#tag yourself i'm the camera person who's so entranced by him that they can't keep him in focus

[andy-clutterbuck]

England: A Walking Dead Reunion | Ride with Norman Reedus

[maplecornia]

chapter 8

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 3.23K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔞/𝔫: i'm sorry, but i AM SO PROUD OF THE BANNER I DID FOR THIS CHAPTER

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language

tags:@kookaine |@fangirl125reader |@kookiebbyxx |@taradevonne

Kim Taehyung never thought he’d see you again.

He presses himself against the wall, petrified. Heart pounding in his throat. His stomach clenching and tying itself into a knot. His breath coming fast, he wonders if he's hallucinating.

He wonders if this is just a dream.

If he drank a bit too much last night.

Even though he only drank grape juice last night.

Even though he remembers the way Jimin kicked him out of bed this morning.

Nevertheless, he can't help wondering if he is somehow imagining this.

Because you can't be here right now. You just can't, it's too much of a coincidence.

Your face flashing into his mind, he tries to shake it away. Tries to reassure himself that he was just hallucinating, that you aren't here. But as he looks around the corner, and sees you staring at Jungkook in horror at what you had done, he knows that this is real.

Inwardly, he smiles thinking to himself, She is like this with everyone.

For some reason this makes his heart constrict in pain and he pauses to take in your face.

You have broken out of your trance, and are offering the towel to Jungkook with a sweet smile on your face.

The same way you smiled at him before.

Part of him wants to walk over there, and say hello. But another part, a larger part, feels as though that would do no good.

After all, he's already met you.

And you didn't recognize him.

Looking away almost sadly, he rests his head back against the wall, cursing himself.

How could he be so stupid? Normally he doesn't feel this way, normally he can keep these feelings in check.

Why should it matter to him if you look really pretty today? Why should he care if your quirkiness is adorable? Why should it bother him if you're talking to another guy? Why should he care that its Jungkook, of all people?

What should it matter to him?

He’s only met you once so how could he have all these complicated feelings already?

The sad truth is, that he does have these feelings.

And he doesn't know what to do with them. After all, you don't even remember him. And even if you did, you wouldn't know that it was him. You didn't even recognize him as he was standing there, mere feet away from you on the Hangang bridge.

He can still remember that moment. As he watched you, a strange girl, hop out of a taxi in the middle of the bridge. How you didn't even notice him standing there, watching with confused amusement. He can still feel the impact as you fell on top of him, in a tangle of arms and legs. The heartbeat in his ears as you rolled off of him and ended up mere inches from him on the ground.

And he can still remember the feeling that erupted in his chest as your eyes met.

Groaning, he runs his hand over his face before almost reluctantly peeking around the corner again. He watches as you hand Jungkook the coffee can and smile up at him brightly, the same way you smiled at Tae once before.

He tries to ignore the harsh tightening of his chest as he watches the encounter. He tries to tell himself that it doesn't bother him, that you are nothing to him.

Just a sweet stranger.

Just someone who brightened his life unlike it's ever been before.

At that thought, he finds himself unwilling to let you smile at anyone else except for him. Of course, you can smile at anyone the way you like. After all, to you, he’s no one, just a man who gave you his beret on a whim.

A man who didn't even tell you his name.

As Jungkook leaves, waving after you, Taehyung turns away. Behind the safety of his corner, he tries to build up his courage, ]to walk out there and meet you, face to face.

No mask, no lies, nothing between you two except who you are and how you feel.

But just as he steps out of his hiding space, taking a deep breath, someone taps him on the shoulder, causing him to let out a startled yelp.

The entire lobby turns to look his way at the sound, and he just barely manages to hide behind the corner before you look his way in curiosity.

Taehyung doesn't have to look to know that the one who hijacked his plan is Park Jimin.

He waits behind Taehyung smirking in amusement at his best friend's reaction. As he opens his mouth to say something, Taehyung places his hand expertly over Jimin's mouth, silencing all sound. Startled, Jimin’s eyes widen and he tries to speak, but all that results is incomprehensible muffled sounds from beneath Taehyung’s blockade.

Giving Jimin a harsh look, Taehyung motions for him to shut up. Jimin pouts in response before rolling his eyes as Tae frantically scans the room for you.

Spying you in the same place as before, he watches as you study the forms on the clipboard once more before heading to a seat in the small waiting room near the entrance. As soon as you sit down, behind a small clear wall, Taehyung lets out a relieved breath, sure that you won't notice him now.

He releases Jimin, who was once more struggling in Tae’s secure hold. Jimin backs up, gasping overdramatically for air. Taehyung rolls his eyes affectionately before shoving his friend lightly on the shoulder.

“Stop it.” Taehyung sighs, crossing his arms across his chest. “I hardly even touched you.”

Jimin pauses, like a cat caught in the middle of mischief. After looking side to side a bit guiltily, he straightens chuckling a bit to himself.

“Sorry, I couldn't help myself,” Jimin explains, and Taehyung rolls his eyes before turning around once more and staring at you.

He watches as you push back your hair, tucking it securely behind your ears so that it's out of the way. He smirks a bit at the gesture, finding it hilarious that no matter what you do, your hair can't seem to stop falling in front of your eyes. You're annoyed by it at first, but after a while, it becomes a habit for you to push it back out of your face.

“Who is that?” Tae jumps at the sound of Jimin's voice so close to his ear. As he turns on him suddenly, Jimin withdraws coolly from where he was previously peering curiously over Taehyung’s shoulder. He raises his eyebrow as Tae’s ears turn bright pink.

“What are you talking about?” he hisses, pushing Jimin back behind the safety of the corner wall. “I wasn't looking at anyone.”

Jimin raises an eyebrow, confused.

“Yes, you were. You were looking at that girl, right over there.” He says, a bit too loudly for Taehyung's liking, as he pokes his head around the corner, and points your way. Frantically, Taehyung grabs Jimin's arm, shoving it down to his side before dragging Jimin once more behind the wall.

“Will you stop it? I told you I wasn't looking at her, so please stop drawing attention to yourself!” Taehyung hisses and Jimin blinks a bit stunned.

Taehyung normally doesn't act like this.

He's normally much more easygoing. Normally, whenever Jimin is acting a bit obnoxious, Taehyung joins in. For some reason, however, today is not one of those days.

As Taehyung looks around the corner once more, Jimin stares at him in perplexed curiosity.

“Okay, fine, you weren't looking at her,” Jimin says, and Taehyung lets go of him almost in relief.

If anyone were able to read through Tae’s feelings, it would be Jimin.

Sometimes it's annoying how much the two of them know each other, sometimes it's reassuring knowing that you will always have that one person on your side even when no one else is.

Either way, all Tae knows is that he cannot let Jimin know his conflicting emotions.

Not when Taehyung doesn't know or make sense of them himself.

He resumes scouting out the area once more, watching as you finish one page and head onto another. You tilt your head back, exasperated with how long that took, and let out a tired sigh. Taehyung finds his heart warming up at the cute and funny way you wear every emotion on your sleeve, and smiles at your little sigh.

