#ben caravan
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lighting 🔦
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12:39 AM EDT March 11, 2024:
Caravan -
"The Dabsong Conshirtoe"
From the album Cunning Stunts
(July 25, 1975)
Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm
A) The Mad Dabsong
B) Ben Karratt Rides Again
C) Pro’s & Con’s
D) Wraiks & Ladders
E) Sneaking Out The Bare Quare
F) All Sorts Of Unmentionable Things
I've heard it said they were gonna call this one 'Toys in the Attic' and then they heard about Aerosmith, and had to go with something . . . less fortunate. The title has aged less well than the music, which is not peak Caravan, but is nonetheless decent. And even the spooneristic title may have inspired Aerosmith to name their own album RNight in the NRuts. Seems possible anyway.
#Caravan#Cunning Stunts#The Dabsong Conshirtoe: A) The Mad Dabsong B) Ben Karratt Rides Again C) Pro’s & Con’s D) Wraiks & Ladders E) Sneaking Out The Bare Quare F)
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youtube
Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
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hello mutuals.
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Blood Ties Chapter 7
Series Masterlist
Warnings: Typical TWD violence and gore, vomiting, minor injury, confirmation of minor canonical character death
Moodboard by @dannyo000 💙
The silence inside the truck was so uncomfortable that it teetered on the border of unbearable. Daryl hadn’t spoken a single word, not even when the caravan stopped to discuss forthcoming plans and you were invited to join. He didn’t have to speak. The intense glare that could have burned a hole through Rick’s head said everything his mouth didn’t.
You noticed Jacqui’s absence at once. There was an ache in your chest at her loss. She had been kind to you the few times you had interacted. You didn’t need an explanation. She had perished at the CDC. Whether or not it had been at Jenner’s hand was irrelevant. It had been his intent to trap you all there. In the end, it would still be blood on the doctor’s hands.
“So, we’re all in agreement? Fort Benning?” The former sheriff met the eyes of everyone as they nodded. “Alright, that’s settled. I think we need to discuss our means of travel. We’ll burn a helluva lot of fuel taking so many vehicles. Any suggestions?”
Looks were exchanged, but Dale spoke up first. “I know the RV is by far the worst on the fuel but it does provide space and a means of shelter beyond what the others do. I’m probably biased but there it is.”
“No, I think as long as we can keep the RV running, it should stay.” Lori agreed with a nod and a hand on the older man’s shoulder.
“Alright, okay.” Rick continued. “That still leaves four others.”
“We can ditch the van. Ride in the RV.” T-Dog offered quickly.
“I can lose the Jeep and ride with you, Lori, and Carl.” Shane leaned against the vehicle in question and awaited a response. Rick shook his head almost immediately.
“We’ll take Carol and Sophia, keep the kids together. You can go in the RV.”
The first emotion that passed over the other officer’s face was sour, you noticed, but swiftly turned into a compliant smile and nod. You narrowed your eyes but held your tongue. Not your circus, not your monkeys.
“M’a take the bike.” Daryl stated matter-of-factly, not even waiting for input before he dropped the tailgate of the truck. “Ya help me with this?” He waved a hand toward the truck bed with a glance at T-Dog.
“That’s good, Daryl. Real good. Lori, Carol, the kids, and I in the Cherokee. Daryl and Y/N on the bike. The rest in–”
“Just me.” The redneck interjected, not looking away from the task of unloading the bike. You didn’t need confirmation to know what he meant.
“What?” Rick asked anyway.
“She can ride in the RV.” Daryl huffed. Rick raised his eyebrows but ended with shrugging a shoulder and moving on.
You, however, continued staring at the archer. It wasn’t public knowledge that the baby was Daryl’s. Amidst the panic and confusion at the CDC, no one took notice of the exchanges between the two of you. You assumed he’d like to keep it that way. Assumptions were all you had to go on at the moment because the bastard was refusing to speak to you! Still, if he continued with the very obvious disdain toward you, he was going to give himself away.
“Y/N?”
“Huh?” You turned to find all other eyes on you.
“Rick was asking if you’re okay being in the RV.” Lori was tilting her head, watching you with a look you didn’t really like.
“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine wherever you want me.”
“Probably be more comfortable there.” Carol smiled that gentle smile of hers.
“At some point, we’re gonna have to address the elephant in the room.” Shane’s tone was condescending. You curled your lip when he shifted to cross his arms and spit off to the side. His eyes remained on you, flickering down to your stomach and back up. You were starting to get the feeling he didn’t like you much.
Lucky for him, the feeling was mutual.
“We’ve got time.” Lori interjected before you could even open your mouth. “One thing at a time. We need to find somewhere safe to stay first. Get off the road.”
“She’s right.” Rick started grabbing the fuel cans and hoses to siphon the gas from the vehicles that were being left behind. The rest of the group scattered to move things and automobiles around, leaving you and Shane in a staring match. You wanted to smirk when he looked away first, granting you one last glance before disappearing around the RV.
“Anything I can do to help?” You walked up to the door of the RV as Dale stepped down. He gave you a sweet smile and traipsed out of your way, motioning to the inside.
“You don’t need to be pulling and tugging at things. You just go on inside.”
You snorted. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid. I can help.”
The older man was obviously torn but with a glance toward Andrea, he finally relented. Another story there, you supposed. “Maybe move some of the lighter bags and supplies from the other cars. They may have beat you to it, but that’s really all I know of that would be okay for you.”
“Okay, I’ll check with Lori.” You smiled at him before he went about with whatever he was doing in preparation to leave. You really did appreciate his concern but you were new to the group. You had to show them that you could be an asset. It wouldn’t do for you to end up on your own with a baby on the way. You made it to the back corner of the RV before you felt eyes searing into the back of your head. Maybe Shane had seen the exchange with Dale. Glancing over your shoulder, you locked eyes with Daryl. This time, it was you who looked away first.
You had chosen to all but hide in the back of the RV, on the bed with a book that Dale had let you borrow. You weren’t really reading as much as you were listening to the exchanges between Andrea and Shane. He was showing her about maintaining a gun. When she mentioned her father, you felt a twinge of pain in your chest.
The nausea had returned with a vengeance. Sips of water, you could handle with enough time in between. The constant rolling of your gut had you turning away from anything substantial. You knew you should eat. You needed to eat. Maybe when the next stop was made, you could ask about some crackers or something.
Lost in your head, it wasn’t until you heard Dale’s distressed exclamation that you actually looked up, leaning out to be able to see what was going on from your hovel in the back room.
“Oh jeez. Aw no. See a way through?”
You tossed the book to the foot of the bed and swung your legs over the edge to get to your feet. Glenn was suggesting to turn around for a bypass but Dale quickly shot down the idea.
“We can’t spare the fuel.”
“Jesus.” You whispered when you got your first glimpse of the disastrous cluster of cars and debris. As the RV idled, there was a pop and a white cloud drifted up in front of the windshield. “Shit.” You followed the others out the door, taking in the scene when you heard Daryl’s bike. The hunter weaved through the maze of vehicles and stopped in front of the RV.
The others discussed options, a conversation you purposefully avoided. They were including you but having a say in things was a totally different matter. You didn’t feel like you were there yet.
“There’s a whole bunch’a stuff we can find.” Daryl was right. The owners of the abandoned cars didn’t need the things they’d left behind in their panic. Except—not all of them had left. You could clearly see a corpse in the passenger side of a sedan. Was it a walker? Couldn’t be. It would have responded to the noise.
“This is a graveyard. I don’t know how I feel about this.”
“I’m with Lori. It feels like—grave robbing.” While Lori’s comment went ignored, yours earned a look from Shane that made your skin crawl. He eventually sneered before his expression smoothed out and he gave the order for everyone to go searching.
You stood still, biting your lip in hesitation. The thought of someone taking your father’s belongings from the camp just because he was dead made you see red. How could you possibly go along with this?
Maybe you could stay behind in the RV. Andrea was there, so it shouldn’t be a problem if—
“Go on.” Daryl gave you a shove you would almost define as gentle. It was the first time he had spoken to you since the CDC. You wanted to retort with something snarky, but what would that do other than piss him off more than he already was. “Grab anythin’ ya think could be useful.”
“Okay.” You kept your tone soft, picking up your pace to catch up to him when he brushed past. “Can we talk?” You really did want to smooth things over. You told yourself that the connection with Daryl was solely physical, but now you’d be raising a child together in an apocalypse. That would definitely be easier if you could communicate on some level at least.
He never missed a step when he glanced at you while maneuvering between the automobiles. He’d peek in the windows of some but continued further out, probably to keep everyone else closer to your own cars.
“Nah.” He finally glowered, walking backwards away from you a few steps before turning around and disappearing behind a cargo van.
Sighing heavily, you took stock of your surroundings. There was no point in following after him. You didn’t have the energy anyway. The nausea was worsening and there was little to no water left in the RV. You allowed for a disgruntled breath, pressed a palm to your belly, and opened the driver door of the nearest car. The sooner everyone got what they needed, the better.
The smell of the decaying corpse was horrific and forced you to pull things out with one hand while the other pressed over your mouth and nose. Luckily there wasn’t much more than a suitcase that held some men’s clothing. You weren’t sure what the men could use so you left what was there, with the exception of one shirt. Strategically ripping, you fashioned a cover to tie around your face. You’d work faster with both hands.
After several minutes, you had found a damn treasure trove, including a beautiful knife in a holster that you had taken the liberty of securing around your thigh. It wasn’t a firearm but it was better than nothing.
You were climbing backwards out of the backseat of a little hatchback when you took a break to steady yourself. You were drenched in sweat and felt a little dizzy. Maybe it was time to gather your findings and go back to the others for a break. You had gone pretty far ahead.
The silence on the roadway was unnerving. You’d give almost anything for bumper to bumper traffic with an orchestra of angry shouts and sounding horns; for everything to go back like it was. You’d be in the woods at that time of day, tracking rabbits or squirrels. It didn’t take much to feed just you and your father. You didn’t have a smokehouse, so smaller game was ideal. You could still see his proud beam when you’d walk through the door.
Those days were gone now.
Back at your pile of finds, it occurred to you that you couldn’t carry it all back alone. Loath as you were to admit it, Daryl had been the closest. You pulled down your makeshift mask with a groan, but there was no other option unless you wanted to walk all the way back to the RV just to bring back help. They would likely demand you stayed put, but you didn’t want them to see you as incapable. Daryl was already annoyed with you, so requesting his assistance was your best bet.
Your steps were dragging by the time you made it to the cargo van where he had so casually rebuffed your request. Barely around the rear bumper, your stomach decided to rebel. You lurched forward with a repulsive retching sound, stomach muscles cramping from the force of the heaves. Your stomach was empty. Rancid acid and bile burned your throat, the intensity of your gagging ensuring you could be heard all the way at the RV.
Your stomach still contracted uncomfortably, excess saliva gathering in your mouth. You had just managed to wipe away any remnants on the sleeve of your flannel when a hand clamped down around your jaw. Fight or flight activated, you scrambled for the knife at your thigh, managing a single swipe before a hand caught your wrist.
“Quiet, goddamnit!” Daryl hissed faintly against your ear. He was pulling you toward the back of the van and hastily shoving you inside before climbing in himself. You loured at him and sheathed your weapon while he scrupulously pulled the doors closed.
“What—” His hand bore down over your mouth a second time, a finger raised to his lips. You only managed an indignant huff before something struck the side of the van with a thud. Vibrant orbs widened with realization that he had just saved your ass from what sounded like a sizable number of walkers.
Daryl haltingly lowered his hand as if you’d yell at him despite the threat lurking just outside. The man was sweaty and panting, as if he’d been running. Giving him once over you noticed the carmine liquid slowly saturating his shirt just above his hip.
Your movements were slow and deliberate to ensure silence. He didn’t seem to notice you until you were almost next to him, resulting in him reeling back with a vexed expression.
“You’re hurt.” You mouthed, reaching behind your head to untie the ripped section of fabric you had used as a mask. When you extended it toward the wound, he swatted at your hand. You couldn’t risk speaking so the two of you engaged in an intense staring contest. The hunter finally relented with a shake of his head, deeming alertness toward the flock of undead to be priority. You smirked and pressed the wadded strip against the injury.
He let out a grunt but stayed still, eyes remaining on the doors. It didn’t take long for the bleeding to let up, giving you a chance to peel back one side of the slice in his shirt. The wound was superficial, wouldn’t need stitches, but it was abundantly clear that you had nicked him when he grabbed you. You felt your stomach drop. Or maybe that was just the nausea.
“Think they moved on.” Daryl quietly informed you. Oblivious to your revelation, he opened one door, barely wide enough to see outside. “We can prolly head back to the—what?” He stopped short, your apologetic expression giving him pause.
“I didn’t know it was you. I didn’t mean to—”
The hunter rolled his eyes. “S’fine. Won’t kill me.”
While he was quick to dismiss the event, you still felt terrible. It could have been so much worse. The whole thing made your desire to talk things out with him that much more crucial. “Daryl, can you just listen to me for a second?”
There was the briefest of moments when you thought he was going to acquiesce. There was something more than anger in the way he looked at you. Then he was shaking his head. “We gotta get back. Check in with ev’ryone.” You grabbed his arm with both hands when he shifted to climb out. “M’serious. I ain’t doin’ this.”
