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#but with my luck she's moving abroad
adore-laur · 5 months
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HOME IS A FEELING
— former high school sweethearts reunite for a conversation about what went wrong 🌃
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——
"Don't turn around." 
The vague statement thrown your way sends speculations trickling through your brain. Those three words usually never mean anything good. What is it? Or who is it? Whatever the mystery, it makes you anxious based on your friend's wary expression.
"Just tell me," you say timidly, becoming tense in the diner booth with a forkful of red velvet cake halfway to your mouth. "Tell me so I don't have the urge to actually turn around." 
"Your ex," she mutters, never one to beat around the bush, much to your appreciation. "He just walked in. Don't kill me for saying this, but he looks really good." 
You kick her foot under the table and sink further into the leather seat. "Why is he here? He's supposed to be in another country." 
It's not an exaggeration or falsity. Harry is supposed to be in not only another country but also another continent entirely—the Netherlands, to be exact.
Your friend risks another glance at the front door. "Well, he's back, and it's like he never left. Look at them..." She shakes her head slowly. "Hyping him up like he's a goddamn hero." 
You assume she means the people you went to high school with. A hometown get-together with a small crowd of classmates from nearby colleges is being held at everyone's favorite local retro-style diner to celebrate the last week of summer break. It was going swell until Mr. Marine Biologist, who probably makes studying abroad his whole personality, waltzed through the door. 
You cradle your left cheek with your hand to create a shield for your face in case he happens to look over. "I'm almost done with my cake, and then we can leave." 
"Good luck," she sings. "The only booth open is the one right behind us." 
Of course. Sighing, you silently pray that Harry won't come near you. You doubt he'll try to talk to you anyway since it's been complete radio silence on both ends for over two years. You're really hoping the breakup doesn't get brought up. 
A sudden and forceful compulsion tells you to catch a quick glimpse to see how he looks, what he wears nowadays, and how he acts when you're not around. It's hard to resist. 
"He's coming this way," alerts your friend through a spoonful of vanilla ice cream. 
The universe must be listening, and you can't combat the urge anymore. Someone as beautiful as him begs to be looked at. You sure as hell didn't break up with him because he was unattractive. 
Subtly peeking to your left, you see Harry in person for the first time in what seems like forever. It's only a short window of time where you can take in his presence as he walks closer to sit with a group of people in the booth behind you. 
Black skinny jeans. Nothing has changed there. 
Chelsea boots. Since when does he wear those?        
A gray, tattered sweater, and a blue beanie. It's summer, for crying out loud.
Most surprising, however, is his hair, which now falls just a tad below his jaw. The same soft curls you would run your fingers through until he fell asleep. 
You continue picking at your dessert, your mind running a mile a minute at the sight of him. The fact that he's behind you—thankfully facing the other way—but still inches away nonetheless is nerve-wracking. If you move your head back even the tiniest bit, it'll touch his own. 
Did he notice you? Does he know his ex-girlfriend is in the same room and thinking about everything he could be thinking? Like how you never forgot about him as much as you tried to? 
He's speaking, but you can't piece together what he's saying because you're too distracted by how his voice has deepened over the years. The rasp and British drawl are still there, and the warmth and comfort of it still make your heart race.
Your friend keeps stealing glances and looking at you with apprehensive eyes that cause prickles of anxiety on your skin. "What?" you whisper.
Before she can reply, you feel something nudge the back of your neck. You strain your peripheral vision and see Harry's elbow resting on the top of your booth. 
"Oops, sorry," he says, twisting around in his seat. 
You automatically turn and look at him. It's impossible not to since he's like a human magnet for the eyes. His face is so close to you now. Have his eyes gotten greener? Why does he have such beautiful lashes? Does he have more freckles on his nose since you saw him last? 
Snap out of it! 
"It's fine," you mumble, shaking your head and quickly turning around. Your heart feels like it's in your throat. 
Finishing the rest of your dessert, you lean forward so he doesn't accidentally bump you again. Your friend raises her eyebrows at you and taps her foot against yours. 
"So, your brother is coming to visit soon?" you ask, ignoring her questioning look and attempting to make any sort of conversation to distract from Harry. 
"Yeah, tomorrow. My mom is going to weep happy tears."
"Aw. Remind me to visit her before the semester starts." 
The leather seat suddenly squeaks behind you, and your breathing goes uneven for the third time tonight. 
"You guys want anything to drink?" Harry asks his group of friends. 
They all tell him their desired orders, and shortly after, you see him walk past your booth. He heads toward the counter with long strides and hands he doesn't know what to do with. His back is turned, so you use your chance to shamelessly observe him. He looks different but familiar all the same. He has the same body, although he looks buff. Same friendly personality, although you've missed out on it lately. Same gentle presence, although it wasn't that way the night you separated. 
"Didn't you once tell me that he always ordered ginger ale at restaurants?" 
You look at your friend, processing her question. "Yes. He never mixed it with anything, either. Just drank it straight up like a freak." 
"Gross," she says with a wince. "I think he just ordered one." 
Once again, the counter is your focal point; this time, you notice the glass of creamy yellow liquid on it. You internally gag at how Harry could still drink that. Harry then walks back to his booth, skillfully carrying two glasses in each of his hands like he worked as a waiter in his past life. You don't even try to hide the fact that you're staring. 
Eventually, he catches your eye and abruptly stops in his tracks. You watch him blink a couple times before he continues to the table and sets down the drinks for everyone. 
"I'll grab some napkins," he murmurs, leaving again. 
You slide your empty plate toward the center of the table and watch him fumble while taking out napkins from the dispenser. Why is he so nervous all of a sudden? 
When he walks by for the second time, he jerks his chin up to the ceiling. You furrow your eyebrows in response. 
He nonchalantly repeats the gesture as he starts passing napkins around. You shake your head, nonverbally telling him that you have no clue what he's conveying. 
His jaw clenches before he mouths, "Come with me." 
"Absolutely not," you mouth back as you fiddle with the sugar packets. 
Harry huffs and sits in his seat. 
Everything used to be so easy with him. 
                                             —— 
                                  Two Years Ago
It was graduation day, and you were inserting a silver hoop earring in the pierced hole of your earlobe when three thumps gently rattled your bedroom door. 
"Knock knock." 
In the reflection of your vanity mirror, you grinned giddily. "Come in! It's unlocked." 
Harry opened the door with a pout on his lips. "You're supposed to say who's there." 
"Wha—" you stammered confusedly, turning around in your chair. "I hate you." 
He shuffled inside and immediately bellyflopped onto your bed. "Wow. I missed you too." 
"Just kidding," you said, flashing him a winning smile. "You left your laptop charger here, by the way. I set it on the kitchen table." 
"Thank you, baby," he mumbled into your pillow. 
"Don't fall asleep."
"Mm, c'mere." He lazily patted the space next to him. "Let's cuddle before we have to sit far away from each other for the rest of the night." 
"It'll only be for a couple of hours at most," you replied, putting in your other earring. "Don't be so dramatic."
After tidying your vanity area, you stood and slinked into bed with Harry. The lavender-colored sunset filtered through your sheer curtains and created a serene ambiance. Harry's body rolled over on top of yours, his weight providing the perfect amount of warmth and comfort. The scent of his almond oil shampoo reduced your nerves. You reached for your phone and set an alarm for fifteen minutes from now so he would have enough time to get ready, then pulled the blanket over both of your heads, not caring if the hair you spent precious time on became tousled. It would mostly be hidden under the immensely unflattering graduation cap anyway. 
Harry's clean-shaven cheek rested on your chest, and he planted a chaste kiss on your collarbone. He had always been the affectionate type. Touch was his love language, and he never failed to fulfill it with you. 
Every touch strengthened your love for him. Every touch left you longing for more. Every touch felt purposeful. 
—— 
You swear he's doing it on purpose. You know he is. 
Harry keeps leaning his head back until it faintly touches yours. Nuzzling it, if you will. That, or he'll clasp his hands behind his head and loosely twirl a strand of your hair. 
This time, he pretends to yawn and stretch his arms before tickling behind your ear. He knows goddamn well it's the place where you're the most ticklish. You pretend to have an itch and bring your hands back to slap his burning touch away, but of course, he takes the opportunity to be a pest and capture your fingers. 
You yank them away and clear your throat. "I need to go to the bathroom," you tell your friend before getting up and making a beeline straight to the back of the diner. 
When you open the door, you sigh relievedly when you find all the stalls open, and no one is lingering. You pace toward the farthest wall and rub your hands down your face. Two years without Harry, and not a single call or text, only the occasional picture you'd see of him when you caved and scrolled through his social media during particularly lonely nights. Yet tonight, he acts like you're best buds who can tease each other and initiate playful touches like you didn't end on a terrible note that made both of your hearts shatter into smithereens. Maybe this is some bizarre dream you'll wake up from and laugh about later. 
You blow out a sharp breath and wash your hands before splashing cold water onto your heated cheeks. 
"Were my hands dirty or something?" 
Your whole body flinches. Now, he's just plain annoying. How long has he been standing there? 
"Why are you in here?" you ask monotonously. 
Footsteps come closer. You keep your back turned. 
He laughs softly and says, "How've you been?" 
Such a master at avoiding questions. "That wasn't what I asked." 
"That wasn't an answer," he replies smugly. You can practically hear the satisfied smile in his voice. 
"I've been fantastic, Harry," you say, your words laced with petty sarcasm. "What about you?" 
"You sound stressed." He's right next to you now. "Is it because of your job? I heard you're an assistant teacher at the middle school." 
Your hands grip the edge of the marble sink. "Who told you that?" 
"I knew you'd be here," he says, as if it were obvious. "I had to ask people what you've been up to since you clearly weren't going to tell me yourself." 
He asked about you? No, that can't be right. Turning to face him, you let your guard down just a little. "I'm helping with the summer school program." 
Harry smiles. If you analyze it enough, it almost looks like a proud one. "That's amazing. What grade do you want to teach in the future?" 
A conversation with your ex-boyfriend about career aspirations is entirely too casual for your liking. Doesn't he have friends to catch up with? Some ginger ale to drink? 
You shrug and truthfully say, "I haven't decided yet. It's a big decision." 
He nods, crossing his arms. "You've got time." 
Silence hangs except for the drip of the faucet. 
"So... I assume you're still studying marine biology?" you ask, already knowing the answer. 
He hums an affirmation. "I'm almost done with my bachelor's degree, and then I'll be on my way to becoming one with the ocean." 
You almost let a laugh slip out. "Well, I'm sure it's beautiful in Europe. I can't imagine the view every day." 
He nonchalantly plucks a stray strand of hair off your sleeve, making your blood rush. "It is, yeah. It gets a little lonely sometimes, but it's been nice to live somewhere so different from what I was used to." 
"You don't have a roommate?"
"Nope, just me. I don't really like sharing my space." 
Only if it was with you. He's told you that before. Not that it matters now.
"I know. Don't know why I even asked." 
It's a bold statement but a tenuous breakthrough in the barrier of the inevitable and awkward breakup conversation you're dreading. 
Harry inhales and takes a step closer. "Come up to the rooftop with me. I don't want our first conversation in two years to be in the women's restroom." 
You give him an apologetic look and say, "I'm sorry, but I can't. I have to head home soon and get up early for work tomorrow." 
He toys with the bottom of your shirt. "Please." 
It's a soft whisper that echos in the empty space, a begging tone chipping away at the walls built around your heart, paired with pleading eyes so clear and tender. Harmless.
"Okay." You'll kick yourself later for giving in so easily. "Okay, fine. Let's go." You pull out your phone and send a quick text message to your friend about where you'll be. She'll understand the weight of the situation. 
Harry walks out of the bathroom, with you following behind. He takes a sharp right toward the concealed metal stairs leading to the diner's roof. He leaves some room so the two of you can walk side by side, your clothes rustling against each other in the narrow space. The rusty door opens, and you step out onto the flat concrete. 
Little squares of light shine from the city buildings far away. They cause a strange feeling to wash over you. It can only be described as a powerful wave of hometown nostalgia, even though you never left. You wonder if it's hitting Harry as well. 
He stands by the edge and leans his forearms on the railing, glancing at you with an unreadable expression. Is it reminiscence? Yearning? Regret? All could be the reason for the melancholy shift in energy. 
"What did we do wrong?" 
                                           —— 
                 Three Months After Graduation
The party turned sour out of the blue. Harry's friend hadn't just said what you think he said. It was loud, so you must have heard him wrong. Why didn't he tell you? Why did you have to find out from his drunk friend who's not even close to him? 
Harry definitely saw your face drop because he instantly pulled you into an unoccupied bedroom upstairs. You'd been arguing for the past half hour, neither one of you inebriated funny enough, but still throwing words that were more like weapons at each other—launching arrows at the heart, shooting daggers at the eyes, and slashing swords in the Achilles heel. 
Your weak spot was him, and you were his. 
You stood your ground as you spoke your closing statement with frustrated tears. "I'm never going to see you if you're abroad, so what's the difference if I just leave now and never see you again?" 
"Will that make you happy?" He was being stubborn; you were, too. "Because obviously, I don't make you happy enough for this to continue. For us to at least try." 
