#so mama needs an iced mocha or something now

[dragonanon]

Me as kid: Why do all the adults love coffee so much?? It doesn’t even taste good!

Me now at 24: please…i need my fast juice…’m so fucking tired and i am literally going to perish.

[moxleys-darlin]

You Caught My Attention

Pairing: Jon Moxley/Emma Hunter (OC), implied Yuta/Bryan/Regal

Summary: Emma works two jobs to support her and her daughter and she's in her last year of college. What happens when the BCC walk into her little coffee shop?

Disclaimer: Only the idea, Emma, and Addy are mine; everything else belongs to someone else, including pictures and wrestlers.

CW: Mean customer? 🤷‍♀️

(I made it myself 😁 be gentle 🥹)

Emma POV

“Thank you again for letting me bring her. I promise this won’t be a constant thing, her babysitter just got sick last night.”

“Oh Emma, it’s really okay, she’s an absolute doll! I grabbed some of our grandchildren’s coloring books when we got off the phone last night.” 

“Thank you so much! You really didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

“Of course dear, we take care of each other here in this little shop. Now, if you’re not busy today, please make sure you work on that college stuff. This is your last year and then you’re done, so don’t get behind because you’re busy working here and the bookshop.”

Emma was glad that the rush of the day was over so that she could check on Addy and get some of her homework done. She just had to survive the rest of this semester and she would be free finally. She looks over at the table she left Addy at and smiles when she sees her diligently working on a coloring page. 

“That’s very pretty baby, is that for Mama?” Her daughter nods vigorously, red curls bouncing wildly. “Here sweetheart, why don’t you take a break and eat this for me, okay?” She requests, walking over and placing a plate of food down.

“Yes Mama, then I can finish?” She asks as she looks up at her.

“Yes, baby, then you can finish.” She hears the bell chime and looks to see four men walk in. “I’ll be right there, gentlemen, just a moment.”

“Take your time darling, these gents and I need time to find what we’d like.” An English voice answers, making Emma take another look only to see the famous William Regal. 

She turns back to her daughter quickly to hide her red face and smile. She couldn’t believe the Blackpool Combat Club was in her coffee shop, gosh she needs to calm down, she doesn’t want to look like a crazy fan. She takes a deep breath and smiles brightly at her baby, brushing some hair out of her face. 

“Okay baby, I got some work to do, stay right here and be good, yeah? Make sure you eat too.” 

“Yes Mama, I promise.” She bends and kisses her forehead then heads behind the counter, retying her apron and washing her hands. Putting a sweet smile on her face she turns to the men, hearing the last bit of their conversation. 

“… think she might be a fan.”

“Sorry guys! Mom duties were calling, did y’all find something you like?”

“Do you have oat milk?” Bryan Danielson, the American Dragon, she tries not to overreact.

“Yeah, we do! My baby girl needs it so thank goodness we do.” She realizes she’s rambling and the men are laughing.

“Sorry, you didn’t need to know that. Yes, we do have oat milk, sir.”

“Great! Can I get a Flat White with oat milk, I’m a vegan, so yeah.”

“Great! Are you all together or separate transactions.” They all start to say separate, but Mr. Regal interrupts.

“All together darling, on me please. Do you have any teas, my dear?”

“Great! And yes, I have Earl Grey, Black, Green, and I think I have some Chamomile as well. Oh, and can I get a name for the Flat White please sir?” She can tell that she’s shocked them by not knowing Bryan’s name, but she really didn’t want to freak them out either.

“Earl Grey would be lovely, dear, and William for the name. Milk and sugar are out here?”

“Yes sir, sugar is! Right on that table over there and when the tea is ready, I’ll get you some milk and let you pour it. How about you, sir?” She asks Yuta watching him blush when Jon Moxley asks what the sweetest drink we have is 

“Please ignore him, I’m begging you. May I have an iced White Chocolate Mocha?” He asks, shoving Moxley when he laughs at the order. “Like yours will be any better Mox! Oh, and Yuta please ma’am.”

“You got it Yuta! It’s my favorite too so I get it doll.” She smiles brightly. “How about you, Mox?” She teases.

“You got any hot chocolate, darlin’?” He smirks at her.  

“Yeah, make it myself since it’s not asked for often except when it’s freezing. Do you want any whip cream? I have chocolate shavings too.”

“Just give me the works, and extra whip cream if you don’t mind, sweetheart. Obviously, the name’s Mox for the cup.” He winks and she can’t help but blush at the handsome man who happens to be her favorite wrestler since forever. 

“You got it, Mox.” She types in all of the drinks and waits for the total. “If that’s everything gentlemen, it’ll be twenty-one dollars even, Mr. William.” He swipes his card, taking the receipt from her and adding ten dollars to the tip jar, he winks at her. 

“Just William, dear. Thank you very much. Do we wait for you to call it out?” 

“Oh, no sir, if you’re drinking them here then I’ll bring it to you.”

He thanks her again and follows Bryan to the table that Yuta is already sitting at, who is making faces at the young girl. 

“Found a friend, Sunshine?” He laughs when the girl giggles at his young lover. “I hope he’s not bothering you too much, my dear?”

“Your voice is funny, sir! I like it!” 

Emma hears Bryan laughing loudly, turning to see what the commotion is only to be startled by Jon Moxley. She jumps and puts her hand to her heart.

“Gosh! You scared me!” 

“Sorry ‘bout that darlin’. The guys are makin’ your kid laugh. It’s okay that they’re talking to her, right? I can make ‘em stop if you need me to.” He smirks, muttering to her then biting his thumbnail. 

She finishes his hot chocolate, adding chocolate shavings to the top of the whip cream and handing it to him. “Here you go Mox, and yeah it’s fine, she usually doesn’t talk to people so the fact that she's doing so is great. Though, one second.” She gets Addy’s attention. “Hey, don’t call his accent weird, baby girl, it’s just different, we’ve talked about this.”

“Sorry Mama, I’m sorry Mister.” She says quietly. 

“It’s quite alright dear girl, I’m not upset at all. It is quite different isn’t it, petal?” At her nod, they chuckle at her. “No harm done little one I promise. No sad faces now. I bet Yuta would like to help you draw if your mother allows it.” Her daughter’s eyes plead with her. 

“Go ahead! If you get tired of it after a while she’ll be okay, thank you guys for entertaining her.” She turns her attention back to the man in front of her, seeing that he’s almost finished the hot chocolate. “I can make you another one if you’d like. I just finished your friends’ drinks so I have time.”

“Nah, but can I stay over here? I won’t bother you or anything, it just gets kinda loud sometimes in the group and they get all lovey dovey.” He waits for her to come back from dropping the drinks off.

“Yeah sure, I’ll just be cleaning up and doing some homework, but if you wanna talk or whatever I’m good with that too.” She hesitates before continuing. “I hate the loud too sometimes, makes me feel… itchy I guess would be the word, but the quiet makes my ears fill with static, so if you’re the same feel free to talk. I’m Emma, by the way.” He nods at her before draining his drink and watching his friends play with the young girl. 

Mox POV

The young woman in front of him is beautiful, her dark red hair and green eyes making him notice her as soon as he enters. The second thing that drags him in is her kindness and the fact that she doesn’t jump all over them for who they are. He’d been coming to this coffee shop for years, any chance he can when he visits home, and now that he's moved away from Vegas to move home, he wanted to bring his friends. The guys were shocked when she asked for Bryan’s name, considering how famous he was, second only to Regal. 

He is surprised that Emma lets her stay while she works on homework and checks in with her daughter, keeping an eye on his stablemates as well. Yuta seems to have made a new best friend in Addy, the kid’s name he learns. He asks her questions about what her classes are about, and she patiently explains everything to him. No matter how many questions he asks, she’s ready to answer them, even if she keeps her eyes down and continues writing. He can admit that he loves when she smiles at him, it makes him feel a warmth he can’t explain. He turns his head to the door when the bell rings and a man on the phone enters, making a weird feeling run down Mox’s spine.

“Hey, welcome in! I’ll be just a minute!” Emma explains, taking the books and journal back to Addy’s, now unused, table. 

“I don’t have all day so hurry up; I have places to be.” Mox bares his teeth slightly, but feels a warm hand on his, looking down to see Emma touch him briefly before standing at the register.

“What can I do for you, sir?” Mox hears him rattle off an obnoxiously long drink order and he knows his disgust shows on his face. “Sure thing, anything else?”

“Did I ask for anything else?” He turns his attention back to his phone. “Jesus, are all food service people idiots?” He scoffs at the person on the other end, laughing at whatever they say. 

“That’ll be five dollars and fifty cents.” She says with a smile, acting as though she didn’t hear him.

“Here.” He throws the cash on the counter, ignoring her outstretched hand, and Mox clenches his teeth, feeling a presence behind him, turning to see His Lordship. 

She counts out the rude man’s change, setting it on the counter as he did. “There you are, four dollars and fifty cents is your change. I’ll have it out soon.” She says turning away from him. 

“I’ll call you back. Hey! Did you not see my hand out? Come back here and hand me my change now.” He can feel Regal’s hand on his shoulder, stopping him from getting up. “I said now, coffee girl.”

“It’s right on the counter sir, just how you handed it to me. I figured that would be okay. Now, lemme get you your drink so that you can get back to your busy day, okay?” She smiles sweetly at the asshole, and he flips. 

“Listen here you little-.” Mox can’t take it anymore and stands up, grabbing the guy. “Hey, what the hell? Let go of me you asshole!” 

“Nope, we’re done here, you can wait outside and I’ll bring you your drink, but you’re not gonna bully this woman in front of us and a kid, not happening you pretentious prick. Let’s go.” Mox frog marches the guy outside with Regal behind him and Regal chooses to stay with him while he waits inside for the jerk's drink.

“Thanks for that, I get one at least once every two days, so I appreciate it. I usually just hand them the change because aggressive men scare me, but I guess I felt brave with you and your friends here.” She realizes she’s rambling again. “I’m sorry you didn’t need to know that, but yeah, thank you really.” She smiles at him, and he can see the tension in the corners of her mouth. 

“Nobody deserves to be talked to like that,” he says, staring through the window at Regal talking to the cowering man. “Especially someone as nice as you, Emma.” He’s interrupted from continuing the conversation by Regal and another woman. 

“He decided to leave flower, said to keep the change and the drink. How odd.” His Lordship shrugs, walking back to the table. 

“Yeah Mr. William, how odd. Hey Macy!” She calls out to her coworker who is staring at him and the other three. “Macy? Are you okay?” She asks while she makes a few drinks, and he watches her friend walk up to the table as well.

“I am so sorry if this is rude, but may I have your autographs? My little brother and I love the BCC. You guys are our absolute favorite!” He winces as her friend gets loud in the near silent room and he feels Emma touch his wrist briefly before going back to the drinks. Sighing, he goes and joins the others as well, making faces at Addy while he waits to scribble his signature on the picture.

Emma POV

“Of course, dear. Sunshine, do you have some pictures in your bag we can sign?” Emma watches as Yuta nods and digs in his bag for two pictures and a sharpie and she can feel Mox staring at her.

She finishes the drinks as she hears Regal tell them they should be heading out so that they can meet Claudio in the next town for the show. Her ears perk up as she hears them thank Moxley for letting them visit while he’s on vacation. She quickly places the drinks into a holder.

“Wait!” She stops them as they near the door. “Here, these are yours. They’re the same drinks you ordered when you got here as a thank you for being so kind to Addy and for you did with the guy. I really appreciate it! Be careful and good luck in your matches.” She smiles at the shocked faces of the group.

“Wait you know who we are? But you didn’t ask for selfies or autographs, and you asked for our names.” Yuta sputters, confusion coloring his words.

 “I didn’t think you’d want that when you were just trying to relax.” She shrugs. “I’m sure you get that a lot, so I figured I’d leave you be. Besides I’m planning on going to a meet and greet when you plan one for later in the year, that way I pay for your time instead of, ya know, ask you in public.” She laughs at the silent, confused men, waving and heading back to the register to fill her friend in and clock out.

She goes to the table to gather her things into her bag, making sure Addy was packed up too. She looks at her watch and sees she has plenty of time to get them some dinner and be at the bookstore in time for her shift. Thankfully she finished all her homework and just needed to finish a research paper, but it was Friday so she could hold off until tomorrow. 

“Ready to go, Addy? We can get some dinner and then we’ll head to the bookstore, okay? Still got some pictures to color or did you and Yuta finish them all?” Her daughter smiles sweetly at the mention of her new friend.

“I still have some to color Mama, but not many. Me and Yuta colored a lot with Bryan while Mr. Regal worked.” 

“That’s okay, we can stop and get you some more books to color, okay?” She swings her daughter’s arm playfully as they walk out of the coffee shop, startled again by the figure near the door.

“Jeez Mox, again? You gotta stop doing that! I thought you left with the others?” 

“Sorry darlin, just wanted to thank you for the drink. You really knew who we were?” She laughs that he’s still shocked at that. 

“Yeah Mox, I really knew that y’all were the BCC.” Addy cuts in excitedly.

“We watch y’all alllll the time, Mama looooves when you’re on, you’re her favorite!” She blushes when Mox smirks at her and winks at Addy, covering her eyes and shaking her head.

“Addy, I’m sure he doesn’t care about that baby.” Addy looks sharply up at her mother, disbelief in her eyes. 

“But Mama-.” Emma lightly covers her daughter’s mouth.

“Come on baby, let’s go get some dinner so Mama’s not late to her shift. See ya Mox!” She goes to walk away but is stopped by a hand on her arm, flinching despite the gentleness.

“Sorry Emma didn’t mean to startle you. Maybe I could come with you, I’m not due to be on Dynamite until next Wednesday so I’m here in town for a week.” She looks at his face and sees the sincerity, but she has to ask.

“Why? I mean no offense, but why do you want to hang out with us? You’ve got to have a million other things more interesting than a single mom with two jobs and her young daughter.”

He shrugs at her, not knowing the answer himself. “I don’t know, you’ve just had my attention since we walked into the coffee shop. I can’t really explain it, Em.” 

“I- Sure you can come with us. Anywhere in particular you like, Mox?” She smiles as he touches her arm, silently asking to hold it on their walk. 

She nods at him softly, loving the smile that blooms on his face. “If it’s the bookstore I’m thinking of, there’s a really good place to eat a few minutes from it.”

Emma lets him walk her and Addy to her car, smiling as she watches Mox engage with her daughter, answering all of her questions no matter how strange. They promise to meet at the restaurant, and it doesn’t take long for her to park at the bookstore. Addy is chattering about how she can’t wait to have dinner with Moxley on the short walk. Addy waves wildly when she sees the man like it had been five years since they had seen him and not five minutes. She smiles as he holds the door open for them, doing a slight bow and waving his arm to let them walk in before him. 

 “Why thank you kind sir.” She laughs, his deep chuckle making her feel butterflies flutter in her stomach.

They spend the dinner talking about anything they can think of, while keeping it kid-friendly for Addy. She decides to let Mox ask whatever comes to his mind but is surprised when he asks Addy as many questions as he asks her. Her brain has trouble comprehending that he would be interested in her daughter, used to men ignoring her existence. She watches the clock to make sure she isn’t late and lets Addy talk with Mox as much as she pleases, watching as he animatedly describe a story about him and his Shield friends. As time gets nearer, she realizes she could stay here all night with him and be okay, and that thought makes her pause. She has known this man all of a few hours, he’s an important man and she’s raising a child by herself. As she silently berates herself he reaches out and grabs her hand, surprising herself with how calm she becomes.

“Hey, I can hear your brain screaming, Em, what’s up? Am I going too fast for you? I feel like this is a lot in one day, but you make me feel comfortable.” He pays the bill and walks them outside. “I don’t want you to feel pushed or anything so why don’t I give you my number and we can set something up. I suck at texting, but if that’s how I gotta talk to you, I will. Just know that makes you special.”

“Mox, I don’t under-.” They make it to the bookstore and Addy runs in after hugging Moxley goodbye, thanking him for dinner. 

“Jon, please, that’s my actual name, Mox is just my character. I know you think I care that you got a kid. She’s cute and sweet like her mom. She doesn’t even make me feel like I’m vibrating, which is actually surprising. Hell, you make my mind quiet and usually only Yuta can do that on rare occasions. I don’t know what this is or why I feel what I do about you so fast, but I’d like to learn and build on it if you do. I don’t care that you have a kid, Emma, she’s just another part of you.”

“You really don’t care, do you?” She smiles as he shakes his head, looking at her with an exasperated fondness. 

“You just now understanding that? I want to get to know you and we have a week to do it uninterrupted, by my schedule at least.” He shrugs. 

She hesitates for a second, thinking about her options. “Okay, fine. I have this weekend off and I only have a paper to write tomorrow.” She looks at her watch, seeing she’s cutting it close and sees a hand cover it.

