#tiff3

[fluggedup]

"I wasn't flirting, I was being friendly." -Tiffany

Today had been a day like no other, where Randy had to force himself to become comfortable in the body of another person. His friend's brother, and apparently, Tiffany's friend. Randy had no idea that Tiffany and Dewey were friends, which wouldn't have been that weird normally... but between the bracelet in Dewey's room and the heart eye emojis next to her name in his phone, Randy couldn't help but be suspicious. Lucky for him, this weird day gave him the opportunity to find out the truth for himself. He'd confront it without her even knowing. His girlfriend seemed to be in an extra good mood today, which he wasn't sure was a good or bad thing. Was it because he wasn't around all day? It was actually refreshing though, seeing her not annoyed at him and genuinely smiling, to the point that he couldn't even be bothered about it. Instead, he tried being extra friendly to her as Dewey, testing the waters to see how she'd respond. It was hard to tell what the vibe was, especially since he'd never actually seen Tiff and Dewey hang out in the past. He smiled as she denied flirting, sort-of relieved but also planning to keep pushing a little bit, just to make sure. "Friendly? Well, I can be friendly too," he replied, smile still present. He wasn't even sure what to do, normally not so awkward as himself, but he wasn't himself. He didn't know what to do with his hands, unsure of how to be natural around his girlfriend when she thought he was someone else. Maybe he should put them in a different environment, something almost date-like. "Uhh .. Wanna get some fro-yo? I've kinda had a sweet tooth all day." @taffytm

[deweydewdrop]

Getting one last little laugh out of Tiffany before she left the ball was an accomplishment in itself, satisfied with their conversation as they went their separate ways. It was unfortunate that Dewey ran into Randy not long after, and the night had gone completely south from there. Now his family was pissed at him again, he was staying with his best friend, and he wasn’t sure how Tiffany was going to feel once she knew he and Randy got into a fight that night. He had been anxiously waiting for her to reach out to him since then, a small part of him wondering if she even would at all. Did he screw up his chances with her?

When she finally reached out for him to come over, Dewey was relieved but also nervous. He wasn’t sure what Randy had told her, how their conversation went together, and where Tiffany stood now. But there was only one way to find out. His face still sported some evidence of the fight when he got to her house, forcing a smile as she opened the front door. Normally he wouldn’t need to force a smile around her, but his nerves were making it more difficult this time. It wasn't like him to overthink so much. “Hey..”

Dewey pulled a little laugh out of Tiffany with his agreement that she was the toughest bitch he knew, and she was grateful that he was able to lighten her heart when it felt so heavy, even if it was hard to hype her up as “tough” when she had just been sobbing. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to see her like this again, once all this was settled and done. She promised to call him soon, and then went to find Candice.

After spending the night at her best friend’s house, Tiffany went back home the next day to break things off with Randy and found that things had somehow only gotten messier after she left. He and Dewey had gotten into a fistfight, and she was torn between being glad that she hadn’t witnessed it and sorry that she hadn’t been able to prevent it. Would her being there have helped, or made it worse? Randy had also told her some things that she wasn’t sure how to feel about, but after everything, she just wanted to talk to Dewey. She spent that night alone, letting herself feel the end of her relationship with Randy separately before calling and inviting Dewey over the next day, waiting anxiously until he was at the door.

[ronpe0524]

2019年10月の日記

■2019/10/1

手術から一週間。喉から呼吸している部分は一週間ごとに交換が必要とのことで、交換処置、の予定であったが経過良好とのことで一週間ほど早く口からの呼吸へ。喉の部分にはまだ穴が開いているのでそこを抑えながら声を出すと発声ができる！まだ何を云ってるのかわからないレベルではあるだろうけど、お見舞いにきた奥さんとなんとか話せるぐらい。そして口から呼吸できるようになったことにより看護師さんのサポートも減少。これにより個室から4人部屋に移れると云われる。もうすぐに移動させてもらう（個室の料金説明を聞いていたときの奥さんのこわい顔が頭の中でよぎったので）。トイレもなんとか一人で行けるようになった。

■2019/10/2

左足の部分を処置。この部分ははじめて自分で見たけどなかなかグロい。痛さからか、気持ち悪さからか、処置中に血圧が下がってしまう。ううう。発声や口の動きのリハビリもはじまる。Netflix『マィドハンター』S2E6と7を見る。Amazon prime『チェルノブイリ』S1E1を見る。

■2019/10/3

唇部分の抜糸など。そして全身のシャワーは無理だが、頭だけ洗ってもらえた。あー気持ちいい。左腕や体のリハビリも開始。両親がお見舞いに。会話も良いリハビリとなる。そして僕モテのおたよりできるぐらいにはなってきた。

■2019/10/4

ちょっとずつ回復はしている。動画とかも見るがやはりラジオとかの方が楽である。Netflix『イン・ザ・トール・グラス －狂気の迷路』を見る。あとブルーハーブのLIVE配信もみる。

■2019/10/5

勝手に空調を切ってしまう同室のクソジジイが退院した。これで暑くなくなるぞ。遅れてジミソラジオを聴いたらJimmieさんからエールが。嬉しい。DAZNで

鳥栖戦を見てがっかり。Netflix『マィドハンター』S2E8と9を見る。これで完走。圧巻だ。フィンチャー以外の演出陣も凄いよ。

■2019/10/6

今日はついに娘がお見舞いに来てくれた。用意してきたマジックを披露してくれた。最高ですね。WOWOWオンデマンド『エージェント・オブ・シールド』S6E10を見る。Netflix『ジェシカ・ジョーンズ』S3E5と6を見る。