He did make you happy, but anger blindly leads people to say what they don't mean, especially in cases of love. 
"Obviously not." Lies, lies, lies. "It's useless when we know it'll end badly." 
Harry released a bitter laugh. "Fine. Have it your way." 
"Fine," you repeated. 
You should have fought for him, but what would have been the use if you had known it would only hurt you in the long run? 
He roughly swung the door open and then turned around one last time. "You can come pick up your stuff at my house this weekend. I won't be home." 
The door slammed shut, and reality sunk in. 
—— 
The open sign of the diner flickers below. 
"We did a lot wrong," you declare defeatedly, standing beside him. 
"True, but we were eighteen and didn't know anything about communication or how to balance adult shit." 
The conversation is heading toward a place you don't want it to go. "I really don't want to talk about our breakup, Harry. It's in the past. We've moved on." 
He shakes his head. "Why? There was no closure whatsoever. I think it'd be good to get some now that we're face-to-face." 
In the distance, you watch birds flock on the wire of a telephone pole. "Why didn't you just ignore me tonight? We've been doing fine without each other." 
He scoffs quietly and leans his body against the railing. "Really? I was homesick for months because of you. You felt like home to me, you know that. The feeling never disappeared no matter how much I pushed it down." 
You throw your arms out. "Then why didn't you call or text me? I would've replied, Harry. I'm not that cruel." 
"I thought you hated me," he says. "I wouldn't have blamed you. I just couldn't stand having you hate me, so I thought it'd be easier not to talk to you." 
It's the classic tale of a high school mindset. You think you're doing the right thing until it slaps you across the face with the hand of cluelessness. You wonder what would've happened if Harry had reached out. Maybe you could've figured it out. 
"I didn't hate you," you admit. How could anyone hate him? "I mean, I might've thought that I hated you, but if anything, I still loved you for way too many months after." 
Harry looks like he wants to say something, but you continue. "Like you said, we were young and didn't know how to balance a relationship and our lives outside of it. Two years can really mature a person, and we both needed to do that without each other." 
He nods while stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Yeah." 
The conversation stops at a dead end. There's nothing else to say since it's a mutual understanding of what went wrong. 
The breeze picks up, and you shiver before asking, "How long are you here for?" 
He clears his throat. "I'm staying with my mum, then I have a flight back to the Netherlands in a few days. I have to go back for an ecology camp." 
"That's nice," you say. A couple of days. That knowledge causes an unwanted sinking feeling to take place in your stomach. 
"Do you…" He raises his thumb to his mouth, nervously biting his fingernail. "Can we maybe talk more before I leave?" 
It's an open opportunity, but what would it lead to? What would come of it? Would it be worth the pain? 
"What's there to talk about? You're leaving soon, and then we'll never speak again." 
You've taken logical truth more seriously over the years. You've learned that holding on to false hope is dangerous for the heart and mind.
"That won't happen," he replies with a pensive gaze. "We've grown and know how to communicate now. There's so much we've missed in each other's lives that we can talk about. I don't know where you live or the places you like to go anymore, who your friends are, or what new songs you like to listen to. It kills me." 
A shaky breath escapes you. "It doesn't matter. We're not right for each other. Call me selfish, but I don't want a relationship where we barely see each other. I'm sure that's not what you want either." 
"So, that's it?" he asks, staring at the sky. "Do you not want to give this another chance?" 
You can't imagine a more complicated question to answer, but it seems you've known the answer for a while. Gently grabbing Harry's chin and tilting his face down, you say, "Right person, wrong time. It would never work with the distance, and you know that. Deep down, we both know, as much as it hurts to admit."
"What now? We're back to being strangers?" 
"Harry, I don't think we'll ever be strangers. I know too much about you." 
You're trying to lighten the mood, but Harry's sad eyes aren't helping at all. Instead, you focus on the stars twinkling brightly across the black sky and the single car driving by on the otherwise empty street. Every second that ticks by, he seems to move closer to you. 
"If this is the last time I see you," Harry says apprehensively, "can I hold you for a little while? Give me that, and I won't ask you for anything else." 
It'd be foolish to say no, wouldn't it? You need to feel him just as much. He's too significant of a person to let go of without a proper goodbye.
"You can hold me." 
And so he does for the last time. 
Harry closes the distance and embraces you like he always used to — his cheek resting on your head and his arms completely winded around you, squeezing the sides of your body. Breathing you in like he's scared of losing you. It's just you and him standing on a rooftop and holding on to any last bit you can get of each other. 
You're tucked so far into his chest that the only thing you can hear is his heart pounding. He's warm and sentimental, and the nighttime chill makes you melt into him even more. He eases you — every laugh, every tear, every moment you share with him was brought about by the ease of being around him. 
"You still feel the same." A pang ripples in your heart because of your own words, and a sob desperately tries to crawl up your throat. 
Harry nuzzles his nose into your hair. "Yeah? You still smell the same." 
You laugh, but it's choked with sadness. "What, like shitty teen store perfume?" 
"No, you smell like home. Like when I used to go to your house for sleepovers, and you'd always light those vanilla candles." 
Another pang, this time from his vulnerable confession. "I should go," you say, deterring the conversation from any more agony. 
He doesn't argue. "Yeah, me too. I never really liked those people in there anyway." 
You smile, stepping away from his arms. "I'll walk you to your car." 
He nods, and the both of you retreat down the stairs, exiting the building through the back way to avoid any distractions. After reaching the front of the diner, you find his black Jeep sitting alone in a parking space. It's nice to know he still has it, considering it's a car with good memories, like Harry driving you to school every morning and picking up coffee. Or eating fast food outside the high school after a football game. Or nights of endless kissing and professions of love before he walked you to your doorstep.
Facing him under the moonlight tonight, it's time to officially move on. 
"Bye. It was really nice to see you." A tear unexpectedly falls from your eye. Maybe it's due to the chilly temperature, but you know better. 
Harry's face crumbles. Your composure shatters. 
"Please don't cry," he pleads, biting his lip to stop it from wobbling. However, it's too late, and both of you give in to the misery and drama of it all.
"Now we're both crying."
He rubs his eyes and leans against his car door. "God, this fuckin' sucks." 
"We'll be okay," you say weakly. "It's fine. We went two years without each other. You'll forget about me soon enough, and it'll be like this never happened." 
You're only trying to convince yourself at this point. 
"I never forgot about you. You were the first person I fell in love with. How do I move on from that?" 
His choice of words isn't something you gloss over. Is he insinuating that he hasn't moved on yet? Should you tell him you haven't either? 
Logical thinking, you mentally tell yourself. Don't say something that will make it harder to leave.
"I have to go home now." But isn't home standing right in front of you? 
"Okay," Harry says. "I guess… good luck with everything. I hope teaching goes well for you." 
You kick away a pebble on the pavement. "Thanks. I hope you become one with the ocean." 
He laughs breathily, his dimples popping out for the first time tonight. He then inhales and gazes somewhere far away as his smile dies. When he looks back at you, he nods once before getting in his car. 
"Wait."
He freezes. "Yeah?"
Don't make it harder.
Leave. 
Don't hurt yourself. 
Yet the way he looks at you is enough to ignore those logical thoughts. You lean forward and kiss his cold cheek, and it's like his entire body deflates under your hesitant touch. "Thank you for making me happy during the time we had together," you say against his tear-stained skin. "I never got to tell you that."
Harry sniffles and nods, then kisses your cheek a little longer and softer.
A lasting pang. A lingering sting. A sharp twinge. 
Why? 
Because the words he whispers to you cause silent tears to fall down your face when he finally closes the door and drives away. 
You still mean so much to me. 
—— 
Opening the door to your bedroom, the silence echoes louder than usual. The small space is where memories with Harry can still be found. There's the blanket he used to lie on, the desk he would sit on to help you study, and the dresser you used to keep his shirts in to wear when you missed him. The most tragic thing is an empty photo book on the top shelf of your closet that was meant to be filled with future road trips that never got planned. Next to it are unused polaroids for dates that stopped happening. 
Piled at the bottom are a few that actually got used. A picture of Harry when the both of you went to a homecoming afterparty, and you didn't want to drink alcohol, so Harry drank orange Hi-C cartons with you to make you feel better. A picture of Harry on a floating water bouncer at the lake by your uncle's cabin when you went on summer vacation together after junior year. Your favorite picture of him is when he's turned around in the seat of the school auditorium, smiling widely. It was back in high school when nothing could separate you from him. 
The pictures remind you of a time when you were in love—not only with him but with life. They feel like home to you. 
That feeling of home seems impossible to catch now. It's like chasing a butterfly that keeps escaping from the loose grasp of your hands because you don't want to hurt it. 
Are you the hands, or are you the butterfly? 
—— 
The journal on top of Harry's suitcase mocks him. He shouldn't open it, but logical thinking has never been his strong suit. 
The first page has pressed and dried lavender taped onto it from the first date he took you on. The next has your drawings in the margin from when you would steal his journal while he studied. Yet most of the pages are filled with lovesick entries about you. 
- January 29th - 
Last night, I told her I was falling in love with her. She said no one had ever told her that before, and I couldn't believe it. How could someone not instantly fall in love from the moment she walks into a room? 
Then she told me that she loved me too. I swear I almost cried with happiness. She's the one for me. I see us being together for the long haul. 
I hope she sees the same thing. 
- June 6th - 
We graduated! We're finally done with high school!
When they called my name, my eyes went to hers first. She looked so proud of me. I wonder if I could convince her to rent an apartment with me instead of staying in different dorms. 
College will be strange, but we'll get through it together. I have no doubt we'll adapt and find time for each other. 
I always have time for her. 
- August 2nd - 
I think I'm going to tell her about the college I chose. She's not going to take it well. It's abroad, but it's the best school for marine biology. 
She wants to stay close to home, but I want to get out and travel. There's nothing hard about talking through some of our differences, right? Long-distance relationships can work if you put in the effort. We can do it. 
If this ends up biting me in the ass, you'll never hear from me again. 
Harry stopped writing in his journal after the breakup. It's almost funny, he supposes. He jinxed it in the last entry. He thought of the worst-case scenario, and it came to fruition right before him only days later. 
Blissful ignorance is what he'll call it. Two high school sweethearts who didn't know what would hit them. Foolishly in love and blinded by reality. But the thing is, it's not easy to just move on from it. Especially when he brought those damn vanilla candles from his dorm room to his mum's house so he could sleep better at night. 
So he can be reminded of home. 
It was never a place when he was with you. Home became a feeling that bloomed without warning. It took him by surprise when he found himself wanting to be around you all the time. His home was entirely, ultimately, and unconditionally you. 
Harry closes his journal and brings it with him as he heads out the door to search for a drop of that feeling in the places you used to go. 
The places he will write about until his hand aches as much as his heart. 
——
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lena-in-a-red-dress · 9 months
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Saw a video of a video of a lady on tiktok pretending to be deaf to avoid the attentions of some "admirers" while traveling abroad. It was questionable, but it does give me the idea of Lena being fluent in ASL, and using it to ignore people she doesn't want to deal with.
So, say Lena and Sam are traveling, and some dudes start pestering them for greetings/pictures/attention. Lena slips into fluent ASL, legit explaining to them that she's deaf (she is not), and Sam trying not to laugh as she's plays along and translates.
The men eventually move on, but when Lena later goes to the bathroom, she's caught on her way out by the same guys who try to press their luck again. They're drunker this time, and ignore her signing as they leer closer and closer into her personal space.
Just as Lena is about to panic and abandon the charade in favor of telling them off, she hears a call from across the bar.
"Hey!"
The next thing she knows, Lena is wrapped up in a warm hug from a person taller than her but also female, who smells so so good.
When the woman draws away, Lena catches a glimpse of a beautiful face before her rescuer turns to her would be assailants.
"Can I help you?"
Lena nearly chokes at the sound of accented English, the slightly warped, slightly too loud words those of someone who is *actually* hard of hearing.
Then men try to explain that they're friends, but before Lena can deny it, the woman cuts in with a loud "I can't hear you", signing as she goes.
Quickly losing interest in a woman who can speak-- with her voice, loudly-- the men soon drift away, giving the woman room to turn back to Lena.
"Are you okay?"
Then, before Lena can reply...
"Sorry for the hug. Looked like you needed an out."
Lena grins. "I did, thank you. But I have a confession-- I'm not actually deaf."
The woman's smile only deepens. "Well, you sign beautifully."
Lena flushes a light pink. "I have a friend waiting outside. Can we buy you a drink?"
"My sister is already at the bar-- maybe we should buy you one."
Kara turns a little sheepish then.
"Actually... can we? It's rare that I find a stranger who can sign."
Lena nervously nibbles her lip, then makes an executive decision.
"That would be lovely."
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wosounited · 11 months
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Moving in
Part 3 of:
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“It’s not like that” you said to her
“There’s no judgement here y/n” she said back to you, her hand still resting on your shoulder.
“It’s just easy with her. I’ve never been with a girl before but there’s something I feel when I’m with her” you said still looking at the ground.
Your boss nodded at you before remembering you were not looking at her so she spoke.
“I get that it’s easy with her. I went through a similar situation when I started..” she looked to the wall as your head shot up looking towards her with your usual confused look on your face.