Jimin pokes his head over Tae’s shoulder once more, squinting his eyes at you. As soon as he gets a good look at your face, you turn to glance out the little window that lets you see into the entrance where you entered the building not too long ago.

Jimin’s eyes widen at the sight of your bright eyes and he lets out a sharp intake of breath.

Tae turns to him, confused as Jimin steps back, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his recent downloads in his camera roll.

“Jimin? What are you doing?” Jimin doesn't answer Tae’s question until he finds his prize and turns to him, excited.

“Look,” Jimin demands, shoving the screen into Tae’s face. Rolling his eyes, Taehyung patiently takes it from him and peers down at the phone closely. As soon as he sees the picture Jimin has shown to him, his eyes widen the same way and he spins on his heel to take another look at you once more. He compares the photo to you, over and over again before confirming that it is you.

The same photo Jaejin sent to RM earlier this morning.

“Where did you get this?” Taehyung asks, showing Jimin the photo almost accusingly as though Jimin hasn't seen it before. Jimin scoffs, taking the phone away from Taehyung and glancing at the picture himself, doing the same comparison game as Tae had.

“It's her, right?” Jimin asks, Tae letting out an impatient sigh.

“Yes.” He answers. “But how did you--”

“RM sent it to me.” Jimin's voice is calm, sly almost. As though he has a secret waiting to be spilled, and he’s going to hold on to it long enough for Tae to spill his own.

Surprised, Tae doesn't speak for a moment, just watching Jimin as he slowly turns around to him, a smirk on his face.

“Don't you want to know how he got it?” he teases, and Tae, quickly noticing Jimin’s game, shakes himself out of his surprise running his hands through his hair.

“I….” he trails off, trying to find an answer that will satisfy the question but also keep his secret safe. His connection to the strange girl, the way they met, and every unspeakable, inexplainable thing that she has done to his heart. He can't let Jimin know.

Nobody can know.

Luckily, Jimin isn't planning to hold it in for much longer. He was never one for keeping secrets that weren't his own. He smiles, shoving Taehyung lightly on the shoulder as he moves down the hallway.

“Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.” He murmurs, heading towards the elevator where he came from. Almost reluctantly, Taehyung turns away from you and follows Jimin in panic.

“What are you talking about? Tell anyone what?” he asks, jogging to catch up to Jimin.

“That you have a crush on Namjoon's new assistant.” Jimin teases, turning to him and smirking up at Taehyung.

“She’s RM’s new assistant?” Tae wonders softly, before catching himself and shaking his head violently. “Wait….I don't have a crush on her!”

Jimin snorts as they reach the elevator doors and he presses the button before waiting patiently for the doors to open.

“Then why were you staring at her?” he asks, and Tae sighs in frustration. Jimin has the wrong idea.

There’s no possible way for anyone to start loving another person from just one encounter. There is no such thing as love at first sight, that's just people trying to justify being happy with the one they have chosen to spend the rest of their lives for. It's a phrase people use to fool themselves into thinking that there is some sort of destiny for them to end up with another.

Taehyung doesn't believe in that, he never has. However, he doesn't know if Jimin will understand his interest in you. Tae doesn't think Jimin will understand the connection he felt when he first met you. When he first talked to you. He doesn't think anyone will.

“I….” He begins, Jimin raising an incredulous eyebrow as he waits for the answer.

“I just thought her outfit was cute and was curious as to who she was. You know, maybe I could talk to her. Welcome her, make a new friend.” Taehyung spits out a bit too fast. Though Jimin doesn't quite seem to buy it, he looks away, nodding his head.

“Okay, I’ll believe you, but I still think there’s something else going on with you.” Jimin consents, the ding of the elevator doors opening and capturing his attention for a moment.

“What are you talking about? Nothing is going on.” Taehyung ponders, sidestepping to the side, as a few staff members walk out of the elevator.

Jimin and Taehyung bow respectfully, the staff doing the same before they take their place inside the elevator. The doors closing, Jimin responds, reaching to press the floor number they want to take.

“Yes, there is. You're acting especially weird today, and I suspect it has something to do with that girl.” Tae opens his mouth to respond, but Jimin holds up his hand, cutting him off. “Before we get into a fight about it, I’m just going to say I’m not going to assume anything, okay? If you say nothing is going on, I’ll believe you. But Taehyung, you know you can trust me right?”

“Of course!” Taehyung answers almost immediately.

It's the truth, he knows he can trust Jimin. He knows that his friend is probably the most reliable person to trust. Jimin knows Tae inside out, front to back, they are connected in the most intricate ways possible. Taehyung does not doubt that if there's someone he needed to place his life in the hands of, it would be Jimin. It wouldn't be that difficult, after all, Jimin already holds his heart, his soul, his life. They are just that close, a different kind of brotherly love, one that not many people understand.

This, however, is uncharted territory in Taehyung's body, and if Taehyung can't make sense of it, then how can his soulmate do the same?

This...this is something different.

“Trust me, Jimin. Nothing is going on. I'm just curious.” Taehyung reassures him, and Jimin nods, a moment of silence shortly following. Taehyung can tell Jimin doesn't quite believe him, and Jimin knows that he’s not getting the whole truth.

It’s strange, they normally tell each other everything, no matter how big or small.

Jimin doesn't understand why now would be any different. What could be so special about that girl that Taehyung would keep something from him?

What is it about her that Jimin wouldn't understand?

Shaking his head out of his dangerous thoughts, Jimin clears his throat and smiles, shaking his phone in front of Taehyung once more.

“You never answered me.” He starts, the beginning of a chuckle awaiting deep in his throat. Taehyung turns to him from staring out into space, looking confused.

“What?”

“Didn't you want to know how RM got this picture?” Jimin asks once more, and Tae smiles, before nodding, and settling next to Jimin against the wall of the elevator.

Jimin smiles, once more comfortable with the person he trusts the most in all the world before pulling up the picture once more. Both of them snort as they see it, the expression on your face causing them to smile.

“Who even makes a face like that when they eat?” Tae comments and Jimin chuckles softly, tapping the picture with a small finger as a thought comes to his mind.

“It kind of reminds me of Suga, when he ate that huge bite of salad. Do you remember?” Jimin responds, glancing at Tae who nods as the image comes to mind, his huge box smile making Jimin burst out in laughter.

“Remember?! It's such an iconic moment that even ARMY’s remember it.” Tae responds, tilting the phone so he can peer closer at the picture. “Now that you mention it though, she does kind of look like him.”

Jimin and Tae erupt into laughter, hardly noticing the ding of the elevator as the doors slide open.

Glancing up, Jimin slides the phone into his pocket, hitting Tae lightly on the shoulder before they walk out of the elevator and down the hallway, heading for the meeting room where they’ll be meeting with the rest of BTS.

“Anyway, RM got it from Jaejin, his assistant manager.” Jimin continues, and Tae looks at him, surprised.

