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mackenzielovee · 2 years

Note

Hi!!! I loved hit my line! Please post the second blurb! I know you’re so busy with college work but if you have the time could you please do a protective Rafe over Y/n and the baby like maybe something happens that feels off or when it comes to y/n actually giving birth! 🥰

a/n: hi my love! i was gonna keep it short but it wound up a little long LOL but i hope you enjoy regardless, this is where i took the idea so i hope you like it!! p.s i wrote this entire thing just now and didn't edit it so sorry hope it doesn't have any major typos oops

warnings: mentions of pregnancy, false labor, anxiety, swearing, kissing

series masterlist

ambivalence blurb: 23 - rafe cameron

"Cameron, come on. She'll still be here when we get back."

Topper's voice carries all the way from the hood of his Jeep, the one he's currently leaned up against and pretending to gag as he watches Rafe grip your hand and kiss you like his life depends on it.

He's wearing the navy blue polo you bought him for his birthday, which is today, and the reason why Topper and Kelce are waiting on him to go play a round of golf at the Club. He'd loved the polo when he opened it up this morning, and when you showed him what you had sewn on the inside of the breast pocket, he'd teared up and told you it was his favorite gift he'd ever received. The two of you had finally picked a name but kept it private, and you'd put the name there just for him to see whenever he used it.

"Go on," you say against his lips, "I'll be here when you come home."

"Is it too late to cancel?" he whispers.

You laugh, "Yes."

He frowns and kisses you again, throwing his middle finger over his shoulder toward Topper when he groans again.

"Will you come meet us at the Club for lunch? I can come back and get you, or-"

"I'll be there," you smile, "Just text me when you're on the last hole."

"Okay, sweetheart," he agrees, squeezing your hand.

"Jesus, Y/N, can you push him off the porch or something? Tee time's in ten minutes!" Kelce yells from the driveway.

"Go," you say again, grinning widely when he rolls his eyes.

"Fine," he grunts, releasing your hand and placing it on your baby bump. Five and a half months along now; only making it harder for Rafe to leave you any time he has to.

"Happy birthday, handsome," you say, meeting his hand with your own on your stomach.

He smiles, "Thank you, baby. Call me if you need anything, yeah?"

You nod and give him one last kiss before he steps off the porch, flipping off the boys once again when they yell out 'finally!'.

You stand on the porch and watch him climb into the passenger seat, removing his sunglasses from his collar and placing them over his eyes. He presses a kiss to his fingers and then waves at you, which you return with a smile. Kelce waves to you from the backseat and yells something you can't hear over the hum of Topper's engine, but it earns a glare from Rafe.

You laugh and wave one final time before Topper takes off, then turn and walk back into the foyer of the Cameron home. When you close the door behind you, your eyes catch on the picture frames sitting on the mahogany desk resting against the wall adjacent to the stairs. It has a new addition; a photo of you and Rafe from about a month ago, both of you dressed up to celebrate Ward and Rose's wedding anniversary. You smile at it as you pass, heading into the kitchen.

Rose, Wheezie and Sarah are in full work mode, cleaning the kitchen and dining room out from Rafe's surprise birthday breakfast. You'd had to get up extra early to sneak out of the guest house and over here to get to work, but Rafe, being the morning person he is, had come looking for you after his run and walked in all sweaty and concerned.

He'd laughed when he saw the table, decorated to the nines by Rose and all of his favorite foods spread across it, complete with his girl standing at the head of the table. You'd given him a big smile and a kiss, one he didn't expect from you this early in the morning.

Now, as you watch the girls deconstruct it, you smile at the memory. When you step over to the sink to help Sarah with the dishes, she shakes her head.

"Go sit," she says, nodding to the living room, "We've got this."

"Sarah, come on," you groan.

"She's right, honey," Rose cuts in, "You should rest. You've been going nonstop since this morning."

"I'm fine," you say.

"Prove it," Rose challenges, "Go be fine on the couch."

You roll your eyes playfully at her, watching her smile as she rearranges the bouquet of flowers she'd had at the head of the table. You furrow your brows, as if to silently question why she's doing that. She chuckles and explains.

"Rafe asked what I plan to do with them," she tells you, "I told him they were for his birthday breakfast, so he asked me to rearrange them and give them to you."

You smile and shake your head at the boy, unable to believe that even on his birthday, he's still thinking of you. Sarah smiles at you, watching you grin like a little girl.

"He's so sweet," you say quietly.

"That he is," Rose agrees, "They'd look lovely on your kitchen table."

You nod and watch as she wraps a ribbon around the vase, then places it on the counter and tells you to take them to the guest house next time you head out there. You agree and then step over to Wheezie, watching her put leftovers into containers.

Just as you reach the counter, you grab hold of it when you feel a weird, mild pain shooting up your stomach. You wince and shut your eyes, but it passes after you take a deep breath.

"You okay?" Wheezie asks you, glancing hesitantly at Rose, who hasn't noticed.

"I'm fine," you shake your head, giving her a smile, "Let me help."

"You're supposed to be resting," she counters, but when she sees your raised eyebrow, she slides over a container to you and lets you get to work.

You joke around with her as you two organize the leftovers, which are stacking up quickly. You grab a few of the containers and step over to the fridge, using one hand to pull open the door when the pain in your stomach returns. The containers come toppling out of your arm, only one opening and spilling all over the floor.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Rose asks, reaching out to grab your elbow.

You take two deep breaths, eyes glued shut as you breathe through it. You're sure it will pass like it did before, and it does. When you open your eyes, worry is plastered all over Rose's face. Sarah shuts off the water and steps over, eyebrows furrowed and eyes soft.

"Yes," you say breathlessly, "Oh, I'm so sorry-"

"No, no, it's okay," she counters, "Go sit down. I mean it. We'll get it."

You shake your head to argue, but the stern, mother-like look in your eye makes you nod. Your hand wraps around the bottom of your stomach and you instinctually pat, as if to comfort your baby boy.

Sarah offers her hand silently, and you grab ahold of it and let her lead you into the living room. She lets you sit down on the couch and then brings a blanket over to you, then sits down on the coffee table directly in front of you.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

There's a hint of nervousness in her voice, as if she still feels the wall up between you two and doesn't want to push you too far. Although things have definitely improved and you are civil and even kind to one another, it still feels odd to divulge your feelings to her once again.

"Just a weird feeling. I'm sure it's fine," you say, nodding your head as if to convince yourself and her at once.

"I'm sure it is, too," she agrees, "But, maybe we should stop by a hospital. Just in case."

You shake your head, "I'm just being dramatic. I'm fine, I promise."

She stares at you hesitantly, but ultimately nods and stands up.

"Okay. I'll make you some tea. And call Rafe."

Your eyes dart up to her, immediately shaking your head.

"No, Sarah, don't. He'll worry, and it's nothing to worry about. He needs to enjoy his birthday."

"Y/N," she sighs, placing a hand on her hip, "He'd kill me if I didn't call."

"I'll hide the knives," you counter, earning a smile and a shake of the head from her, "Please."

She sighs again and then nods slowly, inching back toward the kitchen.

"Tea's coming up," she says, then turns and exits the living room.

You sigh and sit back, blocking out the worrying yourself. Although you'd never felt anything like that so far, you don't feel as if it's anything to get worked up over. Especially on Rafe's birthday. The last thing you'd want to do is get him all worried and go to the hospital only to find out it was nothing and you're totally fine.

Rose comes in and sits down on the other end of the couch, sympathy evident on her features. Her phone rests in her hand and at first she's not sure what to say, but you know she's in here because she doesn't want to leave you alone.

"Are you sure you're all right?" she asks after a minute.

"Yes, I'm okay, I promise," you nod, "I'm sorry about the mess."

"No, don't even worry about that," she shakes her head.

You swallow when you feel the weird sensation return, placing a hand on your stomach and tensing when the pain starts to set in.

"What is it?" Rose asks, face draining almost completely of color.

You take one deep breath and exhale, then look up at her, "Um, just a little discomfort."

The pain intensifies, making you lean forward and groan without meaning to. Rose stands up and steps over to you, running a hand through your hair.

"Honey," she says calmly, "I'm sure everything is fine, but I'm going to take you to the hospital just in case."

The thought of going to the hospital without Rafe makes you want to cry. You take in another shaky breath and ignoring the stinging of tears in your eyes, then nod slowly. Your heart sinks; the pain of ruining Rafe's birthday outweighing the pain in your lower stomach. You look up at Rose and frown, standing when she guides you upright.

"I need to call Rafe," you say quietly, your voice almost sounding ashamed.

"We'll call him from the car. Everything's fine, just relax," she promises.

Sarah walks back into the living room with a mug, which almost tumbles out of her hand when she sees the expression on your face.

"What-" she starts, but Rose holds her hand up.

"Get my purse and tell Wheezie to finish cleaning up, all right?" Rose says calmly, already guiding you toward the door.

Sarah just nods, her eyes moving between the two of you before she rushes back into the kitchen.

"How's the pain?" Rose asks.

"It's going away," you say weakly.

She nods and leads you out to the car, helping you into the passenger seat. She brushes the hair back from your face and gives you an encouraging, calm smile, which is exactly what you need. Sarah comes running out of the house with Rose's purse and dives into the backseat, letting Rose take off quickly.

