#tgis overwhelming sense of longing

[llegato]

wow . um

[princecharmingmendes]

Paris | Day Nine

When your parents decide to travel with your best friend’s family that you haven’t talked to in a while, who you have a massive secret crush on, what could go wrong, right? Right?! (best friends to lovers)

*Hi, honey, this is the last part of Paris (my first series here) and I really do hope you love it!

*Word Count: 3.7K+ 

*Warnings: cursing, drinking, angst, kissing (?), extreme fluff;

*Posted: January 30th, 2020

       day one  |  day two  |  day three  |  day four  |  day five  |  day six  |  day seven  |  day eight 

                                                     -*-

 I started waking up feeling a little cold. not sensing Shawn's presence close to me, even though I'm quite sure I slept with him last night. Instead of fully waking up, I decided to let myself surrender to my tired state and go back to sleep completely. What felt like a long time later, I started to realize my surroundings better, a tale tell sign I was actually waking up for real tgis time, but now I felt warm and comfy. 

"Baby?" I heard his voice softly calling me, so I just hummed in response and he pulled me closer to his chest from behind, since he seems to be the big spoon "you awake?"

"Mmhm"

"Do you want to get up?"

"No"

"Great, cause I bought you breakfast" he said placing a kiss on the tip of my nose, making me smile.

"Hey, you did what?"

 “I woke up earlier and you were too cute, so I decided not to wake you up and went on the market to get us something to have a nice late breakfast in bed”

“Oh my, I love you so damn much” I said nuzzling my face on his neck.

“Love you too” he said hugging me tighter. 

“Where’s the food?”

“There” he said chuckling and pointing to an improvised tray with a whole lot of food.

“That’s too much”

“I’m eating too”

“Still too much”

“I’ll eat it tomorrow” he said chuckling.

“Fair enough” I said sitting on the bed as he got up to get the food “what time is it?”

“It’s 12:30”

“What time is lunch?”

“Three”

“Great” I said smiling and pressing a kiss to his cheek as he sat down beside me. 

So we ended up eating so much that we got too lazy to move, so we ended up laying down again until we really had to get up to get ready for lunch. We ended up a little late and decided to meet our parents at the restaurant, which led us to a lot of accusations of our situation “you two were too cozy to move” or “it’s because they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves”. 

Could they be more annoying? Still love them though.

We were the main attention during lunch, specially because they’ve been dreaming for us to get together since my mom found out she was having a girl on year younger than Karen’s boy. Apart from that, we spent the whole time talking about the best moments of the trip and some funny stories that not everyone knew. They also asked about our day on Disneyland which led to pictures and more jokes about how me and Shawn would look perfect together.

After that, we headed to our rooms to get our bags and clothes ready for tomorrow, since today was the last day. Shawn helped with mine and I helped him with his. When we were both settled down on my bed, we started watching something to kill time.

“What do you want to do for dinner?” He asked out of the blue, turning to me.

“Hm... eat?”

“No, honey” he said laughing “do you want to order? Want to go out?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Hm… me? Nothing big... I just... I got reservations on a boat for Dinner on the Siena River”

“You what?”

“Just in case you wanted something nice”

“When did you do that?!”

“The day we went to the same boat”

“Shit, Shawn, can’t believe you”

“We don’t have to, I just... don’t know, wanted to give you something special” he said shrugging.

“Shawnie... you didn’t have to, you are the best thing I could have right now” I said holding his hand. 

“Thank you” he said kissing my hands.

“No, thank YOU, but yes, I’d love to go there with you” I said smiling at him “just the two of us?”

“Mmhmm” he said biting his lower lip.

“I’d love it” I said smiling at him and he did the same, pulling me into his embrace.

“At eight, before you ask me”

“Thank you so much”

“It’s okay, baby” he said smiling down at me. 

I got up an hour earlier than we were supposed to leave because I wanted to look extra good tonight, just in case I decide to do something or maybe to push him to do or say something. So I got in the shower and spent extra time shaving and moisturizing my whole body, also watched and blowed dry my hair. I did a really basic makeup look, only red lipstick, highlighter and fake lashes that stand out more, the rest I kept looking as natural as I could. 