“Jaejin? Why would Jaejin be sending RM pictures of a girl? Is there something he’s not telling us?” Taehyung asks, half-joking, and Jimin laughs, shaking his head.

“No, Jae sent it to him because he and his girlfriend were invited to model for fashion week. They were called away for training and Jaejin told RM that his friend will be able to take his place until he is done.” Jimin explains and Taehyung nods, trying to ignore the sudden panic in his chest at the thought of working with you in the same building. Jimin shrugs when Taehyung doesn't say anything.

“That’s all I know, but I guess she’s going to be a part of the staff now, more or less. RM only got this picture so he would be able to recognize her when she came in. He's been waiting for her since 8 this morning.” Taehyung murmurs something incomprehensible as a response, not listening.

Once more, he finds himself distracted with thoughts of you.

He wants to know everything about you.

From the way you laugh to the way you cry, from your likes to your dislikes, and every different tone or volume your voice is capable of.

He wants to hear the innumerable amount of stories you must have. How you came to know Jaejin, and why you came to Korea in the first place.

He wants to study your face, memorize your expressions, be able to read you the same way he can read any one of the expressions of his fellow members.

He wants to be able to read your mind like Jimin can read his.

Like he can read everyone else’s.

But most of all, he wants to know you and only you.

Turning the corner, Jimin spies the door to the meeting room, opened slightly ajar, the rest of BTS already waiting for them. Jimin sort of bounces to the door, opening it for Taehyung, as he waits for Tae to catch up. Tae smirks, putting all thoughts of you out of his mind as best as he can.

Though he longs to build up the courage and speak to you without a mask covering his face, he knows that right now, that is not important. One day, maybe, he’ll be able to find out everything he wants to know. One day, maybe these feelings of his will be safe, understood.

Until then...

𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: this is one of my more favorite chapters hehe. oh, and whoever guessed that the man in the mask was tae, you get a cookie ;)

chapter 9 here

check the Infinite Stars masterlist for more chapters

check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Love On-Set (Pt. 04 of 10)

Pairing: Dacre Montgomery X Reader

Summary: You knew acting on Stranger Things season 3 would be a challenge, and you also knew, from the start, you'd have to work closely with Dacre Montgomery. But is wasn't a big deal for you, since this is your job and you're determined to act professionally. You had it all figured out, or so you thought, until the moment you were out face to face with Dacre. Then, this job became a lot harder than it was supposed to be, since you can't seem to focus whenever you're around Dacre. And you'll have to be around him a lot until the end of production.

Word count: 3K

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{Dacre Montgomery Masterlist}

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

×

Breaking Character

You meet Dacre at the entrance of the hotel's gym, which is a little crowded already. He guides you in and you decide to start with the bike. Dacre goes straight for the weights, obviously. But you manage to get a bike that gives you a perfect sight of where he is, and as you work out, you watch him. He gives you a few glances, but you manage to look away just in time. At least you hope you do. After a while, you decide to move to the treadmill to run for a few minutes. Thanks to the weekly visits to the local gym near your house, you're able to keep up the pace for a good amount of time before getting tired and deciding to stop. Dacre is still doing his stuff, so after refilling your bottle with cold water, you walk over where he is, sitting on a bench right before him. He's currently lifting a barbell that looks unbelievably heavy.

“Are you done already?” He asks in a sassy tone.

“I'll get a few more followers at your expanse just because I didn't like your tone, Mr. Montgomery.” Taking your phone, you open your Instagram and start making a video of Dacre. He looks incredible, so handsome right now, and the fact that he's shirtless only makes it better. You have to control yourself not to check him out more than you should. “Straight to my Instagram story.” You tell him as you put some emojis on the video and tags Dacre before sharing it with the whole world.

“Come here for a second.” He says, laying the barbell down.

“What for? If you think I can lift any of those things you must be going completely insane.” Despite being suspicious you stand up, leaving your phone on the bench.

As you walk over him, Dacre hands over his phone to a dark-haired man who was switching weights. “Can you record this for me?” You hear him asking. “Just a few seconds.” He kindly smiles and thanks to the man when he nods.

“Are you going to prank me or something?” You stop before him, arms crossed. Without saying anything, Dacre pulls you with him, placing you between him and the barbell. “Dacre, what–” You're cut short when he suddenly bends down and picks the bar up again, quickly standing up straight, trapping you in between his body and the bar. “What the hell, Dacre?”

“Hold it, c'mon.”

“I won't hold this thing. I can't lift it.” Keeping your voice low, you give the man with Dacre's phone a glance. He's actually doing what Dacre asked, filming you two doing whatever this is.

“Trust me.” It's his lower voice, right in your ear that makes you surrender and do it, holding the bar a few inches away from where his hand is holding it. Slowly, he starts moving. Everything you can do is mimic his movement, your eyes wandering from the bar to his right arm, noticing how his muscles are tense. “It's not that hard is it?”

“Not when I'm lifting exactly zero pounds.” You snap back, being forced to give a step back when Dacre brings the bell bar way too close to your body, and your back collides against his chest.

“That's enough, thanks, buddy.” It takes a while for you to understand he's talking to the guy with his phone. The man nods and puts the phone down before moving away, back into doing anything he was doing before. And probably wondering what the hell is going on with you two.

“Are you going to post that video?”

“Yup.”

“Really?” Doesn't he know that it will get people talking?

“Why not?” Dacre drops the bar suddenly, and it makes a loud thud when it hits the floor, making you give a little jump.

“Damn it, Dacre!” You exclaim, a hand on your heart. “What about not killing your co-star before she finishes shooting the show?” Still a little startled, heart racing, and not only for the bar falling, you go back to the bench to get your phone.

“Now I'm exhausted already. How am I supposed to go to work?” Checking your feed, you see there are already a lot of people answering to your video, mostly your friends asking about Dacre... And some of your co-stars, but no reason to answer since you'll have to face them eventually.

“Done.” He says, and at the same time, you see the notification. Clicking on it, you're redirected to Dacre's story, where you see the short video of him standing behind you, ‘helping’ you lift the bar. In bright red letters, he wrote ‘the best personal trainer (Y/N) could ever get’.

He really did it. And he doesn't seem to care. “So you just made me look like an idiot. I'll get back at you for that.”

“Idiot? You look so hot in this video, I almost reconsidered posting it.”

“Me?” It comes out abruptly because you just can't believe it. Any of it. You can't believe he posted the video, you can't believe he just said you looked hot. You're confused and you need time to clear your mind. “I really think we should go now. Shower, have lunch, and get ready to work.” It will sound like you're running away, but you need some time away from Dacre. Your heart needs a break from beating so fast.

“Yeah, we probably should.” He puts his phone in his pocket before making his way out of the gym with you. “Why don't you come over to my room? I can get some room service and then we head off to set. It's just us so we can go in my car.”

“Sure.” You're quick to answer, immediately changing your mind. “I can be there in thirty minutes.”

“Room 1404.”

“Alright.”