"I have to..." you trail off, feeling your empty back pocket, "Fuck, I forgot my phone. I have to call-"

"I'll call," Sarah places an encouraging hand on your shoulder, giving you a small squeeze.

"Just relax," Rose says again, "Focus on your breathing and let me know if you need me to pull over or anything."

You nod and take a deep breath, trusting Sarah to call him. You close your eyes and try to stay calm, but the worry that something could be wrong has your nerves going like crazy. You'd been doing everything right; eating what you're supposed to eat, getting exercise, sleeping well, keeping your stress levels down.

As if she can read your mind, Rose quietly says, "I'm sure everything is okay."

You open your eyes and look over at her, giving her a small smile. She can see the worrying going on in your head, so she does her best to keep her own at a minimum so she can encourage you.

"Rafe?" Sarah says from the backseat, then she groans, "No, Kelce, I'm serious. Give the phone back to Rafe. I'm not playing - no, give it back to him! Kelce - it's about Y/N. Something's wrong."

You swallow and suck in another deep breath, focusing on the road ahead and keeping your stress levels to a minimum. After a few seconds, Sarah speaks up again.

"Rafe," she sighs, "Yes, she - I don't know. Some sort of pain, I'm not sure - yeah, we're on our way to the hospital. Yes, I'm staying calm..."

Her voice drops, and just as you hold your hand out for the phone, desperate to hear your voice, Sarah speaks up.

"He wants to talk to you."

You grab the phone and turn it in your hands, pressing it to your ear.

"Rafe," you breathe.

"Talk to me, baby. Tell me what you're feeling," he says. Although he sounds calm, you know him and you know he's trying not to freak out.

You can hear the clubs in his golf bag clanking as he walks, the noise rather fast-paced, and you find comfort in knowing that he's on his way.

"It's just this really weird feeling, some pain in my stomach, I don't know-"

"Okay," he encourages calmly, and you hear a car door slam, "Is it coming and going?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," he repeats, "Just stay calm for me. I'm sure everything is fine. I've been reading about false labor and how you can have what feels like contractions. Does it feel like that?"

You groan, "Rafe. I've never had a contraction before."

His chuckle coming through the phone seems to calm something deep inside of you. He's calm, he's laughing, and of course he would know what the problem is. You smile despite the pain returning in your stomach, which makes Rose smile, too.

"Fair point," he says, "How far are you from the hospital?"

Your eyes do a quick scan of the road as you recognize where you are, "Five minutes."

"Okay, all right. How about we stay on the phone until you get there."

You smile softly, "Okay. It's starting to hurt again."

"Take a deep breath, sweetheart. It's going to pass," he encourages.

You do as he says, letting him listen to you exhale and inhale again. When he starts to speak again, you feel comforted just by the sound of his voice.

"Hey, guess what?"

"What?" you ask absentmindedly, leaning back into the headrest.

"I was kicking Top's ass on the course."

You laugh through your breathing, the pain momentarily escaping you as you listen to Topper protest from the diver's seat.

"He was not!"

"Yeah, I was, baby," Rafe whispers into the phone.

"Y/N," Kelce speaks loud enough that you can hear him, "Top missed, like, three easy putts. Your dad could've kicked his ass."

"Her dad's actually really good," Rafe informs Kelce.

"Yeah, he is," you agree.

Rafe laughs lightly, "How're we looking on arrival, sweetheart?"

"Two minutes, give or take," you tell him.

In your head, you can see him nod and run a hand through his now messy hair, the hair you're sure he's been fidgeting with since the second Sarah called.

You speak again, "How far are you?"

You don't mean for it to come out so vulnerable, but when you hear him exhale into the phone, a sort of sad, wishing he was with you, sigh, you frown.

"Five minutes," he says, then quickly, "Four. Do not wait for me."

"Rafe-"

You start to protest, but Rose pulls into view of the hospital and straight up to the front doors.

"Sarah, park the car," she demands and hops out, rushing around to your side.

Sarah gives you another pat on the shoulder and then gets out, running around to the driver's seat. When Rose pulls open your door, she gives you a wide smile and removes the phone from your hand.

"Come on," she grabs your hand, pressing the phone to her ear with her shoulder, "Rafe? I'm taking her inside now. I gotta go."

She hangs up before he can protest, which you're sure he will, and hurries you inside. Rose calmly explains to the first person she sees what's happening, and the nurse guides you away from Rose, who isn't permitted to come with you. Rose steps into the waiting area, and just before you're out of an earshot, you hear the voice you'd been dying for. You freeze, letting the nurse think you're having more pain.

"Hi," he's breathless, like he sprinted inside, "Looking for my wife, she just got brought in. She's five-and-a-half months along, having some pain."

You turn around and start walking back up to the front, brushing the nurse off when she attempts to protest. You turn the corner and see him, standing in front of the desk with his messy hair, hat in hand, sunglasses resting in his shirt. He's swallowing, hand patting the countertop repeatedly as he waits for her to locate you.

"Rafe," you say quietly.

His eyes dart up and he finds you instantly, rushing to you with his hands out. He takes ahold of your hands and opens his mouth to speak, then looks to the nurse and quickly figures out what's going on.

"Everything's good," he smiles to you, "Let's just get you checked out, okay, baby?"

You nod to him and he nods to the nurse, silently telling her to lead you both back.

Rafe had been right; Braxton-Hicks contractions being the culprit. Rafe, who apparently had become an expert on all things pregnancy related, had a very intelligent conversation with the doctor about it. He'd exhaled and relaxed the second the doctor announced what it was, but you'd never heard of that before. He explained that you and the baby are both healthy, and there's nothing to worry about.

When he excuses himself, you turn to Rafe and squeeze his hand, finding him to already be looking at you.

"See? Everything's okay. We're doing everything right," he smiles.

You're laid out on the table and Rafe's sitting in the seat beside you, hand still gripping yours as tightly as it had been when he first sat down.

You smile sadly, "Yeah."

"What?" he furrows his eyebrows, questioning your sad expression and the tears in your eyes.

"I didn't want to call you if it was nothing and ruin your birthday, which is exactly what ended up happening, and I'm sorry, Rafe-"

"Baby, no," he stops you immediately, leaning forward and grabbing your other hand as well, "Stop that. You didn't ruin anything. Listen to me."

You meet his eyes, bottom lip jutting out just enough to make his heart break in half. He smiles softly and then continues.

"Finding out that my girl and my baby are both healthy is the best present I could've gotten today, okay? That's all I ever want."

You nod and signal for a kiss, which he gives you. He releases one of your hands and presses it to your bump, stroking softly up and down. You smile, your mind wandering back to Rafe coming into the hospital earlier.

"Rafe," you almost whisper.

"Yeah?"

"You called me your wife," you smile.

"Huh?"

"When you came in here. You called me your wife," you repeat, watching as he remembers.

"Oh," he nods, and you watch his cheeks grow pink, "I - yeah, I did, huh?"

You grin, "Yeah."

His smile matches yours, and he leans in closer, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

"Is that okay?" he whispers in your ear.

"It's perfect," you say.

He grins and kisses you once again, sure that the smile on his face will be permanent as long as he has you.

"We should go tell everyone that everything's okay," you say, sitting up.

"Do you feel up to standing right now?" he asks, not letting go of your hand.

You nod and let Rafe help you off the table, resisting the urge to fall into him and remain in his arms for as long as possible. He presses a kiss to your forehead.

"I know how I want to spend the rest of my birthday," he whispers against your skin, "In bed. With lots of fluids. Resting."

"Rafe," you whine, "It's your birthday. Let the boys take you out or something."

"Oh, and a movie. And a nice, balanced meal. Maybe some ice cream later," he continues, as if you'd never spoken.

You roll your eyes playfully and look up at him, finding a smile on his face.

"I love you," you whisper.

"I love you, too," he replies with a squeeze of your hand, "Come on. We should get you home."

You nod and let him lead you out of the room, knowing that no matter what you say or how you encourage him, you're probably not going to be out of his sight for even a second for the remainder of your pregnancy. Yet, no part of you seems to mind that in the slightest.

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krisdreaming · 4 years

Text

🎄 4th Day of Fluffmas 🎄

⟵ Day 3 | Masterlist | Day 5 ⟶

All the Way Home I’ll be Warm || Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader

Word count: 3,813 (oops?) | Gender neutral reader

(prompt: “I sort of told my family I have an s/o and now I need someone to stand in for them – HELP”)

Day 0 (Briefing)

Kuroo is sitting across from you at the little cafe on campus, and for some reason he actually seems to be looking forward to the next few days. He even brought a notebook, but you can’t tell if he’s being serious about taking notes or if this is all part of the act. You had asked him because you knew he was always down to help you out with your late night adventures and crazy schemes, but this one might just be the craziest.

“Okay boss, what’s the plan?” He props his elbows on the table and leans closer to you. “Actually, before we get into that, I think I’m going to need a little back story. Why, exactly, do you need a fake boyfriend?”

“Well, you see...” You lift your mug closer to your face and peer into it for a moment. “It just gets really old having everyone ask about it at every family gathering, you know? I know I shouldn’t have lied but how was I supposed to know they would insist that I bring my boyfriend to Grandma’s?” You shoot Kuroo an apologetic smile.

“And that’s where I come in.” He finishes. You nod.