When I was finally ready, I knocked on Shawn’s room to make sure he wasn’t naked and got in, being met with him with a button up that I love, a scarf and winter jacket, and his tight black slacks that I love so much. But the best part was his reaction. He looked at me and seemed so chocked I ended up giggling like a teenager. He sucked in a breath and trapped his lower lip between his lips and I swear I heard a little suppressed whimper. 

“God, Y/N, this is just unfair”

“What?” I asked looking down at my outfit.

I was wearing my new pair of thigh highs boots and a leather black tight skirt. I had a lacy see through in the nicest places long sleeved bodysuit with my plaid scarf. I had also had a really heavy coat hanging on my arm for when we were outside. My hair had the front clipped back nicely and I decided to use a clear gloss on top of my red lipstick, that matched my scarf.

“All heads are going to turn to you”

“And...?”

“I wasn’t intending on sharing your attention tonight” he said chuckling at his own little joke “not that you can’t, it’s just that...”

“I know what you meant, Shawnie” I said grinning at him “shall we?” I asked offering my hand and he quickly grabbed it, kissing it lightly.

“Yeah” 

                                                          -*-

As we got there, someone already showed us our table, that was close to the big windows that presented us with the beautiful sightings through the whole dinner thing. We sat across from each other and they placed the menus on the table, quickly leaving us alone. I was completely speechless with the whole thing, still admiring the pretty view and the pretty boy in front of me. 

“Still with me?”

“Yeah, I’m just overwhelmed I guess” I said smiling softly at him.

“In a good way?”

“In the best way” I said as I felt him lacing our fingers together on the table “why did you do all this?”

“I just felt like it”

“Okay, why did you feel like it?”

“I wanted to spoil you a little, to compensate for my shitty friendship lately”

“You didn’t have to”

“I did”

“But I already forgave you”

“But I didn’t”

“You should” 

“I don’t want to argue with you”

“It’s fair, thank you for everything, this whole trip’s been incredible, specially because of you”

“I can say the same thing” he said bringing my hand to his lips softly “I love you and missed you way too much”

“Missed you too”

“But you won’t have to anymore, I won’t let you go anymore” 

“I hope you don’t” I said and he chuckled lightly.

“So, how’s college?”

“Hm, it’s nice...”

And that’s how we spent most of our night, lightly chatting and exchanging delicate caresses, something innocent but still too intimate for just a friendship. The whole dinner made me feel so special but so confused, it’s like he’s trying to tell me something but can’t, it’s weird to not read him like a book. 

As we were going upstairs, I started changing the weight from one leg to another due to the new heels and he noticed, literally swapping me off my feet making me giggle. He chuckled on the elevator and held me close, carrying me bridal style to our rooms, where he placed me on my bed and gave me some space to shower or change into my pj’s. So I decided to take one last shower and when I left I saw him looking like such boyfriend material my heart sank on my chest. 

“Hey” 

“Hey, Shawn, are you going to sleep in here?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t mind the company”

“I don’t”

“Great” he said offering me his hand, which I took and he pulled me onto the bed, making me fall on his chest laughing.

“Hi” I said a little lower since I was practically on top of him, with our faces mere inches from the other. 

I saw him swallowing hard and that made my heart stop. I tried getting up but his arms kept me there in a vice grip, no letting me move an inch. His gaze dropped to my lips and it was my turn to swallow hard and start to have a heart attack. His pink tongue appeared to wet his pout and I didn’t dare to look away, which made me feel incredibly warm on the right places. 

He leaned in even closer, so close I could feel his breath on my lips and his brushing against mine. My eyes fell shut as I stood as hard as a stone on his arms, trying not to move as much as I could. But when I decided to lean even closer to crash my lips on his he pulled away, looking at the Eiffel Tower outside. That was it, I couldn’t take anymore.

“You are always saying I can’t do this or that to you, but you are definitely not allowed to do that” I said taping his chest and getting up making him sit up.