“I get that you’re angry—with me.” You swallowed hard against the strange taste in your mouth, ignoring the protests of your inexorable stomach. “You have every right to be.” Daryl growled and snatched his arm away. He climbed out and stood just outside the door, clearly not confident enough with the degree of safety to leave you behind.
“Drop it, Y/N.” He warned.
You had climbed out and blocked his path, hands hovering in front of his chest. “The least you can let me do is—” It happened just as suddenly as before. You had no time to react. You could only clutch your abdomen and pitch forward, vomiting up what little bile that had accumulated since the last episode. All over his left boot. “—apologize.”
If it had been any other situation, the deadpan examination Daryl was currently giving his footwear would have been arguably hilarious.
“I’m, uh, sorry about that too.”
His eyes moved up to glare at you from beneath his lashes. You didn’t think a mess on his boot would be enough to really set off a man who spent the majority of his time identifying—and very often stepping in—animal waste. This was just the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. He took a step toward you. Though you didn’t think he’d hurt you, even for reasons beyond the baby, you couldn’t say you knew him well enough to bank on that theory. Therefore, you took a step back.
“Listen, woman, just ‘cause ya got my kid inside ya don’t mean I hafta—” He cut off suddenly, angling his head in a way that was familiar to you. You did the same thing while hunting; listening for sounds to indicate an animal was nearby.
“What is it?”
He shushed you harshly. When you focused on the sounds around you rather than the whirlwind of thoughts in your own head, you could hear it too.
Your blood ran cold with dread.
“Sophia! Lori, there’s two walkers after my baby!”
#murda writes#blood ties#daryl dixon#daryl dixon x reader#daryl dixon fanfiction#the walking dead#daryl dixon x y/n#daryl dixon fanfic#daryl dixon x you#daryl x y/n#daryl x female reader#daryl x you#daryl x reader#daryl dixon x female reader#daryl dixon x reader smut#daryl dixon smut#daryl drabbles#daryl dixon drabbles#daryl imagines#daryl dixon imagines#daryl dixon imagine#daryl#daryl dixon the walking dead#daryl angst#daryl dixon angst#twd daryl#the walking dead daryl dixon#the walking dead daryl#daryl dixon twd#daryl fanfiction
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Two Lines (Benedict Bridgerton x Reader)
Benedict Bridgerton x fem!Reader
Modern AU
Rated: G - domestic fluff
Word count: 1.7k
Summary: As you settle into your new home, you have a surprise for Benedict.
Author's Note: Sometimes late at night, modern Ben shows up and hands me a one-sitting story. This is one of those. I cannot express enough gratitude to @bridgertontess who put so much thought and care into making the custom photo edit above 🫶 I hope you enjoy this little cottage moment, my dear 💙
Two lines. Eight, if you were counting all the tests together, the reason you had locked yourself upstairs for the afternoon. Each of them clear as day, opening some new chamber of your heart and flooding it with so much feeling, you had to sit on the floor and allow yourself a little cry. You had tried for so long, the process eventually becoming so demoralizing that you had stopped planning and both started to make your peace with it. You would let nature decide, and had nearly convinced yourself she simply wasn’t in your corner, until now. Right when you had stopped worrying about it, that’s when she caught you by surprise.
Your husband hadn’t even registered your absence. He was too busy painting the rooms of the ground floor. The cottage you had purchased was the definition of a fixer-upper, every wall and window and fixture needed attention. You had been daunted when he showed you what he had found, but that undeniable light in his eyes would have made you agree to move into a caravan. He was enjoying himself with all of the projects, something to pour his boundless energy into when he wasn’t working. He was taking on more than he should, in fact. You loved him, but he was tragically posh and really had no place touching the electrical box. But he would be damned before he’d allow you to hire someone. All probably something to do with male pride and being king of his proverbial castle.
With your heart pounding in your throat - it had only pounded as hard before on your wedding day - you descended the cramped staircase and walked to the dining room.
“Benedict Bridgerton, please be careful on that thing!”
The ladder he had found looked to be as old as the house itself. Some splintery relic that wobbled with every brushstroke he made. He had unearthed it from the shed and saw no point in shelling out for a new one. Now it was the only thing keeping him suspended over the double length windows as he turned the dingy walls a muted sage green.
He looked down at you with a shrug, which caused another wobble. “It’s fine.”
You moved to the ladder, ready to brace a fall. “I can’t afford to have you break your neck. Or anything else for that matter.” You suddenly realized what a challenge it would be to keep him intact over the coming months, especially as your mobility gradually became impaired.
The look on your face must have been upset enough, because he pouted and descended a few rungs, reaching a stable center of gravity. “But wouldn’t it give you just a little bit of vindication? Proof that you were right and we should have hired someone?”
That smirk. That smirk was the reason you had allowed him to try his hand at everything in the first place. His undaunted confidence. It made you admire him to the point of resentment.
“No, it wouldn’t,” you spat. “I don’t want my husband in hospital, even if it proves my point. You’re covered. Take a break.”
Glancing down at himself, he saw that his hands and forearms had practically been dipped green, and the splatters were never going to come out of his orange t-shirt or jeans. He didn’t have many tops to speak of, so he had better start using his brush more carefully. Somehow, this lauded artist who could stipple and blend the most delicate details into a portrait or landscape, looked like a five-year old with a bowl of spaghetti sauce when it came to wall paint.
“The sun is setting anyway,” you handed him a cloth. “Come watch with me.”
You could see through the west-facing window how the sky was layering orange, pink and purple. Your little spot of countryside afforded you the most breathtaking sunsets, the sellers hadn’t lied about that. It really was the perfect home for an artist and Benedict had known as soon as he saw it. All sky and wildflowers and distant sounds of birds.
He wiped his hands and swiped the bottle of wine your new neighbors, the Crabtrees, had brought over. He grabbed a glass.
“Do you want some?”
You waved him off. “No, thanks. I’m alright.”
The back garden held another relic, a stone bench that was surprisingly comfortable. That was where you watched the sunsets together, plotting all the improvements you wanted to make. Benedict sat and poured the wine, and you laid down beside him, resting your head in his lap. The hand not holding his glass trailed softly through your hair. You realized he was probably turning it green, but you didn’t mind.
He took a sip and looked down at you curiously. “Are you feeling okay?”
You furrowed your brow. “Is that some commentary on my drinking?”
He laughed. “No…I mean, well, you do always join me, but…” His voice grew soft. “I just want to check.”
There he went, intuiting everything. Your pulse jumped wondering if you had already been too transparent. If he could see right through you, as usual, and knew what you were about to tell him. But you checked yourself. Of course he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to keep calm with the news. You smiled, snuggling into him. “I’m feeling fine. Very good, in fact.”
He smiled back, lopsided and devastating. “Good.”
You both looked skyward, watching the orange slip out of sight, then the pink fade to indigo, and the purple to navy. It was autumn and the last of the birdsong was accompanied by gusts of wind, blowing about the falling leaves and grey brush in the flowerbeds stretching before you. The garden had been the lowest priority as you focused on making the cottage comfortable, especially as winter approached. But now there was a new deadline to prepare for, more to take into consideration on what you tackled and how.
Benedict finished his glass and kept one hand combing through your hair, bringing the other to rest on your ribs.
“We need to clear out these beds.” You gestured to the abandoned mess of long-dead foliage in front of you.
“I know,” he nodded. “It’s on the list.”
“If we do it now and plant some bulbs, they should bloom in the spring just in time.” You wrapped your hands around his forearm, sliding it lower, his massive grasp spreading out across your abdomen.
“In time for what? Do you want some grand housewarming once all the projects are done? I’m not sure my family will fit in this place.” He snorted.
You held your breath, feeling the warmth of his fingers pressing softly onto your body, a cosmic point of connection where the three of you intersected. Your momentary little secret.
You couldn’t help but quip. “Your family fits in here just fine.”
If he noticed your goofy grin, he didn’t comment on it. You turned your head and nuzzled into his stomach, that knee-weakening sandalwood scent still evident under the paint fumes. This man, he gave you so much by simply existing. Now you had something to give back that finally felt like an adequate reciprocation. You were ready.
“I want the flowers as a backdrop for a portrait.” You said matter-of-factly.
He leaned down and ran his nose into your hairline, murmuring against your skin. “Mmm, that would be lovely. You in our garden.”
“Yes, the both of us.” You whispered, breathless with anticipation.
He kissed your forehead and chuckled deep in his chest. “If you want me in it too, I’m not exactly sure who is supposed to be doing the painting.”
Keeping one hand pressing his into your torso, you brought the other to his hair and gently pulled him to look at you. Locking into his eyes, you spoke, quiet but purposeful. “I didn’t say you’d be in it.”
He stared at you, blue-grey eyes darting back and forth at your pupils, the smile on his face fading from bemusement to confusion, a furrow forming between his brows. Then the penny dropped, and you felt the jolt run through his every muscle. With a shout he melted over you, rocking you as he buried his face into the crook of your neck. You didn’t know if he was forming words, he seemed to be gasping and letting out wonderful little sounds of desperate happiness. His arms bound tighter around you, trembling with nervous energy. You could feel the heat of his tears on your skin, and it was enough to break you. You cried too, clutching back with fingers curled into his dark hair.
Such euphoria, that you had planned on for so long. Had nearly written it on your calendar you felt so in command of when it would occur. Then when it had been denied and denied and denied, the least painful route was simply to give up hope. To comfort yourself with the knowledge that Benedict brought you so many other euphorias, it almost seemed selfish to demand this one too. But now it was yours, and you felt spoiled by the universe. Spoiled but oh so grateful.
Gaining some semblance of control over himself, he hovered his face above yours once more, eyes wild, breathless. “You’re…oh my god…we’re…”
You laughed through your tears. “Yes, my love.”
His hand brushed warm over your belly, reverently. You could already see in his eyes that he was going to treat you like you were made of glass for the next nine months. It would be equal parts endearing and aggravating. The house projects would be laden with a new layer of stress, everything now with a greater sense of urgency, and he would try to do it all himself.
Immediately confirming your assumption, he snapped to attention. “I’m clearing the beds tomorrow.”
You pulled his lips down to yours and hummed. “Not if I don’t let you out of ours.”
At the very least, you could delay his preparation mania for one day. You wouldn’t let him bear every burden on his own. You would build your home together, the two of you, until there were three. Then you would keep building, and see what other gifts lay in store.
With a smirk, he scooped you into his arms and rushed back into the cottage, the two of you giggling like fools.
No tagging, just goofin
#bridgerton#bridgerton fanfiction#benedict bridgerton#benedict bridgerton fanfiction#bridgerton x reader#bridgerton x you#bridgerton x y/n#bridgerton imagine#benedict bridgerton x reader#benedict bridgerton x you#benedict bridgerton x y/n#benedict bridgerton imagine#female reader#domestic fluff#fluff#my cottage#modern au
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Today in The Department of Before They Were Star Trek Stars: Part 2 of a double feature. There are two future Star Trek actors in this episode of Bonanza, and using all the good pictures of both of them would have made this post too image-heavy. Since one of them is in the A story and the other in the B story, I decided to split the difference. "Gift of Water" is the 21st episode of Bonanza, Season 3 (original air date February 11, 1962).
There's a drought in the area around Virginia City, affecting mostly the small ranchers, and the Cartwrights are alone among the big ranchers in wanting to help. In the B story, Ben Cartwright leads a caravan of ranchers and their cattle to watered grazing land on the Ponderosa to wait out the drought. James Doohan plays Mr. Collins, the spokesperson for the small ranchers.
#star trek#star trek tos#star trek the original series#bonanza#1960s tv#tv sci fi#tv westerns#james doohan#royal dano#kay stewart
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Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc
The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!
#ACLA24#ACLA24HighSchoolStudents#youtube#youtube video#climate leaders#climate solutions#climate action#climate and environment#climate#climate change#climate and health#climate blog#climate justice#climate news#weather and climate#environmental news#environment#environmental awareness#environment and health#environmental#environmental issues#environmental education#environmental justice#environmental protection#environmental health#high school students#high school#youth#youth of america#school
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Not to be depressing, but here is a selection of stories/plot points we were treated to by the Hudson/Brooks/Shaw trio....
Nate/Moira/Cain/the caravan!/the boat!
Aaron says more goodbyes to Liv than Robert in Robert's own exit story
Al/the whisk in the microwave/Woolpack status quo/Chas affair
The Posners/gift that kept on giving/Lee/Wendy/Luke/Russ
Chloe was the sister of Sarah's heart donor/Kerry was her housekeeper/and later her mother/her dad Damon was also Harry/and Simon
David shot in the stomach with a sawn off shotgun/participated in wild water rafting some weeks later/later became man child about speeding ticket
Leyla's coke addiction/ever re-appearing drug dealer/plot stabbed Jacob/attacked Suzy, who got Leyla hooked in the first place
Robert/got chance to appeal, didn't want to take it/Aaron chose Ben/who he bullied in school/then left the country before Ben was even buried/while listening to "their song"/Take on me
Annie Sugden's death/non-entity
Three teenage pregnancies/Gabby/Amelia/Chloe/all wanted to keep babies/none of them had jobs, money or education
Samson/Noah personality swap
Sexual assaults✅️✅️/stalking✅️✅️/revenge porn✅️
Robert's exit story/Dan's copy & paste exit story/even same actor to play the laywer, lol
Secret children/Nate/Marcus/Naomi/Chloe/Caleb/Oscar/and bonus Clemmie
Secret parents/Bear/Amit
Rishi killed for shock value
Liv/Sandra/complete betrayal/then bam Liv is killed off
The Storm/Kim marries Will (why)/Amelia wanders the moors/Harriet/cow stampede/Sam impaled/caravan comes flying/Aaron's plot off screen boyfriend Marco is mentioned more times than Harriet
Faith dies/never mentions Caleb/not even in a note?
