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rosy-wooyoung · 4 years ago

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Husband series [2/8] | Seonghwa

Word count: 3.8k Pairing: ex-husband! Yunho x single mom! reader x boyfriend! Seonghwa Genre: mostly fluff, kinda cliché af?? A/N: Second work out of the eight that I’m not really proud of... as usual, the gif doesn’t have anything to do with the fic :’)

You sighed as you looked for your child in the store, worryingly pushing strands of hair out of your eyes. Two minutes of inattention were enough for him to walk away, carelessly wandering around the shop. He was still quite young, but he was able to walk without your help, freeing him from any restraint.

“How could we lose him?” your boyfriend Seonghwa exclaimed as he looked around him, brows knitted. You were on the verge of tears and abandoned the trolley in a corner. Seonghwa gently caressed your back as you started searching for your son again.

“Minwoo? Minwoo, baby, where are you?” you said louder, starting to imagine the worst-case scenarios that could have happened to your son. You hurriedly trotted through the store, earning side glances from the rest of the shoppers, sometimes meeting Seonghwa at the end of an alley, only to find him alone. Your son was the most precious thing you had in your life and you couldn’t see yourself without him. It didn’t matter if you lost your boyfriend, you had already lost your husband by the past, but you’d kill to keep Minwoo by your side. You neared the fish counter and noticed a small boy next to two tall men, who were showing him the living sea animals in the huge tanks next to the fridges. You recognised the dark blue jacket your mom knitted for Minwoo and felt a weight flying away from your chest. However, you didn’t recognise the men next to him, so you ran towards your son.

“Minwoo!” you almost screamed and rushed to your son, grabbing him from behind, not paying attention to the men next to your son. “How many times did I tell you not to leave my side when we grocery shop! We were worried about you with Seonghwa!” you said in one breath, your hand cradling his head on your shoulder. “But Daddy,” you heard your son said and you froze. “What do you mean, “Daddy”?” Minwoo looked up from your shoulder and you recoiled as he pointed to one of the men. The man you didn’t recognise was none other than your ex-husband, Yunho, accompanied by Mingi, his best friend. After seeing his face, you noticed that he hadn’t changed, even after years of divorce. His hair was a bit shorter, but his facial features were the same as when you parted ways. He was wearing a suit and tie, an embarrassed smile drawn on his face. Your eyes widened when Minwoo made grabby hands at him, happy to meet his dad. “Hi Y/N,” Yunho managed to say, rubbing his neck, “I didn’t expect to meet you there,” you clenched your teeth and awkwardly smiled, not really knowing what to say. “Ah, Y/N, you found him,” you pursed your lips and closed your eyes as your boyfriend arrived, ready to take you and your son in his arms. He took a step back when he noticed Yunho and Mingi. Minwoo, who was in your arms, did everything to touch his father. Mingi, behind the two of you, took a step back and waited a bit further away to clear things out. He knew your situation since he was also a good friend of yours, your divorce preventing you from hanging out with him.

“What’s happening here?” Seonghwa said and none of you answered. You stared at Seonghwa, feeling sorry that he had to witness this awkward encounter. You could see his brain working, his eyes going from you to Minwoo, then to Yunho and his eyes widened when everything clicked in his head. For some reasons, you couldn’t talk, and the three men around you noticed that. You were frozen on the spot. Yunho cleared his throat and extended his hand towards your boyfriend. “I’m Yunho, Y/N’s ex-husband and… Minwoo’s father and, that’s Mingi, a good friend of mine,” he said, gesturing to Mingi, who nodded with a dull face. “I believe that you’re her new partner?” Seonghwa shook his hand without a word, his eyes never leaving your ashamed ones. He detached his eyes from you and looked at your ex, shaking his hand with such force that his digits turned white. “Exactly, I’m Seonghwa,” He said and his eyes darkened, suddenly remembering the reason why you divorced.

Of course, you had told him by the past the reason why you parted ways with your ex-husband, and he was mad. He was mad that your husband acted like a complete coward, scared of his parents. Yunho was someone from the high class. His parents owned an immensely powerful company and he fell in love with you the minute he saw you entering one of his parents’ restaurants. It was a place that your friends didn’t usually go to, but she wanted to celebrate your well-deserved promotion and went there, lucky to find a free table at rush hour. He immediately introduced himself as the son of the restaurant’s owner. Your friends were impressed, you were quite too, but you didn’t show it. You treated him like an ordinary person, with respect, but you didn’t admire or glorify him as your friends did. You beamed and nodded at his jokes, making him feel weird not to have everyone laughing and smiling like everyone did when he was around. He found you hard to get and Yunho loved challenges. At the end of your meal, he boldly asked for your number and you gave it to him without really thinking about it. However, when he was in private, he was way calmer but still very flirty, charming you with his sweet words and actions you exchanged until your first date.

After two years of life together, he introduced you to his parents and it was one of the worst nights you’ve ever had. You put a lot of efforts for your appearance, going to the hair and nail salon, buying an expensive, chic dress with heels. You almost chickened out at last minute but Yunho comforted you and you walked out of his car. But now, in hindsight, you shouldn’t have ever entered this mansion. The dinner was tense, even Yunho could sense it. His parents made zero effort to welcome you in their family, both of them shook your hands with such strength that it made you whine when they turned around. You kept your head high the entire dinner even if they put you down, subtly telling their son that you weren’t good enough for him. They even suggested in front of you that he should get married to someone richer and more influential. You swallowed your pride and feelings when you were in front of them, but you let everything out as soon as you entered your home. Yunho apologised for his parents’ behaviour but it didn’t make you feel better. The only thing you wanted to do was breaking up with him and get away as fast as possible from the two sharks that were his parents. Yunho begged you to stay and promised that he’d make everything to keep your relationship alive. And you believed him.

After months of struggle and rebellion, his parents reluctantly let him date you. On the other side, your parents were happy and proud that you were with Yunho, even if his parents were mean to you. It was sounded better to have their daughter dating a son from a rich company than being happy with someone from your social class. Sadly, showing off was something really important for your parents. They were even happier when Yunho proposed to you during one of your trips abroad. You had said yes without really thinking about the consequences with his parents, and it created many, many problems. You had to hide the ring every time your future mother-in-law randomly paid a visit to her son’s house. One night, she was there and Yunho was about to enter the house, but you pretended to go grab a bottle of wine from the cellar, grabbing Yunho by his tie and pulling him here. Yunho was thinking about something else as you untied his tie knot and unclasped his thin golden chain, your promised ring hung from it. You took off your ring from your finger and hid it behind a wine bottle, grabbing another one as you quietly explained the situation to your future husband. He nodded as he redid his tie, acting as you ran into him as you went out of the cellar in front of his mother.

One night, seeing your distress, Yunho offered you to marry him in secret. You were very against it at the beginning, worried about his parents and their power, but he promised to make everything work. He invited only your family and your closest friends and celebrated this wonderful day in a small group. You were a bit anxious to see his parents show up unannounced, but fortunately, they didn’t.

One day, as you slid your key into the slot, you realised that the door was unlocked. You first thought of housebreaking since Yunho’s house was big and filled with different kind of luxury items, silently making your way to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Someone was upstairs and rummaging through yours and Yunho’s stuff. You instantly sent a text to Yunho about the current situation and took off your shoes, easier for you to climb up the stairs without making any noise. Through the poorly closed door, you recognised his mother, raging mad, searching through everything. You hid the knife in the bathroom next to you, scared that she might kill you when she’ll find out the truth. When she saw you, she yelled, hurriedly pacing towards you.

“You filthy bitch!” she said as she went to grab your blazer, but you pushed her away, feeling the rage boiling in your body as well. “What is wrong with you, what do you want?” you yelled back, making eye contact with her. “How can you enter your son’s house like a burglar?” “Oh,” she exclaimed, eyes shooting bolt lighting towards you, “you dare to call me a burglar when you are the biggest gold-digger out of all my son's girlfriends? You’re only dating him for his money, his fame and power we have in the city. I won’t let you ruin our reputation by dating and marrying my son! A silly cow like you doesn’t deserve to get a taste of luxury,” her behaviour truly shocked you, each word spilling out of her mouth sending daggers to your heart and pride. You gulped and started to walk back, noticing every item around her that could serve as a weapon. “Now, where do you hide it?” she spat and furrowed your brows. What was she talking about? “The ring, you bloody foul, where do you hide it, hm? You can’t deny anything, I found the wedding ring bill in Yunho’s desk drawer. Tell me where it is!!” she screamed, and you thought that she was going mad. You clearly didn’t want to fight or hurt her, knowing that she’d take you to court for your acts, so you avoided her as much as possible. Hoping that Yunho would come soon, you heavily inhaled and remained silent. “I’m going to ruin your life if you don’t tell me where it is.” “Mom!” Yunho yelled from downstairs and came up in a blink, shielding you from his mother with his body. “Get out of my way, son.” She said through gritted teeth but Yunho didn’t move. “Get out of my house first. How dare you coming in like a robber?!” he forced her to walk down the stairs by pushing her with his body, and you shivered when she looked at you. She squinted her eyes and pointed her finger towards you. “You,” she whispered, ignoring her son, “don’t think that you’ve won. You don’t know me, I’ll fucking destroy you.” Yunho pushed his mom out of the house, closing the door and locking it.

Three months after this incident, you discovered that you were pregnant with Minwoo. You were happy but his parents were the only fly in the ointment. During the time of your pregnancy, Yunho and you decided to live in a smaller house in the countryside, an unknown place for his parents. Yunho worked from home as much as he could and so did you, your maternity leave coming way sooner than you expected it. Those nine months flew by and you almost felt like breathing again, without being constantly feared that his parents would show up. You even had nightmares of it at the beginning of your pregnancy, but Yunho was here to protect you. However, a week before the scheduled birth date, you went back to your house and Yunho changed the door locks, preventing his parents from breaking in as his mother did.

A night where you were alone, Yunho paying a visit to his parents, labour had just begun, your waters just broke. It was very painful, yet you managed to call your husband to announce him the news. Yunho was stuck, he couldn’t leave his parents so suddenly without arousing suspicions about your pregnancy. He excused himself from his parents, but they didn’t let him go so easily and you started screaming in pain in the phone, his mother instantly understanding everything. She grabbed her son’s phone from his hand and threw the cellular on the floor. You were still on the line, but you were starting to be weak, not able to call for Yunho anymore. You were about to hang up to call someone else, but you heard his mother’s words.

“You divorce with this witch immediately or we’re disowning you. I’m calling our lawyer.” You hung up and called Mingi, knowing that he’d help while Yunho fixed the situation with his parents. His friend was terrified and concerned, but he managed to drive you to the hospital before you gave birth. Before falling asleep from exhaustion with your newborn son on your chest, you begged Mingi to look after you and he promised, allowing you to rest.

Yunho never came to see you. You learnt from a nurse that he still came and signed the birth certificate, but he never came to see you and his child that you carried for nine months. Mingi and his mother came to visit, taking care of you like her own daughter-in-law. They understood you because they weren’t the same as Yunho’s family, Mingi's parents worked hard to allow their son to work in this company, yet they were still mad that Yunho never came to visit. Once you could get out of the hospital (you had to stay a few more days because the doctors found that you were exhausted and dehydrated), Mingi and his mom took care of Minwoo while you drove back to Yunho’s house. When you entered the house, you had to lean against the doorway when you saw boxes filled with your clothes and other belongings.

“Yunho?” you called with a small voice, eyes filling with tears. You heard footsteps coming from upstairs and the tall man appeared, tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes. He ran downstairs with a devastated face. “I’m so sorry Y/N,” he said, and you shook your head, understanding that it was too late. You swallowed and refused Yunho’s embrace, starting to drag the boxes outside, putting the maximum in the trunk of your car. In less than a month, you were homeless, a mother and divorced. When you closed the car trunk, you sighed and Yunho grabbed your wrist. He placed a set of keys linked to a tag, an address messily written on it. “I bought this apartment for you, I’ll come to visit when the situation will quiet down a bit.” He closed your palm on the key and you opened his other palm, putting your wedding ring in it. “Thank you, but I can’t do it anymore. I can’t risk my life, Minwoo’s and yours just because of your parents. I’ll put the keys of this apartment in the mailbox once I’ll find something else I can afford.” You said as you cried, starting to walk to the driver seat. “Please Y/N,” “No Yunho, we can’t. I can’t do it anymore. You didn’t even come to see me and our child. You didn't even ask why he's not with me right now. Everything stopped here for me. Our years of relationship, our marriage, it all ended. Thank you for the wonderful memories but it’s over. And deep down, you know that it’s already over, your parents probably forced you to sign the papers anyway. Goodbye Yunho.”

He sent you one last text that night, telling you that he was sorry and that they sent him in America, for “business matters” and it was the last time you heard from him. It took you months to move on and start again. You had found a place to stay which was smaller but closer to your workplace, a day-care centre only a block away from your apartment. Minwoo grew up and started asking for his father and you quietly explained to him why he didn’t have a father. You kept a picture of the two of you framed next to the door, showing it to your son every time he asked for his father. At first, he cried, but he slowly understood that you were still loving him and trying your best even if you couldn’t give him a father. You had also tried to date again, but you were so worried about your son in day-care that you never enjoyed any of them. It was hard to be a single mom, feeling worthless and unlovable each time you came home from an unsuccessful date. You knew that your son loved you, but it wasn't comparable to the love you could get from a caring man.

Since your work was closer, you privileged the public transports over the car. You entered the bus and your son suddenly started crying for no apparent reason. You tried to feed him, give him his cuddly toy, but nothing changed, he was crying at the top of his lungs. You were so embarrassed that you barely looked up, profoundly apologising to everyone around you, nearly in tears due to exhaustion and shame. The man in front of you looked around your age and his gaze on your son was tender. He tried to catch your son’s attention by grabbing his plushie, waving it in front of his face, the cries slowly fading as the man in front of you portrayed a funny sweet voice while talking to your son through his toy. Minwoo was now mesmerised by his talking plushie, laughing, and hugging it close to him while looking at the man in front of you. You rested your head against the window, and you sighed along with a few other people around you, relieved that your son had stopped crying.

“Thank you so much,” you said to the young man and he smiled. “It’s nothing, I couldn’t let this little man embarrass his mother,” he chuckled, and you started talking to each other until you had to get off the bus. He was named Seonghwa, and came with you to your workplace, distracting Minwoo from crying. You thanked him again and went to work, feeling more peaceful. Meeting Seonghwa on the bus had become your daily routine. He was an interesting and smart man, bringing you entertained until your stop, looking forward each time to see him the next day. Bus rides turned into dates, smiles turned into kisses, closeness turned into caresses and tenderness. You fell in love with him, hard, and you were scared, but he reassured you. You had almost forgotten your ex-husband and his tormenting family, hoping to never see them again. You were doing well. Until tonight.

You cannot lie, Yunho looked happy and surprised to see his son for the first time, but Seonghwa didn’t agree. You noticed the two men menacingly stare at each other and the atmosphere was tense. You couldn’t let them start a fight in the middle of the shop, so you grabbed Seonghwa’s hand, quickly bidding goodbye to your ex-husband, as well as Mingi and left the fish counter as quickly as possible. Once everything was in the car trunk, you sat Minwoo in his seat and went to the passenger seat, Seonghwa waiting for you to go home. You took big breaths during the journey home, expecting your boyfriend to leave you or not talk to you for a while. Why did you have to run into your ex-husband when you were with him? Why did it have to happen? You got out of the car as soon as it stopped in the driveway, taking in a big bowl of fresh air. You shook your head in defeat and opened the car door, unfastening your son’s seatbelt, carefully carrying him to your apartment and put him to bed. Seonghwa was tidying the grocery around the kitchen when you came downstairs, taking a glass of water along with a pill for headaches. Your boyfriend closed the fridge door and observed you, noticing that you were on the verge of tears. He walked towards you and took you in his arms, shushing you as you quietly cried on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry-” “I know the memories and scars are still vivid, but you need to move on. I saw how sad and upset you looked when we met him, but I won’t let this ungrateful bastard destroy what we built together. You were doing fine so far, we managed to make you forget him and I won’t let you dive back in your sorrow. You’ve been strong for so long, it’s not the time to give up. Do it for your son, for yourself, and for us as a pair. You need me, I need you, Minwoo needs healthy parents and I’m ready to take this role. Forget about this man, I promise that you will be better and healthier without him and his family.” Seonghwa whispered and worked his fingers through your hair, “I wasn’t so sure about bringing up a child who wasn’t mine, but I realised that I love you too much to let you down.” His words made you burst into tears and he shushed you, his fingers working in your hair. “I’m sorry that we had to see him, I swear it wasn’t planned.” You whispered and Seonghwa exhaled at your words, realising how guilty you felt. “No need to swear Y/N, and it’s okay. Let’s forget that for a while, shall we? You look really tired.” Seonghwa kissed your temple and you nodded, letting your boyfriend carry you to your bedroom.

Seonghwa made sure to kiss you on the cheek and dry your wet tears, his arm circling your waist before you both fell asleep in one breath.

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freddiesaysalright · 5 years ago

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The Most Dramatic Season Ever - Week 6

Summary: It’s your time now! You are ABC’s new Bachelorette and this is your journey! All these men (including our fav BoRhap boys and then some) are competing for your heart! Will you find love? Will you get engaged at the end? Or will you end up heartbroken? Find out, on the most dramatic season ever!

Word Count: 10.1k (this one’s a DOOZY)

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @the-moving-finger-writes, @assembledherethevolunteers, @rose-writes-prose, @queenlover05, @moon-stars-soul, @danadeacon, @deacyblues, @thesundrop, @cupidben, @lostlittlenerd, @delilahmay39, @timmvrphy, @queenmylovely, @loveandbeloved29, @free-pool-trash, @fairestkillerqueenofall, @local-troubled-writer, @babyalienfairy, @littlecarowrites, @allthethingsicant, @im-an-adult-ish, @mirkwoodshewolf, @squishy-gay-astronaut, @sherlollydramoine, @butlegendsneverdie, @dogmom2014, @rocketrhap917, @26-7-49, @lelifesaver, @frozenhuntress67 If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: A note on the names in this chapter! So, I went with Ben’s family name being Hardy since we all know him with that name. I understand that in reality, his parents would be Mr. and Mrs. Jones. And with Rami’s sister, I couldn’t get a confirmation on whether her name is spelled Jasmine or Yasmine so I went with the J spelling because that was what I saw first.

Warning(s): Mentions of racism.

Night 1 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5

Week 6 here we go!!!

Your first hometown date was with Ben in Sherborne, UK. You met him at the center of the town, which was small and quaint. But you liked it. Especially once you saw Ben walking over to you. You ran to him and leaped into his arms. He caught you with a laugh and a sweet kiss.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, shaking his head. “In Sherborne.”

“I can’t believe it either,” you replied. “But I’m so happy that I am!”

“Me too,” he agreed as he set you down. “I thought I’d just give you a bit of a tour so you can see where I grew up before we head to my parents, yeah?”

“Sounds perfect!”

He took your hand and started down the road. At the end of the street was a vintage car. It was a black convertible, like you’d seen in old movies. It looked glamorous.

“This,” Ben said, walking up to the car. “Is our ride for the day.”

“Are you serious?!” you cried. “Oh my God!”

“Glad you like it,” he chuckled.

“I love it!” you told him.

He opened the passenger side door for you and you slid in. Then he walked around to the driver’s side and got in beside you. He looked at you, smirked, and then started the engine. He looked so sexy behind the wheel you had to turn your attention to the road so he wouldn’t see you blushing.

He drove slowly. There wasn’t much traffic, anyway, so you really could see all the places he was pointing out to you. He showed you the church he attended as a kid. Where he went to primary school. The tree under which he had his first kiss. It was all so sweet. It was all so Ben.

“I wish you could be here in October sometime,” he said. “We’ve got the Pack Monday Fair, which is always a great time.”

He told you about the fair and all his fondest memories, especially attending with his father. You were melting.

“So, how often do you get here to visit your family?” you wondered.

“As often as I can,” he said. “I’m all the way in London, and it’s not like I’ve got weekends off. But I definitely get here for special occasions and holidays.”

“Do you think you’d want to settle down here?” you asked. “When you’re ready to start a family?”

