#like you have my email and have my text SO TELL ME IN ADVANCE

[rainofaugustsith]

Finally came up with a poll topic! I'm curious because I have run into this a few times recently and I am wondering if it's generational. Please add in the tag if you are a Boomer, GenX, Xennial, Millennial, or GenZ.

#sorry #can't #curious #honestly I hate people expecting me to jump and do things last minute #like you have my email and have my text SO TELL ME IN ADVANCE #And if you don't please don't be surprised if I say because yeah I need advance notice to get ready for stuff

[roosterforme]

Adult Education Part 22 | Hangman x OC

Summary: After visiting Jessica's family in Massachusetts and his family in Texas, it's time to officially finish moving in together. It's also time for Jake to take his girlfriend on a little adventure she has always dreamed about.

Warnings: Fluff, sex in public, language, 18+

Length: 2000 words

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female OC

This story is part of the Beer Boy and Sugar universe but can be read on its own! Adult Education masterlist

Seriously, who let Jake on my masterlist!? Banner by @mak-32

Epilogue Part One

Three months later...

The airport in San Diego was absolutely overrun with business travelers and families on summer vacation. It seemed like there were people rushing in every direction, trying to catch connecting flights or grab their luggage and go. But Jake was in no hurry at all. He'd just left the laidback state of Texas. Tomorrow was Saturday. His girlfriend was on term break.

In fact, he missed his luggage going around the baggage carousel twice because Jessica had her lips pressed to his. "You know," he murmured after the second time, "we would already be home by now if you weren't so damn distracting."

She shook her head. "We have to stop by my apartment on the way and pick up the last few boxes."

Jake smiled. "I know. Then it's official, Baby." Her lease was ending on Monday, and they left those boxes of old textbooks and scientific journals so they could still claim she was going to be moving in, not that she essentially already had. Jake didn't want to make a poor impression on her family, but it turned out he didn't have anything to worry about. And neither did she.

"So Thanksgiving back in Massachusetts and Christmas in Texas," she murmured against his neck as she let her head rest on his shoulder. "We're going to be very busy this year."

"There's no escaping my mom now," he told her. "She's probably already crocheting a Christmas stocking with your name on it. I think she almost evaporated into thin air when she hugged you. Physical proof that her son is dating someone with a PhD who looks like a supermodel nearly took her out."

"Jake," she whined with a laugh. "Supermodels don't wear glasses or read the science joke of the day emails."

"Mine does," he insisted. "There's my bag again. Now can we please go home?"

"Absolutely," she replied as he grabbed his luggage before it could sneak by a third time. "I'm determined to cook an edible dinner one night while I'm off. Plus, I really wanted to spend this week while you're at work organizing all of my stuff at the condo."

He grinned as they exited the airport holding hands. "Actually, you're coming to work with me on Monday."

"I am? For what?"

"Well... that's a bit of a surprise."

---------------------------

Jessica watched Jake stack the three remaining boxes of her things in his arms and carry them out to his truck. She could have only managed to take them one at a time, but he even humored her barrage of questions while he went.

"When are you going to tell me what the surprise is? Will you tell me now? How will I know what to wear to base with you on Monday if you don't tell me what it's for?"

He was silent for the first part of the ride from her old neighborhood as they made their way toward the pacific coast and his condo, and she looked out the window while she tapped her foot anxiously. When he took an unexpected right turn instead of a left, she turned to look at him.

"You really want to know?" he asked, his face just gorgeous in the orange and purple light as the sun finished setting.

"Yes!"

He chuckled. "Well, I thought this would be a fun little celebration of sorts since you found out Brian isn't coming back in the fall. And I think it's something you've been wanting to experience." 

Jessica tipped her head back against the headrest and smiled. Advanced Calculus had texted her when they were at the airport in Boston about to fly to Texas, letting her know Brian took a position at the local community college. She wouldn't even have to look at him when her classes started up again next month. She had been so excited, she and Jake had very awkward but enthusiastic sex in the airplane lavatory as they flew over Pennsylvania. 

When he pulled his truck off the main road and along the bay, Jessica had to hang on as he drove down an unpaved street as the sky darkened. "Where are we going?" she asked, as they bumped along, driving parallel to a tall fence with barbed wire across the top of it.

"I want to show you something," he muttered, coming to a stop between the rocky bay beach and the fence. "There's the hangar, and there's my jet."