Nicky pushes Caleb off cliff/they pin it on a deer/then move in together
Marshall's dad/Laurel/the bible
Kim's killer horse Ice
"Little Ivy"
One punch can kill/Aaron and Cain bash each other's heads in with a spanner over who is the head of the Dingles
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Warnings: show related violence.
JUST US
Chapter 4: when the night is over
Daryl stared at the roof of their tent, listening as she breathed quietly. Morning light was making its way into the canvas home. He turned his head, taking in her bruised and puffy features.
He rolled to his side and pulled her closer, pressing his nose into her hair. He didn’t want to face the horrors of what they’d walked into when returning to camp last night.
Daryl hadn’t slept, not much anyways, he was unable to ease his anxious mind. Worried more walkers would wonder their way into camp. However they hadn’t. Y/n stirred, a small moan escaping her lips as she awoke. “Daryl?” She mumbled, eyes opening.
“I’m right here” he mumbled into her hair, rubbing her side gently. She turned to face him. A small smile on her bruised face. “Hey sunshine” he said, returning the smile.
Y/n cupped his cheek, rubbing her still manicured thumb across it. She stared at his face, taking it in, memorizing every small detail. “What’re you doing?” He asked, resting the tip of his nose against hers.
She smiled, moving the tip of her nose against his. “Nothing”
He returned her smile, “nothing huh?”. Daryl moved his hands to her sides and began moving his fingers. A laugh erupted from her throat. He loved that sound. It was music to his ears. He stopped his assault and looked at her. “Alright, I gotta get up”
She watched him as he sat up, reaching over her to grab a shirt on the floor of the tent, slipping it over his head. He exited their tent, going to help with the massacre from the night before.
Y/n sat up, gently rubbing her face. She straightened up her clothes and joined the rest of the survivors, helping dispose of the fallen.
-
The remainder of the group had decided to move camp, so here y/n was packing up what little belongings they had left.
Daryl helped pack, saying nothing. Unsure of what to say. Y/n looked him over, eyes lingering longer on his rear. His jeans hugging his attribute tightly. God, he looked good.
She shook the thoughts from her head as she rolled up the sleeping bag. Now was certainly not the time nor the place. Though, she was dying from the lack of affection in that regard. It wasn’t like the two were sex starved teens but a month without it was definitely a new record.
The two packed in silence, packing away their temporary home and loading it into the bed of that banged up red truck.
Daryl chewed on the inside of his lip as he watched y/n lean against the tailgate. The sun glistening against his gold wedding band around her neck. He reached out, gently taking the ring between his fingers.
Neither spoke, not needing to as she took off the necklace. Letting Daryl take his ring and put it on his finger. Y/n smiled and leaned up, pecking his sweaty cheek. This earned a smile from Daryl as he discarded the chain into his pocket.
Shane and Rick spoke, giving everyone a walkie. They were headed to fort benning. Some survivors supposedly had it good there. The group loaded up in their vehicles and began their journey.
The caravan had come to a halt when the group had happened upon a graveyard of abandoned cars. Y/n hopped out of the truck and joined the rest for a debriefing. There wasn’t much of way to continue forward, and the rv was in no condition to travel. They were sitting ducks at this point.
“Thirsty, ms y/n?” Shane asked, holding a five gallon bottle of water. She went to open her mouth, a grunt sounded from behind her.
She offered Shane a small smile, “we’re alright, thank you.” Shane looked behind her, she didn’t need to look to know her husband stood only a few inches away. Arms more than likely crossed over his chest.
“I don’t like him” Daryl huffed as Shane walked away, “something about him” y/n nodded in agreement. Something about the former officer, made y/n skin crawl. She shuddered at the thought, then turned to join the rest of the women scavenging the abandoned cars.
Chapter 5
Taglist:
@nameless-ken , @bymailin , @writer-ann-artist , @minnie-min , @angelbunny222 , @hc-geralt-23
#daryl dixon#daryl fanfiction#daryl twd#daryl smut#daryl x reader#the walking dead daryl#twd#twd daryl#daryl dixon fanfiction#daryl dixon imagine#daryl dixon x reader#the walking dead#the walking dead fanfiction#daryl dixion imagine#daryl dixion smut#rick grimes
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【 𝙿 𝚁 𝙾 𝙹 𝙴 𝙲 𝚃 : 𝙳 𝚄 𝙲 𝙺 𝙻 𝙸 𝙽 𝙶 】 | a QSMP Baghera playlist 🐤
a narrative playlist retracing her story, from her humble origins to Purgatory.
cover art by @Rion_Riots on twitter
⤵️ tracklist under the cut ⤵️
CHAPTER 1: lab rat
a duckling opens her eyes to white tiles and syringes.
Bumblebees are Out - Jack Stauber
A Bird in a Gilded Cage - Alex Niedt
Body - Mother Mother
rises the moon - liana flores
CHAPTER 2: Duckling and Bluebird
a bond is formed between two birds of a feather.
Rule #4 Fish in a Birdcage - Fish in a Birdcage
Two Birds - Regina Spektor
Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn
Innocence - Madeon
CHAPTER 3: escape!
this little duckling has had enough.
Escapism - Rebecca Sugar
THE KID WHO KEPT RUNNING - Vylet Pony
Shelter - Porter Robinson
We'll Meet Again - The Ink Spots
CHAPTER 4: drifting away
the ocean waves are tall and scary, but she presses on.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Radiohead
Ship in a Bottle - fin
Shackleton - Adam Young
soundscape diary - vylet pony
CHAPTER 5: a new life of music and dirt fountains
she finds new friends. and slowly, she forgets.
Youth - Daughter
Tout Oublier - Angèle
La veriter - KronoMuzik
I Say - Zerator & BagheraJones
CHAPTER 6: [[We Hope You Enjoy The Island :) ]]
you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?)
Fallen Down - Toby Fox
Amnesia was Her Name - Lemon Demon
HEAVEN SAYS. - chart
Clocks - Alex Niedt
CHAPTER 7: binary green and white bears
federation? codes? where am i?
Your Best Friend - Toby Fox
Beware The Friendly Stranger - Boards of Canada
01001010 01000001 01001101 - Red Skies Project
Untrust Us - Crystal Castles
CHAPTER 8: cherished egg
the island has granted me the gift of motherhood.
Daughter - Sleeping at Last
I'm a Survivor - Reba McEntire
Apple Pies and Butterflies - Blue Wednesday
Little Moth - chloe moriondo
CHAPTER 9: petit frère
APLUPLUUUUUU
Anything You Can Do - Bernadette Peters, Tom Wopat
Amor de irmão - Barão Vermelho
Brother - Kodaline
For Forever - Ben Platt
CHAPTER 10: can I call you Bébou?
(gifting furniture is his love language.)
Lemon Boy - Cavetown
Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend - Powerwolf
It's Alright - Mother Mother
Chateau - Angus & Julia Stone
CHAPTER 11: ordo theoritas
call her apollo, because her theories ALWAYS turn out correct.
Cry Babies - cclorox
Touch-Tone Telephone - Lemon Demon
Dream Sweet in Sea Major - Miracle Musical
A Good Song Never Dies - Saint Motel
CHAPTER 12: don't you want to become a leader?
the election arc.
NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A - Toby Fox
Blood // Water - grandson (first death: whale)
14.3 Billion Years - Outer Wilds (second death: the tower)
Brutus - The Buttress
Animal Farm - BIBI
CHAPTER 13: There is no escape this time.
a childhood bedroom hidden beneath engine steam.
Everything Stays - Rebecca Sugar
715 - CREEKS - The Nor'easter
Memories - The Midnight
Look who's Inside Again - Bo Burnam
CHAPTER 14: "Pomme reviens... les gosses me manquent."
she waits for things to change. she seeks her origins.
Dear Wormwood - The Oh Hellos
CRT Days - Waveshaper
Implanted Memories - Infinity Frequencies
What Was I Made For? - Billie Eilish
CHAPTER 15A: P U R G A T 👁️🗨️ R Y part I
i don't want to leave. i can finally be myself, here.
Wonderland - Caravan Palace
Misery Meat - Sodikken
Hayloft II - Mother Mother
Chainsaw Girl - Chainsaw Girl
Family - Mother Mother
CHAPTER 15B: P U R G A T 👁️🗨️ R Y part II
adios, bolas. i won't leave without her.
Idioteque - Radiohead
Eat Your Young - Hozier
My Friends - Oh Wonder
Goodbye - Bo Burnham
On the Nature of Daylight - Max Richter
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LOST reading list
a list of books read by characters in lost for you to enjoy (or not). this isn't every book referenced in lost. for all that and more, see the "literary works" page on lostpedia, where im getting my info
no, my criteria for this list is that it's been read by a lost character. i'll tell you who (you'll see sawyers name a lot), and i'll add if it's somebody's fave book. this list will not include things like the bible or the qur'an or historical texts, as that while that can technically be recreational reading (it seems to be for ben), i'd rather not
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (read by Jack)
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume (read by Sawyer)
A Brief History of Time by Stephan Hawking (read by Ben)
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (read by Ben)
Caravan of Dreams by Idries Shah (read by Ben)
Carrie by Stephen King (Read by Juliet, Ben and various other Others. This is Juliet's favourite book)
The Chosen by Chaim Potok (read by Sawyer)
Dark Horse by Tami Hoag (read by Jack)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (read by Ben)
Dirty Work by Stuart Woods (read by Jack)
Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor (read by Jacob)
Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie (read by Sawyer)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (read by Ben)
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (read by Ben)
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (read by Sawyer)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (read by Jack)
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie (read by Desmond)
Hotel by Arthur Hailey (read by Ben)
The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares (read by Sawyer)
Lancelot by Walker Percy (read by Sawyer)
Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov (read by Hurley)
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (read by Ilana)
The Oath by John Lescroart (read by Ben)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (read by Sawyer. This is Sawyer's favourite book and author)
Roots by Alex Haley (read by Ben)
A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda (read by Ben)
The Sheltering Shy by Paul Bowles (read by Ben)
Ulysses by James Joyce (read by Ben)
Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler (read by Ben and Jack)
VALIS by Philip K. Dick (read by Ben)
Watership Down by Richard Adams (read by Boone and Sawyer)
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle (read by Sawyer)
Every work by Charles Dickens other than Our Mutual Friend (read by Desmond. This is his favourite author)
I encourage you to speculate on the character implications put forth by these reading choices. This can raise such questions as: Jack is a Harry Potter fan? What is Desmond's favourite book by Charles Dickens? Boone can read??
Thank you for your time
#wow this really isn't light reading. here have some complex serious shit#sawyer and ben and jack are dominating the list. nerds#anyways im not exactly recommending these books#especially since it includes books by ayn rand and jk rowling [gags]#and also i don't even know what most of these are#but it's neat to have it listed as trivia at least. and might be useful for character analysis#note that sawyer didnt choose most of his books#but everybody else chose their books#also at a certain point while making this list i was begging ben to stop reading
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do you know why i hate caravan winning game. because its the best game ever m
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I’m back from my holiday on the Welsh coast with my partner Ben! It was bittersweet because it was my last time staying in my family’s static caravan that’s getting chucked from the campsite because it’s too old. I grew up in that caravan, and the part of the world it’s in played a big part in making me who I am. It’s always been a constant safe place for me. I’m feeling grateful and lucky to have had it. Thinking of making a zine about all my memories and feelings there.
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Hey friends! I returned a month later and brought for you a list of songs with which I associate the characters.
