing heavily.

This cannot be happening. I don’t even know this guy! Next time I see him, I will confront him about the noises. Maybe he has a boyfriend…? Or girlfriend…

Nico stopped himself from thinking too hard about the possibility of his neighbour having a partner.

Ugh.

Nico closed his eyes.

What is happening…?

***

So... the boys have finally met!!! HOW EXCITING!!! Plz leave comments/thoughts/constructive criticism in the comments and like/reblog if it floats your boat!! <3 Love you all!!!

#solangelo #fanfic #nico x will #cuties #first fanfic #pjo #hoo #Nico di Angelo #Will solace

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heritageofafricanjungles · 4 years ago

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his private Kenya safari tour combines Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, and Maasai Mara within one week to see the highest wildlife concentration. This Kenya tour offers remarkable Amboseli National Park with the majestic snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro on the horizon juxtaposed with the largest herd of elephants to be seen in Kenya. Amboseli is among the most beautiful national parks in East Africa. Nature is lush and wildlife is abundant.

You'll be collected from the airport (or hotel).

Accommodation before the tour departs can be arranged for an extra cost.

Day 1: Nairobi / Amboseli

Pick up from your hotel at 8 am and driven to Amboseli National Park arriving in good time for lunch. Amboseli National Park provides the classic Hollywood image of Africa. Set in rolling savannah scenery it is dwarfed by the presence of the pink-tinged, snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro at 5896 meters, is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Against this magnificent backdrop roam vast herds of elephant accompanied by lion, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, baboon, gazelle hippo and wildebeest. There are also over 400 species of birds, all manner of reptilian, flora and fauna and some of the most soul-searing views in Africa. Enjoy great game viewing and the best views of Mt Kilimanjaro on an Amboseli safari. Despite its small size (392 sq km), this fragile ecosystem supports a wide range of mammals (well over 50 of the larger species) and birds (over 400 species). It has a mixed topography of plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush, swamps and marshes. This diversity, along with a long dry season, ensures excellent viewing of the large concentrations of African animals living in this natural habitat. When you arrive at the park, the warden will give you several common sense rules: do not get out of your vehicle, except at designated spots; do not harass the animals in any way; keep to the tracks; no off-road driving; and remember that the animals always have the right of way. The roads in Amboseli have a loose surface of volcanic soil that is dusty in the dry season and impassable in the wet season.

Main Destination: Amboseli National Park

Accommodation: Amboseli sopa Lodge

Mid-range lodge located just outside Amboseli national park

Meals & Drinks: Lunch & dinner ( Breakfast, Drinks not included)

Drinking water Included (Other drinks not included)

Day 2: Amboseli national park

Full day in Amboseli with game drives in the morning and afternoon to explore the park and have magnificent views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. View large herds of elephants, renowned to be residents of this park. Amboseli is popular with breathtaking views of Kilimanjaro and reliably good elephant viewing. Nature lovers can explore five different habitats here ranging from the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli, wetlands with sulphur springs, the savannah and woodlands. You can also visit the local Maasai community who live around the park and experience their authentic culture. Animals to be found here include the leopard, cheetah, wild dogs, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, crocodile, mongoose, hyrax, dik- dik, lesser Kudu, and nocturnal porcupine. There is also a prolific birdlife featuring 600 species. All meals and overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge, B, L, D.

Main Destination: Amboseli National Park

Accommodation: Amboseli sopa Lodge

Mid-range lodge located just outside Amboseli national park

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner ( Drinks not included)