“As much as I love it here, I’d rather stay in London,” he said. “There’s more opportunity there and more diversity, which is something I want my children to experience. But believe me, they’ll be coming here to visit Nan as often as possible. My mum can’t wait for me to have kids, so she’ll be all over them.”

You giggled. “I like that. I want an involved family.”

“You might regret saying that one day,” he joked.

You drove on, and by the end, you felt you had seen almost the entire town. You stopped at the store to pick up a bottle of wine and some flowers for his mother, before at last going to the house. It was a cozy little home, and it looked inviting. You took a deep breath before starting up the driveway.

“Nervous?” Ben asked.

“A bit,” you admitted.

“Don’t be,” he said and kissed your cheek. “They’re gonna love you.”

Before you could argue, he reached out and opened the door, allowing you inside first.

“Hello!” Ben called.

Seconds after his voice rang out, a swarm of people were upon you. All rushing to hug Ben and get a glimpse of you. He introduced you to his mother and father, and then to his aunts and uncles who were there. His grandmother remained seated on the couch, so you all made your way back to her so Ben could say hello.

“These are for you,” you said to Mrs. Hardy, handing her the wine and flowers.

“Oh, thank you, darling,” she replied. “They’re beautiful!”

You smiled as she disappeared into the kitchen to put them in a vase. Then Ben’s father approached you. You smiled and shook hands again.

“Y/N, right?” he asked.

“Yep, that’s right,” you told him.

“Come on, let’s get you a drink,” he said.

“Won’t say no to that,” you replied.

You followed him into the kitchen. Mrs. Hardy had already set out the flowers on the counter, and she was fussing around the food, which was evidently almost ready. Mr. Hardy poured you a glass of wine and handed it to you.

“Thank you,” you said.

Ben’s parents were surprisingly easy to talk to. You offered to help his mother with dinner, but she insisted you just relax. His father was a lot like Ben. A bit reserved, but friendly. So you chatted with them for a bit while Ben got caught up with the rest of his family.

When dinner was ready, you all sat around the dining room table. Mrs. Hardy served up a delicious meal, and then told you all to “tuck in.” You had a great time during the meal. His family was funny and warm. They welcomed you with open arms. You felt comfortable with them immediately.

“So, Y/N, can we have a chat?” asked Mrs. Hardy once the plates were clear.

“Of course,” you agreed.

You followed her to the sitting room. You sat together on the couch, and she gave your knee a maternal pat.

“How’s it all going?” she asked. “With Ben, that is.”

You smiled. “Ben and I have something really special,” you told her. “He told me that he’s falling in love with me, and I feel the same. Which I’ve told him.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said. “Has he told you that he’s never been in love before?”

“He has,” you said. “And I’m still a little worried about that.”

“Worried? Why?” she asked.

“Well, because I don’t want him to feel like there’s more out there,” you said. “Or to get confused. I don’t want him to wake up say, ten years from now and wonder if he made a mistake because he didn’t really know what he was doing.”

“I don’t think you need worry about that,” she said. “Ben is...a unique man. He’s struggled to find love because he’s quite aware of his feelings. He has told me about girls he’s gone with and expressed things like ‘Mum, I liked her, but I don’t think she’s the one,’ or ‘Mum, she’s beautiful, but I can’t go forward just because we’re attracted to each other.’ If he’s falling in love with you, then he means it. He isn’t confused.”

“That’s a relief to hear you say that,” you said. “Because I just wasn’t really sure if he knew. But you’re right, Ben is a self-aware person, and I have faith that what he’s telling me is true. I did promise him I’d never doubt him.”

You explained to her what Luke had once said about him.

“That’s ridiculous,” she scoffed. “Ben’s honest and kind. And, Y/N...he’s ready. He’s ready to find his partner and settle down.”

“I think he’d be a wonderful husband,” you told her. “And I suppose I have you to thank for that.”

She giggled and took your hand. You smiled at each other.

Meanwhile, Ben was talking to his father. They stood out on the back patio, each smoking a cigarette. You didn’t like that Ben smoked, but he did it pretty rarely since he was an athlete. And he also told you it was his goal to quit by the time he had children.

“So, Benny,” Mr. Hardy said. “How’re you feeling?”

“It hasn’t been easy,” Ben said. “I’ve...well, I’ve fallen in love with her.”

“Has she fallen in love with you?” Mr. Hardy wondered.

“She says she’s getting there,” Ben told him. “But there are still three other guys.”

“They good blokes?”

“Yeah, actually, I like them a lot. Consider them friends, even.”

“That’s good, it shows she’s got taste,” Mr. Hardy joked.

Ben chuckled. “Yeah. I’m just worried. I want to tell her that I love her. But I don’t want to get my heart broken.”

“There’s no way to fall in love without taking that risk,” Mr. Hardy said. “If you love her, love her with everything you’ve got. Pursue her. Let her know why she should choose you.”

Ben smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

You switched parents, so Ben went to speak to his mother, and you went to speak to his father. You looked at Mr. Hardy and saw Ben’s features in his face. It was like looking through time and seeing Ben as an older man. Only, Mr. Hardy had brown eyes. Ben got his eyes from his mother.

“Can I ask you how you feel about Ben?” Mr. Hardy asked.

“I care a lot about him,” you said. “He’s probably the sweetest person I’ve ever met and...well, I’m falling in love with him.”

“He’s not hard to look at, either,” he joked.

“Well, he gets it from somewhere,” you returned, pointing at him.

He laughed.

“You seem like a nice girl,” he said. “I think you’d be a good wife to Ben, if that’s what you both want. I’m just happy if he’s happy. And he seems quite happy with you.”

You looked at Ben through the window, where he was sitting with his mom.

“You guys must miss him a lot,” you said.

“Terribly,” Mr. Hardy said. “But once again, he’s happy.”

“I’ve so appreciated you welcoming me into your home,” you said. “A home as loving as this shows me what I can expect from Ben. Thank you.”

He opened his arms to you, and you gladly accepted them.

Inside, Ben was telling his mother exactly what he’d told his father. That he was in love with you and was nervous about telling you.

“I agree with Dad, darling,” Mrs. Hardy said. “I think if that’s what you’re feeling, you should be honest with her.”

“It’s just scary since...well, I’ve never done it before,” he said. “How do I…” he trailed off with a sigh.

“Do you think it matters to her how you say it?” she asked.

“No, I think she just wants me to be honest,” he returned.

“Then there you have it, love,” she said.

The night wound down and it was time for you to go. You said fond goodbyes to Ben’s family and he walked you out to the van already waiting for you.

“Today was such a great day,” he said. “They really seemed to like you.”

“I really like them,” you told him. “You have a great family, Ben.”

“I hope you come back,” he said.

“Me too,” you replied.

A beat passed. Ben pulled you into a tight hug. Then he lowered his lips to your ear.

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

You wrapped your arms around his waist and gave a small squeeze.

“It means so much to hear you say that,” you said.

You desperately wanted to tell him that you loved him too. Because you did. But you knew it was a bad idea. All you could do was convey how you felt through the embrace. And then when he kissed you...it was nothing like the way he’d kissed you before. This was something else entirely. It felt more like a promise.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he said.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” you told him.

With that, he opened the car door for you. You slid into the back seat and smiled at him once more before he closed it. He stood on the street and watched you go, feeling like you were taking his heart with you.

Your next hometown date was with Gwilym. Like Ben, he currently lived in London, but his hometown was Sutton Coldfield, where much of his family still resided. Gwilym had told you a little bit about his hometown, so you were excited to see it in person. You met him at Sutton Park.

He looked dashing where he stood waiting for you, despite only wearing a sweater and jeans. You ran up to him and he caught you in his arms. He planted a warm and welcoming kiss on your lips. You held him a little tighter.

“I’m so glad you’re here, cariad,” he said as you parted.

“I’m glad to be here,” you replied.

“I figured I’d show you Sutton Park,” he said. “It’s a staple of the town and quite lovely on a day like today when we’ve got nice weather. Fancy a walk?”

“Sounds perfect,” you agreed.

He offered you his arm, which you took. It really was a pleasant day, with a rare bit of sunshine. As you walked, he told you who you would be meeting that day. His family kept it small, so it would just be his parents and siblings. Gwilym was the youngest. It was difficult for you to picture him the youngest sibling, since he always struck you as mature and grown up. He assured you that his childhood was normal, and that he and his siblings were very close now that they were all adults.

You walked together in the park for about an hour. Then he told you there was another stop to make before going to his parents’ home. You emerged from the park, walked another fifteen minutes or so, and then you saw it - a library.

“Since you saw my personal collection, I thought I’d show you where I first gained an appreciation for literature,” he said. “Right here at the Sutton Coldfield Library.”

“I can’t wait,” you told him.

He smiled, took your hand, and led you inside. The library looked fairly typical. It wasn’t grand or beautiful, but it had some charm to it. You tried to imagine young Gwilym poring over the books, trying to decide the one he’d like best. You smiled at the thought.

You were just about to tell him so when a distraction in the shape of a little girl came hurtling over, throwing her arms around Gwilym’s legs. She was maybe six years old. Her blonde ringlets settled against her face.

“Mr. Gwilym, you’re back!” she cried, clutching a handful of his jeans. “We’ve missed you!”

You blinked, shocked at the sudden appearance of the girl, but even more surprised that she knew Gwilym and was comfortable enough to hug him so tightly.

“Hello, Rosie,” Gwilym replied, patting her head. “I’ve missed you all too.”

Suddenly, more children emerged from a section you saw was the children’s library. Their little faces lit up at the sight of Gwilym, and they all followed Rosie’s example of throwing themselves on him. He laughed and then saw your bemused expression.

“I come home twice a month to read to the kids,” he told you. “To give back to this place.”

A little boy had clamored onto Gwilym’s back.

“Where’ve you been, Mr. Gwilym?” he wondered with a pout.

“Well, you see, children,” Gwilym said, nodding toward you. “I’ve met someone very special.”

In a swarm, they detached themselves from him and walked over to you, staring. You bit back a laugh.

“Hey, kids,” you said kindly. “I’m sorry for keeping Mr. Gwilym away.”

“You’re pretty,” Rosie said. “Are you Mr. Gwilym’s girlfriend?”

“I am,” you told her.

“Are you gonna get married?” asked another girl beside you.

“Maybe!” you said.

You met Gwilym’s gaze as the children demanded more information and you did your best to answer them. A future with him was suddenly much clearer.

“Alright, everyone leave Mr. Gwilym and his friend alone,” said the librarian, an elderly woman with her silver hair in a long braid down her back.

“Hello, Joan,” Gwilym said warmly, bending down to kiss the woman’s cheek.

Joan smiled at you as Gwil introduced you and she asked how everything was going. You told her it was all wonderful, and Gwilym agreed. Then Rosie returned and tugged on Gwilym’s pant leg.

“What are you going to read for us today?” she asked.

“Oh, Rosie, I’m sorry, we just popped over to say hello,” he told her. “We don’t have a story today.”

Tears shone in her big, blue eyes and you nearly started crying yourself.

“Please,” Rosie begged.

“Please!” the other children echoed.

“Read them a story, you monster,” you teased, punching his arm lightly.

“Alright, I’ll read you a story,” Gwilym said. “If Miss Y/N reads it with me.”

“Please, Miss Y/N!” they cried.

You laughed. “Alright, then,” you agreed. “Story time it is.”

They all cheered, returned to the children’s library, and settled into the back corner. It was a cozy little set up, with bean bag chairs and cushions and stuffed animals everywhere. A wide bench was placed under the window, where the reader would sit. The kids picked out a story while you and Gwilym took your places.

He started off the story, and his enthusiasm was not something you had seen him yet. He did voices, he made faces, anything to amuse the children. They giggled and snickered, enjoying themselves to the fullest, and totally riveted by him. You were too. You knew you were reading the words and doing your best to be convincing, but your mind was on Gwilym and how impressed you were with him. It showed you how much he valued learning, and the kind of father he might be.

When the story was over, you had to say goodbye and head to the Lee household. The kids were sorry to see you go, but their parents were arriving to pick them up. Gwilym even knew their parents, and said quick hellos before guiding you out and down the street.

“That was….” you trailed off. “So amazing. I feel like every time we’re together, you show me a new side of you. And I think that one is my favorite.”

He chuckled. “I just want to give back to the next generation,” he said. “Maybe they’ll go on to be great writers or professors. Maybe they won’t. But no matter what, they’ll support their local library.”

“You’re the actual sweetest, you know that?” you said.

He only laughed before throwing his arm over your shoulder and leading you away.

For the evening, you went to his parents’ home. It was a bit larger than what you were used to seeing in the UK, but looked inviting. You met Gwilym outside, and he hugged you tightly. You did your best to return it with the flowers and wine in your hands.

“Are you ready, love?” he asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” you replied.

“Let’s go in.”

Together, you walked across the threshold as Gwilym called out to his family. The first person to round the corner was his father, who wrapped his son up in the friendliest bear hug. His brothers and sister were not far behind. His mother approached you first.

“Hello, dear,” she said kindly. “I’m Ceinwen. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” you replied. “I’m Y/N.”

Gwilym introduced to his father, Tom, his brothers, Geraint and Owen, and his sister, Rhiannon. They were all very friendly and gave you hugs as they met you. You followed them into the kitchen, and as you walked, you observed your surroundings. This family was undeniably Welsh, and proud of it. Gwilym told you that both his parents were from Wales, and he connected strongly to that heritage. Seeing the home, you understood why. You envied that connection a little bit.

“You have such a lovely home,” you said to Ceinwen. “Thank you for having me.”

“We’re glad to have you,” she replied. “Come, sit down for dinner.”

It was already on the table when you arrived, so she said you had perfect timing.

“I’m relieved,” Gwilym said. “We got a bit delayed at the library.”

“Oh, did you take her to see the children?” Ceinwen asked.

“I did,” he told her. “We had a wonderful time with them, didn’t we?”

He looked over at you and took your hand. You beamed.

“We really did,” you said.

They asked how your day was overall, and you were excited to tell them that it was great. You always felt like you could gush about Gwilym. His family exchanged happy glances at your every word.

After dinner, Rhiannon asked to speak to you. You happily agreed and followed her into the sitting room. You each took a seat on the couch.

“How’s this whole process been for you?” she asked.

“It hasn’t been easy,” you told her. “I’ve had to make really difficult decisions, but I’m just following my heart the best I can.”

“How many men are left?” she wondered.

“Including Gwilym, there are four,” you said.

“And how are you feeling about him as compared to the other three?” she pressed.

You swallowed. “That’s difficult to say. I sort of have to compartmentalize each relationship and evaluate it on its own strengths or weaknesses. I know that Gwilym and I have been strong since the beginning. He’s really opened up to me, as I have to him, and we’re falling steadily in love.”

“And has Gwil expressed his feelings for you?”

“He’s told me that he’s falling in love with me,” you said. “Which made me so happy because I’m falling in love with him too.”

“Have you told him that?”

You shook your head. “I haven’t. But I plan on letting him know soon.”

“As long as you’re honest with him, he’ll be honest with you,” she said with a smile. “Gwilym’s reserved, but not afraid of the truth.”

“I definitely see that about him,” you agreed. “We’ve always been totally honest with each other.”

You smiled at each other. You spoke to his parents next. His mother sat on the couch beside you and his father in a chair across the coffee table.

“Can I just start by saying what a wonderful man you have raised?” you began. “Honestly, Gwilym has been such a dream and completely unafraid of the risk involved in this. He’s great.”

They both grinned.

“Thank you,” Tom said. “We hope that means you’re feeling strongly for him.”

“I am,” you assured him. “I told Rhiannon that I’m falling in love with him.”

“That’s wonderful,” Ceinwen said. “He told us the same about you.”

“Now, there are still other people involved in this,” Tom said.

“I know,” you said. “But believe me. I care so deeply for Gwilym. The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt him.”

“You must understand,” his mother said. “As his parents, that’s our worst fear. After he lost his fiance, he was a wreck. I don’t want him to return to that.”

“I understand,” you assured her. “I will do what I can to keep him from that. But please understand my position as well. I can’t make any promises right now.”

“Right, of course,” Tom said.

You chatted a little longer, and you once again told them how much you admired Gwilym. Meanwhile, he was talking to his siblings.

“So, how are you feeling about her?” asked Owen.

“I’m falling in love with her, for sure,” Gwilym answered. “I really could see her being my wife.”

“But you’re not completely in love?” questioned Geraint.

“I dunno if I could say that with other men involved,” Gwilym replied. “I want to be down on one knee before I give myself that completely.”

“She seems like a great girl, Gwil,” Rhiannon added. “You two seem compatible. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. But are you sure you could propose after just a few weeks?”

Gwilym looked at his wine glass and swirled the deep purple liquid around, just for something to do while he considered this question.

“You all know how seriously I would take an engagement,” he began. “I think, if within the coming weeks, Y/N and I find ourselves at that point, then yes. I could see myself proposing.”

The siblings all exchanged a look. If he was that serious about you, they would support him.

Overall, Gwilym’s hometown went well. It wasn’t as smooth as Ben’s, but given Gwilym’s history, you understood his family’s skepticism. Even so, they seemed genuinely happy for him. As Gwilym led you out, you swung your clasped hands with joy. He smiled at you.

“Gwilym,” you said. “You told me back in London that you’re falling in love with me.”

“Yes, I remember,” he said.

“Well, I just wanted to tell you that….I’m falling in love with you too,” you said. “Hard and fast.”

His smile widened.

“I’m happy to hear it, cariad,” he replied.

With that, he turned you toward him and pulled you in for a kiss. His lips pressed into yours with a need you had not felt from him before. His gratitude for your validation was deeper than you thought. Perhaps his feelings were as well.

When you broke apart, you coiled your arms around his neck and held him close. You stood there for what felt like hours. Despite everything you had been through with him, and the beauty of that moment on the London Eye, this was the most romantic moment you felt with Gwilym. Just you and him. Outside his childhood home, knowing each other without even speaking.

“You need to get going,” he finally said.

“I wish I didn’t,” you replied.

“I do too,” he agreed. “But there’s more to this journey.”

You stood on your toes and kissed him again.

“I’ll see you soon,” you whispered.

“I can’t wait,” he replied.

He walked you to the car and opened the door for you. With one last kiss, you got in. As you drove away, you felt your heart breaking without him.

After Gwilym’s hometown, it was time to leave the UK and head back to the states. Your first stop was in New York for Joe’s hometown. He was from Hyde Park, which you knew nothing about. You were excited to see it though and understand Joe better.

You arrived at Hyde Park and met Joe on what appeared to be a random street. You sprinted to him, eager to be in his arms. You had missed him desperately while you were apart. He caught you and spun you around with a laugh before he kissed you.

“I’ve missed you so much, baby,” he said.

“I’ve missed you more,” you returned.

“Wanna bet?” he shot back.

You laughed. “What are you going to show me today?”

“Hyde Park isn’t exactly known for tourism,” he said. “We’ve got the Vanderbilt Mansion, sure, but other than that we’re just your average town.”

“So, are we going to see the mansion?” you wondered.

“Actually, I thought we’d do something better,” he said. “Come with me.”

He took your hand and began to lead you down the street. This community was clearly close-knit, as several people stopped Joe to talk to him and catch up. He introduced you as his girlfriend and they all smiled happily for him. Finally, you stopped outside a restaurant. The name on it was Mazzello’s. You grinned.

“Your family’s restaurant!” you cried. “I’m gonna get to see it?!”

“Absolutely!” he returned. “My brother, John, has been handling things since I’ve been away, so he’ll be the first family member you meet.”

“I can’t wait!”

You followed him inside. A wave of voices overtook you as Joe walked through the door. It seemed his whole family had surprised even him by showing up at the restaurant. His mother was there, as were his brother and sister. His nieces and nephews raced to hug him and he miraculously scooped all of them into his arms.

There were hugs all around. The Mazzellos had spared no one in coming to meet you. Joe’s grandparents were there. His aunts and uncles. Family friends. Even restaurant regulars. It showed you how well Joe was loved in his community. It made you love him even more.

Joe introduced you first to his mother, Virginia, his sister, Mary, and then his brother, John. They were all thrilled to meet you. As you made your way through the crowd to meet everyone else, you felt there was a missing piece. When you looked over at the counter you realized what it was. A picture of Joe’s father hung behind the register.