Jessica looked to where he was pointing, and she could barely make out HANGMAN printed across the side of one of the aircrafts. "Oh!" she gasped, realizing she'd never even visited him on base before. 

"Come here, and I'll tell you the surprise," he crooned, killing the engine and unbuckling her seatbelt. He coaxed her to his lap and said, "If you want to fly with me on Monday, I got special permission to take you up since you're a physics professor."

"What?!" Jessica's eyes went wide. "Are you serious?"

His smile was soft and genuine as he nodded. "Does that mean you still want to do it?"

"Jake!" She pushed his shoulders back against the seat and shook him slightly as he laughed. "I wrote my PhD thesis on jet propulsion in military aircrafts! Of course I want to fly with you!"

"I know," he drawled as he smirked. "I read your thesis, remember? Barely understood a word, but I did read it."

"Smart Boy," she moaned as she kissed him. "I can't wait for Monday." As she raked her fingers back through his hair, his hands came to rest on her hips. She kissed and nipped at him, pausing to say, "I'm so excited."

When Jessica's tongue slipped between his lips, she rolled her hips against him. He groaned and cupped her butt, guiding her to do it again. He was so obviously hard in his jeans now, and she didn't want to wait until they got home. "Feels like you're excited, too," she said with a grin before she licked his lip.

"Fuck, Jessica. If you're like this today, you'll be a mess on Monday after we actually fly together."

She gasped and nodded. "Oh my god. You're right."

"I know I am, Baby. You'll be dripping wet for me by then."

When she clenched around nothing as his hand snaked up the front of her shirt, she admitted, "I already am." She ground down against his cock and whispered, "You know how we had that quickie the other day way out on your parents property?"

Jake moaned and said, "I'll remember that for the rest of my life. Bending you over the tailgate of my dad's old truck."

"Well," she murmured, licking a stripe from his chin slowly back to his ear. "It's pretty dark now. You could bend me over your own tailgate."

Jake's hand was opening his door before she finished her sentence, and he hauled her back behind his truck. He was a little rough, pulling her against him and making her stumble as he dropped the tailgate down. He kissed her lips and rubbed the front of his jeans against hers before he said, "It'll have to be quick again. Before any of the guards drive by."

"Okay," she agreed, and then Jake had her pinned down from behind as she made a surprised noise. She let her head rest on her folded arms as she turned toward the fence. It was now too dark to see the hangar or any of the jets as Jake reached around and undid the front of her jeans. He yanked them down along with her sage green thong before unzipping his own pants and letting his cock rest against her butt.

"You weren't kidding, Smart Girl," he whispered, teasing her clit and running his finger through her slit. "You're soaked."

The evening air was cool on her bare skin, and when he separated her with his long fingers, she shivered for so many reasons. Then he connected them together, plunging inside her as she cried out.

"Shhh," he warned, and she bit her lip. "Be a good girl. I'll make it fast."

"Oh god," she groaned softly, her whole body bouncing against the tailgate with each of his rapid thrusts. She couldn't stop the little grunts and needy sounds she made for him every time his hips slammed into her butt, but he was moaning her name softly too as he fucked her. 

He just went harder and harder, and Jessica had to hold onto the tailgate with quivering fingers as he hit the spot that made her shake for him. "Jake," she whispered as he leaned down over her back as she came. But he wasn't done yet.

His voice was rough like the gravel beneath her feet. "I love you. I love fucking you. I can't wait to take you home. I can't wait to fly with you." He grabbed her hips and drove himself deep as she continued to clench softly around him, and then he came too. And this time she had to remind him to be quiet.

"Jake, you're so loud," she warned as his thrusting grew shallow. "And I see headlights," she hissed.

"Fuck," he growled, pulling out of her and sending his cum dribbling down the insides of her thighs as she yanked up her underwear and jeans. There was definitely a security vehicle headed past the hangar on some sort of patrol route. "Let's get out of here," he said, pulling her toward the driver's side door. 

Jessica scampered inside, barely making it to the passenger seat before Jake had the engine roaring to life and the truck shifted into reverse. Deftly and with a smile on his face, he reversed back down the bumpy road like it was nothing. "That was a little close," he said as he slowed down before making it back to the pavement.

She bit her lip and said, "What if I said I kind of love tailgate quickies?"

He glanced at her as he slowed at a stop sign. "Well then I would say I'll come up with a list of places we can sneak off to."