■2019/10/7

僕モテPodcastを聴いたら伯周さんたちからのエールが。嬉しいです、がんばります。ついにゼリー食のテスト。小さいゼリーを15分かけて完食。りんご味、うまかった。YouTube『Kobra kai』S2E2を見る。WOWOWオンデマンド『エージェント・オブ・シールド』S6E11を見る。

■2019/10/8

引き続きゼリー食のテスト。午後にはけんす君がお見舞いに来てくれた。TIFFの冊子を持参し。僕の発声では7割のぐらいしか聞き取れなかったかもしれないが、久々に映画の話をいろいろできて楽しかった。部分的でも良いからTIFFには行きたいな。夕方には奥さんが来て、担当医から病理解剖の説明。完璧な結果、ではなかったけどできることは全部やってもらった感じである。もちろんこの先も検査は続けていかなくてはならないけど、手術を受けることができて本当に良かった。

■2019/10/9

ついにペースト食（ドロドロごはん）が開始。ゆっくりだけど食べれた。南瓜は食べれなかった。これは南瓜が好きじゃないからです。リハビリの先生に説明して恥ずかしかったが。。頭も洗ってもらってさっぱり。

■2019/10/10

まだまだPCは使えなさそうなのでスマホ打ちで9月の日記を書き終えた。しんどかった。反響もいただく。ペースト食ははじまったがまだ鼻の管が抜けない。水分を一日1リットルぐらい飲めるようになれば抜けると。うーむ。体調は悪くない気がするんですが微熱が続く。午後は両親がお見舞いに。親戚のおばさんから手紙もいただく。退院したら会いに行かないと。フィルメックスのラインナップが出た。こっちはたくさん観たいな。BS録画『刑事ルーサー』E9と10を見る。

■2019/10/11

ついに鼻から食事をするために入れていた管が抜けた。これであらゆる管が抜けた。シャワーもそろそろ浴びられるだろうか。看護師さんたちに文句ばっか云ってる隣のベッドのクソジジイBが担当医に外泊を勧められたのに、台風が来るから、とかなんとか云って断っていた。チッ。Netflix『愛なき森で叫べ』を見る。

■2019/10/12

台風による雨量がすごいらしい。病院にいるとあまり感じないのですが。TIFF発売日。今回の入院ではじめてPCを立ち上げる。基本的まだキーボードが打てないのでぜんぜん使ってなかった。まず12時の発売、アジアの未来など。がしかし12時は病院のお昼ごはん時間。これを食べなきゃならない。どうしよう、と思っていたら自分のチケット取り終えた奥さんから連絡あり。僕のやつも頼む！とお願いしたらあっさり4枚取ってくれた。16時は特招の1枚のみ。今度こそ頑張るぞ！と挑むが、これも開始1分で奥さんが取ってくれた。ありがたいとです。退院したら大金を支払うことになりそうです。WOWOWオンデマンド『エージェント・オブ・シールド』S6E12を見る。

■2019/10/13

顔に左側がかなり腫れている。なんなら手術直後より腫れている感じがするのだけど、この腫れは収まるのだろうか。看護師さんバケツで足湯を準備してくれた。足がカッサカサだったので助かる。なんと入浴剤付きであります。TIFFのチケ取り2日目。12時の回は僕が二枚、奥さんが一枚取ってくれて完了。順調だ。病院の最上階に眺めの良いラウンジ的な場所があるというので散歩がてら行ってみた。大したラウンジではないが誰も人がいないのが良い。ここで会社の上司らにメールを書いた。まだキーボードが使えないのでスマホで。スマホで英語を打つのは慣れてないので時間がかかる。16時のチケ取り、自分で三枚、奥さんに一枚取ってもらい終了。10分以内。今年は取る枚数が少なかったのもあるけど余裕だった。「チケット販売改善しろ！」とか「ぴあに戻せ！」みたいな声もあるけどとんでもない。もうこのシステムから変えないでほしい。WOWOWオンデマンド『エージェント・オブ・シールド』S6E13を見る。これでシーズン6完走。エピソード数を絞ったのが良かったのか、トリッキィでシリーズ中屈指の面白さだった。いよいよ次のシーズン7で完結。WOWOWで見れるのは来年のこの時期かな。

■2019/10/14

手術から3週間。来週には退院できるだろうか。午後は家族がお見舞いに来てくれた。娘は僕がうまく話せないのが面白いみたいだ。抜けていた歯が生えてきていて成長を感じる。奥さんに爪を切ってもらったりしてさっぱり。Amazon prime『キング・オブ・コメディ』を見る。

■2019/10/15

本日は昼ごはん抜きでCTの検査。検査が遅れに遅れたので腹ペコ。院内のコンビニでアイスを買って食べた。しみる。Amazon prime『タクシードライバー』を見る。

■2019/10/16

いままでペースト食というドロドロご飯だったやつを昼からソフト食というやつに変更。いきなりハンバーグが出た。ちょっとずつだけど食べれる。これならご飯もいけそう。全粥だった主食を夜から普通のご飯に。時間はかかるけど食べれる。まともな食事になってきた。Amazon prime『ダークナイト』を見る。