“With who?” You asked before stopping yourself. “Wait, no sorry. You do not need to answer that” you said again.
“No it’s okay” she said smiling squeezing your shoulder before finally removing it.
“He was an athlete the company sponsored and we got pretty intense” she said breathing loudly through her nose.
“Intense as in?” You pushed your luck.
“Intense as in, we were together for 3 years. He moved abroad and that was that” she said wiping a tear from her eye.
You stood up and wrapped your arms around her. As she laughed through the tears in your embrace. “Sorry y/n it’s so early in the morning to be crying” she said hugging you back.
You felt a buzz from your phone in your back pocket but left it alone. She needed you more right now.
“I just don’t want you getting hurt” she said pulling away to face you.
“I just don’t want you getting hurt” Ella said to Alessia who was staring at her phone in the changing room. She has just sent you a text.
Alessia
Sorry I missed your call. I’ll call you back when I’m done training x
“Less are you even listening?” She added.
“Yeah Tooney I know but y/n isn’t like that” she said smiling.
“You’ve known her for 2..” Ella began but was interrupted as her team mates crashed through the doors.
“Tooney is early? What the fuck!” Mary shouted as she shoved her stuff sitting down beside her, earning a punch to the arm from Ella.
Katie sat beside Alessia with Millie on the other side of Ella.
“I met your partner yesterday Ale she’s really lovely” Katie said smiling putting her boots on.
Before Alessia could say anything, Millie chimed in.
“Less man sorry for saying she was fit. Had I known she was your girlfriend I would have kept quiet. Just saved her for my dreams” Millie laughed as Mary and Ella laughed too.
“She’s not my partner Katie but yeah, she is lovely” Alessia said ignoring Millie’s comments.
Alessia got up and headed to the pitch. Ella and co still fixing their boots.
“So she’s single?” Millie asked earning an elbow to the ribs from Ella.
The girls headed out to the pitch and had a sweaty training session. They had Everton on the weekend and spirits were high. They were on a pretty good streak, Conti cup aside, and Alessia was on good form.
They finished the session with an 11 v 11 game. With most of the starting x11 facing the subs. As Alessia was lacking a bit of match fitness, Marc placed her on the subs x11 as she wouldn’t be starting against Everton. The game was going smooth until Alessia broke free in the box and Millie put in a challenge, Alessia saw the challenge coming and jumped over Millie’s legs and stuck it passed Mary in goal.
“Dream about that” Alessia mumbled walking by Millie.
“What was that?” Millie said pushing her on the shoulder.
“Lads cool it” Katie shouted from the half way line.
“If you plan on playing like that this weekend maybe we should just pack it in now” Alessia said getting up in her face.
Mary stepped between them and pulled Millie away, while Katie grabbed Alessia from underneath her arms and pulled her away.
“Alessia, what the fuck is going on?” Katie said.
Marc looked unimpressed but left Katie to cool her off as he called the rest of the team in.
“Nothing Katie. I’m fine” Alessia said grabbing the ball and walking back to put it down for tip off.
“Is it about y/n?” She asked sympathetically.
“No it’s about Millie being a..” Alessia said before she was interrupted
“Less” Katie said.
She could see the tears forming in Alessia’s eyes as she rolled her two hands in the air indicating to Marc to sub her off.
They walked to the side and back into the changing room. Marc pulled Katie back and said “5 mins Katie and then back to the pitch. She can finish off for the day but we need you” he said looking out on the field.
“No prob skip” she said walking to catch up with Alessia.
She sat down and Alessia paced up and down. Finally the silence was broken when Katie said “speak to me”.
What a can of worms Katie had opened. Alessia spoke and spoke. Y/n must have been every second or third word that left her lips.
“Okay Jesus slow down” Katie finally said when Alessia took a breath.
“Sorry” Alessia said sinking to the floor.
“So do you like her?” Katie asked.
“I do, but I feel stupid. I’ve known her for two days Katie.” Alessia said burying her head in her knees.
“And? Nobody is asking you to marry her today” she laughed “except for maybe Tooney” she added.
Alessia laughed as her head turned to look at Katie.
“From what I could tell at the meeting she seems like she is a really genuine person” Katie said to Alessia walking over to her and sitting beside her on the floor.
“She is” Alessia said.
“Then what’re you crying for Less? Fuck Millie slagging you off. You’ve got the girl, she doesn’t” she said.
Alessia nodded coming to the realisation that it was her you paid attention too. You didn’t even look at Millie the day you saw her in the corridor. Your eyes never broke from Alessia’s.
“I’ve got to go back out but maybe finish up for the day. Take a shower and head home. Captains orders” she said standing shaking her shorts and offering Alessia her hand. Alessia did that. She left training a few minutes early and sat in her car. You hadn’t texted her back yet. She thought maybe the viral tiktok had made you panic as it was now up to 500k views.
Her and Katie’s conversation ran around in her mind as she gripped her steering wheel hard. She banged on some tunes in the car and started the engine. Typing your office address into google maps and speeding off.
You were finishing up the last of your paperwork before starting your new job tomorrow. You had your plan for the day. Finish the paperwork, pack your shit and move it to your new office. But you were getting hungry. You finished off the last of your paperwork and stopped into your bosses office who had her headset on pointing to it and mouthing “meeting” rolling her eyes to heaven.
“Lunch?” You mouthed back
She shook her head and mimicked pulling her hair. You laughed and waved as you headed for lunch.
You went back to grab your wallet and started walking towards the lift when at reception you heard a familiar voice.
“Hi how can I help you today?” The receptionist asked.
“Hi um would you happen to know what office y/n y/l/n is in?” Alessia asked.
“One moment” she said pressing her phone but getting voicemail straight away as you were currently walking towards them.
“Apologies she seems to be out of office at the moment, may I take a… ah y/n” she said.
Alessia turned to see you walking down the corridor.
“Ms y/l/n you have a visitor” she said pointing at Alessia.
“Thank you” you said. You were now standing beside Alessia.
“Hi” she said.
“Hey Lessi” you said back. You thought about kissing her cheek before remembering you were at work with the lady on reception currently staring at you both.
“I’m really sorry for just showing up. I just wondered if you were free for lunch? If not I can wait? Or I can just go home? I just had a really shitty..” she rambled.
“I’m free now” you said placing your hand over hers. You led her out to the car park, waving goodbye to the lady on reception. As you got in the lift you turned to Alessia and said “we are taking my car though because it’s so fucking sexy”. Alessia laughed properly for the first time today.
You took her to your favourite place to get lunch. It was mostly people working in the business sector that lunched there so you knew no sneaky TikTok’s would be filmed of your date. Date? Meal? Lunch? Meeting? You go back to concentrating on the menu.
You ordered your usual and quickly tapped your card for you and Alessia’s food as she was rummaging through her pocket to grab her wallet. She huffed when she saw you got there first.
“You didn’t need to pay y/n” she said
“Don’t worry I’m expecting a big pay cheque next week” you said nudging her with a smirk on your face.
You sat opposite her in a booth in the back and ate your lunch.
“You said you had a shitty?…” you gestured at her to carry on.
“Oh yeah no nevermind” she said looking down at her plate which was now empty.
“No Less talk to me” you said placing your hand over hers.
“Just a bad training session. The girls just saw the tiktok and were winding me up”. She said still not making eye contact.
You nodded sympathetically as what you experienced this morning with your boss was awkward as hell.
“I’m really sorry about that shit going online” Alessia started.
“No Less, don’t apologise” you said squeezing her hand causing her to finally look at you. “I’m not really bothered by it” you added.
“So y/n what is going on?” Alessia said hoping you’d pick up that she was getting to the topic of labelling what the two of you were.
“Well I’m starting my new role tomorrow so when I go back to the office I’m gonna be moving into my new space” you said smiling. Alessia didn’t look too happy though. She shook her head.
“I meant with us.” She said looking down again.
“Oh” you said looking down too. The conversation fell still and silent for a few seconds before a waiter came to clear the table.
“You still haven’t made a plan for tonight” you said pushing her hand.
“Well I did lunch so we’re back to you” she said nudging you back.
“Would you maybe be able to help me move to my new office?” You asked quietly.
“Is this your idea of a date?” She laughed.
“No no. Help me move in and then we can have dinner at my place?” You said to her smiling.
“Okay sounds like a plan. And hey” she said making eye contact with you before starting to speak again.
“I haven’t been able to find a particular jersey or shorts since the other night so I’m presuming if I stay I’ll have spare clothes to wear to bed” she nudged you again.
“I told you, you’re never getting them back” you said back to her shooting her a wink.
You looked at your watch and made a nod with your head towards the door. You drive Alessia back to your office and the two of you spend the next 3 hours moving things in. Well you sat there for most of it and Alessia did all the heavy lifting.
When the last box was unpacked and your office had gotten a full redecoration Alessia slumped in your chair kicking her feet up on the desk.
“Excuse me Ms Russo get your feet off my desk” you said shoving them off and sitting where her feet where only seconds ago as she laughed.
“Thank you so much for helping me” you said cupping her cheek and holding her there for a minute.
“It’s no problem. You can cook dinner to say thank you” she said rubbing your thigh.
“Or order dinner to say thank you” you said admitting that you weren’t the best cook.
Your hand still holding her cheek, both of you making firm eye contact until your eyes wandered to her lips. You’d forgotten for a moment that you were in work and everything your boss had said this morning about maybe keeping Alessia at an arms length. But how could you? You were so far fallen after 3 days you didn’t know how you could ever keep her away.
You can’t remember when but Alessia started leaning in when a rattle came from the door. You both immediately pulled away and turned to face your boss standing at the door.
“Hey y/n the place looks great” she said stepping in. Alessia poked her head out from behind you.
“She had a lot of help to make it look this good” Alessia said confidently.
“I’m sure she did Russo” your boss said making her way towards the desk.
You sat awkwardly on the desk arms folded not making eye contact with either women. Your boss and Alessia got chatting as you excused yourself to go to the bathroom. When you’d gotten back, you stumbled across a conversation you don’t think you were meant to hear and you stood behind the door to listen.
“Listen Alessia, Y/n was upset this morning about the tiktok” she said.
“I get that. It’s been getting worse as of late” Alessia said.
“What’s going on between you both?” Your boss said nudging her.
“We’ve just been going out since we met the other day. I do think I really like her though” Alessia said melting in the chair.
“I think she likes you too. We spoke this morning and she…” you decided to interrupt because you were not letting your boss reveal anything further.
“Ready to go Alessia?” You said standing at the door.
“Coming” she said standing up quickly. “Nice seeing you again” she said to your boss before leaving the office.
You watched her walk on and shot your boss a look.
“Y/n” she said but you didn’t respond.
“I don’t know how much you heard but please” she started.
“Please what?” You snapped back.
“Please forget my advice. She is crazy about you” she said.
You looked back at Alessia who was looking at the Manchester United team picture on the wall.
“Not like I was listening anyway” you said back to her before waving her a goodbye and sharing a laugh.
You caught up with Alessia and almost had to pull her away from the Manchester United stuff on the wall. You took her by the hand and went in the lift.
“What’s for dinner?” She said hitting the button.
“Whatever you want” you said back.
You drove back separately to the house but you managed to get there before Alessia. You got inside and slumped on the couch turning on the TV. You felt yourself nodding off after a few minutes when the front door opened and startled you.
Alessia was walking through the door with a pizza in hand and putting it infront of you both.
“You stopped for Pizza? We could have ordered it?” You said to the girl who had taken the remote and was putting on a football match.
“It’s fine there’s a nice place on the way here. Please tell me you like pizza? Just you did say Italian was your favourite” she said starting to get anxious.
“Less relax I like pizza” you said holding her arm and laughing.
You went to the kitchen and grabbed some wine and the two of you sat in comfortable silence watching the football match.
“Offside!” You shouted as a player ran offside and the referee blew his whistle.
“You remembered” Alessia said looking at you like you’d just discovered a scientific breakthrough.
“I had a good teacher” you said cupping her face again.
“Y/n I don’t know why but this feels so natural. I know it might sound stupid because we only met like 3 days ago but I..” she stopped herself.
“I really like you Alessia” you said finally.
“I like you too y/n” she said pulling you closer.
The two of you look at eachother and fall into each others lips. The kids was soft but passionate and one both of you had longed for since meeting. You pulled away from her and looked at her again.
“So what is this?” Alessia said
“I guess we could call it dating?” You suggested.
“Dating sounds good to me” she said placing a kiss on your forehead.
You fell asleep against her as she continued to watch the game. She decided in this moment there was no better person to piss off than Millie. She took out her phone and took a photo and posted it on insta
Alessiarusso99
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ghostofhyuck · 1 month
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Taguan ng Anak series 6
Ex-lovers! Chenle and reader
Summary: Going home after studying abroad, Chenle wonders how are you and how well are you coping with the breakup because Chenle is surely not taking it up well.
But to his surprise, you seemed to be coping well especially when he found you playing in the park with a kid that resembles him so much.
cw: mentions of pregnancy.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
You were the first thing he wanted to see.
The moment the plane landed, Chenle just wanted to remove the seatbelt, jump off the plane and run all the way to your place just to give you the biggest hug ever.