You turned your eyes to Joe and saw that he was looking at it too. He shook his head and then looked at you.

“Come on,” he said with a small smile. “Let me show you the kitchen.”

“Alrighty,” you agreed.

You walked with him behind the counter and into the back of the restaurant. The kitchen was huge, with everything you could ever need to make Italian food. And it was authentic. Joe showed you where they made dough, how they turned it into noodles or pizza crust. The massive cooler for all the fresh vegetables. They also had a garden behind the restaurant where they grew their own herbs.

“Joe, this is incredible,” you said, still looking around in awe.

“My dad was dedicated to being authentic,” he said. “So we’ve kept it the way he started it.”

“You shouldn’t change a thing,” you told him.

You were alone together in the kitchen, so he took this opportunity to pull you into his arms. He held you for a long moment, and you felt him shake as he released a breath. You wrapped your arms around him and squeezed him gently.

“Thanks,” he sniffled. “Being back is just bringing up a lot of emotions.”

“I’m here, baby,” you said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Come on,” he said. “I’ve gotta show you how to make all this.”

“We’re gonna cook?” you asked, surprised.

“Course,” he said with a wink. He tossed you an apron. “You gotta learn if you’re gonna be a part of the family.”

You smirked. Then you tied the apron on, rolled up your sleeves, and got to work. His family joined you to help out as well, and Joe took every moment he could to flirt with you. When he showed you something, he stood behind you and put his arms around your waist. If he helped you get something, he reached over you, putting his chest to your face. If he was passing you and no one was around, he gave you a light pat on your ass. You had never had so much fun.

Together, you and the Mazzellos prepared a huge meal for everyone there to see Joe and meet you. Joe’s family was just as fun as he was. They poked fun at him - in the most loving way possible - and welcomed you warmly. As you all sat down to eat, Joe said a quick prayer. Then you dug in to the food.

“Oh my God,” you moaned as you took the first bite. “This is delicious!”

They laughed with you. Sharing a meal with them was like nothing you had ever experienced. Everyone at the table got a say in any discussion, even the children. In fact, Joe frequently consulted them. It seemed that Uncle Joe was a popular person. Many people had questions for you, and Virginia made a special effort to make you feel included. Not that she had to try too hard. You already felt like one of them.

After your meal, they opened a bottle of wine. When the glasses were distributed, you made a toast. Then, Virginia pulled you aside. You followed her to one of the small tables on the patio and sat across from her.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said. “Joe’s been talking about you since he got home and we were all so anxious.”

“I’m glad I don’t disappoint,” you replied.

“Never,” she said. “All I want is for Joe to be happy. He’s been burned in the past and I just want to protect him.”

“Of course you do,” you returned. “You’re an amazing mother. I can’t promise you that Joe and I will end up together because I’m not sure how this will go yet.”

“How do you feel about Joe?” she asked.

You took a moment to form a response. There were so many things you admired about Joe. His humor, his wit, his good heart. The way he made you feel understood and loved. The way you could rely on him. Tears suddenly stung your eyes.

“Oh!” Virginia gasped when she noticed. “Well, then. That tells me all I need to know.”

“I love him,” you choked out anyway.

It felt good to say it to someone. You were in love with Joe. But he hadn’t said it to you, so you weren’t sure about saying it to him.

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said graciously.

She paused a moment before continuing.

“It’s funny, seeing you two together,” she said. “I’m reminded of myself and Mr. Mazzello. The way you seem so at ease with one another and have fun. But behind all of it...I see the depth of what you feel. I know you’d be there for him when things got rough, just as he would be there for you.”

“Joe has been the most solid connection I’ve had,” you said. “He’s never let me down. Truly, Mrs. Mazzello, I see a future with him. Especially after today.” You took a moment to take a breath since your emotion was threatening to overwhelm you again. “I see it so clearly.”

“I’m touched that he means so much to you,” she said, opening her arms. “Come here, Y/N.”

You melted into her and let out a small sob. It hit you so suddenly how much you loved Joe and it had caught you off guard. When you settled down, she wiped your cheeks before kissing them. You beamed at each other.

Joe spoke to his mother next, while you went to chat with his siblings. Virginia took her son in her arms and held him for a quick moment before they sat down together.

“So, how’d it go with Y/N?” he asked.

“Wonderful,” she replied. “She cares for you, Joe.”

“I hope so,” he said with a chuckle.

“No, listen to me, honey,” she said. “I asked her point blank how she felt about you. And she started to cry. You mean a great deal to her.”

Joe flushed, both pleased and distressed by his mother’s words. He hated that you had gotten upset, but he was also touched by the sentiment. He had confessed that he was falling in love with you. Was now the time to tell you that he was there? He was so madly in love with you that he’d do anything in the world for you?

Inside, you had begun talking to Joe’s siblings, but his nieces and nephew quickly interjected.

“What’s your favorite thing about Uncle Joe?” you asked them.

“He’s fun!” his oldest nephew cried. “He always plays with us when the grown ups are being boring.”

“What’s your favorite game to play with him?” you asked.

“Tickle monster!” they all agreed.

“Do you want him to get married?” you wondered.

“Yes!” said his niece eagerly. “That way he can have babies too, and we’ll have even more cousins to play with!”

“Do you wanna have babies with Uncle Joe?” asked his other nephew.

You blinked, a bit taken aback. Then you smiled.

“Very much.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw John and Mary grin at one another.

All too soon, the sun went down and it was time for you to go. You said warm goodbyes to everyone before Joe led you out to the car that was waiting for you.

“What a great day,” he said, before leaning forward and kissing your forehead.

“It was wonderful,” you said. “Do you think if we asked nicely, they’d let us do it again?”

He chuckled. “Afraid not, babe. But hey, I’ll see you again soon.”

You looked into his eyes. He felt the brutal urge to tell you now that he was fully in love with you. He opened his mouth to let it out, but then closed it again. Something in his heart was telling him to wait.

Your brow furrowed. You were hoping Joe would say “I love you.” When he didn’t you were a bit disappointed.

“Everything okay?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said absentmindedly. “Yeah, I just...I had such a good time today and I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you too,” you said.

You rested your head against his chest, not ready to let him go. You got a sudden burst of bravery.

“Joe, I -”

You stopped yourself. Why were you hesitating?

“Yes?” he pressed.

“I...I really am gonna miss you.”

His face fell, and you felt terrible. Why was this so hard to say? Perhaps because it meant so much.

“I’ll see you at the rose ceremony,” he said with a smile.

He kissed you once more. Then he opened the car door and you slid inside. You whispered a tearful goodbye to him, which he returned. Then he closed the door. The driver started down the street. You hung your head in your hands.

“That was stupid,” you said to the camera. “I should have just told him.”

Little did you know, Joe was giving himself the exact same lecture. His only regret in the journey so far was not telling you just then that he loved you. He hoped it didn’t cost him a rose.

From New York, you flew back to Los Angeles for Rami’s hometown. The first three had gone so well, you had high hopes for the last. Rami’s family lived in Sherman Oaks. Most of his extended family was in Egypt, so - like Gwilym’s hometown - you would just be meeting his parents and his siblings. You were a bit nervous going in, since he had mentioned that his sister was protective.

All nerves melted away when you saw him. You surged forward to get to him and planted an enthusiastic kiss on him. He laughed into it, and held you tight.

“I’m so glad to see you,” he said.

“I’m glad to see you too!” you returned.

“I know you’re familiar with Los Angeles, so I wasn’t sure what we could do today,” he said. “But I thought of just a tour of where I grew up.”

“That’s perfect,” you said. “The whole idea is to get to know you better.”

“Awesome, let’s get started!”

For your tour of Rami’s corner of Los Angeles, you had scooters. They were ridiculously fun, even though frightening at first. Rami took you all over Sherman Oaks. He showed you his high school, where a few big name actors had also attended. He took you around his neighborhood, pointing out houses where his friends once lived, and the times they had together. You stopped at a park, where you got some ice cream and sat on a bench together.

“So, it seems like you enjoyed growing up here,” you said.

“I did,” he replied hesitantly.

You frowned. “What is it?”

“Y’know, growing up here was amazing,” he said. “But after 9/11, things changed. People say California is so progressive and welcoming, but after that happened, my family was treated differently, even here.”

“I’m so sorry,” you said, taking his hand. “That’s terrible.”

“We stopped speaking Arabic in public,” he said. “We tried even harder to assimilate. My father took down the Egyptian flag we used to hang outside. Even though we aren’t Muslim...or from the country that attacked that day...we were Middle Eastern enough for people to suddenly suspect us.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” you told him. “That’s just...horrible. And so brutally unfair.”

“It is,” he said. “Eventually, things settled down again, and our neighbors warmed back up. But it was never really the same. In school, I always felt like I was struggling. Having to tell people how to pronounce my name, only to have them butcher it or say it with some offensive accent. It wasn’t easy.”

He took a deep breath.

“But I’m really proud of my heritage,” he said. “I am Egyptian. No matter the generation or where I grew up. It’s part of me.”

“That’s beautiful, Rami,” you said. “You should be proud.”

“Thanks, Y/N,” he replied. “I just wanted to tell you this because my hometown isn’t all great memories. Parts of growing up were very difficult for me. And I wanted you to understand.”

“Believe me, I’m glad to listen to every part of how you grew up,” you said. “The good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to support you and help you through it.”

“You’re amazing,” he said.

“You’re even more so,” you returned.

You kissed him with a smile.

You didn’t stay out too much longer before you headed to his parents’ home. It was a decent sized suburban house, and you hoped his mother would appreciate the flowers. Rami told you to skip the wine because his parents didn’t drink. Out of respect for their home, you decided you would not partake while there. Rami told you how much he appreciated it.

When you walked up to the door, you gulped. You were always nervous right before meeting them. Then Rami kissed your cheek swiftly before opening the door.

As soon as you were into the foyer, Rami’s brother crashed into him.

“Rami!” he cried, engulfing him into a hug.

Though he and his brother were twins, they had their distinctions. Rami was slimmer and just an inch or two shorter. Sami was broader with a more relaxed air about him.

“Oh, this must be Y/N,” Sami said as he released his brother. “I’m Sami. It’s nice to meet you.”

You shook his hand. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Sami, are they -” Rami’s sister, Jasmine, came into the hall and stopped herself. “They are!”

She went to Rami and hugged him similarly to Sami. His parents appeared behind their daughter and grinned at the sight. You went over to them and offered the flowers.

“For you, Mrs. Malek,” you said.

She grinned. “Thank you, Y/N.”

His father also shook your hand before calling his children back with him to the kitchen. Mrs. Malek, whose name was Nelly, put the flowers into a vase. Mr. Malek, whose name was Said, checked on something in the oven which smelled delicious. You told him so and they thanked you.

“So, how’s it been so far?” Sami asked. “Been anywhere exciting?”

“We’ve been to Asheville, North Carolina,” Rami said. “Then we went to London.”

“Oh, I love London,” Jasmine interjected.

“It was amazing,” Rami told her. “And after that we went to Killarney, Ireland.”

“How fun!” Nelly said.

“We had a great time in Killarney,” you said, looking fondly at Rami and recalling your magical one on one date.

“It was beautiful,” Rami agreed. “Especially the company.”

He put his arm around your shoulders and squeezed you as you giggled. You caught a disgusted look on Jasmine’s face, which discouraged you. You had the sense that she would take a while to warm up to you. Unfortunately, you only had one evening to change her mind.

Rami’s parents were incredibly kind. His mother was already teaching you some Arabic as you helped her prepare more food. It was just simple words here and there, but she told you that you were doing a great job. Meanwhile, Rami spoke to his siblings in the living room.

“Rami, I hate to be the wet blanket here,” Jasmine said. “But what are you doing?”

“Enjoying an evening with my girlfriend and family,” he replied. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve known this girl barely two months,” she continued. “All while she’s been dating thirty other men.”

“I know what I signed up for,” he said.

“I still don’t understand why you even signed up,” she snapped.

“Hey, calm down,” Sami said. “Love happens in crazy ways. Who's to say this isn’t how it’s meant to work out for Rami?”

“Because it’s ridiculous,” Jasmine said. “How can she really love you if she is also falling in love elsewhere? And what about your career?”

“What about it?” Rami demanded.

“Don’t you think you should wait for marriage and a family until you’ve established yourself more as an actor?” she wondered. “This is a huge commitment.”

“We’ve talked about it,” he said. “She knows that we could balance it.”

“Probably not the way she’s thinking,” she said. “I saw her on the last season. This girl is ready to settle down properly. Is that something you want?”

“We can talk more about it,” Rami said. “Right now, all I need for you to do is be my sister and support me.”

“I am doing that,” she said. “And one day, you’ll see just how much.”

With that, she swept from the room. Rami scowled.

“She’s making some good points, Rami,” Sami said.

“No, she isn’t,” Rami argued. “This is something Y/N and I have already discussed and worked out.”

Sami sighed. “Alright then.”

Dinner was ready within the next few minutes. It went smoothly. You liked Rami’s family and the way they interacted. Teasing and fun, but with lots of love. Rami was clearly the apple of his mother’s eye especially.

When dinner was over, Jasmine asked to speak to you. You were glad for the chance because you wanted to be close to her if it was you and Rami at the end of this. Together, you went out to the back porch and took seats on the cushioned wicker furniture.

“Y/N, I want to start by saying that I don’t have a problem with you personally, but this process makes no sense to me,” she began.

“I understand that,” you said. “It’s difficult for lots of people to understand unless you’re in it. But it’s just a way for people to find love. Like any dating app or even the traditional stuff. It just happens to be on TV as well.”

“But the expectation is not traditional,” Jasmine said. “The idea is to get engaged after just two months.”

“It seems fast, but believe me, the feelings are real,” you told her. “What I feel for Rami...that’s real. Whether other people understand it or not.”

“But you also have real feelings for three other men,” she pointed out.

That stung. You understood why the families were concerned about this. They didn’t want their loved one to be the one to get hurt. But this was the process that you all signed up for, and you were growing tired of this being thrown in your face.

“I do,” you said. “But every relationship is different.”

“So, tell me what you and Rami have discussed about life outside of this,” she said. “You know he wants to be an actor.”

“He already is an actor,” you replied. “We’ve talked about how we would balance schedules with each other and if we have children.”

Jasmine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she looked at you, a hard expression in her eyes.

“Rami is ambitious about his acting career,” she said. “Now isn’t the time for him to be getting married and starting a family.”

You wanted to flare up and scream at her, but you held back.

“Don’t you think that’s something Rami should decide for himself?” you countered.

“Y/N, listen to me,” she said. “I’m not saying this to be a bitch. I’m saying this for both your sakes. Let’s say this goes well and you and Rami get engaged. If you have to wait for his acting career to take off before you can be a mother, you are going to resent him. If he sacrifices his aspirations in order to stay where he is and be with you, he is going to resent you. He’s not ready.”

“Why would he come on this show if he’s not ready?” you challenged, trying not to let her words take root in your heart. But you couldn’t deny the truth of them.

“Probably because - like anyone - he does want love,” she said. “But he’s not ready for the commitment you want from him.”

You let that sink in. Tears welled up in your eyes. You were still falling in love with Rami, and hated the thought of saying goodbye to him.

“Excuse me,” you said, getting up from your seat.

You walked out into the yard and around the side of the house, sniffling. A tear slid down your cheek. This was the last thing you expected from his family. For them to tell you that even if you and Rami love each other, these things would get in the way. It hurt so much to hear because Jasmine was right. You were afraid of resentment building if either of you had to wait for your dreams.

“Hey.”

You turned and saw Rami standing there, a little winded and looking concerned.

“What did she say?” he demanded when he saw you crying.

You broke down and told him. He heaved a sigh and pulled you into his arms.

“Y/N, don’t listen to that,” he said. “We can figure out how to plan our lives after an engagement. We don’t have to get married and have kids right away, we’ve got a lot of time.”

You pushed him away.

“Is that what you think I want?” you asked. “To just be indefinitely engaged? Without a plan? To basically be dating each other after this?”

“No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I understand you want a serious commitment, and I’m willing to give that to you if I have to.”

“If you have to?” you questioned. “Rami, I need someone who really, really wants that. I’m upset because I think Jasmine is right. We don’t want the same things going back into the world after all this.”

His eyes filled with tears too. “I want you, Y/N. I love you.”

You blinked and looked at the ground. “I don’t know if that’s enough.”

He sucked in a sharp breath at your words, and you couldn’t look at him.

“So...what do we do?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” you whispered.

You stood there a brief moment, wondering where to go from here.

“I’m not ready to say goodbye,” you said.

“I’m not either,” he said.

“At least we can agree on that,” you said with a humorless laugh.

Another beat passed.

“I need to go,” you said. “I have a lot to think about.”

“Y/N, please…” he trailed off.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I just have to go.”

With that, you walked out to the front of the house. You couldn’t say goodbye to his family like this, not when you were falling apart. Alone, you went to the car that was waiting for you and climbed into the back seat, closing the door behind you. As you pulled away, you looked into the camera.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” you said. “I really just don’t know.”

The next day, you woke still conflicted. You had a rose ceremony that night, and you had to decide who to send home. Rami’s hometown date had been the least successful, but it opened your eyes to what might happen if you went down this road with him. But you also felt confused about Joe because of the moment before you left and he didn’t tell you he loved you. But Gwilym hadn’t either. The only one you were sure was getting a rose so far was Ben. His family was sweet, and you had no doubts about where you stood with him. You were absolutely ready to move forward with that relationship. The others...you had to consider and weigh your options.

You were meeting the men back at the Bachelor Mansion, where the journey began. Chris stood out front, where you had been night one to meet the men. The remaining four were arriving one by one before going into the rose ceremony.

Joe was the first to arrive. He smiled at Chris as he walked up to shake his hand.

“Joe, how are you?” Chris asked politely.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Joe answered. “I think my hometown could have ended better, but I hope that’s not enough to lose a rose tonight.”

“Well, good luck, my friend,” Chris said. “Go ahead inside.”

“Thanks,” Joe replied.

He walked through the house and into the courtyard. He stood to one side and looked at the little table with just three roses on it.

Rami arrived next. He couldn’t smile just yet.

“Rami, how’re you doing?” Chris asked.

“I’m anxious,” Rami said. “Things didn’t go well on the hometown date and I...I wish I had more time to talk to her before all this.”

“If the connection is there, she knows how to move forward,” Chris said. “Go ahead inside and good luck.”

“Thank you, Chris,” Rami said.

He followed Joe’s path. He finally grinned when he saw Joe and the two embraced. Then Rami spotted the roses and swallowed, wondering if he would get one.

Ben was third to arrive. He had a wide smile on his face.

“What’s up, buddy?” Chris asked as they shook hands and clapped each other on the shoulder. “You look happy.”

“I am happy,” Ben said. “I think things went really well, so I’m feeling confident about tonight.”

“That’s great to hear,” Chris said. “Go ahead inside and best of luck to you.”

“Thank you,” Ben replied.

He walked into the courtyard and he was pleased to see Joe and Rami already there. He gave them both quick hugs before taking his place in line.

Finally, Gwilym arrived. He straightened his tie as he stepped out of the limo and approached Chris.

“Gwilym, how are you?” Chris asked as they shook hands.

“I’m nervous,” Gwil admitted. “But I think everything went well enough. I just hope she feels the same way I do.”

“I hope so too,” Chris said. “Go ahead in and good luck.”

“Thank you so much,” Gwilym returned.

He too made his way to the courtyard, where the other three men stood. They all embraced him when he arrived, but quickly resumed their spots. Things had changed between them now that it was more serious. They all considered each other friends, and they respected one another, but there was some tension now. They waited.

You were the last one to get there. As you walked into the courtyard in your gown, you took a deep breath. You had made up your mind, but now you had to go through with it. You were going to hurt someone you cared a lot about - someone you loved - and that was never easy.

“Hi,” you said meekly as you looked at the four men before you. “Thank you all for being so gracious and allowing me to meet the important people in your life. I felt truly honored. I got a glimpse into what the future would be like with each of you, and it really helped me see who has the most potential to be my husband.”

Rami hung his head at these words. Then he looked at you again as you picked up the first rose.

“Ben,” you said.