Thankfully, there are no incidents during lunch. You two just chat and joke around, and almost get on set late. The first scene is much more simple. It's just Amy and Billy bumping into each other, a small chat before they part ways, both annoyed at each other. Once that's done, you change into the second outfit, and the make-up and hairstyle it slightly changed. Night has already fallen when you get into position, waiting for the signal.

In this scene, Billy finds Amy walking home alone, at night. He's pissed that she's so reckless after they just learned about the Mind Flayer, in a scene that will still be shot. So when she refused to go with him, they have an argument. It's a turning point, with the tension between then being explored further, leading into a partial confession and an almost kiss. That's how James calls this scene.

And, as if the scene itself wasn't enough, you're mind is still at what happened at the gym. This will be hard. Maybe as hard as the actual kissing scene.

“Alright. Ready, everyone... And action!”

You start walking fast, the camera before you easily following your pace.

“Amy, get inside that damn car right now,” Billy says, seconds before reaching you and grabbing your arm, forcing you to stop. “You're not walking home this late with that damn Mind Flayer out there.”

“Stop–” Giving your arm a push, he lets go. “–trying to act as if you care. I know you don't.”

“If I didn't care do you really think I'd be here?” He steps closer, towering over you, and you have no choice but to step back. “Running after you like an idiot?” Your back hits a car parked on the sidewalk, just at the right place. “Do you really think I'd put any effort into trying to drag your ass out of the street?” Dacre slams both his hand on the car, and you make sure to make Amy give a little jump, followed by an annoyed expression.

“I know about the little games you play, Hargrove. I won't fall for them.” Raising your voice on the last sentence, you try to push him away, uselessly.

“It's funny how everyone in this town thinks they know me.”

“Oh, I don't. I don't think about you, Hargrove. At all.” With a sassy smile, you wait for his reply.

But it doesn't come. He just stands there, as his eyes change. From irritation to... Kindness. And you recognize Dacre as he breaks through Billy. “But I think about you. I think about you all the time.” Your heart starts racing again, more than before because this is not Billy. And you know the difference very well.

Frozen, not sure if you should take this as improvisation and follow his lead, you rest your back against the car, as Dacre follows your movement, his face now only two inches away.

“Cut!” The shout brings you back to reality, and Dacre immediately steps away. “I like what you're doing, but I don't think the line fits well on the scene.”

“My bad.” Dacre apologizes.

“Again. From the moment you slam your hands on the car.” James commands and you go back into position. “Action!”

“I know about the little games you play, Hargrove. I won't fall for them.”

“It's funny how everyone in this town thinks they know me.”

“I don't. I don't think about you, Hargrove. At all.” It's hard to keep Amy's mean smile on, not to break character and... You don't even know. But this is getting a little too hard to handle.

“Why do I have the feeling you're lying to me, princess?” He leans closer, so close Amy has no choice but to turn her head away, and when you move, you feel his breath in your neck.

“If you don't get the hell away from me right now, I swear–”

“I can't wait to see what you'll do.”

Then Amy snaps, pushing Billy away, hands on his chest, using all the strength she can manage. She's beyond pissed now, she's upset. Frustrated with her dangerous feelings towards the bad boy. “You're such a jerk!” You exclaim as Dacre gives a few steps back. “You know exactly what you're doing and you keep doing it!” The pushing turns into slaps, as Amy tries to get rid of Billy's arms, holding her. “I don't wanna be one of your flings so stay the hell away from me.”

“What do you wanna be then?” He asks, arms keeping you still, dangerously close to his body.

“I–” You're cut short when Dacre's hand comes to your cheek. For a moment you think he'll kiss you, your skin burning under his touch. The lines are forgotten, and it doesn't matter how hard you try, you can't remember it.

Then a loud noise startles you, bringing Amy back and Dacre falls back into character, looking at something over your shoulder. “We gotta get out of here.” He follows the script and you do the same, setting free from his grip.

“I'm not going with you!” Then it happens, Billy bends over and grabs Amy's legs, throwing her over his shoulder. The sudden change makes you gasp for air, quickly following to the next line. “What the hell? Put me down right now!” You yell, noticing how some of the extras start acting, moving from inside the houses to the porch to see what's the commotion about. “I'm not kidding, Billy. Put me the hell down!”

He only laughs as you push his back, swinging your legs. Dacre tightens the grip on your thighs, forcing you to stop moving. “You're very stubborn.” He mutters under his breath, finally putting you down and opening the passenger door. “Get. In. I won't let you walk–”

“Cut! Cut!” James says, quite impatient. “I want you to do something else there. From the moment you put her down, I want another confrontation. Do you guys think you can improvise it?”

“Yeah.” You mutter as Dacre nods.

“Good. Get in position then.” He orders and Dacre picks you up again, slower this time since there's no need for Billy's rush. “Alright. Action.”

“You're very stubborn.” He repeats as you're put back down, and you wonder what to do next. But when Dacre pushes you against the car, in a similar position from some minutes earlier, your mind threatens to go blank again. “Let's settle this, princess.” The different weight on the last word almost makes you break character, but to laugh this time. “If you don't get inside this damn car immediately and stop complaining, I will kiss you. Right here, right now. And I know you won't resist me.”

You're sure both Amy and you are paralyzed now, unable to move, or think, and you have to struggle to get your brain to work again. Dacre's eyes are so soft, you can't find Billy in them. You wonder if the cameras can get it... You wish there weren't so many cameras and lights on both of you now. “You wouldn't do that.” The words find a way out, thankfully.

“Really?” Dacre's arm encircles your waist suddenly, pulling you close, pressing you against his chest. “Try me.”

If you don't move, Amy or not, you'll kiss him. You won't even wait for Billy to fulfill his threat. So your hands nervously search for the door handle, breathing out in relief when you find it. As you turn around to open the door, his grip still holds you, and you're only free when you step inside the car, closing the door shut a little too violently. With your eyes focused on the car parked a few feets ahead, you only listen when Dacre gets in the driver's seat.

“Alright, cut!” Relieved this is over, you hope not to do it again. It'll be the death of you. “It was amazing. Whatever the two of you have going on, it's great. If you keep this level, the kissing scene will be one of this season's best moments.”

Glad that the day is over, you wave at Dacre before getting out of the car and heading to your dressing room. Your head won't stop spinning, thinking, replaying what just happened. It was only Billy... Right? All those times you thought it was Dacre, it wasn't. You can't allow yourself to believe that. Part of you wish you didn't come here with Dacre, but you did, so you have to meet him again when you're ready to go. The ride back to the hotel is filled with light conversations, nothing about the scenes you just did. But there's an elephant in the room, you can feel it, and you think Dacre feels it too, by the glances he gives you every now and then. Sometimes it looks like he'll say something, then he just gives up. You wonder if you should say it, end the tension. Ask him if you did something wrong. But every time you feel the words are just about to flow out, you blush and look away.

How are you supposed to get the kissing done when you're so... Lost.

But when you reach the elevators, you decide to ask him. You decide to be brave for once and follow Dacre's advice of not holding everything back. He did say he'd listen, that he wouldn't be scared. “You broke character, didn't you?” It comes out suddenly, and he immediately looks at you as you lean against the elevator mirror.