Which is something that he can’t actually do because you two are no longer a couple and it was him who broke up with you.
Maybe a better thing to do was stop by a flower shop, buy a huge bouquet of pink roses, knock on the door of your house, kneel and ask for forgiveness. Chenle can do that. It’s much better than just coming through your life again after breaking your heart.
But he couldn’t help but feel guilty at the same time. You were loving, supportive, and understanding. You were the best girlfriend he ever had, so it hurts that rather than having remorse for him, you gave him your sweetest smile and hugged him one last time when Chenle decided to break up with you. Eventually, it was Chenle who cried to sleep that night. He hates that he has to call things off with you just because he has to study abroad.
Chenle has no choice. This is for his future and it was a huge opportunity, it’ll be a waste if not only he rejected it but if he doesn’t do well in his studies. And it’s not like you’re a distraction but Chenle doesn’t want to let you down if he ever becomes busy.
He explained it clearly to you, and that his intentions of breaking up with you were just shallow, and you were understanding enough to accept it. Wishing him good luck in his study and that you’ll support him no matter what.
“If ever,” Chenle nervously said. “If ever I return, is it okay if I pursue you again?”
You only smile, “Let’s see about that Chenle, you’re not the only one who wants to excel too.”
Right. Chenle’s not even sure if you’re there. From what he heard, you moved to Seoul because you got accepted to have a masters in a well-known university. He doesn’t have the courage to ask your friends about you, afraid that they might get the wrong idea.
As Chenle entered the arrival area, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. The air was cool and summer was near. It was the perfect season for him to go home. Chenle tucks his luggage closer when he hears screaming.
“Welcome back!” his friends greeted. Chenle couldn’t help but approach them, letting go of his luggage and hugging them one by one.
“Look at you! Still the same as ever!” Jeno shouts, ruffling his hair.
“Auntie and uncle are preparing your favourite meals, Jisung stayed behind and offered to help,” Renjun explained.
“We all know that he just wants to take a bite while no one’s looking,” Chenle commented, making everyone laugh.
“Should we get going now? Auntie said to bring you home as soon as possible,” Mark said, swinging the keys of the car.
“Of course!”
“Let’s go!”
“Everyone’s waiting for you!”
Chenle stops. Making them stop too.
“What’s wrong Chenle?” Jaemin asked.
“Everyone?” Chenle repeats.
His friends looked at each other, confused. Chenle wanted to bring up you but then again, he remembered that he doesn’t have the right to.
“She’s here Chenle,” Mark answered. “She went home a few weeks ago, said that it was her semester break.”
“We did invite her to your homecoming but she said she’ll think about it,” Donghyuck added.
“No, it's fine!” Chenle shrugs, cringing internally at how fake he sounds. “I mean, I broke up with her, it’ll be weird that she’ll show up to my house.”
His friends shared weird glances with each other. Chenle knows he’s being judged by his friends but he couldn’t care less about it.
“Come on now guys, I know you guys are hungry too,” Chenle said in defeat. His friends in the end, just brushed off what Chenle said earlier.
When they arrived at Chenle’s place, it’s already crowded with people. Their neighbours are waiting for his homecoming. The moment Chenle entered the house, strangers hugged him and welcomed him, asking him how his study was and whether he’ll go back again or not. Not even minding his jet lag, Chenle greets the people with ease, answering their questions and entertaining them as much as possible.
But Chenle couldn’t help but think of you. Sometimes he would look at the entrance of their house, waiting for you to come or perhaps pass by. And yet, a part of him knows that the possibility of you coming here and welcoming him would be small. You two are ex-lovers, Chenle should take note of that one.
“Ma! I’ll go out for a moment!” Chenle said, grabbing his jacket that’s laying on the couch.
And there’s that part of him where he knows that the two of you ended up without any resentment. You weren’t angry when he broke up with you, so why would you not be bitter enough to join the party? Maybe you’re too shy to go, or maybe you’re too busy. His friends did mention that you’re just there for a semester break.
“What!? Where are you going!” Chenle’s mother asked, her voice hovering over the guests.
“Just outside!” Chenle answered and before his mother could rebut, Chenle had left the place.
“Don’t worry auntie, we all know why he went out,” Renjun assures, taping the woman from the shoulders.
“That kid, it’s not like he’s going straight to her house right?”
Renjun could only shrug as an answer.
Your house was about ten blocks away from Chenle’s house. It’s a bit farther but Chenle didn’t mind if it meant seeing you again.
“Cairo! Cairo, come here!” But it seems like Chenle doesn’t need to go to your house when you seem to be closer than he thought.
Just across the streets, the residential park resides. It’s small but enough for a kid’s playground to be placed. There’s a bunch of benches beside and trees enough to give shade. It’s still the same as ever; you’re still the same as ever.
As Chenle approaches you, he couldn’t help but be mesmerised at how long it has been ever since he saw you. You changed a bit but it’s still you, he remembers how bright your smile was and your laugh — it’s still music to his ears.
But he couldn’t help but notice that you’re not alone. You’re with someone — a kid who resembles him so much. Chenle felt like he was seeing things but no matter how many times he tried to squint, the kid just resembled him so much.
“Chenle?” and if it wasn’t for you noticing him then maybe he’ll be frozen there the whole day.
“Hey…” Chenle clears his throat, not knowing what to say.
“You’re back — I mean, I was informed but oh my god! You’re back!” you said with glee. It’s been a long time since you saw Chenle, you were surprised that he’s here since you were told that there will be a welcoming party.
“Can I ask you a question first,” Chenle asked instead, caughting you off-guard. “Who’s that kid?”
Chenle saw how your smile faded away. For a second, you glanced at your son before shifting your glance at Chenle. They do resemble a lot.
“Is he…mine?” Chenle asked.
You could only nod.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Chenle, you know why I didn’t tell you,” and for the first time, Chenle hears a tone of bitterness from your voice.
Truth to be told, it was you who asked if the two of you could talk. You wanted to inform him about your pregnancy before he leaves to study. At first, you were scared when you found out that you’re pregnant. You two have always been careful. But you did remember that time where you had unprotected sex — you remember wanting to be more close and intimate with him. Savouring every moment with him because in a few months, he’ll be leaving.
It’s not like you wanted to tie him to you, but you don’t want to hide it from it. But when you two talked, Chenle broke up with you first.
It didn’t surprise you either. Weeks before his flight, Chenle was agitated, as if something was troubling him. He couldn’t even look at you without feeling guilty. It had you troubled too, but sooner or later, you found your answer.
You weren’t able to tell him the truth, instead you understand why he called things off and shrugged it off like the fool you are. You didn’t resent him for what he did to you, and you know that maybe having a baby would be too early for the two of you.
But Cairo became a sweet bundle of joy to you. Your parents were angry at you first but they were left with no choice but to help you in raising Cairo. They’ve grown to love Cairo and became the best grandparents for him.
“So when you asked me if we could talk, you were about to tell me that you were pregnant?” Chenle asked, shocked.
“Yeah, but you went ahead and broke up with me,” you replied.
“I’m sorry, I…I didn’t know, when I asked you about what you wanted to say, you shrugged it off, telling me it’s not important,” Chenle explained.
“Well, it’s not really important,” you laughed.
“Hey! Don’t say things like that! Of course it was! I should’ve asked you about it, but I was just too scared,” Chenle could only look away, guilty. “I hurt you too.”
“No, I understand why you broke up with me Chenle,” you smiled. “It was my choice to keep Cairo too, it didn’t matter to me if he grew up with just me as his parents.”
“Well it matters to me!” Chenle shouts, surprising you.
“Remember when I asked you if I ever return, can I pursue you again, well I’m here to do it,”
“Chenle…”
“Seriously, I know that you said that we’ll see about it but I know that you didn’t say no, so I’m here to pursue not only but also Cairo.”
“Are you serious?”
“When was I not serious to you?” he grabs both your hands and smiles at you.
“And if I don’t want to?” you asked.
“Then I’ll just try harder until you give in eventually.” Chenle promises.
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bcacstuff · 5 days
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Tonight on the Dutch tv, the program RTL4 Boulevard broadcasted an interview with Lotte Verbeek about her career in LA and roles she played and her latest success landing a role in the movie that's recently filming in Hungary.
She plays the wife of Russel Crowe's character (Goering) and next to Rami Malek amongst many other known names.
This article was posted in January on Deadline:
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'The interview is in Dutch, Lotte tells, she always happy with everything, she knows the many times you don't get a role you audition for, it's also a having a bit of luck, and I was lucky this time. I did auditioned for the role in Nuremberg in October, just on my phone at home. Initially I didn't hear anything back, but 2 months later on the director wanted to talk to me and 2 weeks later on I landed the role. I play the wife of Russel Crowe'The interview is in Dutch, Lotte tells, she always happy with everything, she knows the many times you don't get a role you audition for, it's also a having a bit of luck, and I was lucky this time. I did auditioned for the role in Nuremberg in October, just on my phone at home. Initially I didn't hear anything back, but 2 months later on the director wanted to talk to me and 2 weeks later on I landed the role. I play the wife of Russel Crowe's character, and that's fantastic, it's not just a huge name but an actor I admire much. Together with Rami Malek who's also playing a leading role. So when I talked with the director, I thought for a minute, why would you need me?
She doesn't believe her name is much known in the Netherlands, and that's okay. I went abroad straight after my study and build my career there, but who knows this might change. [Well, Lotte, your Dutch OL fans do very well know who you are! 😉] She likes to be in the Netherlands though, down to earth, in LA convo's are mostly about when is your next audition, with who do you work, it's always work. But I think there's more to life.
The pannel talks about her career and how she works hard to get into a role, amongst her success OL is named and how she learned a Scottish accent for that role. Expectations are high for her. Filming has already started, Lotte will start filming in April.
Thanks to @kaatje62 for recording or the item 🧡
Very good career move! I think we need to change the text in the below gif to Lotte, Lotte, Lotte!
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hockeylovee12 · 10 months
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My Captains Sister-Adam Fantilli
Chapter One
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Summary: After returning from a study abroad Lucy Moyle develops a crush on one of her brother’s teammates.
Lucy Moyle had just returned to Michigan after spending the first half of her sophomore year abroad and could not be more excited.
She loved her experience and wouldn’t trade it for the world but she also missed her family including her older brother Nolan Moyle who is currently captain of the University of Michigan hockey team.
She came home mid December and spent the last few weeks with her family but with the second semester starting up it was time for her and Nolan to return to Michigan.
Her parents flew out with the two of them a few days before the start of the new year to help her move all of her stuff into Nolan’s house where she would spend the rest of her year living at and a few days later she was all set and her parents flew back home.
Nolan and her are pretty close and he too couldn’t be more thrilled to have his baby sister back in town and living with him.
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Lucy had just finished her last class of the day and begins walking back to Nolan’s house. It was about a 20 minute walk but she made it and notices a few cars outside.
She ignores it and walks inside to see a few guys sitting on the couch with Nolan watching TV she recognizes a few of them as Nolan’s teammates from last year but some are new faces.
“Hey Luce these are just some guys from the team” Nolan says when he realizes she’s come into the house.
“You know Keato and Ethan and Mark these are a few of of the freshman that’s Adam and Luca Fantilli and Gavin Brindley and that’s Rutger McGroarty” Nolan introduces while pointing out the freshman.
“Guys this is my little sister Lucy” Nolan says there’s a few hi’s and nice to meet you but nothing else
“Hey we’re just finishing up a game then we’re gonna walk to the sports bar and grab some dinner wanna join?” Nolan offers
“No thanks I got so much homework and I should probably work on it” Lucy says
“ok good luck on it” Nolan says as Lucy starts walking to her room and shuts the door.
Nolan takes a seat back on the couch next to Keato and Gavin.
“I didn’t know you had a sister” the oldest Fantilli chirps
“ya she just got back she was studying abroad last semester” Nolan says he gets a few nods and then looks over at a few of the freshman who are sitting on the opposite couch “but she’s off limits so don’t even think about it” Nolan adds in a more serious tone.
A few of the freshman nod and put their hands up saying they got it and Nolan accepts it and the group goes back to enjoying the game.
Near the end of the game Adam gets up to refill his glass of water in the kitchen and finds Lucy as she’s filling up her water bottle.
“Hey Adam right” Lucy says
“Ya that’s me” Adam responds
“Nolan told me you played on the world Junior team for Canada you got the gold right?” Lucy asks
“ya ya I did it was an amazing experience” Adam smiles
“that’s seriously awesome!”
“Ya and I heard you just got back from study abroad how was that experience?” Adam asks
“it was amazing we went to like 7 or 8 countries around Europe it was fantastic”
“what was your favorite place?”
“my favorite was probably Italy I loved the culture and scenery”
“Really cool I have family in Italy and we went to visit for the first time this summer” Adam tells Lucy.
The two continue in a conversation about Italy for around 5 minutes before Keato walks in
“Adam the game just ended you ready?” He asks
“Ya all set” He says
“it was nice talking to you” Adam tells Lucy then tosses his plastic cup away and walks over to Keato.