Drinking water included (Other drinks not included

Day 3: Amboseli to Lake Naivasha for a sunset boat ride & Crescent Island walk

After breakfast depart via Nairobi to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake located on the Great Rift Valley Floor. You will arrive in good time for lunch and siesta. You will then enjoy a scenic sunset boat cruise to see the hippos and walk on Crescent Island among wildlife, herbivores only. The waters of the lake draw a great range of game to these shores. Giraffes wander among the acacia, buffalo wallow in the swamps and colobus monkeys call from the treetops while the lake’s large hippo population sleep the day out in the shallows. Set in one hundred and fifty acres of grassland studded with Acacia bushes and trees, the Sopa resort is home to resident giraffe, waterbuck and both Vervet and Colobus monkeys. It is also a night stop for the hippos when they leave the lake every night to come and trim the grass on the expansive lawns. Crescent Island is a private Wildlife Sanctuary on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha. The Island features more animals per acre than any other park in Kenya. Here you can enjoy a fantastic and easy guided walking safari (around 1 hour on a plan terrain) surrounded by a variety of animals including giraffe, zebra, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, waterbuck, eland, and indeed many bird species. It’s also common to spot hippos bathing or to bask at the sun close to the island shores. The Island is not fenced, and the animals are free to roan to and from the mainland. Dinner and night at Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, B, L, D.

Main Destination: Lake Naivasha

Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge

Mid-range luxury resort located along the shores of Lake Naivasha

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner ( Drinks not included)

Drinking water included (Other drinks not included)

Day 4:Lake Naivasha / Lake Nakuru

Drive to Lake Nakuru (120 km – 1 hour 30 minutes). Enjoy game drives in Lake Nakuru National Park for game viewing drives. It is a shallow alkaline lake where visitors can enjoy the wide ecological diversity with varied habitats that range from Lake Nakuru itself to the surrounding escarpment and picturesque ridges. Game drive is the main activity at Lake Nakuru. Foragers, grazers, hunters and scavengers all play their roles in the natural existence of Nakuru. The park also has over 450 birds species including the flamingos. The national park is ideal for bird watching, hiking, picnic and game drives. The park is famed as one of the world's greatest ornithological spectacles. Lake Nakuru National Park is also home to zebras, gazelles, Rothschild giraffe, impala, black and white rhino sanctuary and other large mammals. Continue with an afternoon game drive. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay, B, L, D. All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included).

Main Destination: Lake Nakuru National Park

Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge

Mid-range lodge located inside lake nakuru national park

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner ( Drinks not included)

Drinking water included (Other drinks not included)

Day 5: Lake Nakuru / Masai mara

Drive to Masai Mara Game Reserve arriving in time for lunch. Masai Mara National Reserve is a pristine wilderness of haunting beauty, it promises its visitors a profusion of wildlife, prolific bird life and the unprecedented opportunity of catching up with all the members of the 'Big Five' in one morning. The 1,800 sq kilometers of this veteran reserve offers the classic mix of African imagery; miles of lion-gold grasslands, shoals of lilac-misted hills, a meandering river, acres of thorn-bush and mile upon mile of undulating wilderness. Game viewing in the Masai Mara is excellent all year around thanks to the diverse population of resident game, including the Big 5 – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino – plus popular species like zebra, giraffe, hyena, eland and gazelle. The Mara’s big cats are even the stars of a popular wildlife TV series. Afternoon game viewing to spot the Big Five as your introduction to the park. Masai Mara is arguably Kenya’s most popular game sanctuary. It is the most famous and most visited game reserve in Kenya. The film ‘Out of Africa’ was made to a great extent in this reserve. Virtually every type of wildlife can be seen at the Mara. A spectacle worth seeing is the annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from Serengeti plains across the Tanzania border and the Mara River to reach Masai Mara grazing fields from late June. The dramatic crossing of the river and the preying on the migrants by predators can be viewed from early July to August. The reserve abounds with bird-life since dose to about 452 species have been recorded. Dinner and overnight stay at Mara Sopa Lodge, B, L, D.

Main Destination: Masai Mara National Reserve

Accommodation: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge

Mid-range lodge just outside Masai Mara Game reserve

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner ( Drinks not included)

Drinking water included (Other drinks not included)

Day 6:Masai mara

Full day in the Maasai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. You can also take optional balloon safari at $420 per person or visit a local Maasai village at $25 per person. The reserve offers one of the best opportunities to see cheetah and lions in Africa. A visit to this reserve in July will allow you the best chance to witness and watch firsthand as thousands of wildebeest migrate across the swollen crocodile infested Mara River. This is one of nature’s greatest wildlife spectacles, the wildebeest migration, reaches Masai Mara. The sheer number of wildebeests arriving in the area is staggering. The migration is a dramatic mass movement of almost two million wildebeests, zebras and gazelles in a seasonal annual cycle driven by rainfall. In order to reach Masai Mara fresh grazing, wildebeests make dramatic river crossings, facing enormous crocodiles to feast on the Mara plains and regain their strength. Meals and Overnight at Mara sopa Lodge.