“How about we go to the park tomorrow so you can bring Addy? Text me when you finish your paper and I’ll meet you at the park near here.” He smiles at the shock in her eyes when he tells her to bring Addy and he shrugs. “Like I said, she’s apart of you so she should be involved. I got a week to get to know you and her before the road takes me away and it’s phone calls and text messages.”

“I’d like that Jon, this shift isn’t very long, just a favor to the owner, so maybe I can finish the paper tonight. I gotta get in there though and start my shift. Here,” she hands him her phone watching him enter his information and hands it back. “I’ll text you now so you have my number and I’ll text you tomorrow when we can go.” She sends a quick text, watching him save her info and leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek. 

“Can’t wait for tomorrow, Emma. Have a good shift.” He starts to walk off but stops and calls her name. “I’m really glad you caught my attention.” She watches him until he enters his truck and drives off. 

“I’m really glad too, Jon.” She whispers to herself, walking into the store. 

Emma’s never believed in love at first sight, she thought it was a fairytale story. “I guess people should call me Cinderella from now on.” 

She laughs at herself as she meets up with her boss, situates her daughter, and settles into her shift. She catches herself smiling at the thought of tomorrow and what the future may hold for her and her beloved daughter, adding a tall, built man next to her in the daydreams. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! I may come back and add to the story of Emma, Addy, and Jon but we'll see. Love you all! 😘

I also felt like I owed you some fluff after that angst I gave y'all 😭 nothing fluffier than love at first sight right? 😂

[write-orflight]

Trouble: Chapter 1

*Gif not mine*

Pairings: HotchxReader

Prologue

Rating: M

Words: 2K

Warnings: Basic witch stuff. Sex talk

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

Summary: After Haley’s passing, Aaron Hotchner has lost the light in his eyes. He seems to find it it the most unlikely of places, an occult themed coffee shop ran by a witch.

A.N: Tarot and Crystal information is very secondhand if you see any inaccuracies, no you don’t

Chapter one: Got so much to prove. 

Virginia wasn’t necessarily in your top five places to open your shop. 

In fact, you wouldn’t even say it was your top ten. 

But you knew better than to question the process, life never led you anywhere you didn’t need to go. Quantico wasn’t that bad either, at least it was in a good school district. 

You wake up to tiny fingers tapping on your forehead, you smile slightly opening your eyes to see your daughter's almond colored eyes staring back at you. 

“Artie…” You say, trying to be the scolding mother you were supposed to be. You were never like that though, your daughter was too cute to be mad at sometimes. “What’s the rule?” 

“Not to wake you unless it’s an emergency because you might be projecting.” She says, stumbling over the words the way six year olds seem to do “But it is an emergency, mama.” 

“And what emergency is it this time?” 

“I want pancakes before school.” She smiles, you can’t help but grin back at her. 

“That’s not an emergency, Bean.” You say, flicking her nose lightly, she giggles at the action. “However, pancakes do sound good right now. Chocolate chip?” You ask standing, she nods excitedly, arms stretched fully for you to pick her up which you happily obliged. You knew the days where she wouldn’t want to be picked up were fast approaching so you held on tight as long as you could. 

After a batch of messily made pancakes, you strap your daughter into her booster seat and make your way to her school. Most days, you were opening up at the shop so you didn’t get to take her to school which was why you were very appreciative of the times you could. You drive in silence for a second until your daughter pipes from the back.

“Hey, mama?” 

“What’s up, bean.” you ask.

“Why don’t you have any friends?” 

Wow, cutting deep this morning, Artie. You think. “What do you mean? I have friends, Auntie Silly, Auntie Lola. And I have you! My very best friend!” 

“But you don’t have a Boyfriend.” She says, emphasizing the boy in boyfriend.  

“First of all, who taught you what that means?” You say, looking in the rearview mirror at your daughter 

“I don’t know what it means.” She shrugs. “Auntie Silly just said it’s been a while since you’ve had a boyfriend and gotten any. What does that mean, mama?”   

“Means we need to have a conversation with Auntie Silly about what’s appropriate to say in front of you.” You say, rolling your eyes. Silena never did have a filter. You go to park in the drop off lane. Turning to your child.  “And while I appreciate your concern, I’ve got everything I need right here.” You say, reaching back pinching her cheek. “Now, left palm please.” She opens her hand automatically, knowing the drill at this point as you slip the Sodalite crystal into her hand. She closes her palm around it. “What do you say when accepting?” 

“My mind is open to new information!” She says, excitedly. She slips the stone into her pocket and hops out of the car. 

“Learn something, Artemis!” You yell after her. She turns briefly to wave as you drive off. 

-----------------------------------------

You walk into Hallowed Grounds a little later stopping at your apartment to change. Your green hair in a sleek ponytail, wearing a simple black v-neck and olive green pants. As you walk in. you’re greeted by a mostly empty shop which you expected as the morning rush is typically gone by this time. Your best friend Silena, leaning against the counter bored, perks up when you walk in. Salem, the black cat who lives in the cafe, is surprisingly lively and rubs against your leg when you enter. You reward him with a pet as you walk behind the counter. 

“Hey, how was your morning off?” Silly asks. 

“Pretty good, until my daughter told me that Auntie Silly said I needed a boyfriend and I hadn’t gotten any in a while.” You turn to see Silena’s extremely guilty face. “Know anything about that?” 

“I may have been talking on the phone to Lo while I was babysitting last week. In my defense, I didn’t think she could hear me.” 

“We’ve talked about this, Sil. Artie’s smart, she soaks things up like a sponge. You’ve gotta watch what you say and secondly, Why are you and Lola discussing my love life in the first place?” 

“Uh, maybe because there’s nothing to discuss.” You roll your eyes, starting to clean out the pots, Silena helps alongside you, rinsing out the grinders. “Think about it, Y/N, when’s the last time you’ve been on a date?” 

“I don’t have time to date, I’ve got Artie and the shop…” You trail off. “I don’t know if a boyfriend’s in the cards right now.”   

Silena looks excitedly at you. “Let’s find out if he’s in the cards right now.” She says scurrying to the corner of your store, grabbing a tarot deck of one of the shelves before settling on one of the bar chairs you had set along the bar counter of the shop. “Tarot reading, right now.” She says, already shuffling. You push back. 

“Silena come on, not now.” 

“No, you come on.” She counters. “I haven’t done a good reading in a while, and if it’s truly not in the cards for you I’ll stop bothering you about it. Scout’s honor.” She says in mock salute. 

You roll your eyes. “You’ll really let it go?” You ask, she nods enthusiastically. “Fine.” You say as she shuffles the cards. She giggles, child-like. You guys were slow anyway, what’s a small tarot reading to you. 

“Now you have to be serious and ask like you actually care and want to know the answers. The cards don’t like mockery” she says, handing you the deck to cut it.

“I know, Sil.” You finish cutting the deck into 3 piles. “Is new love in my future?” You ask, seriously before letting go. Silena grabs the deck and starts pulling. 

The first card is Two of Cups. 

The second card is the Ace of Cups.

Silena practically squeals, you don’t know why. 

The third card she pulls is The Devil. Which only makes her squeal more. 

“Sil…” you say hesitantly. 

“Relax, big baby. The devil isn’t inherently a bad card. It depends on what the rest of your reading is. Plus, he’s balanced so that’s good.This is a really good pull, extremely good actually.” She smiles. “So I’m sure you know this is past, present, future. The Two of Cups means that you’ve actually already met someone you have a potential strong connection to. And the Ace of Cups means should you choose to pursue it, it can become a long lasting love, I’m talking Marriage long.” Silena says, before picking up the devil card. “And this bad boy right here means the sex is going to be wild.” She emphasizes. You can’t help the flush that spreads across your cheeks. “I mean, crazy, sensual, amazing sex. Don’t look at me like that, we were roommates in college. I know exactly what you’re into. Unfortunately” She adds, smiling wildly at you. “Claim it! Claim it now.” 

You clear your throat, still flushing. “I am grateful and claim this reading for me. Thank you.” You say to the cards, knowing that it’s best to thank your cards no matter the reading. Silena puts the card away before grabbing her bag. 

“I’ve got to go, Mike’s taking me to Donnatello’s tonight.” She says. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll get wild sex too tonight.” She says winking at you. You wave after her before resuming what you were doing before. 

---------------------------------------------------

You’ve been in the shop for hours now, you had a pretty decent rush but for the most part you were slow today. Around 7 PM you notice a familiar face come in. 

“Hey Doc!” You say as the lanky doctor saunters in. “I thought I told you I’m not selling you coffee this late anymore, you’ll never get to sleep.” 

“Right now that’s a good thing.” He says, sighing. “We’ve got a rough case right now and it’s looking like we’re all pulling an all-nighter so I offered to run for coffee.” He says handing you a list of coffee orders. 

“Aw, can I ask what’s got you working so late?” You ask, looking over the list, getting to work. A white mocha for Derek, Caramel macchiato for Emily, Earl Grey for JJ, Americano extra sugar for Spencer, Iced Caramel mocha for Penelope. Simple enough. 

“Missing kids, time’s winding down on us.” He says, you pout, you had a soft spot for kids after having your own.

“I’m sorry.” You say. “Can I offer you some chalcopyrite? Helps find lost items.” You add. 

Spencer shakes his head. “I don’t think a stone will be necessary.” 

You narrow your eyes at him. “I know you don’t believe but the extra help couldn’t hurt. I’ll bless it for you though, just in case.” 

You and Spencer make idle chat while you make the drinks. “I met your boss the other day.” 

“Hotch?” he asks, you nod.

“Is he…” You didn’t know how to ask this without seeming like a weirdo. “Is he...ok? I didn’t have much of an interaction with him but his Aura is very dark, like he’s suffered loss or something, I don’t know.” 

“That actually does make sense.” He says. “He lost his ex wife a couple months back and his son lost his mom. Killed in her house, incredibly sad. I think he still blames himself.” Spencer tells you. 

You look sadly, you knew there was a reason something was telling you to protect this man. You had only just met him and you gave him a powerful protective stone for internal battles. You had felt he was fighting grief but not grief that big. 

“Will you bring him a coffee, if I make it?” You say, Spencer nods letting you get back to work. 

——————————————-

Spencer walks back into the office, coffee in tow. Immediately, everyone greets him with grateful looks. 

“Thanks! Was y/n working?” Emily says, grabbing her cup. 

“Yea, so you know it’s good.” Spencer says. “She said to tell you to come visit.” 

“I know, I never have the time to get over there.” She adds. Spencer nods before grabbing the cup y/n had indicated was for Hotch. He steadily made the walk up the stairs to his office, rapping lightly on the open door. Hotch signaled for him to come in and wait while he finished up a phone call. Once done, he looked at Spencer and the cup. 

“I didn’t order coffee.” He says, bluntly. 

“I know, sir. Y/N insisted on making one for you.” He said sitting the cup down on his desk. Hotch examined it. On it was a drawing of the dwarf, Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Agent GG in her script. Hotch smelled the cup, he knew it wasn’t regular black coffee. It smelled too sweet and nutty for that. He took a sip, tentatively. Fuck that was good and he definitely needed to ask her what it was for next time. 

“Why?” He asked. “Did she tell you?” 

Spencer shook his head. “Honestly, I stopped asking why Y/N does anything a while ago. But she did tell me to tell you to come back and see her, she wants to see if the crystal is working for you.” Spencer’s eyes immediately zeroed in on the clear quartz that had now taken permanent residence on his desk. He didn’t know why he kept it. He didn’t believe in that stuff but for some reason it made the work less stressful and less energy draining but most importantly, it made him think of you. You’d never know it but you had taken permanent residence in his head as well. “You took a crystal from her?” 

Hotch cleared his throat, awkwardly. “Yea, why?” 

Spencer shrugged. “It just doesn’t seem like something you’d do.” He said before walking out. 

He was right. This wasn’t something Hotch would do. But It seemed like you were becoming his personal contradiction. 

Taglist: @megatrexus @roses-and-grasses​

[naptoons]

V-Day Concepts:

So happy Valentine’s Day!!! To everyone even if you don’t have one love yourself !! Treat yourself!!! Consider your friends your valentine or your animals!! You don’t need a valentine it’s not really necessary, as long as you know you have people that love you that’s all that should matter🤍

Austin:

I feel like Austin would do something very simple, he would probably take you to the beach teach you how to surf. He’d call you at a certain time knowing how you love your beauty sleep. “Hello?” you answer groggy “get ready bubs, I’m on my way” Austin explains and without your answer he hangs up, making your furrow your eyebrows in confusion, adding more to his plans. Getting dressed you slip on a t-shirt and some shorts. The weather wasn’t too cold but it wasn’t too hot either. Twenty minutes later Austin pulls up to your house, you walk out getting in the car to see the mocha haired boy smiling harder then a kid on Christmas.

“Why are we doing?” You ask with a rasp still.

“I guess you’d have to wait and see beautiful”

Arriving to the beach, there was a table set out with roses and candles, Austin smiled at how your eyes were sparkling like fireworks. He grabs your hand walking you guys to the table he pulls your chair out, then pushing you towards the table. “I can in a t-shirt and shorts to a dinner Austin!” You exclaim through the lump in your throat.

“Well, I wanted you as rare and organic as you are, no makeup with me baby” Austin smiles, you smile as he grabs your hand kissing you knuckles one by one “happy Valentine’s Day” he whispers you gasp not realizing today was Valentine’s Day. You knew it was this month but you didn’t really care for the day that much. After you guys ate y’all waited a while before getting in the water, none of you bought swimwear , literally as raw as he wanted it to be. Austin taught you to surf seeing your fear and happiness in spilt seconds.

NICK:

I feel like nick would do something kinda bigger but not so big it causes a lot of attention. I feel like he would take you out to dinner and watch a movie back at the crib on a projector. Nick was already at your house because he spent the night over helping you with your college homework. His fingers caressed your skin softly looking at the time on his phone as it showed ‘6:45 pm’ , nick taps your thighs softly trying to wake you up, when tapping you was futile he started to kiss your face softly and slowly. Your hands sliding through his hair smiling when his lips attach to yours. “How May I help you?” You ask still smiling

“by getting dressed, we’re going out tonight” Nick mumbles against your neck because you’ve pulled him in a hug.

“Hmm, but what if I wanna stay in all night?” You mumble, nick shakes his head tickling you, you let out a sharp scream almost falling off the bed. After the both of you take a shower nick said he had to pick up some stuff from the store. So you got dressed did your makeup and patiently wait for nick. As if on time he knocks on the door. Opening the door he has a bouquet of roses sitting on a top of assorted cheesecake platter along with chocolate covered strawberries. “Nick...” you whimper in admiration, nick walks in the house giving you a quick peck on your lips, and placing your gifts in the kitchen.

“The big bear I wanted to get you isn’t coming until tomorrow , blame amazon prime” nick expresses, you walk up behind him and hug him. “I love you...” you choke, nick spins around in your arms titling your head up to him “no crying!! can’t ruin a hardwork ma’s” he cleans your tears with a napkin. Nick reserved a table for y’all on a rooftop, letting you see how beautiful his hometown was at night, he loved taking you to his hometown, cause you’d be shocked at the scene everytime. Throughout the whole night he just got lost in your eyes. Occasionally picking up in the conversation until you yelled at him “nick! Are you listening?” You smile bigger than ever tonight “not really you’re just to fucking beautiful ma” his accent finally comes out, that’s when you knew he was serious. After dinner you went back to the house seeing him pull down the projector he installed in the living room, sliding in the CD. Half way into the movie, it stops showing text upon the screen, “I’ve finally found out what true love is, I realize I deserve happiness, so now there’s only one thing to do” Nick then pulls out the box in his jacket, getting on one knee, you gasp covering your mouth, your body shaking in shock.

“Will you marry me y/n?” Nick smiles “trust me I have more words to say after this” shaking your head he grabs your left hand sliding the ring on, almost falling off the couch to hug him, he kisses all over you. “God I love you” he repeats with every kiss.

EDWIN:

So with Edwin I feel he would be a little more extra than nick and Austin combined. He’d probably check off your bucket list. So on there you wanted to go ice skating, stargazing and to a sea aquarium. Not only was that on your bucket list you wanted to take a trip to universal studios. So Edwin planned all of it for you. As you were packing your bags Edwin runs in with a bouquet of your favorite flowers “good morning amor, sorry for waking you up this earlier, but it’ll be worth it I promise” he bends down to your level kissing your head softly you grab the flowers out of his hand smiling. Even though you were pretty upset at him for waking you up literally 8am you knew you couldn’t be mad at him “all done here?” He asks grabbing your hand to stand you up.

“Yep, all done” you answer, the boys woke up early to send you guys off on y’all road trip Zion being the extra one he is he advises you to wear a helmet cause Edwin drives crazy. Nick disagrees and says that’s the right way to drive. After hours of driving you made it to the hotel. Y’all rest and the next day the adventures start. He took you to the aquarium, holding your hand as you stare at the jellyfish, his smile increasing the more you gasp and rant. It’s been a while since edwin has dated someone he just wasn’t ready. He just wanted to focus on music, live his life and be happy. But you came by and just changed the moral of the story.