“Don’t get any ideas Nolan is really protective about his sister” Keato warns
“We were just talking about studying abroad” Adam says
“alright I’m just telling you” Keato says before they reach the rest of their group at the front door.
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The following weekend the Wolverines hockey team had a two game home stand against the Wisconsin Badgers which they won by 3 on Friday.
Lucy went to the game on Saturday night with a couple of her friends and after the wolverines won 7-2 her friends asked if she wanted to go to a party with them.
Lucy although not usually the party type agreed and headed back to their place.
She was already wearing a pair of black ripped jeans and borrowed and blue top from her friends before the headed out.
She sent a text to Nolan letting her know where she was going to and he responded with be careful. She rolled her eyes at his protectiveness and entered the party.
Her friends got her a truly and they all made their way to the dance floor. After about 20 something minutes Lucy had finished her first can and gotten another fruity flavored truly.
Half way through her second Lucy had started to feel the buzz kicking in and felt a little nauseous.
“Hey I’m gonna be right back” she told her equally drunk friends as she stepped off the dance floor.
She made her way closer to the drink table and steadied herself with the wall.
“Lucy you ok?” A voice asks her from behind she turns around and sees the youngest Fantilli standing their with a red solo cup in his hand. “Adam” She says
“hey” she continues
“are you ok?” He repeats
“ya ya I’m I’m great!”She tells him taking another sip of her drink
“are you here with somebody?” Adam asks
“ya ya my friends are right on the dance floor” Lucy says pointing to the crowd of people
“alright just be safe tonight ok” Adam tells her she nods her head and watches as he walks away in the opposite direction of her.
Lucy shakes her head at the feeling of awkwardness that conversation gave her and takes another sip of her drink before heading back to the dance floor to find her friends.
The group of girls continue dancing and soon Lucy finished her second drink and had another one in her hand. A few sips in she starts to feel dizzy and before she can process what’s happening she’s being carried out of the party and is sitting outside the house on the sidewalk.
“Hey here’s a water” Someone says
“thanks” a second voice says
“should we call Nolan?” The first one asks
“ya ya we should I’ll stay with her” she hears footsteps retreating as her head tries making sense of what’s happening
“Lucy hey it’s Adam you need to drink some water” the second voice says her vision starts to clear and she sees him sitting next to her holding her up with an open water bottle in his hand. 
Lucy reaches out with her cheeks red and gently takes the bottle from his hand brushing up against his hand. Lucy takes a few sips of the cold water and shivers.
“Here take my jacket” Adam says taking off the black jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders.
Lucy starts to feel this tingling sensation inside of her stomach and something comes over her as she looks up at Adam and wraps her arms around him then plants her lips on him. It takes a second for the shock to set in but he kisses her back. Soon the world goes silent and the two of them sit there kissing.
“What the fuck!” A voice shouts the two break out of the kiss immediately and see a not so pleased Nolan who starts getting out of the white vehicle he pulled up in.
Adam immediately takes in the situation while it takes Lucy a few extra seconds to realize what exactly just occurred. “Nolan I I didn’t it’s not not what you think she she kissed me and it just happened I promise” Adam defends himself to his extremely pissed off captain while starting to get up.
Luca Fantilli who had called Nolan in the first place gets a good view of the situation from afar and starts rushing over to cool it down but doesn’t make it in time to prevent Nolan from sucker punching Adam in the jaw and then proceeding to rip the jacket off of his younger sisters shoulders and throwing it towards his bleeding teammate.
Luca checks on Adam as he sees Nolan practically drag his younger sister to the passenger seat of his white car and then drive off leaving the two brothers on the sidewalk.
When the pair of siblings arrive back at their shared home. Nolan practically carries a still drunk Lucy to her room and tucks her into bed before angrily shutting the lights and slamming the door.
———————————————————————
Meanwhile the Fantilli brothers had taken an Uber back to their shared dorm and the oldest Luca had some words to say about his brothers taste in make out partners.
“Dude” is the first thing to come out of Luca’s mouth when they step into their room.
“Don’t dude me” Adam says with a scoff
“You don’t go after someone’s sister come on man everyone knows this” Luca continues
“You literally dated Rutgers sister and she kissed me!” Adam yells
“That’s different Rutger literally set us up and Nolan explicitly said his sister is off limits! And you go and kiss her!”
“So I should’ve left her drunk on the side of the road called Nolan and been like hey your sisters drunk come get her and gone back to the party right” Adam says sarcastically
“No but you still totally fucked up like what we’re you thinking?” Luca raises his voice a little
“Right now I’m thinking I really wishing I was drunker because anything would be better than having this conversation with you!” Adam yells grabbing his keys off of his desk and walking out of the room.
———————————————————————
The next morning Lucy Moyle wakes up with a massive headache and no memory of the night before then proceeds to roll out of bed still in her clothes from last night.
She walks out of her room to see her brother who’s doing homework in the kitchen.
“Good morning” She says forgetting the events that occurred last night
“it’s noon” Nolan harshly replies
“geez what’s got you in a mood” she comments
“do you not remember what happened last night?” Nolan says in a louder tone
“no not really but I do have a headache so can you keep your voice down” She says walking to the medicine cabinet to grab two Advil
“how about I refresh your memory you got drunk at a frat party and Adam and Luca took you outside, Luca called me to pick you up and when I get there you’re making out with Adam!” Nolan yells Lucy’s face pales and her eyes open wide
“No I didn’t” Lucy asks appalled by the news of her drunken actions
“oh my god I have to apologize” Lucy says and starts rushing to her room only to be pulled back into the kitchen by Nolan
“Absolutely not!” Nolan raises his voice still with a firm but not painful grip on Lucy’s arm Lucy winces at the harsh tone
“Nol it wasn’t his fault! It was mine please I need to apologize” Lucy defends
“No you are not to see or speak to Adam again!” Nolan says Lucy rolls her eyes
“I mean it Lucy! You better stay the hell away from Adam!” Nolan says before walking towards his room and slamming his door.
A/N All images are from Pinterest
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boxboxlewis · 1 year
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Something warm and comforting with maxiel?
Five career options Daniel considered and turned down after leaving F1, and one he didn't.
Adult entertainer
“My decanter sold out, right,” Daniel says. He’s sprawled on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling, high out of his mind: one of the few consolations of being out of F1. The vape is hot in his hand and he doesn’t want to get any higher right now, so he should probably just turn it off; it’s top-of-the-line, Blake’s baby, and he’ll be upset if it overheats and fries itself. But Daniel is so comfortable he doesn’t want to move, body heavy and syrupy, perfectly in tune with the sofa cushions.
“Yeah, mate. Well done on that,” Blake says loyally. “What, you want me to approach the vineyard about doing another partnership?”
“Nah,” Daniel says, “I was thinking more like. What if I did one of those things where I make a cast of my dick, and we could sell, like, branded DR3 dildos, but in the shape of my actual cock.”
There’s a pause, long enough that Daniel finally rolls his head so he can see Blake, who’s staring at him with an expression of ferocious concentration. “Mate,” Blake says, “you’re too high. Give me the vape.”
“I just think—people would love it,” Daniel protests. “I’ve got a nice dick. I mean, I’m pretty sure. Max—people have said. Five out of five stars on ratemydick.com.”
“Ohhh-kay, yeah. Yep. Give me the vape, Mr Adult Entertainer.” Blake wrests it from Daniel’s unresisting hand.
2. Crypto spokesmodel (again)
“...and that’s why we think you’d be the perfect brand ambassador for Gainz Crypto Exchange,” the smiling American guy finishes.
Daniel’s leg is jiggling underneath the board table. “Yeah,” he says, “thanks, but—”
Blake interrupts. “Do we want to like, talk this over privately before we make a decision?”
Daniel loves Blake, but man that “we” grates at him. He smiles, to paper over an awkward moment, and says, “Nah, I think we’re good.” He turns back to the American guy. “Look, I’ve done more some reading about crypto”—he’s watched a couple of Youtube videos and listened to half a podcast episode; close enough—“and it’s really not where I want to put my focus right now.” Because it’s a massive Ponzi scheme preying on unsophisticated investors, he doesn’t add. “Thanks, though. Good luck with the Gainz.”
3. Yoga teacher
“Breathe in, and create awareness to your chest,” the instructor says. She’s pretty cute. Very relaxing voice, too. Daniel breathes in, and thinks about his chest, as instructed: it’s definitely there. Chesting. Doing whatever chests do. Digesting air and shit. “As we reach for the heavens, imagine pure energy flowing down from the sky into your body.” Daniel obediently imagines a waterfall of Red Bull pouring onto his head, and he’s not an expert, obviously, but he’s pretty sure he could come up with some better soothing imagery than that.
After the class, he calls his sister. “Do I have a relaxing voice?”
“What?”
“My voice. Is it soothing.”
“What? No,” she says. “You sound like a millennial Australian guy who’s spent a lot of time abroad.”
“Ah, that’s too bad,” he says, disappointed. “You don’t think I should teach yoga, then?”
“Daniel, what the fuck goes on in your head, I swear to god." Michelle sounds affectionate but also is clearly laughing at him. "I mean, if you want to, I guess? I feel like the voice isn’t really the most important yoga teacher qualification though?”
This is a very good point. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he says. “Thanks, Michelle."
4. Children’s book author
“What if I wrote a children’s book,” Daniel says. “Daniel and the Really Fast Car, or some shit. I bet kids would love that. They love cars, right?”
Kristen and Dax exchange a look, and then Kristen says tactfully, “Children’s books are actually, like, surprisingly hard to do well.”
“Yeah,” Dax says. “A lot of them are shit.”
“Dax!”
“Honey, relax! I’m not saying Daniel and the Really Fast Car would be shit. And you would like, hire a professional to help, obviously. Just… it’s probably not as easy as it looks, that’s all.” There’s a haunted look in his eyes. “I’ve seen scansion like you wouldn’t believe.”
Daniel doesn’t actually know what “scansion” means, so, maybe children’s book writing is a no-go. “Ok,” he says equably. “I trust you guys."
5. Memoir writer
Daniel watches as the ghostwriter his publisher hired thunks her head rhythmically into the tabletop. “Uh,” he says.
She stops thunking. “Sorry! I never get like this with clients!” She sits up, and looks at him. “Daniel! You are so charming and lovely, but has it occurred to you that maybe you don’t actually want to write a book about your life?”
“I mean… I do, though?” They already have a title: Daniel Ricciardo: Pushing to the Limits. He’s excited about it.
The ghostwriter says, “Daniel, I have spent the past two hours trying to get you to tell me literally anything about your childhood or early life, and you have given me.” She consults her notes. “An extended rant about Skittles. Your views on which candies have the most international appeal. A run-down of your favourite places to buy snacks in twelve different countries. A comprehensive explanation, with partial demonstration, of which UFC moves you think you would most rock. And an overview of your favourite bands.”
“Uh.” 
“When I asked you to give me a memory from your school days, you said, “Oh, man, you have to hear this new single,” and then got distracted by your own Spotify.”
Daniel considers this. “Ok, so… ah, fuck it,” he says. “Maybe you’re right.” 
“Yes!” the ghostwriter exclaims, relief in her voice. “And you know, this doesn’t mean you’ll never write a memoir! Just maybe that now’s not the right time.” She starts to gather her things together. “Daniel, thank you so much, I really do mean this—it’s been a pleasure.”
+ 6. WAG
“Daniel, I still do not understand why you’re so upset about not having a job,” Max complains. “You have plenty of money. And it does not mean, if you take some time out you can never work again.”
Daniel considers this, and tries to explain. “It just feels like—ok, how many years have I spent hashtag keep pushing? Fist emoji, fist emoji? And now I’m just, like, sitting around like a lump, doing nothing.” 
Max says, completely deadpan, “Well, we can talk about fisting later, but right now I think we should not be distracted,” and Daniel lightly chokes, but Max is still going. “You are not a lump, Daniel. You are a man who has worked very hard for a very long time, and now you are having a rest, that’s all.” He moves over so he’s leaning against Daniel, and wriggles his shoulder until Daniel lifts his arm and wraps it around him. “You aren’t that old yet. You still have time to do things. It is ok to just sit, for a while.”
Daniel sits, with his arm around Max, and thinks about what it would mean not to push, not to try, not to hunt to find the next thing. “I would basically be your WAG, you mean,” he says, and laughs. 
Max twists to look up at him, and he’s not laughing. “Yes,” he says simply. “I think that would be lovely, if you would not mind it. Just for a little while.”
Daniel pulls Max in tight against him, and kisses the side of his head. His heart feels all wobbly and uncertain, like one of those videos of newborn giraffes or whatever trying to stand up for the first time. “Do you really,” he begins, and then stops himself. Max never says things he doesn’t mean. “Ok,” he says, instead. Ok.
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burnthoneydrops · 1 year
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What Time Has Done (Part XII) Benedict Bridgerton x Original Character Series
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Synopsis: The Castillons chose a drama filled night to return to society, part of which was out of their control
Requested: No
Word Count: 2283
Warnings: None, but lmk if i missed any :))
A/N: Ahh! I'm sorry the wait was so long! This semester really kicked my ass! But I'm done in a week and a half so here's to hoping I get more writing time over the summer!!