He let out a sigh and walked up to you.

“Ben, will you accept this rose?” you asked.

“I will,” he replied.

You pinned it to his jacket. You picked up the second.

“Gwilym,” you called.

His body relaxed at the sound of his name and then he approached you.

“Gwilym, will you accept this rose?”

“Of course I will.”

You pinned it on and he kissed your cheek before returning to his spot. Your heart began to pound inside your chest. Chris came out and put a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Y/N, gentlemen,” he said. “This is the final rose tonight. Whenever you’re ready.”

He let go and you inhaled deeply. The exhale was slow and shaky. With a trembling hand, you picked up the last rose. You looked at Rami and you looked at Joe. Your eyes watered.

“Joe,” you choked out.

Joe’s relief was written all over his face as he walked over to you.

“Joe, will you accept this rose?” you asked, trying to keep your voice even.

“I will, Y/N, thank you,” he replied.

He had to help you put it on since your hands were so unsteady. Then he gave you a quick hug before returning to his spot.

“Rami, I’m sorry,” Chris said. “Take a moment, say your goodbyes.”

Rami was shaken. He had hoped that you could move past what Jasmine said and work through those issues together. Especially since you told him you weren’t ready to say goodbye. And here you were, saying it anyway.

He gave short hugs to the remaining men, who all whispered some words of comfort to him. Then he slowly walked to you. You had tears streaming steadily down your face. You tried to inhale, but you were short of breath.

“Can I - can I walk you out?” you asked through a sob.

“Yeah,” he said gently.

You took his hand and started back inside the mansion to exit through the front door. When you got to the driveway, you stopped and sat him down on a bench.

“I’m so sorry, Rami,” you whimpered. “I just...I don’t ever want to hold you back. You’re so talented and you’ve got so much to give, and I never want to stand in your way.”

“I don’t think you would…” he said.

Rami was numb. He still could hardly believe it was ending.

“I would,” you sobbed. “I want to settle down and have someone who comes home every night to me and the kids, y’know? And with what you want out of your life, that could never be us. As much as I care about you…”

He blinked and you saw a tear roll down his cheek slowly.

“I love you, Y/N,” he said.

“I love you too, Rami,” you replied. “But that kind of love isn’t enough to have a successful marriage between people as different as we are.”

A beat passed and you sniffled again.

“I want you to know that you’re amazing,” you said. “My feelings for you are so deep and so real, and that’s why this hurts so much. You deserve a successful career and someone who can be there for you through it. But that’s just not me.”

“I understand,” he said.

He began to move, as if suddenly gaining feeling back in his limbs.

“This is where we say goodbye, then,” he said.

“Goodbye, Rami,” you returned.

He hugged you. You held him for a moment, but you knew you had to let him go.

“When you win an Oscar, I’ll be cheering for you,” you teased, forcing a smile through your tears.

He chuckled halfheartedly. “Thanks. Bye, Y/N.”

“Bye,” you breathed.

With that, he opened the door and climbed in. You closed it and watched the tail lights disappear through the gate. You let out one final sob and dabbed at your eyes.

Rami, once inside the car, put his head in his hands and tried to breathe. He released a small whine, but kept his face covered. Then he took a deep breath and moved his hands to wipe his face.

“God,” he sighed. “I’m...I hate this. I really wanted to be with her and I hate that she couldn’t see a future anymore. F**k.”

He paused.

“I still love her.”

Back at the mansion, you had your makeup touched up before returning to the three men you had left. Your nose still ran and bit, and your eyes were still red and puffy, but you went to them anyway. They offered sympathetic smiles as you walked up.

“So, um,” you began, voice shaking again. “That was really difficult. But, I really am happy to be moving forward with all of you.”

Joe handed you a glass of champagne. They all already held one.

“Next week is a big week,” you said. “It’s fantasy suites, and where we’re going really is a fantasy.”

“Where is it?” wondered Ben.

“Gentlemen, we are going to New Zealand!”

They cheered and toasted to that. You hoped you were ready for the overnight dates. But you looked at the faces of each of these men and smiled. You were ready. You absolutely trusted them with your heart.

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basiccortez · 4 years ago

Note

“What would you do if I didn’t come back?”“Can’t you see how fucked up this is?”“When did you stop loving me?”“Do you understand what you’ve done?”“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”“How do I make you love me again?”“How do we fix this?” With Angel pretty please?

“If I don’t Come Back”

Y/N had stumbled into the house, for the 5th night in a row. Smelling like the floor of a distillery, her best friends, Ella and Ramona, carrying her drunk body to the small leather couch in her living room. Ella grunted as she laid her heavy body down, while Ramona went to take off Y/N's high heeled shoes. Sam, her other best friend, laid the keys to her truck by the front door.

"Should we call him?" Sam asked the two girls.

"Yes," "No," Ella and Ramona said.

"He left her because of this. He said it was too hard to see her like this, so no, don't call him, Sam." Ramona said, tying Y/N's hair up the best she could while laying down on the couch, "I'll stay with her, and make sure she doesn't drown in her own vomit."

"She needs help Mona, it's the 5th night that we've picked her up from a bar. We could call her dad." Ella said and Ramona sighed. She knew that Y/N probably didn't tell her dad anything that was going on. They had never been close, Y/N just figured out he was her dad about 2 years ago.

"Yeah, call him." Ramona said and Sam nodded, stepping outside so he could call Y/N's dad.

Ramona and Ella struggled, but changed Y/N into some more comfortable clothes. Occasionally she would drunkly babble words out of her mouth. Ramona would sush her and continue to take the makeup off of her tan skin.

"Does he still love me? Is he still going to want me?" Y/N asked, her eyes half open, and her body like a limp noodle.

"I am sure he does love you, your dad will be here soon." Ramona said, and laid Y/N's head down in her lap. She ran her fingers through Y/N's jet black died hair, something she had done recently. Ella sat down a glass of water in front of the girls as they waited for Y/N's father to arrive.

The girls both perked up hearing a rumbling of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway. Ella stood up and sighed, before going to open the door. Sam was already talking to Y/N's dad, no doubt trying to tell him everything that had happened in the past 6 weeks. Y/N's dad opened the door and sighed, seeing his daughter passed out on the couch, her friend holding her head up.

"I got it from here, guys, I can take care of her." Her dad said.

"Are you sure Mr. Loza?" Sam asked him.

"Yeah, I've helped clean up a few drunks in my life. She'll be just fine, thank you guys for getting her here safely. But I got this." Hank said to the group of young adults. They all nodded and Ramona kissed Y/N's forehead before leaving her house, "Mija, what are you doing?"

The next day, Y/N woke up in her bed, confused on how she got there. She rubbed her head, trying to remember all that happened. She remembers getting a text from Angel at work, and then leaving early to go to the bar. By the clothes she was in, and her makeup free face, she guessed that she called Ramona and Ella too.

"Oh you're up, good. Get dressed, you're with me today." Hank said to his daughter.

"What? When did you get here?" Y/N asked, as he handed her a plate with toast, eggs, and bacon on it.

"Last night, Sam called me." Hank said sitting down next to his daughter.

Y/N nodded, taking a bite of her food. Of course Sam was here too, he always looked out for Y/N as much as Ella and Ramona do. Angel had always had a jealousy of how close Sam and Y/N were, but Y/N always assured him that Sam was not a threat to their relationship.

"What happened, mija? You have not talked to me or come by the clubhouse in weeks. Your partners in crime look sad, and I have never seen Coco get upset over a girl. And Angel-"

"We broke up." Y/N mumbled, taking a bite of her food.

"What? Why? You broke off the engagement?" Hank asked.

"Yeah, I gave him back his mom's ring. He said he- he couldn't-t love me anymore." Y/N said, her voice breaking.

"Is this about your mom's death?"

Y/N nodded, tears clouding her eyes. Hank pulled his daughter into his chest, and caressed her head gently. He hated to see her cry, and his heart broke knowing it was over a boy. A boy who he trusted with his life. Y/N tried to silence her sobs, but they shook through her whole body, as she let them out.

For as long as Hank as known Y/N, before he knew that she was his daughter, he had seen how the anniversary of her mother's death affected her. Hank watched his first wife, Y/N's mother, drink herself into drunken states every night. Her mother tragically died when Y/N was 18, in a drunk driving accident. Losing her mother so long, had left a lasting scar on Y/N, to wear every week leading up to the anniversary, she drank. And like her mother, Y/N also had addictive personalities, and could drink way past her limit.

"So why did Angel leave? What happened?" Hank asked, wanting to know what actually happened.

"I-I went to a check up, a couple months ago. . . they told me I was pregnant. But I ended up losing the child." Y/N sniffled, "I didn't know how t-to deal with it, my body hurt, and my mind hurt, and everything hurt. Seeing Angel walk around sad, and hear him cry at night. I needed to not hear it, so I started having a glass of wine a night, but that turned into a bottle, which turned into several bottles. Angel said he was tired of having to pick me up and take care of me."

Hanks sighed, unsure of what to say. Hank had felt the same way that Angel is feeling now. Tired of cleaning up his first wife's actions. But no matter how many nights he picked his wife up from bars, and office parties, Hank never said that he couldn't love his wife anymore.

"I'll talk to Angel, okay, mija." Hank said and Y/N nodded, "But get cleaned up, you're with me."

Y/N loved riding on her dad's bike, or any bike for that moment. She loved the feeling of her hair flowing behind her, and the freedom she felt while being on the bike. She could stretch her arms out and not feel the hard metal sides of being in a cage.

But she missed the feeling of Angel's heartbeat under her hands as she held on to him. Or how he would weave in and out of cars just to hear the excited sequel leave Y/N's lips. She also missed the smell of leather, tobacco, and pine that he had.

When the Lozas pulled up the club house, everybody was surprised to see Y/N pull the helmet off her head. It had been weeks since they've seen her. Bishop had a smile on his face, seeing the girl he considered a daughter walk up towards him. His smile faltered seeing her hungover. Bishop looked over Y/N's shoulder and saw Hank shrug.

"Why don't you go inside and have Chucky make you some coffee." Hank said to his daughter.

Y/N moved like a zombie and made her way to the inside of the clubhouse. Other members welcomed her the same way Bishop did, with bright smiles, that faltered when seeing the dark circles and smelling the alcohol that seemed to leak from her pores. Her face did seem to brighten seeing Coco, and Gilly walk through the door, but it fell as soon as EZ and his brother walked in behind the two men.

She excused herself from the table she sat at and moved quickly to the bathroom, feelings her throat tighten and her eyes felt hot with tears. Y/N slammed the bathroom door shut, and locked it behind her. She paced the small bathroom, tilting her head back and looking at the ceiling. She balled her fists, and released them several times trying to control the tears that were coming down her face. She held her fist to her mouth as loud sobs escaped her mouth.

Angel sighed, watching Y/N leave the room so quick. He was happy to see her, but sad to see her in the disheveled state she was in. Y/N always cleaned up nicely, and loved having her hair, makeup and nails done. It hurt him to see how much pain she was in, but he wasn't sorry for leaving her. He prayed that she was getting help, and maybe she had finally hit rock bottom.

After a couple of minutes, and Y/N still not coming back from the bathroom, Angel downed his drink and headed to find her. His heart broke hearing her broken cries and mumbled words she spoke to herself on the other side of the bathroom. Angel knocked quietly on the door and waited for her to open.

"It's me, amor. Open the door." Angel said and heard her sniff. Y/N unlocked the door, which was enough of an invite for Angel to walk in the tiny bathroom. Y/N sat on the floor against the opposite wall away from the door. Angel sighed and leaned against the sink.

"What would you do if I don't come back?" Y/N asked Angel. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked at her confused.

"Why? Where are you going?" Angel asked her.

"Away..."

"Like... rehab? or...?"

Y/N just shrugged and Angel ran his hand down his face. He didn't know what she was talking about. He wasn't even sure if she was sober at the moment.

"Y/N, where are you going? Maybe you should go to rehab, or somewhere to get help? Can't you see how fucked up this is? It's 11 o'clock in the morning and you smell like you just woke up on the bar floor."

"I don't need fucking help Angel. I am just fine. I can survive with out you!"

"Clearly you can't. Look at yourself. You're a mess. You don't even look the same, Y/N. It's been two weeks and you look like you've gotten a combine 9 hours of sleep and lost 20 pounds."

"When did you stop loving me?" Y/N asked. Her head was clouded, and she couldn't think straight. Her broken heart was talking, and Angel knew it. It broke him to hear her speak like this. Like she had run out of options and didn't know which was right and wrong.

Angel sighed and sat down on the floor next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her shaking frame into his strong sturdy one. Y/N inhaled the familiar scent of leather.

"Don't you understand what you've done, mi dulce." Angel said running his hand through her tangled hair, "This is not the girl I fell in love with. I don't even know this version anymore."

"You did this to me. Angel, I needed you to help me. I-I can't stand on my own anymore. I just wake up in the morning to see that you're gone and there's an open bottle on my bedside table."

"Don't you think you've done enough? You look sick, and that's not who I want you to be."

"How do I make you love me again? How do we fix this?" Y/N pleaded, looking up at Angel with big watery eyes. Angel sighed and kissed her forehead.

"I have never stopped loving you, Y/N and probably never will. But I want you to get better. And I will do whatever it takes to be right by your side the whole way."

A/N: i am super super sorry for the late post. I struggled writing this a lot, and I hope you like it:)

#angel reyes #angel reyes imagine #mayans fandom #mayans fanfic #mayans fx #mayans imagine #angel reyes x reader

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ill-skillsgard · 6 years ago

Text

Smoke & Money, Part 5 - Bill Skarsgård

Title: Smoke & Money

Warning: 100% NSFW, some drug use, swearing, sex/fetish/kink type situations

Description: A young sex worker gets tangled in the dangerous web of a wealthy entrepreneur whose tastes push her past all of her known limits.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Sex was this shapeless yet intricate form of power that I had learned to wield at a young age. From my first discovery of softcore porn on late-night basic cable to the figuring out that I could use my pussy as a form of mind-control to hypnotize high school boys into buying me things. I didn't care if I was being manipulative or if some guy's ex-girlfriend called me a slut. There were many worse things one could be besides a slut. I had this natural power and I was unashamed to use it. At the time, it felt like pure magic. It used to be magical to me until sex became real work. I would clock in- check in at a dirty motel- do my time and clock back out, making sure my customer was satisfied and that I got paid for the performance. Over and over. I had been inside almost every out-of-date, no-star hotel in the entire county and afar, doing sexual favors for men who had no will or means to get laid by anyone who would do it for free. Sex had officially lost its luster to me until I met Bill. I thought that I would never want to engage in real sex ever again, not after all of the shit I had seen and definitely not without getting paid for it. I thought the entire idea of allowing another human to penetrate me had been jaded for good but I found myself wanting it more than ever. This was a new kind of torture and I wasn't sure how it was sitting with me. I had always been the one on the giving end, always the one with something to withhold. Now I was the victim and even though my cage was gilded and I had money practically flowing out of my fingertips, I knew I had willingly wandered right into a trap. Bill did not come for me or call me or send one of his people to talk to me about anything. The only thing I received was a package that contained a brand new cell phone the morning after our last encounter. I looked down at the staunch white packaging and then over to my old phone that I held in my palm. He had told me to get rid of my cell phone, so I did. I broke the screen with the heel of my shoe and when that wasn't enough I threw it in the kitchenette sink and ran it under a raging stream of hot water. He wanted nobody contacting me. No more clients. No more men. No more tricks for me because I had pulled the ultimate one. The fabled Sugar Daddy to end them all was now mine and me, his. It was a strange sensation to be done with it, to devote myself to only one person. But it started to get lonely up in my gilded cage and I longed for human contact. I had been having breakfast, lunch, and dinner all by myself at the Miramira Cafe for days upon days. I had sucked down every type of cocktail they offered on their menu and when I got bored of that I ordered room service. After the food was no longer a comfort I started to route around the Penthouse to see if I could find anything of interest. My hopes were to find something that belonged to Bill, but there was nothing. Every morning a pair of maids came in to take away my used towels, change the bed sheets and clean the bathroom and kitchen. They weren't enough to satiate my appetite for interaction however and their arrival only signified to me that another day without Bill had come and gone. Strange how it works, when you're constantly bombarded with people and their requests, you start to live in contempt of it but as soon as all that is taken away, the only thing that can set your mind at ease is the very thing you started to loathe in the first place. I was reaching a breaking point when I woke up one morning and realized that Bill hadn't come for me in almost two weeks. I looked through my new phone and there were no contacts. I had no pictures, no apps, no texts, and no calls. It was then I started to deeply regret destroying my old phone. At least on that one, I had some games to play and pictures of myself with old friends. That was it, I thought. I should meet up with an old girlfriend. Surely Bill didn't expect me to have zero contact with the outside world completely. After all, he hadn't made any effort to contact me in any way. So that was that I decided. I downloaded a messenger application and started going through to see who I wanted to talk to. I invited an old friend of mine out to lunch at a restaurant that was a few blocks away in the fashion district. At first, she declined, claiming she didn't have the money to spend fourteen dollars on a beer but I offered to pay for everything and she quickly changed her tune. Funny how call-girls flipped the switch whenever something free was involved. Oh well, I wouldn't hold it against her. I was just happy to be getting out of the hotel and into the city for some good old-fashion girl talk. I put on a nice new Versace dress, one of those super-tight tubes of material that zipped all the way from the hem to the neck and a brand new pair of violet crushed velvet Louboutin's with the classic red outsole. With my new phone and wallet thrown into a purse, I was ready to leave. Outside the door, there was nobody to be seen. It had been a few days since a bodyguard had been posted at the door. I had no more fear that my life was in danger and Bill must have thought so too. That was okay, I thought, I didn't want to have to explain to my friend why some big buff dude was following me around. In fact, after having given it some additional thought, I suspected that maybe my whole outfit was a little much too. I didn't want to give away too much information and she was the type of friend to poke and pry into anyone's business. Oh well, I thought, better keep my mouth closed. She was very happy to see me when we met at the restaurant. Her name was Paula and I had known her since high school. She taught pole-dancing and gymnastics at a studio in the downtown area so she was quite fit and always appeared as though she were being propped up on a stick. Of course, she made a big deal about my appearance as well. "Look at you, are those knock-offs?" She pointed at my glistening new shoes. "I wish they were," I replied. "Holy smokes, I don't remember you being so fancy looking. What happened? Did you marry an old rich guy?" Oh, if only you knew what I have been up to, sweet Paula. "There is a rich man in my life, let's just leave it at that." There was no point in me lying because in this day and age anyone could find out anything. I figured I would just be as vague as possible when answering any questions about my newfound fortune. "Damn, you look so sharp these days. It's been so long since we last got together." Paula bubbled. "I know, far too long," I agreed. We took a table on the outside patio since it was a warm and bright day and I simply did not want to be inside if I didn't have to be. Paula turned her nose up at the menu and implored me to allow us to go to another restaurant. After ten minutes of insisting it was fine, that I would pay for everything she sighed, sinking down in her chair. It was such a gorgeous day and I relished the feeling of the sun on my skin. I loved the company and endless chattering with Paula. It felt so good to talk to another human being, one that was genuinely interested in what I had to say, who wanted to hear my stories and had their own to share. The eyes from around the patio that settled on me were welcome too. I felt radiant and glad that I could finally treat somebody else to all of the lavishness that I had been receiving. I almost forgot how good it felt to give. Halfway into a bottle of wine, I noticed there was a table of men at the other end of the patio and one kept staring at me until I would look over and catch him, then he would look away. All of the buzzes of the street and people walking by with their children or shopping bags started to create a whirlwind of confusion, or maybe it was just the wine. Paula was babbling on and on about some event she was hosting at the pole-house she worked at but I was tuning in and out, casually sipping my wine and letting my eyes jump from person to person, from car to car, building to building and so on until I saw something, or rather someone familiar. "What's up?" Paula asked me as I squinted to see across and further down the street. There was a shiny black BMW parked a few storefronts down and the driver I swore had been looking at me. By the time my eyes focused, a bustling tram car stopped in the street with a line of a dozen cars behind it just waiting to get a move on. Could it have been Bill's driver? I wasn't sure but something sick and suggestive inside my gut screamed that it was but by the time the tram moved the BMW had its tinted windows rolled all the way up and was signaling to merge into the street traffic. "J? What are you looking at?" "I don't know... I thought I saw somebody I know across the street." Paula craned her neck around and tried to see what I saw but it was too late. "Hm, weird." She said, sticking her fork into her bowl of ridiculously expensive green curry. When I concluded that it was all just in my head, a hand touched my arm and I gasped, causing Paula to gasp as well. I looked up and saw the person who was trying to get my attention and smiled. "Jack? Wow!" I burst. "J, is that really you?" He asked. I stood up from the table and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. Jack was an ex-boyfriend of mine from high school that had remained my friend up until graduation. I remembered him as always being very gentlemanly and polite. He had grown up with all sisters and a single mom which I attributed to his sensitivity and grace. "And Paula, do you remember me?" Jack asked her. "Yeah, you were the guy with the really bad emo haircut right?" Paula giggled. "Yeah," Jack shrugged. "Good times, huh?" "Wow, it's so good to see you. What are you doing here?" I asked. "Oh, just having some lunch with a couple of buddies right over there." Jack pointed across the patio to the table of suited men that I had noticed. "I thought I recognized you but I wasn't sure," I admitted. "I guess my eyesight is starting to go." "Well, good eyesight or not, you are looking fantastic. You too, Paula." Jack offered a compliment. "Thanks, so do you. I'm glad you outgrew the emo phase." Jack laughed and reached into his suit pocket. "Well hey, I'm going to get back to those guys but, I would love it if you gave me your number so we can catch up sometime if you're alright with that?" "Sure!" I exclaimed and then wished I could retract my eager response. "Well actually, I don't have a phone at the moment." Paula looked up at me with a raised eyebrow and Jack guffawed. "I mean, I do, but it's not working right now," I attempted to hide my nervousness by fake giggling. "I've always been kind of dumb with new technologies." "How about this," Jack suggested as he produced an ebony fountain pen from his jacket pocket. "We'll do this really old school, in the spirit of all this great nostalgia. I'll write my phone number down for you and once you have your phone figured out, you can shoot me a text message." "Sure! Sounds great." I agreed. Jack scrawled his phone number down on a napkin and handed it to me. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face until he left to go back to his table, but not before giving me another really tight hug and saying goodbye to Paula. "Wow, small world I guess." Paula mused. "Right..." I looked down at the phone number that was already starting to bleed black ink into the soft material of the napkin. Suddenly all I could think of was Bill. Would he be pissed if he knew about the exchange? I decided I didn't want to think about it and stuffed the napkin into my purse. After lunch, I thanked Paula for accompanying me and we went our separate ways. I hailed a cab and once I got into the back seat and the driver asked me where to go I blanked. I didn't want to go back to the penthouse, the fear of boredom was always waiting to greet me there so I decided to take the cab a few blocks down and go shopping by myself.