“I’m curious.” He props his cheek on his fist. “How long is our relationship going to last? Are we meant to be?” He flashes you a cheeky grin, and you duck your head. Okay, maybe asking someone you already (possibly) have feelings for to be your fake boyfriend might not have been the best idea, but it’s too late to back out now.

“Actually, I have a feeling that next year, you’re going to leave to study abroad. We’ll probably make a mutual decision to end our relationship because we don’t want to deal with the long distance.” You laugh. “Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a repeat gig.”

“Wow, you’ve really thought this through.” Kuroo actually does write something down in his notebook. “So, do we have any cute nicknames for each other?”

“Hmm.” You hum in thought. “Probably nothing too crazy. We’ve only been dating for four months.”

He nods sagely. “Well, you can call me Tetsurou, I don’t mind. Or Tetsu.” He adds quickly. For a brief moment, you consider it.

“Oh, ah. I’ll stick with Tetsurou. Sounds good.” You manage a quick smile. “You can call me F/N.”

“You got it.” He makes another quick note. “Do we have a safe word?”

“A what?” You almost choke on the sip of coffee you’d just taken.

“A safe word.” He repeats. “You know, if things get too weird, we can use it to tell the other person to chill out.” You nod slowly. That was one thing you haven’t thought of. “If we’re just calling each other by our names, how about we just call each other Babe if we start to get uncomfortable? Will that make it worse?”

“No, it’s a good idea.” You nod. “Yeah, I’m cool with that.” You shake your head. “This is so weird, dude, I’m sorry.”

He laughs. “This is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done. If this works out I might switch to a theater major.”

“No way, I think Chem might eat me alive if you leave me.” You grimace. “You’re the only reason I passed our lab last semester.”

“Kidding.” He finishes the last swallow of his coffee. “There’s no money in theater anyway, and if I switched majors I’d probably have to drag you with me. I’m too used to having you around.” He grins, a more sincere smile this time, and you can’t help but return it.

“Well, that’s good, because you’re stuck with me. And just to warn you,” You have to change the subject before you get too flustered. “My Grandma is going to show you every single photo she’s ever taken of me. At Thanksgiving, it took her almost an hour to get through them with my cousin’s girlfriend.”

“Aw, little baby Y/N.” Kuroo laughs. “I might enjoy this too much.” He pushes back his chair, and you stand too. “I’ll walk you back to your dorm.” The early winter darkness has already fallen.

“Sure, thanks.” You fall into step beside him, stepping outside for the chilly walk across campus.

“Thanks for helping me out.” You add, your words puffing steam into the air. “I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime.” He knocks his arm against yours. “To be honest, after all this talk about your Grandma’s cooking, I might have tagged along even if I didn’t have to pretend to be your boyfriend.” He laughs.

“You certainly won’t go hungry.” You agree. “She’ll make sure of that. Don’t blame me if it affects your volleyball physique.”

“Don’t worry, I’m naturally slender.” He pats his middle. “I’ve got the quickest metabolism you’ve ever seen.”

You shake your head. “If you say so.” By now, you’ve reached your dorm. “Oh, by the way!” You call out as he turns to go. “I don’t suppose there’s anything you can do about your hair?”

He turns back to face you. “Not a thing. Many have tried, none have succeeded.” He runs his hand through it and makes it stand even more on end.

“Fair enough.” You shrug. “They’ll have to deal. See you tomorrow.”

“Later!” He lifts his hand in farewell and turns to go. For a few more moments you stand and watch his retreating back. These next two days might be harder than you thought.

Day 1

“Here we are.” You announce as Kuroo gets out of his car and grabs his bag. You each drove your own car, and he’s parked right behind you in your Grandma’s driveway. “Ready for this?”

“Ready as ever.” He slings his bag over his shoulder. “Lead on.” You reach for the door, and before you can turn the handle it swings open with your Dad and Grandma behind it.

“Merry Christmas!” Your Grandma pulls you into a tight hug, and you breathe in the familiar scent of rose and sugar cookies. “Come in, come in.” She releases you and is immediately locked on Kuroo, who has a sheepish smile on his face.

“Oh my.” She looks up at him with a huge grin on her face. “Aren’t you quite the handsome young man! Just look at how tall he is.” She turns to your Dad, who has given you a quick hug and is now quickly sizing up Kuroo.

“Dad, Grandma, this is Kuroo Tetsurou.” He gives you a quick prompting glance. “My boyfriend.” You add, already feeling your cheeks grow warm at saying the words out loud.

“Nice to meet you.” Your Dad reaches out and catches Kuroo’s hand in a firm handshake.

“It’s great to meet you sir.” Your Dad must approve of the handshake, because he gives Kuroo a nod and a smile.

“Come here.” Grandma gestures, and Kuroo leans down to be enveloped in a hug.

“Thank you for having me, Ma’am.” Kuroo says the moment he’s released. A pleased grin breaks across her face.

“What a polite young man. Honey, it looks like you’ve found a good one.” She pats your shoulder.

“Guess so.” You smile.

“Well now, come, let me show you to your room.” You feel your eyes grow wide, and when she has turned her back you look at Kuroo and mouth room?? As in, singular? He gives the slightest of shrugs, and you follow her upstairs.

“Now, normally I would make sure you each have your own room, but we’re a bit full right now, and besides. I guess you’re all grown up now, aren’t you?” She gives you a fond smile and you survey the guest room she’s assigned to the two of you. A queen sized bed is the only sleeping surface in the room.

Luckily for you, Kuroo doesn’t miss a beat. “Thank you, this looks great.” He plops his duffel bag on the bed, and you follow suit.

“Thanks Grandma.” You echo.

“Dinner is at 6. Some of your cousins are here already, go find them once you’re settled in!” She bustles out to get back to her kitchen, and you let out a sigh.

“Sorry.” You grimace. “I figured there was no way we’d have to share a bed.”

“Hey, no big deal.” Kuroo shrugs. “I mean, it’s a huge bed. I’m not worried about it.” Realization dawns on his face. “But I’ll sleep on the floor if it’s weird for you.”

“Oh, no. No. That’s fine with me too. I’m good.” You manage a smile that you hope is reassuring. You and your brilliant ideas. You silently scold yourself. “Come on, let’s go find my cousins.”

It isn’t much of a surprise that your cousins adore Kuroo. He has them all laughing before you know it. One of them turns to you. “How did you get lucky enough to find someone like him?”

Kuroo doesn’t miss a beat and slings his arm around your shoulders. You hope your flinch at the sudden contact isn’t too obvious. “I’m the lucky one, actually. Completely random lab assignment on the first day of the semester, and the rest is history.” He grins at you, and you laugh, finally reacting enough to slide your arm around his back. It’s not like you’ve never casually hugged before, but this feels a little different.

“Aww! That’s so adorable.” Your cousins all titter amongst themselves, and luckily, you’re saved at that moment by your Grandma announcing that dinner is ready.

Around the dinner table, the rest of the introductions take place. Kuroo easily answers the different questions asked of him about volleyball and his major. Soon, though, conversation turns to other things.

“So, Kuroo.” Your jokester uncle speaks up right as dessert is being brought to the table, and you’re already cringing. “Any thoughts on marriage?” Kuroo has his glass lifted to his lips, and he ends up spitting half of the water back into it as a coughing fit overtakes him. He recovers remarkably quickly and sets down his glass.

“Well, sir, we are still in college. For now we’re focusing on our studies.” He sends you a quick glance. Your uncle laughs loudly. You rest your hand on Kuroo’s arm in a way you hope is reassuring.

“I’m just messing with you, son. We’re all glad to have you here.”

“I’m glad to be here.” He nods. For some reason, this seems to be the first thing that’s actually shaken him. You give him a long glance with an eyebrow raised, but he just shakes his head ever so slightly, giving you a quick smile.

Everyone is still around the table chatting as your Grandma and aunts clear the dishes away, and before you know it she returns with a suspiciously familiar album in hand and a dastardly gleam in her eyes. The woman is ruthless.

“Oh, Kuroo-kun, I have some photos of y/n as a child if you’d like to see them! Ah, such a sweet child.” She hugs the album to her chest.

“You know, I would love to see them.” Kuroo sends you the biggest shit-eating grin he can muster, and you pout. He must have recovered from earlier. All you can do is sit helplessly beside him as your Grandma flips through the album page by page, going over each photo you appear in with excruciating detail. Kuroo is enjoying it a little too much, but you suppose it’s a small price to pay for what you’re putting him through.

Finally, the torture is over and everyone begins to turn in for the night. Pajamas on, you sit on the very edge of the bed mindlessly scrolling on your phone as you wait for Kuroo to finish in the bathroom.

“Well, that was an experience.” He appears, rubbing a towel on his still-damp hair.

“I’m sorry about my uncle!” You quickly blurt out. “He’s always saying stupid stuff like that.”

Kuroo waves his hand as though brushing it off. “It’s fine. Just caught me off guard. Marriage wasn’t in my notes.” He laughs. “You using that extra pillow?” He gestures to the spare on top of the dresser.

“All yours.” You say, finally crawling under the covers, as close to the edge on your side of the bed as you can get.

“So.” Kuroo gets in on his own side, arranging the pillows to his liking. “Think everyone’s buying it?”

You shrug. “Seems like it. You’re doing great. I never knew you were such a natural.”