Main Destination: Masai Mara National Reserve

Accommodation: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge

Mid-range lodge just outside Masai Mara Game reserve

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner ( Drinks not included)

Drinking water included (Other drinks not included)

Day 7: Masai mara / Nairobi

An early dawn game viewing being the very best time to see the cats at hunt and also get to see the sunrise. You then drive back to the lodge for breakfast and check out. Make a return journey back to Nairobi by road (300 km - approximately 6 hours), or optional extra fly from the Masai Mara to Nairobi ($210 per person). You will have time for shopping and optional dinner on own plans. Drop off at the airport for your flight departure back home after a wonderful Kenya safari tour.

Main Destination: Nairobi

Accommodation: Not Applicable ( End of the tour)

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast ( Lunch & dinner not included)

Drinking water included (Other drinks not included)

Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.

You'll be dropped off at the airport (or hotel).

Rates are quoted based on Per Person Sharing and level of accomodation provided

Type of Accomodation Price Varies depending on group size)

Mid-range 3 starsPrice Per Person sharing

No. of persons / Tourists2 pax4 pax6 pax

High season: Jan- March / Nov-Dec$1440$1170$1085

Low Season: April - June$1280$1040$840

Peak Season: July-October$1680$1365$1275

Standard Comfort 4 stars2 pax4 pax6 pax

High season: Jan-March/Nov-22.Dec$1680$1405$1320

Low Season: April - June$1330$1085$1005

Peak Season: July-October$1760$1490$1400

Luxury Comfort -5 stars2 pax4 pax6 pax

High season: Jan-March/Nov-22.Dec$1890$1540$1435

Low Season: April - June$1785$1435$1330

Peak Season: July-October$2475$2065$1925

Included

Park fees (For non-residents)

All activities (Unless labeled as optional)

All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)

A professional driver/guide

All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)

All Taxes/VAT

Round-trip airport transfers on arrival and departure

Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)

Drinking water (On all days)

Excluded

International flights (From/to home)

Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour

Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)

Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)

Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees

Package Price:

$1,760.00

$1,595.00

Ask any question

Popular Travel Package

$1,760.00

$1,595.00

Day Trips From Nairobi

Get It Now

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tripstations · 5 years ago

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Top 5 reasons to visit Selous

Whilst gliding through one of the waterways that meander through Africa’s largest game reserve, you could be mistaken into thinking you’re in the heart of the Okavango Delta. With pods of hippos bubbling and buffalo wallowing, the myth that only Botswana produces such an iconic water experience is dispelled. Tucked into the South East of Tanzania and spanning over fifty thousand square kilometres, there is a network of permanent waterways that indicate the Selous Game Reserve.

When most people think of Tanzania, the first area that comes to mind is the Serengeti. Infamous for the Great Migration of wildebeest, people from all over the world flock to see this spectacle. Next to the Serengeti you have the equally famous Ngorongoro Crater which is labelled as one of the best places to see the ��Big 5’. What many people don’t realise though is that Tanzania is home to far more than just those two wildlife areas. If you wish to escape the crowds of North Tanzania but still want incredible wildlife viewing, then the Selous should be your next holiday destination.

Below we have highlighted a few of our favourite details about the Selous to give you a taste of what you can expect from a safari there.

Intimate and private safari experience

The best thing about the Selous is that there are no crowds. With everyone flocking to the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, this huge game reserve has plenty of space for the few visitors who embark on their adventure here. With less people, there are fewer vehicles. This allows for a far more personal safari experience. Your sightings won’t be interrupted by ten other vehicles surrounding the animals and more often than not, you won’t be sharing your sighting with anyone else. Your wildlife experiences will be far richer and more relaxed than you would normally expect.