~*~

It didn't take long before I grew bored of all my new things, taking hedonistic bubble baths by myself, eating French food off a pushcart in my silky underwear, playing online games with kids half my age. It was coming up on three weeks that I hadn't heard a thing from Bill and it was starting to feel really strange. Where was he? Did he forget that I existed? Was I just one of many birds he had locked up in different towers all over the world? The more I thought about it the more I convinced myself I was just part of some prurient collection of mistresses that all worshiped at the feet of Mr. Skarsgård. I had no way of contacting him. Even the guard that had watched over me for the first week of my stay was nowhere to be found. I had no contacts in my phone. Then I remembered how it had all started- with a simple little e-mail. I could easily log into my e-mail inbox and find the address he had used to contact me. Maybe a strongly worded electronic letter would get him to come to see me, or something. I wanted to but a voice inside of me was screaming to not bother with it. If I crossed him again he could easily have me dropped back off on the street and my whole new world of rich material and expensive wine stains would dissolve and the prospect of enticing my benefactor along with it. It was all so very maddening, laying around in a five-star hotel suite, staring out the windows and wondering when I was going to be called upon again. All the money in the world couldn't fill the need I had and it only got worse as the days dragged on. I wanted to touch and have human contact. I wanted sex. I had never gone that long without it since I lost my virginity. At that point, I would have even been happy giving some random John a blowjob just to be able to hear some fucking gratitude. But I stayed in the penthouse, only leaving to go somewhere else to eat. I had no other responsibility in the world other than keeping myself alive and even though I was sitting in the lap of luxury, it didn't feel so lively. A month went by and I was starting to become friends with the hotel concierge and all the ladies at the front desk. I wondered what they thought of me. Did they pity me? Envy me? Did they know what I was there for? Did they know Bill? Did they have a phone number on file that I could use to contact him? There were so many questions that I wasn't sure I wanted the answers to. All I got were smiles each time I came back with another pair of new shoes. I got fed up by the end of the month when the Summer started to melt away the Spring and I had been living in a hotel shut away from the world. I wanted to go to the beach or do something fun but I was afraid to reach out. All of my friends were sex workers and if Bill knew I was hanging out with them there was a chance he might go off. Even Paula was away on vacation and I had absolutely nobody else to talk to except for the voices of unknown twelve-year-old boys playing the same video games as I was and most of the time they just told me to go fuck myself. The odd time that I actually took their advice was lackluster as well. The most expensive and high-end sex toys were not enough to fill the void. Masturbation was starting to get boring too. I deduced that I must have been starting to lose it. I was driven to the point of desperation. I hadn't heard from Bill in so long I almost forgot what he looked like. Swallowing my pride, I decided to e-mail him. Just one short and concise e-mail to remind him that I existed.

Where have you been? -J

I held my breath and pressed send. After the message left my outbox I set my phone down and hastily made it a point to distract myself with something else. I didn't want to sit around staring at my phone screen waiting for his reply. Instead, I played around on the grand piano even though I couldn't play a lick of anything even remotely song-like. When I gave up on that, I took a long steam shower. I assumed by the time I stepped out that he would have replied but when I checked I had absolutely no messages from him. I did, however, have mountains of unread e-mails from clients that I chose to delete without reading. I groaned and my dejected voice threw off the walls and came back at me, echoing my utter detachment from life and reminding me that I was so. Fucking. Alone. Bill did not answer me that night or the next. I dared not send another e-mail but after a couple more days I was ready to give up. I had gone out to buy a bigger suitcase just to pack all of my new stuff into. I thought if I just used his card to buy myself some prepaid credit cards I could leave it along with the phone he gave me and check out of the hotel. I could take a cab to wherever and forget about him as he had forgotten me. So that's what I decided to do. I threw all of my favourite shoes into the suitcase first and then all of my underwear, bras, lingerie, some comfortable outfits, a couple nice dresses and a bunch of toiletries stolen from the bathroom. It took some strength to get the suitcase zipped up but once I did it gave me a weird satisfaction. I dumped the contents of my purse on the bed and went through to make sure I wasn't taking anything that I didn't absolutely need. That's when I saw the bunched up napkin from the restaurant- Jack's phone number. A hundred different scenarios flooded my head and made it difficult to think straight. Maybe all I needed was one good lay and then I would be alright. I couldn't be expected to remain absolutely abstinent for Bill if he had no intentions of reaching out to me. It wasn't fair. Hell, it wasn't humane. I could not and would not deny myself my most basic needs. So I texted Jack. I was scared. But I was alone and being alone scared me more than Bill did. There was this mental itch that I couldn't scratch though because I was technically breaking his rule. I had to reason with myself when I got close to calling off my meeting with Jack. This wasn't a paid hook-up. In fact, Jack had no idea what I did for a living so there would be no pressure on either of us. Jack was good-looking enough to have a one night stand with. He was no Mr. Skarsgård but he would have to do if I were to remain of sound mind. I just wanted to be close to someone. I repeated a mantra over and over in my head on my way to meet up with Jack. It's going to be alright, it's going to be okay. I had told Jack to contact me on a messenger application instead of over text message. I didn't want to take any risks. I even went as far as to delete the previous texts from Jack and completely erase his contact information from the phone. Paranoia was beginning to bubble up inside of me, spilling over and making me think that what I was doing was wrong. No, I thought to myself. I am a grown ass woman and I deserve attention. Fuck Bill anyway. If he wanted to purposefully ignore me that was fine. It wouldn't have been the first time a client had had second thoughts about an arrangement. Although, I did get to thinking about the credit card and my indefinite stay at the Mira Hotel. If he was snubbing me, would I not have been informed that I had to vacate the penthouse? Or wouldn't the credit card have been canceled? Pushing all thoughts of Bill aside, I left in a cab bound for our meeting spot- a motel on the outskirts of town. Despite Jack asking me a dozen times to meet somewhere nicer for drinks, the decision was ultimately mine and I didn't want to waste any time with niceties and I especially didn't want him to think I was interested in dating him again. Sex was all I wanted and if I had it my way, I would be done and back at the Mira before the last call at the bar. I wasn't trying to be rude but there was no denying that I was succeeding at being selfish. The whole ride over was excruciating and I only thought about bailing a hundred times or more. I insisted that Jack check in and that I would meet him in whatever room he had. I even went as far as to ask the cab driver to drop me off a short distance from the actual motel so that I could walk the rest of the way. I knocked on the door of room eight and was greeted by Jack's smiling face but I was in no mood to exchange the courtesy. I walked straight in and closed the door quickly, much to his surprise. "Wow J, you really mean business. You sure I can't convince you to let me take you somewhere nicer? My buddy owns this really great bar uptown-" "No," I stated firmly as I locked the door behind me. Once inside I finally let my lungs deflate. Looking over at Jack, I could tell he was very confused and I didn't blame him for it. I had been incredibly blunt and devoid of any explanation. As if taking my sudden relaxation as a cue, Jack also let his shoulders drop, a smile creeping across his face. I stared at him, letting my eyes take every detail of him in from head to toe. Jack was handsome in that average way, with a symmetrical face and not the world's worst hairline but I couldn't help myself when I started comparing him to Bill. "I just want to be honest with you so that you know my intentions and you don't have to take any guesses. I really just need to get laid, right now. I don't want to pursue anything romantic... with anyone. Nothing against you, I'm just not in a position to be dating. Are you alright with that?" "Uh, yeah I guess," Jack said as he scratched the back of his head. I noticed his watch- knock-off. His suit looked decent from afar but up close I could tell it was department store brand. Why the fuck did I care? I tried to silence the fattened little bird in my head squawking out all sorts of pretentious drivel. He's not Bill. Bill's shoes cost more than his entire outfit. His eyes were dark brown and not at all like a captivating glass of expensive chardonnay. Fuck! "You do want to fuck me, don't you?" I asked him all the while trying to silence the stream of shit-talk silent monologue inside me. "Yeah... Yes. Definitely. Sorry, it's just... I've never done this before." "Never done what?" Jack laughed nervously. "I've never just met up with someone for sex." Throwing my purse on the table next to the bed, I turned towards him and smiled. "Don't worry, there's nothing to it. Now come here." When he started to kiss me I made a mental note of his stubble scratching me. He did not taste like cigarettes and liquor. He wasn't tall enough to have to bend down to reach my face. The bed squeaked like terrible violin strings when we sat down. All things I should not have been noticing. Shut up, shut up, shut up! After our clothes came off I kept my eyes mostly shut. Jack's fervor was not matched by my own. I laid on the bed and let him kiss my neck down to my chest and stomach. I thought, if I just kept my eyes closed I could imagine I was on that white stage of a bed back at the Mira Hotel and the person bestowing all the attention to my body was the person who had forced me into this situation. Yes, that could work. I could drift off like I always did. So I imagined Bill. It was not a crime. My legs were thrown over his shoulders and his face plunged down further. Bill was getting ready to eat me but not before pressing his lips to my inner thighs. I made the mistake of gazing down and it hit me hard that I was being a complete piece of shit. Jack was not unskilled but I just couldn't help myself wishing he would turn into Mr. Skarsgård. Pushing every thought aside, I tried to simply enjoy the sensation of somebody trying to get me off besides myself. It was difficult at first but once Jack flattened his tongue against my clit the sensation became strong enough to overpower most of my maddening inner struggle. That was until I heard something vibrating. Jack looked up at me, cheeks flushed and mouth glistening his work. I looked over towards the sound of the vibration and realized it was coming from my purse. I had never felt the blood drain from my face as hard and as fast as it did at that moment. "Oh shit," I said. "You want to get that?" I swallowed as much air as my lungs could hold and felt this sick wave of fear fill me up to the very brim, causing my feet to go numb and my hands to prickle. No, no, no, no. "J, what's the matter?" I could only focus on the sound of my phone vibrating at me with an imaginary vehemence. That sound that I had been craving for the last few weeks was suddenly one of the worst things that I could possibly hear. "N-nothing," I said when the vibrating stopped. "Are you sure? You look like you've seen a ghost." Then the vibrating started again. I was frozen, naked with my knees parted and unsure what to do. Jack was obviously not impressed by what was going on. "If you need to answer it just answer it already so we can get back to-" BANG. BANG. BANG. My heart slammed up against my ribs as though it were trying to escape my body. Jack had been startled as well and pulled away from me as I snapped my legs shut. "What the fuck is going on?" Jack demanded. "Open the fucking door, J." It was Bill's unmistakable voice booming from behind the locked door. "Oh my God. Get dressed now." I whispered to him. "If you don't open this fucking door now I will break it the fuck down." Jack scrambled into his pants angrily and didn't bother to fasten his belt. I could tell he was pissed at the intrusion by the way he approached the door and struggled with the lock. I did not move except to cover myself with the thin floral blanket of the motel bed. Once he had the door unlocked he was pushed back by the force of Bill entering the room, the driver of the BMW behind him, hand clutching something inside of his jacket. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, buddy?" Jack asked but was immediately shut down by Bill's agonizing stare. "If you don't get the fuck out of here in three seconds, my friend here will blow a bullet hole through your fucking face." Bill threatened. That was when I noticed that the driver had been clutching the handle of a gun in a body holster underneath his grey sport jacket. The driver looked at Jack with his strangely calm expression and that was enough to send him scurrying for the rest of his clothes. I watched as he scooped up his shirt and jacket, eager to leave the scene and me behind. "I'm not fucking paying for the room," was the last thing he said before throwing me a worried look and leaving. Once we heard the sound of his car pulling out of the gravel parking lot, the driver let go of the gun and instead laid his hand on Bill's shoulder. Bill looked at him and nodded, silently giving him permission to leave and shut the door behind him. I felt nauseous, to say the least, but with the gun out of the picture, I didn't quite feel like I was going to die. Although the fierceness of Bill's stare was enough to ensure my fear didn't dissipate too much. I could see Bill was searching for the right thing to say while he ground his teeth together, jaw muscles flexing with anger. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" He asked me quietly. I didn't answer. I couldn't. My mouth had gone dry. "ANSWER ME!" "I don't know what to tell you." I offered. "You better come up with something fast," Bill said as he removed his jacket and hung it over the back of a chair that was next to a small desk but not before removing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from one of the pockets. I cringed back, stuttering and scared as he lit a cigarette. "You... You left me. I don't fucking know! You were gone for so long... I just couldn't," I tried to combine my thoughts but it was difficult when I was so obviously naked underneath the itchy blanket. "I said no more." "It wasn't a job. I asked him to meet me because..." "Because?" He urged as he exhaled smoke from his nostrils. "Because I was fucking lonely! I'm a person! I can't just hang around your big fucking fancy hotel all day and all night for days and days with no human interaction! I'm not a fucking pet!" "You're right because a pet would have more loyalty than you do, fucking whore." He spat. For the first time, that insult actually stung. Bill took a powerful drag off the cigarette one more time before stubbing it out on the particle board desk. "He wasn't paying me! I wanted to meet up with him." Bill scoffed. "Well, at least you had the decency to come to this filthy place to do your dirty work." "Dirty work? You want to talk about dirty work? You have people following me all over town! I can't go to a fucking restaurant without your little bellboy stalking me in the streets!" "And for good reason. I knew you wouldn't be able to honor our agreement. People like you are leeches. Sucking and sucking and sucking others dry until there's nothing left." "No, you're a leech! Worse than a leech... You expect me to pledge myself to you like you're God or something? Guess what? You're just a little boy with a nice piggy bank and no capacity for any human emotion. I am a fucking person with feelings and needs and I am not going to let you shut me away from the world because it amuses you! What kind of sick fuck does that?" "Your tone was entirely different when you were sucking my cum up off the floor like a trained dog." "Fuck you!" I shot at him. "This deal is fucking done." "Oh no it's not," He said as he started undoing the front of his pants. "I'm getting my money's worth from you." He ripped the blankets away from me, leaving me bare and exposed. I tried to grasp for them but he was too quick. Bill climbed up on the bed and I scampered backward to no advantage but to corner myself on the cheap wood headboard. He grabbed me by the neck and pulled me closer. "You want to get fucked? Is that all this is? You want someone to fuck you in this repulsive motel room? Hm?" He shook me but I couldn't answer. "You want somebody to make you cum?" I grasped at the hand closing around my windpipe. He didn't let go until my face was red. I gasped when he finally released me. "I can't leave you alone while I'm away on business or else you'll call up someone else to come take care of you? Do I mean absolutely nothing to you at all?" "No... I-" "I stopped by the room and saw you had all your things packed. You weren't planning on leaving, were you?" "I... I don't know." "You were going to leave with all of the beautiful things I bought you?" I looked away from him but he grabbed me by the chin and forced me to keep watching. "That is really, really mean. What happened to my good little girl, huh? Where's my nice, obedient girl?" The contempt I had been feeling for him was slowly starting to melt away. I stared into his eyes and instead of fear or anger, I felt something different. Something that I couldn't quite describe. It was driving me back to that feeling of lust for him. It made me want to do things for him that I would never do for any other man. Watching his lips and his face, being pinned by his body and unable to go anywhere or do anything besides sit there and listen to his voice was maddening in a way that made me wet. I wanted to be mad at him. I wanted to lash out but I could not. He pushed his hand into the front of his pants and I could do nothing but observe. His eyes burned holes into my own, one hand on the headboard, his long arm acting as a barricade between me and the door and the other hand working inside of his designer pants. I tried to reach out to pull him closer but he pushed his weight off the headboard and instead knelt in front of me, continuing to stroke himself without allowing me to see. "Tell me where my good girl is." "Here." "Tell me what my good girl wants." "You. I want you." "Tell me what you would do for me." "Anything. I would do anything for you, Daddy." "You've caused all of this drama simply because you want Daddy's cock so badly?" He dragged out the last two words, eyebrows raising in question. "...Yes." He hummed appreciatively and got off the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt. His pants fell low enough for me to see a light trail of hair that led my eyes further down. Once he was shirtless he beckoned me forth and I scooted my body towards the edge of the bed where he was standing. "Open that mouth for me." He whispered. I let my jaw hang open and watched as he pulled his hard cock out of his pants. I got closer, letting my tongue loll out of my mouth for him. He bit down gently on his bottom lip and slid his shaft over my tongue and then again slowly. I felt every pulsing vein and curled my tongue around what I could until he pulled away again. He leaned down and cupped my chin, keeping my mouth open so he could land a warm bubble of spit right on my tongue. I couldn't help but smile as he bounced the head of his cock off my dripping tongue a few times. "I'm going to fuck you." He stated. "Not because you deserve it. I'm going to fuck you because you are mine and I promise the next person that tries to take you from me will be one sorry son of a bitch, understand?" "Yes, Daddy." "Do you think I'm playing?" "No." "I am not a man that likes to be fucked with, J. I'm serious." "I know." He gazed at me as though he did not really believe that I understood but that didn't distract him much. He took my hand and guided me to standing, taking my place sitting on the bed. He kicked his pants the rest of the way off and for the very first time, I saw him completely naked. Before I could really admire his body, his long limbs, and his milky skin, he pulled me closer by my hips until I was forced to straddle him on the bed. I felt his hard cock touching my inner thigh and bristled with arousal. Feeling him slowly penetrate me was the most satisfying fullness I had ever known. Inch by inch I sank down on him, finally getting what I wanted- what I desperately needed. He purred from the sensation as well, looking up at me with his wide eyes, encouraging me, smirking at how quickly I abandoned all the walls of professionalism that I had worked so hard to build. I didn't care. I was beyond the point of trying to deny myself. This was something entirely different than any arrangement I had ever agreed to. Something magnetic about this man broke me down. Once he began thrusting up inside of me I lost all sense of the world around. Nothing existed but him and I. Not even the dinginess of the motel room was enough to distract me from the fact that his cock was filling me finally. None of my rules applied and apparently neither did any of his. We writhed together and moaned, both enjoying the snugness of a penetration that seemed long in the making. I felt his hands caressing smoothly down my back to rest on my ass, helping him push himself into me further until there was no room left. He leaned back a little to take me in, only stopping his thrusts to squeeze my breasts and pull my mouth to his. He stopped all movement besides what it took for him to kiss me with his hand threaded through my hair. Suddenly he flipped me over so I was on my back, pulling out of me. He stared down at himself and admired the wetness. "Look how much your pussy loves my cock. You're fucking soaked." I lifted my legs and held them apart, showing him that yes, my pussy was dripping wet for him. He knelt down and slowly ran his tongue over my juicy pink folds, lapping up liquid only to let it fall back down from the tip of his tongue. The sensation of that tongue gliding over my clit even once was shocking but when he drew little circles around it I couldn't control the way my nipples perked and my spine rose off the bed. It felt so fucking good. I had almost forgotten what it was like to get eaten out. The visual part of it, his gorgeously lush lips enclosing my most sensitive part as his murky eyes stared up at me was almost too much to handle. He knew how obscene he looked and made a show of flicking his tongue back and forth over it. "Don't tell me you want to come already?" He pulled back from me when my squirming got too uncontrollable. "I'm trying not to." His tongue snaked out and pushed inside of me. The feeling was hot and made me crave the deepness he had given me before. I longed for him to at least slip me a finger but I knew that we were playing completely on his terms. "Don't you dare come yet." I nodded and he rolled me over on my stomach, spreading me apart and sinking his middle finger inside of me. I groaned with satisfaction. "Your pussy is mine. You hear me? Your sweet, wet little dripping cunt belongs to me, doesn't it?" "Yes, daddy." I heard the sounds of wetness as he began working his finger in and out. Each time he came away with more and more wetness until he stopped and popped his whole finger into his mouth to suck off the juices he was eliciting from me. "Mm, pretty, tasty little pussy." I felt his weight shift the bed as he climbed over and pushed his cock back into me from behind. The feeling was unreal and unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I was no longer on auto-pilot the way I had been for years. The sensation was overwhelming. I had never wanted somebody as badly as I did at that moment. His thrusts got hard and violent and I cried out when he began striking my cervix with each forceful push. He grabbed both my wrists and held them together behind my back and I had no choice but to lift my head or have my face shoved into the motel bed as he fucked me ruthlessly. "My little fucking whore. My sweet little fucking cunt," Bill paused his movements, leaning over to whisper in my ear. "You're daddy's pretty girl, aren't you?" "Mhm... Yes, daddy." I breathed. He fucked me relentlessly, whispering the nastiest shit I had ever heard against my cheek. I had gone dumb, mouth open, moaning as I felt him pounding in and out of me with no signs of fatigue. "My pussy..." He seethed. "Yes." "My wet fucking pussy." "Yes, Daddy. All yours." "Nobody's cock makes you this wet." He suddenly pulled out and stood up from the bed again. I looked behind me before turning around to face him. He towered over me, cock flushed and levitating at my eye level. I opened my mouth, inviting him to use it as he pleased and he obliged immediately, grasping the back of my head and pulling me down so it all but slipped down my throat, completely depriving me of air for a few seconds. When I came back up I gasped and stared up at him like I was taught in every porno that existed. He knew that I could handle so much more than what he was giving me. It was as though he was just realizing what kind of salaciously distasteful acts I was willing to perform, had he only asked. "I am going to fuck you until you're begging me to stop. I'm going to use that pussy and that mouth to come in so many times that it will hurt and when it hurts, I'm just going to keep doing it." I nodded eagerly, obedient and willing to accept all the punishment that he was promising. "Then I'm going to make you come. All over my face, my dick... Everywhere. You're going to come when I tell you to and as many times as I want." I knew that I was in for a very long night.

