most days , finn spent entirely away from the liquid that had steadily ruined his liver and his life . the band had gone teetotal with him ( or at least around him ) , he avoided most events where he knew it would be flowing like water . the world knew he was sober . perhaps it was why this sudden incursion had fucked with his mind so much . " i've drank much worse than that , " he said , attempt to diffuse with humour falling entirely flat as their chuckle rang hollow . they strode over to her and placed his hand on hers . he couldn't do it himself , but he had to be involved , so eyes pleaded with her to take the lead .
Hazel orbs followed his line of sight until they pinpointed what he was talking about. She was unable to keep the frown from taking over her lips, so to prevent him from seeing it she pressed her lips into a thin line before she moved gracefully towards the offending object. “ I got it, ” she spoke softly, no question or hesitation in her voice as she carefully opened the expensive liquor and tilted it towards the sink. If the offending object was the issue, Maggie wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of it. “ It’s not even a good one. Cheapskates , I tell you. ” It was a deflection with humor, something to try and ease what was likely troubling him.
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beautiful woman like the one before him , dylan did not doubt her evenings were spent fending off men intent on obtaining her attention . " at least if we are in the ninth circle of hell , we can almost start our ascent again . " crowded by men in suits , poorly or long ago tailored for a physique they no longer had , even dylan felt trapped . " speaking of escaping hell , want to get some air ? " he asked , all friendly to the brunette before him , before sending a pointed look to the businessmen who had inched their way closer to both of them like vultures .
“ wise choice . ” she muses while nodding her approval , the feeling was mutual . events in new york city consisted of the usual crowd , majority being decrepit white men looking to line their pockets more & take home someone young enough to be their grandchild . most took in her presence silently , the smarter ones in the bunch , although there continued to be an arrogant few who chose to press their lucky by flirting . thankfully thus far reporter DIDN'T fit the latter . “ oh i don't know , it is almost as if we've stepped into the ninth circle of hell ; there are wrinkled white men every where . ”
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" you are the one who brought up your spectacular loss . not me , " he said , corners of lips pulling down in mocking fashion . " i guess the question is ... how are you gonna fix it ? "
he shouldn’t have said anything, now there’s complete annoyance written on his features. “ don’t ask questions you don’t need the answer to, how about that ? ”
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in one hand , tips of his fingers clutched cold low - rimmed glass . the base leaned against his thigh , circle of condensation wetting his jeans , though the cold is welcomed rather than shunned . in the other , fingers twirled the unlit cigarette . he distracted himself from anxious motions by letting his eyes scour the woman's body , the way the mesh dress hugged each and every curve . stilling his hand , he placed the cigarette behind his ear , bringing whiskey glass to his lips for a brief sip . " i've not been in a club for a long time , " he told her , tone of voice as casual as he could muster . " i still love it , don't get me wrong . even if pretty girls don't carry lighters anymore . "
clubs in new york were so different than the ones in seoul— she loves them both. the air surrounding brunette is thick from every scent imaginable, from expensive perfumes to alcohol radiating through the gyrating bodies. julia had stepped away from the festivities of the night, which was celebrating an old friend's recent engagement to an actor back home, stepping out in the cool night air in order to catch her breath. she sips a half finished mango margarita while basking in the cold air against her skin, when a voice directed at her, opening her eyes. " sorry, i don't have one. i don't even have my purse on me. " socialite motions toward frame, only covered with mesh jean paul gauthier mini dress. " and i don't vape, either. don't tell me a little clubbing is stressing you out to the point of needing a cigarette. have you at least attempted to go out on the dance floor? "
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eldest child is plenty aware that the relationship between florence and their mother was strained . always had been . evidently , however , it had soured further in the recent months' absence . " she has not . care to give me a hint ? " he muttered as habit dragged him out of his chair to welcome their mother , who strutted across the busy restaurant like she was on a mission . he pressed a light kiss to her cheek , pulled out her chair . " hey mum . "
" how many times have you said that before ? " it's muttered beneath breath , digits picking at the corner of the napkin that's sprawled across her lap since being seated. with the arrival of their mother , a trembling hand became obvious as she reaches for champagne flute to wet her mouth. " there's a very good reason that you haven't – which i'm guessing she's not said. " smokey hues remain fixed on the older woman , shifting awkwardly in her seat.