You wasn’t part of his plan, but now everything he ever does revolves around you, you look up at edwin who looks brain dead, just blinking slowly. “Edwin you’re spacing out again” you giggle, his smile appearing again showing off his marshmallow teeth, he pulls you in and kiss you softly. “You’re to beautiful mami, that’s why I keep spacing out” Edwin answers you. Later that night you guys went ice skating. He got on the ice holding your hand as you tried to stand on the ice. Letting out curse words with tiny screams, Edwin just laughs at your cuteness “you think this is funny? I’m going to crack my spine” you exaggerate, Edwin scrunches his nose up laughing at you harder his fingers intertwined with yours. Edwin never takes his hands off yours teaching you how to skate little by little, in that short span of time you caught on quick. The next day edwin woke you up after 11am to eat breakfast, and took you to universal studios. You saw the sign and screamed. Your back lifting off the seat and looking around.

Edwins lips curve slowly, his hands caressing your inner thigh, you turn your head back to him, smiling harder you grab his chin squeezing his cheeks in your hand you give him a soft peck, laying in his shoulder.

“I love you so much” you mumbles

“Impossible, but I love you more babygirl” Edwin says before he kisses your head.

Throughout the day y’all tried to ride everything , when with fast passes it was nearly impossible. It was time to go back to the hotel, you were exhausted from all the walking, the hot weather, but you don’t regret it at all. If you could do it all over again. You sure as hell would. Sliding the key card on the lock you twist open the door seeing the rose trail you turn around and punch edwin’s chest. “Happy Valentine’s Day baby” he whispers on your earlobe and hugs you around your waist.

ZION:

I feel like this would be y’all first Valentine’s Day, cause he really wasn’t looking for love and you had to many heartbreaks. So you caught zions eye and obviously he worked hard to have your heart in his hands. And he wasn’t planning on stopping even though he had you. So Valentine’s Day was kinda special for you, you don’t really ask for much, just and I love you text. But he said you deserve everything and more. You deserved to be treated the way he saw you. As a queen, a goddess. Zion had took you to get your nails done, your eyebrows, paid someone to do your makeup, earlier he reserved you a spa treatment. He went above and beyond for you.

You got home after Zion had you running around getting pampered, you went to the room confused by the dress covered in a transparent bag, with the tag on it and everything. A box of Louis Vuitton sitting on the floor, a note was attached to the dress picking it up you read the more Zion left you “get dressed mamas, we’re going out tonight, you thought I would stop spoiling you after I finally got you?” Smiling you shake your head you unzip the transparent cover revealing the beautiful black glitter short dress, you open the box seeing a sliver strap heel. Fifteen minutes later, Zion knocks on your door, dressed in all black to match with you, he offers you to grab his hand. And you see a whole horse and a carriage.

“No way Zion...” you whimper, Zion slides your hand in between his. “Yep, this ain’t a dream mamas” he proudly smiles. Helping you get into the carriage you cross one leg over the other while his hands were on your knee caressing it with his thumb. “You look beautiful” Zion compliments you.

“Of course i do, you picked it all” you laugh

“Nah, it picked you, anything looks good on your fine ass” Zion eases you up and down. You guys went to an art museum that recently just opened, he remembered how excited you were about going to that museum so he figured today was the day that he could take you and so presently they also had a indoor dinner lounge on the backside of the art museum so he also reserve that for the both of you walking around and admiring the art wow Zion is admiring you he figured it was time to give you a promise ring that he has bought for a while but hesitated because he was scared he would overwhelm you.

“Hey mamas?” Zion says has he fidgets with the box in his jeans pocket you turn around smiling as he grabs your left hand caressing it softly with his thumb “ so you know how I promise that I would do everything in my power to keep you and to love you, now I’m promising to never leave you and to forever make you happy no matter what happens to us or no matter where I go even when I’m on tour I promise to always be there for you and to always be the shoulder you need” he pulls out the ring and slides it on your finger. “ I promise that one day when the time is right I will be your husband”

You throw your arms around his neck crying on his shoulders, “aw mamas you’re so fucking beautiful”

Afterwards you guys at dinner and sat in his car watching the stars.

BRANDON:

you guys were at the prettymuch house in his room. You just woke up twenty minutes ago. Brandon busted in the room with an assortment of paints and canvases. “We’re painting!” Brandon yells “I see that baby” you giggle, getting out the bed you pull down Brandon’s hoodie and sit on the carpet, he hands you a canvas and a bottle of water. After three hours. Y’all were both covered in paint from the neck down, laying on your back playing with his fingers. You turn to look at him on the corner of your eyes. “So what did you paint bubs?” You asked smiling.

“You’ll see in a minute but first..” he pulls out a bandana and covers my eyes “grab my hand” Brandon mumbles, while this is going on Zion takes the painting and goes to the backyard, he sits you down on the chair in the backyard throwing a blanket around your shoulders because it was kinda chilly. “Brandon?” You whisper “yeah baby I’m here” Brandon answers “are you ready to see the painting?” He nervously asks. “Yeah” you answer once you open your eyes you see a painting of you and Brandon , with the words ‘will you marry me?’ Brandon is down on his knees smiling at the tears flowing down your cheeks. “You mena everything and more to me, and to make you my fiancé would just be a fucking goal to me, falling in love with you is just as important to me as music, you’re my dream baby, so will you marry me?” You nod your head hearing his members scream and whistle as he slides the ring on your finger.

Afterwards you guys cuddled in a tent watching a movie on the projector, he begins to play with your fingers. “Hm I love you” you whisper then kiss his knuckles softly “I love you more” he tilts your head up to kiss him, smiling in between his kisses. “Happy Valentine’s Day Babylove”

[threadsketchier]

The Glam is strong with this one

Hokay.  Yeah, this project is out of left field but this is what happens at the nexus of my nerdiness, a dim fantasy about what shenanigans I’d get up to if I was an influencer, and a Coastal Scents Hot Pot mega-sale.

(So Coastal Scents is an affordable cosmetics site primarily known for their eyeshadow, but even at $3 a pop for singles, that adds up quick.  Ah, but when their singles go on sale for $0.99 each, now we’re talking.)

For a long time I’d thought to myself, if I could theme an eyeshadow palette around Star Wars, how would I do it?  (Especially because, shockingly, this...hasn’t really been a thing before?  I’m surprised that it hasn’t?)  And then the sale appeared and I was like, why not do a palette per movie for the OT?  Because I’m Extra™ AF.

The empty magnetic palettes themselves aren’t anything remarkable to look at, but I will say, they’re great quality for how cheap they are - weighty, sturdy plastic with a secure closure, full-sized mirror, and nice padding around the empty wells.  10/10 would totally recommend, not just for CS shadows but any standard-sized eyeshadow pot.

However, this part of the project is still a WIP, because I wanted logos for each of the movies on the top lid, not just to help me tell them apart when they’re closed but for the Aesthetic™ too, obviously.  My original plan was to track down good-quality stickers or vinyl decals, but it’s turned out to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated.  Decals are way too big, since they’re generally intended for car windows - these little dudes are only about 5x4″ roughly.  The only other film logo stickers I could find that would work in a pinch came from a vintage 1997 set, but they’re pricey for what they are and I’d feel wasteful not using the rest of the stickers.  In the future, as time allows, I might try to mock up the logos on their starry backgrounds as images on a USB drive or something to take to my local FedEX to print out custom stickers.

Anyhoops, on to the shadows!

I know what you’re thinking - WTF is up with that color selection, those don’t look practical at all, etc. etc.  I’m well aware of that.  XD  These weren’t made with logical use in mind; first and foremost they’re meant to retell the story in color.  Each shadow represents either a character or an event in the films, placed in chronological order.  And this is entirely subjective - I’m just one person with questionable tastes, this could have gone in so many other directions.  But this is what I felt like crafting.

(Apologies for my shitty lighting, I’d have preferred to shoot these in full sunlight but I can’t really do that here at home, so I tried my best with a mix of window daylight and interior light plus some help from a handheld LED lamp.)

First up, A New Hope:

Shadow names in order from left to right, top row to bottom row [format - my label in “ ” followed by the actual shadow name in italics]:

“Dark Lord” - Incognito, a matte black representing Darth Vader’s first appearance

“Princess” - Cloud White, a matte white for Leia’s white senatorial gown

“Mindless Philosopher” - 18 Karat Gold, a rich golden shimmer for C-3PO (which didn’t come across accurately in these photos, it’s not quite as dark and dull as it looks)

“Astromech” - Electric Blue, a matte blue for R2-D2

“Farthest” - Pumpkin Pie, a matte light tan brown for Tatooine

“Skywalker” - Iceberg, a pale blue shimmer for Luke Skywalker, evoking both the color of the sky and his eyes

“Old Wizard” - Deep Roast, a matte brown representing Jedi robes and Obi-Wan Kenobi

“Legacy” - Azure Frost, a more vivid aqua blue shimmer for the blade of the Skywalker lightsaber

“Fast Ship” - Aluminum Taupe, a light taupe grey/brown shimmer - do I even need to say why I picked this shadow, it’s not just a stand-in for the Falcon, all I can think about is Robot Chicken’s “WHAT THE HELL IS AN ALUMINUM FALCON???!!?!” XD

“Superlaser” - Limelight, a bright acid-green satin for the Death Star’s primary weapon

“That’s No Moon,” - Thunderous, a deep gray satin for the Death Star itself

“Flyboy” - Orange Crush, a matte bright orange for the Rebels’ starfighter flightsuits

Next, The Empire Strikes Back:

“Ice Planet” - White Silver, an icy white shimmer for Hoth, natch

“Executor” - Ash Grey, a matte medium gray for Vader’s flagship and the Imperial Navy in general

“Slimy Mudhole,” Olive, a matte drab olive green for Yoda and the swamps of Dagobah

“Asteroids!” - Boca Mocha, a milk chocolate shimmer for Hoth’s asteroid belt

“Among the Clouds” - Peachy Copper, a...well, peachy copper shimmer, lol, for the luminous sunrise and sunsets of Bespin

“Baron” - Golden Avocado, a slightly olive-toned deep gold shimmer evoking the lining of Lando’s sweet, sweet cape

“Absolutely Beautiful” - Raisin Berry, a deep wine-burgundy shimmer for Leia’s Cloud City dress

“Bounty Hunter” - *Team Captain, a deep, grungy matte green for Boba Fett (*This is a Colourpop shadow single that I felt worked better than the original shadow from Coastal Scents, Olivewood - it wound up being too close to Olive above.)

“Carbonite” - Stone Cold, a deep, slightly brown-tinged gray satin for Han’s carbonite block

“Fatigues” - Ashen, a light warm gray satin for Luke’s military fatigues

“The Responsible One” - *Lost and Found, a matte cornflower blue for Lando’s blue shirt, meant to symbolize the shedding of his façade (notice how he somehow loses his cape after he begins helping Leia & Co. escape) and the revelation of his ethics as he tries to help keep both our heroes and his own people free from the Empire (*This is another Colourpop shadow; it’s nearly identical to the CS version but the CS pot came with a minor blemish, so I swapped this in.)

“Core Shaft” - Steel Grey, a medium cool gray soft shimmer for the location of Luke and Vader’s duel and that paternal bombshell

Last but not least, Return of the Jedi:

“Return” - Nectar, a pale tan shimmer representing the sun-baked sands of the Dune Sea as Luke comes back to Tatooine to rescue Han and face down Jabba

“Someone Who Loves You” - Kodiak, a deep bronze-brown soft shimmer for Leia’s Boushh attire

“Pit of Carkoon” - Chocolate Berry, a dark plum-brown satin for the depths of the sarlaac’s mouth

“Old and Weak” - Sage Sensation, a subdued yellow-green satin for Luke’s melancholy return to Dagobah for Yoda’s death and the revelation of his mentors’ deception

“Forest Moon” - Pinehurst, a rich matte cool green for the forests of Endor’s moon

“Bright Tree Village” - Harvest Brown, a matte red-toned brown for the redwood trees and Ewok village

“Father” - *Vale, a black pressed glitter symbolizing Anakin Skywalker’s gradual redemption, by showing the darkness of his anguished soul shot through with glimmers of light (*This glitter is from Dear Katie Brown, and while per their FAQs this is likely not an eye-safe glitter I couldn’t resist including it here, it was too perfect for what I was trying to get across.)

“ISYHCANL” - Spring Fever, a bright lime-green satin for Luke’s lightsaber blade, and a tongue-firmly-in-cheek nod at the crazy acronym this prop has been given in the replica prop community for the 5-second shot of it being turned over in Vader’s hands as he says, “I see you have constructed a new lightsaber.”  Fun fact: that version of Luke’s lightsaber - also called the “Hero” version due to being mass-produced in toys, artwork, etc. as his official saber - is not the one he carries around for 90% of the movie.  The prop most featured onscreen is known as the V2, a much more beat-up looking hilt.

“Conflict” - *One Night Stand, a rich metallic red shimmer for Vader’s blade and the turmoil within him as he attempts to turn his son to the Dark Side (*This shadow comes from Looxi Beauty.)

“So Be It” - *Dreamboat, a pale lavender-blue shimmer for the Emperor’s Force lightning (*Another Looxi Beauty shadow)

“Pyre” - Bahama Mama, a light orange shimmer for the flames of Anakin Skywalker’s funeral pyre

“Victory Celebration” - Fairy Gold, a yellow-gold satin that’s not exactly meant to represent the Rebellion’s party at the end of the film, but the actual yellow coloring of the Star Wars logo itself, showcasing how the OT saga has come to a satisfying conclusion

Am I tempted to create looks with these?  Of course.  But to be completely honest, I assembled these mostly for the fun of it when I saw I had an opportunity without breaking the bank.  I already have more than enough eyeshadow to play around with (especially since I don’t have time to wear them on a daily basis), and I actually wish I could gift these to someone else who could get some creative enjoyment out of them, but I don’t know who would want them, lol.  For now they’ll hang out in my collection, and hopefully I can get those decals done for them.

[burjosaltnburn]

HiHOAndTheBrokenFeelings

#HiHOAndTheBrokenFeelings

J.D.::

||My eyes were glued to Sadie’s tight round ass when she walked out the door. “God bless Levi Strauss.” I called after her.|| Don’t get me any of the rank-ass latte shit neither, woman! ||She’d lost the very mature round of rock, paper, scissors we’d done to see who was going to get food and coffee. Apparently Folgers wasn’t up to par with the caffeine snob’s tastes. Running my eyes over the scarred top of the coffee table I saw the open pack of gum and I grumbled a lengthy string of explicatives that ended with “….she took the last piece of gum….fuck!” We’d had this discussion, don’t leave shit all over the kitchen counters and leave my goddam gum alone. I muttered a few more choice words while shoving my feet into a pair of sneakers before heading to the little shop on the corner.||

Sadie::

Got it, one skank ass cappuccino! ::I pulled the door shut behind me cursing under my breath as I made my way to my car, I was beginning to realize why J.D.  worked alone. He was like a goddamn child in so many ways like right now, we needed to play a round of fucking rock, paper, scissors to see who was going out. Needless to say if I didn’t leave that tiny apartment he was going to end up with a few bruises or worse.:: What a complete asshat, seriously? We need to play games to get anything done. I feel more like his mother than partner. Do the dishes, babe, I'll get them next time. Mind doing my laundry with yours? How about grabbing a few more towels on your way back from the gym?   ::The more I talk the whiter my knuckles turned as I gripped the wheel::

J.D.::

||The small Mom and Pop place never seemed too busy and today was no exception. Mr. and Mrs. Sanders were a sweet couple who’d lost their only son to a car accident when he was in college. Their daughter was a different kind of lost; the kind that puts a needle in a vein. Both were as devastating as they sound. Since I’d taken a place nearby Doris and Howard had seen it as a responsibility to make sure that I was eating well and to  always ask if I’ve found a “good woman”. It was sweet and they seemed so earnest that I couldn’t refuse the short chat. I grabbed 8 packs of gum and was headed back to get a carton of milk when I bumped into a chick. Blonde hair, nice eyes and mmm….tits that looked good enough to eat. Chuckling as she stammered an apology.|| It’s okay, darlin’. My bad what can I do to make it up to you?

Sadie::

::I waited in the car a while waiting as I calmed down enough to not rip off anyone else's head, it seemed unfair to rude to another because J.D. pissed me off. I blew out one more breath I grabbed my wallet and headed inside the local Starbucks, just the smell made me smile. The scent mixed with the decor and the best part….it was quiet, no loud tv or some man baby complaining about damn gum. What was his deal lately? There were moments when we were good, completely in sync, of course they were usually on hunts. After was the same. Even a few days after the hunt but the in between, they got nasty.