“What are you talking about?”

“You just can’t okay? Isn’t that what you always say to me?!”

“Y/N... honey, listen” he said stretching his hand on my direction but I took a step back.

“No, YOU listen!” I said pointing at his face “you can’t show up out of nowhere and do this to me, after months of not even calling me and treating me like a princess! Just so in two months you find someone new who’ll only break your heart so you’ll come back to me to glue all the pieces back in, this is fucking unfair, Shawn”

“Y/N...”

“Don’t” I said looking outside “you won’t do this to me again okay? I’m not falling for your tricks again”

“Which tricks are you talking about?”

“Oooh, now you don’t know?” I asked sarcastically, feeling the lump on my throat forming and the tears trying to spill. Fuck! 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Of course you don’t, you don’t even notice you do this! How could I’ve been so dumb?! Ooh you’re so good, Mendes”

“You’re not making any sense, please look at me, honey, explain it”

“I’m trying to!” I said looking his way when I felt the first tear roll down my face “I’ve been trying to tell you for years but you’re just a dumb boy! What I’m trying to say is you can’t come around when you’re not with a girl just to make me feel like I’m the only one you care about, taking me to dinners, cuddling till I’m asleep, calling me ‘baby’ and stuff, taking me to Disney, taking me to fancy dinners, almost kissing me and then just giving up, you can’t do this to me, not when I’ve always been here and always been fucking in love with you, and the worst part is that you don’t even notice it! God, you’re just so good, I wish I could hate you! I...”

“You love me love me?” He asked cutting me off.

“That’s all you got from what I’ve said?!”

“Shut up for a second, dummie”

“Shawn...”

“No, just think” he said and I sat down in front of him “when was the last time you saw me doing all of this for a girl? Never! And that’s because I’ve been in love with you for ages, you idiot! I’ve never acted on it because I thought you would reject me and I would lose you for real, like not having you even as a friend”

“You called me an idiot?!”

“Y/N, this really doesn’t matter right now, does it?” He asked softly cupping my face on his big hands and I shook my head “I love you and only you, and I’m sorry I’ve made you think differently, and it’s always been you, since I’m a teenager, or not even then, I’ve never wanted someone as bad as I do now”

“I love you too” I said barely in a whisper and he smiled so brightly that he could light up this whole town as he pulled me to straddle his thighs.

“Now I know, honey” he said hugging me tight by my waist and kissing my forehead making me shake my head “What?”

“Wrong place, asshole” I said and he only chuckled lightly, leaning closer to me and rubbing our noses lightly together.“

You’re the worst” he said brushing his lips with mine.

“I know, and you love it” I said finally crashing out lips together.Kissing him felt like nothing I’ve ever thought about, not even close, not even in my wildest dreams. His lips felt like heaven. The perfect combination between soft and firm, sweet but filled with desire, and in the right pace. Everything fell into place. When his tongue met mine I literally melted, and released the softest moan I could but he listened and deepen the kiss in seconds. 

“You’re literally perfect” he said breaking the kiss to recover his breath and rested his forehead against mine “I’m so sorry”

“For what?”

“For waiting way too long to talk to you and to kiss you”

“I’ll forgive you...”“You will? As in you haven’t yet?!”

“Hm... dunno, maybe you should kiss me again to help me forgive you faster” I said and he chuckled.

And that’s how we almost lost breakfast on the next morning to check out, because we simply couldn’t keep our hands off each other and ended up going too late to bed, but at least was worth it. He’s always worth it.                

                                                            -*-

*a few months later*

“Okay, what are the reasons that I should move in with you again?” I asked laying with my foot propped against the headboard of my bed as I spoke with Shawn that was on the bathroom getting ready for bed in my tiny apartment. 

“Well, first, my bed is bigger”

“I can always buy a bigger bed” I said playing with the strings of my (his) hoodie.