■2019/10/17

退院日が決定。嬉しい。予定していたスケジュールより少しだけ早い。午後、チートイツさんがお見舞いにきてくれた。ありがたい。映画祭や最近の映画の話など。チートイツさんと京都に行ってたのが大昔のような気がするけどまだ一ヶ月経っていないんだな。夜は僕が不在のMCTTが無事に（？）開催されたようだ。はじめて欠席してしまった。参加者のみなさんに感謝。参加者のみなさんが僕が���録音源を聴くことに了解してくれたようなので、退院したらまず『毒戦』観てみます。Amazon prime『ファイトクラブ』を見る。

■2019/10/18

午前中から奥さんに来てもらい栄養士さんに栄養指導を受ける。いよいよ退院の準備である。Netflix『ザ・ランドロマット パナマ文書流出』を見る。

■2019/10/19

左腕と左足の自宅での処置の方法を教えていただきいよいよ退院。看護師さん、ヘルパーさん、本当にお世話になりました。口腔外科の先生方、リハビリの先生、今後もお世話になります。両親が車で迎えにきてくれた。何度も病院にきてくれて感謝。帰宅すると娘はがそれはそれはよろこんでくれて、すぐに遊ぼう遊ぼうと容赦ない。治療中の左腕、左足をビニールでカバーするようにしてシャワーを浴びる。これは奥さんに手伝ってもらわないと現状無理だ。迷惑をかける。WOWOW録画『ドラッグ・ウォー 毒戦』を見る。ぐっすり寝る。

■2019/10/20

入院中ずっと続いていた微熱が帰宅後は下がっている。微妙に心配だったので嬉しい。午前中から父親が車を出してくれて床屋へ。さすが床屋さん、傷をさけるようにうまく髭を剃ってくれた。そしてさっぱり。実家でお昼ご飯をいただく。床屋に行っただけでまぁ疲れて昼寝をしてしまった。郵便局やコンビニに散歩がてら出かける。体を慣らさないと。帰宅して夜はラグビー見たり。入院中のWOWOW録画をチェック。ナンバーガールのLIVEが問題なく録画できていてホッとする。

■2019/10/21

さぁ映画リハビリ開始である。バスで昭島へ。バス停で待っているのも、バスの座席に座っているのも腰が痛い。5年前の病気の影響で元々腰は痛いのだけど、入院生活で体の筋力が弱ったのだろう。ここまで腰にダメージがくるとは盲点だった。MOVIX昭島で『ジョーカー』と『ジョン・ウィック:パラベラム』鑑賞。映画館の椅子は素晴らしいな。後半やや疲れたけど腰への痛みが少ない。ただ瞬間的に意識が飛びそうになることが何度かあった。夜だけで睡眠は8時間とっているので眠くはないはずなのだけど。身体がそこまで弱っているのか。書店で映画秘宝を買い、帰りは電車で帰宅。やはり腰が痛い。だんだんと取り戻していくしかないな。夜は奥さんに手伝ってもらい腕と足のガーゼ交換。なんとかガーゼを剥がし、ボディーソープで洗い、拭き取り、軟膏を塗って、ガーゼをして、包帯を巻く、という作業。今まで先生にやってもらってたやつをやらなければならない。緊張の作業。はじめてなので時間がかかったがなんとか完了。こりゃ大変だ。奥さんには感謝しかない。WOWOW録画 TOUR「 NUMBER GIRL」 at 日比谷野外大音楽堂2019.8. 18 を見る。かっこいい。WOWOWオンデマンドでのLIVE配信は見てたけど、こっちはきっちり編集されていて最高にかっこいい。

■2019/10/22

祝日の火曜日。雨だ。両親が車で迎えに来てくれて、娘と実家へ。お昼はマックのナゲットとポテトを食べる。ナゲットは細かく切って食べる感じだが、ポテトは右奥歯につっこむ感じで食べれることが判明。これは発見だ。外食でかなり役に立ちそう。実家でのんびり過ごす。昼寝もしてしまう。帰りに松屋に寄ってもらい、ごろごろ煮込みチキンカレーをテイクアウト。チキンを細かく切ってもらい奥さんとシェアして食べる。うまいっすねぇ。

■2019/10/23

朝一で病院へ。通勤時間なので電車がきつい。口の中、左腕、左足を処置してもらう。自宅でガーゼ交換したやつ、うまくできていたようでホッとする。書類の申請をしたり、病院の売店でガーゼを買ったり。帰りに会社の寄る。久々に会う面々に挨拶したり、健康相談室に顔出したり。まぁまぁ疲れた。立川へ移動。マックで軽く食べてからkino cinéma 立川高島屋S.C.館で『ボーダー 二つの世界』と『真実』を観る。『ボーダー』は通路側席が取れなくて、しかも途中で腹痛が。でもなんとか我慢。『真実』は通路側席で観れたが年配のご婦人方でいっぱいのキノシネマ。やはりまだ映画を観てるとお尻と腰が痛くなってしまうな。映画リハビリがまだ足りない。帰宅して夕飯食べてシャワー。最近、娘はだいたい一人でお風呂に入れるのだけど、それを見張ってる係を僕がやっている。娘は洗ったりするのが遅いので、もう待ってるだけで腰が痛い。寝かしつけまでしてお父さん業務終了。自分のシャワーを奥さんに手伝ってもらってる分、娘のお世話は僕が、というのは当面のパターンになりそうだ。