Unlike the parks in the North of Tanzania, the Selous isn’t a National Park. Instead it is made up of many private concessions allowing the rules to be far more relaxed than anywhere else in Tanzania. Off-roading is allowed and whilst you may only be able to view a cheetah through your binoculars on the open plains of the Serengeti, the rules here will allow you to get the best possible view of the animal, allowing for better photographic opportunities and intimate experiences.

Activities

The permanent waterways that spread like veins across the landscape allow for one of our favourite activities in Selous. Setting it apart from any other reserve or park in Tanzania, Selous can offer boating safaris all year round. To get eye to eye with crocodiles and hippos this is the best way to photograph them and experience what it’s like to be in their habitat. If you are a keen birder than a boat safari is a must. With some lodges investing in solar motors, you can get a very personal and in-depth look into their lives. The river has hundreds of different bird species to observe and tick-off, it is not uncommon to glide up to a colony off bee-eaters nesting in the banks or catch the purple flash of a malachite kingfisher grabbing its dinner. Other water based activities also include fishing and visiting the natural hot springs which are highly recommended.

Walking safaris are the ultimate bush experience. Unlike most reserves where vehicular safaris are the norm, Selous is the best place for a walking safari in Tanzania. With all your senses heightened, it will quickly become apparent that there is no better way to feel at one with nature in this vast landscape. It is a truly humbling feeling to realise how small we are in the natural world.

Without the restrictions that you find in National Parks, the Selous Camps operate without any limitations. This allows you to have an incredible once in a life-time safari that you may not get anywhere else. For those seeking romantic possibilities in their trip, then the fly camping/ bush tree-house sleep out is an unmissable opportunity. After making your way to the sleep out point, either by car or by foot, a night under the stars listening to the roaring of lions and the grunting of hippos will make it a night you will never forget. During the day, bush breakfasts or lunches are also arranged, whether you’re out on a game drive or not, bush dining experiences are not to be missed. Nothing compares to arriving to a table set up on the banks of a river or a beautiful look-out point which makes every mouthful taste sweeter.

Luxurious lodges

The best secret about the Selous is that it has extremely luxury lodges at amazing value. You won’t find this amount of luxury for a better price in Africa. It makes Selous a gem for safari goers who love great value luxury. Beho Beho and Sand Rivers are two of the most spectacular lodges in Tanzania and it’s hard to have a favourite between the two. Both have exceptional guides and incredible food, yet both are set in two completely different habitats meaning that time spent at both will give two completely different experiences.

Beho Beho is set on the side of a valley, looking down and into the rolling green vegetation that is studded with baobabs and includes a meandering stream that winds its way past the lodge. Each banda now has its own private plunge pool that gives everyone that extra bit of privacy.

Sand Rivers overlooks the mighty Rufiji River. With the ebb and flow that follows the seasons, you are almost certain to see and hear the various mega-herbivores that are drawn to the life-giving waters. Each room has its own ‘waterfall shower’ whilst the beds have stunning views out onto the river. Run by Nomad, the camp keeps its traditional African charm, the bar area has been built around an ever-growing tree, yet still offers the ultimate luxury stay.

The beauty of Selous is that it can also cater for those who don’t want to spend too big, but still want a rich and meaningful experience. Lake Manze is the perfect luxury lodge that retains the authenticity of a true safari. No electricity in the tented accommodation means you have to pay attention to the natural world that you find yourself surrounded by. You won’t find a more peaceful and relaxed camp anywhere else.

Wild dogs

Wildlife viewing can’t be guaranteed anywhere. Whether you’re in the Sabi Sands in South Africa, the Okavango Delta in Botswana or the Masai Mara in Kenya, there is no certainty that you will see animals. The same can be said for Selous, however the wildlife viewing here is fantastic. There are great populations of lions and elephants, plenty of grumpy dagga boys and even a few black rhino lurking in the scrubland. The Selous is a typical dry season park, with the game viewing getting better as the dry season progresses (between July and October). It is worth noting that due to the heavy rains, camps close in April and May before reopening in June.