I shook my head and brushed past a few patrons on their way out, smiling at the lady behind the counter. :: Can I get two Venti, iced nonfat white chocolate mochas and…::I groaned out a breath, eyes searching the menu for something J.D. would like. Maybe if I got it right he’d simmer down some:: and a Venti black. Also whatever muffins you have left please. ::I smiled as she chuckled seeming to know I was trying to fix something with that order or maybe it was the muffins:: Shit...sorry...can you add like a ton of sugar to that bag and maybe a small creamer? Or tall? It’s been a long day. ::She chuckled along mumbling about totally understanding as I paid::

J.D.

||The smile that crossed this chicks lips, shit, I’ve been eye fucked before but she was doing something else and I was so blue balled by now that I could pop off like a virgin kid jacking off the first time.|| Why don’t you come back to my place, I’m sure we can figure somethin’ out. ||Walking up to the register, I set the gum down with the milk long since forgotten. Mrs. Sanders made a disdainful sound when she saw who was next to me. I didn’t think anything of it as the blood that normally fueled the upper brain was currently down South. Taking the small paper bag after I paid, I hooked my arm around the waist of the chick who’s name I hadn’t bothered to get. The wall back was fast and I’m not sure that the door was fully shut before she pounced. I dropped back on the worn couch partly because, why not and partly due to tripping because my jeans were around my ankles. Rolling my head back, I groaned loudly. This blondie didn’t waste a second, her mouth was on my dick and my fingers were treading through the flaxen colored locks at the top of her head.||

Sadie::

::I walked back to my car balancing everything as I unlocked the drivers door and slid into the seat, the muffins landed in the passenger seat while the drink were placed in holders. I was somewhat calmer now as I backed out and headed towards J.D. apartment, but there were more than a few things were needed to get clear when I arrived. First off, I was in no way his fucking maid or his goddamn mother, so the laundry and cleaning shit was coming to a fill stop. He was going to become a full functioning adult who took care of his own damn self, we also had a fully functioning kitchen so there was gonna be no more of this corner store shit. I could shop and make meals for us both, that was something I could do.

I pulled up beside J.D.’s jeep gathering the coffee and goodies, fumbling with the door before bumping it shut with my ass. My next struggle was the door, of course two hands full of coffee made it difficult to turn the knob so I gave it a kick, then another and another. :: Seriously J.D. What the fuck are you doing?

::I growled quietly to myself, doing some sort of balancing act miracle to open the door. I really wish I hadn't, I stood there in the doorway watching some blonde face deep in J.D.’s lap slobbering like some St. Bernard, while he used his grip of her dyed blonde hair to guide her perfectly. I didn't know what to do honestly. I didn't know if I was hurt or mad or simply indifferent? I walked in resting his drink on the coffee table beside his junk food. Glaring something awfully as I caught his eye:: When you're finished with this blonde whoreachinno, we need to talk. ::All that talk a out not being mad was a lie, I was fucking fuming::

J.D. ::

||Groaning loud, I didn’t even hear Sadie come in. The blonde that I’d picked up was throat deep on my dick and playing with my balls. Opening my eyes when I caught the scent of Sadie’s perfume, it was a subtle combination of shampoo, body wash and her. The look in her eyes…...yeah this was gonna end quick. A few more bobs of blondie’s head I used my grip to hold her head still as I came. If she hadn’t seemed easy before, the way that she was lapping and sucking for every last drop now screamed it. This bimbo was the kinda chick that would never leave the trailer park she grew up in. She sat back with a satisfied smirk. “I don’t think your girlfriend is happy.” Grinding my teeth I stood up.|| Thanks, you can go now. ||The look on her face was almost comical, she sputtered a few times before storming out, the door slamming in her wake. Yanking my boxers and jeans up.|| Thanks for the coffee. ||Dropping back on the sofa.||

Sadie :: I...I don't even know what the fuck to yell at you first for? Or if I even have the right to yell at you for it. ::I just left my coffee where it was and dropped my ass on the table across from you:: what the fuck was that? Seriously? ::I ran my hands through my hair and tugged it up into a messy bun, hating that I was showing way more emotion than I ever wanted to. Sure I had feelings for J.D., but I...fuck.:: I don’t even know what the fuck I'm saying here. It's your place, bring all the blonde whores you want into it, just maybe shoot me a text next time?

I'm gonna make something to eat, do you want anything? ::I stood up and turned turned to walk away, I was too tired and too angry to have the be a grown ass man and do your own shit talk. All I could smell as cheap ass Britney Spears special perfume::

J.D. ::

||Ya know in cartoons when the “Magoo” of the group does that rapid blinky blink shit, yeah. That’s me right now. My dear mama used to say “Mijo, you are cabeza gruesa. You don’t see past your own nose.” I’ve been called thick headed all my life, I compartmentalize my emotions but that means that I miss others at times as well. It took me a minute to process all of what happened. I followed you into the kitchen after a minute.|| Want some help? ||A little voice in my head was blaring that I needed to apologize.|| I’m sorry, Sadie. That was a dick move.

Sadie

::I was shocked when he followed me into the kitchen, then the apology happened and I nearly cut my finger clean off as I looked over his way:: It kinda was, but like I said you don't have to change for me J.D, just maybe leave a sock on the door or text me? ::I flashed the fakest smile I could muster, then dropped my eyes back to the bacon:: This is your place I’m just a visitor, if it's easier I can go back to a motel? I don't mind. We’ve been at each other throats In between cases constantly…::I sighed, scooping the bacon into pan before stepping around you to the freezer::

I had planned to come yell at you when I got home, about stupid laundry and stupid bullshit and then I saw you with her….I just. ::I couldn't do anything but laugh at this point:: I really need to shut up at this point and maybe get a drink. I don't do feelings. At all

J.D. ::

||Dropping my lids closed, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Fuck! Jesus, I need to come with a warning label. “Danger…..asshole present!” Turning, I caught your arm before you could snag a bottle from there.|| Stop, the motel’s a no go. The cockroaches there are the size of small Volkswagen. Sit. ||It wasn’t a request but I wasn’t going to force you either. You wore a defiant look as you glared back at me.|| Please, sit.

Sadie ::

Fine. No motel. ::I flinched a little when he asked me to sit, this meant talking and talking led to more fucking sharing feeling shit. Christ. I was taking the bottle with me.:: Since you added please I will sit. I am also however taking this ::I raised the bottle:: with me and I want no comment ::I walked toward the table taking the seat across from you:: Now what?

J.D.

||With a subtle shift of my chin I cracked my jaw, it gave me an extra second to think.|| I’m a dick. That was a dick move and if I thought with more than my dick it wouldn’t have happened. ||My hand shot up to cut off the comment I could see forming on your lips.|| It’s been a long ass time since I’ve worked with someone else, let alone lived with someone. Shit, since my Dad died I’ve been on the road and that’s a shit fucking excuse for pulling what I have been. From now on how about we split shit. Chores. Fuck…. ||Great now the awkward was setting in; this is why I stuck to fuck ‘em an leave ‘em. I...this….grumbling an explicative under my breath as I raked my hand through my hair.|| So, yeah…. ||Dropping into the chair opposite you, I snagged the bottle and drank deeply.||

Sadie: ::Great. Now I was feeling guilty for yelling and pitching a fucking fit over chores and shit not being done. His fucking dad died? Thanks dad for that heads up. I turned to face you, taking the bottle just as you pulled it away from your mouth and held up one finger while I took a long sip.:: Yes, You are a dick. How would it have looked if you came in and some dude was fucking me on your couch when you walked in? ::I groaned louder:: Ignore that. I haven't exactly been the best person either to live with either, I'm used to living with dad or crashing in hotels. Living with another person in their place is foreign...I feel like I need to keep things clean, as a thank you.  Plus it just hurt to walk in and see that, I just…::I paused shaking my head:: I just ...we need more to drink.

J.D.:

||So it was possible for the awkward to get worse.|| ¡Jesús cogiendo a Cristo! ||There wasn’t enough booze on earth to ease this shit show and I was trying to keep my mind off what I’d have done if the tables had been flipped around. Fuck, the thought of you under me as I stretched your tight…. I needed a cold fucking shower.|| Breakfast, yeah, we need that. ||Bolting up, I hoped you didn’t notice the raging hard on I was sporting as I bee lined for the fridge across the room.||

Sadie::

Breakfast? ::Fuck. I laughed softly as he darted from the table so fast you'd think his ass was on fire, already rising to my feet before I spoke again:: Everything alright in there, J.D? You want some help? Otherwise I may go hop in the shower. ::I grinned mostly because I swore I saw his cock salute every inch as he took off toward the kitchen. Fuck.::

J.D.

||Growling my response because I was now vividly picturing her naked and wet and….fuck me.|| Fine, I’m….everything is fine. Fried eggs, sausage and toast if the bread isn’t moldy, that good?

Sadie:

::I sighed softly, shaking my head whatever this shit was between us needed to be sorted and the only way I knew how was to face it was head on. Sexual tension was simple to fix. We didn't have feeling for each other it was the rush of the hunt, the lust and pure adrenaline that took hold of each of us. That was simply all this was.:: J.D.? ::I walked back into the kitchen not saying another word, reaching around him to turn the burners off and slip in front of him while biting down into my bottom lip:: I… there is only one way we are going to figure this...fuck it. ::I took his face in my hands and brought his face to mine, gently biting his lip before teasing my tongue between his lips. Groaning softly just as my hands slid up into his short hair and tugged every so gently at first. “I’m doing this simply to get the tension out of the way” I thought to myself before another groan burst free::

J.D.:

||I’ve never been the chivalrous type, if a broad throws herself at me I’m down so long as she’s legal and conscious. Even a jackass like me has standards and morals not to mention that prison would be a fucking bitch. An amused look formed at the hesitation in your voice only to die when you attacked my face and tried to swallow me from the inside out. So that’s what I’ve heard chicks bitch about when a dude tried to shove their tongue down the chick’s throat. Stepping back, I could feel the confused look that formed.|| Woah, whiplash much? You… ||Shit, I’d never been on this side of the convo and fuck if I knew what to say.||

Sadie:

::I didn’t know what to do when J.D pulled away, I couldn’t even lift my eyes to his too afraid to show the complete shame that filled them. No it wasn’t shame, it was something I couldn’t even put into words. I just...fuck. I bit down hard enough into my bottom lip to blood before I spoke.:: I’m sorry, J.D. I..::I shook my head, pulling away a little further before lifting my eyes to yours:: that was total whiplash. I’m sorry. ::I could only stare, hoping that I didn’t just fuck up our hunting partnership but I was pretty sure that may have happened::  If “you should go” was your next sentence, I’m already grabbing my things.

J.D.::

||I started to chuckle, I would bet and win that Sadie was gonna have my balls for it but I Couldn’t help it.|| Damn, one of us needs booze for the talking we need. We both need it. Park your ass, woman. ||With a brow cocked, I made sure that her ass had hit seat before going for 2 bottles and thrusting one in her direction.|| Talk.

Sadie::

::How my ass found that seat was beyond me, it must have happened in shock of the words that left his mouth. Talk? The fuck. We do that and we end up yelling, that’s what lead us to the shit that happened two seconds ago. I groaned reaching for the bottle, the lid already gone before I had it at my aching lips. Each sip longer that the first. Honestly I wouldn’t have stopped if I hadn’t heard J.D. clear his throat and set the bottle down:: What do you even want me to say, J.D? That you having the blonde hob gobbling on your cock ::My head tilted every so slightly:: may have bothered me a little more than I cared to admit? ::I sat up a little to straight shocked to fuck that even left my mouth.::

J.D.::

||The rapid fire Spanish that flew out of my mouth  was almost too fast for me to understand and I was saying the shit. Holding up a finger before answering, I picked up my bottle and chugged like my life depended on it. It just might. Settling the lighter glass container on the scarred tabletop.|| And the attempt at tonsil hockey was supposed to clue me in? Dios! Woman, I...shit. ||One glance to Sadie’s face was enough to know that I was rapidly fucking up.|| Here goes nothin’. ||FUUUCK, that was out loud.|| Sadie, it’s been a long fuckin’ time for me to have anyone in my life. ||With each word I was picturing my man card slide further and further away.|| Chicks are a one and done. I don’t…. ||My hand shot up to cut off the protest I knew was coming.|| want that with you, you deserve better. ||And at that moment I knew it was possible to sound like a dick and a pussy at the same fucking time.|| Fuck! I want ||Raking my hands through my hair.|| more with you. You’re better than that bitch that was here earlier.

Sadie::

::The longer I sat there watching him struggling the greater the urge was to run, dart for that damn door and pretend I hadn’t come home at all. That was until the conversation took a different turn and my mouth opened instantly to comment but yours was already holding a palm to silence it. Of course I grinned. Dammit. But...it faltered seconds later when the rest of your words finally sunk in. My fingers shook a little as they wrapped around the bottle, slowly I lifted it to my lips:: Did you just say...you wanted more? ::I drank a little more just incase then scooted my chair in closer, letting out a breath slowly:: How do you even know I deserve better, J.D.? ...Are you even sure? I mean there is a part of me that is screaming out to just let my fingers do as they wish but what if I ruin everything by doing so? ::I groaned out so loudly:: I hate sounding this girly, J.D. Absolutely hate it. ::Laughing I moved in till the edge of my chair was close enough so I could rest my forehead to your shoulder::

[sea-birdie]

Five Steps to a Happy Mother’s Day

Summary: It’s Mother’s Day and the NozoEli household is getting ready for a great day thanks to a precious treasure of theirs.

Pairing/s: NozoEli (Main Pair), KotoUmi, NicoMaki, RinPana

A/N: I’M BACK WITH ANOTHER ONE-SHOT! This is a late Mother’s Day fic though I had the idea yesterday to write it. This was also at the request of my gf  @theworldhopper because she wanted some fluffy NozoEli and child so what better to way to do that than a Mother’s Day fic? Anyways, hope you enjoy this little one shot and thank you for reading!

Quiet footsteps approached the closed door of her parent's bedroom. Today is May 14, the second Sunday of May and little Anna knew what it meant. It was Mother's Day and she made plans for her and her moms for today. Even if she was six years old, she inherited the wit of her mother Nozomi and the sharp planning of her other mother Eli. It was a simple 5 step plan for today and right now, Anna was starting step one.

Anna quietly opened the bedroom door of her parent's and peeked a little. Her parents were still quietly sleeping having had a busy day yesterday. Nozomi had to take care of Anna and watch the house while Eli was at work. Nozomi had waited for Eli last night after putting Anna to sleep but by the time Eli got home, both of the women she loved were already asleep so she ended up passing out on the bed along with her wife and in her working outfit no less.

As much as Anna didn't want to disturb her parents, she needed them awake for what she had planned. After all, it is Mother's Day.

Slowly opening the bed room door, she snuck inside. In her hand were two roses. One purple and and one yellow. She thanked the gods for the flower shop next to them that sold colored roses. Then, quickly, she lifted the covers from her parent's bed then yelled out: "Happy Mother's Day!!"

Nozomi and Eli's eyes opened, having been awakened by the sound of their daughter's voice, sat up and stretched before they acknowledged their daughter's greeting.

"Awww. Thank you my dear!" Said Nozomi, coming out of bed and giving Anna a hug.

"Thank you sweetheart!" Eli said, joining her wife in hugging their daughter.

Anna held out the two roses. "These are for you! Mama gets the yellow rose and Mommy gets the purple one!" Anna said with glee.

The moms took the roses and smelled them, the sweet fragrance entering their noses. "These are wonderful Anna! Did you get them yourself?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes I did Mommy!" She acknowledged. "Now let's go downstairs. I made breakfast!"

Anna took Nozomi by the hand as she led her downstairs. "Mama, are you coming too?" Anna asked.

"Yeah I will sweetheart. Just need to fix the bed." Eli replied.

As Anna and Nozomi went downstairs, Eli fixed the bed then went through her purse and found what she was looking for. It was a little blue box with a card attached saying: "To the love of my life. Happy Mother's Day Nozomi!"

Eli smiled before she placed the box in her drawer and joined her wife and daughter for breakfast.

----------

After breakfast, which were messily made rice balls Anna made from techniques she learned from Auntie Hanayo, the three ladies went out for the day. Their first stop was the mall. Anna wanted to take her parents there to simply have fun with them. Nozomi and Eli also decided that while they were there, they would visit Kotori in her store. After visiting the arcade and getting an ice cream for Anna, the two entered Kotori's store.

"Nozomi-chan! Eli-chan! Anna-chan! Welcome and Happy Mother's Day to you two!" Kotori greeted them when they entered.

"Hi Kotori-chan and thank you!" Nozomi chimed.

"Hehe, thank you Kotori!" Eli said.

"Auntie Kotori!" Anna said. "Is Auntie Umi around?"

"Sorry Anna-chan but Umi-chan's not around today. She said she had a session today with her archery class." Kotori answered.

"Oh alrighty." Anna said, not sounding too disappointed.

"Speaking of Umi-chan," Nozomi inquired. "Any plans yet for the wedding?"