■2019/10/24

昨日の朝が早かったからだろうか、いつもより余計に���てしまう。娘を送り出したあとはのんびり過ごす。昼から立川へ。シネマシティで『毒戦 BELIEVER』鑑賞。『毒戦』がお題であったMCTTの音源も聴く。本来MCTTの収録音源は参加者のみへの共有ですが、今回は参加者の皆さんのご好意で僕も聴かせていただいた。感謝。すぐに感想を参加者の皆さんにDM。昭和記念公園の肉フェスへ。ハンバーグ丼だけ食べる。そう、ハンバーグは食べれるんですよ。駒場東大前へ移動。駅前のマックで休憩。マックシェイク最高。アゴラ劇場に向かおうとしたらマックのレジで今泉監督発見。劇場に着くとチートイツさんが（同回ということは知ってた）。いろいろ話す。今泉力哉と玉田企画『街の下で』観劇@こまばアゴラ劇場。二時間ほどの芝居を小劇場で観るのは身体的に不安もあったけど何とか観れた。チートイツさんと途中まで一緒に帰る。次に会うのは六本木だろうか。

■2019/10/25

朝から雨である。本当は今日も映画を観に行きたかったが、今の自分の状況だとなかなか難しい。 一日中家の中で過ごすのは好きじゃないんですがしょうがな���。お昼に奥さんがうどんを作ってくれた。最初は不安で短く切って食べてたけど、いけるんじゃ？と思い切らずに一本ずつ食べたら大丈夫だった。けっこう嬉しい。夕飯は奥さんが（『孤独のグルメ』の影響で）作ったロールキャベツ。食べやすくていいね。Amazon prime『モダン･ラブ ～今日もＮＹの街角で～』S1E1を見る。Netflix『ルディ・レイ・ムーア』を見る。

■2019/10/26

本日、娘は通ってた幼稚園のハロウィンパーティ。今年はアリスのコスプレです。朝から両親に車を出してもらい幼稚園まで送る。どうせ昼には迎えに行かなくてならないので両親とファミレスで暇つぶし。ちょうどファミレスの窓から箱根駅伝の予選会が見えてなんか得した気分。娘をピックアップして帰宅。着替えさせ軽くランチ。今度は小学校のわいわい祭なるイベントへ。校庭でミニゲームなどができる。奥さんはPTAとして朝からこちらで働いていたわけです。一通りミニゲームをやってお菓子やオモチャをGET。友達を見つけ勝手に遊ぶ娘。普段学校で友達と遊ぶ姿を見てないのでこれはこれで貴重な機会なのですが、そこらへんに腰掛けていてもお父さんは腰が痛いのです。しばらくして奥さんにSOSを送り代わってもらった。帰宅して横になる。もっと歩いたりして筋力を回復させないと。夜は奥さんも疲れたようで寿司の出前だ。銀のさらだ。僕は口が開かないのでばらちらし。うまかったですばらちらし。そして家では二度目のガーゼ交換。慣れてきたけどやっぱ痛いー。

■2019/10/27

日曜日。朝から娘と立川の図書館へ。お昼ごはんの焼き鳥を買って帰る。帰り道で腰がかなり痛くなる。まだまだだな。午後はのんびりすごし、夜はイオンシネマむさし村山へ。いつもなら自転車で行くのだけど、ちょっと左腕のことを考えると無理そうなので、実家で車を借りて向かう。まぁ車も乗れるか試したかったのもある。首を手術した影響でやや左後方の確認が難しい。それ以外は大丈夫そうだ。イオンシネマむさし村山で『向こうの家』鑑賞。「インディペンデント映画応援プログラム」という枠での上映らしいですがありがたい。

■2019/10/28

TIFF開幕ですが今日は六本木には行かず。午前中から吉祥寺へ。UPLINK吉祥寺で『キング』鑑賞。さとうのメンチとコロッケを買って帰宅。メンチとコロッケをちょっとずつ食べる。うまい。午後はのんびりYouTubeでTIFFのレッドカーペットを見る。昨日はシャワー浴びれなかったので夕方にシャワー。夜は再び吉祥寺へ。普通は走り出す＋異能・渡辺紘文監督特集-大田原愚豚舎の世界-『そして泥船はゆく』鑑賞@ UPLINK吉祥寺。BS録画『刑事ルーサー』E11を見る。

■2019/10/29

朝から雨である。午前中の映画をまた吉祥寺で観よう��思っていたが準備が間に合わず。正確に云えば娘の準備に時間がかかりすぎた。なので午前中は家でのんびり。奥さんと使ったことのない拝島ライナーについてなど調べる。昼から六本木へ。僕のTIFFは今日から開幕です。TIFF1本目 ワールド・フォーカス『ゴーストタウン・アンソロジー』鑑賞＠ EXシアター六本木。いきなりEXシアターでしたが映画祭はじまった感。チートイツさんと同回&超席が近い。帰りはヒルズまで一緒に。チートイツさんはこれからお仕事とのこと。お疲れ様です。僕はこれ一本だけ観て帰る。腰や足が痛い現状を考えると問題は電車移動なのです。早朝や夜遅くなど、電車が混雑する時間の移動は難しい。なので昼の上映を観て、早いうちに帰宅する、という感じ。TIFFにまったく行けない可能性もあったので、もう今年はこれで我慢。ちなみに奥さんはコンペの『ディスコ』を観ていて時間差で帰宅。帰ってきてから感想を聞く。Q&A含めて面白かったようだ。フィルメックスのスケジュールが出たの予定を立てる。なるべく遅い回は行きたくないが、遅い回しかないのもある。RHYMESTERリキッドもある。ZAZENは今回あきらめよう。そしてルーキー映画祭吉祥寺の予定も仮組み。複雑だ。体調を考慮しほどほどにしてこれなのだから、普通の状態ならどうなっていたのだろうか。TV録画『レジェンド・オブ・トゥモロー』S1E15とE16を見る。これでシーズン1完走。いわゆるアロー・バースのDCドラマは適度にゆるくて良い。