There is one particular animal that makes Selous irresistible for new-comers and repeat guests and it is the most enigmatic character of the bush: the wild dog. With an estimated population of between three and four thousand individuals, Selous is one of the last strongholds for these critically endangered canids. Continually persecuted across Africa for their roaming habits, the wild dog population is continually fluctuating and their future has never been more uncertain than it is now. To witness these animals in the wild is an experience you would never forget, whether they are interacting amongst themselves or chasing down prey, you can be sure a morning or an afternoon spent observing wild dogs will leave you with fond memories and full memory cards.

Accessibility

Selous is extremely accessible and only a tiny fraction of your time (and money) will need to be spent on travel. The Selous is only a twenty minute flight from Dar es Salaam and only an hour or so from Zanzibar. It the perfect destination to start a safari-beach combination and should definitely be everyone’s bucket lists!

Marc Harris is Managing Director of Tanzania Odyssey. Tanzania Odyssey is a leading tour operator that has specialised in Tanzania since 1998.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

The post Top 5 reasons to visit Selous appeared first on Tripstations.

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jpllotteringwholocked2210 · 7 years ago

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My first fanfic Pt. 2 (It has the first part in it too!)

THE LAST THOUGHT.

Will Solace woke with a start. Loud bangs were coming from his neighbour’s room again. He rolled over and peeked at his phone to check the time.

03:47.

What. The. Fuck.

Bang. Bang. BANG.

Oh for fuck’s sake, Will thought.

He had no idea what these noises were, but they had been happening for days now, ever since his new neighbour moved in.

BANG.

Staring at his ceiling and cursing silently, he resolved to knock on their door tomorrow and sort this out…

***

Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEP. BEEP. BE-

“Ugh.”

Nico di Angelo smacked his alarm clock, swiping at his bedside table, and threw his black duvet over his head, grumbling about the loud noises he heard last night at an ungodly time that morning.

“Weirdo.” “He’s not normal.” “Bell-end.”

He wasn’t.

Nico looked at his alarm clock.

07:35.

“You’ve got to stop doing that, you’ll go bald Neeks!!” His sister’s voice echoed in his head. 9 years, and Bianca’s voice was still in his head.

***

When Will woke up to his alarm, he felt as if he’d only been sleeping for a second since he’d been disturbed earlier.

“Bloody new neighbour with their bloody nocturnal habits…”

Will looked at his phone, and cursed when he read the text that his friend Piper had sent him.

“WILL I AM TOTALLY SCREWED FOR TODAY. SERIOUSLY.”

“Shit. Shit. Fuck. Shit.” Will groaned and put his palms to his forehead in annoyance. They had a test today that he had completely and utterly forgot about.

He got out of bed and ruffled his hair, pulling up his pyjama trousers so he didn’t trip over the bottom of them, and shuffled into the kitchen area of his flat.

Oh no.

“WILL I SWEAR TO ALL THE GODS I CAN’T DO THIS TODAY.”

“You are not allowed to like boys, William. It is not normal.”

His mother’s voice echoed in his head.

He checked the time again.

08:05.

He suddenly remembered his resolution to confront his new neighbour.

Maybe that can wait till tomorrow…? Will mused, not really desiring any sort of conflict. Or maybe just after class… He decided to wait until later to choose.

Okay… he thought, as he left the door. Time to face the music.

***

Wasn’t the whole point of not being in school so that I could restart my life? Find a hobby? A career? A friend…?

Great. Wallowing in self-pity. Nice.

A faint buzz interrupted his sombre thoughts. Nico forced himself to stand up, glancing at his mobile phone that he’d chucked on the kitchen worktop.

Neeks. Emergency with Dad. Hazel xx

Ugh. Leave it to our father to screw things up.

Be right there N x

Yet another thing people at school took the piss out of me for.

Typical, he thought, turning his back on the curious disorganised lump and striding through the corridor to the outside world.

***

Well, that was awful.

“Why the looooong face, Will?”

Piper tilted her head to one side, her choppy fringe drifting across her forehead, and put her hand on his shoulder. “Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you think it was!” She grinned and ducked to catch Will’s eye, and he smirked back, standing up to sling his rucksack over his shoulder. They walked for a minute or so in silence. Will was still worrying about the test, and Piper wasn’t sure whether she should interrupt his thoughts. They stopped outside their classroom and Piper checked her phone.