As we all know, there is nothing this author loves more than a scandal. Tonight’s soiree is sure to have more than its fair share, thanks to the recently widowed Lady Trowbridge. Some may call her celebrations too provocative, and I would caution any young lady from getting too caught up in the sensual nature of her fetes. For one scandalous move between an unwed couple, a wayward touch, or heaven forbid, a kiss, would banish any young lady from society in a trail of ruin. 
Lady Whistledown 
Benedict 
“Mr. Bridgerton,” Mr. Granville opens the front door, a full glass in hand, “come in, come in”. 
“I do not know what I was expecting, but it surely was not this,” Benedict comments as he is led to a room full of models and artists, the light warm and the energy much calmer than most high society gatherings. 
“Simply a gathering of like-minded souls. Here, let me show you what I’ve been working on”. 
“They speak of war abroad as if it will distract from inequities at home,” a man comments from his position behind a canvas. 
“They do not need war to be distracted. Why, this Whistledown’s enough to turn their eyes from the needs of ordinary people,” the woman next to him replies. 
“What do you think?” Mr. Granville questions, grabbing Benedict’s attention away from the pair’s intellectual conversation. 
“It is a far shout from Somerset House, I must say,” Benedict smiles at the work in front of him. 
“I shall take that as a compliment,” Granville replies, laughing. 
“And I must say, I’m truly jealous,” Benedict continues, catching Granville’s eye, “Is this your life?”
“There are advantages to being the second-born. Heirs have the responsibility. Second sons have the fun. So, why not have some fun?” Granville gestures Benedict away. 
Emmeline
My mind feels even foggier than it has the past couple of days, much to my dismay, as I had thought that getting back out into the world might open my mind once again past the suffocating walls of our house. Unfortunately, it appears as if I was mistaken. Mama insisted that we are not to waste any more of the season and are therefore to start attending events again. It was just our luck that one of our maids had found the invitation to tonight’s event under our evergrowing mail stack, or we might not have made it at all. Though the crowd feels cramped in the main room for the evening, I cannot help spotting a yellow dress on a girl of similar redheaded nature and I make a beeline for her, leaving Josephine at the entrance. I mutter a quick apology to her before turning my head back to my original target and whisper a quiet thank you to my lucky stars that she is standing alone. 
“Quite the evening, is it not?” I start, tapping her elbow with my gloved hand. Once she realises it is me, she opens the space between her side and her arm, allowing me to link my arm through hers. 
“Emmeline! Goodness, where have you been?” She exclaims a little too loudly for my liking, so I take the opportunity to poke her in the ribs before I continue. 
“Not so loud, will you? I have only just entered, I do not need my presence announced to the entire ton at once,” I sigh, looking around to see if we had captured anyone’s attention. Thankfully, the band is midsong, so no one is any the wiser. 
“Well pardon me if one of my closest friends has just appeared out of nowhere after an extended leave of absence,” Penelope counters. 
“Yes, you must forgive me for that”. 
“Forgiveness might come much easier if I am aware of the reason behind it?” She tries. 
“I am afraid I cannot divulge that information at this moment,” I frown, knowing it wasn’t the answer she was looking for. I want to tell her all my darkest secrets right then and there, as she seems to have a way of making one open up about all their repressed traumas, but I fear hers’ might not be the only open ears and the last thing I need is Lady Whistledown hovering over my family again. 
“Our host looks a bit fussy,” A voice comments from behind the both of us. I turn the both of us to look behind us and cringe at who it happens to be. “Do you think if he goes to bed we all have to leave?” Colin continues. 
“It was lucky the lady produced an heir before the old earl croaked, no?” I respond, having heard whispers around the room of the hostesses’ unfortunate late husband. 
“Miss Castillon,” Colin remarks, as if just having noticed my presence. “How remarkable to see you out and about. By the time that has passed since our last encounter, I thought you had caught some debilitating illness that should cause you to never see the light of day again”. 
“Colin!” Penelope exclaims. 
“No need for dramatics Pen, it’s all right. Wonderful as always to see you Mr. Bridgerton,” I say, half suppressing a smile. 
“Is your father among the company tonight, Miss Castillon?” Colin asks. 
“He is not. He is still recovering so Mama thought it best to leave him be at home,” I reply, hoping the illness is a good enough cover up for the time being. 
“Ah, I see. Is there to be a grand welcoming back for you, or are you to remain here all evening?” Colin questions. 
“I am quite content here in Miss Featherington’s company, thank you very much,” I smile at Pen. 
“Very well, I look forward to possibly hearing about what has kept you so isolated as of late. I have been trying to get in front of Miss Thompson all evening. Surely she is not that interested in Lord Rutledge, can she?” 
“I think what Miss Thompson is interested in is a swift rescue indeed,” Penelope replies, glancing at her cousin across the dance floor. 
“Indeed,” Colin begins the walk over. 
“Oh! Colin, I did not mean-” but it is too late, he is already making his way over to Miss Thompson, leaving Penelope and I to our reserved conversation once again. I catch the disappointed look in her eye and wonder how many times I have been seen making that same face. Though it has come to my attention that the Bridgerton pack seems to be down one usual member. 
“Looking for someone?” Penelope breaks me out of my search, my eyes ceasing to gaze across the dance floor. 
“No! No in particular, just seeing if there is any news I can gather visually while I am here,” I lie, though not very well apparently, as Penelope gives me a raised eyebrow and a coughed out laugh. 
“You are not the greatest liar Miss Castillon,” she replies. I cringe, knowing she is right, but wondering how obvious I came across in my encounter in the street with Benedict. Or my conversation with Colin just mere moments ago. What a horrible friend I am, here with one of my closest friends since my return and all I can think about is myself. I hardly think I have asked her a question since I’ve arrived. 
“Any news that I should be informed of in my absence, Pen?” I ask. 
“Daphne appears to be caught in a love triangle of sorts,” she replies and I gasp lightly. 
“Was she not smitten with the duke mere days ago?” 
“She was, and then Prince Fredrich got in the way”. 
I was sure that despite the Prince, Daphne and Simon were fated to be together, but it seems like my judgement was misplaced. I raise an eyebrow at Pen and she raises hers back, a small, knowing smile spreading its edges across her face. A laugh escapes the both of us and some of the gentlemen are staring at us now, but I cannot be stopped, for it was not like any of them were going to request a dance with me anyway. While a mysterious woman may be of intrigue to them, as far as they are aware, my mysterious disappearance was due to an illness of sorts. That is something no one wishes to touch. 
The couples glide their way across the dance floor, a few sharing heart-filled smiles and glances, and I am reminded of one of the main reasons I love watching society. Love can be a beautiful thing, when it is allowed, and there are many opportunities for it to be made here. The suffocating presence of societal standards may stunt it at times, but when it is truly allowed to grow, it is beautiful. 
“Does Daphne look unwell to you?” Penelope asks as something has caught her attention across the way. Anthony is guiding Daphne toward their family, him grabbing her arm while she looks lost in thought. 
“Worried about something, no doubt. She was only gone for a short while, I cannot imagine what happened to cause such upset”. 
Benedict
Benedict sits behind the same canvas before, and whereas most of the guests have departed, he stays, sketching the same two women. He stares intently at the charcoal in hand, trying to manoeuvre it in just a way to accomplish what he wants, but he never seems to be fully satisfied. He takes the drink from his side table and sips it quickly before putting it back down to refocus himself. The art is not going to draw itself. 
“You have great potential-” Granville starts. 
“It is nothing!” Benedict stops him abruptly, running his hands down his face. 
“For such a staunch critic of others, you certainly lack a clear eye for your own work,” Granville continues, looking down at the frustrated gentleman next to him. 
“It’s the lines,” Benedict jabs the canvas with the charcoal, “they’re not what they are supposed to be”. 
“Oh, take the compliment, Bridgerton. There’s no expectation or judgement here. You are free to be yourself here, if that is what you should like. That’s what works for me at least. And I haven’t been dissatisfied with my lines in…quite some time,” the two share a laugh. 
“Well, I’ve done worse I suppose, really,” he looks around the room, then, having noticed 
the lack of other participants, “I seem to have enjoyed myself a bit too much this evening. I should be on my way”. 
“If you wish,” Granville tilts his head, taking a drag from his cigar. “But you are welcome back anytime, for practice or for conversation. Should you find the need to talk about anything else that may be disrupting your lines”. Granville looks to the young gentleman as he grabs his coat. Benedict sighs, shaking his head. The conversation would drag on for too long if he were to truly divulge everything going on in his mind; at least he thinks it would. “You are allowed to follow your inspiration, Benedict. I’ll see you out”. 
Penelope and Eloise
A tap on Penelope’s window alerts her to the presence of someone down on the street below, and with a glance downward she is greeted by Eloise, waving frantically for her to join her on the cobblestone. Penelope holds the front door closed behind her, looking worriedly at Eloise who holds a notebook and an excited smile. 
“I have a theory,” Eloise states, opening the notebook. 
“Eloise it is quite late-”
“A good theory! About Lady Whistledown. I thought she had to be a servant, but I was wrong, quite wrong. Because who truly has the time and means to be that remarkable? Who would actually be invited to all the parties, able to hear things unnoticed by others?” “Perhaps we can discuss it tomorrow,” Penelope tries again but is ignored. 
“Lady Whistledown is someone free and unencumbered by society. She is a single woman of means, better yet, she might be a widow. I was thinking, what if it were Miss Castillon. Think about it! She disappears for three years, to study literature no less, and upon her resurgence into society, Lady Whistledown emerges- ”
“Eloise, I do not care! People have real, mature problems that have nothing to do with the identity of some silly writer.”
“And you are so mature now?” 
“I am of age. I am out in society, which means that yes, I do have mature problems to worry about, such as marriage”. 
“You should not care about marriage-”
“And what if I do!” Penelope cuts Eloise short. “I cannot expect you to understand, not 
everyone can be a pretty Bridgerton!” Eloise, with tears welling in her eyes, backs away to the front gate. “Eloise, wait! I did not mean-” but she is gone. 
Dearest Reader, 
It seems as if my identity is being called into question once again. How I am amused by the theories of possibility that float about the ton, but I assure you, there have been no correct guesses to date. A rather interesting one is that I may in fact be Miss Emmeline Castillon. A three year departure may have done many things for her, but grant her this power of quill and paper it has not. While it may appear as though her recent exit from society may have been due to a familial illness, it has come to this author’s attention that there might be more shame involved than a potential illness would supply. The Castillon family has found themselves in a great deal of debt, which has forced them into the shadows. How ever will they recover? This author is dying to know. 
-Lady Whistledown
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moldy-mold · 10 months
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Hey, long time no update! We’re almost halfway through the year and I’m only just recovering from February. :’)
I got into two car accidents (no one was hurt) back-to-back in February where I was not at fault for either, and sadly, one was a hit-and-run. Due to just… tons of issues with insurance, I am finally getting my car fixed. It was a struggle, but now we can have a happy ending!
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We formed a hiking group in the spring when the weather was nice. I won’t lie, it was a really great decision. We’ve been trying to go to a new place each month to see the sights.
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So random, but my mom back in FL found a pigeon chilling in the garage, so she picked him up and took care of him. His name is Jorge. Birds are my true love so I am very excited to meet him!
Work is fine and more stable now, compared to 2021 when the struggle was real. I have more freelance work on top of office work that I am kept busy 24-7. It’s been tough trying to draw fanart at home when you’re already drawing at work haha. Last month, I went a little too hard and injured my wrist and had to keep it in a brace for a few weeks. I still have to be careful, even now.
In other news, my roommate of 10 years is finally moving out to discover her life’s calling. It is a bittersweet feeling, kind of like a breakup haha. As a creature of habit, I had resisted the change. It took some time, but I’ve come to accept it. Money is still kind of an issue though (a single person apartment? in this economy?), so I’ve been trying to find a new roommate! With NO LUCK! :)
On a whim, I finally started Xenoblade 3 in April after my 31st birthday. My brother had gifted it to me for xmas, but I didn’t want to open the black hole (or “The Hole” as my friends lovingly call it) until I had drawn all that I wanted to draw for YGO. To be honest, I didn’t end up drawing all my ideas but I hit a road block in my creative drive. Well now I’m in the hole AND I have to find time to draw stuff! I have this dilemma every single day.
My friend and I booked tickets to see our friends in Mexico this October! I haven’t been abroad for 15 years, so I’ll have the pleasure of going to the beautiful city of Monterrey as my first international trip without my parents. I’m so ready…! Let me out…! *rattles the cage*
The Plant Saga
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I took this photo a few months ago when the sun was finally coming out and my plants were in bloom again. I was afraid Lorenz (miniature rose) was going to die because he had spider mites… every single year. I managed to fend them off and now he’s doing quite well!
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I’m most proud of my handling of MOMO (moth orchid) who is blooming again! I heard it was challenging to get orchids to rebloom, but I honestly didn’t have to do anything?
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Other plants include: Zeon (taro) and Gimli (mint) and Shouyo (hens and chicks succulent) with the weird antennae.
The weather in GA has been really temperamental, and it hasn’t been as warm in May as it was last year, so some of my tubers haven’t regrown yet. Guess I’ll take more pictures in the late summer!