“Half a dozen times.” He answers after taking a deep breath. “And so did you... Right?”

“Quite a few times, yes.” Looking down, you swallow hard. “It was a disaster. Well, almost.”

“Why?”

“Because I–” You're damn phone ringing cuts you off, and, rolling your eyes, you pick it up. “It's Natalia.”

“Answer her. It's my floor anyway.” Dacre gestures at door, and right above it, you see the number. “We'll talk later, alright?”

“Yes.” You mutter, a little sad that the doors just opened.

“Bye.” Dacre leans closer for a quick hug and to place a kiss on your cheek, as he's been usually doing.

As you watch him leave, the doors closing again and separating the two of you, you finally answer Natalia. “Hey. What's up?”

“(Y/N). Are you in your room?” As she speaks, you hear Millie saying something in the background.

“I'll be getting there in a minute.”

“Alright.” Then she hangs up.

You have sixty seconds to recover from the day before meeting Natalia and Millie at your door. Smiling in a very weird way. As you approach, taking the card from your pocket, you raise an eyebrow. “Something wrong?” You ask as you open the door, gesturing for them to get inside.

“No... Of course not.” Millie mutters, searching for something on her phone. “Just this.” When she shows you the screen, you sigh. It's the video Dacre posted on his Instagram story.

“That was just... We were at the gym. Working out.” It's stupid to do this. They won't let it go. Throwing yourself on the couch, you cover your head with a pillow.

“What you call ‘working out’ I call flirting.” Natalia states, and when Millie pulls the pillow away, you see Natalia bending over the back of the couch as Millie sits down next to your legs.

“But nobody was flirting. We were just making fun of each other.” You wait for them to say something. Anything. But they don't. The two girls just keep staring at you, smirking. If they only knew what happened today... “What?”

“You like Dacre, don't you?” Millie inquires, folding a leg under her.

The first instinct is to say no, and the word is at the tip of your tongue. But it doesn't come out because you suddenly realize it would be a lie. It gets stuck, as it washes over you. Nobody has asked this before, and you've been avoiding to think about it. But now that the right words were said, you know it. “Damn it.” Muttering under your breath, you cover both your eyes.

“We got our answer.” Natalia sing-songs.

“He likes you too. You know that, right?”

“Of course he doesn't, Millie. Just because he's nice to me it doesn't mean–”

“There's a huge difference between being nice and doing what he's doing, believe me.” Millie stands up, pacing around with both hands on her hips. “Now, tell us everything.”

×

@baker151910 @shinydixon @dreamin-of-dacre @hanoi15 @lickmymelanin @skykittystuff @foccus @multific @uncookspaget @kellysimagines

[mrvdocks]

Plus One

“That’s a straight no.”

“What? Why?”

“Come on,” You laugh. “I can hear the sirens coming for you now. She looks like she’s a junior in high school.”

He cocks his brow, “You do too and I still live with you.”

You playfully smack him. “That’s different.”

“Why? Because you can't handle seeing me with someone else?” He says smugly.

@mochminnie and anyone else that would like to get tagged :)) 

(Chapter one) 

Morning of Nancy & Jonathan’s Wedding

The daylight shines on his face when he wakes up. He looks down to see you’ve disappeared and instantly thinks yesterday was a dream. He’s almost disappointed.

“You snore too loud.” You say as a matter of factly, coming out in a robe and towel. 

It wasn’t a dream. He smiles.

“You hog the blanket too much.” He retorts, flipping the covers over and getting up to stretch. 

"It's like thirteen degrees outside of course I'm going to take it."

"There's layers to this, you know that right?" 

“Alright, alright Casanova, do you want to stay here sparring with me or go find the love of your life?”

He stretches his arms, then sighs. “Not sure if I’ll meet the one if I’m half-naked.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” You wink, going back inside the bathroom to get ready.

Only an hour later and you two were nearly late because he decided to play hideaway with your heels. You didn’t protest as much but they were the only fancy shoe you’d brought to match the nuptial’s dress code. 

You rushed into the elevator, counting down to at least ten minutes. It should be enough time to walk over to the chapel. 

You glance at Steve, seeing him look out of it. 

“Hey,” You tug at his arm. He straightens up. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just been a while.”

Part of him wondered if they would remember him after so long.

“Well if they’re not talking about you, they’ll be talking about how messy and out of place you look. Here, let me fix you.” You fix his Windsor knot stay in place and then move his floppy hair, letting a single curl of hair rest on his forehead.

“Is this really how you styled it?” You lift yourself on your toes to get more of it but he moves aside.

“Hey, hey, don’t damage the goods.” 

“Is that - hold on, ” You take a whiff of his hair. “Oh my god.”

He rolls his eyes. “Alright, laugh it up.”

“You smell like my mom!” You chortle. 

He pushes you playfully as the elevator doors open and he walks out with you hysterically laughing. He smiles nervously at the passing guests as they file out to the chapel.

“That’s so cute. Listen, if you don’t end up with anyone our age here, you can definitely bag one of the aunts. I’m sure they’d love you.” 

“It was my go-to in high school, alright? Girls loved it.”

He can see the subtle upward quirk of your mouth as you smothered a laugh. 

“C’mon, before we become those people who hog all the attention.” You interlinked your arms and made your way past the field of green and a big brown chapel. 

You both sat in the middle row on Nancy’s side, meeting all of her family and being introduced to her sister Holly, brother Mike and his girlfriend Jane. You couldn’t stop staring as Mike and Jane sat and goofed with each other. 

“Been together since ‘84, and they still can’t get enough of each other,” Steve tells you in a hushed voice as he leans to you and begins giving you the dirt on everyone there.

Jonathan’s mother, Joyce sits at the front with a gruff looking man who kept trying to take out a pack of cigarettes. She’s pretty, and definitely doesn’t look as old as Steve says she is. She has a timeless beauty to her. Steve tells you that the man she’s with is Hopper, the same man whose wedding you would be attending later in March. Jonathan’s brother, Will sits to his mother's left and is in deep conversation with a man Steve doesn’t recognize. 

Steve goes on a tangent on how different and grown-up everyone looks. He goes into details about things they used to do back in Indiana, some things crazy and others unbelievable. He almost sounds sad for not being able to see their growth for himself but that’s not a story he’ll tell you anytime soon.

You’re conversing with Jane when everyone quiets down and music starts playing. You stand and watch as Jonathan marches right up to one step to meet his brother and hug him momentarily. Holly enters, picking petals out of the basket and dropping them as she passes. Nancy enters soon after slowly, keeping tempo with the music. Her dad is older, more filled out, and grey-haired than Steve originally remembers him. Her mother, however, is stunning in a way that doesn’t overshadow her daughter. Her blonde hair is pulled into a half updo, she smiles warmly to guests as she carries the tail of Nancy’s beautiful cream dress. It's an eye-catching tulle gown with floral accents and lace sleeves that move comfortably with her. 