“Yeah, well.” He looks away from you suddenly. “Neither did I. Guess I’m just a man of many talents.” He meets your gaze again and grins. “You’re not doing too bad yourself.”

You laugh weakly. “Thanks.” For a few moments, an awkward silence fills the room. “Well, goodnight.” You finally say, reaching over to turn out the light.

“Night.” He echoes back before smushing his face down into his pillows. It’s not the first time you’ve witnessed his sleeping habits, but it’s not something you can get used to so easily.

As he’d promised earlier, the bed is so large that the two of you aren’t touching at all, but there’s something about the sound of his breathing next to you that keeps you from falling asleep immediately.

Day 2

When the sun peeking through the blinds wakes you the next morning, you almost forget the exact circumstances you’re in. You slowly roll over as you wake up, and you almost yelp aloud at the sight of Kuroo laying next to you, silently scrolling through his phone.

“Oh, morning.” He whispers. The last traces of sleep are still in his voice, and he has marks on his face from where the pillow creases dug into his cheeks. You swallow hard, trying not to stare for too long. He looks softer this way.

“Morning.” You whisper back. “You sleep alright?”

“Like a baby.” He confirms. “Must be the bed, I slept better than I usually do.”

“You’re almost free.” You change the subject, because you don’t want to admit that you also slept better than usual - after you finally fell asleep, that is. “I told Grandma you’d be leaving after the gift exchange this afternoon.”

“Sounds good to me.” He nods, sitting up a little straighter in bed. “Think there’s any coffee made?”

“Always is.” You grin, and the two of you make your way to the kitchen. Your Grandma and aunt are already there, chatting softly, so you pour each of you a mug and retreat to the empty living room.

“This is really nice.” Kuroo comments when you’re situated on the couch. “Your family is awesome. You’re pretty lucky.”

“I know.” You nod. “they’re crazy, but they’re mine.”

“I’m really glad you invited me along.” He says. “I know it’s a weird reason, but being part of your Christmas is kind of cool.”

“I’m glad you’re here.” You admit. “You fit in really well with them. They’re going to ask about you later, you know.”

“What can I say, I’m a popular guy.” He grins. “Maybe I’ll put off studying abroad for another year so I can come back again.”

“Maybe I’ll have a real boyfriend next year.” You’d meant it as a joke, but something changes on Kuroo’s face and you instantly regret saying it.

“Maybe.” He finally says, giving you the smallest of smiles. Before you can say anything more, your Grandma calls for breakfast.

It’s a lazy morning, and whatever strange thing had happened between you before breakfast, you both manage to ignore it. A game of team Monopoly ensues, and after Kuroo learns your family’s amended rules for the game he gets surprisingly into it. He’s back to his normal self, laughing and teasing you as you play. As it gets down to the last tense rounds between the two of you and your cousin and his girlfriend, he shuffles your money around.

“I can pull this off.” He murmurs to you. “$2,000 on Park Place, and-” his trap pays off, and your cousin gets stuck there and is forced to forfeit his entire savings to the two of you. “Victory!” He crows, and in his excitement he presses a firm kiss to your cheek. Instantly, your entire body is warm. You inhale sharply.

“Um, Babe.” You whisper, not really sure why this has affected you so much.

“I am so sorry.” Instantly, concern is written across his face. “I just got really excited.” He looks around, but no one is paying you much attention. Your cousin and his girlfriend have already gone off to scrounge for a snack. “I’m sorry.” He says again, gripping your arm. “That was way overstepping.”

“No, it’s fine. It wasn’t even a big deal.” You’re starting to relax, so you brush it off. “It just surprised me, that’s all. I’m fine.” He nods. He’s still quiet, though, and you can tell that it’s bothering him.

It’ll all be over soon, though. You only hope that things can go back to normal after this. The thought of losing your entire friendship with Kuroo over one of your crazy schemes makes you feel almost sick to your stomach.

Finally, it’s time for the gift exchange. Your family is gathered around in a circle, and the younger cousins are working on sorting through the gifts beneath the tree. “Okay everyone.” Your Grandma brings her hands together. “Let’s go around and talk about the good things that have happened this year.” It’s the yearly tradition. One by one, your family members share about fun vacations and promotions at work, anything that happened over the year that stood out to them as special.

Finally, it gets around to Kuroo. “We can skip you, if you want.” You say quickly. “I know it’s kinda weird.”

“Nah, no way!” He shakes his head. “I had a pretty great year, I might as well share about it a little bit.” He pauses, and now he’s looking fully at you. You bite down on your lip. “I met a pretty amazing person this year.” He begins. “We have so much fun together. They’re really special to me.” Murmurs go through the room, and you can see smiles growing on your family members’ faces. “I really mean that, Y/N. I can’t imagine my life without you.” Somehow, you can tell that this isn’t part of the charade. His expression is completely genuine, and his smile is filling his eyes.

“Wow.” Is all you can say, softly. “Thank you, Tetsurou.” Everyone’s eyes are on you, and you realize it’s your turn to share. You clear your throat.

“I had a pretty great year, too. I passed Chem lab which is a miracle in itself.” You chuckle lightly, still feeling a little unsettled by Kuroo’s declaration. “And I met a really great guy, too.” You shyly glance in Kuroo’s direction, and he nods in encouragement. “He’s my best friend, and I wouldn’t choose to be here with anyone else right now.” You mean every word, from the bottom of your heart.

With that, your turn is over, and your cousin’s girlfriend starts to share about the vacation they took to Italy over the summer, but you aren’t really paying attention. You’re too busy trying to untangle everything that has happened so far today. Is it possible...? You can’t even dare to ask yourself the question.

Soon enough, the presents are opened, the wrapping paper has been cleaned up, and your uncle is sacked out on the sofa, snoring away. Kuroo gets to his feet.

“Well, I think it’s about time I head out.” He stretches his arms over his head. “I’ll go grab my things.” He disappears for a few moments, and you wander over to the foot of the stairs to meet him when he returns.

“I want to go thank your Grandma.” He says, motioning toward the kitchen. You nod and follow behind him. “Hey, I’m leaving for home now.” He announces to your Grandma and two aunts who are in the kitchen. “But thank you so much for everything. The food was amazing, and I had a great time with your family. Thank you for making me feel welcome.”

“Oh.” Your Grandma waves her hand dismissively. “You deserve it. It’s obvious you make my grandchild very happy.” She smiles at you. “Thank you for coming, it was truly a pleasure to meet you. I hope we’ll see you again.” It’s a good thing she isn’t watching your face as she says that. Kuroo’s grin doesn’t waver.

“Thanks again.” He says with a wave as he ducks out of the kitchen. As you head outside, a chorus of goodbyes follows behind you. The moment the door closes, Kuroo releases a heavy sigh. “Whew.”

“Are you glad it’s over?” You ask hesitantly, standing by his car as he tosses his bag in the backseat.

“I really did have a great time.” He says, making no move to get in his car. “But I have to tell you something.” You nod slowly, and he reaches for your hands. “Is this okay?” You nod again.

“Yeah.” You manage, barely above a whisper.

“I’m really sorry I got so weird earlier. It’s just what you said about having a real boyfriend next year... Y/N, I want to be your real boyfriend. And I probably should have told you that before we even left school, but I couldn’t find the words. I never thought someone like you existed. I had a stupid crush on you for so long. So... What do you say?” He looks at you expectantly.

“I would like that a lot.” You say, a grin growing across your face before you can stop it. You take a deep breath. “I guess I asked you to be my fake boyfriend because it was a hell of a lot easier than asking you to be my real boyfriend. It was stupid.”

“Good.” He says, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from your face. “Then that’s all that matters.” With that, he cups your face with his palm, slowly leaning in. “Oh. Can I...?”

“Yes.” You giggle, and he doesn’t waste any time in kissing you, soft and sweet. He pulls away, only to lean in for one more kiss.

“For the road.” He say softly, a huge smile on his face. He wraps you up in a tight hug. “I’ll see you after break. Call me tonight maybe?”

“Definitely.” You agree as he slowly steps away. “I’ll see you.” You lift your hand in a wave as he gets in his car and drives away, and for a few moments you just stand in the driveway, watching until his car is out of sight. When you turn to go back inside, all three of your cousins are at the window. One of them winks at you. You stick out your tongue at them, but right now you don’t even have room to feel annoyed.

#Haikyuu #Haikyuu imagines #Kuroo Tetsurou #Kuroo Tetsurou x reader #Kuroo x reader #fluffmas #Haikyuu x reader #queued

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theycallmebeccawrites · 5 years

Text

Chris & Ellie Series: Episode 11

With Tumblr holding my original writing blog @beccaheartschrisevans captive (aka flagged as explicit), I have made a secondary writing blog and may end up closing the other all together. In the meantime, I am reposting all of my stories on my new blog.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: n/a

Episode Summary: This episode takes place in October 2013 and is how Chris and Ellie spend their Halloween aka the day after they kissed for the first time.

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

The Chris and Ellie series is primarily chronological. It begins with a flash forward to 2016 and has a few other scenes in the future. However, the majority of their story is told in chronological order starting in 2013 and going through 2017. Each episode starts with a date to help you place it within the story.

The Chris & Ellie Series Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist

Episode 10

Episode 11: Happy Halloween

October 31, 2013

People were laughing and talking all around him, but Chris's focus was on the brunette across the room talking with his younger sister. He and Ellie both knew that she had been avoiding him all day, never allowing the two of them to be left alone in the same room together.