“My place is bigger and safer”

“I don’t care about the size, you should know that by now, Mendes” I said obviously mocking him, but he turned on the bathroom to face me, and even though I was seeing him upside down, I could see the furrow on his brows “I’m kidding, baby, don’t be mad at me”

“I’m not punishing you with tickles right now because I’m trying to make a point here and you look so damn cute in my clothes” he said closing the bathroom door coming to the room and sitting at the end of the bed “oh, and you know damn well that size is not the problem here, neither is making you c...”

“Okay, okay, I was joking, I’m sorry, I know” I rapidly cut him off feeling my face heat up.

“Okay, back to the real deal, my place is the same distance from college and I go to the same school as you, we could go together, less gas and driving involved”

“Keep going”

“You wouldn’t need to worry about packing every single time you go there and neither would I, we could always wake up next to each other, it would be cheaper since we would be sharing bills”

“Anything else?”

“I would always be there for you physically when you need me, we can split chores, be in each other’s company, it’s closer to your parent’s house, Flo can come visit you and sleep on the guest room, I would be able to spoil you...”

“You already do that”

“And even though our relationship thing is a little over ten months, we’ve known each other forever and I’ve always loved you, so you don’t have to afraid of us not working out, we’ve been for the past twenty years!”

“Shawn...”

“What?” He asked softly, playing with my hair but I quickly sat up to not let his sweet touches mess up with my mind.

“It’s late, I had a tough week and so did you, can we talk about this some other day?”

“Honey, you’ve been putting this conversation off for a month now!”

“I know, I just want to think clearly about this and for that I need space and time” I said holding his hand and kissing it gently “I’m sorry, baby”

Shawn sighed heavily and nodded, letting go of my hand and getting up.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m not supposed to leave?”

“No! Are you insane? Why would you think that?”

“You said you needed time and space, I was going to give you that” he said lowering his head.

I kneeled on the bed and dragged myself to the end of the bed to cup his face, forcing him to look at me.

“Baby... I didn’t mean for you to go, I need you here with me right now, okay?”

“I’m sorry”

“For what, Shawnie?”

“For being so insistent and annoying”“You’re not, baby, I swear, I understand you, I really do, and you don’t annoy me at all, I actually find it really cute”

“So you’re not mad at me?” He asked and I shook my head “so you’re actually considering moving in with me?”

I nodded and I saw a glimpse of hope between so much love pouring out of his eyes and whole body language that in that moment I knew I was hooked with him forever.

“I love you so much” I said softly wrapping my arms around his neck and his hands flew to my waist.

“I love you more” he said kissing me as if I was made of glass, so softly and gently that I could barely enjoy it enough “let’s get some sleep, eh? I know you haven’t been able to sleep well the past few days, I hope I can finally help with that” he said pulling the duvet for me.I laid back on my side of the bed and covered myself as I felt Shawn’s side dip under his weight. 

He delicately pulled me to his chest, where I rested my head to listen to his steady heartbeat to lure me to sleep, one of his hands rubbing up and down my back while the other was tangled in my hair, caressing it softly. I place a gentle kiss on his chest and I felt him give a gentle squeeze on the back of my neck in return. He turned off the lights and I hugged him tighter to me, taking in his scent to clear my head.

“Shawn?” I called him barely in a whisper after a few minutes of pure silence and finally feeling my whole body relax against his warm form.

“Hm”

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah, anything wrong, honey?” He asked with concern laced on his voice.

“Actually, there is something wrong but can easily be fixed”

“And what is it?”

“My place is kinda small, my bed sucks, it’s not the safest apartment, it’s not that close to my parents house, it’s not the cheapest and I have to do all on my own, Flo always have to sleep at the living room or with me, I always have to pack to go to your place, I have to walk alone or drive everyday alone to campus, you’re not always here to wake up with me and to be here physically whenever I need you” 

“Oh, yeah? And what do you suggest us to do to solve that problem?” He asked playfully, the smile clear on his voice.

“I guess I should move in with you then” I said simply shrugging and he chuckled.

“Okay, sweetheart, I think you should really sleep now” he said kissing the top of my head and I place my chin on his sternum, starring at him as best as I could with the only source of light being from the moon. 