Nancy’s brown hair is long and curls at the end, decorated with a pearl headband, her slender nude manicured fingers holding onto the bouquet gracefully as if she was a princess. She’s naturally gorgeous, with touches of blush on her cheekbones. She takes your breath away. 

You’re almost a little jealous Steve got to date her. 

“Please be seated.” The priest says.

You accidentally sit on Steve’s hand, making him jerk quickly but fast enough to avoid attention. You're locked in the entire time, entranced by every little detail from the soft brown tones of Jonathan's suit to the camera pin he wears to the embroidery on Nancy's heels. 

The ceremony is beautiful, you even catch Steve tearing up at Jonathan’s thoughtfully written vows for Nancy. 

“You may now kiss the bride.” 

The crowd goes wild, cheers and whistles all around as Nancy and Jonathan kiss and he twirls her in a circle. She’s smiling shyly as Jonathan peppers her with kisses. Will steps in and takes a couple of photos before whispering something into Jonathan’s ear and making him laugh. The bride and groom rush outside hand in hand, rice and flowers being thrown as they disappear past the golden-brown of the chapel. 

You and Steve give each other a look, thinking this wedding plan might not be so bad after all. You’re seeing love in its purest form. 

The reception is held in a small banquet hall, music is being played by a band of fine instruments led by people Steve tells you are part of Nancy’s family. The whole place is decorated to bring out the snow and natural elements outside. Windows wide open, the brown of the hall illuminated by fairy lights hanging from above, a cute photo booth with a retro moon to pose with, and a DJ soon after the band leaves. 

“Come,” Steve says, intertwining your hand in his and leading you over to where Nancy and Jonathan are. 

Jonathan notices him first and immediately hugs him. Steve hugs him tighter, letting them sway for a moment while you introduce yourself to Nancy.

“Hi, I’m -”

“You must be the one Steve talks so much! I've heard a lot about you!” She giggles. My god, even her laugh was beautiful.

“Beautiful wedding! I am in love with you - your dress, I’m sorry.” You say, flustered. Nancy takes no offense and instead envelopes you in a hug. 

“Thank you! It was a lot of stress but I'm glad we could finally get it to come to fruition. Steve never told me you were this lovely.”

You wave her comment away, feeling shyer than ever. “Please, I’m just so glad I finally get to meet THE Nancy Wheeler.” 

“I hope you’re not trying to steal my wife,” Jonathan beams, bear-hugging you. 

"I would never." You grin. “You’re a lucky man, Mr. Byers.” 

“Mr. Byers was my dad, please call me Jonathan.”

You nod, feeling the warmth and love that Jonathan and Nancy were giving off.

"So? How are you two? How's New York?" Nancy asks.

You and Steve glance at each other to see who goes first.

"Good! So good." You say in unison. 

“So what’s going on with you two, huh? Any crazy stories?” Steve asks, eager to get the attention off of him for once. 

“Well,” Nancy looks at Jonathan. “Jonathan was a freelancing photographer for a while but he was just hired for a two-year contract by Life magazine!”

You and Steve look at Jonathan wide-eyed and with jaws dropped. Jonathan smiles shyly.

“Jon, oh my god congratulations!” Steve says, pulling Jonathan into another hug. 

“It was just a split-second decision, he almost didn’t send the photos in time but I convinced him.” Nancy smiles. "They want to send him to Amsterdam next week."

"Europe for the honeymoon? That's amazing." You gush, thinking about the canals and all the great food.

“And that’s not all,” Jonathan rubs at Nancy’s back with his other hand. “Nancy’s accepted a job up in New York as a journalist.”

“No way!” You feel your excitement skyrocket.

“We’re moving into the East Village in March, just after my mom’s wedding.” 

“That’s amazing you guys, I’m so happy for you.” Steve is absolutely over the moon. 

“Thank you and please help yourselves!” Jonathan’s eyes crinkle as he smiles.

“Hope to see you guys soon!” Nancy exclaimed, before being met with more family to greet. You and Steve say goodbye and gush over them. 

“I can’t believe you got to date her.” You remark, sipping more of the champagne.

“Yeah well, I was lucky to even kiss her. Looking back, I think they had it for each other all the time. I was just in the way.”

Projecting onto her, he thinks.

You frown. “Personally, I’m glad to see it all worked out in the end. To the happy couple!” 

You bring your glasses to toast and snicker when some of it spills onto Steve’s lap. He tries to get you back but you evade him.

The orchestra ends and the DJ begins his set. He starts off with some lovey-dovey tunes you remember your mother playing from her childhood.

“Come on, let’s dance!” You exclaim, taking Steve’s hand and pulling him up and away from the table. 

The dance floor is decently packed, The Del-Viking’s “Come Go With Me” echoing through the walls of the banquet hall.

Steve makes a fool of himself, flailing and dancing exaggeratedly while you move side to side to the dum dum dum, occasionally doubling over when Steve stumbles back into someone.  

The music shifts after you two are completely tired out, changing to The Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”. Definitely Jonathan’s choice.

You and Steve pair up, dancing slowly with your head on his shoulder.

It’s a nice feeling, to be like this with someone. You didn’t know how you felt about Steve, besides the fact that he could be annoying as all hell and a bummer. But he wasn't so unpleasant to have around. He just needed to let loose. He wasn’t going to be twenty-eight forever. 

Maybe it was too early, you saw how he’d freaked about Danny. 

“Hey, five o’clock.” He whispers in your ear, ripping you away from your thoughts.

“What?”

“What about the girl at five o’clock? She seems nice.” 

“Spin me.” 

He spins you out to see a girl in a nice pastel blue colored dress and bouffant talking to Jonathan. He spun you back in.

“That’s a straight no.”

“What? Why?”

“Come on,” You laugh. “I can hear the sirens coming for you now. She looks like she’s a junior in high school.”

He cocks his brow, “You do too and I still live with you.”

You playfully smack him. “That’s different.” 

“Why? Because you can't handle seeing me with someone else?” He says smugly.

“Pfft. She’s got babyface. Just trust me.”

The music shifts throughout the night, some electronic, another alternative, or more classical and then back to lovey-dovey. 

At the end of “Earth Angel,” you’re just about ready to leave and kick off the heels that just won’t quit squeezing your feet. 

“I’m starving.” You whisper into his ear.

“There’s food here.”

“Yes, and I’m still hungry. I need to severely gorge on something big right now.”

Steve chuckles lowly, about to make the joke you feared once the words ‘something big’ left your lips.

“Don’t you dare.” 

“Yes, dear.” He snickers. 

Once you’re away from the view of family and friends, you unbuckle the straps of your heels and breath in relief at your chains being taken off. Steve walks past you but you whistle to him to catch his attention. 

“Well? Come on.” He motions for you. 

You throw your head back and whine. “I can’t walk. These things have worn me down.” 

He chuckles to himself shaking his head. “Alright, hop on.” 

He turns and bends to your level, letting you climb onto his back like a monkey. You wrap your arms around his neck, him holding you up by your thighs. 