■2019/10/30

午前中から映画祭へ。六本木でなく麻布十番駅からヒルズに向かう。途中のサンモリッツで原宿ドックとシベリアを買ってランチに。TIFF2本目 CROSSCUT ASIA ♯06 ファンタスティック！ 東南アジア『停止』鑑賞＠ TOHO六本木。Q&Aありだと映画祭って感じがしてやはり楽しいな。帰りは西武新宿から拝島ライナーを使ってみる。＋300円で指定席。電車で立っているのがきつい今の自分にはありがたい。夜は腕と足のガーゼ交換。ふー。TV録画『フラッシュ』S3E1を見る。

■2019/10/31

子供を学校に送り出した後、TV録画のドラマを見たり、YouTubeでTIFFの番組見たり。余裕のある朝。昼から麻布十番へ。けんす君と福島屋へ。けんす君は初福島屋。昔おでんの定食と追加のちくわぶ。かなり時間はかかったけど完食できて良かったー。ヒルズに移動して僕がいつも映画祭中に休憩してる場所でchill out。天気も良くて気持ち良い。けんす君とわかれシネマズへ。TIFF3本目 コンペティション『マニャニータ』鑑賞。チートイツさんも同回だったと思うけど見つけられず。カトウシンスケさんは見つけた。昨日も見かけたし、本当によくTIFFにきている。Q&Aも最後まで堪能。駅に向かっていると大屋根あたりで子供連れてる松江監督がいた。周りの人たちに子供がかわいいかわいいと云われていた���今日も帰りは拝島ライナー。今度は高田馬場から乗ってみた。便利だ。TV録画『フラッシュ』S3E2を見る。そんなこんなで10月もおわり。

[redcarpet-looks]

Taylor Swift @ Toronto International Film Festival 2013

[fluggedup]

The pause as Tiffany began to answer had Randy anxiously waiting for what she planned to say. He’d never been so observant about his girlfriend in all the years they’d been together; it was insane to think that a situation such as a freak body swap was what it took to make the male actually pay attention. How she responded was crucial though, for it would give him a better understanding of Tiffany and Dewey’s dynamic and what she was comfortable telling him when Randy wasn’t around. He didn’t want to assume she’d talk shit, but the day was full of surprises as it was. Plus, she may have had information on where Randy’s body currently was while he was elsewhere in Dewey’s.

Then, she smiled, and Randy’s curiosity grew even more as she expressed how they went on a beach picnic together. That was … very out of character for Randy, and he wondered if she picked up on that at all. Hearing that he was sweet and romantic when it wasn’t actually him was weirdly discouraging and confusing. At least he was getting the credit for it? But did that really make it any better? “Huh,” he breathed out in surprise, hands still in his pockets. “That’s… surprisingly cool,” he continued, trying to sound nonchalant but almost coming off as jealous. “I’m glad things are good between you two.” And he did mean that, even if it wasn’t himself who gave her a good day. He wasn’t sure if the statement came off insincere or not. Randy had so many questions in his mind but he was momentarily distracted as they arrived at their destination. He opened the door for Tiffany to the frozen yogurt shop and let her enter ahead of him. “Ladies first.”

The way Dewey was staring at her so intensely and obviously scrutinizing her made Tiffany want to put on her sunglasses. She was already feeling weird enough with the turn her thoughts had taken since she was reminded of Randy, and it was off-putting to feel like Dewey was actively trying to read her mind. It definitely didn’t help when he asked about her boyfriend, and his emphasis on “he” was certainly a choice that did not go unnoticed. Tiff raised her brows at him, but didn’t comment on his obviousness.

“He’s…” She started, but paused to consider what she actually wanted to tell him. There should be no reason she shouldn’t be honest about her relationship with someone who was just a friend, but some part of her still hesitated to shut Dewey down completely when she could tell he was always waiting for a chance to take his shot. Thinking back on the morning she’d had with her boyfriend, though, Tiff couldn’t help but smile; he deserved for her to hype him up, just like Dewey deserved not to be led on by her general lack of excitement towards her relationship, which she knew was probably the main thing continuing to give him hope. The way things were looking up that day really might spell out a game changer for her and Randy, the spark revived between them, so she needed to stop keeping her options with another man so…open. “He took me to the beach for a picnic earlier,” she admitted. “He was, like, super sweet and romantic this morning, too? I don’t know. It was just really nice. So, yeah, he’s good, we’re doing good.”

[deweydewdrop]

Although Dewey probably should have saved the sweet gestures for after Tiffany and Randy broke up, one hand still holding hers while the other rubbed her back soothingly, he genuinely couldn’t help himself. It had already been difficult enough holding back while they hung out as friends before this — once again, he was doing the things that Randy should have been doing, comforting and loving his girlfriend. Why did he make it seem like such a hard task? Dewey was able to effortlessly. As Tiffany nodded, the triplet smiled at her words. “The toughest bitch I know,” he replied playfully, in an attempt to get her to smile.