And with it you can determine my favorite characters :)
Jeff Woods ( Jeff the killer)— Psychosocial (Slipknot)
Americano ( Lady Gaga)
Lights out ( MSI )
Enemy ( Imagine dragons)
Liu Woods - Hayloft II (Mother Mother);
GOSSIP ( Måneskin )
Replay ( Lady Gaga )
Two birds (Regina Spector)
Lira Rogers - Looking at me ( Sabrina Carpenter )
Jane Richardson ( Jane the killer )- Telephone (Lady Gaga)
Bloody Mary ( Lady Gaga)
Bad girls ( M. I. A. )
She wants me dead ( Cazzette i AronChupa )
Jane Arkensaw - Genesis (Grimes)
The mess you made ( AJA )
Nina Hopkins ( Nina the killer ) - Mamma Mia (HUGEL)
Vicious ( Bohnes )
Criminal ( Britney Spears )
Take your shirt off ( Millionaires )
Toxic ( Britney Spears)
Nina Hopkins(new) - Toy ( Netta Barzilai )
Slumber party ( Ashnikko )
Troublemaker ( Olly Murs )
Jack Nairas ( Eyeless Jack)- HURT ( 1 800 PAIN )
Ate my heart (Lady Gaga)
Valentino ( Olly Alexander )
Devil town ( Cavetown )
Mama ( My Chemical Romance)
Benjamin Lauman ( Ben drowned )- That That ( PSY )
Don't try sucide ( QUEEN )
Tobias Rogers ( Ticci Toby )- My alcoholic friends ( The Dresden Dolls )
Teenagers (My Chemical Romance)
Mama's boy (Dominic Fike)
Blow ( Kesha )
Natalie Ouellet ( Clockwork )- People I don't like (Upsahl)
NO ( Meghan Trainor )
Haunted house ( neoni )
Seventeen ( Marina and the diamonds)
Tim Wright - GRRRLS (Aviva)
Older ( Isabel Larosa )
House of memories ( Panic! at the disco)
Brian Thomas - Guys don't like me ( It Boys )
Don't trust me ( 3OH!3 )
Kate Millens (Haze) - She homeless (Creep - P)
Helen Otis ( Bloody painter)- dump dump (mazie)
yes & no ( Paige Duddy )
She likes a boy ( Nxdia )
Dina Angela Clark ( Judge Angel )- Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land ( Marina )
Mary on a cross ( Ghost)
Bloody Mary ( Lady Gaga)
Jonathan Blake ( The Puppeteer)- Drunk-Dazed ( ENHYPEN )
Lost in the fire ( Gesaffelstein )
Look what you made me do (Taylor Swift)
EYES ON ME ( asteria)
Ann Luzen Mia ( Nurse Ann ) - Take a hint (Elizabeth Gillies and Victoria Justice)
Sweet dreams ( Eurythmics)
Primadonna ( Marina )
Emra Amelia Aldridge - Dance to forget (TryHardNinja)
Cake ( Melanie Martinez )
Oh no! ( Marina and the diamonds)
Material girl ( Madonna)
Zero - Hole-Dwelling
Hermit the frog ( Marina and the diamonds)
Jason Meyer ( Jason the toymaker )- DARKSIDE ( neoni )
Super Psycho Love ( Simon Curtis)
Sexy dr_g ( Falling in Reverse)
Jealously, jealously ( Olivia Rodrigo)
Louis Vuitton Body Bag ( Jeffree Star )
Laughing Jack - Lonely (Palaye Royale)
Happy face (Jagwar Twin)
Backstabber ( Kesha )
Bad feeling ( Jagwar Twin )
Laughing Jill - Lone Digger (Caravan palace)
What are you watching for? (Gwen Stefani)
Applause ( Lady Gaga)
Maniac ( Michael Sembello )
Shoot him down! ( Alice Francis)
Candy Pop - HIP ( mamamoo )
Nathan Nobody - Gladiator ( Jann )
Beautiful is boring ( BONES UK )
Mammamia ( maneskin )
Sally Williams - Who is she? (I Monster)
Dollhouse ( Melanie Martinez)
Tag, You're it (Melanie Martinez)
Lazari Natalie Svong - I hate my mom ( GRLwood )
Lucille Tiffany Greatfield( Lulu ) - Tag, You're it (Melanie Martinez)
How do you sleep? ( AJA )
Slenderman - I didn't find the right song
#creepypasta#creepypasta fandom#laughing jack#eyeless jack#ben drowned#jeff the killer#laughing jill#ticci toby#jane the killer#jason the toymaker#jane arkensaw#nathan the nobody#nina the killer#the puppeteer#bloody painter#judge angels#nurse ann#emra creepypasta#tim wright#slenderman#brian thomas#Zero#candy pop#lazary#sally williams#lulu#clockwork creepypasta#nina hopkins#creepypasta headcanon
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𝐇𝐞'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞?
I had to post this before my girls murdered me. @diorleclerc @libraryofloveletters @lickmeleclerc this is for u <3
ship: esteban ocon x fem!reader.
summary: Your friend, Esteban, agrees to be your date at your sister’s wedding... with your ex. Things can only get better from there, can’t they?
warnings: bad language probably. disfuntional family. Ben (my usual readers will get it). tequila mention. cheating mention. smut. unprotected sex. SO SORRY FOR THE GRAMMAR MISTAKES THAT YOU MIGHT FOUND.
word count: +12.9K.
PART ONE HERE
THURSDAY
The next morning when you woke up, Esteban was nowhere to be found. It was around 10 AM and you had the morning free from any wedding activity. Thanks to God cause with how things were between you two, you didn't think you could pull out a smile. That night you had your sister’s bachelorette party. It gave you a headache just thinking about having to attend.
Everything was a complete disaster. You didn’t even know if Esteban hadn’t already left after the fight you had last night. You lifted your head from the pillow. His backpack was still on the couch, so he wasn’t gone. Good. How did everything go down the drain so fast last night? After you believed everything was fine and you were questioning our relationship with him after that kiss. Maybe you shouldn't overthink anything and just leave everything like that. Last night, everything had been ruined in a matter of minutes.
When you went down to the pool in an attempt to relax and not go crazy in the room waiting to see what would happen with Esteban. Your sister and some of her friends, including the bridesmaids, were sitting in one corner of the pool. You were going to pretend dementia as if you hadn’t seen them, but your sister raised her hand. Damn, now you had to go say hi. Maybe you should have stayed in your room. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed how there were a couple of people in the pool playing volleyball, among whom you found Phillip... and Esteban. There he was then. And yes, seeing him without a shirt caused things suddenly. You didn’t understand why, but the image of him without a shirt and only with his shorts was incredibly tempting. It wasn’t the first time you saw him like that since you used to go on vacation together with your friends, but it was the first time that seeing him like that caused something in you.
“Hi everyone,” you greeted them when you were by their side. You sat down in one of the empty chairs.
“Your boyfriend is fineeeee,” One of Chloé’s friends said, lowering her sunglasses to look at Esteban. Yesterday you met her at the party, was it Cindy? Sydney? Sandy! That was her name.
“Thank you?” You answered with a tone of doubt, not being sure what to say.
“True, I ran into him today at the gym and I think my ovaries exploded,” another of Chloé’s friends said.
“She liked him since they were kids,” Chloé finally said
“I didn't, Chloé.” you rolled your eyes and stretched out on the lounge.
“Please, you always liked a good charity case,” she pointed. That was it. You were going to send her to hell if she kept talking about Esteban like that.
“Charity?” Sandy asked
“He was poor,” Chloé explained, “And he lived in a caravan with his parents”
“Diuh,” Sandy said, wrinkling her nose as if that was gross.
“Chloé,” you warned her with a threatening tone. You were tired of the way she dismissed Esteban.
“Are you going to tell me it’s a lie?” Your sister said, raising her brows. You purse your lips. Chloé knew very well that you would not make a fuss in public, that just wasn’t your style.
“Some people have to work,” you signaled.
“Ugh, work.” Sandy wrinkled her nose again.
“He is still a commoner, a new rich, one of those who had a stroke of luck,” Chloé told you. She was going to find you if she kept picking on you like this.
“Now that he has some millions, things got interesting,” Chloé’s other friend said.
“Yes, they did,” your sister replied, and the look Chloé gave to him before looking at you again gave you a chill. What was she up to? Her look could not bode well. What did she have in mind? You weren’t sure you wanted to know.
After a while, Sandy and the other friend you had discovered her name was Tiffany, headed inside to go to a massage session they had booked at the hotel spa.
“Trouble in paradise?” Your sister suddenly asked as you opened your eyes to look at her.
“Not at all”
“You haven’t looked at him once since you sat here.” She pointed, and you rolled your eyes, trying to dismiss her theory.
“You’re seeing things, Chloé” You pointed out still without looking at him “I've him all for me in our room, no need to brag about it in public, right?“
“You know? It’s okay if you just admit that he came with you out of pity” He was your fake boyfriend, so technically it’s not like he was with you because he loved you. Despite that, it was bothering you that your sister wanted to make you feel bad because a boy like Esteban had paid attention to you. Yes, you had braces and glasses when you met him in high school, but for years now, you wore contact lenses and had your braces removed.
“Again with that? I know it’s hard for you to believe, but he is with me because he wants to”
“Bothering mon tresór again, Chloé?” Esteban’s voice interrupted them. You turned to look at him appear behind you and lean on the back of your lounger.
“Whatever” Your sister didn’t even bother to address Esteban. You knew it was partly because she didn’t consider him worthy enough to talk to her. He just ignored her and gave you a lopsided smile instead that made things to you. If he wasn’t mad at you and if you didn’t know your relationship wasn’t like that, you would say he was flirting with you “Hi babe” He said and you looked up at him before he leaned down to kiss you on the lips. His kiss was short but slow and so sensual that you could feel something stirring inside you. ‘It’s not like that’ you repeated to yourself internally. The way you looked at each other, touched and kissed, was too intimate to be ‘just friends', but you understood it could be your mind playing tricks on you. After all, you were pretending to be something else to everyone else.
“Ugh, find a room,” Chloé interrupted him and a couple of seconds later, you separated.
“Jealous?” You asked, trying to get some arrogance out. Maybe Esteban was right yesterday. It was time for you to give Chloé back some of her nastiness.
“You wished,” she huffed before getting up from her lounger and walking inside. When you raised your head to see him, Esteban had already left. You threw your head back on the lounger. Perfect. Just perfect. Despite the small moment you just shared, you were still at war.
When you got back to the room, he wasn’t there either and didn’t show until you were finishing putting on your earrings. You were ready to meet the rest of the bridesmaids and your sister in the hotel lobby. Esteban just stared at you. He was still dressed as he came from the beach, which didn’t surprise you.
“Are you staying?” You asked before taking your little bag.
“Yes,” The answer did not surprise you. He could barely tolerate Ben, so you didn’t see Esteban attending his bachelor party. From what you’ve heard about the bridesmaids, the bachelor party was going to have some strippers.
“Good,” you told him, walking towards the door
“Good,” He replied before you left.
You two had been friends for so long that you wanted to believe there was a solution, but at the moment, you were both stubborn. Esteban didn’t seem to give in and you weren’t going to either. You kept your position that you didn’t think you had done anything wrong to deserve such treatment from him. It wasn’t your fault that Ben approached you.
When you got to the lobby, your sister was already wearing a headband that said ‘I’m getting married’ and the bridesmaids had one that said ‘We’re her bridesmaids’. Your sister had arranged for your father to charter a yacht, so everything was up and running when you arrived at the port. How had she thrown a party like this when she was on the other side of the world? You’d rather not know. As soon as the group dispersed, you took off your headband and threw it around. You would not walk around with a bright pink sign, you preferred to go unnoticed.
You were sitting in one of the yacht’s dining room chairs drinking a margarita when someone slid in next to you. You looked up only to see your sister. Chloé was a pain in the ass. You rolled your eyes, determined to ignore her.
“You know (Y/N), there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time and I didn’t quite know how to approach it”
You frowned. Your sister’s expression seemed conflicted. Well, that was something new “You will say”
“It’s about Ben”
“Then I don’t want to hear it” You shook your head “I’m not interested in anything that has to do with him”
“I think this is important for you to know” She bit her lower lip as if thinking what to say next “Even though Ben asked me not to tell you”
“Ok, I hear you” If that made Chloé leave faster than you were going to hear her digress.
“Our thing started earlier than everyone thinks”
You raised your brows “Meaning?”
“Ben and I were together while you and he were dating.”
“I’m sorry?” You asked, wanting to make sure you hadn’t misheard.
“I’m sorry” You knew she wasn’t sorry one bit. Knowing your sister, she had done the act of the sorry sister only for you to fall for her story. That little- “He kept promising me he was going to break up with you all that time until he finally did”
Break up with you? You had broken up with him. Ben wanted you to stay, almost begged you. “Chloé, he didn’t break up with me. I broke up with him.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, (Y/N), I know the truth” She clucked her tongue and the gesture Chloé made told you she knew nothing about that. Oh, God.
“It’s the truth. I broke up with him. He begged me not to leave him” ‘before he proposed to me so I wouldn’t leave' you wanted to add, but you didn't want to do that to her. As much as she was a bitch, you wanted to believe that you were better, you had to be better, right?
“We love each other so much,” she said in a sonorous voice that just made you roll your eyes.
“Good for you, but did you have to put me in the middle? Couldn’t you at least wait until we were over?” You asked before biting the inside of your cheek hard, trying to control your emotions.
“You know what they say, sis, love is love. We couldn’t help it.” Chloé shrugged.
You didn’t want to fall into her trap but you needed to know the truth. At least she seemed willing to give it up to hurt you “For how long?”
“For how long, what?” she asked.
“How long were you sleeping for?”
“Let me see” Your sister made a thoughtful expression. She enjoyed that. “For two years? Maybe more?”
“That’s more than half of our relationship,” you gasped. You thought maybe you had hooked up towards the end of your relationship when you and Ben weren’t that connected anymore, but it seems he had been lying right under your nose for pretty much your entire relationship.
“Sorry sis, it is what it is” Chloé shrugged before getting up and winking at you “Enjoy the party though”
And boy, you enjoyed the party. Before the night was over, you drank most of the alcohol in the bar. It felt like you were an idiot. You felt betrayed. You didn’t even care that much about Ben not being yours, but about the betrayal. He and your sister must have had the time of their lives laughing at you behind your back. During the day, he saw you and at night he slept with Chloé. It made you nauseous to think that he had been fucking both of them at the same time.