#bill skarsgård fanfiction #bill skarsgard fanfiction #bill skarsgård smut #bill skarsgard smut #fanfiction

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livingthroughchoices-blog · 7 years ago

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The Marshmallow Chronicles (Ch. 1, Part 2: Once Upon a Time)

Prev | Next

Rating: T

Pairing: Drake x MC

Words: 2,226

“Hey, Drake! Are you ready to go or what? Drake? Drake? Draaaake?” Each time his name was called was punctuated by a shake of the mattress he was sitting on as Maxwell bounced up and down in an attempt to get his attention away from his phone.

“Will saying yes make you stop doing that? Forever?”

“No way, man! What if someday we’re in a life or death situation that requires my bed-jumping skills and I can’t do it because I promised you, huh? What then?”

“Okay, if we’re ever in a ‘life or death’ situation that requires your... skills, you can break your promise.”

“What about party-related–”

“FINE. Just stop it NOW.”

Maxwell caught a glimpse of Drake’s phone from above him. He’d been staring at a contact with the name “Mom” for 10 minutes. He plopped down next to him.

“Hey, is everything okay? You look...” Drake glared at him. “Thoughtful?”

“I’m fine,” he replied shortly, hastily pocketing his phone.

It was the truth. Kind of. He was not not fine, at any rate. Sure, he wouldn’t mind talking to someone about his complicated feelings towards his mom, but Maxwell was definitely not that someone. Ordinarily, Liam would be, but he was not about to ruin his best friend’s bachelor party with his unnecessary family drama. Besides, what use was rehashing it? He’d made his decision and that was that.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Tariq’s pompous voice shook him out of his reverie.

Drake didn’t bother answering.

They arrived at the dive bar that Drake remembered from his brief college experience ahead of Liam. That pretty boy look he had going on wasn’t effortless. Oh, he made it seem that way, but Liam took almost at long as Tariq to get ready; the only reason the latter had been ready on time was they’d told him they were leaving half an hour earlier than they actually were.

Still, Drake couldn’t blame him: the way the Crown Prince looked mattered, and no one could argue with the results; Liam’s dark eyes and charming smile had men and women positively swooning wherever he went.

“Waitress, there you are. We need your best table!” Drake cringed a little at Tariq’s self-important tone and shot the waitress – a cute, but average girl who seemed a few years younger than them – an apologetic smile.

“Forget the table. Just bring us whiskey, and lots of it.” She smiled back and started to reply when her coworker waved her over. She gestured for them to give her a moment. As the colleagues talked, the manager came up to their group and obsequiously showed them to what he assured them was the best table.

In fact, every table looked pretty much the same. Some of them were booths and others had stools, but they all had identical cracked, brown pleather covers. The walls were plastered in generic sports paraphernalia; team posters, jerseys, black and white team photos. There was a dartboard hanging on the back wall. Funnily enough, all the tables, including the “best” one seemed to be perpetually sticky.

The waitress from earlier came up to them. “Hello, gentlemen. I’ll be taking care of you this evening.”

“Waitress, steaks for the table.”

Drake rolled his eyes. Leave it to royals to be so out of touch... and Maxwell was supposed to be one of the good ones!

“How about some filet mignon, medium rare and prepared with a béarnaise sauce?”

Okay, so maybe Maxwell was one of the good ones, but was Tariq really a good comparison? The bar had never been lower.

“The closest thing we have to filet mignon is the deluxe burger.”

He thought he could detect a hint of amusement in the waitress’ voice. He had been about to jump in and save her from his clueless companions, but now he was curious.

“Dare I ask for your wine list?” Tariq plowed on.

“We’ve got an excellent vintage house red...” The waitress offered with twinkling eyes.

“House red?” spluttered Tariq, as if being offered boxed wine.

“It also comes in white,” she replied unruffled.

Drake sniggered at Tariq’s scandalized expression. “We’ll be fine with a bottle of whiskey... and four deluxe burgers.”

“Four?” Drake nodded and waved at Liam, who had just entered the room behind the waitress. She turned and Drake saw Liam’s already charming smile widen.

“Sorry I’m late. Thank you for you patience, Miss...?”

“Uh, Riley.” He realized he hadn’t even bothered asking for her name. I’m such a jerk. I guess that’s why Liam gets the ladies.

“Charmed to make your acquaintance, Riley.”

“Trust me, the pleasure’s all mine. It’s nice to meet you,” she said this in quick succession, with a nervous smile. “Now let me go put your order in. Be right back!”

She scurried away to the kitchen and Liam took a seat next to Drake.

“Hey, man, what took you so long?”

“Honestly, I was jet-lagged and my 20 minute nap turned into an hour and 20 minutes,” he admitted guiltily.

“Smart, you need all your energy to TEAR UP THE DANCE FLOOR!” Maxwell complemented this last part with wild arm movements that threatened to knock the salt and pepper shakers over. Drake moved them out of harm’s way.

Liam chuckled. “I’m not sure we’re going to a club, actually.”

“WHAT?!”

“Great! My outfit will be all wrong!”

Maxwell and Tariq’s respective complaints came at the same time as the waitress – Riley, she just said it, dude – with their drinks. They all thanked her and waited until she left to resume what was quickly going to become an argument unless Drake intervened.

“Look, shut up, you two. In case you forgot, this is Liam’s bachelor party, so we’re doing whatever he wants, got it? Besides, we went clubbing yesterday.”

“Drake, thank you, but it doesn’t have to be about me. If everyone else wants to go to a club, we can go.”

Maxwell looked like he might be about to agree, but reconsidered when Drake gave him a meaningful look. Liam never really got to do anything he wanted; he deserved this.

“No, no, Drake’s right! I’m uh... all... partied out?”

Drake and Liam snorted at Maxwell’s unconvincing lie, which Liam was nevertheless thankful for.

“Me too! And I’m sure this outfit will be more than acceptable for whichever activity you choose, Liam,” added Tariq.

Riley came back with their food. Drake noticed Liam thanking her much too warmly for his fairly mediocre burger.

“So, Liam, who do you think you’re gonna choose, huh?” Tariq asked, waggling his eyebrows. Drake tried to make eye contact with him and shake his head, to no avail. He felt Liam tense next to him.

“I really don’t know, Tariq. They’re all charming ladies, but there’s so much depending on my decision.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Well, that’s what the season is for, huh? So don’t worry about that now, man.” Drake calmed him.

“Right, okay, but if you had to choose someone now...” Maxwell trailed off under Drake’s glare, then changed his question, “Not one of the suitors necessarily, just what kind of qualities are you looking for?”

“That’s a great question, Maxwell. I think I’d want someone who’s not afraid to stand up for herself, someone who knows when to be diplomatic and when to be brave, someone I can feel free with...” His eyes were far away, but his gaze had fallen on Riley, Drake saw.

“Yeah, but what about physically?” Tariq interrupted. “Because, for me, Lady Hana–”

“Ooh yeah, Lady Hana’s got it going ON!” enthused Maxwell.

“She’s very beautiful,” agreed Liam.

“Yeah, she ain’t bad, but personally, I think Lady Kiara’s hotter.” Drake jumped in.

“Hotter than Lady Hana?! Are you insane?” Tariq practically yelled.

Liam watched his friends talk about his suitors with a small smile, happy to see them having a lighthearted conversation, for once. Not wanting to think about those particular ladies too much, he excused himself. Drake watched him talking to the waitress and, to his surprise, felt apprehensive. The way Liam was looking at her... he’d never seen him so engaged with any of the ladies in court.

They were waiting for Liam, again. He came out of the restaurant and, oddly, asked them to wait a bit longer. After about 5 minutes, Riley came out, wearing a plain black shirt and jeans.

“Hang on... The waitress is coming with us?” The words had left him before he’d had a chance to think about how much like a dick he sounded.

Liam shot him a questioning look. He definitely wasn’t the only one who thought he came off as a dick, then. “Actually, we’re going with her. She’s picking our next destination.”

“So she’s our tour guide now?” What are you doing?! Stop it! He knew he was being childish, but this was their last night with Liam before everything changed and it was supposed to be a bachelor party, for God’s sake! Of course, everyone knows it’s not a bachelor party till your waitress shows up and tags along! He rolled his eyes.

“Riley was kind enough to agree to show us around. She’s doing us a favor, so play nice.” Liam chided. Drake felt his cheeks heat up with shame and nodded. Riley, however, seemed completely undaunted by his attitude. He took that as a chance to stop acting like an idiot.

“Fine. So, where are we going, then?” He asked this in the general direction of Riley, without addressing her, still embarrassed.

“A secret cove,” she replied with a wide smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both Maxwell and Tariq’s expressions fall; clearly, there would be no dance floor involved in the night’s activities. He, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised. A night outdoors, off the beaten paths of New York? Sign me up!

Riley delivered. Drake grudgingly said as much when they arrived.

The cove was intimate, peaceful. A small piece of beach was surrounded by cliffs and bordered by a cave. They all automatically looked skyward in awe at the hundreds of visible stars. Under all the twinkling lights and enveloped by the whoosh-ing of the waves, New York could not feel further away.

Drake knew right away what he wanted to do. “We should build a bonfire.”

“I’m not doing manual labor,” Tariq sounded insulted by the very idea.

“Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to. What I meant was, I’ll go build a bonfire.” He preferred doing this sort of thing alone anyway; other people only slowed you down. He looked around for driftwood.

“This place is awesome! SKINNY DIPPING!”

Tariq gasped and averted his eyes. “Keep your pants on, Maxwell.”

Maxwell ignored him and stripped down to his boxers, keeping his shirt on. What a weirdo. He ran to the water, yelling for Drake to join him.

“Not gonna happen.” He went back to looking for driftwood. He found a big pile near the cave and before long, he had a big bonfire going. Maxwell immediately got out of the water, shivering, and warmed himself up, giving Drake a sheepish smile.

Drake heard splashing and turned just in time to see Liam and Riley running into the ocean. He hoped, not for the first time that night, that Liam knew what he was doing. He’s a grown-ass man, dude, relax. He took off his shoes and socks and headed towards the water. The other two followed; Maxwell with a grin, Tariq with a grimace.

“I thought it was ‘not gonna happen’, Drake?” Maxwell asked smugly.

“Shut up, Maxwell,” he replied, though maybe for the first time in this trip, he didn’t mean it.

He splashed Maxwell, which triggered a fierce splashing battle between them, until Maxwell winked at him and directed his biggest splash yet towards Tariq, who was standing at a careful distance.

“Got ya, Tariq!”

Drake doubled over laughing at Tariq’s outraged face and even clapped Maxwell on the back.

“I told you, these shoes are leather!”

“Aw, lighten up, Tariq. You’ve got, what, a hundred pairs?” he asked, wiping tears from his eyes.

The night wound down to a close and, after putting out the bonfire, they started the long walk home. At a certain point, wordlessly, they separated; it was obvious Liam wanted some time alone with Riley.

That didn’t mean he could dodge his friends’ questions when he got back, though.

“So? Did you kiss her?!” Maxwell could not sound more excited if it had been him kissing a pretty girl.

“Forget about that! Did you make love?” asked Tariq suggestively, swinging his hips.

“Okay, first of all, I think I speak for all of us when I say: ew,” deadpanned Drake. “Second of all, it’s been barely 20 minutes, dude, so unless it was the fastest – and probably most terrible – sex in the history of humankind, I highly doubt it.”

Liam laughed and shook his head. “Drake’s right, we didn’t... you know,” he cleared his throat. “In fact, we didn’t even kiss. To be honest, I’d thought maybe we would but...” he shrugged, “I guess I misread the signals.”

“Well, maybe it’s for the best, you know?” Drake put an arm around his best friend. “You don’t wanna get hung up on some girl you’re never gonna see again.”

#trr #drake walker #drake x mc #prince liam #hana lee #maxwell beaumont #tariq #playchoices #choices #pixelberry #fanfic #ch 1 part 2 #mj's fanfic #the marshmallow chronicles #long post

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chmergess4ever · 7 years ago

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Only Forever (Part 3)

Hi Guys!! The response to the second chapter made me so happy so I decided to make the third chapter extra long for you! Fourth part is almost done, hopefully posted tomorrow! Enjoy! Don’t forget to like/reblog and leave feedback so I know if you’re still enjoying the story!

Their relationship had dwindled down rapidly. They went from never leaving each others sight to almost nothing as time passed. They had lost contact after the Dancing with the Stars was placed on a Hiatus. Something that they never thought, would happen-did. Val thought back to the Tour Bus Confessions Video that he filmed for the We Came to Dance Tour, when asked who he would keep in contact with in 30 years he said “Sharna”, and somehow after only three years they were no longer talking. They hadn’t had a falling out, everything was perfectly fine.

Now he was 34, Newly Divorced, with a 1 year old baby. He had married Jenna shortly after his Confidential Tour and the two had a baby almost instantly. As their marriage hit the two year mark it became more and more evident that they were not happy and weren’t going to get much happier, mutually they agreed it would be better for the both of them to part ways. He decided to not let the divorce get the best of him, he was going to raise his child as peaceful as possible and He was going to live his life the way he wanted to live it. Except he felt like something was missing-The love that once filled his heart, the love of the woman he loved in return for the love he gave her. It was the one thing that was missing.

Val walked through CVS trying to find the aisle for Men’s body spray. Once he found it, he turned down focusing his attention on the options and looking for the one he usually used. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he may have seen her. He turned his head looking to the right. He looked back to the spray. Sure that it was just his mind playing games on him and then he heard her chuckle. His heart stopped as he knew exactly who was in the next aisle. He turned and walked to the right slowly. He turned to his right and then peaked around the aisle to the right. He saw her and he could feel himself tense up. He took a deep breath and then turned walking into the aisle.

“Still loving those snacks, Huh Burgess?” He put his arms out as he smiled.

“Oh my god! Val!” Sharna dropped the bag of snap peas she was holding and ran to hug him. She pulled back resting her hands on either side of him. “How are you? Oh my god.” She pulled him back in for another hug.

He grasped her tightly, embracing in the moment. “I’m good. How are you?”

“Better now!” She released him and stepped back. “Look at you! It’s been a long time.”

“Too long.”

“How’s Jenna? And Jake?” Jenna and Sharna also grew apart when the show ended. They weren’t overly close but it still surprised her that someone she was once very close to, just went away.

He assumed she knew about the both of them from facebook and social media.

“Jenna and I actually split up.”

Sharna felt her heart thump and her stomach flutter when he said it.

“Oh I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok. We’re dealing and we’ve got a wonderful little boy who we adore. How about you? How’s everything going?”

“It’s going! Nothing too significant.” Sharna clicked her phone to check the time. “Listen, I actually have an appointment but I would really love to catch up with you. Are you free anytime for dinner?” “I’m free tonight.”

“Sounds perfect. Pick me up at 7?”

“Same place?” “You know it. Living the life!” Sharna laughed. The laugh he loved so much. He pulled her in for another hug before they separated.

After paying, he got into his car and smiled, taking a deep breath. He didn’t know what did, but something felt different and he loved it.

Later that night they were out at what used to be their favorite pub. They were 2 hours into their time together but it felt like they could sit there for ages.

“Yea, so that was a one and done thing.” She was in the middle of recounting a story of one of her past flings.”

“He really said that to you?”

“Yeah, he was a gigantic ass.” Sharna took a sip of her drink as she laughed.

“So you haven’t dated anyone?” He said in disbelief.

“Nope.” The awkward silence set upon them as they both knew it was because of what she told him that night at the bus. “Only Forever.” Repeated in her head. She cleared her throat and took a sip of water. “So tell me about you.”

“Well, Jenna and I became increasingly unhappy. I think it’s because we rushed into everything those years ago. It was just so intense, so fast.” Val fiddled around with his beer bottle.

“Sorry.”

“No, No. It’s good. I’m happy.”

“And Jake?”

“Jake’s great. He’s a little over two now so he talks a little bit. Best little guy ever tho! He can definitely make you laugh when you need it.”

“Maybe I can meet him sometime?”

“Of course you can.”

A moment of silence dawned on them and Sharna decided to break the ice, “Val?” “Mhm.” Val lifted his head to look at her.

“What happened to us?” “What do you mean?” “We used to be best friends. I used to be best friends with your sister-in-law and good friends with your wife. And then everything just fell apart. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“Life got in the way.”