“But I’m actually serious” I said and I saw realization hit him “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and you’re actually right in every single point you’ve made, it would be best for both of us, and I know our parents would love it actually” 

“Are you really saying that you’re moving in with me?”

“Yes, Shawn, I want to move in with you, whenever you want me to” I said and I swear his smile could light up the whole apartment.

“Oh my God, Y/N, are you really serious? You swear?!”

“I do, baby, I swear, this is not a joke, I just finally realize how much I love you and need you with me”

“I love you too, oh my God” he said crashing his lips on mine, this time not as gentle as before.

He was quickly licking into my mouth like he had the whole time on the planet, with so much passion and love that I almost melted in his embrace. His hand on my back was holding me so tightly against him like I was going to escape or disappear, and the hand at the back of my neck was also holding me in place.

I grabbed a fist full of his curls, tugging lightly at it, electing a low moan from him, followed by a sequence of pecks all over my face, including my lips and the tip of my nose. Finally when he stopped his ‘assault’ on my face, I placed my forehead on top of his brushing or noses together, trying to catch my breath. 

“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me” he said softly “you and that trip to Paris”

“Where everything started”

“No, honey, where everything fell into place” he said placing one last kiss on my lips before guiding me into dreamland.

The End 

                                                    -*-

*Thank you guys so much for sticking with me until the end of this series, it’s actually really sad to announce this, but still, I’m so thankful for everyone who liked, reblogged and supported this series in general, so yeah, thank you so much, this meant a lot to me

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know if I’m supposed to keep posting.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo*

-🌙

@fivefeetapartt​

[itallcomesdown]

TGI Tuesday

Something intensely un-good was happening to Yvonne.

She was missing calls. Daydreaming. Humming and smiling to herself.

These were not normal.

Yvonne didn't notice the change at first but, looking back, she knew when it started.

It had started four days prior, on a Tuesday. Worst day of the week because you haven't braced for it like Monday, it's pre-the-work-week-hump and it always feels like there's three years before lunch but then 6 second until EOD.

Anyway, it's a Tuesday. Yvonne is wearing Tuesday-ish clothes. Nothing fancy. A little bookish, a little muted. No meetings, no lunches, no plans.

Just a fucking Tuesday.

Except not just a fucking Tuesday because that was the day she walks in. Like a warm breeze in autumn, full of non-specific nostalgia and hope for a little more good weather.

Damn. That kind of flowery bullshit was also not normal. This was clearly getting worse...

She walks in like it was nothing. Like she was not heartbreak waiting to happen. she walks in, right, and just smiles.

Who does that? Who smiles like that? Like- Stop. Yvonne put a heavy lid on that little line of evocative imagery.

So, she smiles. But not at her. She was smiling at Yvonne's colleague, Adam.

Adam was a perfectly nice guy but Yvonne spent as little time with him as she could. It wasn’t personal, it was just better if she kept her coworkers at arms length. Life is too short to spend it doing drinks with Lisa from accounts. Again, nothing personal.

The smiling spreads ripples around the office. Everyone was hot and bored so this new energy was invigorating. The urge to smile infects some but mostly it sparks whispers.

Yvonne's desk mates gossiped around her. They'd grown too weary of her polite brevity to try to include her but this time her ears tuned in.

From hushed snippets, she pieced together that this was some kind of relative of Adam's, staying with him for a few days. Apparently Adam had been lobbying for time off to play host to this highly favoured relative but it fell through. When talk shifted to whoever's early labour torpedoed Adam's plan, Yvonne switched off again. She hadn't even realised anyone was pregnant and obviously she was too late to invest in that story line.

Adam's whole body lit up at the sight of his family member standing near the entrance of the open plan office. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe their movements towards each other as "bounding", not unlike littermates reunited after a long separation. But surely these two had seen each other that morning?

Yvonne picked up her mug, along with the pretense of nonchalance, and walked over to the small crowd that had formed around her colleague and his new visitor. She didn't want to get too close, she just wanted to bask in the warmth of her- Nope. She rapped her fingers against the plan white cup, trying to drown out her softer self.