Even as he attempted to lighten the mood though, they both knew it was time for Tiffany to leave soon. Her sigh indicated it was that time, even if they didn’t want to separate yet. Nodding his head, Dewey finally let go of her hand, his other hand lingering on her back only a moment longer. “Anytime. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

She knew it was going to be hard. It was going to be rough as hell breaking up with Randy after so many years together, after a lifelong friendship that ran underneath their relationship and a life where they were so intertwined from their shared home to their career to their entire friend group. Tiffany didn’t feel ready right now to do it, but she knew that once she steeled herself, she would be. And she knew that by the end she was going to be okay, even if she wasn’t right now. She told Dewey as much with a nod as he asked her, answering with a hint of irony in her voice, “Yeah. I’m a tough bitch.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Tiff knew it was time to get up and get out of here. The longer she was here with Dewey, rubbing her back and kissing her hand, the less she wanted to leave, and that was dangerous where Randy could still come out of the ballroom and find them any time. She didn’t want anything to happen between the two men, which seemed inevitable if her almost-ex-boyfriend found them like this. “I think I’m gonna go find Candice and stay with her tonight. Thanks for being here for me.”

[fluggedup]

At least Randy knew she hadn't completely forgotten about him, watching her expression as he mentioned his favorite flavor combo. He was probably watching Tiffany more closely than ever before, listening to even the slight shift in her voice as she responded. It almost surprised him to hear his name get brought up, a relief but also strange. She clearly didn't have a problem talking about her boyfriend with Dewey, so what was up? He just didn't care that she was taken?

"Oh, yeah?" He tried not to sound too interested, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they continued toward the fro-yo shop. Randy seized the opportunity to get his girlfriend to talk about him more; he couldn't help but be curious about what his body had been up to all day, and what Tiffany might have to say. What was she comfortable with telling Dewey, exactly? Randy cleared his throat awkwardly, "So, uh .. What's he been up to?"

Chocolate and peanut butter wasn’t an unusual combination in any way, but it was such a Randy staple that Tiffany’s nose automatically scrunched in response to Dewey providing it as his flavor of the day. Maybe those two were such opposites that it just seemed weird they would even like the same thing…Then again, they both liked her, didn’t they? Maybe their tastes were similar after all. Tiffany felt immediately guilty thinking that. She had been having a great morning with her boyfriend earlier, but now here she was with Dewey, and…What did it mean that she kept comparing both of them? She loved Randy, but whenever he frustrated her, her mind swayed toward Dewey. Sometimes she could almost forget about her boyfriend entirely when with Dewey, but then something would remind her of him and she would get antsy.

“Yeah,” she said, hoping to sound normal when she answered. Dewey probably didn’t know how conflicted their friendship made her over something as simple as fro-yo. “Peanut butter cups, too. Those are Randy’s favorites,” she added. Tiff didn’t know why she had to bring him up, besides to remind both of them that he existed, that their relationship status meant he was always here, between them, even when he wasn’t.

[deweydewdrop]

Finally being able to kiss Tiffany after so much waiting was an incredible feeling — like coming up for fresh air after being stuck underwater. He'd been drowning all this time, between the bombing and the heartache and the loneliness, and Tiffany was here to save him, finally. In a sense, they were saving each other, and maybe that was what made them so special. Even if they had technically kissed when he was in Randy's body, even if they'd kissed before when they had hooked up in the past, this was more special than any of those moments. It was the rainbow after the storm, at least he hoped so for Tiffany's sake; she didn't deserve to be hurt anymore.

Dewey wished he never had to pull away from the kiss, but there was an unspoken feeling that there would be plenty more in store in the future. Instead, he squeezed her hand too, with a small smile to remind her that it would be okay. I'm gonna break up with him would normally be a sad statement, but Dewey's heart was doing backflips in his chest at the news. He nodded his head in understanding, wanting to celebrate at the thought of them finally being together soon, but struggling to do so with seeing how hurt she still was. As her fingers pressed into her temples, Dewey brought his other arm up to rub her back soothingly. "Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere," he promised. With the hand that was holding hers, he brought their hands up so he could kiss hers softly. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Tiffany couldn’t bear to hear Dewey say that he destroyed everything he touched without proving him wrong, because he was touching her, and for at least a moment everything that made her feel unlovable disappeared and it was just them in the world and he needed to be kissed. For a few seconds, everything was perfect. Reality settled back in slowly as they pulled apart, the truth that Tiff was still in a relationship as of right now; even if she knew in her own heart that it was over, she had to make sure Randy knew it too before she continued moving forward with Dewey. Squeezing Dewey’s hand, she spoke softly but decisively, “I’m gonna break up with him.” He hadn’t asked her to, but she didn’t need him to. She didn’t need him to ask her out either—not yet. There was an unspoken understanding between them of what was happening here. They didn’t need to discuss it right now to know what the endgame of all this was going to be.

“I think I just need a night…I don’t even want to go home right now.” Tiff sighed, slowly detaching her hand from Dewey’s to press her fingers into her temples. The stress and crying was starting to get to her head. She offered a small, slightly strained smile and asked, “Can we talk in a couple days?”

[fluggedup]

Playing the part of someone else wasn’t that easy, especially when he hardly knew the person. Randy wasn’t an actor, but Tiffany didn’t seem like she was suspicious of him acting strange, so maybe he was doing alright so far. Normally, Randy wouldn’t even have to ask what Tiff was getting — she was typically pretty consistent with her favorite flavors. However, this weird situation he was stuck in had him wanting to question everything. If Tiffany was spending all this time with Louie’s brother without Randy knowing, what else didn’t he know? He wondered if half the things he knew about her were even true anymore, if she had changed right before his eyes and he’d been too distracted to realize.