You were so drunk that one guest had to help you safely off the yacht and walk across the harbor to safety to the limo you had come in with your sister and her friends. The chauffeur agreed to take you to the hotel and return to the port later to look for your sister and her friends. You spent the travel dozing until they got to the hotel, and you thanked him before getting out of the car. You had taken off your heels, so you entered the hotel with your heels in hand and when you saw yourself in the elevator mirror. Your reflection was deplorable, your eyeliner and mascara were smudged, and your hair was all messed up.
You opened the door of the room trying to be as quiet as possible considering that the lights were off. However, in your eagerness not to turn on the lights, you hit your toe on the wall. You let out a moan loud enough to hear how Esteban moved in bed.
“(Y/N)?” he asked softly.
“I’m sorry,” you replied with a sob. The hit wasn’t even the problem, that was the straw that had filled a night full of emotions that made you feel stupid, angry, and sad at the same time.
“You’re crying?” He asked before turning on the light, “Oh god, are you ok?” Your appearance must have been worse than you thought, judging by the speed with which he jumped out of bed to walk beside you.
“He cheated on me” You sobbed now and cried.
“Who?” He asked, approaching you.
“Ben”
“What?”
“He cheated on me with Chloe,” you replied as he wrapped his arms around you. You rested your head on his chest.
“What? He told you that?”
“My sister did,” you explained to her in her raspy voice “He was sleeping with her for almost all our relation”
“With your sister?” He asked with a tone an octave higher than normal “Oh mon tresór, I’m so sorry” Esteban started stroking your hair. It was the first time he was calling you that when you weren’t in public, but you were going to let it slide. You were too tired to overthink.
“No, you don’t” He had told you many times that by the way Ben acted, he was hiding things from you. You believed Esteban was just being dramatic about it “This is a moment where you tell me you were right”
“But I don’t want to be right,” He let out a sigh “I’m sorry he did that to you”
“Yes, me too”
“Are you sure it’s true? Your sister is capable of making it up,” He suggested and you shook your head in response.
“No, she seemed very pleased to tell me” That didn’t assure you that Chloé wasn’t fabricating the story. It was difficult to express but her look, her expression, told you that your sister was not making anything up.
“I’m sorry,” He murmured, kissing you on the top of your head before you closed your eyes leaning against him. Esteban caressed your cheeks, trying to dry your tears.
“Sorry to wake you up”
“I wasn’t sleeping, I was waiting for you to come back” That statement, as simple as it sounded, suddenly seemed incredibly personal. Something so simple and so normal was suddenly so intimate.
“You were right yesterday, when you told me I always want to please everyone,” you admitted “I tried doing it with my parents and Ben and see where that got me”
“I was being an idiot,” He replied “You shouldn’t regret being a good person, I just want you to be happy too”
You were about to answer when you felt a wave of nausea wash over you. You ran to the bathroom before throwing up. God, the last round of tequila had been a bad idea. You threw up again. Maybe the last two rounds of tequila were unnecessary.
“Are you ok?” His voice asked before feeling how they caressed your back.
“No,” you moaned, leaning against the bathtub “I feel so stupid”
“Don’t do it. He’s an idiot, not you.” He helped you up before putting paste on your toothbrush so you could brush your teeth and mouthwash in a glass.
“I know, my rational part knows, but I still feel like an idiot,” you told her once you finished brushing your teeth.
“It’s not your fault,” He repeated before giving you your pajamas and some privacy so you could change. When you were ready, you just crawled into bed before he came back with a glass of water and a painkiller that he left on your nightstand.
“You can sleep under the sheets if you want?” you suggested as you slipped under the covers.
“Let’s just leave it at that,” He replied, and you moved against him to lay your head on your shoulder. Just like that, you two fell asleep.
————————————————————————————————
FRIDAY
The next morning, to say that you felt as if a truck had run over you was an understatement. You felt terrible. The hangover didn’t let you think straight. Those last two rounds of tequila were unnecessary. You let out a groan without being willing to open your eyes to face the day. Your moan was greeted by a giggle from Esteban.
“How do you feel?”
“Is it necessary to ask? Like shit,” You moaned.
“Take the painkiller,” He suggested, and you rolled over to get the pill and glass of water from your nightstand “That might help"
“I’m never going to drink again,” you said after taking the painkiller “Ever again“
“Sadly, I don’t believe a word of you”
“I’m serious,” you insisted, “I think I drank three bottles of tequila by myself”
“How do you feel?” He asked, and you knew Esteban wasn’t talking about your hangover.
“Fine” You shrugged. The news still felt strange to you, but there was nothing you could do about it. Although you were furious with them, you didn’t want to give your sister the satisfaction of seeing how she had affected you.
“Yesterday you were crying about him”
“Again with that?” you complained. What was his obsession with stirring up your past with Ben?
“Why would you cry if you don’t want to go back to him?”
“I don’t want to go back to Ben. I was crying because I felt like an idiot for trusting him.” You pointed. The broken trust hurt you the most, with your sister and with Ben. Both of them should have been honest or not bedded in the first place “How could you think I’d go back to Ben? After everything, he did to me?”
He stared at you as if he was processing your words, “You’re right, I’m sorry”
“Okay, but stop suggesting that.” You let out a sigh “I don’t think I can move. Bring me something to eat?” You asked and he let out a laugh.
“Yes, give me a minute,” Esteban replied before taking his clothes and disappearing into the bathroom.
Yes, everything seemed to be fine again between you. You two spent the rest of the day in the room. Nothing romantic at all. You had slept most of the morning and noon and he watched some TV show on Netflix. You liked the way he had gently stroked your hair until you fell asleep, but that was it. The seamstress brought your bridesmaid dress in the afternoon and she left it for you to try on.
“Look, I told you, I’m a shiny peach,” You told him and he let out a laugh “Thank you” you replied sarcastically
“You’re a cute shiny peach though”
“I don’t want to be a peach,” you complained with a groan.
“Don’t worry, you could wear a garbage bag, you’ll still be the most beautiful girl in the room”
You stared at him “You don’t have to say things like that”
“I mean it”
“Thank you, I guess,” you replied, feeling how your face got a little hot and placing a lock of hair behind your ear. Why were you suddenly acting like a schoolgirl? He was just trying to be nice and make you feel better about the ugliest dress your sister could have picked out for you. That was what friends did, right? Make the other feel better when they were down. The dress was hideous and not even a catwalk beauty could make that dress look good. The satin fabric shone even brighter in the lights, so you weren’t sure you’d want to see the wedding photos again after that weekend.
An hour later, you were finishing your makeup in the bathroom, already dressed for the rehearsal dinner, when you saw him approach out of the corner of your eye.
“A little help?” Esteban asked with his tie undone around his neck.
“Don’t worry about it today, don’t even wear the suit jacket”
“No sparkly peach dress today?”
“Not today,” You let out a dramatic sigh “You’ll see it in all its splendor tomorrow”
“What if you tell your mother you don’t want to use it?” He asked.
“It would kill me,” you replied, causing him to laugh “My sister too but my mother above all, for breaking with the aesthetics of the wedding and my sister’s wishes”
“For what it’s worth, it doesn’t matter if you look like a shiny peach, you’ll still be the prettiest girl in the room.” You wanted to feel ok about it but you had the insecurity that you didn’t understand what it meant to feel that. Esteban was just being a good friend to you, wasn’t he? Not being sure of the answer to that question made you even more nervous about it.
“Thanks, keep it up and I’ll believe everything and I’ll have my self-esteem through the roof,” you replied, passing by him to get your bag.
“You should,” He shrugged “Ready?”
“Yeah,” You opened the door “Although the last thing I want is to have to see Chloe or Ben,” You added as you walked down the hall towards the elevator “The very idea makes me sick”
“Your sister just wants to be the center of attention. Don’t give her the pleasure,” Esteban told you, pressing the button to call the elevator.
“She’s the bride, she’s the center of attention indeed,” you pointed out.
“You know what I mean,” He told you as you entered the elevator “Don’t let her enjoy making you miserable”
“I’m not miserable,” You shrugged “I’m upset because I feel like that is a shitty thing to do to your sister”
“Chloé just wants the pleasure of making you feel bad about it”
“She thinks we’re in some kind of competition and that she won because she stayed with Ben.”
“Ignore them and show them you’re happy”
“My sister is going to love that I ignore her,” you let out a laugh “And I have to brag about how happy I am with my new boyfriend,” you added, giving him a wink and joking.
“I heard that your new boyfriend is a topic of conversation”
“Oh yes, he is a great catch, incredibly attentive and charming even though he snores a lot”
Esteban frowned before the elevator doors opened “I don’t snore”
You raised your brows “How do you know if you’re asleep?”
“No one ever complained,” He shrugged.
“Ok, too much information.” You raised your hand “I don’t wanna know how many girls you slept with”
He cleared his throat. “I was talking about my physical therapist.”
You raised your brows as you entered the hotel room “He watches you sleep?”
“Sometimes he is in the motorhome when I rest”
You were about to answer him, but your mother walked toward you. Esteban slipped his hand over yours. You liked the way in those days that gesture had become almost second nature between you. A way for him to let you know he was there for you as a support. You appreciated it. You didn’t know if you could have survived that weekend without Esteban.
“Sorry to interrupt,” your mother said before taking your arm in a firm grip “Honey, your sister wants to talk to you”
“I'll be back,” you said to Esteban before your mother dragged you away from him.
“Chloé prefers that Tiffany be the one to give the maid of honor speech along with Ben’s best man tomorrow.” Your mother said and you could tell she was nervous judging by how she looked around her.
“Oh, it’s fine”
“She’s going to say a few short words today, too.”
“It’s fine by me”
“What are people going to say? People are going to talk about (Y/N) not making a speech.” Your mother shrieked in a whisper.
You saw how your sister rolled her eyes “Nothing mom, people ain’t gonna say anything,” Chloé turned to look at you “Besides, (Y/N) doesn’t care, right sis?”
“Not at all” You shrugged, dismissing it as exactly what you knew was going to upset Chloé. You really couldn’t care less that she didn’t pick you to give a speech at the wedding reception. Did she think that would bother you? You had prepared nothing because, being honest, you had nothing nice to say about your sister other than a couple of childhood memories, so you thought to improvise and mostly lie to create a delightful story that wasn’t true about your sister.
“I just think it’s better that you don’t talk,” Chloé repeated as if wanting to make sure that you had understood the fact that she wanted to exclude you as much as possible.
“Okay,” you agreed with a shrug. In the end, Esteban was right, your sister didn’t deserve even a second of your time “If you’ll excuse me I’ll go back to Este” You added before turning around to walk towards the one who was sitting already talking to some guests. The seat next to him had a sign with your name on it, so you sat there before moving a little closer to him and burying your head on his shoulder.
“Are you angry?” He asked in a whisper so that only you would hear.
“I’m tired,” you replied, nuzzling his shoulder with your nose “I can’t wait for all this to end”
“There is only one day left” He comforted you and you felt how he kissed the top of your head. “Just one day”
“I’m so done with all the drama,” you complained before hiding your head.
“Well, if it makes you happy, it looks like she’s going to explode at any moment. If looks could kill, you’d already be underground.” You did your best not to look at Chloé and just giggled, looking up to see her.
“She thought I was going to be mad if she took my reception speech away,” you explained before rolling your eyes “Please, all I was going to say were lies, anyway”
“Anything about how good your sister is and how much she and Ben deserve each other?” He asked.
“Exactly” You nodded your head.
He leaned towards you and grabbed your chin so you would look at him “I’m gonna kiss you right now” Esteban murmured against your lips and you just nodded your head slightly in response. The closeness still made you feel dizzy. It was like you couldn’t deny him anything when he went into “fake boyfriend” mode. The way he looked at you as if you two had been together for a long time made you think that Esteban would have been an excellent actor if he hadn’t succeeded as a driver.
He caught your lower lip between his before wrapping your mouth around his. His kiss was slow and a little too short for your liking, but the way he left you was something else. Without a doubt, you could describe that kiss as the most sensual you had ever had. Unfamiliar sensations ran through your entire body at that moment.
“I bet my mother must be loving this PDA,” you whispered, hiding your face in his neck.
He giggled at the tickle. “Who cares about what she thinks?” Esteban asked before the clinking of a couple of glasses interrupted them. You rested your head on his shoulder to listen as Ben addressed a couple of words of thanks to everyone. Esteban made fun of him a little, which made you let out small giggles. They were almost like teenagers again, whispering in class. You took advantage while a couple of Chloé��s friends were making a fool of themselves at karaoke to go to the toilet. When you came out, you didn’t expect to find Ben leaning against the hallway wall. What was he doing there? You thought you had made things clear the other day on the terrace.
“I don’t want to talk to you” You rolled your eyes to walk past him.
“Come on, don’t be jealous,” He told you, taking your arm, you turned around and walked away from him.
“Jealous? Chloe told me everything. You disgust me more than anything else,” you snorted.
You saw how Ben opened his eyes a little and turned white. What? He thought your sister was not gonna tell you about their little affair? “She seduced me, I swear”
“Oh my God” Did he think you would not find out that he had been fucking your sister behind your back? “What a pathetic excuse for a human being you are, are you going to blame my sister?” You could feel the fair building slowly inside of you. The way he treated you like a fool was pissing you off.