Lost in her attempts to regulate her emotions, Yvonne didn't notice that she was in the middle of a plan being hatched. The relative had come to pick Adam up for lunch and extended the invitation to any willing party in the office. It'd be a short walk to a street food market then a leisurely stroll through a park on their way back.

A tap on her shoulder nudged Yvonne out of her daze.

Was she coming?

To?

Before she heard the answer, that smile caught her eye. This time, it's full brilliance was directed at her.

She nodded without internalising what she was agreeing to. It didn't matter. She would walk a thousand miles for that smile. Fuck.

The pack scattered and regrouped in the time it took Yvonne to remember that she needed to put her mug back. She got swept up in the mass exodus before she made it to her desk. Someone took her cup out of her hand and spirited it away as they hustled her out of the office. It was an ambitious trip, they had to make good time on the first leg or they'd have to rush back.

The cheery horde funneled down the stairs and out the door into the open air, chatting amongst themselves and around Yvonne. She was not a regular fixture at non-mandatory work social events so she fell through the cracks as friendship groups found each other. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She could spend the time thinking about what to do with the meal she'd brought from home that was sitting in the communal fridge.

Arms folded and shoulders tight, she ran through her options in her mind. Would it keep til the next day? Should she take it home and eat it? Maybe if she just bought a drink at this food market, she could eat her lunch at her desk while finishing her reports...?

One of the splinter groups slowed to let Yvonne catch up and the apparent leader struck up a conversation. Had she ever been to the market before? Did she have any food allergies? Was there something she was hoping to find?

Yvonne sense the group wanted more than her three short no's so she added a little colour. She was a fan of spicy food and had once gone to a food festival which featured competitive eating. She had, on the spur of the moment, decided to try her hand but came 3rd from last out of ten.

The group seemed more impressed than she expected! They all congratulated her on trying, each insisting they would have passed out if given anything hotter than supermarket sweet chili sauce. Yvonne felt her own smile tugging at her lips but she didn't let herself feel it.

Getting to the market took less time than expected and Yvonne had been too busy small talking to finish meal planning. It didn't matter though because she never would have envisioned the array of options. It was almost overwhelming and made worse by the heat of the sun which seemed to linger at its peak long after noon.

Someone from the splinter group fell into step with Yvonne and began chatting energetically about a particular stalls which specialised in gluten free fried chicken. The sauces were apparently to die for but this person had avoid one of the options because it had a five chili rating. May Yvonne would like to give that one a go?

Yvonne didn't know how to say no to this new, earnest friend. They'd listened to her, thought about what she would like and then came forward with an idea for her. She'd have to eat her packed lunch for dinner and muscle through these wings to avoid awkwardness but honestly, Yvonne wasn't mad at it.

The wing stall was a little deeper into the market than the stalls most of the group had picked. Yvonne followed closely behind her workmate. Bobbing as they bobbed and weaving as they weaved. It was only a few moments but something about the synchronised movements felt fun, though Yvonne couldn't put her finger on the memory that was causing it.

Before she could fully assess, Yvonne bumped into her colleague who had abruptly stopped to greet someone. Actually, two people. Adam and his relative were a metre away and beaming. Yvonne felt sick.

She was completely caught off guard. All these new feelings and interactions had pushed the original purpose of this excursion out of her mind. Now, faced with the object of her curiousity and with hardly any buffer between them, Yvonne was beginning to regret her decision to leave the safety of her desk.

Adam spear headed the unification of the two pairs into one, hungry super-group. They were both looking for the wing stall and his relative, a cousin, was keen to try the hottest sauce available. What a wonderful coincidence! Obviously this merger had been pre-ordained. They would search as a unit. Eight eyes were better than four.

Yvonne's arms crossed themselves over her chest. She hadn't even noticed them relaxing down to her side but the tension was back. Adam was keen to introduce her to Jules who was keen to say her name over and over as part of a memory trick. Six to make it stick...s. Everyone chuckled.