"Sort of." Kotori replied sheepishly. "She's still too embarassed to talk about it. I guess if there's one thing that won't change about Umi-chan is how easily embarrassed she gets."

Eli and Nozomi giggled. "Well, she is the woman you fell in love with Kotori." Eli said.

"Of course! I love my Umi-chan just the way she is after all!" Kotori said. "Oh, Eli-chan, Nozomi-chan! I have a Mother's Day gift for you two!"

Kotori excused herself and went into the inventory room. After a minute, she emerged  from the inventory room and with her were two beautiful dresses. The first dress was a purple dress decorated with creative designs of the tarot cards Nozomi uses. The other dress was a cerulean dress decoreated with purple flower designs.

"I made these dresses for you two!" Kotori chimed. "A gift for the first moms of Muse hehe!"

"Oh wow! These are beautiful Kotori-chan!" Nozomi exclaimed.

"Indeed! You never lost your touch Kotori!" Eli also exclaimed.

"Mhm!" Kotori said. "Do you want to try them on?"

Nozomi and Eli nodded before Kotori handed them their respective dresses. The two mothers headed for the dressing room and soon after, they came out in their respective dresses.

"Kyaaa! It looks amazing on you two!" Kotori gushed.

"Mommy and Mama look super pretty!" Anna cheered before running to her moms and hugging them.

"Thank you Kotori-chan! These dresses are beautiful." Nozomi said.

"Just as I imagined hehe~"

"We better get going now Kotori. We still have a long day to spend. Thank you for the dresses." Eli said.

"You're welcome Eli-chan! Happy Mother's Day again you two!" Kotori said, waving them goodbye.

"Oh Umi-chan, if you were only here to see them..." Kotori said to herself. "We could good be great parents just like them! Hehe~"

----------

Next on the agendum was lunch. Eli and Nozomi took Anna to the food court where they would be having their Mother's Day lunch. Anna may be six but that didn't stop her from eating the spicy ramen she ordered. Nozomi, on the other hand, ordered a enough Yakiniku for herself and for her family (and by enough, I mean a lot) and Eli simply ordered some sashimi for lunch.

As they ate, they talked and had fun during their lunch. Anna told her mothers that she was doing well in school and that her teacher was amazed by her good test scores. Eli and Nozomi congratulated her, which made Anna smile widely.

As they ate, someone approached their table.

"Well, well, look who it is. It's Muse's first mom!" The three turned to see Nico and Maki and, in Nico's arms, their baby.

"Nico-chan! Maki-chan!" Nozomi greeted.

"Hi Auntie Nico and Auntie Maki!" Anna greeted. "Happy Mother's Day to you two!"

"Thank you Anna-chan!" Nico said, patting her head.

"I can see you two are enjoying Mother's Day huh?" Eli acknowledged.

"Yeah we are." Maki replied. "Good thing this is the only day where I don't have a shift at the hospital."

"You got lucky Maki-chan!" Nozomi said. "And how's little Dia doing?"

"She's been an angel." Nico said.

"Well apart from the crying, pooping, burping and vomiting, she's been lovely." Maki added with some remorse.

"Yeah it has been hell the past couple of weeks." Nico responded.

"Hell? What does that mean?" Anna asked, sipping her juice.

Eli glared at Nico, who scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "I-It's nothing Anna-chan! It's just something adults say..." Nico told her sheepishly.

Anna glared at Nico with violet eyes before chiming up. "Oh okay Auntie Nico!"

"What did I tell you about swearing in front of Anna, Nico-chan?" Maki scolded her.

"Sorry Maki-chan..." Nico said before she held up her hand in her signature hand sign.

"Anyways," Eli interrupted. "Nico, Maki, you want to join us for lunch?"

"Thank you but Maki-chan and I are just takinga romantic stroll at the moment." Nico replied.

"Yeah." Maki acknowledged. "We're still new moms so we gotta make the most out of it and spend time with Dia before she grows up."

"Before she grows up just like you." Nico teased.

"Well, duh," Maki commented. "She'll be just as beautiful and intelligent as me."

"I sure hope that's it." Eli commented. "Wouldn't like Dia to be like her moms when they were in high school acting all shy and embarrassed to be with one another."

"Hey!" Nico and Maki responded before everybody just giggled and laughed.

------------

After lunch, the Ayase-Tojo family gabe their farewells to Nico and Maki, who continued their romantic stroll. After that, they went to the grocery to shop for dinner. From what Anna heard, Eli was cooking borscht for dinner, to her delight.

As they were shopping, they saw two very familiar girls near the produce section, checking out some rice.

"Auntie Hanayo! Auntie Rin!" Anna exclaimed, running towards the two.

"Hi Anna-chan!" Hanayo said, looking up from her rice to hug the girl. "Where're Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan?"

"Rin-chan! Hanayo-chan!" Nozomi greeted, waving to them, and Eli right behind her.

"Nozomi-chan, Eli-chan! Happy Mother's Day nya!" Rin greeted, hugging the two mothers. It was nice to hear Rin still says "nya" at the end of her sentences.

"Thank you Rin." Eli replied.

"What bring you here?" Hanayo asked them.

"Mama's making borscht for dinner!" Anna exclaimed. "So we're shopping for the ingridients!"

"Ah that's wonderful!" Hanayo chimed. "And you know what goes best with any meal Anna-chan?"

"Rice!" Anna answered quickly.

The two mothers giggled. "Seems you got our little sweetheart to like rice as much as you do Hanayo-chan." Nozomi acknowledged.

"Well, rice is a necessity for growing little girls like Anna-chan." Hanayo giggled.

"How are things at your place by the way?" Eli asked.

"Oh it's been great nya!" Rin chimed. "Kayochin and I are expecting children soon!"

"Really?" Eli asked, surprised.

"Yep! Our little girl Mocha-chan is about to give birth." Hanayo said, taking out her phone and showing them a current picture of a Corgi.

"Oh that's exciting!" Nozomi commented.

Anna gasped. "Can we get one of the puppies Mommy? Can we?" Anna begged.

Nozomi looked at Eli, who just shrugged. "I don't mind if we do. It could help us watch over the house." Eli reasoned.

Nozomi sighed then looked at Anna, who's eyes sparkled with glee. "Alright, we'll get one of them. But you have to take care of it ok darling?" Nozomi told her.

"Yes I will! Thank you Mommy!" Anna said, hugging her mother tightly.

"Consider it as our Mother's Day gift to you two nya!" Rin said.

"Although, you might have to wait until we the pups are a few weeks old." Hanayo informed them. "They'll still need to be with their mother while they're young."

"We can wait." Eli said. "What do you say sweetheart?"

"Thank you Auntie Hanayo and Auntie Rin!" Anna said, hugging the two.

Nozomi and Eli simply smiled as they watched the gesture.

-----------

The rest of the day went on quickly. After paying for their groceries and bidding their farewells to Rin and Hanayo, the family went back home to rest and have dinner. As they did, Anna mentioned she was hungry and wanted something sweet. Luckily, Eli and Nozomi knew what street they were in and decided to visit Homura.

Inside, Eli and Nozomi were greeted by Honoka, who gave them some of the signature manjuu the place was known for as a Mother's Day present. Although they did chat for a while, Honoka closed up afterwards so her family can celebrate Mother's Day with her mom, bidding farewell to the Tojo-Ayase family.

Once they got home, Eli began to cook the borscht while Anna and Nozomi played with Anna's toys in her room. As they played, Eli slipped into her and Nozomi's bed room and got the little box before returning downstairs to finish the borscht.

Soon, dinner came. The family enjoyed the scrumptious borscht Eli made, a smile on their faces with each bite. Afterwards, they helped clean up the table together then proceeded with a movie before heading to bed. Nozomi and Eli decided to watch Anna's favorite, My Neighbor Totoro, reliving some of their childhood with this movie (plus the look on Anna's face when Totoro would show up on screen was adorable).

When the movie ended, Anna was already tired, given the long day she spent with her mothers. Eli carried Ana to her room then tucked her in while Nozomi turned on her night light.

"Mama, I had a really fun day with you and Mommy." Anna said tiredly.

"So did we sweetheart." Eli answered, kissing her on the forehead. "Good night sweetheart."

"Good night Mama. Good night Mommy." Anna said to her parents.

"Good night too my dearest." Nozomi replied as she and Eli exited the room and closing the door.

"Well, today was fun don't you think?" Eli said, wiping some of the sweat off her forehead.

"Mhm!" Nozomi said. "After all, Anna did plan today."

"She did?"

Nozomi handed Eli a piece of paper. On it, it was written: "Five Step Plan for Mommy's Day 1.) Wake up Mama and Mommy and have breakfast 2.) Go get Mama and Mommy new dresses 3.) Have lunch with Mama and Mommy 4.) Spend more time with Mama and Mommy 5.) Have dinner and watch a movie with Mama and Mommy

Also, call Aunties to come say 'Happy Mommy's Day' to Mama and Mommy.

Mama and Mommy will have so much fun! I love them so much too!"

Eli smiled. "Anna's growing up..." She said, shedding a tear.

"Mhm. We're so glad to have her right Elicchi?" Nozomi said.

"Yes." Eli replied. Then, Eli took out the little box she kept in her pocket and revealed it to Nozomi.

"My love, this is for you." Nozomi took the box and opened it, revealing a locket with a picture of them and Anna inside. The inscription on the locket says "To the two most beautiful women in my life."

"Ohhh it's beautiful Elicchi!" Nozomi said, hugging Eli. "Thank you! I love you."

"I love you too Nozomi. Happy Mother's Day." Eli replied.

And the two would remain this way until they went to bed. Anna's little five step plan worked and it turned out just the way she wanted it. After all, she loved her moms and they loved her back. Even if Mother's Day is over, she'll still treat her mother's in a special way because she loves them as much as they love her.

[gardencityvegans]

Ask Angela: The spiralizer I use, make-ahead Superfood Porridge, Chocolate “Nutella” swaps, and more!

http://ohsheglows.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/test45345.jpg

  Happy Friday, friends! Boy, did I love reading your comments on my Crazy Mug Lady post the other day. Sooo funny! Glad to hear I’m not alone. After last weekend’s ice storm, we’re really looking forward to getting outside to enjoy some moderately warm-ish spring weather tomorrow and Sunday. I hope you have a great one too! 

Q1. Just came across your Superfood Porridge recipe! It seems great for my one-year-old. If I were to prepare this the night before, should I cook the veggies first and then add to the oatmeal to soak? Thanks! 

Hey Dawn, So glad you found this recipe! We love the porridge and make it often…it’s a nice way to sneak in veggies in the AM! You don’t need to cook the veggies in advance. I prep everything the night before (without cooking anything), then simply heat and serve in the morning. It really helps to use the super-fine grate hole in the grater box so the carrot and zucchini aren’t too thick—that way they won’t need much cooking to soften.

Q2. Hi Angela! I absolutely love your recipes. They are natural, healthy, and usually involve simple ingredients that I already have in my pantry. I have both cookbooks, the app, and I go on your website often for food inspiration. I base my meal planning around your cookbooks because they are so fail proof! I was wondering…have you ever thought about developing a meal planning app with all your recipes in it? 

Hey Mya, Thank you so much for the recipe love! That’s so cool you have both the cookbooks and our app…I appreciate your support so much. It’s funny you mention the meal-planning thing because it’s actually something Eric and I have talked about recently. It would be such a useful thing to have (goodness knows this mama could use some organization in her life)! So I guess my answer is that a meal-planning option may be a possibility for the future, whether it’s on the blog, the app, or in a book. Thank you so much for mentioning the idea—it’s great to hear that others would enjoy it. :) 

Q3. Hello! I have a question about your Homemade Mocha “Nutella” recipe from the app—do you think I could use honey instead of coconut sugar? If you think that might work, would you have a guess as to about how much honey I should use in place? I know you don’t include recipes with honey on your blog, but because brown rice syrup has a similar consistency, I was thinking it might be a close comparison to honey for swapping in recipes? Thank you! You’re doing a great job!

 By the way, I voted for you in The Webby Awards and got three of my friends to buy your app.

Hi Fiona, Thank you so much for your support (and your pals’, too!). You’re so sweet. :) I’ve found swapping liquid sweetener in nut butters can be tricky. Often the liquid sweetener causes the nut butter to seize (making it thick and clumpy), so I prefer to use coconut sugar in the “Nutella” to keep the spread creamy. I hope this helps!

Q4. I’ve made your Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Avocado-Garlic Aioli in the past and LOVE them. I’m wondering if these will still smash and roast okay if they’ve been refrigerated overnight and are cold? 

Hey Stacey, Hmm…I’m not sure whether chilling would impact the overall outcome. My guess is that the potatoes might be a bit firm for smashing, so I would suggest letting them sit at room temp for a bit? If you try it out I’d love to hear how it goes!

Q5. What kind of spiralizer do you use? 

I received a lot of questions about my spiralizer after my Insta Story the other week showing me making spiralized butternut squash noodles for dinner! I have used the Paderno World Cuisine spiralizer for several years now. There weren’t many spiralizer options on the market back when I purchased it, but now there are tons! This model isn’t as sturdy as I would like it to be, so if I was going to buy another in the future I would definitely shop around and read reviews. 

Q6. I can’t wait to try your Fail-Proof Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes! Just one question…what is the apple cider vinegar used for in this recipe?

Hey Elisa, Great question! The vinegar is there so it can react with the baking soda which helps the cake rise. I call for apple cider in this recipe as it’s a bit sweeter than other varieties, but white vinegar should work too since it’s just a small amount. Hope this helps!

“I just want to start by saying damn girl you know how to cook!!! I have for many years been on again off again vegetarian. I had always wanted to go full vegan but just couldn’t seem to make it happen. It always felt like unattainable goal. One day I went into a bookstore and pawed through the cookbook section unsure of what I might find. I placed my hands onto your Oh She Glows Every Day cookbook and now I am eight weeks into a new vegan lifestyle and haven’t looked back! I was having skin problems, and no matter what treatment I tried, I couldn’t fix things entirely…that’s what led me to try a plant-based diet. Now I am happy to report my skin has completely cleared! I give your cookbook the credit for that! Thank you.”

Erika, I’m totally smiling from ear to ear over here…thank you for sharing your story with all of us! That’s absolutely wonderful to hear. High fives to you for all the changes you’re making! I’m really flattered that I can be a part of your journey. :) :)

Photo credit (top image): Ashley McLaughlin

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[eyez-ff-blog]

○○ eyez | seven

Beija’s eyes fluttered open some hours later—the curtains to the room were closed so she wasn’t entirely sure what time it was. She shifted against the sheets before shivering slightly; she wondered why she was on top of the sheets and not under them. Then she heard a light snore, and her heart seized briefly. Who the hell did she let into her room last night?

That’s when last night actually hit her. She wasn’t in her room at all. She crawled out of bed quickly and quietly navigated the room to slip on her shoes. Sliding them on, she grabbed her hotel key and quickly left the room before she took the stairs to return to her room which was on the floor above.

“Fucking idiot. You’re so stupid,” She mumbled to herself as she made her way up the stairs, sighing before she made her way down the hallway, getting into her room before she closed the door behind her. She sat down at the end of her bed and held her head in her hands for a moment. The silence was messing with her, so she decided to busy herself with her morning routine.

She waked over to the ice chest she had filled the night before—now half melted, she was able to manage a cup of ice water. She walked to the bedside table and sat the water down before she grabbed the prescription bottle that sat near it. Twisting the top open, she poured two pills into her hand before she washed it down with water. She took a deep breath, and shook off the feelings of guilt.

She couldn’t get the images that plagued her mind the night before out of her head, even as she showered and prepared for the day ahead. She barely could remember between the time she got up and apparently went to Jermaine’s room, however. She felt completely disappointed that she had done it, no matter how innocent it may have seemed. She couldn’t just pop up on him in that manner, and she dared not bring him into her issues.

But instead of worrying about it, she went through her routine—she did her hair before she went to put on her undergarments, then dressed as comfortably as possible. A t-shirt and jeans would do. After doing her make-up, to keep whatever sun came out from her face she slid on a cap that was etched with the label’s branding. She took a deep breath and looked into the mirror before nodding, going to pack her things.

It was about an hour later when she heard the three quick knocks on the door. She knew it was more than likely Ibrahim rounding everyone up to leave. She walked out of the room with her bags and she nodded when she saw them.

“Morning B,” He grabbed one of the bags from her as they continued to walk. “You had a good sleep?” He asked.

“Not entirely,” She admitted, and they stopped in front of the elevators before he glanced at her with some concern.

“What happened...? The dream again?” His voice became a bit more hushed, and she winced a bit as she nodded slowly. Beija had to remember that at least one person knew about her issues.

It was mid-August when Beija met Ibrahim for the first time—her cousin had put in a good word for her since he was looking for new A&R representatives for Dreamville, and because Beija was looking to gain experience and have a career, the chips all seemed to fall into place. She had a previous phone interview with another higher up within the group and now she was meeting with who the fans and label alike called ‘El Presidente.’