It had been less than twenty four hours since he had held her in his arms and kissed her a handful of times and he knew for a fact that she had enjoyed herself just as much as he had enjoyed himself. Even Scott had been happy about it, though he'd gotten tired of it quickly and had asked them to stop making out so he wouldn't lose his dinner. Ellie had socked him in the arm and they had all chuckled about it.

They'd stayed at the ballpark for as long as possible, even getting a chance to go down and meet the players. Chris had a photo on his phone of Ellie posing with Jacoby Ellsbury and had stood with them while they had chatted about growing up in Oregon and, ultimately, people they both knew.

After Ellsbury had moved on, Chris, Scott and Ellie had met other players and had even had the opportunity to pose with all three World Series trophies before they had left the ballpark. The city of Boston was still buzzing with excitement, despite the early morning hours, and the trio had gotten swept up in it all.

The cab ride back to Chris's mom's house had been expensive, but they'd gotten there before the sun had come up and had been in their respective beds for roughly two hours before the rest of the family had awoken. While Ellie had been allowed to sleep in, Chris and Scott had been woken up and chastised by their mother for getting home so late.

By the time Ellie had woken up, the house had been empty save for her, Chris and Scott. She had acted perfectly normal around the brothers until Scott had left the room to shower. Chris had seen the panic in her eyes when she'd realized that the two of them were alone and she had all but run back to her guestroom, claiming she had a headache.

Ellie had spent most of the day in her room "resting" and had only come out once the rest of the family had returned home from work, school and daycare. She had been quiet during their early dinner, but once the kids had put on their homemade Minions costumes, she had cooed over them, which had led to her discussing with Chris's mom and sisters about the costumes.

It had been then that Chris realized that he was the reason the normally bubbly Ellie was being so skittish, but before he had been able to pull her aside to talk, his younger sister, Shanna, had invited them to go to a costume party with her. When he had pointed out that they didn't have costumes, his sister had informed them that no store bought costumes were allowed and that their costumes had to represent a pop culture icon. She had then pulled Ellie up to her room to find something for her to wear, leaving him to figure out his own look.

Scott, dressed unmistakably as Marty McFly, had come to his rescue by tossing an unopened paper towel roll at him. Chris had been confused until he had caught sight of the Brawny Man and realized he could pull off that look.

By the time he had dressed and returned downstairs in a flannel shirt and jeans, Ellie and his siblings had been waiting for him in the living room. It took one glance at his younger sister for him to recognize her as Velma from Scooby Doo, but his tongue had gotten stuck in his mouth when his eyes had landed on Ellie.

His sister had dressed Ellie in a short red dress, which was showing off quite a bit of cleavage, and had somehow created a red garter that she wore around her thigh. On her feet was a pair of bright red heels that raised her three inches from her five foot three inch height. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun as to give the illusion of a shorter hair style.

For one brief second, a smile had spread across Ellie's bright red lips and she had given him a playful "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" giving away the fact that she was dressed up as Betty Boop. Then his sister had said something to her and she had nodded and looked away from him.

Scott had been elected the designated driver and the girls had climbed into the backseat of his sister's car, meaning that Chris had had to sit in the front seat with Scott with Ellie sitting directly behind him.

Chris had hoped that he'd be able to corner Ellie at the party, but she had stayed by his sister's side most of the night. He was happy that they were bonding and enjoying each other's company, but he needed to talk to Ellie.

Taking a sip of his drink, Chris saw his sister point at the staircase and watched as Ellie nodded. She handed his sister her drink and then made her way to the stairs. It was time to talk, he decided as he put his drink on the closest horizontal surface. He waited until his sister had turned to talk to someone else and Ellie had started climbing the stairs before he followed.

----

The memory of kissing Chris had been all that Ellie had been able to think about all day. She'd be lying to herself if she said she hadn't enjoyed it, because she had. A lot.

She didn't have to close her eyes or struggle at all to remember the way Chris's lips had felt against hers or the way his scent had enveloped her as she had been wrapped in his arms. It had been the best first kiss of her life and she had dreamed of kissing him again.

But with her minor hangover this morning had come the reality that Chris was her boss and she was his employee. Not to mention the fact that she didn't know if he was even single or not. She hadn't seen or heard of a girlfriend, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. Then there was the obvious question: had he really wanted to kiss her or had he just gotten caught up in the excitement?

Not wanting to have what she knew would be an awkward conversation at his mom's house she had played chicken all day and had hid from him. She had spent the day reading, pinning Christmas crafts on Pinterest and napping.

Ellie had briefly considered staying in the guest room after everyone had gotten home, but she hadn't wanted to be rude, especially since Lisa had been nothing but nice to her since they'd met. She'd come out of her room and had helped Lisa make dinner and had gotten through it without anyone asking what was going on with her.

That questioned hadn't come up until she'd been sitting on Shanna's bed while the other woman searched her closet for something to make into a costume. At first, Ellie had been hesitant to talk to Chris's sister about everything, but once she had opened her mouth, everything had sort of tumbled out. She hadn't specifically said that it was all about Chris, but she knew that Shanna had understood it to be her brother. Shanna had encouraged her to talk to 'the guy' as soon as she could, but she had also promised to make sure Ellie had a good Halloween.

Once Ellie had gotten stuff off of her chest, she had allowed herself to enjoy Shanna's company as they had gotten ready for the party. They hadn't had a chance to really hang out when the family had come to LA for the Fourth of July, but Ellie had quickly found herself bonding with the youngest Evans' sibling.

When they had arrived at the party, Shanna had pulled Ellie around the room with her, introducing Ellie to her friends. All the while, Ellie had felt Chris watching her from across the room.

Feeling nature calling, she had asked Shanna where the bathroom was and asked if Shanna would hold her drink while she was upstairs. Ellie had known that venturing off on her own would allow for Chris to follow and she wasn't at all surprised when she came out of the bathroom and found Chris standing there waiting for her.

"We need to talk," he said.

Ellie bit down on her lower lip, but nodded. She hadn't wanted to have this conversation in Boston, but at least they weren't at his mom's house. She followed Chris into the closest bedroom and sat down on the bench at the end of the bed.

"You've been avoiding me," he stated as he grabbed the chair from the desk and pulled it over so they were sitting face to face.

"You're my boss," she said. "It makes things difficult."

"Ellie, I didn't kiss you because you clean my house," Chris said. "I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. If we're being completely honest, I've wanted to kiss you for a while."

"You have?" Ellie asked, looking up at him with surprise.

"You're hot and you love football," Chris shrugged. "And you're funny as hell. You get along with my family. You don't take my crap. And I'm happy when I'm with you."

Ellie blushed at his words.

"But you've been avoiding me since we had our first kiss," he said. "And you've been really quiet. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"What?" Chris asked, shocked. "Of course not! Ellie, I wouldn't have kissed you if I had a girlfriend. I may have been an asshole in my early days in Hollywood, but I've always been a one woman man." He saw her soften slightly at his words. "I wouldn't do that to you, Ellie, I like you."

"I like you, too," she replied looking up at him. "But that doesn't change the fact that we have very different lives, Chris."

"Let's not worry about that right now," Chris told her. "I mean, we've only kissed once. Maybe we should confirm we have chemistry first."

Ellie bit her lip to keep from correcting him on the number of kisses they'd shared last night. "How do you suggest we do that?" she asked.

Chris scooted his chair forward until his knees were straddling hers. He lifted his hands up to her face and brushed the wispy pieces of hair away from her eyes. Then he brought his mouth to hers.

Fireworks went off in Ellie's head as she wrapped her arms around Chris's neck and welcomed his tongue into her mouth. Her senses were assaulted by the expertise of his kisses, the way he held her and the way he smelled.

When they broke apart, they stared at each other silently, grins on both of their faces. There was no doubt that they had chemistry.

As Chris watched Ellie's face, he saw her grin slip away and she started biting her lower lip again.

"Talk to me," he encouraged.

"You've become one of my best friends," she told him. "What are we doing, Chris? What if something gets messed up? What about my job?"

"First, the fact that you work for me is a separate part of our relationship," Chris told her. "I promise you right now, that you have a job as long as you need it. Second, you're one of my best friends, too, and obviously, I can't promise you that things won't get messed up." He took her hands in his. "There is a risk to everything, but I understand if you don't want to risk it."

"Can we take things slow?"

"We can take things as slowly as you want to," Chris nodded.

"Maybe we should start with kissing," Ellie suggested, a slight flush coloring her cheeks.

"Kissing is good," Chris smiled. "I like kissing. Do we want to stay right here, get on the bed -"

"No bed!" Ellie cut him off. "Slow, remember?"

"Right," Chris nodded as he spotted an empty spot on the wall by the door. "How do you feel about walls?"

"I don't think I've ever been kissed against a wall," Ellie replied.

"Well then, it's your lucky day," Chris stated. Standing up, he put the chair back at the desk and then turned and held his hands out for Ellie. He helped her to her feet and then led her over to the wall. "Push me against the wall."

Ellie giggled but pushed him against the wall. She squealed when he pulled her against him and kissed her. She wrapped her hands around his neck as they kissed and he let his hands rest on her hips.