His eyebrow quirked up. Peppermint? That wasn’t too out of character for her but still surprised him. Hearing her ask sweet or sour to him was strange for a moment, thinking how that was never Randy’s go-to, but he kept having to remind himself that this wasn’t him. Well, if she was going to catch him by surprise, he supposed that Dewey could too. As she bumped his arm with her shoulder, he forced a smile, trying so hard to stay in the moment. “Mm… Neither, actually. I think today’s a …. Chocolate peanut butter combo day. They had Reese’s Pieces there to sprinkle on top, right?”

It was pretty typical for Dewey to be adventurous with the flavors he tried, always wanting to shake things up, so Tiff wasn’t surprised to hear that today would be much the same. She was expecting him to go through every different option the place offered eventually. Probably the most predictable thing about Dewey was his unpredictability.

She shrugged at the question of what she was in the mood for as she led the way to the yogurt shop they’d visited last time they went for a fro-yo run together. Strawberry was her signature, her go-to for everything and anything that offered it as an option from flavors to scents to designs, but ever since they’d met Dewey had been inspiring her to be a little bolder with her choices.

“I might do, like, a peppermint bark thing with the peppermint crumbles and white chocolate,” she mused. It wasn’t winter yet, but peppermint being considered a seasonal flavor was dumb anyway. Screw the system. Tiffany smiled and bumped Dewey’s arm with her shoulder. “What about you? Are you feeling sweet or sour today?”

[deweydewdrop]

Not only did Dewey feel bad for Tiffany, but he also felt angry toward Randy. Despite that now the triplet could finally get a chance with his crush, it didn't mean he was happy with how this was playing out. Randy had ruined Tiffany's night, her makeup ... and Dewey had contributed to that. This was only one of his many fuck ups recently, the list only growing longer and longer. He was angry at himself just as much as he was angry toward Randy.

A light chuckle escaped his lips, shaking his head. "Everything. Anything I touch lately, I destroy," he confessed. He was noticing the pattern more and more now. It was an apology that went far beyond this mess between Tiffany and Randy, but in this moment it was really just for her. He didn't regret his feelings for Tiffany of course, or that she finally had an out in her shitty relationship, but he did wish that she didn't have to hurt in the process. He'd already hurt his own brother, the rest of his family along with him, and now this? Despite his fault in all of this though, despite admitting that he ruined everything he touched recently, Tiffany leaned in and kissed him. The familiar touch of her lips against his caught him by surprise, only pausing for a moment before kissing her back. His hand didn't leave from hers, and as they kissed, it was truly the first moment since before the hotel bombing that Dewey felt that things might be okay.

Tiffany flinched from Dewey’s touch as he wiped at her tears. He was so gentle and she was so guilty. There was no innocent explanation for the way they were together, as much as she had tried to deny it to Randy and herself. She’d known the way Dewey felt about her from the moment he stepped back into her life, and she hadn’t done anything to discourage his feelings. No, if anything, she had strung him along on her hook despite already being in a relationship, and even hid their friendship from her boyfriend because deep down she knew that it was more than that. Maybe it was cheating in a different way. Not physically, but internally, in the way she felt when she was with Dewey. He made her laugh more in an hour than she usually did all day, he made her heart race, and he brought out a side of her that was different and refreshing. She liked herself better when she was with him—she was less judgmental, less likely to get frustrated, more brave. In the past months, he’d been more of a comfort to her than Randy; crying on his shoulder now after a blow-out fight with her boyfriend proved it more than ever. For as wrong as it was, it felt so right.

“What should you apologize for?” Tiffany questioned, looking down to avoid Dewey’s eyes until he took her hand. She finally met his gaze, her own imploring. To her mind, the only thing Dewey had ever done was show her why she and Randy weren’t meant to be together. He might think he had caused a divide in their relationship, but the boat was already leaking before he got there. It had been damaged for so long and Tiffany had spent so long plugging the hole and pretending it didn’t exist that she had even convinced herself, until Dewey came along in his perfectly sturdy ship, promising solace and smooth sailing. How could she not compare what he offered to what Randy lacked? Was it any fault of his that he swayed her simply by showing her what she had been missing? Despite his assurance, she still felt foolish for staying so long in a situation that was wrong, but he was right that she didn’t deserve this heartache. She deserved what was good for her; she deserved what she wanted. And, feeling encouraged by the warm hand she clung to, she did what Tiffany Muttonfudge did best—went for what she wanted, damn the consequences. She leaned forward and kissed Dewey.

[deweydewdrop]

As if Dewey didn’t already have guilt for coming to the masquerade tonight (the first moment Louie had spoken to him since the accident was still lingering in the back of his mind), he happened to catch the girl of his dreams in tears heading toward the bathroom. Oh no. He felt his heart sink, as if it wasn’t already at rock bottom by now, and he warned Webby he'd be gone a minute as he rushed over to Tiffany. He wasn’t concerned about her smeared makeup or how imperfect she may have seemed in the moment — he just had to make sure she was okay. Even if he didn't know what happened, he could take an easy guess and put two and two together, and with Randy involved, Dewey couldn't help but feel partially responsible. Was tonight the night that everything finally came out in the open?

The triplet smiled sadly at Tiffany once they found a quiet place with no one around, bringing his thumb up to lightly wipe off the leftover mascara that she'd only managed to smear even more with her own fingers. He felt so bad. It was really starting to settle with Dewey how much he managed to fuck up lately — His brothers weren't talking to him, one of them permanently injured and possibly never would forgive him for it, his and Webby's relationship would never be the same again, and now .. he had single-handedly ruined Tiffany and Randy's relationship. Which, in retrospect may not be a bad thing, considering it gave Dewey his chance with Tiffany finally, but seeing her upset after getting all dressed up and excited for tonight .. Dewey sighed. "Don't be sorry.. I should be apologizing," he confessed. Glancing down at his thumb, he noticed a black smudge was left from Tiffany's smeared makeup, listening to her put herself down as he felt worse and worse. He met her gaze again, feeling bold as he grabbed her hand. "Hey, look at me ... you're not stupid. He's just, an asshole. No one deserves to feel this way, and especially not you."