So far, everything had been great as the two sat together in the coffee shop down in Brooklyn, talking over her goals and what she wanted to accomplish once she finished her master’s degree program. It seemed that Ib was impressed with her drive and her ethics—it seemed that all would be well and when she graduated from college, she’d be able to successfully transfer over into the workforce with ease.

“Okay, so there’s something else I wanted to talk about,” Ib began as Beija took a quick sip to her mocha expresso. “Your cousin brought it up and I felt like it was important to discuss—your disorder,” He said, and it seemed that Beija grew frigid.

“What all did she tell you?” She asked defensively, and he shook his head slowly.

“Not much except that I would need to bring it up or you wouldn’t,” He replied, and she let out a small sigh as she sat her coffee down on the table. “I just need to know what’s going on and how it would affect the label,” He explained.

After some moments, Beija scratched the side of her neck before she nodded slowly. “I suffer from depression. It’s severe—I’m on medication, but I have my episodes, and periodical night terrors. It won’t keep me from working, it won’t disrupt the flow,” She promised.

Ibrahim sighed softly before he nodded, licking over his lips. “I’ll be the judge of that. But you really seem to be full of promise and honest, I’d be dumb as fuck to allow you to walk out the door for someone else to hire you,” He leaned back in his seat. “I’m gonna go ahead and do this—you can be an intern and I’ll train you. When you ready and when you get your degree, I will let you on for the long run. But you promise me that whenever you’re having any issues, you come and talk to me,” He instructed.

“Alright...it’ll be hard, because I don’t tell people about it except my family. Just please don’t tell anyone else—keep it between us,” She bargained.

“I got you. It’s our secret as long as you let me help you keep it under control.”

“Beija. I’m talking to you.”

“What?” Beija snapped out of her trance, and glanced at Ib, who was staring at her as he held open the elevator door. She quietly slipped past him to enter the elevator car, and he sighed as he followed her inside.

“I asked you why you didn’t call me. You remember our agreement,” He reminded.

“Yes, I remember. I wasn’t thinking. I went to J’s room and—...” Ah, fuck.

“You went where?” Ib’s voice grew sharp as he immediately turned towards her. “Why did you do that? What happened?” He asked quickly.

“What? Nothing happened! I just went to his room and we went to sleep once he calmed me down. I didn’t do anything with him,” She insisted.

“Beija...” Ib pushed the button to momentarily stop the elevator, and he looked down at her as he rubbed his face slowly. “Look, I was trying not to say shit because I didn’t want to come off wrong and offend you but you need to watch how you are around Jermaine, alright?” He urged. “I’m just trying to look out for the both of you,” He said.

“It’s not gonna happen again, okay? He doesn’t even know about my condition so it’s not a big deal—I just won’t do it anymore,” She said, and he shook his head.

“You not hearin’ me, mama. He...he likes you. Whether he wants to admit it or not, he likes you and I can tell. This shit y’all going on is going to spiral out of control if you don’t check yourself around him. I know him, he’s not gonna check himself so you got to mind yourself,” He explained.

Beija’s face had twisted into a state of confusion the moment those three lips left Ibrahim’s lips: he likes you. The words felt so foreign to hear come from anyone’s lips because for so long she had thrown her focus into work and school. Even the joke of Damon liking her was strange to her. But Jermaine of all people couldn’t like her; it was impossible and wrong, most importantly. “Likes me...what the fuck, Ib—what are you talking about?” She asked.

“Did you not hear anything else I just say?” He scolded.

“I heard what you said! I don’t understand what you’re talking about, though—first off, Jermaine doesn’t like me. We’re friends. Secondly, he is the one who is married, not me. If anyone should be checking themselves then it should be him if what you’re saying is true, which I’d like to reiterate that it isn’t,” She argued.

“Look shorty, I’m not about to do this back and forth shit with you because you not my woman and she’s the only person I’mma do that shit with,” It was clear that he was becoming irritated. “I’mma say this and be off it—J is feelin’ you. I know my nigga, I know what he likes, I know what draws him in. I would never bullshit on somethin’ like this. He’s gonna deny the shit just like you are right now and before long this shit is going to blow up in both of your faces. I’m asking you to check yourself because at the end of the day, no matter what the situation may turn into, if you go too far with that nigga you gonna look like a hoe. And I don’t want you to go through that because I care about you. Now you can either take what I’m saying to you and take it seriously or you can act dumb if you want to, but don’t say I didn’t try to help your ass,” He pushed the button to start the elevator again.

The two didn’t speak again for the rest of the morning. As a matter of fact, Beija kind of stayed away from everyone the rest of that morning, keeping to herself as she tried to go through the thoughts in her head. The things that Ibrahim said couldn’t have been true, could they? Of course she knew she was wrong for sleeping in J’s room the night before, but she wasn’t looking to be disrespectful. Within her own mind, she was just looking for someone to comfort her and the first person she turned to was the person she had grown close to over the time they had been talking and spending time together. She tried to think over every conversation, every moment she spent with Jermaine to try to think of the pinpointed event that could give her insight...

“You thinkin’ hard as hell over here,” Her stomach tightened at the lighthearted sound of J’s voice, and she glanced up from the seat she was sitting in. They were now at the venue for the Boise show and J had just finished his sound check. They had a little bit of time to rest before the show was to start, and while everyone else seemed to be in a good mood, Beija wasn’t in her best mode. “What’s wrong, B?” He asked.

“Uh...nothing. Can we go talk? Like, alone?” She asked, and she watched the confused look on his face before he softened his expression and nodded. The two stood up and they headed past the workers who were working to get the stage properly set up still and eventually got backstage.

They bypassed a couple of rooms before they reached his dressing room, and once he opened the door to allow her inside, she sat down on the couch that was in the room before he closed the door behind them. “So talk. What’s the problem, Imani?” He sat down in the chair in front of the mirror, and he glanced over at her before he cracked a smile. “I ain’t seen your smile all day,” He observed.

“Uh, I just wanted to address last night—what I did,” B sighed as she ran a hand over her hair, sliding her hat off of her head before tossing it onto the couch. “I apologize. I realized how crazy that shit was. It was damn near disrespectful for me to be in bed with you...no matter how innocent it may had been,” She mumbled. “I hope you can forgive me.”

“But I wasn’t...mad at you,” J chuckled lowly before shaking his head. “Is that why you been ducking me all day?” He asked, almost asking for her to snap out of her serious demeanor to joke with him. When he got nothing, he sucked his teeth. “Hello, earth to Beija Imani. You supposed to say, ‘Ain’t nobody duckin’ you, nigga!’,” He mocked her voice. “Then we supposed to laugh the shit off. What’s with you?”

“So you don’t think me being in your bed was wrong?” She tilted her head slowly.

“It was weird. You comin’ to my room in tears freaked me out, but I figured you needed the consoling. What is the problem? You said it was innocent. I know it was innocent. We both know nothing happened in that room, so why are you tripping?” He asked.

“So if you told Melissa, she’d be cool with that? She wouldn’t wanna kill the both of us? Because if you were mine I’d fucking kill you for that,” B automatically regretted saying such things, but she wasn’t sure which part was about to piss Jermaine off. But she knew it was coming.

“Wait a minute—hold on,” Jermaine lifted his hands and shook them defensively to pause her train of thought. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her with squinted eyes, his top lip slightly snarled. “What does she have to do with this? Why you even bringing her up—that would signify that there’s something to be guilty about. I was just trying to be a friend to you,” His tone began to tense up.

“Were you? Were you really? Because now I can’t tell,” Beija shook her head slowly. “Look, I’m not looking to be no kind of side piece story or a verse in your songs, J. I know how you used to be, and I just...I don’t want that,” She explained.

“Woah,” J began to laugh, a bitter hint within the usually lighthearted gesture. “First of all, Beija—don’t come up in here like you fuckin’ know me, alright? You heard songs—that’s it. I tell the world what I wanna tell it; I tell you what I wanna tell you. That don’t mean you know me and it damn sure don’t give you the fuckin’ right to be coming at me the way you are right now. You better get over yourself,” He spat.

“Get over myself? I’m not taking myself that seriously but you sure were when you were all in my business not even 24 hours ago, asking me who I talk to and who I’m caking on the phone with. Don’t try this shit with me,” Her voice raised.

“You’re acting a whole nut right now, B. I got very little tolerance for this shit so be real and tell me where the fuck this is all coming from before I stop talkin’ to you altogether,” J’s tone began to raise as well as he stood up, now towering over the woman’s smaller figure.

“You feelin’ me or not, Jermaine? Be honest—I need to know so I can check myself. And also if you do, I don’t appreciate you sitting here trying to make me seem like I’m fucking insane,” She argued.

“Man, what? What the fuck are you talking about, Beija? I ain’t done shit but be nice to you so why are you even acting like this?” He countered.

“It’s a yes or no question,” She stated.

“Beija.”

“Yes or no.”

“B—...”

“Yes? Or no?!”

“Alright!” J yelled, and the room went silent. “I fuckin’ like you, okay?! Even if it’s a little bit—I do like you. I think you a dope ass girl. But I’m a married man. I love my wife. Nobody is getting in between that, so let the shit go!” Beija was stunned at the revelation, but it did confirm what was told to her. “Look, if that’s what you wanted to hear, you heard it. But I’m not leaving Mel. Not for you, or for anyone else—so leave it alone.”

“I don’t want you to leave her for me. I don’t wanna be anyone’s second choice,” She said. “I just needed to know. Now I do, and now I have a reason to separate myself from you,” Beija grabbed her hat and began to adjust it back onto her head.

“Wait a minute—what? So we’re just not gonna be friends because of what, an attraction? What are we, four years old?” He argued.

“It’s the principle, Jermaine. I can’t just go on with you knowing what I know. I don’t wanna ever make your mind wander, okay? I don’t want this to get any deeper than it has to, so I’m gonna make sure that you stick to your vows,” She said simply before she headed for the door. “Have a good show tonight.”

She shut the door and didn’t look back.

May 2, 2015

“Good morning sunshine! How’s it hanging back home?” Dame had called Beija the moment 7AM hit in New York, and she appreciated the gesture. Today was a big day for her, so she was happy that he didn’t forget it.

“It’s finally not cool, so I’m happy. And of course ya girl is walking the stage for the third and final time—so I’m all smiles,” B laughed softly as she sat in her bed, letting out a yawn soon after. “How’s Germany? I know everything’s been so dope there,” She sighed.

“Fucking amazing, ma. Frankfurt was the shit so I’m ready to get shit popping for tonight. I’m sad you can’t be here—sadder we can’t be there to see you walk,” He said.

“I know, but the bright side is I’ll be back with you guys for my 25th, so that’s a plus,” Beija attempted to look on the bright side.

“Oh yeah, your birthday is comin’, little stubborn ass Taurus—hey!”

“Beija! Happy Graduation!” Cody’s voice suddenly cut through the line, and B began to laugh loudly. He must have taken the phone from Damon.

“Hi baby boy, and thank you! You watching Dame and Bas for me?” She joked.

“Of course—they never misbehave around me, and you know this,” He began to laugh. “Bas doin’ the vocal rest thing, so he can’t talk right now—he did say good luck today though,” He reported.

“Nice, and how is everyone else?” She asked.

“The usual—asshole,” Cody scolded, and Beija let out another giggle.

“Hello? Don’t mind the manchild. And another thing, me and Bas don’t need no damn babysitter. We are grown, thank you,” He scolded.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” She chuckled. “But I gotta go and get myself ready to go. Y’all have a great show tonight—I’m there with you guys in spirit,” She said as she finally managed to get out of bed.

“And we there with you, sis. Congratulations, we’re all so proud of you,” With that, Beija and Dame parted off the line, and B began to start her morning routine.

After a period of morning exercise, she went to take a shower and get herself ready for graduation. She had been working on and off to get through this achievement—even through the years she had to clean tables at restaurants and apply for loans just to get through the tuition, through the tragic moments that sometimes left her unable to get out of bed or be motivated to go to class, to the slides into academic probation and the climbs out of near academic suspension, she had emerged victorious as last. She felt like a part of her life was now complete, and graduation would be the closure of the day.

But she couldn’t help but feel this sense of loss. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jermaine.

The argument between them was a result of her own overthinking, but she refused to back down from her stance—she didn’t want to be close to him if it would make him feel a way towards her. So she figured the only way to keep him from even thinking about her and not Melissa was to remove herself from the equation. It was easier said than done, though—it was tough to really stand by her word at first. He at first didn’t take what she said seriously and tried to go on with their friendship as it was, but began to back off when she would go out of her way to avoid him. His hurt turned into resentment, and it was more than likely that he had an indifference towards her now. It stung even more than if he had hated her, because Beija knew that now, while she subtly missed him he didn’t give a fuck anymore.

She yawned as she finally exited the shower, her hair piled on top of her head as the water dripped from her body. She grabbed her towel before wrapping it around her body, going to her closet to find something to wear. Since it was finally getting a bit warmer, she decided to wear one of her lighter dresses, laying the bright blue dress on the bed. She grabbed one of her matching pairs of wedges and sat them by the end of the bed before she began to lotion up and put on her undergarments. She tapped her chin and decided to do a quick paint job on her toes as well when she heard her phone ring.

She sat down at her vanity and picked up the phone, pressing talk before she checked the I.D., opening up her hair products to prepare to get herself together. “Hello?”

“B, you awake? I’m getting myself together now,” Omari greeted, and she put her phone on speaker before she sat it down on the surface of the vanity. She began to brush out her hair, deciding that today would be the day for a bun.

“I’m about to start on hair and make-up. You should go ahead and head up there so you can hold down the seats for my family,” She instructed.

“Got it. And it’s gonna be five seats, right? One mom, one dad, and three brothers?” He listed.

“Yep! And don’t be acting all nervous—my family are cool people, they’ll like you. Just go ahead and text them when you get there so they’ll know where to go and sit,” She said.

“Alright, then I’ll see you after,” Omari said before pausing. “...Hey, I’m really proud of you, B. You deserve this,” He added.

“Thank you,” B smiled before she heard him hang up the phone. She continued on her hair before she finished, and once she put on her clothes, she started on her make-up.

Once she was completely finished getting dressed, she slipped on her graduation gown before grabbing her phone, wallet, keys, and graduation cap. She hurried out the door and took the shortest route she could to where her college would be holding one of their many commencement ceremonies. Upon arriving at the venue, she was taken to the proper side that she was supposed to be on, and she stood with the group that were to receive their master’s degree as well. She adjusted her cap on her head and she silenced her phone, but not before she saw two texts.

One came with an attached photo of Ib with his eyes crossed and holding up a thumb. “You the best, BB! Congratulations on your masters! We’re celebrating when you get back,” The text said. The second was from ‘Don’t Answer:’ “Congratulations on your degree.”

Biting her lip, Beija just decided not to answer either, and slipped her phone into the pocket of her gown with everything else.

Soon enough, the students were able to walk into the stadium, and the crowd seemed ecstatic to see their respective graduate. She heard a rush of yelling when she passed a certain spot in the stands, and she looked up to see her family and Omari cheering her on. She waved before grinning, making sure to continue her walk to her seat.

The ceremony lasted at least an hour and thirty minutes—they got through flag pledges and introductions, a speech, and then the presentation of diplomas. Beija felt lucky that her name was so high in the alphabet and that the master degree group was a bit smaller than the general bachelors’ recipients. She got to sit after a while and didn’t have to endure standing in her shoes for too long. But eventually it was all over, and she was now done with college for good.

When she was finally allowed to leave and find her family, she headed towards the place where they agreed they would all meet. The first person she saw was her father, and her face lit up at the sight of him. “Daddy!”

Her father was a solid man—6’5” and well over 200 pounds, he seemed to be the very definition of an intimidating father figure. But once people got to know him, they could see that he was nothing but a gentle giant. HE turned around when he saw Beija coming his way, and he grinned as he met her half way and hugged her tightly. “Ah, my babygirl...you made it! Congratulations,” He said as he kissed her temple.

“Finally, right? Now it’s time for me to pay off that debt I got now,” She joked before the two of them began to laugh. The two returned to her family arm and arm.

She was met with the tearful face of her mother, and she sighed softly as she broke from her father to comfort her. “Now what you crying for? This is a happy day,” Beija hugged her mom tightly before she felt a kiss to her forehead.

“I’m just so happy, baby. I know this has been hard for you,” B tensed a bit because Omari was well within earshot. She had yet to tell him about her depression so she didn’t want him to find out like this just yet.

“I know. But it’s over, right? I made it. So cheer up,” B smiled as she wiped away her mother’s tears. “I told you I wasn’t gonna let anything stop me,” She nodded.

“She did. You should listen to her more,” Her oldest brother chimed in as he grabbed and picked Beija off the ground.