After a couple minutes, Chris lifted her with ease and spun them around so it was her back against the wall. He licked his lips as he looked down at her.

"I like kissing you, Sarah Elaine," he stated before he captured her lips again.

Ellie sighed against his lips as she felt his hands slide up her torso so they were resting just below her breasts. Pulling back slightly, she met Chris's questioning eyes and gave a small nodding, giving him permission to touch her breasts.

Grinning, Chris leaned forward to kiss her again, but froze when the bedroom door was thrown open.

"We gotta be quick, Qball," they heard a guy say. "They're gonna start the contest -"

"Uh, J," the woman called Qball said, tugging on the leather jacket he wore over a white 'Sex Pistols' t-shirt that was paired with a pair of torn acid wash jeans. "It looks like this room is occupied."

"We've been in here for a while, we'll go," Ellie said to the woman wearing a leather jacket paired with a leopard print crop top, a black leather skirt and torn tights. "His sister is probably looking for us anyway."

"Are you sure?" the woman asked.

"Positively," Ellie nodded, she pushed Chris's solid chest, but he didn't move. Looking up, she saw he was staring at the blond man. "Chris, let's go." This time when she pushed him, he backed up and then allowed her to lead him from the room.

Once the door was closed behind them, Ellie pressed her forehead into Chris's chest and laughed. When he didn't join her, she looked up and saw him staring at the door. "What's up?" she asked him.

"That guy, did he look familiar to you?" he asked.

"I didn't notice," Ellie replied. "Why, do you think you know him?"

"No, I don't think so," Chris said. "But I swear he reminds me of someone."

"Excuse me," a voice from the stairs asked. "Are you two in line for the bathroom?"

"No, sorry," Ellie replied, stepping out of the way for the woman dressed in a pair of black jeans, a red top and wearing a Wonder Woman head band.

"Thank you," the woman replied as she passed them and went into the bathroom.

"We should go downstairs," Ellie told Chris. "Your sister is probably looking for us."

"Yeah," Chris agreed.

As they went downstairs, Ellie kept her eyes out for Shanna and caught her new friend's raised eyebrows when she spotted the two of them.

"You want another drink?" Chris asked as they reached the bottom.

"Sure, but just a Dr Pepper," Ellie told him.

"Alright, I'll be back," Chris replied.

Ellie made her way to where Shanna was standing with Scott.

"I see you two made up," Scott said while a smile played on his lips.

"Uh yeah," Ellie replied as Shanna shoved a compact mirror into her hand. Confused, Ellie opened it and blushed when she saw that her red lipstick was smeared. The two Evans' siblings snickered as she quickly tried to fix the mess, but their snickering grew louder as Chris reached them since his mouth was stained a similar color as Ellie's lipstick.

"You need better lipstick," Chris muttered after Ellie had handed him the little mirror.

"It's your sister's," Ellie replied, sharing a smirk with Shanna.

"You aren't allowed to wear my sister's makeup anymore," Chris stated.

Ellie and Shanna laughed as the host of the party used a bullhorn to get everyone's attention. He announced that it was time for the contest portion of the night. There would be two awards: Best Representation of a Pop Culture icon and Best Nobody Knows Who You Dressed Up As.

The Best Representation of a Pop Culture icon went to a woman dressed as Boo from Monsters Inc. Chris was a finalist and, ultimately, the winner for the Best Nobody Knows Who You Dressed Up As award, which unfortunately, attracted a lot of attention to his being there and meant they didn't stay much longer.

When they got back to Lisa's house, they found her watching a movie with Carly and her husband since the kids were already in bed for the night. Scott, Shanna, Chris and Ellie joined them for the remainder of the movie and then stayed up a little longer.

Finally, when it was just Chris and Ellie left in the living room, she spoke up. "Let's play it cool for the next couple of days."

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"We're still trying to figure this out," Ellie said, motioning between them. "And I know that Scott and Shanna know, but maybe we should wait until we know what we're doing before we tell everyone else."

"That makes sense," Chris nodded. He was actually kind of relieved at her suggestion since she and his mom were good friends. The last thing he needed when trying to figure out the future with Ellie was his mom chiming in her advice, or worse her displeasure, about him dating Ellie.

"I'll see you in the morning," Ellie said standing up.

Knowing he couldn't kiss her, Chris grabbed her hand and kissed it before he let her go upstairs to the guest room.

----

Chris, Ellie and Scott spent her last full day in Massachusetts relaxing around the house with Scott providing Ellie with embarrassing photos, videos and stories about Chris growing up. For each story Scott told, Chris countered with an equally embarrassing story about Scott, which kept Ellie in stitches all day.

Once everyone got home from school and work, pizza was ordered and they all piled onto couches and bean bag chairs in the living room for family movie night. Since it was Ethan's turn to pick the movie, they were all singing along to Tarzan. They called it an early night, after the movie ended, since they were all going into Boston, save for Lisa and baby Stella, to see the Red Sox Championship Parade.

They got up early the next morning and took two cars into Boston. One car headed straight for the parade route to save seats for the others while, Chris, Ellie and Shanna took the other car and went to their aunt's coffee shop to drop off Ellie's luggage since she was leaving right after the parade. They left their car at the coffee shop and walked to the parade location loaded up with goodies from their aunt.

It took Chris, Ellie and Shanna a bit to find the others, but once they did, they squeezed in and shared their treats. When the duck boats that the Red Sox players and organization members were riding on came past their location, Chris and his brother-in-law hoisted Ethan and Miles onto their shoulders and they all chanted along with the fans around them.

They spent hours celebrating with their fellow Red Sox fans before it was time to take Ellie to the airport. She said her goodbyes to Chris's sisters, nephews and brother-in-law, before she, Chris and Scott made the walk back to the car. She sat in the front seat with Chris on the drive to the airport and said goodbye to the brothers at the drop off area. It was weird to be saying goodbye to them, but they were staying back East because Chris was going to be filming (and directing) a movie and Scott didn't have anything lined up for a few months.

As she made her way through the airport, after checking in, Ellie smiled as she mentally relived the past four days. She'd gone to Fenway Park and had seen the Red Sox win the World Series! Not to mention, she and Chris had kissed. Multiple times. She still wasn't sure if it was worth risking their friendship, but she trusted Chris and only time would tell what the future had in store for them.

Episode 11.5

Want to find me off tumblr? I’m @beccatheycallme on twitter. I also post my stories on AO3.

My tag list is always open, just let me know if you’d like to be added!

#chris evans #theycallmebecca #beccaheartschrisevans #theycallmebeccawrites #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans fan fiction #chris and ellie series #chris and ellie #chris evans x ofc #chris evans x original female character

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restmark22-blog · 5 years

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Our Small Bath Reveal! (+ How We Created a Spa-Like Shower System)

This post is in partnership with Lowe’s.

It’s bathroom reveal day, and we couldn’t be more excited! We’re excited to show you, we’re excited to have the last untouched room in our Chicago home completed, and we’re excited to have heated floors. Heated floors! We worked with a team of people to help us get from point A to B… to C to D to Z. Our favorite local designer and contractor got us off and running, and Lowe’s helped us with the tools needed to execute the sweetest little bathroom we could imagine. The entire process took close to 3 months, with the majority of that time being spent fine-tuning the details. (I’m a perpetual fusser.)

Our small bath is located just off of our dining room (we’ll call that Chicago-old-house charm), and it’s the room used by our guests and friends. It was virtually untouched since the day we moved into this home – 6 years ago! – because we couldn’t bear the thought of spending an ounce of energy on a space that functioned so poorly. The toilet was almost 6″ off of the wall, the floor was several inches higher than the adjoining room, the drywall had holes in it(!) and the shower leaked like a sieve. The before-and-afters of this room may be one of our very favorites, so let’s get to it!

Our Small Bath | Before

Our Small Bath | After

A Closer Look | Before

A Closer Look | After!

Perhaps the reason we waited so long to renovate this room was because Scott and I were in disagreement over how we wanted it to function. Initially, I was very against keeping a shower off of the dining room, and I was adamant that a half bath would make much more sense. He disagreed wholeheartedly, saying that a home with two full baths was more valuable, and, well, guess who won? (He was totally right, by the way.)

We struggled with a layout that would allow us to change the shape of the old corner shower, which only furthered my argument that this room was simply too small for a shower. I’ll admit I was being very shortsighted, and now I can’t imagine this room without a shower! Eventually, this will be Lucy’s bathroom, and all of us sharing one shower could’ve created challenges down the line. So we compromised; the shower would stay if we could make the room larger by stealing space from the shared wall of the workshop.

The Shower | Before

The Shower | After

Creating a Spa-Like Shower System

Pushing back that wall changed everything! Essentially, the new floor plan gave us the depth we needed to enlarge the shower, and while we were at it, we also moved the vanity to the same wall as the toilet. This allowed for us to have the shower span the entire back wall, which was an immediate upgrade in scale and possibilities. The transom window is a piece of frosted glass, bringing more light into the bathroom while maintaining privacy.

After landing on the Cassidy line of fixtures from Delta Faucet, the rest of our decisions tumbled into place seamlessly. We initially used the Cassidy faucet in our garden bathroom renovation, and we loved it so much, we knew the same line could have a happy home here, too! Lowe’s offers online and in-store curated collections from some of our favorite bath brands (think: Delta and Kohler), and we loaded up our virtual shopping cart with everything we needed. We purchased every last fixture, plus our Kohler toilet, allen + roth vanity and lighting online, and we had it all shipped to our home for free with our MyLowe’s account. (All items are linked at the bottom of this post for you!)