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finn heard his sponsor's voice in his head as the anger came crashing back in waves . anger is easy . forgiveness is difficult . alcohol is simple . staying teetotal is hard . the decision is yours . they'd told them that so many times , especially those first few weeks . the times he'd threatened to leave , the time he'd walked out of the facility bag half - packed , before returning with head held down before they'd even left the drive . micah could not remain some villain in finn's brain forever , there were too many memories that proved the opposite – even if some were blurred by that which had caused their rift in the first place . " it's been fuckin' chaos , man , " he said incredulously . " i got out of rehab and found out my album hit #1 basically . started the tour . finished the tour in venues i've only ever fuckin' dreamt of . " he ran through the accomplishments of the last few months , eyes cast down , their snide comment still making him feel guilty . " oh , i bought a house . no more crashing on sofas or in bushes . " his voice was lower for the last few words , his previous homelessness something micah knew , but which was not widely known .
He deserved the jab, that much Micah was quite aware of. He had never been great with dealing with emotions, much less the ones that had sent his best friend down a dangerous path that he couldn’t follow. Micah believed in regime and self control, he had never had the personality to abuse anything at all. Not like some of the people who were affected by it. It wasn’t something he would ever truly understand. That's what pushed him away from Finn, a product of his own inability to have empathy for his problems — or at least a way to show it. “ Nah, I probably deserve that and more, ” Micah finally relented, taking an awkward sip of his water. “ So, uh, how have you been? ” As if it weren’t an obvious question that this gala alone could explain.
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" luckily for you , there's no strawberries in my vegetarian curry , " finn chuckled , feeling an awkward shiver run down his spine . his eyes shot towards his freezer , where a somewhat hastily made strawberry cheesecake was currently setting . she didn't have to know that . " if i wanted to kill you , i'd do it after we bring out the collaboration , obviously . can you imagine what that would do for the numbers ? " he teased .
quick to fix her facial expression, the singer moves her attention back to her drink, watching the liquid splash against the sides of the glass as she lightly taps it with her elbow. “ it’s not doubt, per say. ” she states with a sheepish smile, chin resting in the palm of her left hand as optics zone in on the individual cooking. “ nope, allergic to strawberries, though, so make sure you don’t attempt to kill me ! i still have things i gotta do before i’m six feet deep, ” she teases.
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" see – " they replied as a grin pulled at their lips , " you get it . i tried to explain that to my manager and he just had a go at me for not being forward - thinking enough . "
closed ; jamesmuyiwa & uptoplayer , @aff1uence
" almost everything i do, i do without thinking or worrying what will happen. "
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those long endless nights , fueled by alcohol and drugs , were long behind him . over the years he had learnt some restraint . the thirty - five - year - old now nursed his drinks rather than downed them , could tell the difference between something aged five and fifteen years , and could feel the paranoia settling in his chest at the mere thought of doing anything harder than mdma . no – he stuck to his safe vices . cigarettes and a responsible amount of alcohol . " exactly my thought , " he agreed . he lit the cigarette and swirled the smoke through his mouth , exhaling through his nose . " does that make me sound old or mysterious ? " he asked , eyes unabashedly followed a leggy brunette as she squeezed passed them back into the party .
bad idea. it was a fucking horrible idea to think going to the club with old buddies wouldn’t trigger his fingers to itch for a drink or a line in the bathroom. nursing a sad excuse of a beverage (sparkling water with a lime wedge) in his grasp, he’s once again waiting outside of the bathroom to stand guard (this is what his life has come to). the moment his so-called friends are stumbling out of the bathroom, he’s nodding towards the doors, indicating he needed air before he’s ripping into the packaging of his cigarettes, needing some sense of calamity during the night if he remained stuck here as a designated driver. he’s two seconds from grabbing his phone to request a car (the idiots can find their own way home), when attention is pulled away, looking towards the other with his own cigarette dangling from his lips. “ vapes are so fucking stupid, if you’re going to ruin your lungs, do it the old fashioned way. ” pausing to light his own, he moves swiftly to allow the other to ignite the flame.