You nestle comfortably into his shoulder, letting out an audible sigh. 

“Don’t get too comfortable up there, you have the keys to the room.” He warns, but you’re fast asleep by the end of the sentence. "So much for being hungry."

He gets soft looks and compliments of ‘being a great boyfriend’ from different guests but he doesn’t have the energy to correct them. The dancing tired him out. 

He uses the pointy end of your heel to click the elevator button and is careful with you when entering. Your soft sighs and deep breaths comfort him in some way. Your fingers twitch around his now loosened tie, softly scratching at the nape of his neck. It gives him goosebumps, but he relaxes into it, letting the warmth creep up to his cheeks.

He’s too lost in the feeling to notice when the doors open, the elevator dings to alert him. When he’s out, he shakes you slowly to wake you up. You stir and hum but stay asleep. He maneuvers your bag to face him, getting the key painfully slow. The door hinges creaking don’t wake you at all. 

He lays you down onto the side where he sleeps, careful with your shoes and your bag. Putting them aside, he makes a move to close the door but your hand grabs at his wrist and pulls him back. 

He glances down at you, still asleep but still holding on. “I have to close the door.” He whispers.

“Steve.” You murmur. 

“Yeah?” He brings himself to ask, entranced by you. 

You mumble incoherently, letting go of his wrist and turning your side to get comfortable.

He sighs. 

"It was a nice wedding." He says, getting the suitcases out of the cab while you tip the driver. 

"It really was. Plus I'm glad I got to take one of these suckers home too." You dig through your bag, pulling out the towel teddy bear that had previously been on your hotel bed. It looked a little deformed now but you could fix it.

Steve makes a surprised noise, "We steal things now?"

"It's not stealing if they were just going to put another one back."  

"Well, I wish could've taken some of that shampoo. It made my hair smell great." 

"Oh don't worry I got a couple of them in my suitcase. You can have them."

He looks at you with intrigue. 

"What? We can't live fancy?"

He shakes his head, his shoulders shaking as you head into the apartments.

"Hey, sorry I ruined your shot looking for someone at the reception."

He shrugs, feeling it wasn't a big deal. "That's why we have the other three, right? Plus, I had fun. I wouldn't have wanted to be in my head the entire time." 

The answer satisfies you but you promise yourself to aim higher at the next wedding. 

[rainyrowan]

Sunkissed - Chapter 1

description: Wedding of the century rolls around as the previous college clique, along with the rest of their family members, stay in preparation for it. During this time, Riley meets Lucas, a gorgeous, green-eyed wallflower who happens to be immediately taken by her. Little did she know, he has a deep secret. One that will either change her views on him forever or make her feel closer to his world.

word count: 2,626

pairings: riley x lucas

Song: Annabelle’s Homework by Alec Benjamin

chapter one; riley

Sparkley Farkley: Did you know that the slowest marathon time ever is 54 years, eight months, six days, eight hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds? Yeah, in 1912, an Olympic marathoner from Japan supposedly disappeared during the middle of a race. Some say that he stopped to get a drink from an outdoor party, but ended up staying longer than he should have. Risque, if you ask me. Anyways, he was too embarrassed to finish the race, so he flew back to Japan instead. Years later, he decided to finish what he started by running the whole marathon himself. What I'm trying to say is WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? Riley, you're seriously taking much longer to get to the boardwalk than this Japanese marathon guy. Hurry!!

I looked at the horrifically long paragraph Farkle had sent me and sighed. Being best friends with him also meant being best friends with your very own encyclopedia, which can be extremely useful at times. Although, it really isn't when your phone is constantly being bombarded with numerous texts about everything and nothing.

Gentle reminder that I live farther from the beach than you do. I'll be there soon! Don't miss me too much :)

I quickly text back. I gripped onto my camera strap, which is draped over my shoulder, as I start quickening my pace.

When we became closer over the years, Farkle and I both created a tradition of spending almost every Saturday down at the boardwalk. In regards to this, the main rule that we've agreed upon would be that if one of us couldn't make it, we would have to have an extremely valid excuse. Me being the more "laid back" friend, I've been pretty lenient on Farkle if he couldn't make it. Wish I could say the same about him, though.

Last night, I had to stay up till two in the morning helping my mother out at the flower shop. Arranging flowers isn't as easy as one may think. In result, I woke up later than usual, causing me to be about 30 minutes late. So far, I've received a fact text from him for every minute I ran late. It truly amazes me how he could just drop these facts off the top of his head.

I'm practically already running when I see Farkle by the entrance, arms crossed.

"I'm sorry!" I pant. I take a second to breathe before I continue speaking. "I.. I woke.. Wow, I'm not cut out to be.. an athlete, huh?" I joke.

He rolls his eyes as a grin forms on his face. "Where were you?"

"I was up all night helping my mom with the flowers. I woke up super late. I'm so sorry."

He nods in approval of my excuse. "That's okay. However, I don't think we could go to the diner now. Brooklyn and her minions are there. Seated in our spots too!"

The thought of Brooklyn made me sick to my stomach. Brooklyn was the Regina George of Harbor High School, and basically all of Santa Cruz. Like your typical teen cliche, she was the popular girl who also the prettiest. Brooklyn also had her own entourage, as she always had two minions following her. With her bitchy personality, you may say that it's surprising that she gets all the guys. With her body, though, it really isn't. It's probably how she had my crush of four years and counting, Charlie Gardner, falling for her.

"Well, I guess we would have to postpone our meal then," I say, linking my arms with his. We enter the boardwalk and head straight for the arcade. We're surrounded by all the games you could never ever get tired of. From Dance Dance Revolution to laser tag to racing games, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk Casino Arcade has you covered. Farkle and I have our common favorite, air hockey.

He let go of my arm, dashing straight to the air hockey table. "You ready to get your ass beat?"

He asks, slipping in a token. We love each other very much, but when it comes to air hockey, it's like we're two different people.

"You should be asking yourself that, Minkus." As air starts to shoot through the tiny holes from the table, we both grabbed our paddles. Suddenly, the puck falls through my pocket instead of Farkle's. "Well, that's a first! I guess I'm starting."

I hit the puck as hard as I can towards his goal. Hoping that this time my first hit would make it, he blocks the puck in a swift move and smiles. "Not today." This goes on for quite a bit. I concentrate on the puck as it glides across the table back and forth. That is, until a distraction came my way. Charlie.

I offer him a double take before actually realizing that it was him. He probably didn't even notice me, which was a good thing on my part. I didn't want him to know that I was here. Out of impulsive thinking, I ducked down to hide behind my side of the table. This wasn't really the best decision, though. Farkle managed to make a goal and yell on behalf of his victory. I don't even have to see what's happening to know that attention was surely brought towards us.

"Farkle!" I call out in a whisper. He walks around the table and takes a seat next to me.

"So, explain to me why we're hiding behind- "

"Riley!" Charlie exclaims. Mortified, I lift my head up to find him standing right in front of us.