“Yeah it did.” Sharnas smile dropped.

“What matters though, is we’re back together now and we’re going to make the most of it.”

The next weeks flew by. Val worked at the studio, while Sharna continued to work on her website and clothing line. They had stayed in contact, talking everyday more than once a day. It was like they had never separated. A couple of nights ago, Val had taken Sharna to see Peta. The two screamed, and jumped up and down, and it seemed like everything was back to normal. Sharna had gone over to Val’s a couple of nights a week and they had eaten dinner and watched their favorite TV shows together. They also watched some of their favorite dances from dwts together.

It was now a month since they had reunited and Val decided it was the perfect time for Sharna to meet Jake. He had invited her over for dinner as he had Jake for the night before Jenna picked him up later on. Sharna arrived at 5, just as Val was finishing cooking dinner. He opened the door giving her a kiss on the cheek and threw the kitchen towel over his shoulder. “I’ll just go get him from his room.”

Sharna silently clapped. Val left and returned minutes after carrying the baby on his side. He had both his arms wrapped around Val’s neck and his head tucked into his shoulder. As they approached Sharna, he lifted his head.

“Jake, This is Daddy’s friend, Sharna. Can you say “Hi Sharna.”

The baby was silent.

“Say “Hi Sharna”

“Hi Sha”

Sharna laughed. “Close enough.” Sharna tickled his belly. “Your so cute. You know that? And you’re Daddy loves you very much.”

The baby reached his arms out for Sharna to take him.

“You want to hold him?”

“Are you sure?” “Of course.” Val carefully handed Jake to Sharna. Sharna bounced up and down as the baby smiled.

“He looks just like you.” Sharna called to Val, who was now in the kitchen.

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” Val laughed.

“It’s a very good thing.”

Jake pointed to one of his toys on the floor. “Ball!”

“You want to play?” Sharna looked back at Val. “Is it ok if he plays?” “Sure.”

Sharna sat down with the baby in her lap and handed him the ball. Val walked over carrying two glasses of wine. He handed one to Sharna. “You’re great with him.” “I love kids. Always have.”

“I know who to call when I need a babysitter.” Val teased. “Ok, he should nap before his mom comes to get him. She’ll be upset if I give him back when he’s tired.”

Sharna rolled her eyes and handed Jake to Val. “He’s yours too.”

“I know. Just sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.” Val carried the baby back to the nursery and then returned a few minutes after. “Shall we eat?”

He grabbed Sharna’s hand pulling her up off the floor. They ate the dinner that Val had cooked engaging in pleasant conversation and then moved to the couch to continue talking as they drank their wine. Val had the baby monitor attached to his back pocket. “So does it all seem real?” Sharna asked him as she pointed to the baby monitor.

“What? Having a kid?” “Yeah.”

“It took some getting used to but im adjusted now. It’s great. It’s like if something in my life goes wrong, he makes it ok. Cause I know he’ll be there.”

“That’s sweet.” Sharna swallowed and then asked what was on her mind, “So you don’t miss the romance at all?”

“Everyday. I miss the feeling of loving someone like that. It’ll happen again. Just have to wait”

“I want that so bad. It just seems like it won’t happen.”

“Any guy would be crazy not to want you.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. We have been together, ya know.”

Sharna hit him playfully and then looked at him as he looked at her. They could both feel the atmosphere and what was about to happen. Val looked from her eyes to her lips and she did the same to him. He leaned into her and as their lips were less than a centimeter apart there was an abrupt knocking on the door. Val’s shoulders dropped and he sighed. Sharna scrunched her nose and cleared her throat.

“Come on Val, I know you’re in there.” There was knocking again.

Val got up and walked to the door. He opened it and saw Jenna. “Hi.”

“You look flustered.” Jenna walked in and saw Sharna. “Sharna?! Oh my God! Hi!” She walked over and have her a hug, but then quickly noticed the atmosphere, Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was interrupted a date.” You could tell she got uncomfortable.

“You weren’t.”

“You weren’t” Sharna said in unison with Val.

“Sharna wanted to meet Jake so I invited her over.” “I didn’t even realize you guys were still talking.”

“We lost touch but we recently reconnected.”

“Oh.” Jenna stopped talking. “Well,I guess I’ll just take Jake then.”

Val walked into the nursery and returned with Jake and a little napsack. “He ate already and I changed his diaper not too long ago.”

“Ok. We’ll, I’ll see you later then. It was nice seeing you Sharna. We should get lunch and catch up one time.”

Sharna smiled as Jenna left. Val looked at Sharna. “Well, that was awkward.”

“I can tell.”

SIlence filled the room and Sharna spoke. “I should go. I have to be somewhere early in the morning.”

“Oh. Ok. I’ll talk to you tomorrow then?”

“Of course you will.” Sharna gave him a kiss on the cheek and then left. Val moved to the kitchen to begin cleaning when he heard a knock on the door. He went to get it and saw her standing in the doorway. “I’m sorry. I’m not letting you get away with it.” Sharna spoke to him. “With what?”

“I waited for you, like I said I would. It’s the least you could do.”

“What?”

“Kiss me, you ass!” Sharna yelled.

Val smiled and pulled her in his house. She stood on her tip toes and he craned his neck down to kiss her. The delicacy of the kiss made it all the more special. And for the first time in a long time, Val felt the missing piece of the puzzle fit perfectly into his heart.

#chmergess #Chmergessfanfic #chmergessfanfiction #sharnaandval #valandsharna

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drivescars-blog · 7 years ago

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SO... below the cut you’ll find a VERY LONG list of details i took from the book. there are QUITE A BIT but i really wanted to get to know driver better, so i took it upon myself to take notes down as i read through the novel a second time. feel free to ask any questions or anything about any of these things, i’ll Very Happily answer them!

family.

• driver’s father was a thief and because driver was so small ( before the age of 12 ), his father would get him to crawl through small places to enter houses. bathroom windows, pet doors, anything.

• his father lost interest in him after he started growing.

• one night at the dinner table, his mother sliced his dad’s ear off and slit his throat. driver just kept eating his sandwich and didn’t even flinch.

• his mom ordered a table from a catalog one day and when it didn’t look anything like it did in the catalog when she got it, she sat on the floor and cried.

• his mother was kind of a terrible cook and the extent of her cooking was spam and mint jelly on toast. driver didn’t mind, though, and ate it every time.

• after that happened, the state came and took his mother away. they sent driver to a foster home. his foster parents were mr. and mrs. smith and they taught sunday school classes.

• when driver was 16 and mr. and mrs. smith were off teaching sunday school, he took his stuff, got the keys to his foster parents’ car, wrote them a note apologizing and thanking them for all they’d done for him... and left for california.

• driver went to see his mother in a home in tucson. when he gets there, they tell him she had died a week before he got there. he didn’t seem phased at all, probably because he never saw her as much of a mother in the first place.

friends.

• manny gilden has been driver’s friend for years and years.

• he met manny on set of a science fiction movie. manny’s one of hollywood’s most favored writers and although he probably has millions stashed away, he still lives in an old rundown bungalow near santa monica and wears old clothes. manny carries a bottle of expensive wine with him wherever he goes.

• at one of his apartments one night ( because he’s lived in no telling how many places, he moves all the time ), someone knocked on his door. when he opened the door to see who it was, there was a girl there. her name was trudy. she was a bit too energetic.

• driver’s agent for stunt work & movies was jimmie.

• as a kid, when he was still living with mr. and mrs. smith, his best friend’s name was herb danziger. herb knew all about cars and even raced them. driver’s first and last fight at his new school at the time was because a bully told him he “ shouldnt hang out with jews ” - herb was jewish. the bully tried to flick driver on the ear and he grabbed his wrist and snapped his thumb.

• when he was still a teenager, he met shannon at an old shady bar he’d heard people talk about on set. despite driver trying to tell shannon his real name and where he was from time and time again, shan kept telling him he only cared about what he could do. when driver showed shannon that he was good with cars, shan took him in and gave him a job.

• every time driver nailed a stunt on set, shannon would tell everyone, “ that’s my boy. ” like the father driver never actually had.

• the first real apartment he ever bought for himself was the one where he met irene and benicio. the deposit for that apartment was also the first check he had ever written in his life. shannon thought the apartment was dumb and old time-y.

• driver got along very well with standard. one night in the parking lot of a bar, standard asked driver if he could take care of irene and benicio if anything ever happened to him. driver said yes. bad things obviously happened.

• doc ( the man that helped driver with his arm ) was also a close friend who had been around for years. he used to sell “ marginally legal ” drugs to the people of hollywood until the cops shut him down.

• doc got sick and ended up in the hospital. when driver went to see him before he died, doc asked him how his arm was. driver said it was doing good. doc replied with, “ so was i. ”

• driver took doc’s cat ( miss dickinson ) to the home of his foster parents and left her on the porch in a pet carrier with a note requesting they take care of her as they did him.

• gordon ligocki was a young boy who was also a driver for movies. he always mumbled and you’d have to constantly ask him to repeat what he was saying. driver and gordon became close friends and even started hanging out away from set.

• one day, driver found himself being followed by a mustang on the interstate. after running for a while, he turned around and hit the mustang head on. crawling out of his car, it was revealed that the driver chasing him was gordon - he was dead.

• the man who stopped to check on him after the crash was named jodie. he drove a pickup truck and had a baseball bat mounted in his truck. jodie was a veteran and had been in prison. he also let driver stay for a few days and take his pickup back to the city to take down nino.

• before driver went after bernie at the restaurant, he went to see manny.

DRIVER.

• he was never much of a reader OR a movie person. he never sees the movies he’s in but sometimes, if he hangs out with screenwriters, he reads the books. ( don’t ask why. )

• he literally didn’t really start growing till he was 12 and after that, he got very clumsy. he went from just below 4 ft to 6′2″ seemingly overnight.

• he ran away to L.A. when he was only 16 and lived on the streets until he ran out of money. luckily, that’s when he met shannon.

• driver got into trouble with a gang one night after hanging out with manny. he bunched his keys up in his hand with one protruding between his second and third finger and punched their leader in the throat. he drove away but when he looked in the rear view mirror, he honestly felt bad and thought about turning around to go back and tell these guys that sometimes life just isn’t fair.

• he’s never in one place for long. he moves every few months so things are always changing. “ He existed a step or two to one side of the common world, largely out of sight, a shadow, but all invisible. Whatever he owned, either he could hoist it on his back and lug it along or he could walk away from it. ”

• he’s always lived in places the cops don’t like coming to.

• always lives in the smaller apartments. one apartment he lived in had an apartment level with it right across the street and he’d observe the current resident through their living room/kitchen window because it was always open.

• he always picks his own cars for jobs. they’re always old and dull or widely popular among the population so they sorta blend in to the background and don’t draw any attention.

• when he first got to L.A., he’d hang around the studio with a couple others until he learned about the bar and grill where he met shannon.

• after shannon took him in, he got better at driving and started earning a reputation.

• the first time he ever really began brutally killing was at the motel after blanche’s death. he just sorta snapped.

• his arm is still very fucked up because of what happened at the motel. sometimes it spasms and hurts and he can’t control it and other times he can’t even feel it - like it’s completely disconnected from his body. he wasn’t bothered at all by the fact he could see all the bone and muscle through the wound.

• he lived with shannon until he had enough money to buy his own apartment.

• he always put nino’s pizza coupons besides the bodies of their men he killed. “ WE DELIVER ” was also always circled in red ink. hahahahahaha.

• he broke into bernie rose’s car one day to find out more information on him and left a nino’s pizza coupon stuck to the steering wheel with a smiley face drawn on it.

• he once got a speaking part in a movie as the villain and aced it.

• he stopped answering calls from jimmie ( his agent ) after a while and the last message he got from him was, “ been fun, kid, but i just lost your number. ” yikes.

• when he was a kid he had a reoccurring dream where he was on the roof of a house and there was a bear on the ground below. after a long while of the bear repeatedly reaching for him, it would pick a tulip and hold it up to him. driver would always be reaching for the tulip when he woke up. alrighty then.

#; ( OUT. )#; ( SAVE. )#;c: BIG BIG INFO POST.#;c: ENJOY.#;c: ITS GIant

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thejakeformerlyknownasprince · 8 years ago

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Animorphs/Wicked

@miraculoussparrow requested more information about an Animorphs and Wicked fic I speculated about a while ago. My idle thoughts turned into a whole mini-fusion, so here’s part one of two—I divided it in half for the sake of sanity. [You do not have to be familiar with Wicked to follow, although I do recommend the soundtrack strongly.]

No One Mourns the Wicked Some small part of Cassie is perversely grateful when she steps up to the podium at Rachel’s funeral and never gets the chance to utter a single word. She’s already choking on fear, desperate to get this right and devastated by the knowledge she won’t be able to—and then she’s drowned out by the sudden and devastating poppoppoppopBANG of fireworks that rattles the graveyard with a horror of sound.

Someone, somewhere across town is having a parade. Because of course. Because the war’s over, and this is a happy occasion. She can hear them singing, in the silence left between explosions. The graveyard itself is silent, the mourners shellshocked into stillness.

Later she’ll stumble away into the city, tear-blind, inadequate eulogy a crumpled wad of paper in her pocket, and a total stranger will pull her into a hug so suddenly she starts morphing in surprise. After she registers what the woman is saying—it’s a babbled string of gratitude and joy, nearly incoherent—she pulls away more gently. Later that night someone will thrust a bottle of wine into her hands; someone else will gently place a pileus on her head. Five more total strangers will shake her hand; sixteen will recognize her long enough to shout thanks or praise. It’s the single largest celebration their small city has ever seen.

Surrounded on all sides by singing and clapping, wearing a crown of yellow flowers she doesn’t remember receiving, Cassie thinks back to the last sight she saw before leaving the graveyard. Jake was silhouetted against the last light of dusk, shoulders hunched and shaking as he stood over the far headstone two rows down from Rachel’s, smaller and unadorned but part of the Berenson family plot all the same. They both deserve better than this gaudy horrorshow. All of them do.

One Short Day The first time Cassie suspected that girl Rachel she knew from camp was going to be her best friend, they were on the playground in third grade. Rachel had marched over to where a fifth-grade boy was making fun of Cassie’s shoes to shove her face up against the older boy’s. “Yeah, Cassie’s got old sneakers,” she said brazenly. “So what?”

Amazing the power of those words, so what, to shut down anyone who criticized their clothes or their voices or anything about them. Cassie never learned to say them with the confidence that Rachel used, but she learned to hold her head up high all the same.

Rachel was the one who taught Cassie about the sheer power that came with not caring—or at least appearing not to care—what other people thought. They were both weird, both not quite perfectly aligned with what the other girls in their class thought they should be. Rachel kicked all the boys’ butts at soccer in gym class and shouted out correct answers without bothering to raise her hand, even though girls were supposed to scorn sports and wait their turn before speaking. Cassie wore jeans with bird poop and cared more about equestrian health standards than My Little Pony dolls, even though she was supposed to wear pink dresses and fantasize about horses without actually owning any. The thing was, Rachel could get away with being the wrong kind of girl, because she was joyous and unapologetic in her rebellion, able to laugh in the face of anyone who had a problem with the way she acted. Cassie could get away with it too, because when you were friends with Rachel there was pride rather than shame in standing out from the crowd.

What is This Feeling? Dearest Daddy and Mom, Rachel wrote in her best penmanship. (Given that she was seven years old, the best that can be said is that it was legible.) Sleepaway camp has a lot of fun things. Today I made a friendship bracelet and learned how to tie a knot. The only thing is my bunkmate. Here, Rachel chewed on her pen in thought, trying to come up with a way to describe the weird girl with the overalls and the boyishly short hair without being mean. It wasn’t like there was anything wrong with Cassie, after all. She just didn’t know anything about Limited Too or Boys 2 Men or Nintendo. And she had the weirdest stories. She’s weird, and her clothes are awful, but she’s the best in camp at woodcrafts which is dumb, Rachel wrote at last. I miss you guys. Please write back.

Hi Dad, Cassie scribbled on camp stationary. I hope you and Cinnamon and Misty and Star and Blaze and all the other horses and the sick crow and the baby foxes and also Mom are all good. I am not good. Camp is stupid. Our cabin leader is super old, like 15 or 16, but she STILL doesn’t know the difference between ash leaves and elm leaves. My bunkmate is the stupidest part. She thinks ponies are a type of horse and paints her nails before we go pick up bugs in the woods and wears dresses on the jungle gym. She brought 5 pairs of sandals to camp and wears more hair clips than anyone I ever saw. Just because she’s the best in camp at gymnastics doesn’t mean I like her. Please please please please please please please come pick me up.

Walter didn’t come to pick Cassie up, and good thing too: later that week she and Rachel beat every single other pair of bunkmates at the Nature Fun Time Obstacle Course, working together to rush through the activities (and across the rope bridge, and underneath the zip line, and all over the Fun Facts Path) in record time. They won tickets to free ice cream at a shop downtown for the entire summer. But it meant far more to Cassie when Rachel ran up on their last day, friendship bracelet in hand, and tied it around Cassie’s wrist.

For Good Cassie always knew that Crayak would find a way to get revenge against Rachel and Jake for the way they’d hurt him. She just never imagined it would come like this: the sharp whistle of a rock in the air followed by a hideous wet crunch of gristle and bone. She never knew the fallout could be this bad, Rachel’s skin so pale it has gone a dull grey color except for the places on her hands where David’s blood seeped between her fingers. Rachel came out of the warehouse silent and shaking, and Cassie couldn’t find it in herself to say anything.

Not until, a hundred yards down the sidewalk, Rachel drew a sharp breath and started crying in near-silence.

“You’re right about me,” Cassie blurted, for something to say. “I’m not strong enough. I can’t do it. I can’t be like you. I’m sorry.”

Rachel whirled around, grabbing Cassie by the arm. “That’s a good thing. Don’t be sorry. People like me would be nothing without people like you.” She shook herself off. “No. Worse. Without you…” She made a sharp gesture back to the warehouse. “I’d be him.”

“That’s not…”

“I know myself.” She barked a laugh. “You’re the only reason I’m still a halfway decent person.”

Cassie did her best not to notice the splotch of David’s blood that had transferred to her arm. “You realize it goes both ways, right? Without you, I’d have quit years ago and left the rest of you to die.”

Thank Goodness People cry during weddings, Cassie reminds herself. It’s perfectly normal to be crying on her wedding day. So what if she happens to be crying for entirely the wrong reason?

It’s the dress. It’s the long cakelike frills of the dress and it’s the fact that when she looked in the mirror after the stylist was done with her veil, all she could think of was what Rachel would say to see her so swankified. It’s the way that Ronnie is so patient and kind and loving, so willing to wake Cassie from nightmares and hold her close every year on Christmas, on Victory-Earth Day, on the anniversary of the date Marco and the others were officially declared Missing Presumed Dead. It’s the fact that he is so good to her, in a way no one else ever has been… and she still can’t bring herself to love him.

Ronnie has never lost patience, has never stopped being devoted and sweet. He’s also never killed someone to save her life. He’s never stood shoulder-to-shoulder and flank-to-flank with her as they marched into battle. He’s never committed a terrible crime so that Cassie herself wouldn’t have to, and he’ll never know the terrible crimes Cassie herself has had to commit anyway.

He never tore a piece of her heart out, either. He never went and died on her because she couldn’t find the words to keep him here.

Cassie lowers her veil to hide her tears, and she picks up her bouquet. She’s as ready as she’ll ever be.

Not That Girl “And then,” Rachel said, “he showed me this spot downtown where they’re putting new tar down on a parking lot, and my god.” She whistled between her teeth. “You can just coast up and up until you’re miles off the ground, and then you dive… And he just figured this out, all on his own. He’s, like, some kind of genius at this.”

Cassie shifted to a more comfortable position on the end of her bed, trying to look like she was enjoying this conversation. She got it, really she did. Tobias had those big soft eyes—well, sometimes—and that sharp sense of humor and that knack for picking up new skills on the fly… He was sweet but also practical, melancholy but willing to be sarcastic too.

It didn’t stop her from wanting to cry sometimes when Rachel talked about him.

“Anyway, how are you and Jake?” Rachel asked, flopping over in her sleeping bag to look Cassie in the eye.