@deweydewdrop

For having started the night feeling so confident, things took a sharp and decisive turn for the worse. Tiffany’s make-up was wrecked from tears she couldn’t hold in, but Dewey had caught her on her way to the bathroom so she couldn’t fix her face, left only to wipe at her mascara-stained cheeks as they found a private spot to tuck away in. “Sorry,” she said, unsure herself what she was apologizing to Dewey for—having to see her not be perfect? She didn’t know if he’d seen her fight with Randy or not, but she spoke under the assumption that he knew exactly what she was crying over. “I don’t know why I expected things to be any different. I guess I thought maybe it would get better? But it was never going to. I just feel stupid now.”

[fluggedup]

Randy wondered what exactly Tiffany had been doing all day with, well, him, but not him. What had her so happy today? What was it that Dewey was doing as him that made such a difference? He wanted to ask so badly. Was it weird to ask? Would that be suspicious?

It was the way that, although Tiffany did deny flirting, she didn't try to stop him any further, even staying silent as he emphasized being friendly in return. Was she uncomfortable by that, or silently welcoming it? He was overthinking it still, which wasn't normal for Randy. He had to stay focused.

The same place as last time. His heart sunk. How many times had they gotten fro-yo together? And where was Randy during this? He was really failing as a boyfriend, suddenly feeling like he needed to scramble to pick up the pieces. He was Randy Fluggerbutter, and he always got whatever he wanted .. So if he had to step up his game to keep his girl, so be it. He wasn't a loser. This was just a small misstep, a reminder from the universe to get his shit together.

"Same as last time," he finally replied after a brief pause, motioning for her to lead the way. Now, he needed to know just where they'd been together. What their history was and what was to come. "We can try some new flavors though, change things up. Do you know what you're craving?"

@fluggedup (continued from here):

Today had been a day like no other, where Randy had to force himself to become comfortable in the body of another person. His friend's brother, and apparently, Tiffany's friend. Randy had no idea that Tiffany and Dewey were friends, which wouldn't have been that weird normally... but between the bracelet in Dewey's room and the heart eye emojis next to her name in his phone, Randy couldn't help but be suspicious. Lucky for him, this weird day gave him the opportunity to find out the truth for himself. He'd confront it without her even knowing. His girlfriend seemed to be in an extra good mood today, which he wasn't sure was a good or bad thing. Was it because he wasn't around all day? It was actually refreshing though, seeing her not annoyed at him and genuinely smiling, to the point that he couldn't even be bothered about it. Instead, he tried being extra friendly to her as Dewey, testing the waters to see how she'd respond. It was hard to tell what the vibe was, especially since he'd never actually seen Tiff and Dewey hang out in the past. He smiled as she denied flirting, sort-of relieved but also planning to keep pushing a little bit, just to make sure. "Friendly? Well, I can be friendly too," he replied, smile still present. He wasn't even sure what to do, normally not so awkward as himself, but he wasn't himself. He didn't know what to do with his hands, unsure of how to be natural around his girlfriend when she thought he was someone else. Maybe he should put them in a different environment, something almost date-like. "Uhh .. Wanna get some fro-yo? I've kinda had a sweet tooth all day."

After waking up with a terrible hangover, Randy’s mood had changed remarkably fast, bouncing back way quicker than Tiff was used to seeing. He’d surprised her by wanting to spend the whole day together and he’d been so uncharacteristically doting and excitable that it was a breath of fresh air compared to the state of decline their relationship had been in for longer than they cared to admit to themselves or others. It was hard to deny now—and maybe they truly hadn’t even seen it at first because they’d been together so long and the issues were too deep-seated—but for a long time they’d been acting like the tension, jealousy, arguments and growing resentment between them were totally normal and acceptable in a relationship.

Dewey was someone who had been challenging that status quo lately, making Tiffany question what it was that she deserved from a partner, what she wanted, and whether those needs were being met with her current boyfriend. It wasn’t him saying anything along those lines directly to her, but just the way he treated her that made her feel so different from Randy. By the time he messaged her to meet up today, she had actually been feeling more content than she had in a while with Randy, but he’d had to go meet a friend himself, so they planned to get back together later and Tiff was free to hang out with Dewey for a bit.

Of course she knew he was interested in her, but he was turning up the direct flirtation even more than usual, pushing the boundaries of what was justifiable banter between two friends before she’d actually have to put her foot down and remind him that she was taken. If Tiffany was truly honest with herself, deep down she didn’t want to reject Dewey. She wanted to keep this—whatever this light, fun thing was between them—going for as long as possible, despite being with Randy at the end of the day…It was selfish, but she wasn’t ready to leave him yet, wasn’t one hundred percent sure beyond a doubt that it was the only option, and today of all days had proven that with how happy Randy had been making her so far. Even if Dewey was something special on his own.

“Mm, I could go for some fro-yo,” she agreed, deciding not to address his comment about how he could be friendly too. She wasn’t sure whether or not that meant he was going to ramp up the flirting he seemed to think she was guilty of, but his tone certainly suggested it. Subtlety wasn’t really in his nature. “Do you wanna go to the same place as last time or try something new?”