"Hi, Charlie." I saw awkwardly. Thankfully, Farkle gets up off the ground and pulls me up, as I was too scared to even move.

Farkle clenches is jaw subtly enough that no one could notice, except for me. It's safe to say that he never liked Charlie. I don't blame him. Most of the time, he can be a total jackass.

I'm not too sure how or why I've liked him for so long, and still currently do. I like to think it's because of the fact that I'm always seeking the best in people. I don't necessarily like making assumptions out of people based on looks or first encounters. For Charlie, I realized how much of a good person he is, deep down, whilst working on a school project with him in the public library. My father, who so happened to be my teacher, assigned both of us as partners for a project that we had to turn in a matter of three days. Within those three days, we'd head to the library at night to work, but we were never productive. All we did was talk. Well, all Charlie did was talk. About himself, of course. I would just sit and listen. It was kind of odd not taking part in the conversation, but I mostly did not mind. As a matter of fact, I remember feeling like it was for the best since I would most likely say something stupid. Plus, I got to learn more about him and who he truly was. The downside of it was that I had to take our project home and finish it myself, but I thought that it was worth it. From that moment on, I couldn't help but keep thinking about him, about us.

Charlie extends his hand out to Farkle, expecting a shake, but he steps back. "I'll wait for you outside." He tells me. No, no. Please don't leave me alone with him.

"Well, that was awkward." He laughs. "But anyways, I am so glad I caught you. I was wondering if you're free like right now? I was hoping that you could help me out with something."

Crap. As much as I would love to help him, I promised Farke that I would spend the day with him. However, as I was looking up at Charlie's mesmerizing brown eyes, I seem to have ignored that fact. "Um, sure." I squeaked. I clear my throat and try again. "What would I be helping you with exactly?"

"You see, we're doing headshots in drama, and you're kind of known to be a really talented photographer," I blush as he says so.  Along with the fact that his words make me swoon, another thing about Charlie that I liked was the fact that he is a performing arts fanatic. I'm presuming that it's something that he would like to achieve in the future. He's actually really talented if I'm being honest.

"So, would it be alright if you got a couple of portrait shots of me by the beach?" Charlie asks.

"Maybe in return, I can buy you a milkshake afterward."

Farkle is so going to kill me after this.  "Er, okay."

"Great! C'mon, let's go." He starts heading towards the exit as I trail behind him. Hoping that he was the gentleman I thought he'd be, I expected him to open the door for me. Instead, he ends up leaving it to close behind him. I sigh, disappointed for getting ahead with my thoughts. Once I've exited the arcade, I immediately scan my surroundings in search for Farkle.

"I'm here." He calls out from behind me. I turn to find him leaning against a wall.

"You're going to hate me," I confess.

A smirk creeps up on his face. "Not gonna lie, I was already kind of assuming."

"You're not mad?"

"No," Farkle says softly. "I still hate that bastard, though. But I mean if you like him that much-"

I pull him into a hug. "Thank you," I whisper.

"Yeah, okay." He wraps his arms around my back and chuckles lightly.

"Riley?" Charlie yells.

I pull away from Farkle and adjust my outfit. This would technically be the first time I get to hang out with Charlie alone, so I obviously want to look presentable. However, that's clearly not the case since I'm currently in my maroon Harvard sweater that Farkle had actually bought me from when he visited last year, along with a pair of faded ripped jeans.

"Do I look okay?" I ask.

He holds two thumbs up. "Can't say no to a girl in Ivy League gear."

"I love you, and thanks a bunch!" I plant a quick kiss on his cheek before running towards Charlie.

Once I've caught up to him, we both head to the beach together.

I truly do love the beach. I love the ambiance of waves crashing against the shore, along with the wailing of seagulls as they soar across the sky. Not to mention, the smell of the ocean beach as well. Everything about the beach is so captivating and peaceful, especially since it's a little early and not a lot of people are here. The afternoon is the absolute worst time to visit the beach. The fact that there are so many people who usually come on a day to day basis, makes me a little anxious to go.

Charlie leads me to where the dock is located. Farkle and I would usually come to take pictures underneath the dock. This area is quite aesthetically pleasing.

"I think this is a great spot." He says, placing his bag down as I begin to adjust the settings of my camera. I let him know that I'm ready once everything's all set. Charlie then runs towards the shoreline and starts posing of a shot. Since I'll be capturing portrait shots, I made sure that my camera is set so all my photos can have a shallow depth of field. This way, Charlie will be in focus as the background will be a bit blurry. After taking a few photos here and there, I stop to look at them. Charlie was perfectly centered, the lighting was on point, and all shots have great composition. Perfect. I think to myself. However, Charlie apparently doesn't exactly think so when he sees them.

"Yeah, this situation just isn't working for me. Let's try something different." He looks around for a moment. "Here, why don't you get some bird-eye shots of me laying on the sand."

I was a little offended that he didn't like the photos I originally took. I spoke out, irritated. "I thought we were taking portraits?"

"I'm just trying to think outside of the box here, Riles. Maybe the photos will turn out better." I scoff at what he had just said. What difference does it make? You're just going to be lying down. And I thought all headshots were portraits. There he goes acting like a douche, but here I am, still taking interest in him.

Charlie lies down on the sand and places his hand behind his head. From the looks of it, he could pass for a Hollister or Abercombie & Fitch model.  I stand directly on top of him to get good shots. If I'm being honest, this isn't the ideal position I'd want to be in. It's a little uncomfortable and weird, really.

Suddenly, water hits the shore and Charlie attempts to save his khaki pants by jerking straight up. Instead, jerking straight up somehow caused me to tumble forward, allowing both of us to fall back down. I also end up dropping my camera on the sand. Water continues to run beneath Charlie, which caused his whole outfit to be soaked. "Shit!"

The water still kept going around us. I panic as I watch it slowly ooze towards my camera. Miraculously, the water stopped before it could reach it. I graciously let out a sigh of relief. "Will you get the fuck off of me now?!" He yells in annoyance. I flinched when he does so and realize that what was happening: I was on top of Charlie Gardener. Because I was on top of him, I didn't get hit by the water at all. I quickly scurried to my feet and grabbed my camera.  I turned to Charlie, who was still really angry that he was drenched. He got up from the ground and gathered his stuff. "Thanks to you," He snaps. "I am soaking wet, and I have rehearsals for the musical after this!"

I feel a familiar tightness gripping my throat. As Charlie continues to curse at me, a burning heat rushes through my body and I can hardly breathe. The DJ over by the boardwalk starts blasting music that seems to be ten times louder than usual. My surroundings then become too horrifically bright. My hands become clammy as I start to lose control of my body. My vision starts to get blurry and my heartbeat begins to speed up to the point where I could hear it.

Once Charlie finishes grabbing his stuff, he walks over to me. He stops and takes a deep breath. "Just email me the photos whenever you can." And with that, he walks away. When I've lost sight of him, I walk towards the pebbles near the ocean. I stare out to sea, trying to take big breaths. I stay until I've finally coaxed my heartbeat back to normal.