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if it was not for the fact that his face now flashed across the billboards in times square advertising his music every few minutes , he could fly under the radar easily . with his worn clothes , items that had obviously seen much use , his hunched posture and his general low - key energy ... he was just some other guy on the street most of the time . it was kind of nice that way . unlike elena , he enjoyed the near - anonymity he still had . " sorry , " he said , jogging up to her the last fifteen feet or so , " the subway was packed . " they fished a bright orange heat pack out of their pocket and snapped it , before holding it out to her . " cold hearted , maybe , but are you sure you don't want this for your hands ? " he still carried them – they had saved his skin many times back when the streets had been his home and that habit was hard to break .
hoes don’t get cold. that’s the motto that elena lives by, wearing a pair of skin - tight jeans, a crop top beneath an open black jacket; sorry excuse of warmth shown with the scarf that’s wrapped loosely around their neck as they wait impatiently against the wall of the nearest building. chilled air helped with the numbness of her toes within the heels that they opted for, usually refusing to be seen in anything less, wanting individuals to know that they were more than capable of kicking ass while wearing heels larger than their —. before the thought can finish, finn is in their line of vision, smirk slowly tugging at the left side of her lips before shrugging a shoulder. “ late ? didn’t notice. ” sarcasm laced in her tone before they’re standing straight next to the other. “ can’t get cold if you’re cold-hearted, love. ”
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" i need you to help me pour this down the sink . " he'd come across the bottle in a promo pack from a company wishing to do business with him . it had been next to his kitchen sink for days , untouched but tempting him .
𝑪𝑳𝑶𝑺𝑬𝑫 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑶𝑹 ... @aff1uence
“ you better realize how much I care. I changed out of my sweatpants and everything for you. Now what’s going on? ”
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the first few weeks in the programme , finn had felt little other than anger . at his parents , his brother , those he'd let down and those who'd abandoned him . the rage he'd felt towards micah had been all - consuming . they needed someone to count on and where had he gone ? he'd left when it became too hard . as he sobered up and did more work , the anger turned inward . the guilt of letting a substance get between them and those he cared about , for numbing the pain of losing his brother with alcohol and letting it consume his life . he would probably have done the same . seeing micah in the flesh , however , was bringing all those feelings up at the same time and his chest felt heavy . " guess better late than never , " he said , words leaving his lips before he could think . he held up his hand , immediate regret crossing their features . " sorry . i don't mean that . i –– it's good to see you . "
Being present at this event is not something Micah would typically do. In fact, he despised most public events. Being on display was never his thing – often hiding when his grandparents would force him to participate, usually after Maiya had angered them to the point of not asking her. But the moment he got the small invite and saw whose name was going to perform, he had to go and see. Oftentimes, the memories of Finn haunted him, the displeasure in himself for abandoning one of the two people who meant the world to him – now abandoning the second not long after – he needed to see how he was doing. After it came out that he was recently sober, Micah felt the guilt creeping up once more. In all the times he imagined how this night may go, he never anticipated Finn finding him and breaking the growing silence between them. “ Uh, I’m not usually. The invite said you were playing and I thought you may need moral support… even if you didn’t know it was there. ”
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the seasons were changing , but there was still colour all around them . the trees had turned their autumnal oranges and reds . every other step underfoot was slippery , but the beauty made up for it easily . he'd never appreciated the sight when he'd been out there struggling to survive the harsher environment , but he could now . " here i thought this was nothing for you , " he joked , clapping a hand onto the other's shoulder and pushing on . " coffee is a great idea . i know an indie place just a few blocks east that i swear will change the way you look at coffee . "
Rubbing his glove clad hand together, Harry tried to keep himself warm. As the year was coming to an end, the weather was getting colder. And a winter in New York could be harsh. Harry pulled his coat tighter around him making his way into Central Park. The park during this time of year was the best to visit. He heard the footsteps approaching next to him. "Not yet. Close." Harry laughed it off. New York weather was nothing compared to England winters. "But if we do want to continue the day out here, I need some coffee."
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