“Boy—we’re too old for this! Let me down!” She protested as her other older brother and youngest brother laughed on. Once she was let back on the ground, she was given hugs respectively.

She was given gifts like balloons and plush dolls, but she noticed Omari standing off to the side with his own gifts: a balloon and a dozen roses. “And why you standing over there looking strange?” Beija chuckled as he approached her.

“I wanted you to get your family time in,” He chuckled as he passed her the roses, and embraced her in a hug. “Congratulations, Beija,” He mumbled before he pressed his lips to her cheek softly.

After they all took photos, Beija’s father insisted that they’d go to a nice restaurant in town so they could ‘celebrate like white people.’ That’s when the real fun started—among food and drinks, the family retold times in Beija’s childhood, much to her embarrassment, and recalled memories of their family in general. Of course, they couldn’t go on without teasing Omari a bit, insisting that he was Beija’s boyfriend. But when it was all said and done, Beija had a good day to spend with her family.

Beija’s family was seen off to the airport to return to Houston, and Beija and Omari returned home to their apartment building, laughing and talking as they headed down the hallway. “Wait, before you go inside,” Omari stopped before he took out his keys. “Go sit your stuff inside, and come over my place—I still have a graduation gift for you,” He said.

“Oh? Well, hold on then,” Beija went to sit all of her gifts in her living room, then put her roses into a vase with some water before she slipped off her cap and gown, sitting it on her bed. Exiting her apartment, she locked it behind her before she went across the hall, knocking on Omari’s door.

“It’s open,” She heard, and she walked in before she closed and locked the door behind her. She sucked her teeth as she walked towards his living room.

“I could have been a whole ass burglar or murderer. Your cute ass would have been dead to the bed,” She placed her hands on her hips.

“You right, you right. But come here,” Omari stood up from his couch before smiling softly. “You looked really beautiful today...wow,” He mumbled.

“Oh, you think so? I had to dress real light. Didn’t wanna hurt anybody’s child feelings you know?” She chuckled as she approached him.

“You hurt feelings in a paper bag ensemble, ma,” He laughed softly before he handed her a long jewelry box. “That’s yours,” He announced.

Raising an eyebrow, she opened the box before she raised her eyebrows slowly, glancing over the white gold bracelet. “Wow...” She ran her fingers over the chained bracelet, noticing the single teardrop charm that branded her birth stone. “You didn’t have to,” She said.

“But I did,” He replied before he laughed a bit. He took the bracelet out before fastening it on her left wrist. “I know your birthday is in a couple days, and since you’re going back out to work I wanted to give you this before you left tomorrow,” He said, and she sighed softly.

“Omari...this is so sweet,” She chuckled as she looked down at the bracelet. “Thank you so much,” She grinned.

“No problem at all,” He nodded. “I just wanted to give you something that would make you think of me when you were away,” He said.

B raised an eyebrow before she began to smile a bit. “Oh? You gonna miss me! Aw,” She laughed as she sat down the jewelry box on his coffee table, taking his hands. “Honestly, I’m gonna miss you too,” She said with a nod. “It’s been real cool how we’ve been talking and everything these last couple months...like we really been kicking it to an extent,” She explained.

“Yeah, for five months. Shit’s crazy,” He laughed a bit. “But I was thinking, Beija—maybe when you come back for good...we can work on something a little deeper. What do you think?” He asked.

Beija paused a bit before she tilted her head slowly. “So are you saying you have feelings for me or something?” She asked.

“I mean...I’m feeling you, yeah,” He licked over his lips briefly. “I’m very much attracted to you in a lot of ways. But I want to ease into this and not rush shit just because you’re leaving tomorrow. I’m not asking you to do anything—I just need you to know that when you come back, I’m yours if you want me,” He explained, his gaze intently locked on hers.

“Wow,” Beija mumbled before she looked down at their connected hands. Omari wasn’t a bad guy by any means. He was a genuine guy and he was thoughtful and kind. Their conversations usually always lasted for a while, and even went stronger and longer than that once she stopped dealing with Jermaine. Maybe now that she didn’t have so much to focus on maybe she could give this a chance. It would be up to her to successfully balance personal and professional life now—but she didn’t want to pass this up. “Okay...when I come back in August, we can talk about us, for real. Deal?”

“Deal,” Omari chuckled a bit before he released her hands and wrapped them around her waist. “I can’t wait, honestly,” He smirked, and B found herself blushing as she began to laugh.

“Stop lying,” Her voice softened as he leaned into her.

“Ain’t no lie, baby,” He mumbled before he pressed his lips against hers.

[michaelfallcon]

Sarah Gill Of Mama Mocha’s: The Sprudge Interview

The Barista Championship Qualifiers in Nashville in January was characterized by cool, collected baristas delivering academic routines and meaningful conversations (revisit all the action on Sprudge Live here and here). But in an afternoon of weighty work, a barista named Sarah Gill—owner of Mama Mocha’s in Auburn, Alabama—stepped up to the stage and delivered a perfomance full of life and self.

“Most people call me Mama Mocha,” she started, then delivered a performance so full of infectious laughter and Southern charm that the crowd erupted into delighted cheers every time she addressed them. When the lid to her ice cream popped off and unexpectedly hit a judge, she turned to make a joke out of it with the crowd, encouraging everyone (including the judge) to laugh about it with her. If you missed her performance, you really owe it to yourself to go back and watch—it’s available here. (Start at 6:44:19 for Gill.

Gill ended up officially disqualified from the competition due to time, but did so with such grace, humor, and charm that she walked away a deserving crowd favorite. There is no “People’s Choice” honorarium in the USBC circuit; perhaps there should be.

I caught up Sarah Gill by phone a week later to talk about all things Southern, being a mama and entrepreneur, and what competing in Nashville meant to her.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

Introduce us to your work as Mama Mocha.

I’m a mama to one rambunctious son. Our family is the most important thing, and that means doing business the old fashioned way. He comes with me to work, and someday he’ll help out in the shop. I started Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium about 10 years ago. We were born in a tiny 11 ft x 16 ft room in the back of Newsroom, a used book store where all the baristas went to hang out in Auburn, Alabama. The store was doing a tiny espresso bar with pour-overs, no batch brewing at all. Everyone was like, “What is this?” It was very new for people then.

When I bought the bar and started Mama Mocha’s, I wanted to do it without the trendiness, which I think has been to my benefit. I was able to make my own flavor, my own style of how I roast and brew. We aren’t the million-dollar white box that is trendy other places. Where I am it’s a bunch of thrift store velvet couches with classic darker roasts in mismatched cups. Our location in Opelika has a covered front porch and a bodega where people walk up. It’s the South: We still love biscuits and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but we’re drinking specialty coffee.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Gill.

How did you get into coffee in Alabama? How did you get into roasting?

I was working at a Starbucks, and they wanted to make me a GM at 19. But I saw the hard lines on all of the managers faces around me, saw my future in that, and thought, “Hell no.” So I moved to Auburn and started working in independent coffee. In 2009, I went to the SCAA conference and realized, “Oh, I can open a roasting company.”

I learned roasting all my dang self. Auburn was very much an island. I didn’t have anywhere to go to learn coffee. I talked to people in Atlanta, I went to SCAA conferences, I read everything I could online, I got books. When I bought a tiny three kilo roaster, I didn’t know anything about anything. I roasted 14 hours a day over and over again until I liked what I was making. It was hard, but I didn’t have any choice but to make it work. It was bootstrapping times 10.

What is it like running an independent specialty shop in a small town?

Today, we have a full roastery in the Lebanon Art District of Opelika, Alabama. Opelika doesn’t allow corporations in; there’s only small businesses, families supporting families. So we bootstrapped again and opened in an old warehouse there, where the streets are rough and it’s just gritty enough to be cool. My husband (Taylor Gill, but everyone calls him Papa Mocha) did all the construction to make it work for us. Now there’s a bodega in the front, and a sensory lab in the back where we cup all our coffee. We use language that mimics the Sensory Lexicon. Our baristas are all career baristas, they’re the shining light of Mama Mocha’s.

We’re not in a giant metropolis. I’m happy in my small community, roasting for shops close enough to personally deliver to. We love supporting local, and supporting women-owned businesses. I am all about community over competition and supporting other cafes in my neighborhood. I feel sad that I have to say this, but we’re a safe space. I’m a cisgendered straight married white woman, but I’m progressive and an LGBTQ ally. I’m a Christian but Mama Mocha’s is not a Christian company. Christianity and coffee are real close in the South, but one of our only rules is no proselytization in the cafe. I want anyone to come in and not feel like there’s an agenda against them.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Gill.

How did competing in Nashville feel to you?

The other people in this competition are totally unlike me, a different breed of barista. They are like mixologists and I’m not doing that. When I was training, it was on a $1,000 espresso machine and a KitchenAid burr grinder. When I got there, I thought I was going to be nervous, but it was really easy to hold my head up high because I’ve already built my legacy. I’m not trying to prove myself. Even though it was the most glorious display of crash and burn I’ve ever done [Gill went more than a minute over time and didn’t finish her signature beverage] it felt awesome to tell my story and let go of the point system.

As soon as I let go, I could feel the audience’s sense of relief. It was an energy shift that erupted into laughter and cheers. They knew I didn’t give a shit, that I wasn’t restricted by the same scripts and cadence that’s been done in the past. I wasn’t trying to make a mockery of the point system and everything US Coffee Champs has built—but there’s more to being a barista than just those parameters. The process was so good for me. Developing the routine got me back to my roots, it developed a fire behind me that I haven’t had for a while. I left Nashville with such a great feeling of accomplishment.

Talk us through the signature beverage you made.

I was originally going to do a play on the beverage-that-shall-not-be-named, a dark brown sugar quad latte over tapioca pearls, but was told I couldn’t because it had to be drinkable. I watched videos of people smoking stuff and adding two grams of God-knows-what and thought, “This is so extra.” I wanted to honor what Mama Mocha’s coffee style and come up with a compromise between what I know and love as Southern coffee culture and what I saw in the videos, so I came up with something similar to a classic espresso affogato.

But I can’t make ice cream! My ice cream would be awful. I love Häagen-Dazs, so I used their vanilla. I muddled it because when you just pour espresso over ice cream it doesn’t drink well. So it was essentially a hand-muddled espresso milkshake. Monin makes this dope line of concentrated flavors, so I added their basil concentrate, as well as a wreath of rosemary around the bottom of the glass for extra olfactory herbal play. I smoked the glasses using a pecan log. On stage in Nashville I was behind, so I cut this out, but the drink was supposed to include smoking satsuma peels with the log, then I was going to rim the glass with the peel and use dragonfruit as an accoutrement to mimic the juiciness of the espresso. I call it The Bougie Bouquet, and it’s delicious.

Sara Frinak cheering on Gill.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Sara Frinak, who manages Brewers Cup, was one of the starting baristas at Newsroom. She grew up in Auburn, she was a roaster and manager for me for a long time, and now she works for Ally, one of my importers. She was the one who came to me and said, “Mama, you need to be a competitor.” She encouraged me to go to preliminaries, and then she came and helped me piece together a routine and play mad scientist.

And of course I have to thank my sweet husband Papa Gill, my entire staff who are the heart beat of Mama Mocha’s, my mom and dad who always have my back, and God.

Valorie Clark (@TheValorieClark) is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. Read more Valorie Clark on Sprudge.

All photos by Charlie Burt for the Sprudge Media Network unless otherwise noted.

The post Sarah Gill Of Mama Mocha’s: The Sprudge Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Sarah Gill Of Mama Mocha’s: The Sprudge Interview published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

[epchapman89]

Sarah Gill Of Mama Mocha’s: The Sprudge Interview

The Barista Championship Qualifiers in Nashville in January was characterized by cool, collected baristas delivering academic routines and meaningful conversations (revisit all the action on Sprudge Live here and here). But in an afternoon of weighty work, a barista named Sarah Gill—owner of Mama Mocha’s in Auburn, Alabama—stepped up to the stage and delivered a perfomance full of life and self.

“Most people call me Mama Mocha,” she started, then delivered a performance so full of infectious laughter and Southern charm that the crowd erupted into delighted cheers every time she addressed them. When the lid to her ice cream popped off and unexpectedly hit a judge, she turned to make a joke out of it with the crowd, encouraging everyone (including the judge) to laugh about it with her. If you missed her performance, you really owe it to yourself to go back and watch—it’s available here. (Start at 6:44:19 for Gill.

Gill ended up officially disqualified from the competition due to time, but did so with such grace, humor, and charm that she walked away a deserving crowd favorite. There is no “People’s Choice” honorarium in the USBC circuit; perhaps there should be.

I caught up Sarah Gill by phone a week later to talk about all things Southern, being a mama and entrepreneur, and what competing in Nashville meant to her.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

Introduce us to your work as Mama Mocha.

I’m a mama to one rambunctious son. Our family is the most important thing, and that means doing business the old fashioned way. He comes with me to work, and someday he’ll help out in the shop. I started Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium about 10 years ago. We were born in a tiny 11 ft x 16 ft room in the back of Newsroom, a used book store where all the baristas went to hang out in Auburn, Alabama. The store was doing a tiny espresso bar with pour-overs, no batch brewing at all. Everyone was like, “What is this?” It was very new for people then.

When I bought the bar and started Mama Mocha’s, I wanted to do it without the trendiness, which I think has been to my benefit. I was able to make my own flavor, my own style of how I roast and brew. We aren’t the million-dollar white box that is trendy other places. Where I am it’s a bunch of thrift store velvet couches with classic darker roasts in mismatched cups. Our location in Opelika has a covered front porch and a bodega where people walk up. It’s the South: We still love biscuits and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but we’re drinking specialty coffee.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Gill.

How did you get into coffee in Alabama? How did you get into roasting?

I was working at a Starbucks, and they wanted to make me a GM at 19. But I saw the hard lines on all of the managers faces around me, saw my future in that, and thought, “Hell no.” So I moved to Auburn and started working in independent coffee. In 2009, I went to the SCAA conference and realized, “Oh, I can open a roasting company.”

I learned roasting all my dang self. Auburn was very much an island. I didn’t have anywhere to go to learn coffee. I talked to people in Atlanta, I went to SCAA conferences, I read everything I could online, I got books. When I bought a tiny three kilo roaster, I didn’t know anything about anything. I roasted 14 hours a day over and over again until I liked what I was making. It was hard, but I didn’t have any choice but to make it work. It was bootstrapping times 10.

What is it like running an independent specialty shop in a small town?

Today, we have a full roastery in the Lebanon Art District of Opelika, Alabama. Opelika doesn’t allow corporations in; there’s only small businesses, families supporting families. So we bootstrapped again and opened in an old warehouse there, where the streets are rough and it’s just gritty enough to be cool. My husband (Taylor Gill, but everyone calls him Papa Mocha) did all the construction to make it work for us. Now there’s a bodega in the front, and a sensory lab in the back where we cup all our coffee. We use language that mimics the Sensory Lexicon. Our baristas are all career baristas, they’re the shining light of Mama Mocha’s.

We’re not in a giant metropolis. I’m happy in my small community, roasting for shops close enough to personally deliver to. We love supporting local, and supporting women-owned businesses. I am all about community over competition and supporting other cafes in my neighborhood. I feel sad that I have to say this, but we’re a safe space. I’m a cisgendered straight married white woman, but I’m progressive and an LGBTQ ally. I’m a Christian but Mama Mocha’s is not a Christian company. Christianity and coffee are real close in the South, but one of our only rules is no proselytization in the cafe. I want anyone to come in and not feel like there’s an agenda against them.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Gill.

How did competing in Nashville feel to you?

The other people in this competition are totally unlike me, a different breed of barista. They are like mixologists and I’m not doing that. When I was training, it was on a $1,000 espresso machine and a KitchenAid burr grinder. When I got there, I thought I was going to be nervous, but it was really easy to hold my head up high because I’ve already built my legacy. I’m not trying to prove myself. Even though it was the most glorious display of crash and burn I’ve ever done [Gill went more than a minute over time and didn’t finish her signature beverage] it felt awesome to tell my story and let go of the point system.

As soon as I let go, I could feel the audience’s sense of relief. It was an energy shift that erupted into laughter and cheers. They knew I didn’t give a shit, that I wasn’t restricted by the same scripts and cadence that’s been done in the past. I wasn’t trying to make a mockery of the point system and everything US Coffee Champs has built—but there’s more to being a barista than just those parameters. The process was so good for me. Developing the routine got me back to my roots, it developed a fire behind me that I haven’t had for a while. I left Nashville with such a great feeling of accomplishment.

Talk us through the signature beverage you made.

I was originally going to do a play on the beverage-that-shall-not-be-named, a dark brown sugar quad latte over tapioca pearls, but was told I couldn’t because it had to be drinkable. I watched videos of people smoking stuff and adding two grams of God-knows-what and thought, “This is so extra.” I wanted to honor what Mama Mocha’s coffee style and come up with a compromise between what I know and love as Southern coffee culture and what I saw in the videos, so I came up with something similar to a classic espresso affogato.