“It’s the truth,” He told you taking a step towards you and you took one back “I swear, she jumped on me”
“And I suppose you were a poor, helpless victim?”
“You know how Chloé is” he suggested your sister was what? a whore? Annoying? Insistent? whimsical? She might be all that, but he still had some responsibility for that.
“You’re pathetic” You shook your head and crossed your arms before turning around to walk towards the living room again.
“We were going through a rough patch,” Ben yelled, standing in front of you so you couldn’t pass “You barely paid attention to me”
Was he blaming you for all of that? He couldn’t admit that he had been sleeping with Chloé and that he was wrong? After all, he still wanted to blame you as if you had failed at something? “And fucking my sister behind my back was going to fix it?”
“It was a moment of weakness!” He groaned before scratching the back of his neck.
“Weak moment? Ben! You’re going to marry her. That’s more than just a moment for me.” You crossed your arms.
“It’s not a marriage, marriage”
“Tell my sister that,” You rolled your eyes, “You told her you broke up with me for her” You raised your brows to let him know you caught him in her lie “You know that’s not true, I broke up with you”
“It was what she wanted to hear” He shrugged as if he had just told a white lie
“So you lied to him?” you mocked You already found it funny how pathetic he was “You could have at least had the decency to break up with me before her and not spend two years with her behind my back”
“That was a mistake, it was all a mistake”
“And you conveniently left out that you asked me to marry you with the same ring you gave her” You saw how Ben took a step back as if someone had slapped him. Did he think you wouldn't see the engagement ring? “Yes Ben, I saw the ring”
“It was what I had to do,” He moaned like a teenager “You didn’t want to marry me”
“The fact that you believe that my sister and I are interchangeable is disgusting” Not only were you two different people but Ben in his eagerness to belong to your family and connect with the family fortune and your father above all not even He had bothered to pretend that it wasn’t “You are unbelievable, the best thing that happened to me in my life was not marrying you” You added before walking around him and walking to the banquet hall.
“I didn’t say you could leave,” Ben said behind your back.
“Bold of you to think that I have to ask your permission for anything,” you replied, looking him up and down.
“Mon tresór, everything is alright?” You heard Esteban’s voice behind you before you felt his hands on your shoulders.
“Yeah, I was taking out the trash,” you replied scathingly, staring at Ben. You had gone from being angry to being furious. The audacity of that guy.
“No one called you,” Ben added without taking his eyes off you “Stay out, commoner”
“Commoner? What century are you in? You stupid, arrogant pig” You insulted him stepping forward ready to punch him in the face. Ben took a step towards you, also apparently intending to do the same, but with a single movement, Esteban pulled you back and stood in front of you.
“If I were you I would think about my next move,” He warned Ben, “I’m tired of you and no patience left”
“Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?” Ben asked, looking offended and lifting his chin to look at Esteban, who was taller than him.
“Leave my girlfriend alone” The way he called you his girlfriend, even if it was all false, made your heart swell a little. The way he was incredibly patient but Esteban had had enough of Ben “She’s not interested in you as I think she already made it clear” He added sliding his hand to take yours “You’re getting married tomorrow dude, move on”
Ben let out a mocking laugh. “You come here, strutting around, but we all know that no matter how hard you try, you will always be that boy that used to live in a caravan.” You gasped. How dare you talk to him like that? You felt your blood boil, and you were ready to go over him but Esteban’s hand had you tightly trapped next to him “You can try to buy nice cars, get together with the right people but we all know the truth, you will never be one of us, you will never belong no matter how hard you try”
Esteban simply snorted in response “Who said I wanted to belong? And belong to what? To the rich kids’ club? If this is it, I don’t want to belong”
You raised your head to give him a proud smile. Clearly, he had much more patience than you and also seemed unmoved by Ben’s insult “I admire more a self-made man than a rich little brat” You added. He stopped looking at Ben to look at you and give you a small smile.
“Thank you, mon tresór” He gave you a smile after your little moment. “Why are you still here?” Esteban rolled his eyes which made you let out a giggle that you stifled against his shoulder “The fact that you think that’s an insult talks more about you than me, Ben”
“And show how pathetic you are, one more time” You finished before Esteban put his arm around your shoulders to walk towards the elevator. The night seemed like it was going to end early for you that night. The elevator doors closed, and you felt the urge to say something.
“I like that boy and I like this one” You started swallowing hard “Cause the essence is still the same” You could see flashes of teenage Esteban many times although he was now much more mature “You haven’t changed” You added “You grew up, you learned and you gave back to your parents everything they had to give up for you” His first goal when he had earned enough money had been to buy his parents a house so they could stop renting. You couldn’t do anything but respect “All the sacrifices they had to do” Esteban’s parents were two of the best people you had ever met, you had seen them many times in the paddock, and in part, you understood why Esteban was like that, his parents had raised him so that humility and hard work were big parts of his personality “You gave them back the house they sold for you, that speaks more about you than anything else” You shrugged.
Esteban just stared at you for a few minutes until the elevator door opened again. He didn’t say a word, he just walked over to you and gave you a brief kiss on the lips before you guys got out of the elevator. What had that been? You weren’t in public. Then why did he kiss you? Had you misunderstood everything and something else was going on with you? Had you given Esteban the wrong signals? You were getting nervous thinking about all the probable reasons he could have kissed you like that out of the blue.
When you got into bed that night, you couldn’t stop thinking if things had changed between you without you realizing it.
————————————————————————————————
SATURDAY
Saturday had finally arrived. The wedding had arrived. After that day, everything would be over. Last night you hadn’t stopped thinking about the kiss that Esteban had given you in the elevator, wondering if there wasn’t something else you had missed and if that wasn’t a sign that something else was going on between you that you weren’t picking up. Until the night before, everything had been normal, or so you thought.
The wedding wasn’t until the afternoon, so a couple of hours before you took a shower and changed so you could go to your sister’s suite where the rest of the bridesmaids were going to finish getting ready.
“I’m proud of you,” Esteban told you when you took your dress so you could leave the room with it in your hand.
“For what?” you tilted your head
“For showing up anyway,” He explained “It requires a lot of courage”
“Thanks but it’s not that impressive” You shrugged and cleared your throat to change the subject “See you later?”
“I’ll see you later,” Esteban confirmed before you left.
Well, that had been awkward but you still couldn’t process the kiss from the night before and connect it with everything else like the gestures of intimacy, you were also realizing that you seemed to enjoy the moments of intimacy with him and that these moments they seemed almost natural and not at all forced. The way he held your hand almost instinctively, how it was always there, even when he hadn’t been out on Thursday night, but yet still he was waiting for you when you came back from the yacht.
Esteban had always been your friend. You had been one of the few people in school who hadn’t made fun of him when he first started there. At first, out of pity and because you always needed to defend what was right, but then because you had liked him and he had proven to be a good boy. On the first day of classes, everyone knew he had a scholarship, which in your school was synonymous with being poor, so your classmates, including Ben, had not hesitated to make fun of him for that. “I didn’t know you were such a snob and a bully,” you had told Ben and after that, your classmates had taken care of their business. Esteban had smiled at you in gratitude and you smiled back at him. That was the beginning of your friendship.
“Hey” you greeted Chloé walking into her suite. The seamstress was finishing fitting the dress “You look good” You added trying to reach an olive branch to keep the peace, at least for that day.
“Of course I do,” Chloé replied, and you rolled your eyes at her arrogance “How does it feel to know that I won in the end?”
You frowned and left the dress on her sofa before turning to see her. You couldn’t understand how Chloé could believe that she had won by marrying Ben, you didn’t know if she was in love or if she believed that what she and Ben had was love but you felt a little sorry for her “You think you won because you’re going to marry Ben? Chloé, there is no winning here”
“I ended up staying with him” Only because you had rejected him first but you weren't going to say that to her, as Ben had proposed to you as long as he didn’t leave and with the same engagement ring that she was now wearing.
“You know he is a person and not a thing, right?” You told him, raising your brows.
“Whatever,” she rolled the reds “I understand you are jealous but you can’t have everything I have”
“Me? You are the one dating my leftovers,” She thought you were jealous and that couldn’t be further from the truth, you felt sorry because their marriage was more like a business than anything else and you didn’t know if your sister was more excited about getting married or for believing that you felt bad because she was marrying Ben “Couldn’t you get another man for yourself?”
“It hurts, doesn’t it?” She asked, giving you a lopsided smile as if she had just been told that she had won an award.
“No, I’m just sorry for you,” You shrugged. She was attempting to hit you low. You took a deep breath. You didn’t want to have “You’re beautiful and you could get any man you wanted, but you went out with a man who was with your sister first?”
“One more time, I prove I am the best of the two. He stayed with me” Chloé was delusional. She thought it was better because she was getting married and she had ‘stolen’ Ben from you. Nothing further from reality. “If you’re not interested in Ben, then why are you here, after all?”
“Your wedding doesn’t interest me, Chloé” You replied at the same time that the door opened and your mother, the makeup artist, and the hairdresser walked in “I’m only here because I have to be, don’t get confused”
You got into the bridesmaid's dress before sitting down so the hairdresser could fix your hair. Your mom started babbling about Chloé and Ben and how perfectly they were together. She didn’t even bother you about that. You were feeling uncomfortable, and a little frustrated because your mother didn’t even consider it strange that your sister was about to marry your ex. Your mother hadn’t even mentioned the fact that Chloé had gone after Ben of all men on earth. You had always tried to be as indifferent as possible to the favor your parents had for your sister. You had tried not to take it too personally or let it get to you, but at some point you were human. At that moment, you were being human, and you wanted to get angry about how your mother favored Chloé and granted her every whim. The way Chloé behaved was largely the fault of how your parents had pampered her all her life and told her she was always right and that she did nothing wrong.
You bit the inside of your cheek to stay calm and not open your mouth and say something you might regret. It wasn’t worth it. In a few hours, it would all be over. You spent almost all that time debating internally between your desire to explode and your desire to go unnoticed to end all that once and for all. Finally, anger won.
“After many years of knowing each other, they finally realized that they were meant to be,” you heard your mom say to the makeup artist. Chloé was four years younger than Ben and you, so it wasn’t like they both walked through the same social circles and the same people. Ben’s friends were part of ‘your social circle’ because most of them had gone to school with you, even though you might not like most of them for being arrogant pigs.
“And you see nothing strange in all that?” you asked, raising your brows
Your mother frowned “They are in love” You hated the way she talked about Chloé and Ben as if they had been friends forever and one day she realized they were in love with each other. That led you to think about Esteban and you, and you didn’t like to associate the two of you with them. You weren’t sure what was going on with you, but there couldn’t be more than friendship going on, right?
“You forgot he was dating me for much of that time,” You asked “Or does that part not fit into the fairy tale you made up in your head?” Your family was trying to sell a perfect fairy tale between Chloé and Ben, trying to keep up the image and possibly quell any speculation because you knew most of the guests today were going to remember that Ben had been with you before.
“They couldn’t help each other, love is love, dear” If someone else told you that ‘love is love’ you were going to explode, first Chloé and then your mother, did they want to pass all that off as love?
“Are you listening to yourself right now? One of your daughters fucked with your other daughter’s boyfriend behind her back and you think that’s ok? You had already lost your composure and now you were standing looking at your mother. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. You didn’t think your mother knew exactly how Chloe and Ben’s relationship had started, but if she didn’t, she gave you no sign of it.
“Language,” she challenged you before putting her lips in a fine line. You could tell that she must not be happy that the makeup artist and the hairdresser were witnessing the entire scene. You weren’t happy about making all that public either, but you had had enough.
“Did you hear me? She slept with him throughout our relationship and you are defending her?”
“They are gonna get married,” your mother frowned “They are meant to be, like soul mates”
“Wha-” It wasn’t worth it. Your mother was a basket case. She would not change her mind and you didn’t want to waste your time trying to make her think otherwise. If up to that moment she hadn’t seen Chloé’s fakes, it was very unlikely that she would see them because you were pointing them out “You know what? This whole wedding can go to hell for as long as I care. I’m out,” you said before turning around to walk towards the door.
“You cannot leave” Your mother warned you
“I can and I will,” you answered “Watch me”
“What happened sis, can’t you handle the pressure?” Your sister spoke behind your back.
You turned to see her. Anger was bubbling up inside of you “Me? You spent your entire wedding week wanting to make me suffer because you think I’m still in love with him.” You looked her up and down “You pity me more than anything else”
“If you’re not in love with him, then why the fuss, sis?” You hated the way Chloé called you ‘sis’ in a teasing way. She was not enough to be an idiot?
“I can not credit the hypocrisy of this family, that’s why” You answered.
“Girls, calm down,” your mother interrupted, but neither of you paid any attention. Emotions were high.
“I’ve had enough of you” Not just for the wedding but in every way. You didn’t know if you wanted to continue putting up with your family after that day “Of all of you,” you added, looking briefly at your mother “I’m out”
“Let her go, mom, she can’t bear to see him marry me,” Chloé said with a smirk and crossed her arms over her chest. You remembered Chloé was allowed to call them ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ but you had always had to use ‘mother’ and ‘father’.