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thehammondlegacy · 3 months
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Previous - Next
Transcript under the cut
Hemlock Abbey - 2 pm
???: I have to admit I wasn't expecting you requesting a private conversation with me, Miss Blythe
Louise: Please, Your Royal Highness, call me Louise
???: Very well...
Cristobal: I believe and appology is in order... I've been too busy abroad and I didn't have the chance to congratulate you on your new job
Louise: Thank you, sir. But I must say being your son's fiancée is not a job at all
Cristobal: You are right... The first year is all lovely. Like a dream come true. That is until you marry him, and discover you do have a job besides wearing fancy clothes and tiaras
Louise: I know, sir... The Queen Mother has been teaching me about my future role in this family
Cristobal: Has she?
Louise: She has, and I understand my duties, sir
Cristobal: That's good to hear. You are very lucky, Louise... She's never wanted to teach me about my role. In fact, I must say she never liked me at all
Louise: Why not, sir?
Cristobal: Because of my family, and what they represented
Louise: Is it right of me to say you don't like Me, sir?
Cristobal: How can I dislike you, Louise when I hardly know you?
Louise: That's exactly what I think
Cristobal: Did you know that I had an arranged marriage, Louise? My father forced me to marry someone I didn't love. Do you know how that ended?
Louise: Everyone knows that, sir
Cristobal: Yes, everyone knows... And did you know that King Henry almost married someone he didn't love?
Louise: No, sir...
Cristobal: You don't know because someone stopped him from having an arranged married. His father wents against the Queen to save him
Louise: Is that what you are doing, sir? Going against the Queen to try stopping David from marrying me?
Cristobal: I love my wife, Louise... And I will continue loving her until the day I die, but my children- My children are my whole life. They mean more to me and to Margaret as well. I don't wish you to see me as your enemy, Louise. I actually care about you. I believe you are a good young woman, and you deserve to have love in your life. And it saddens me to know that you won't get it with my son. That is the truth, and if you ever change your mind, I will help you move on
Louise: Thank you, sir... But you son has chosen me. He wants me by his side, and nothing will ever change my mind
Cristobal: Then, allow me to wish you good luck. You are gonna need it to endure the life that you have chosen
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prevailing-westerly · 3 months
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About a dog
On Monday evening I saw a post about a rescued dog looking for home in my FB dash which already is a lot since I really don't visit my fb frequently (and I avoid people who keep reposting foster and shelter animals all the time). My fitness coach's gf posted it originally, and he then reposted. I felt like an intention is growing inside of me. I walked around considering it silently for a couple of hours, then I texted her. She texted me back, saying the dog was quite problematic, and I'd decided that maybe she needs someone with more time and quiet environment at hand. Still, we had a phone call on the next day, the situation is probably not that dramatic, so we decided that I'd come see the dog on Tue evening.
The dog had had a rough start in her life. About 6-7 months old, she probably lived with an abuser bc she is scared of everything and everyone (initially), and especially of men. But, as research showed, not necessarily. My coach's gf found her near their house, scared, miserable and hungry. She growled at her first but she managed to carry her home. For two weeks she fostered her, then began looking for a home for her. Which, apparently, was us.
But. On the evening of our supposed meeting she suddenly called me and said, no, don't come over. She'd felt that she already got attached to that dog emotionally. The dog had also become easier around the foster and her dogs, it's just her golden retriever who wasn't happy (and she can't really afford the third dog as well). So, no she keeps that dog. Okay. I was a bit dumbfounded though bc my youngest (who really wanted a dog) already knew about it, we looked at her pics, we bought her bowls and some treats and were soon expecting a newcomer in our house. And then it got cancelled. I kept calm, and we went to his swim practice. Suddenly, on our way to it she called again.
Oh, she said, she is sorry she just turned me down that way, she's not sure... I said I'd still come over and we have a chat. She's a nice girl, so fond of animals she... well, a bit of humanizes them and sensitizes situation too much. The dog kept growling at me suspiciously while we've been talking. Okay, I said, if you are sure you can keep her, and if you said she'd already got used to you, so be it. Good luck. We parted on mutual liking and respect.
More so, out of curiosity I'd look up similar-looking breeds earlier that day (she's a random mix ofc but nevertheless), and I remembered a girl I used to follow on lj and then insta who used to have a similar dog. The girl was extremely stylish in my understanding, and I liked her, and I liked her dog. It was a rather sad story how it all ended (mostly for the dog). As usual, the info on the internet is rather controversial (wasn't clear whether the girl left the dog unattended and unkept after moving abroad and the other woman rescued her but then the dog died, or did the girl leave her dog kept by someone but a crazy woman stole and killed the dog out of hate for the girl (she's rather popular lifestyle blogger, is pretty sharp and has quite a few haters). It all was unclear, I'd spent a couple of hours reading about 5 yrs old events, and I knew all these things are going to affect my sleep that night. I knew that I had a 5am rise and a full 13h shift. I knew but went on.
I rarely sleep well before rising very early that's why I prefer not to. Of course, I fell asleep for an hour, and woke up with anxiety at midnight, five hours before my wake-up signal. I barely fell asleep again that night but I'm very proud of how gentle I went on myself during that night and a follow-up long day. I didn't panic. I told myself, I'd had a good long sleep last night, I'm not overly tired, I can just stay in bed, lying quietly in the dark, not thinking anything much. So I did. In the morning I went to work, and tried not to overwork myself and also not think about the lack of sleep last night. Just work steadily, try to sit down whenever possible, eat and hydrate with regular intervals, and, you know, I managed my 13h shift just fine.
We talked to my youngest. Of course, he was a bit disappointed. I told him that maybe it wasn't our dog then, and our dog is waiting for us out there somewhere. He was okay with it. We talked about dogs, and where we should look for them and what kind of dogs we prefer for the next couple of days bc this event had really kickstarted our interest. My youngest was asking about a dog since last spring but I was reluctant since a dog is much more work than, say, a cat. But now we got ourselves so ready that, well, we might as well adopt someone right away.
On Friday I got another phone call. It was her again. She said she talked to a dog specialist, and he persuaded her that she was the one overemotional about the situation. Dogs don't get used to a person forever over a couple of days or weeks. This dogs would be fine if someone else just gave her shelter, food and time to adjust. She really can't afford a third dog, and her own dog is very unhappy about an intruder. Maybe I would still consider... Goodness, I laughed. Bring her over.
I told Bay we're getting a dog. 'Instead of me?' she asked. I sent her a video yesterday. 'There she is, in your room. Growling and barking when someone comes in, just like you.'
It's been our second day. So far she has stopped growling when we are around in her room. She eats fine. She takes treats when no one is looking. I have a couple of days off, and I think, I might read a bit tomorrow while sitting on the floor in her room, and I might keep the door of her room opened for the entire day. That'd be our next step.
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hazelthevixen · 29 days
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Hazel's Leap Year Post - Warnings, news, updates, and more!
Happy leap year! I'm not sure how else to celebrate except with my first journal post of 2024 (and first journal in a while), but who knows, maybe I'll think of somethin' ^-^ So how's 2024 so far? For me it's been alright UwU However, I am excited, I feel that 2024 could hold alot of potential for being a good year! >:3 Most days seem to be rather chill at the moment, I have enjoyed a few good outings tho :3 But I'm excited because I'm finally seeing to my big dream of mine! And that's travelling the world! ^w^ I will be going abroad to somewhere nice and hot in november, but I'm also hoping to make more friends locally aswell as seeing if any of my local pals would like to go on holidays with me before november aswell, cos it is quite a long way till november :o I'm hoping I'll get to travel alot this year, my new year's resolution is to travel and make friends after all ^w^ So as you may already know, I'm a very shy person, especially in the offline world. I'm not really confident enough to make the first move, though since I'm working on making more friends, especially offline friends, I'll have to see if I can try and come out my shell more.. ^-^; But I'll get there! I've made friends before and I can make friends again. Wish me luck! :3 Oki so..updates! First of all, I would like to say happy new year and happy chinese new year :3 I enjoyed some food and takeaways aswell as watching the cartoon movie on Disney's Mulan UwU It was great! Mushu is a funny character hehe X3 He is the dragon, which is this year's chinese zodiac. Last year's zodiac is the rabbit! and I just so happen to be the year of the rabbit ^w^ So last year I celebrated by making a new bunny oc. She is part scorpion and part lionhead rabbit, I made her on my birthday to celebrate that aswell as my zodiacs. I am a scorpio aswell as a rabbit, so it only makes sense that my bunny oc is part scorpion! I don't know what type of scorpion but I do know for sure she is a lionhead rabbit :3 I call her Scorpio Bunny, she's not really a fursona but she's still very cute ^w^ I'll post her at some point if I haven't posted her already. But if I have then you should be able to find her in my gallery! :3 I've also been branching out alot to other sites this year, to y'know.. get my works out there and try and get more noticed UwU I've been branching out to reddit, unvale, bluesky, and no mcroll this time, but seeing as it looks like the coast is clear, I returned to deviantart as for now. don't miss the community, but I do kinda miss some of the site's old features.. ÚwÙ No I'm not giving out links here, that's how the stalkers find me. If you want to follow me on those places, you'll have to message me privately. U.U And I wouldn't recommend searching for my accounts either, I somehow managed to get popular enough to end up with imposter accounts, so if you think an account could be me, ask the security questions I have provided on my weasyl and toyhouse (I plan to make security questions available on other places too). Ask several, and if they answer incorrectly or refuse to answer them, then you'll know it's an imposter and not me. The imposter accounts were created by jealous haters who have no life, as their pathetic attempt to frame me and spread more of their crappy fake rumours. But at least every smart person knows not to fall for those lies, only a stupid fool would believe such lies about me.. UwU Anyways, the imposters post disturbing content so that's also part of why I wouldn't recommend searching up my name, especially if you're a bit on the innocent and/or sensitive side. Stay safe! However, I might give out my new subscribestar just so it's easier to access, I might migrate there instead of using patreon because I hear patreon is giving out bans to artists who make content of higher ratings, so I might have to make big changes to my patreon and only make content for all ages, but I'll sort that out later, I'll be needing to make some big improvements to my tiers anyway.. ^-^; My subscribestar is still awaiting for approval, heck even I'm waiting too. I don't know how long approvals are suppose to take as it's been several months now. Until then, please feel free to check out my new subscribestar! https://www.subscribestar.com/hazel?redirect_notice=true I think you can subscribe once it's been approved, but I'm still new here and learning my way around so who knows :o Okay! so plans..what do I plan on doing? well.. in the online world, I am not only hard at work with my comic and artwork, but I have a little surprise that might come later after my comic ^-^ I wont say what because stalkers might try to copy me, but it'll definitely be something fun that you can try out if you like my characters ^w^ Subscribers and patrons will be the first to see new comic and animated episodes when they are out, as it might be a while until the series releases to the whole public, but subscribers will also be first to try out a fun feature where they can interact with my ocs ^w^ The reasons why I'm releasing it later when the comic is out is because you may not know the characters very well before you see stories and media of them, while when you actually go and see them, you develop a fondness to your favourite characters. So that's why I'm releasing the other feature later so people can interact with their favourite characters ^w^ I may however release another feature sometime soon before or during the comic, my good friend Chris aka Employee205664 suggested an idea of another way you can interact with my original characters so shoutouts to Chris aka Civil Defence Fox he's a good pal :3 maybe the other feature will be a bit of a surprise too ^w^ but I think Chris probably knows what it is X3 sshh it's a surprise lol! XD I'll tell you what it is when it's out ;3 but as for now, subscribers gain early access to cool stuff like this =D so if you're a huge fan then I hope you'll support me enough to become a subscriber ^w^ I've had a rough past so the money will go towards helping me aim for a good future to make up for past abuse. Keep in mind that I do work slowly, so as you may of noticed, I even be a while on content like artwork, but I do get things done and I do put alot of love, thought, and effort into the things I make, so it'll all be worth it UwU I've been making The Waffle Stars series since forever so I hope it'll gain alot of love when it's out ^-^ As for offline goals! I've been trying to tidy up all of my house so we can finally get some decorating done, put shelves up, and put up all my wall decorations that's hogging my drawers. I'm also seeing about being allowed a small dog, because of my invisible disabilities, I am eligible for a service dog. another shoutout to my good friend Diamond Faith for the helpful suggestion :3 But before we can be allowed a service dog, we have some obstacles to face First of all, my house does not allow me keeping a dog because the housing people said so. They don't like us keeping dogs and apparently cats aswell I've heard, so I was lucky to be allowed my guinea pigs, since animals kept in cages and tanks are less likely to cause damage to the house, and rodents like guinea pigs need to be constantly chewing on things (it's to keep their teeth healthy) so that's why I give them wood, cardboard, and hay for that reason. So we're planning on leaving the housing people that's not letting us have a dog Secondly, I'm currently proving that yes, I look after my guinea pigs well, I'm probably better at that than looking after myself, but I can still take good care of my house and self too, so I'm proving I can do all that to prove I can look after a dog aswell, because I've lived with dogs ever since when I was wee, so I have at least a bit of knowledge and experience with both dogs and guinea pigs, due to them being animals I've owned before And as I've mentioned before, we're tryna see about travelling more because travelling makes me really happy, it brings me alot of joy. So I'm aiming for a good future to have many things that could bring me joy and happiness, that's the key to having a good future, to work towards your hopes, dreams, and things future you will be able to thank you for ^-^ That aswell as always looking for things to keep you happy and entertained :3 I want to be a pampered princess! XD I'm also gonna try and make lots of local friends, I mean I have alot of online friends, I'd like to make just as many local friends because sadly I've lost touch with alot of my old school friends as I grew older and I would like to reunite with some aswell as making new ones too. Thing is, I'm very shy. So I need to try and practice coming out of my shell more, I think I need to step out my comfort zone sometimes and meet new people <:3 I'm currently hard at work on my art and trying to get some of them finished soon, but I still enjoy making my content, I make everything all for funsies :3 I've also improved my streams lots! now you can become a cute chibi fox when you subscribe to my livestreams ^w^ You get to customise the fox you play as, aswell as taking part in minigames to earn prizes! =D I also started using my mic on streams and made a pngtuber to go along with it, so join the fluffy gang today by becoming a follower on my livestreams! ^-^ https://www.twitch.tv/hazelthevixen I've got alot of offline goals aswell as online ones, they may not be new year resolutions, but they're still goals I'd like to work towards ^-^ Wish me luck! :3 And if you've read it all and made it this far, I jus wanna say..congrats! =D Have a lucky clover ^w^ *she gives you a 4 leaf clover to bring you good luck to all her friends and fans* 🍀 Thank you for checking out my post! :3 *the cute fox is wagging her floofy tail* Take care you guys ^-^
Please be nice when commenting! I refuse to be criticised so please accept that. If you're gonna be mean, don't say anything at all. Thankies for checking out my post! Meep meep! ヽ(◕ヮ◕)ノ I'm on other places too! ^-^
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spiriteddreams · 2 years
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prompt: “shooting star” w/ diluc <3 this is part of my good luck event, the masterlist can be found here! a/n: feeling cheesy and in love with harbingers as i write for diluc woops
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There are certain nights when the Darknight Hero will take a break from roaming the streets of Mondstadt. He decides that the Knights of Favonius, while inefficient, can handle the night. After all, the threat of Stormterror and the Fatui has long since passed. Between bartending at the Angel’s Share, handling business back at the winery, and his acts as a vigilante, he’s never really had time to take a step back. There’s always something that needs to be done.