Ali, Adam, Jules and Yvonne. From 13, to 2, to 4, but still no food. Time was ticking away.

Ali took charge of the expedition in peak Ali-fashion, or at least what appeared to be a pretty consistent pattern of behaviour over the 20 minutes Yvonne had observed. Being the only two who had ever see the intended destination, Adam and Ali paired up to lead the pack. It was a second or two before Yvonne realised what that meant.

If you've ever seen a dog chase a car and then have no idea what to do when the car stopped, Yvonne was the dog. Feeling infinitely foolish and clinically awkward, she wordlessly fell into step with the reason she was out in the sun, hunting an elusive chicken wing vendor on a Tuesday afternoon.

Jules seemed content to maintain the silence but with far less observable angst. Yvonne pondered the causal relationship between hotness and being able to withstand heat because, while she was painfully aware of the sweat under her rather flimsy blouse, Jules seemed icy cool in an uncomfortably thick hoodie. While Yvonne's hair clung to the moisture from her scalp, Jules' shoulder length locks seemed completely unaffected.

Yvonne realised that Jules had noticed her stares later than she should have. There was that fucking smile again. If her cheeks could glow red, they would. They talked. It was nice. Jules was staying with Adam until paperwork for a rental was approved. Adam had a spare room and loved having guests, it gave him an excuse to do tourist shit. He had a surprising fondness for kitsch.

Jules had the kind of voice you wanted to listen to and a laugh you wanted to share and hair you wanted to run your fingers through and lips- You get the picture. Jules drew you in then made you feel like you were meant to be there.

They walked and talked and smiled and laughed and bumped into each other as they maneuvered through the crowd. Yvonne's heart didn't know whether to race or jump for joy so instead it just pumped hard enough for her to feel it in her earlobes. If only the hour could last forever.

That wistful thought snapped Yvonne back to reality. She stopped. Where were Ali and Adam? Where was the rest of the group? What was the time?

Gone, gone and too late to keep hunting for the stall. She would have to walk pretty briskly to make it back on time. Jules quickly understood her wordless panic and grasped her upper arm to reassure her and then grabbed her hand, leading the way.

Half walking half running, they made it back to the main doors with enough time for Yvonne to catch her breath. More laughter. They could both do with paying more attention to their cardio.

Maybe they could be workout buddies?

Yvonne grinned, nodding enthusiastically as she breathed deeply. She had a couch to 5k app on her phone that she had never opened. Jules asked to see it so she obliged.

As she handed over the unlocked device, Yvonne noticed a familiar face in the distance. It was Adam and Ali, each carrying a pair of boxes and mildly confused expressions. They'd forged ahead but didn't notice the separation until they had reached their destination. Once there, Ali ordered while Adam called Jules. The minutes ticked away so eventually they decided to head back to home base.

Yvonne sincerely apologised for wasting their time and reached for her phone, intending to pay them back on the spot for the food, but Jules pulled it just out of her grasp.

"It was my fault, I owe all of you so I'll get you back for today and then I'll take you all out for lunch again this week?"

She was about to protest but then Yvonne noticed something pass between the cousins. Ali opened his mouth to respond but Adam spoke over him. It was fine, he and Ali had managed to eat as they walked so Jules shouldn't worry about them.

"I guess that leaves just me and you."

They'd been texting and calling everyday since then. It was sickening. The make-up lunch got pushed into the weekend then became a dinner then a dinner before a small comedy show. A full on date but without the word.

In the time between that Tuesday afternoon and the Saturday evening Yvonne had planned 6 different outfits, two comprising of clothes she panic bought on Thursday. One included a heeled boot that she had to fish out from under her bed. None of them fit like she wanted them to.

By the time Jules was 20 minutes away, Yvonne had pulled together a 7th option that she convinced herself would do. They had met on a Tuesday where Yvonne had dressed like a Tuesday so all she had to do was look a little better but not so drastically different that she looked like she was trying too hard.

The Final Outfit gave solid Thursday afternoon vibes.