“I can’t bear that you think that having slept with him when he was still with me is fine and that she,” You pointed at your mother with a nod of your head “Don’t let you know how messed up that is”
“As mom told you, we couldn’t help it. Love is love, yes” If someone else repeated that phrase, it would end badly. Why would someone believe that this was love? Because even your sister didn’t seem to believe it. At that point, you weren’t even sure about the romance story she had told you the other day on the yacht.
“Whatever,” You rolled your eyes “I’m not jealous of you, I already told you, I feel sorry for you, you’re a poor soul who spent the week of her wedding paying attention to her sister instead of being happy to be about to marry the supposed love of her life” You didn’t want to be cruel you had already told Chloé earlier that you thought she was beautiful and could get any man she wanted and instead she was stuck with Ben just on a whim.
“How dare you, loser” She pushed you by the shoulders and you staggered
You stepped back and glared at her “Don’t touch me”
“I’ll do what I want,” Chloé answered before pushing you again, this time a little harder, which made you wobble again and lose your balance, stepping on your dress. You weren’t as steady in those heels as you would like. You heard a cloth rip and your butt hit the ground. The hairdresser made a gesture to approach you but you raised your hand so that he wouldn’t come closer and you got up alone.
You had had enough. If Chloé wanted to play, then they were going to play. You hated having to pay her back in kind, but if your sister had gotten into that mess, then she had to know the whole truth.
“You know? I’ve always hated that ring” You told him standing up, and you brushed off your dress. You noticed it was torn from the fall. “Ben gave me the same one when he proposed” You added and saw how Chloé’s expression faltered. “He told you the story about how his grandmother had that ring until his grandfather died because she never stopped loving him, didn’t he?” You did not know if Ben had used the same story with her, but now Chloé had stopped smiling and looked somewhere between horrified and confused.
“How-“ Your sister began. There it was. He had told her the same story, which, to top it off, was a lie.
“And he told you he bought it, especially for you, right?” You ventured “He told me that too”
“Liar”
You rolled your eyes “He did, he beg me not to leave him after I told him we were done, and then he asked me to marry him so I wouldn’t leave” After breaking up with him, Ben had opened a drawer and pulled out the ring to ask you married couple talking nonstop about why you two supposedly belonged together “He even told me his grandmother’s story to change my mind” One thing he knew was that you had a sensitive side he had probably wanted to appeal to with that story “Funny thing is that a week after he proposed to me that same ring was in Cartier” You had entered Cartier to buy a Christmas present for your mother and it turns out that the same ring that Ben had was on the counter of the store “It wasn’t as old as I thought then” The clerk had told you that the ring was from the new collection so there was no way it could be as old as Ben told you it was. Dude didn’t even bother to fake it.
Chloé stared at you. Not even a fly flew in the room “I don’t believe you,” she finally replied after a few seconds.
“Believe what you want is up to you,” you told her before turning around to leave the room. The truth was out. For you, Chloé was so desperate that she had taken your trash and recycled it. The only explanation was that Chloé was in love with Ben because otherwise, you didn’t understand why she was with him when she could have any man she wanted.
Your blood boiled. You had tried by all means not to explode, but you had had enough with your mother’s audacity. You couldn’t believe that she couldn’t even see how messed up I had been by what Chloé had done to you, not that you wanted Ben for yourself. It was that you couldn’t believe that no one would hold your sister accountable for the shitty move she had done on you.
You entered the room and slammed the door behind you. You could feel yourself trembling with fury. Esteban wasn’t there, but you could hear the shower running. You sat on the bed and examined the damage to the dress. The fabric of the skirt had ripped, and the damage was very clear. There was no way to hide it, it could be arranged, but there was a long time before the wedding. Maybe that was a sign that you guys really should go. It bothered you a little after putting up with it all week, but that was it.
Esteban’s voice interrupted your thoughts “Are you ok?” He asked you and you turned to see him. Bad idea. Especially since he was in a towel and fresh out of the shower. An image you didn’t need, especially after you didn’t know where you guys were standing after last night’s kiss. Maybe you were making a big deal on nothing.
“We should leave,” you replied, looking to your dress “This whole thing was a terrible idea from the beginning”
“What happened to the dress? Did you have a fit of rage or something?” He asked, and you heard his footsteps approaching you.
“Something like that” In theory, if you had had a fit of rage that had triggered the fight with your sister, but the dress had been Chloé’s fault. “I fought with Chloé”
“Tell me something new,” He replied, and you rolled your eyes “I’m going to get dressed now, don’t look”
“I didn’t mean to either.” You rolled your eyes and began to examine the fabric of the dress up close. It was nothing that could not be arranged if it were not because the wedding was hours away.
“Were you saying?” He told you and you heard the noise of clothes moving next to him. Maybe staying there while he did that wasn’t the best idea you’d ever had.
“I fought with Chloé. She pushed me and ripped her dress”
“Are you OK?”
“Yes” You nodded “But I think we should go”
“Hey if you wanna leave, I’m 100% on your side but-“
“But I made it this far and survived the entire week for nothing.” You finished it for him.
“Exactly,” He agreed as you listened as he zipped up his pants. Yes, staying there had not been a good idea because now your mind did not stop flying to places not so holy “But I understand if you want to leave,” He added.
“My mother just defended Chloé. She talks as if she hadn’t been under my nose with Ben all that time.” You sighed.
“Is that new? You already knew that your mother supports your sister” Esteban appeared in your range of vision and you turned to see him, he already had his suit pants on and was buttoning his shirt. ‘Keep your thoughts in line’, especially since a week ago your thoughts wouldn’t have strayed like this. Although a week ago, you would never have been in that situation with him.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think expectations were that low,” you added, throwing your head back. That whole week was a complete mess.
“We can go,” Esteban suggested “Or you can have fun at a wedding paid for by other people”
“I’m so done with all of them I swear” You ran your hands over your face before patting your legs and jumping out of bed “I’m going to have to change this dress”
“That’s my girl” He gave you a wink and you let out a slightly nervous laugh. Why did that statement suddenly seem so personal between you? “You came just in time,” He added “I’m going to need help with the tie knot”
“Of course, you will.” Before heading to the closet, you rolled your eyes. You were going to have to wear the same dress you had worn to the rehearsal dinner yesterday, but at least it would not be the dress that made you look like a peach. You had your hair done and your makeup half done thanks to the scene you had done before you left your sister’s suite, so when you were both ready you tied Esteban’s tie.
“You should learn how to do it, it’s not that hard,” you teased, finishing the knot and taking your clutch to leave the room.
“What would I do without you?” He asked, closing the door behind you.
“Nothing,” you replied, smiling at him, although something felt strange. It was like you were tickled because he admitted you were important in his life with something so small as helping him with his tie knot.
The wedding was going to take place outdoors. The hotel garden had like a cliff with a beautiful view of the beach, so it was a beautiful place to carry out the ceremony and the weather was good, so the reception was also going to be outside. Since you no longer had the bridesmaid dress, you were going to sit next to your parents in the front row instead.
“Your sister is mad,” Your father told you as soon as you sat down next to him. ‘Hello to you too, dad’ he hadn’t even bothered to say hello before he started demanding things from you.
“When isn’t she?” You responded by rolling your eyes, and Esteban reached out to place his hand on yours. You were getting used to the way he subtly supported you.
“I don’t know what happened but fix it” Your father put his lips in a thin line letting you know he wasn’t happy “Your mother is giving me a headache”
“So it’s about you and not Chloé and her wedding day, right?” The issue was how much your mother was bothering him and not about your sister’s happiness on her wedding day. Your family worked in strange ways.
Your father gave you a warning look “Fix it,” He murmured to you before picking up the phone to take a call.
You massaged your temples. You guys should have left when you had the chance. Make some silly excuse and get out of there. Your family would never change and all that was a headache. You felt Esteban’s hand slide down your back to caress your shoulders.
“I’m so doing,” you moaned, resting your head on his shoulder.
“Couple more hours and then it’s all over,” He replied, stroking your hair gently. You found his caresses soothing.
“Keep it up and I’m going to fall in love with you,” you murmured.
“That wouldn’t be so bad after all,” He answered without even flinching. You didn’t want to look up to see him. Why did he have to say those things? You didn’t want to admit how you were reacting to his gestures, and you didn’t want to admit that when he said things like that, your heart seemed to fly.
The ceremony had been short, but it had been delayed because your sister wanted it to be right at sunset for the magazine photos. You two had been hand in hand throughout the ceremony until all the guests stood up to applaud the bride and groom.
Esteban’s breath tickled the back of your neck “Look at him, he seems constipated every time he kisses her” He whispered in your ear which made you let out a small laugh that earned you a disapproving look from your mother.
At least you had fun guaranteed with him. It was one thing that you had always had. You could laugh at the silliest things all the time. Your group of friends was relatively small. You two were friends from high school and then maybe a couple more friends who had joined, but your friendship went way back.
You had to admit that all the wedding decorations were incredibly beautiful. The wedding planner had strutted her stuff and your sister had always had an elegant taste, which made it feel like walking into your grandma’s house and afraid you’d break one of her expensive vases.
At least it was time you wanted to thank your sister for not having put you at the head table with your parents and Ben because that would have been uncomfortable. You had ended up at the table with a couple of Ben’s cousins that you knew and luckily liked. Philipp was also at the same table, which was fun for sure. He didn’t have a date, so he had flirt mode on.
“Look at him, he’s going to scare them,” Esteban scoffed as you watched Phillip flirt with Sandy.
“He isn’t leaving by himself today.”
“He isn’t” He agreed and you both let out a laugh. Both were sitting after finishing dinner and the speeches of the bride and groom, the best man, and Tiffany. You had your back against him and Esteban had his arms around you, hugging you from behind.
“Let’s dance,” He suggested, standing up and holding out his hand.
You nodded “Let’s do it”
You were prepared to suffer a couple of stomps from Esteban, but you were surprised when he was more than able to keep up with the music. Having hit the growth spurt very early, when he was a teenager, he used to have coordination problems and you remembered your stomping feet at the prom.
“Ok, you took dance classes, don’t lie.” You raised your brows.
“I did,” He nodded as they swayed to the rhythm of the music “Mainly so I don’t have to make a fool of myself at gala dinners”
“I see, now you can coordinate the legs”
“I started taking salsa classes so I could coordinate the top with the bottom.” He rolled his eyes.
You giggled as you imagined Esteban in the shirt and fringes worn by salsa dancers “Salsa? Oh, my god.”
“I swear it was very useful”
“Yeah, I bet he was.” Now he had some pretty good dancing skills. You had taken classes when you were young, one of the few things you didn’t regret that your mother had forced you to go.
Esteban opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again when they called to toss the bouquet. He simply kissed you on the forehead before turning away to walk back to the table. You reached out and took his arm.
“Wait,” you said before adjusting the knot of his tie.
“Thanks” He gave you a nod in response before returning to his seat. You stayed looking at it. Why the lonely look? Was something going on that you didn’t know about?
You had never kissed each other and yet now it was almost normal for Esteban to kiss your forehead, intertwine his fingers with yours when holding your hand or give you those looks that couples give each other over two friends. Looks like a couple would give each other. After all, you were technically a couple, weren’t you? At least they were until the wedding was over. After that, you could organize your mind and get back to normal before that week started. Before that week, you would never have thought of having stolen glances or forehead kisses as intimacy with him.
You weren’t even paying full attention to your sister; the bridesmaids were clustered almost to the front, and you paid attention when one elbowed you and sent you reeling. There was no need to go wild over a bouquet. However, the look Chloé gave you when she turned around and she saw you were the one who had taken the bouquet made you think that perhaps it would have been better if you had not directly taken part in the activity. You weren’t planning on getting married soon, but you couldn’t say anything but smile when the guests started making jokes about your marriage to Esteban coming soon. You sat next to him, stretching your legs to rest a bit.
“I’m sorry about that” You made a face. He must not have felt very comfortable having the whole world poking at him about when the two of you were getting married.
“It’s okay” He shrugged and gave you a reassuring smile.
“We are not even together and they are already planning our fake wedding” You let out a nervous laugh. Still, the idea didn’t sound as alarming to you as it should. It was almost as if the idea was natural.
“We should be,” He replied, and you stared at him. Just said...? What was happening? Did you misunderstand or had I just suggested that you...?
“What?” you gasped. Maybe you had misunderstood, and he was playing with you.
“I love you, (Y/N)” He replied without taking his eyes off you. He wasn’t faking it. Esteban was not acting. He felt that way about you and you hadn’t caught the signs.
“That’s-" You swallowed hard. You closed your eyes briefly, you could feel your heart beating so hard that it was going to come out of your chest “That’s a strong statement”
“But it’s true”
You shook your head “We shouldn’t be doing this” Especially to preserve the friendship you had for so many years.
“I love you,” He repeated “I’ve loved you for a long time”
“No, you don’t” Was it easy to confuse love with friendship? You didn’t want to believe that he had loved you for so long and that you hadn’t realized it. You couldn’t understand if you were too distracted, or he had been very good at hiding it.
“I do, I’ve loved you for a long time”
You stared at him for a few seconds before speaking again. Esteban looked like he was talking dead serious and he wasn’t kidding at all. The party around you had faded. Now you could only think that your friendship would never be the same.