“One night won’t hurt.” You hum, back resting against the plush cushions of the couch as you sit across from him, a half-played chessboard between the two of you. He’s winning, of course, carefully planned out moves slowly knocking away at your pieces. 
“Anything could happen.” He doesn’t look up at you, red eyes focused on the board. Gloved fingers move swiftly, his rook taking your knight. A smug look crosses his features as he sits back, waiting for your next move.
You roll your eyes, you’d given up on winning the game long ago, but he didn’t need to know that. “I’m sure I can convince Jean to increase patrol for one night.” Diluc doesn’t say anything to that, a sign of his silent agreement.
And that’s how you snag a moment of his time, tugging him to the tip of Starsnatch Cliff that overlooks the ocean. You sit together on a blanket, sharing a bottle of grape juice for two and food in the picnic basket that Adelinde had prepared just hours earlier. She had ushered the two of you out of the manor with teasing words, repeatedly reminding the wine owner that his home would still be there in the short time that the two of you would be gone. Diluc hadn’t even bothered to put up a fight, eager to escape from his hectic life to spend the rest of the night with you. He lets you tug on his hand to walk faster, pointing out the cecilia flowers growing in patches the closer and closer you get to the top, until you stand still, your fingers interlaced with his as you take in the view. The neverending ocean spreads out before you, dark glittering blue stretching towards the horizon as the moon’s reflection stares back up at you. The stars wink at you from above, the few patches of clouds already drifting away to allow you to gaze. 
Diluc lets you do the talking, filling the silence with mindless chatter as you ask him about the wine industry and the trips that he’ll be taking to neighboring nations for business. He doesn’t mind spilling the gossip he’s heard from abroad, recalling every story he’s heard as he begins to talk more and more about the people he’s met outside of Mondstadt. 
“One day you’ll have to take me to— oh! Look!” Your words are cut off as silver streaks across the sky. Immediately you’re reaching to grasp Diluc’s hand, pulling yourself closer to him as you point up at the sky, a shooting star flying past. He looks over at you, your eyes bright and swimming with light as your lips curl in awe. 
“Make a wish!” You say giddily and Diluc smiles gently. How long has it been since he’s indulged in a childish fantasy like this? A small voice in the back of his mind whispers that he hasn’t done that since before his father’s death. He swallows thickly at the thought and clears his throat, stealing another glance over at you, only to find that your eyes are closed. There’s a smile on your face, one that hides secrets, the ones that you tease him about because they’re the same secrets that you keep to yourself whenever you have something planned for him. It’s the same smile that you reserve for when he comes home late at night, tired from work, only to find that you’re half awake, waiting for him on the couch curled up by the fire. The same smile that you give him when you whisper how much you love him. Before you can open your eyes, Diluc does the same, allowing himself to indulge for just a moment, offering a wish to the star, to the Archons, to anyone who will listen.
If he can spend more time like this, he’ll do whatever it takes. Because the happiness and comfort that you’ve brought him since stumbling into his life, is something he hopes to hold onto forever.
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reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! <3
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No one but me is watching match me abroad :—( for the best. Here are my thoughts.
Idk why they picked chad for this show i do not like watching him and i have no idea why hes so interested in bringing a girl from MEDELLIN back to rural tennessee where his routine is waking up at 2am to go to the gym and cutting grass for fun. what is she supposed to do all day while you cut the 14 acres of grass. He’s been engaged 3 times so i definitely think he could just gone to the next state over and found someone .
Mark is even worse than chad they both have this racist fantasy thing going on but mark is so incredibly disrespectful of literally everyone he’s met there and on top of that he has the nerve to expect these women to split RENT??? be serious. He could go anywhere in the world and i don’t see a woman his age wanting to be with him (both women he dates on the show are under 25 🤢 he’s 40 something!)
Disney Princess lady is… interesting. And i don’t necessarily mean that in a good or bad way. Good luck to her i guess bc i think in this next episode her matchmaker sends her to a bdsm party. she definitely could’ve just gone to Portland or austin to find love though
Harold i mostly like. Very practical except the planning a proposal after three dates thing. i think him and Michaela are a good match so far but planning a proposal before even meeting her family??
Blonde lady with dog… unfortunately i see parts of myself in her. No idea why she went to Colombia but I’m glad she made a friend i guess? Nothing more to say about that.
Aisha(i think?) should not have come on the show. She’s gorgeous which i love but also 25 and just graduated law school which like… you could probably go anywhere and find a man she just needs to move away from her family to feel some freedom. Love her though 🫶🏿
Last up STANNIKA. Love her down my favorite contestant by a mile. still ZERO idea why she came on this show when she hadnt ever even gone on a date before. she couldve found someone within 500 miles for sure but 🤷🏿 idgaf bc i like nourredine so far. Shes also one of the only ones (if bot the only) who has even entertained the idea that SHE might move to the country shes visiting if it works out instead of the other way around which makes me feel like shes serious.
If i forgot anyone its bc idgaf about them which is saying something bc i REALLY dgaf about chad and mark.
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b-lessings · 4 months
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Salam sis, hope you are well with everything going on. I’d love to know if you have any tips for letting go of people. I use to know this girl who was my classmate in UNi and we stopped talking after we graduated. But we were good friends but I always sensed that she was looking for someone who is above her league either friends, partners and dreamed of material things etc (I don’t mean it as if that’s all she’s after) but all she did was measuring people status and seeing if they are good enough to be in her circle. after graduation we lost connection but sometimes we will comment on each others post but that faded away with years . I met her once in another friend wedding and that was it. I accidentally found out that she got married and moved abroad. Ngl I kind of felt sad because she didn’t invite me or tell me because we were close enough (or at least I thought so) after knowing that she probably got what she was working for and dreaming about I kind of feel something (I don’t want to say negative or jealous) but unconsciously I kept thinking like how did she get it or feeling a bit curious about how she was doing. She was always close to herself and will not help you if she didn’t feel like it so I always let my guards up with her so I’m not sad that we aren’t friends anymore or we will never met or talk again because I felt like she was toxic for me. But you know, I get curious and I hate that Im being affected by people’s lives or wanting to show that I’m also doing good in life and achieving things. Sorry I just wanted to rant about it to someone.
Salam beautiful!
Unfortunately, I am the LAST person to ask about letting go 🥲 Girl I still have dreams about my primary school best friend whom I didn't see since 2010. But listen sweetie, you can rationalize the situation, remind yourself that people grow apart and that's just how life is, and that whomever Allah swt removed from your life was just no longer fulfilling a purpose in it. Always remember that every person you meet is either a lesson or a blessing ( either way a blessing if you ask me). And don't worry, life is still ahead, there are many friends you have yet to meet, get to know, share a special connection with, and some of them will end up leaving and that's also okay. There is no age limit or deadline to meet your soul sister, almost all the amazing people in my life I met after college. As you grow older, you change, you mature, you become a better version of you, and every upgraded version of you requires a matching deluxe version of friends. So my tip would be to enjoy what your life is offering you at the moment and stay hopeful 💖
You have to identify what you need in a friendship, what are your standards, what you like and what you wouldn't, what you allow/ accept of a treatment and what you wouldn't, and give people access to you accordingly.
My therapist once told me that friendships exist as a source of relief in our lives, a source of calmness, a source of joy, not a source of stress, anxiety, self-doubt and negativity. So if that friendship is not serving its purpose of bringing you peace, the peace would come from letting it go.. ;)
I wish you the best of luck my dear 🌸🌸
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startgamc · 4 months
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Public Vs Private Info — Kotone
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Public Info
—What an open book this girl is.
Kotone moved from Hoenn to Paldea at the beginning of the school year on a scholarship program for Uva academy.
Her ancestry is a mix of Johto and Sinnoh.
Her academic focus is in Pokemon breeding. She has a wealth of knowledge that she's ready to share at the drop of a hat.
She's very reckless and can be found in the oddest places around the school and across Paldea. Climbing trees, atop buildings, climbing steep cliffs. No one has ever seen her suffer from injuries related to this.
Her main Pokemon team are incredibly unapproachable with the sole exception being Clodsire.
She has a weird regional variant Cyclizar???
Occasionally she raves with the Segin Squad Team Star Base
She completed her gym challenges and achieved Champion rank in Paldea.
She's been nicknamed a "Murkrow" for her propensity for finding and collecting shiny things.
She's been accepted to Blueberry Academy as an exchange student this Winter and will be traveling abroad.
Semi-Public Info
—What you've heard is only a fraction of the whole story
Kotone was born in Verdanturf on May 27th.
Her mother's side of the family is from Johto — specifically Ecruteak city. Her father's side hails from Solaceon Town, Sinnoh.
Her biggest media influences was watching the Croconaw Hunter and Unovan Ninjask Warrior on TV when she was a kid.
She has a secret base in route 117 back in Hoenn. She accidentally left some of her old toys there.
She has an older sister, roughly 6 years older than her who started her journey in Hoenn. Her sister has since moved on to other regions after seeing all Hoenn had to offer.
Their relationship is okay, but her sister is never not busy and only has time for the occasional phone call here and there.
Her dad is a master electrician who gets work across many different regions setting up pokemon gym equipment and contraptions.
Her mother was not only skilled at handling contests as a Stage Manager, but she also was a very well-respected coordinator in her hayday. Kotone has her stories practically memorized.
Kotone is absolutely neurodivergent - autistic and adhd specifically. She's never been formally diagnosed.
If you're friends with her, she will gift you rare/shiny objects that she finds while adventuring. Expect to find gold nuggets and pearls thrust into your hand.
Private Info
— You need to be at least level 7 friend to unlock my tragic backstory
The Skitty charm that she carries around on her bag was a gift from her sister. She carries it everywhere for luck.
Kotone was around 4 years old when her sister started her Pokemon journey. Kotone does not have many memories of her from childhood as a result.
Kotone was bullied harshly when she was growing up. Mostly verbally/socially. Rarely did other kids hit her because she would hit back harder. This was something her sister taught her to do.
She has extreme anxiety about the friendships she does have and is very insecure in her relationships, but she's good at hiding this side to her. Usually.
Her parents are unintentionally neglectful due to having intensely busy work schedules.
This is the source for Kotone's reckless behavior and thrill-seeking nature. People pay attention to you when you do stupid shit.
Area Zero fucked her up a lot more than she lets on. Though she appears cheery on the surface, confronting AI Turo (or Sada) and almost dying in the process left her even more anxious and depressed.
She's only kept up the facade to keep her friends from worrying about her too much.
Kotone still goes in and out of Area Zero however because she finds the unique Pokemon there fascinating and spends a lot of time observing them.
She came back from Kitakami with a lot more insecurities regarding her friendships.
Unknown Info
— And so it was lost to time
Kotone is Katsumi's descendant and is affected by the bloodline curse inflicted on their lineage by Giratina.
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