Tip: Every purchase you make online and in-store saves to your MyLowe’s account, making returns and exchanges super simple. With a whole-room renovation, this became an invaluable resource for us!

We paired our rain shower head + arm with this handheld sprayer, and we had them streamlined with this diverter. The diverter has a thermostatic valve that allows us to keep our favorite temperature set, as well as the option to choose the shower head, the sprayer, or both!

Our glass shower wall and door was custom cut by a local contractor, and in this small room, we wanted to keep things feeling as open as possible. Because of this, we chose a small chrome ball knob (on a door that swings in or out!), and we asked that the glass be taller than the height of the shower arm (our final glass height was 90″). The taller glass keeps most of the steam in the shower, which feels very spa-like and has been such a treat.

The shower curb was fabricated from stone remnants, which was a big cost save. Our contractor gave us the final measurements, and we took those numbers to a fabricator near home and asked if they had marble-like quartz remnants that could work. A few options were given to us, and we fell in love with Noble Grey by Cesarstone quartz option:

We carried the same quartz remnants into our shower niche and wall ledge, and we think it looks so beautiful against the subway tile! The niche placement, long and low, is tucked onto the same wall as our Delta Cassidy fixtures, which conceals it nicely from view when you walk into the room, we think.

Problem Solving the Soffit, Lighting + Vents

Perhaps a photo of the ceiling isn’t exactly expected, but this is a before and after that made a massive impact on our small bathroom. Let me show you where we started and where we ended up, and then I’ll get into those details:

The Ceiling | Before

The Ceiling | After

Our contractor realized that the soffit for our furnace vent could be removed completely, and the vent itself could lay flush on the wall! Hip, hip! With the new layout, we also moved the exhaust fan to the center of the room, and we flanked it with two recessed lights – one for the shower, one for the main area. We also added a sconce above the recessed medicine cabinet, and finally, we couldn’t resist the Jaxson sconce as another pretty detail. Can one room have too many lighting options? We think not.

Note: The Jaxson sconce is currently unavailable, but this one is really similar! We also considered this handsome globe sconce, which is a steal.

Upgrading the Vanity and Toilet

We recently shared the install of our vanity and toilet, and we’ve been so pleased with our choices. The marble-top vanity is solid and beautiful, and it’s especially sweet when topped with our widespread faucet. And because all of our plumbing fixtures are polished chrome, we did a quick swap of the hardware and added these. (The original hardware was stainless, and while nice, this was an easy fix and better suited to our bathroom!) Another trip down memory lane is in order, don’t you think?

Vanity | Before

Vanity | After

We chose this Kohler one piece toilet for it’s sleek lines and smaller footprint, plus, it’s easier to clean! I realize this is a small detail (wait, is there such a thing as a detail too small?), but the flush handle is awfully cute. We like to think that she’s winking at us.

Adding Art + Greenery

We knew that our Libby silhouette would be an adorable addition to this room, especially because Lucy loves her so, so much. It’s a nice contrast on an otherwise empty wall:

Atop the wall ledge, we gathered up fresh greenery and layered them with this small greeting card. (I’m forever using greeting cards as art prints!) Something that Scott and I have vowed to each other, is the promise to allow Lucy to feel. This print is a subtle reminder that, yes, it’s okay.

And see that small bud vase below? That’s an old Pine-Sol bottle that we found hidden in the walls during the demolition phase of this renovation! We soaked off the label, and now it’s a tiny reminder of this journey.

Customizing Tile for a Vintage Feel

The tile in this room has come a long way (baby)! Prior to us, it had been layered so many times that you had to take a physical step up into the bathroom. (If only we had a nickel for every time someone tripped – oops!) We were excited to peel back those layers and create a custom rosette design by mixing these black + white hexagon tiles, and – this is so exciting – we sprung for heated floors! The tile in this bathroom was always so painful in the winter against bare feet, and we can’t wait to test them out this year as the weather starts to cools down.

Flooring + Tile | Before

Flooring + Tile | After

While the floor tile has a vintage look, we opted against traditional subway tile, and instead, we chose this Cloe tile in white. It has a lot of variation, which is impossible to capture in a photograph, and yet it’s so stunning in person! Because there was already a lot of movement in the wall tile, we chose bright white unsanded grout, which we think allows the subtle color pattern to really shine.

Mixing Metals Adds Interest + Warmth

While all of our plumbing fixtures are polished chrome, you know that we can’t resist mixing metals whenever possible! Our wall sconces are a warm brass, and we think it adds a touch of whimsy – especially when paired with the pink board and batten. Because there’s a lot of metal tones in the room, we kept the mirror simple with this frameless recessed cabinet, which almost blends away.

Follow This Renovation from the Beginning!

As a reminder, you can view this (or any room) renovation from start to finish at any time, post by post! In our menu bar, go to ROOM MAKEOVERS, choose OUR CHICAGO HOME (or any of our properties) and then click on the room you’d like more information on. This was a highly requested feature that we hope brings value to this blog, while also providing you with the encouragement to take the next step. And the next one. And the one after that! Renovations take time, and it’s always worth it to cross that finish line.

A huge thank you to Lowe’s for supporting our pink, black and white bathroom vision, and all the virtual hugs from us to you for giving us a boost in the thick of it and cheering us on along the way! Any questions? Leave them in the comments, and we’ll be happy to answer.

Our Bathroom Sources:

Source: https://www.yellowbrickhome.com/our-small-bath-reveal/

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statusreview · 7 years

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#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

We’ve probably all got dual purpose rooms like a mudroom-slash-laundry room, a breakfast-nook-slash-homework-spot, or the ol’ guest-room-slash-office. So today we’re sharing the key to making one space actually work in multiple ways – instead of feeling like it does one thing waaay better than the other. We also chat about a recent attic clutter revelation, and John shares a negotiation technique so covert you might not even know you’re doing it. He also gets a tool he has daydreamed about for years and Sherry’s love of all things woo-woo leads her to try some unusual accessories that claim to help with sleep, allergies, and even happiness.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

We haven’t installed our new Nest thermostats in the beach house yet (maybe tomorrow!) but we got the Nest Thermostat E. We love the new look (white will blend in so much more covertly), and I think the only major lost functionality is the “learning” aspect of the regular Nest Thermostat (we plan to program ours and just change it on the fly via our phones if we need to).

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

And it turns out Joanie Sprague, the former America’s Next Top Model runner-up, has been the host of Run My Renovation on the DIY Network. Guess we need to keep up better with the models-turned-carpenters of the world!

Listener Question

Above is a photo of the craft table we created along one wall of our guest room to add a second function to the room (so it doesn’t sit empty and unused for all those days when nobody is staying in there). The drawers are two Ikea bases (one from the as-is section – with a matching one that we later found on craigslist) and a tiered plywood top that we added ourselves.

Below is the guest “side” of the room. These photos are a little old (they’re from our second book) because when I went to take a current picture I realized it’s full of stuff for the beach house. Oops! But the desk usually only has the sewing machine on it (the other stuff was added to cute it up for the book shot).

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

And as promised, here’s a link to the plastic back-of-door shoe storage thing that Sherry suggested for craft supplies (they also make this mesh one which looks good too). Just picture it packed with craft supplies like washi tape and tubes of acrylic paint and glue sticks – kind of like this.

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

If you’re looking for something we’ve dug in a past episode, but don’t remember which show notes to click into, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from all of our past episodes.

Lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. You can head over to grove.co/YHL to automatically get $20 off your first order of $40 or more AND to get our favorite natural cleaner, Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose Spray, thrown in for free!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy published first on http://ift.tt/2r6hzQy

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endlessarchite · 7 years

Text

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy published first on http://ift.tt/2qxZz2j

0 notes

truereviewpage · 7 years

Text

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy published first on http://ift.tt/2qCHnUt

0 notes

interiorstarweb · 7 years

Text

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy published first on http://ift.tt/2uiWrIt

0 notes

lukerhill · 7 years

Text

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

0 notes

additionallysad · 7 years

Photo

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy http://ift.tt/2wQppk1

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#additionally sad home renovations

0 notes

woodcraftor · 7 years

Text

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy posted first on http://ift.tt/2qOPBf9

0 notes

vincentbnaughton · 7 years

Text

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Lastly, a big thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. You can head over to grove.co/YHLto automatically get $20 off your first order of $40 or more AND to get our favorite natural cleaner, Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose Spray, thrown in for free!

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

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envirotravel · 7 years

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The Travel Trio Reunited in Martha’s Vineyard

We’ve partied in Miami, adventured all over Bonaire, and chilled out in Aruba — our blogging trio gets together whenever we can. But Kristin, Angie and I don’t get to see each other nearly as much as we’d like to, which would ideally be like, oh I don’t know, every day or so. (Which luckily is how often we touch base in our therapy-like group iMessage.)

Last year, I was thrilled to host our crew for a five-night adventure around the East Coast. After one brief but fun night in Boston, we were off to one of my favorite slices of this planet: Martha’s Vineyard.