“Wait, is that why you say yes to this whole thing?” The only reason he had agreed to spend that week with you in Mexico was because Esteban expected something else to happen between you? You wanted to think better of him, but at that moment, everything was spinning.
“I said yes cause you are my friend first”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” You asked, frowning.
“I was hoping I could push my feelings deep enough to get through this week.” Oh, God. Things were getting more intense by the second.
“Because right now?” If I had loved you for so long, then I could have told you sooner.
“Before you were with Ben and then when you broke up with him I didn’t want to be your second course”
“And what about our friendship?”
“I don’t know” “but it's worth being brave if everything works out in the end”
“Is that why you told my mom we were dating?”
He shook his head. “I thought maybe you could use a hand.”
“Then I saw it as an opportunity for you to see me as something more” So he wasn’t faking any of that. The kisses, the gestures, the looks. He wasn’t just helping you, he was “Did it work?”
“It did” Did you feel something for him? Yes. Were you in love? You couldn’t tell. It was too soon to know what you felt for him. If it was part of your abandonment problems and always looking for the love that you never had with your family. That had been the reason you had broken up with Ben. When you were younger, you were so desperate for someone to love you, that you had broken up with the first boy who had promised you to love and given you a little cuddle.
“I don’t expect you to stop seeing me as your friend overnight, especially with me having hidden this for so long,” He clarified “But at least I want us to give each other a chance”
You gave him a lopsided smile and leaned into him. “I have a question though,” you murmured.
“You will say”
“What happens after tonight?” And if it didn’t work? What if you were not what he had idealized in his head? And if later he decided that in the end, he didn’t love you? What was going to happen to your friendship?
Esteban smiled at you slightly “We will see, for today we have tonight”
You smiled back at him before nodding “I like that.”
He joined his lips with yours and then you felt it. That feeling of accomplishment where you realized you were probably already more into him than you thought. It was a connection you couldn’t explain. At that moment, you knew nothing was ever going to be the same again. The way only Esteban’s confession had changed things. You smiled between the kiss. You also weren’t sure you wanted to go back to what you were before that.
“May I have this dance?”
You rolled your eyes in response to his formality before taking his hand, both of you moving towards the dance floor. There was a song too slow to dance to, so you just leaned your head against his shoulder and swayed to the beat of the music.
“I’m afraid I’m not the image you’ve made of me in your head,” you murmured after a couple of minutes.
He let out a laugh. “We’ve been friends long enough that I don’t have to picture myself in my head. I know exactly who you are.”
“Perhaps you idolized me and ended up disappointing yourself.” You bit your lower lip suddenly, not so sure that you were okay with trying.
“How can you even know what’s going through my head?” You looked up to see him and you saw that he had raised brows “Stop overthinking everything” He added with a soft look “Stop with the ‘what if’” He knew perfectly well that you needed to have everything clear and organized, you didn’t get along very well with the vertigo that improvisation generated in you.
“Sorry I just-“ It gave you a bit of vertigo, not knowing what could happen to everything you had been until now or rather everything you thought you were because Esteban had bottled up his feelings for a long time, and not I wanted to be just your friend “I don’t want to lose our friendship in case-“
He placed a finger on your lips and you stopped talking “Don’t jinx it” Esteban murmured before leaning down to kiss your forehead “We’re going to be fine”
You drank. You laughed. You had fun. After you decided that you had had enough, you called the night early. You had such a good time with the one that you hadn’t even paid attention to the rest. It was as if both of them had gone out partying alone. Sometimes your soulmate didn’t have to be your lover or your crush, sometimes it was your best friend.
The kisses, the caresses, the soft touches felt more exciting than ever. The sensations that you had had the previous days when he touched you or kissed you had multiplied by a thousand.
“You can sleep under the sheets today if you want to,” you told him when they both got off the elevator.
“Let’s just leave it like that,” Esteban let out a laugh “I don’t want to fall into any temptation”
“So what if I want you to do it?” You asked, and that made him stand in his place.
“I’d tell you’ve had too much to drink”
“You know I’m not even drunk” Although maybe you should be to have that conversation with the “I’m serious Este”
“We should take it slow,” He pointed out.
“I don’t want that,” you replied, pouting slightly with your lips.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Esteban complained with a groan.
“Why?”
“It’s dangerous” It was dangerous to add sex to that cocktail of emotions that you guys were having. He was right, but you weren’t thinking rationally.
“You said we only had tonight,” You said turning to him and walking back “Let’s have tonight then” you lowered the strap of your dress slightly before winking at him. You saw a playful twinkle play in his eyes before he advanced on you.
You turned around and started running down the hall toward your room. He caught up with you halfway and grabbed you around the waist, pulling you towards him. You giggled as he scooped you up and carried you the remaining few feet to your door. You put your feet on the ground and pulled him towards you to kiss him. He lifted you back into the air and you didn’t know how he opened the door to push both of you into your room.
When Esteban separated from you to breathe, you saw he opened his mouth as if to say something and you interrupted him. “Shut up” You answered “Don’t jinx it” you added and they both let out a laugh before kissing again.
Did it feel like this to be with your best friend? So natural and so exciting at the same time. It was as if a train of emotions was going through you at that moment. You pulled him towards you by his tie and ran your hands over his shoulders to remove his suit jacket. He slid his hands down your back to unbutton your dress and, with a movement of your shoulders, you let it fall to the floor, leaving only your panties. You laughed between kisses, trying to breathe between them. You yanked his tie off and some buttons on his shirt popped off. He took you by the ass and lifted you to place you against the door. Your heart was beating at full speed. Esteban loved you. For the first time, the thought just made you smile and didn’t scare you. Your hands slid to unbutton his pants as he nibbled on your ear and his fingers slid inside your panties to play gently with your clit. You didn’t want foreplay and judging by the way he quickly got rid of your panties, neither did he.
When he spread your legs and held you against the doors before brushing the tip of his cock with your opening. The air in the room hit your pussy, feeling how your moisture wet the tip of his cock.
“What are you waiting for?” you gasped.
“I don’t know. I think I’m having fun like this,” Esteban replied, leaning over you to nibble your neck. Bastard. He was enjoying playing with you like that.
You let out an answering grunt that made him laugh before slowly penetrating you, almost making you despair at the pace he was having until he went all the way inside you and pulled out his cock, only to go deep again in just one move
“Fuck yes,” He moaned, and you responded with another moan, throwing your head back and hitting it with the door. You could feel how he would have passed inside you easily thanks to your moisture. They hadn’t even needed previous games.
After a couple of thrusts, he spread your legs wide open, holding you in that position and increasing the pace, making your walls stretch, feeling how deep he was going in that position. You didn’t know you loved him so much, but now it wasn’t a matter of wanting anymore. You needed him so badly.
You could feel how he controlled his onslaught to come with you, so when he noticed you were close to cumming, he increased the pace, causing you to let out a little yelp of surprise. He had a couple of moves up his sleeve that you hadn’t seen coming because of how tired you were. You felt your walls contract around him as a prelude to your orgasm, which made him come, and you followed him a few seconds later.
You both stayed in that position for a couple of minutes, trying to catch your breath. Esteban had his head resting on your shoulder when you spoke again.
“I don’t think I can come back to normal after this,” you gasped
“I don’t wanna come back to normal,” He replied
“Neither do I”
“Let’s make a new normal then,” He said, and you thought it was the best suggestion you had ever heard. You were going to figure it out.
#esteban ocon x reader#esteban ocon x you#esteban ocon imagine#esteban ocon one shot#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#f1 x you#f1 x oc#f1 one shot#f1 fanfic#formula one imagine#formula one one shot#formula one fanfic#formula one x reader
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Caravan OC because why not her name is Gretta she is close friends with Trevor and BoCo and her favourite pastime is assisting Bill and Ben in coming up with new ways to wind up the rest of the railway
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how do you generally design characters/choose color pallets?
whenever I try and create a good color pallet they always end up clashing and looking absolutely awful
i've tried using websites but they always end up being very bland, so i'm turning to the expert lol
the only character i've created that I actually. like. is the one that's just a black freaking tiger with rainbow glowing stripes, but that's because monochrome with color pops just always is flawless </3
Expert what expert
I'm by no means any expert, but I'm really happy you think my designs are appealing enough for you to ask me this!!
I ALWAYS try to come up with a character concept or idea for who they are before I start designing. Because of this, you see a lot of my designs turning out to be designed very strategically, with their features actually having proper functions and reasons to be there
This is why I have such a hard time with gifted designs. I don't know how to make them work without a background or concept I can really connect to properly.
For specific character designs, I usually think of and flesh out a basic idea in my head. Depending on how lucky I end up being, I can imagine every detail right off the bat. Other times, I have to put some work into it and experiment a little.
Here's an example of me working out a character design WIP right now
Development of Mr. V
Some characters just pop into my head exactly the way they are, like how Samuel did
Cogsworth too
Some of my characters come from dreams, too, and I just immediately sketch out my interpretation of the idea I'd had
Peter came from a dream about a white rabbit with a weird face killing a nuclear family's father leaving the mother and child alone with no idea what happened (it was disturbing, (there are more disturbing details,) which is why I made peter very unsettling)
Butch came from a dream that had something to do with fake peppino from pizza tower running around the It Steals maze area throwing cleavers at whoever he ran into
Dreams are a GREAT place to come up with character concepts
They give you a very solid ground before you start designing
One of my guidelines for creating characters is that they should be instantly recognizable as their own character. What are their special features? What defines them? What features would I keep if I were to draw them at the bare minimum detail? What parts of the design would make the character unrecognizable without them?
For example, Reena without her yellow.
Queen without her shadows.
You see this rule pop up a lot online, though mostly focusing on the idea of the silhouette of a character standing out from the others.
While I think it's a good option for when it comes to developing designs, I don't like worrying about it too much. I try to create the individual features of the character rather than immediately think about the silhouette.
All things considered, you're also totally allowed to break the rules to achieve something else. For example, Saleem and Minnow have identical silhouettes because I wanted them to give an uncannily similar vibe. Some characters who were derived off of others through dreams I might have had have very similar silhouettes as a nod to their origins, though have very differentiated individual features.
I look to various other artists and designers I like for feature ideas when I'm super stuck (usually when my ideas are more abstract)
for example, scrawl came from a very abstract dream and literally didn't have a face (they were just a bunch of hands and looked a little bit like a black void worm from Rainworld)
I took inspiration from Fooffle's Space AU Warren for his face, Sir Needle's sona's ears for his hair, and gave him this sweater from a random thing I found on Pinterest that I liked
Bennet (and the rest of the caravan gang) came from a dream about various different individuals riding on a wagon - Bennet specifically in the dream was Uncle Ben who runs The Urban Rescue Ranch. I ended up giving him the name Bennet in reference to this, as well as Uncle Ben's broad shoulders, muscular build and curly hair.
Queen's entire existence is inspired off of the protagonist from Bendy and the Dark Revival. As a nod to this, I gave her a partially monochrome color scheme with some accents. Queen's shadow face was inspired off of this specific fanart of Caesar from The Mandela catalogues.
(I can't find the source for the life of me sobs)
Mr. V was inspired off of Itward from Fran Bow, as well as Pastra's sona Clyde the veldigun. I gave him Itward's large hat and formal attire, and Clyde's long limbs and striped patterns. I also gave him deep halloween colors as a nod to both inspiration's aesthetics.
My biggest thing about features is there has to be a REASON why they have these features, but that's just personal preference (and there doesn't have to be a good reason, or even a reason at all every single time)
okay now for the main part of the ask (I've been stalling)
Sorry if this is disappointing, I don't have a process for picking colors that work together
It's a lot of trial and error, and some characters I've even stalled making profile pictures for because I don't know what to color them as.
to me, you can pick any color you want. It's actually very impressive to think about how many colors you could use.
I'll try to explain what I do know about the placement of colors, though. It doesn't matter what colors you use, but in my opinion, the placement of these colors is what really matters in designs.
Depending on how many colors I'm planning on giving the design, I like to split them up into parts. Primary coloration (1,) which takes up most of the design, secondary coloration (2,) which takes up less of the design but still a good amount, (Sometimes I have more, tertiary, quaternary, whatever, that take up about an equivalent ratio of the design as secondary,) and accent colors (3.)
Similar colors can also be grouped together in these sectors. For example, all the purple in this character would be primary, the greys secondary, and the oranges the accents.
For Chakra, his purples would be primary, all the bright colors of the wounds secondary, and his outstanding eyes accents.
Each sector should be different and differentiable from one another!
Divide your character up into sectors for coloration. Decide what colors go where. Sometimes it takes a bit of shuffling to find what works for you. Adding inbetween colors to branch the gaps between your selected colors can help tie things together, too.
To me, instead of WHAT colors you use, it all comes down to how you USE those colors.
Cordis is mainly dark colored, primary, with their secondary rainbow colors and their accented white features. Even with rather bright colors in their palette, they still come off as a dark gloomy character because of the placement/ratio of those colors.
Monarch has very clashing colors, though when separated and balanced out, they appear harmonious and work together.
Anyways that turned further into a rant about character design than anything else
I hope this helped :D
#answered#art#oc#tutorial#design tutorial#kind of#i guess#sorry this took so long#lol#sources to images are linked#for all the ones that arent mine#and that need sources#character#character design#long post warning
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