But I can’t make ice cream! My ice cream would be awful. I love Häagen-Dazs, so I used their vanilla. I muddled it because when you just pour espresso over ice cream it doesn’t drink well. So it was essentially a hand-muddled espresso milkshake. Monin makes this dope line of concentrated flavors, so I added their basil concentrate, as well as a wreath of rosemary around the bottom of the glass for extra olfactory herbal play. I smoked the glasses using a pecan log. On stage in Nashville I was behind, so I cut this out, but the drink was supposed to include smoking satsuma peels with the log, then I was going to rim the glass with the peel and use dragonfruit as an accoutrement to mimic the juiciness of the espresso. I call it The Bougie Bouquet, and it’s delicious.

Sara Frinak cheering on Gill.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Sara Frinak, who manages Brewers Cup, was one of the starting baristas at Newsroom. She grew up in Auburn, she was a roaster and manager for me for a long time, and now she works for Ally, one of my importers. She was the one who came to me and said, “Mama, you need to be a competitor.” She encouraged me to go to preliminaries, and then she came and helped me piece together a routine and play mad scientist.

And of course I have to thank my sweet husband Papa Gill, my entire staff who are the heart beat of Mama Mocha’s, my mom and dad who always have my back, and God.

Valorie Clark (@TheValorieClark) is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. Read more Valorie Clark on Sprudge.

All photos by Charlie Burt for the Sprudge Media Network unless otherwise noted.

The post Sarah Gill Of Mama Mocha’s: The Sprudge Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

seen 1st on http://sprudge.com

[mrwilliamcharley]

Sarah Gill Of Mama Mocha’s: The Sprudge Interview

The Barista Championship Qualifiers in Nashville in January was characterized by cool, collected baristas delivering academic routines and meaningful conversations (revisit all the action on Sprudge Live here and here). But in an afternoon of weighty work, a barista named Sarah Gill—owner of Mama Mocha’s in Auburn, Alabama—stepped up to the stage and delivered a perfomance full of life and self.

“Most people call me Mama Mocha,” she started, then delivered a performance so full of infectious laughter and Southern charm that the crowd erupted into delighted cheers every time she addressed them. When the lid to her ice cream popped off and unexpectedly hit a judge, she turned to make a joke out of it with the crowd, encouraging everyone (including the judge) to laugh about it with her. If you missed her performance, you really owe it to yourself to go back and watch—it’s available here. (Start at 6:44:19 for Gill.

Gill ended up officially disqualified from the competition due to time, but did so with such grace, humor, and charm that she walked away a deserving crowd favorite. There is no “People’s Choice” honorarium in the USBC circuit; perhaps there should be.

I caught up Sarah Gill by phone a week later to talk about all things Southern, being a mama and entrepreneur, and what competing in Nashville meant to her.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

Introduce us to your work as Mama Mocha.

I’m a mama to one rambunctious son. Our family is the most important thing, and that means doing business the old fashioned way. He comes with me to work, and someday he’ll help out in the shop. I started Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium about 10 years ago. We were born in a tiny 11 ft x 16 ft room in the back of Newsroom, a used book store where all the baristas went to hang out in Auburn, Alabama. The store was doing a tiny espresso bar with pour-overs, no batch brewing at all. Everyone was like, “What is this?” It was very new for people then.

When I bought the bar and started Mama Mocha’s, I wanted to do it without the trendiness, which I think has been to my benefit. I was able to make my own flavor, my own style of how I roast and brew. We aren’t the million-dollar white box that is trendy other places. Where I am it’s a bunch of thrift store velvet couches with classic darker roasts in mismatched cups. Our location in Opelika has a covered front porch and a bodega where people walk up. It’s the South: We still love biscuits and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but we’re drinking specialty coffee.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Gill.

How did you get into coffee in Alabama? How did you get into roasting?

I was working at a Starbucks, and they wanted to make me a GM at 19. But I saw the hard lines on all of the managers faces around me, saw my future in that, and thought, “Hell no.” So I moved to Auburn and started working in independent coffee. In 2009, I went to the SCAA conference and realized, “Oh, I can open a roasting company.”

I learned roasting all my dang self. Auburn was very much an island. I didn’t have anywhere to go to learn coffee. I talked to people in Atlanta, I went to SCAA conferences, I read everything I could online, I got books. When I bought a tiny three kilo roaster, I didn’t know anything about anything. I roasted 14 hours a day over and over again until I liked what I was making. It was hard, but I didn’t have any choice but to make it work. It was bootstrapping times 10.

What is it like running an independent specialty shop in a small town?

Today, we have a full roastery in the Lebanon Art District of Opelika, Alabama. Opelika doesn’t allow corporations in; there’s only small businesses, families supporting families. So we bootstrapped again and opened in an old warehouse there, where the streets are rough and it’s just gritty enough to be cool. My husband (Taylor Gill, but everyone calls him Papa Mocha) did all the construction to make it work for us. Now there’s a bodega in the front, and a sensory lab in the back where we cup all our coffee. We use language that mimics the Sensory Lexicon. Our baristas are all career baristas, they’re the shining light of Mama Mocha’s.

We’re not in a giant metropolis. I’m happy in my small community, roasting for shops close enough to personally deliver to. We love supporting local, and supporting women-owned businesses. I am all about community over competition and supporting other cafes in my neighborhood. I feel sad that I have to say this, but we’re a safe space. I’m a cisgendered straight married white woman, but I’m progressive and an LGBTQ ally. I’m a Christian but Mama Mocha’s is not a Christian company. Christianity and coffee are real close in the South, but one of our only rules is no proselytization in the cafe. I want anyone to come in and not feel like there’s an agenda against them.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Gill.

How did competing in Nashville feel to you?

The other people in this competition are totally unlike me, a different breed of barista. They are like mixologists and I’m not doing that. When I was training, it was on a $1,000 espresso machine and a KitchenAid burr grinder. When I got there, I thought I was going to be nervous, but it was really easy to hold my head up high because I’ve already built my legacy. I’m not trying to prove myself. Even though it was the most glorious display of crash and burn I’ve ever done [Gill went more than a minute over time and didn’t finish her signature beverage] it felt awesome to tell my story and let go of the point system.

As soon as I let go, I could feel the audience’s sense of relief. It was an energy shift that erupted into laughter and cheers. They knew I didn’t give a shit, that I wasn’t restricted by the same scripts and cadence that’s been done in the past. I wasn’t trying to make a mockery of the point system and everything US Coffee Champs has built—but there’s more to being a barista than just those parameters. The process was so good for me. Developing the routine got me back to my roots, it developed a fire behind me that I haven’t had for a while. I left Nashville with such a great feeling of accomplishment.

Talk us through the signature beverage you made.

I was originally going to do a play on the beverage-that-shall-not-be-named, a dark brown sugar quad latte over tapioca pearls, but was told I couldn’t because it had to be drinkable. I watched videos of people smoking stuff and adding two grams of God-knows-what and thought, “This is so extra.” I wanted to honor what Mama Mocha’s coffee style and come up with a compromise between what I know and love as Southern coffee culture and what I saw in the videos, so I came up with something similar to a classic espresso affogato.

But I can’t make ice cream! My ice cream would be awful. I love Häagen-Dazs, so I used their vanilla. I muddled it because when you just pour espresso over ice cream it doesn’t drink well. So it was essentially a hand-muddled espresso milkshake. Monin makes this dope line of concentrated flavors, so I added their basil concentrate, as well as a wreath of rosemary around the bottom of the glass for extra olfactory herbal play. I smoked the glasses using a pecan log. On stage in Nashville I was behind, so I cut this out, but the drink was supposed to include smoking satsuma peels with the log, then I was going to rim the glass with the peel and use dragonfruit as an accoutrement to mimic the juiciness of the espresso. I call it The Bougie Bouquet, and it’s delicious.

Sara Frinak cheering on Gill.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Sara Frinak, who manages Brewers Cup, was one of the starting baristas at Newsroom. She grew up in Auburn, she was a roaster and manager for me for a long time, and now she works for Ally, one of my importers. She was the one who came to me and said, “Mama, you need to be a competitor.” She encouraged me to go to preliminaries, and then she came and helped me piece together a routine and play mad scientist.

And of course I have to thank my sweet husband Papa Gill, my entire staff who are the heart beat of Mama Mocha’s, my mom and dad who always have my back, and God.

Valorie Clark (@TheValorieClark) is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. Read more Valorie Clark on Sprudge.

All photos by Charlie Burt for the Sprudge Media Network unless otherwise noted.

The post Sarah Gill Of Mama Mocha’s: The Sprudge Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

from Sprudge http://bit.ly/2sWj335

[mariellevc]

High School Love Revenge

Chapter 2

 Catherine

 “Tell me, what was that about?” Alvin, my gay friend asks as we wait for the line in the canteen. I did not spare him a reaction; I just look at him, upon hearing the gossips.

 “Cat-cat! Is Sen. Maniego your boyfriend?”

“How are you related to him?”

OMG, you are so lucky!”

 It seems it will never end.

 House.

 “I’m home!” I announce as I slump down our small shoe rack. I remove my shoes lazily when mother arrived from the kitchen.

“How’s work?” she asks me with her calm voice.

“A bit crazy, mama.” I smiled at her not showing my teeth.

“I cooked macaroni soup,” she sings in delight.

“I’m on a diet, but maybe I’ll skip that diet for tonight.” I lean on my mother’s arm. Hmm, the scent of my mother is my home.

 After my father died, we got broke; we sold all our properties, it all ends us with this house, which my father bought with his first bonus, with the help of his housing loans. A two storey house, two rooms upstairs, one is mine, my mother occupies the guest room downstairs, she doesn’t like going up and down; a kitchen connected to the dining; a divider that divides the dining and the receiving area, the bathroom and comfort room is behind the kitchen, across the door to the small patio.

 Mom receives different sewing works as part-time, but most of the time, she’s in the sewing shop of my aunt; she sometimes cooks too for special occasions, that’s why I got into pastries making too to add on her menu.

 Apparently, I grew up well off; we had two cars, a nice air-conditioned home; pieces of jewelry, designer shoes, and bags, all a woman could think of, I had. When our company broke down, I never heard my parents complain; I hear a little whine from my younger brother that time, but as we grow old, we got used to it.

 “Is Chester home?” I asked. Mom shook her head.  Chester never sleeps in the house; he prefers to sleep at his dorm in Manila, near the university. He has been great at school that is why we are paying almost only one-fourth of his miscellaneous fees. Our aunt in the US promised to sponsor Chester’s allowance; bit by bit, we are moving smoothly, and peacefully, until he came back.

 The Senator, I can’t believe he humiliated me. I never had a clue he will be back. I don’t know why he did it. Fear starts to consume me; I can’t believe our meeting this morning will be a disaster.

 The next morning went normally; I ride the FX like a normal person.

 That kiss is on the front page of the three big names of the newspaper. Sir Arnold, our department head showed me; “Tell me about instant fame.” He teases.

 “Sir-,” I whined a little, “I do not want this kind of attention; especially the article, they are calling me a user, famewhore, slut; this is insane, what have I done to deserve this?” I sat on my cubicle. Suddenly the phone rings; Aurora, my best friend from the office, quickly walks to her cubicle and puts up the intercom; “Health Soc,” Aurora answers and listens attentively, “Okay, sir.” the she gently puts down the phone, “It’s from Director Chan, he wants to see you; I think it is about the headlines.” She pats my back; then I stand and fixed myself before going out of our office.

  **

 “Have you seen the papers?” Director Chan pushes to me the newspaper, showing the headlines. I stood by the table and looked at the image of me; “You seemed to be not pleased in those photos.”

I tried to answer, but he interrupts me, “What should we do with you now?” he asks.

 “I really like how you work in Health Society Department, Miss Santos, but I don’t like you dragging our office into shame; we are public servants, I know you are aware of it.”

 “Yes, Director, I am. I will try my best to clean my mess.” I tried.

 He positions himself properly on his seat and places his arms on his large wooden table, “I know this will be hard for you, people calling you different names; but if you need some backup plans, Miss Santos, my office is ready for plan B.” he smiled

 I smiled warmly. “You may go.” I bowed a little as a sign of respect.

 Director Chan has been a good Secretary of health in our local city; he is a good man as he started just as a simple employee; he came from the poorest of the poor in China that is why he strived harder and harder. He committed to serving in public service, maybe not as a doctor, but a servant of the public in terms of affordable but excellent standards, in giving local people health benefits, they never had a good health service back when he was young, and inability to provide are the main cause his parents died.

He wants everyone to have a health that each and every one deserves.

  The rest of the day went well.

 Aurora, Alvin and I decided to go for a coffee in a near coffee shop, but just when we are about to take a seat, a man in a motorcycle jacket sat on our picked space; “Excuse me,” I stand to the side of the chair where he sits, “I think you are sitting on our space, don’t you see some of our things are there? And you are sitting on my documents.” I can see a hint of the file folder he is sitting at.

 He was scanning through his phone when he looks up at me; he has these tired eyes that sting through me, “I think we should just go and sit somewhere else?” Alvin whispers at the back. “No,” I plainly replied still looking at the guy.

 I had a rough day today, and all I want is a comfortable chair and sip on my frappe as I do my paperwork and talk to my friends.

The guy scoffs and looks at our stuff, he smiled sarcastically at me as he raises his eyebrows as if he thought of something bright.

 He stands and looks at me, “Sorry,” he apologized sarcastically, he takes off his motorcycle jacket as he is now in his white shirt and jeans, and hangs his jacket in his forearms; though he is good looking with his grace, I still did not care.

 He bends down to grab my folder and threw the folder in the air. It left my mouth open staring at all the flying papers that slowly lands on the floor and on the sofa, Aurora and Alvin scoots down to grab some of the papers; then I looked at the guy who is now smirking at me; “Sorry,” he raises his right eyebrow again and walks away from us. Two staffs of the shop help my friends.

 “You!” I called for the guy, he stops by the door. And looks at me; I took off the cap of my frappe and walks towards him; he still has those eyebrow issues that rise.

Without a hint of hesitation, I pour the iced frappe to his clean white shirt; he raises his eyebrow again and closes his eyes and bites his lips into a hard line.

“Sorry,” I smirked at him and raise my eyebrows too as an imitation of his actions. He just looks down at his wet shirt covered with the iced mocha frappe I ordered.

“Good one.” He gently tells me, opens the door and leaves. He left me speechless and hurriedly went back to my friends and helped them pick up the scatters.

[mrmarioallman]

Peppermint Mocha Smoothie

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Stonyfield.  All opinions and thoughts, as always, are my own.

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it’s time to bust out the peppermint.

I’ve always associated peppermint with Christmas. It makes me think of when it’s a cold December day and you take a deep breath outside.  It takes your breath away but it feels refreshing at the same time.

I probably think of peppermint and Christmas because of Candy Canes. You can’t have Christmas without Candy Canes.  Do you know they make Oreo Candy Canes?  Blech!  Call me a traditionalist but I like the plain peppermint candy canes best.  Why ruin Oreos by putting it in candy cane form?

Years ago, a friend of mine, tried to get me to like adding a pump or two of peppermint to my iced coffee.  I thought it was disgusting.  Why would she ruin peppermint for me like that?  But then that same friend introduced me to one of my all time favorite indulgent drinks, Peppermint Mocha.  There’s just something about the flavor of chocolate and peppermint that gets me every time.

While I’d love to sip on a hot Peppermint Mocha every single day, my waist line does not agree. Particularly, I’m talking about the kind that you get from a certain coffee shop that has a ridiculous amount of calories and sugar.  So the other day after a run, I was craving something peppermint-y but not a hot drink.  Why?  Because it was an oddly warm 50+ degrees in November. This fall has been so bizarre.

And so that is how the Peppermint Mocha Smoothie was born.

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Peppermint Mocha Smoothie

  Ingredients

1 frozen banana

½ cup brewed coffee (cold)

½ cup milk of your choice (dairy free works too)

½ cup Stonyfield Whole Milk Plain Yogurt

1 - 2 Tablespoons of Honey (if desired)

2 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

¼ Teaspoon Pure Peppermint Extract

Crushed candy canes if you want to be really festive

Instructions

Combine all ingredients (except candy canes, if using) in high speed blender. Blend to everything is combined and smooth. Pour in a glass and top with candy canes if using.

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  I always like adding yogurt to my smoothies.  It makes it creamier and also ups the protein to keep me satisfied longer.  I used Stonyfield Whole Milk Plain Yogurt but you could easily sub in a Greek yogurt or lowfat.  I bet the Double Cream Chocolate Underground would be AMAZING in this smoothie.  I need to try that soon!

Give this easy smoothie recipe a whirl not just during the holidays but any time of the year.

Try this refreshing Peppermint Mocha Smoothie for a taste of the holidays! @stonyfield #organic Click To Tweet

What flavor do you associate the holidays with?

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