My mom very generously allows me to host friends whenever we can make it work in the cottage’s hectic summer schedule: in the past, I’ve hosted a girlfriend getaway of my childhood friends from Albany, a couples weekend for two of my friends from Brooklyn, and now, my very own travel blogger bonanza.

Our first stop was my mom’s cottage — of which I’ll be doing a renovation update post soon! — and strolled around the ever-charming town of Oak Bluffs. The girls were ga-ga for all of it, but what really got my heart rate racing was the sight of the freshly renovated Summercamp, formerly known as the Wesley Hotel.

My family knew the Wesley fairly intimately — we used to shower and do laundry there when our only bathroom was being renovated! — and so it was wild to wander through this fresh and fun iteration. I swear, if my family didn’t have a cottage a stone’s throw away, I’d be tempted to move right into this playful and colorful new hotel.

Since I was showing two travel journalists who just love site inspections — industry sarcasm there, folks — I also couldn’t resist showing them Dockside Inn as well, another slightly more budget-friendly option in Oak Bluffs.

We punctuated our lazy day of wandering the town with two great meals at a few of my island favorites: a quick and easy lunch at Slice of Life, and later a fancy dinner at Red Cat Kitchen. Red Cat is one of the few Martha’s Vineyard restaurants that I just can’t go on living without visiting once a summer, but this particular meal was a bit of a letdown. I was miffed by our table placement out on the closed-in porch — turns out I hate three-tops facing a wall with a passion. Self discovery is so important, isn’t it? From now on, I’ll be specifically requesting a table in the main dining room when I make a reservation (and yes, you need a reservation.)

Early the next morning, Kristin and I hopped over to Mansion House in Vineyard Haven for a hilariously showtune-oriented zumba class. I’d been dying to try the fitness classes at Mansion House for ages and having a fellow group exercise addict in town was the perfect excuse. Fellow Vineyard folk, take note — despite being one of the fanciest gyms on the island, the class packages at Mansion House are an insanely good value, include access to the fitness center and pool, and they don’t expire for twenty-four months! I couldn’t wait to see where the rest of my twelve pack would take me.

After scooping Angie up back at the house, we were off. I actually had a very snazzy plan for the day, but it was quickly crumbling. We were running a little behind schedule, so I ditched the new (and slightly out of the way) brunch location in favor of reliable ‘ol Sharky’s Cantina in Edgartown, so that we would still make it to our Chappaquiddick Lighthouse Tour in time.

Except whoops, I kinda screwed that up too — the website had two different times listed for the tour on two different pages on their website, just thirty minutes apart. For some reason the later one stuck until I called to ask some detail about where to park or something and realized my mistake — and that we’d never make it on time at that point. Oops.

So we were on to Plan B, a different lighthouse. Bonus: Sharky’s is delicious, and a lighthouse is a lighthouse. And this one did not require a tour. (Though I’ll get you someday, Chappy Lighthouse! I’ll get you someday!)

Photo courtesy of Kristin Luna

Can you believe I’d never been to Edgartown Lighthouse? No surprise I missed in my childhood visits to the island, however, considering public access was only added in 2007.

After a scenic stroll down the short path from Edgartown’s Harbor View Hotel, Kristin and I happily scrambled up to the top of the lighthouse for a bargain $5 donation to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and a friendly chat with the ticket man, who works in the island’s public school during the year and its lighthouses in the summer.

Photo courtesy of Kristin Luna

After, we wandered around the boutiques, ice cream shops, and cafes of Edgartown and I took the girls for a house-peeping drive through my favorite residential streets. Edgartown is so different from Oak Bluffs, it’s really fun to compare and contrast and brainwash new Vineyard visitors on the superior choice between the two. (Just kidding! Sort of.)

Photo courtesy of Kristin Luna

And then I thought, oh, wouldn’t it be nice to show the girls South Beach? Growing up, South Beach was our go-to stretch of sand, as we always rented houses around Edgartown Great Pond (this was before my mom became an Oak Bluffs resident, of course.)

Of course, this being my major fail of hosting day, the beach was cold, windy, and completely abandoned — the second time I’ve hauled guests to the other side of the island to discover so. Lesson learned, from here on South Beach in a July and August only zone.

Photo courtesy of Kristin Luna

On our way out of town, we stopped for goodies at Black Sheep, an Edgartown favorite for home-cooked grab-and-go meals. I’d arrived on the island with a case of wine for the summer and we decided to tuck into it with dinner at our own dining room table. After, we were joined by my Hawaii friend Caitlin, who I realized via Facebook just so happened to be in town for a wedding, and we hit Circuit Avenue for a hilarious night of dancing at The Trampost, er, The Lampost. (Sorry guys, that joke gets me every. single. time.) I love any nightlife that involves a five minute walk to get to!

Sunday, we woke up relatively early to head to a class at the Yoga Barn. While the gentle fascia-focused yoga wasn’t my favorite class I’ve ever taken, the space is stunning and it was probably a nice transition for our bodies in recovery from the night before. Want more yoga? Check out my list of the island’s best studios!

And then, having ticked off the “health” portion of our Sunday, it was time to move onto the “treat yo’ self” segment! I’d been dying to check out brunch at island darling State Road for ages, and I absolutely loved it. Luckily, so did the girls.

Personally, I preferred it to dinner, though that’s probably for strangely particular only-to-me reasons like I find the lighting too dark at night (honestly, I have a problem) and State Road occupies such a rustically beautiful space I really enjoyed admiring it during the day. Want more food? Check out my list of the island’s best restaurants!

The rest of our day was delightfully low-key. I’d suggested a drive up-island to see the Aquinnah Cliffs and the Menemsha, but it was so overcast and foggy we weren’t sure if it would be worth the trip. Then Angie suggested (slash begged for) another idea — Jane Austen’s Love and Friendship at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center, a limited release movie which she reckoned wouldn’t run in her hometown of Jacksonville.

I have to admit I went completely out of the desire to see my friend happy and be a good host; I personally had no interest in the movie whatsoever. But WOW am I glad we went — I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud so often in a movie theater, and I have a newfound interest in Austen’s works as a result.

Photo courtesy of Kristin Luna

Our next and final morning, I was determined to take the girls to one last impressive meal. And so we headed to Art Cliff, my favorite choice for weekday brunch — it’s a fools errand, unfortunately, to try to go anytime in the summer on a weekend — with a driving tour through East Chop en route.

As usual, it was a treat! The girls and I split several dishes, including blueberry and brown sugar pancakes. I love Artcliff’s twists on traditional breakfast food, as well as their kitschy cute decor.

Photo courtesy of Kristin Luna

And then, in what felt like the blink of an eye, we were headed off the island! Thankfully, it wasn’t goodbye just yet, as we still had one last night together in my hometown of Albany coming up.

This trip, like any time I spend with these girls, was glorious. Granted, I had a bit of hosting guilt over all the things we didn’t do or see. I had planned a gorgeous itinerary, a lot of which fell apart due to weather (it was unseasonably cold and overcast all weekend), planning snafus (I made some oopsies) and all of us craving a bit more down time than expected (understandable). I can only hope I can convince them to come back soon for round two!

Want to see more photos and hear more stories from our trip? Check out Angie’s blog post and Kristin’s blog post for a different take!

What’s your favorite girlfriend getaway destination?

Pin It!

The Travel Trio Reunited in Martha’s Vineyard posted first on http://ift.tt/2k2mjrD

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endlessarchite · 7 years

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#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy published first on http://ift.tt/2qxZz2j

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statusreview · 7 years

Text

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy

What’s New

If you missed our big news last week, you can catch up on last week’s episode (#64) here and check out this “before tour” of our new duplex.

You can also hear about our failed yard sale from a couple of years ago on Episode #56 and see this year’s “yard sale promo photo” that we took the day before the sale above.

You can also read more about why we love our Nest and how easy they are to install. We’ve had the 1st generation one for the last four years and have zero complaints. It saves us lots of money.

What’s Not

Here’s a good rundown of the cast of the Trading Spaces reboot, including a brief bio on the new-to-the-show designers and carpenters.

And here’s how to catch some of our old podcast episodes that feature some of the folks we mentioned (and so shamelessly plugged, ha!):

Sabrina Soto: Episode #2

Vern Yip: Episode #15

Genevieve Gorder: Episode #9

Brian Patrick Flynn: Episode #26

Jenni Pulos: Episode #12

Listener Question

Here’s where you can read about the multi-functional guest room / office / playroom in our first house…

…including the hardworking closet that Sherry described with the bonus shelf for all the bedding (awww, young Burger!)

Also from the first house, here’s the craft storage we put on the back of our hall closet (warning: crappy 2010-era photos ahead!)

We’re Digging

That’s me and my dreamboat cordless leaf blower above. It’s a Kobalt 40-Volt Medium-Duty Blower (I purchased one without the battery though, since I already owned a couple).

My corded blower, if anyone’s wondering, is made by TORO and it’s still going strong – no repairs needed 11 years later! Here’s their most similar current model.

And if you’re looking to jump on the salt lamp train, here’s the set of 2 large lamps Sherry bought (one for our living room and one for the office – seen below).

But if you’d rather go the smaller route we bought these salt lamp nightlights for each of the bedrooms and our kitchen.

Thanks for listening, guys!

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post #65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy appeared first on Young House Love.

#65: When Multi-Purpose Rooms Drive You Multi-Shades Of Crazy published first on http://ift.tt/2r6hzQy

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