Cassie laughed, looking down. She and Jake were experimenting. Feeling each other out. Hoping for a spark that would probably never come. They were friends, and she loved him as a friend, but... But she wanted what she couldn’t have.

Because if she had it her way, Jake wouldn’t be the one who held her hand and tried to work up the nerve to kiss her goodnight. Tobias wouldn’t be the one that put that starry-eyed smile on Rachel’s face. Rachel wouldn’t be on the floor during their sleepovers, she’d be right next to Cassie in the bed—

“Enough about boys,” Cassie said quickly, shocked by the direction of her own thoughts. “You want to go get some of my dad’s hot chocolate with chili powder?”

The Wizard and I During the war, sometimes, Cassie would think back to the call she got late one night in eighth grade. Rachel had been almost laughing as she spoke, enthusiasm bubbling through in every word. It took Cassie a while to parse what Rachel was talking about, but finally she figured it out: Melissa’s dad had given them the number of this new organization in town, and the new organization was willing to sponsor any young athletes who joined it.

Sponsor, in this case, meant just about anything. Mr. Chapman had assured them that student athletes who joined the Sharing could access its full resources for buying uniforms, connecting to coaches, and even meeting the big names in the field. (“Dominique Dawes! Amy Chow! Kerri Strug!” Rachel said, and Cassie made noises of agreement like these names meant anything at all.) She might not have understood some of what Rachel was gushing about with competition levels and professional trainers, but she found herself grinning anyway. It was always so cool to hear how amped Rachel got about everything from sales at Express to WNBA results, because Rachel was the kind of person who could make anything brighter or more special with the way she saw it.

They’d taken a shortcut home through the construction site the very next night. Cassie thought of that phone call, sometimes, as the last time their future had been clear and bright and easily understood.

Part 2 Here

#animorphs ficlet #animorphs au #long post #wicked fusion #wicked #miraculoussparrow #mama nature #Xena: Warrior Princess #rachel berenson #songfic

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funface2 · 5 years ago

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10 Quotes From I Love Lucy That Are Still Hilarious Today – Screen Rant

Hands down the most influential sitcoms in history is I Love Lucy. Appearing on CBS, I Love Lucy ran for six seasons, had 180 episodes, won five Emmy Awards, and was the first of its kind to be done in front of a live audience.

The real stars of the show were Lucielle Ball (Lucy), her real-life husband Desi Arnaz (Ricky Ricardo), and their two best friends and neighbors Vivan Vance (Ethel) and William Frawley (Fred). With Lucy and Ricky as the focus, the foursome lived in New York City where Ricky was an entertainer. Wanting to be famous herself, Lucy tried her darndest to be apart of her husband’s acts and usually conspired tricks with her BFF Ethel in order to do so. What transpired was fantastic TV in the ’50s and even today in 2019.

RELATED: 10 Sue Sylvester Quotes That Are Still Hilarious Today

I Love Lucy still has reruns on TV today and even has DVDs of the show for sale in color. Today we’re taking a look at some of the funniest lines that came from I Love Lucy, along with some behind-the-scenes tidbits about the show.

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10 ‘SURE, SAYS RIGHT HERE ‘WE WORK MIRACLES”

After being snubbed by Ricky and Fred for attending a classy party, Ethel and Lucy are sick and tired of being left out. The pair learn about Phoebe Emerson’s Charm School and decide if they should enroll. Lucy, of course, agreed with Ethel that the charm school could work miracles but came off offensive after realizing how much work Ethel would need.

RELATED: 10 Most Hilarious Moms In Sitcom History

The girls spent all week trying to become classier versions of themselves and in the end, their men thought their look was horrendous. In return, the guys also changed their appearance, which then led to the four of them calling it a tie. It’s a classic I Love Lucy game of “who wore it better?”.

9 ‘ETHEL AND I HAVE DECIDED THAT YOU HAVE MARRIED US AND NOT A TELEVISION SET’

Ethel and Fred may have been older than Lucy and Ricky but the foursome got along swimmingly. While the men were attached to their spankin’ new TV set, the girls were anything but impressed — telling them they were spending too much time in front of the TV.

In real life, Vivian Vance (Ethel) wasn’t actually married to William Frawley (Fred) like Lucy was to Desi. Vivian was actually married four times while William was only married once. And as beautiful and loving as Lucy and Desi appeared on TV, they too got divorced after they were done filming.

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8 ‘I WAS GOING TO BUT THEN I ASKED MYSELF ‘WHY?”

When watching reruns of I Love Lucy, you’ll notice that Lucy and Ricky sleep in two different beds. This was because America was still pretty tame and shy and didn’t think it would be virtuous to show a married couple hopping into bed together in front of a live audience.

RELATED: 10 Sitcoms From Before 1970 That Still Hold Up

In the scene above, Ricky walks in on Lucy still laying in bed. “I thought you were going to get up?” Ricky says to his sleepy wife. “I was going to but then I asked myself ‘why?'” she said sheepishly. Although TV has changed in terms of what we’re “allowed” to see, our love for sleep sure hasn’t.

7 ‘I CAN’T HELP IT, EATING IS MY HOBBY’

In the first season, we’re introduced to an episode called “The Diet.” The audience learns that the fab foursome has gained a little bit of weight in recent months and promise to do better. Ethel famously says “I can’t help it, eating is my hobby” and she’s never been more relatable. Ricky even promises Lucy that she can be an act in his show if she promises to lose 12 pounds. By the end of the episode, Lucy practically staves herself for five days so she can look her best in Ricky’s show. She actually did a great job and made Ricky proud… that is until she fainted after the show, was carried away to the hospital for being dehydrated, and they realized she tied up a woman in the closet who was supposed to be the main act!

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6 ‘EVER SINCE WE SAID ‘I DO’ THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS WE DONT’

Is there anything more frustrating than being in a relationship that restricts you from doing the things you really want to do? We find Lucy and Ethel in this predicament quite a few times in her marriage. In the episode “The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub,” we find out it’s Ethel and Fred’s anniversary.

RELATED: 12 Most Controversial TV Episodes Ever Aired

While the boys wanted to go see the big fight, the girls wanted to be wined and dined at a nightclub. Deciding to go their separate ways, the guys get dates (through Ricky’s agency) to keep an eye on Lucy and Ethel. After finding out their men grabbed dates, Lucy makes a deal with the agency to make their dates be them. What transpired was Lucy and Ethel pretending to be someone they weren’t just to stick it back to them. This blows up in their face, though, because Ricky and Fred knew it was them all along and they all ended up going to the fights anyway.

5 ‘I DON’T KNOW BUT HOW DARE YOU!’

One of the most unique parts of I Love Lucy is that Lucy married a Cuban. At the time Lucy and Desi pitched the show, CBS wasn’t sure America would buy the fact that these two were actually together in real life. Their love was for real, though, and it paid big time in the show. Some of the best parts in the show is when Ricky is rattling things off in Spanish, leaving Lucy confused and annoyed that he was *probably* talking about her in a different language. In one scene, Ricky is rattling off a few words in Spanish when Lucy says “How dare you!” Knowing she has no clue what he said, he asks her anyway and she says “I don’t know, but how dare you!”

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4 ‘HERE I AM WITH ALL THIS TALENT BOTTLED UP INSIDE OF ME AND YOU’RE ALWAYS SITTING ON THE CORK’

In the episode “The Ballet,” Lucy finds out Ricky is in desperate need of a ballerina for his show. Always up for stardom, Lucy begins taking ballet lessons to be his perfect girl. She does get the chance to perform but let’s just say her routine didn’t match up with Ricky’s.

RELATED: 10 Hollywood Legends Who Never Won An Oscar

You may notice while watching this episode that Lucy actually does have bruises all over her body and those were real — caused by *drum roll, please*: training for ballet!

3 ‘THAT WON’T BE A NOVEL, THAT WILL BE A SHORT STORY’

Lucy decides she wants to write a novel called Real Gone With the Wind. Ethel asks her, “What are you writing about?”. “I’m writing about things I know,” Lucy retorts back. Giving her honest, best friend sense of humor, Ethel tells her “That won’t be a novel, that will be a short story.” This classic pairing had all the makings of a BFF movie where they go on the run because they don’t need a man. If only that didn’t scar America back in the ’50s!

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2 ‘GEE, WHY IS IT THAT EVERYTHING THAT’S WONDERFUL COSTS MONEY?’

Ethel isn’t wrong. The best things in life aren’t always free and it’s comical to bring up. Outside of filming, though, this foursome didn’t need to worry much about money. Lucy and Desi were given $2,000 an episode in the beginning. As time went on, they made six-figures per episode, which was unheard of in Old Hollywood for a sitcom.

1 ‘YOU MEAN TO TELL US THAT WE HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS, BUT YOU CERTAINLY DON’T GIVE US A CHANCE TO ACT LIKE IT’

Is there a line that’s more fitting for 2019 than this? In the year of the woman, equality and feminism are on the brain for many North Americans. And although Ethel said this to Fred in jest, it certainly garners some truth. As forthcoming, independent women ahead of their time, something tells us Lucy and Ethel would be proud of women in this day and age.

NEXT: 10 Actors In The Cast Of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Ranked

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Bài viết 10 Quotes From I Love Lucy That Are Still Hilarious Today – Screen Rant đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày Funface.

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raptorginger · 6 years ago

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Ear-sy Rider II: Reconnect chapter 2 - Free to Brie You & Me

for @ever-so-reylo

chapter 1

“I’m sorry. Do you remember me? It’s Ben. Ben Solo,” Ben said apologetically. His shoulders slumped minutely, and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Something in his expression changed. He looked more guarded. Wary.

Like she could ever forget him. Rey realized she was staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. She cleared her throat. “Of-of course I remember. Wh-what are you doing here?” Rey winced. She hadn’t meant to sound so accusatory. Or so terrified.

“My parents asked me to come help them move back into town from King’s Head Island. They were living in that ramshackle mansion death trap, you know? Uncle Luke finally convinced them to give it up.”

“Umm, right. He mentioned that they were moving back last time he was in with Biggs.” Which was today, but Ben didn’t need to know that. “I didn’t know they’d asked you to help.”

Ben looked slightly hurt and confused, and Rey winced again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just, aren’t you a doctor now or something? Aren’t you like, on call or whatever?”

“Actually, I’m a surgeon. And, I...umm...took a vacation,” Ben mumbled. He looked down and shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Rey tilted her head to the side and took a tentative step forward. She began to reach out a hand, thought better of it, and returned it to her jacket pocket. “Oh,” she replied softly. There was more he wasn’t saying, but Rey decided to let sleeping dogs lie for the moment. “A surgeon? That’s gotta be...intense.”

Ben barked a wry laugh, still refusing to look up from his shoes. “That’s one word for it,” he said darkly.

Rey felt something tighten in her chest, and she clenched her fist in her pocket. Her phone buzzed then, and she jumped. Ben looked up, alarmed when she yelped, as she fished the device from her coat.

It was a text from Rose. OMG just heard! GURL get home! Mom has wine (duh)

Rey groaned and rolled her eyes. Of course Maz had wine. It’d be the end of the universe before Maz didn’t have a bottle frittered away.

Rey held the phone up. “My sister. She’s in town from Craggy Neck. Needs me now, apparently.”

“Oh! Sure. Can I umm, stop by the Cantina tomorrow?”

“Well, we’re open, so yeah,” Rey teased.

“I mean, it’d be to see you.”

Rey felt herself flush. “Umm, sure,” she squeaked. “We close at 8.”

Ben smiled then, and Rey felt warmth spread through her. “See you then.”

“Is his butt still cute?” Rose demanded as Rey walked into the apartment kitchen. She was pouring servings of some kind of red wine into mugs as Rey tugged off her coat.

“Oh my God,” Chewie muttered as he stepped into the kitchen and immediately circled back out upon hearing Rose’s question.

“Dad wait, take me with you!” Rey cried as Rose pulled her into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. They scuffled playfully before Maz stepped in.

“No fighting girls!” Maz scolded as she, too, grabbed a seat at the table. She took a sip from her mug of wine and sighed happily. “So tell me, what’s got you all in a dither?”

“Ben Soooloooo is back in town,” Rose sang.

“Oh my God,” Rey mumbled in an exact imitation of Chewie, head in her hand.

“What are we all talking about? I was on the phone with Ken and I heard Rose shouting,” Dopheld interjected. He walked to the fridge and pulled out a plate of cheese, tearing the cellophane off and dumping some crackers alongside before joining Maz and his sisters at the table.

“Ben Solo is back in town,” Maz said under her breath.

“Ahh!” Dopheld lifted his feet and kicked them excitedly under the table. “Mom! Do you have any Chocolate Shim Shams? This calls for Chocolate Shim Shams.”

“Dopheld?!” Rey asked in surprise. “When did you get here?”

“Like, five minutes ago,” Dopheld replied around a mouthful of cheese and cracker. “So, yeah, how’s his butt?”

“Dad! I’m coming in!” Rey shouted as she pushed away from the table with her mug of wine.

“Bring wine!” Chewie called from the living room.

“Oh, like we won’t follow you in there,” Rose said teasingly as she got up too.

“If I tell you his butt’s still hot, will you leave me alone?” Rey hissed.

“I said ‘cute,’ not ‘hot,’” Rose replied, her eyes twinkling.

Rey groaned loudly and dramatically and ran from the kitchen.

Rose and Dopheld squealed with laughter.

“Kids! Leave your sister alone!” Maz ordered as she grabbed another mug from the cabinet and another bottle of wine from the rack on the kitchen counter. They all made their way into the living room to find Rey curled up on the couch with Chewie, leaning against him, her mug clasped between her hands. Maz sat on Chewie’s other side, and Rose and Dopheld sprawled out on the floor in front of the old couch. The TV was on, but none of them heard it as they waited for someone to speak first.

It ended up being Maz. “If that boy doesn’t apologize for bullying you all those years and then kiss you, I’m going to sic the raccoons on him,” she stated with finality.

“Agreed,” Chewie rumbled.

Rey flushed and said nothing, instead drinking deeply from her mug. She welcomed the fuzzy tingling feeling the wine brought to her extremities, and she snuggled deeper into the couch. One by one, Maz, Rose, and Dopheld all drifted to their bedrooms, leaving Chewie and Rey the only two awake.

“Want to fire up the Burn Unit?” Chewie asked, wrapping his large arm around Rey’s shoulders and giving her a fatherly shake. “I think there’s one of those cheesy horror sequels on.”

“Can we watch Hawk & Chick instead, Dad?” Rey asked in a small voice.

Chewie blinked and smiled. “Of course we can, Sweetie. Can you put it in the player? My old knees hurt too much.”

Rey crawled off of the couch and popped the tape into the old VHS player. She’d offered to upgrade her parents’ TV and entertainment systems a couple of Christmases ago, but they’d refused. “It wasn’t the same,” Chewie had insisted.

Rey settled back into her spot on the couch and rested her head on Chewie’s shoulder. She watched the movie without seeing it, too preoccupied with her own thoughts. She felt her eyes grow misty and she sniffled as quietly as she could. What the hell? Why was she crying? She wasn’t sad. Exactly.

Chewie hugged her to his side and kissed the top of her head. “It’s going to be okay, Rey. I promise.”

“I don’t even know why I’m crying, Dad,” Rey tried to laugh. Her words came out as weird hiccuping sounds instead.

“Sometimes when we keep too much inside, it finds a way out anyway. No matter how hard we try.”

“When have you ever known me to hide how I’m feeling?”

“Rey, you’ve always worn sarcasm and reactionary hyperbolic rage like a suit of armor. You don’t give people a chance to know the real you, what you really feel, because you’re too busy fighting them off with those weapons. Don’t give me that look, you know it’s true.”

Rey harrumphed and crossed her arms petulantly, but she didn’t pull away. Chewie was right.

“I know feelings can be scary, especially these kinds, but it’s worth it. I promise.”

“But I don’t want to get hurt, Dad.”

Chewie sighed and hugged Rey close. “I know. But you’ve got to take a chance sometimes. And remember, your mom and I are here. So are your sister and brother.”

Rey hiccupped as the tears began to fall in earnest, and she let them. It was a freeing feeling. Chewie held her and smoothed her hair as she cried and the movie played. She fell asleep before the final battle, snoring lightly. Chewie carefully laid her on the couch, tucked a pillow under her head and a blanket around her to keep her warm before shuffling off to bed.

It was eleven the next day, and Rey was standing awkwardly on her step stool, chalk in hand, to write down the Burger of the Day on the old chalkboard. The bell gave it’s cheerful twinkle above the door, but Rey was too focused to notice. She carefully scrawled “Classic” at the top and “Free to Brie You and Me” beneath that. She didn’t have the mental energy to think of a new one today, and since Dopheld was home, there was an excess of Brie in the fridge. She set the chalk back on the chalkboard ledge and dusted her hands, grousing when she saw the white powder fly from her hands to her black shirt.

As she turned and brushed at her stomach, a low voice said, “Hey.”

Seeing Ben at the counter, Rey yelped in surprise and tripped on her own feet as she tried to step down. Ben lunged over the counter, lying across it to catch her before her head hit the counter. Rey blinked at him in awkward shock, very cognizant of his large hands wrapped around her upper arms, holding tight.

“Sorry,” Ben said sheepishly. His brown eyes were warm, and he looked very much like he was trying not to laugh.

“That’s okay. I thought you weren’t coming until closing?” Rey replied in a rush. She grabbed Ben’s elbows and righted her feet, which had gone twisted beneath her. Ben’s hands slid to her wrists, his grip loosening. Rey bit her lip nervously as he looked up at her, his eyes still full of mirth. He smiled broadly, and Rey blushed slightly. She liked when he smiled. It was kind of lopsided and showed off his crooked teeth. It made him look mischievous. She liked that.

“My uncle wanted me to meet him here for lunch.”

“Oh,” Rey replied softly.

“I’m sorry, are we interrupting?” Dopheld and Rose called from the door.

Rey sprang backwards like she’d been shocked as the tips of Ben’s ears turned bright red. Ben shimmied back over the counter and onto his stool, trying to look nonchalant.

“Dopheld, did you steal my shirt?” Rey asked in an accusing tone. He was wearing a dark purple t-shirt emblazoned with a rainbow colored unicorn along with a pair of men’s skinny jeans. The outfit was a bit snug, to say the least, but Dopheld pulled it off effortlessly.

“Maybe,” Dopheld replied with a smile. “Hiya Ben! Long time no see!”

Ben nodded politely to the both of them and cleared his throat. “Hey guys. How’s it going?”

“Oh you know,” Rose replied breezily as she made her way behind the counter to join Rey, tying an apron over her blue cotton skirt. Rey rolled her eyes when she saw that Rose had also chosen one of Rey’s shirts to wear. This one was a dark blue that said “Witch, please” in the middle of a pentagram. “Fine.”

“Did both of you guys forget to pack your own shirts,” Rey muttered under her breath as she grabbed a dish tub and tried to head into the back.

“Oh no, let me get that, Sis! You hang out up here. I think Luke and Biggs’ll be here soon,” Dopheld offered with a wink as he relieved her of her dish tub.

“Thanks,” Rey replied through gritted teeth.

“So what brings you to town?” Rose asked as she handed Ben a glass of water.

Ben’s easy grin turned brittle, his eyes downcast when he replied, “Umm, my parents.”

“You know, I think Dopheld needs my help in the back. Prep and all. Bye!” Rose squeaked awkwardly as she dashed for the kitchen door. Before she ducked out of sight completely, she caught Rey’s eye and mouthed one word as she waggled her eyebrows, unmistakably, “Butt.”

Chewing her lip, Rey set aside her own embarrassment and leaned over the counter. She touched Ben’s hand lightly and asked in a soft voice, “Hey, is everything all right?”

Ben looked at where her fingers were resting gently on his skin as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He shrugged noncommittally. “Can we talk later? Maybe when we don’t have an audience?” he asked pleadingly.

“S-sure, Ben.”

Ben swallowed thickly and looked up at her with thanks. Rey smiled. She pushed off the counter and grabbed two more glasses as a pair of older men walked into the restaurant. “Hey Luke! Hey Biggs!”

It was going to be a long day.

#reylo #reylo fanfiction #reylo au #mashup #Bob's Burgers

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