Nothing fancy. A little fun, a little playful. Some sparkle, some flair, some skin.

[epchapman89]

Coffee At The Movies: The Fate Of The Furious

Sprudge contributor Eric J. Grimm sneaks coffee in tho Manhattan’s finest movie parlors for this, an ongoing series of film criticism on Sprudge. This week’s very special attraction is The Fate of The Furious in 4DX sensurround. 

Sixteen years ago, NOS-fueled street races and a Ja Rule soundtrack went a long way toward creating a must-see experience. In a show of awe-inspiring endurance, The Fast and the Furious franchise, perhaps the most improbably successful original movie franchise, has gotten steadily bigger and more dazzling with each entry as it has expanded from its origin as Point Break with cars to a biennial save-the-world spectacle. The trajectory makes it feel like anything is both possible and necessary. When James Bond went to space, it was a cop-out. When Dominic Toretto and gang get there, it will be about damn time.

While the ragtag family of racers and hackers don’t lift off in The Fate of the Furious (that it isn’t stylized The F8 of the Furious is one of the cruelest teases in recent memory), it boasts endless car flips and explosions and a tank and submarine ice ballet finale that’s ludicrously charming. All of this is promised in the trailer and there was only one way for me to experience the madness: in 4DX.

4DX is a ridiculous immersive experience akin to watching a movie on a roller coaster. Your seats shake, wind, rain, and fog shoot out at you, and smells fill the room. For someone who wants to feel like I’m in car chase while smelling Vin Diesel’s sweat, it would probably be worth a steep $25 ticket. Having not experienced 4DX yet, however, I was concerned that it wouldn’t go far enough in making me feel like I was in the middle of those car chases. A little seat rumbling wasn’t going to cut it. To see how far the technology would go, I decided to put it to the test by sneaking in a cup of coffee, pouring it into a ceramic cup, and seeing if I could hold it steady.

I chose the Regal E-Walk Stadium 13 in beautiful Times Square, because it felt necessary to go all the way with what would surely be a sensory overload. Just three blocks away, the Fashion District Cafe Grumpy serves great coffee to mask the smell of so many Nuts 4 Nuts carts. Barista Jake Hendrix poured a coffee so lovely, it felt a shame to secure it in a travel mug and take it into a sticky movie theater in New York’s grossest neighborhood, but into my backpack it went along with some leftover endless apps from a nearby TGI Fridays. [American flag emojis]

I poured the Shamba from Burundi into my own ceramic mug just a minute before the film started. As lavender and lemon overwhelmed my taste buds, the movie and the theater itself kicked into full gear to assault the rest of my senses. An explosive opening sequence tilted the seats in every direction with such unexpected force as to spill my coffee all over my t-shirt. It took less than a minute for 4DX to show me how hard it went. While I could’ve used some warm air from the film’s many fires to dry my shirt, I was sufficiently distracted by how the seat-shaking experience gave me an intimate connection with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Not schtick: The Author doused in a mug of Grumpy Burundi Shamba.

Johnson’s Luke Hobbs is already an aggressive force of nature in two dimensions, telling Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw that he’s going to “beat [his] ass like a Cherokee drum.” With 4DX, that incredibly hot promise is fulfilled. Every time Johnson pummels a punching bag, a human, or a car, your chair gently but firmly starts beating up your back, making for a uniquely erotic movie massage experience. Sure, the rest of it is all PG-13 violence, high tech nonsense, and over-the-top machismo but the gimmick of 4DX makes the thrill of the souped-up popcorn flick more intense, joyful, and as deeply felt as hot coffee soaking through my white t-shirt.

Cupping Score: 90 Notes: So. Nutty.

Eric J. Grimm is the pop culture writer at Sprudge.com. Read more Eric J. Grimm on Sprudge. 

Enjoy More Coffee At The Movies with Eric J. Grimm

The Revenant (cupped at 75)

Deadpool (cupped at 87)

Suicide Squad (cupped at 70)

Beauty & The Beast (cupped at 75)

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