Her hand stroked his thigh as she said, "Get to work on that."

-------------------------

The fact that Jake managed to pull this off after weeks and weeks of planning left a smile on his face. On Monday, he watched as Phoenix helped Jessica into a flight suit in the hangar, and then he handed her a helmet. She was grinning at him as she slipped it onto her head. "You look like you're ready to go, Dr. Reed," he said as he fastened it into place for her. 

"I'm so ready, Lieutenant Seresin," she replied, bouncing slightly on her booted feet as she ran her fingers along the HANGMAN patch on his own flight suit. "How many Gs do you think we'll hit? Can we roll upside down?"

"Jesus," he laughed. "Next thing you'll be leaving me in the fall to go to flight school."

She pouted and said, "My eyesight is too poor."

He kissed the tip of her nose before picking up his own helmet. "Not to be a WSO."

"Oh my god, Jake! You're right!"

She asked him a million questions in a row as she followed him across the tarmac, and he could only answer about half of them for her. "Why don't you tell me, Reedy," he finally said as she climbed the first rung of the ladder. "You're way smarter than me."

She turned back and looked at him. "Maybe just a little bit. But you know how to do the one thing I'll never get to do. Actually fly this thing!"

He placed a hand on her waist, giving her a squeeze through the rough fabric. "I just want you to relax and enjoy yourself. I'll try to answer any questions you have when we're in bed later. How does that sound?"

She nodded at him as her eyes went wide. "That actually sounds great. Let's go." She then climbed the ladder in record time, leaving Jake laughing on the tarmac before he followed after her. 

He would be happy to follow her as long as she would let him.

--------------------------

Jessica Reed is just winning so hard now. Fuck off, Brian. One more filthy part of this story to come. Thanks for reading! And thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 23

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[satoruzlove]

hello again! first and foremost, thank you for doing my request 100000x more than what i imagined 🙇🏻‍♀️🫶 AND HERE I AM AGAIN lol i can't help but to imagine many scenarios with Haikyuu boys (courtesy of TikTok)

can i possibly request a scenario of atsumu (and whoever haikyuu boy you could imagine that certainly loves socializing) based on the tiktok trend where the boys are having a night out and they give their s/o food/money/or just something that makes their girl happy just to get their permission & telling them not to call/text/bother/find him for the whole night.

for better reference; https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS8jbW2rg/

- 🫧

my beloved bubble anon, FORGIVE ME FOR TAKING A GAJILLION YEARS WITH THIS. i was trying so hard to imagine writing it the right way around but i couldn’t stop myself from doing it the other way around!!!😭😭 i hope you don’t mind .

DONT TEXT ME, DONT CALL ME .

[ atsumu miya , rintarou suna ]

- one [1] ass slap in tsumu’s,touchiness, atsumu healing my daddy issues one ‘sweetheart’ at a time, rintaro almost strips, ALMOST. very soft angst , rin with an attitude lol-

a. miya !

tonight is your little reunion between your highschool friendgroup. fun, right?

no.

well, when you get there it will be but before you do wont. the reason for this is that your man child boyfriend has a habit of following you everywhere- it was actually the only reason he wanted to know everyone you spend time with. so he can always tag along and be with you 24/7, 365. you love him for it and it’s very endearing how he craves your presence but you couldn’t help but want a little alone time with some people that you’ve made memories with.

your group has been planning this about a month in advance, which gave you a month to decide how you wanted to go about keeping tsumu away. you thought about asking his friends to take him out, sending him to run errands but they all made you feel like you were committing a crime and trying to make sure atsumu stays in the dark about it.

discouraged, you had sat down to wallow in your own stupidity and opened your phone. scrolling through tiktok, you had found a solution to all your problems. a little video , no longer than 20 seconds, was gonna secure your fun night out with friends. said video showed a guy giving his girlfriend food in exchange for her not to call, text, email or even think about him. you reckoned that it would work on your blond lover too.

now you practically skip down the stairs barely able to see your feet because of the sheer amount of food in your hands. you even asked samu to make atsumu’s favorite rice balls and picked them up on your way back from work- safely hiding them in your bag. atsumu finally comes into sight when you reach the kitchen. he’s leaned up against the counter, hair messy and his honey eyes focused on the screen of his phone. he only looks up when you nearly trip- and his eyes widen.

“babe, what the hell-?” he tries, but you simply saunter over to the counter and look him dead in his eyes. first, you put everything down infront of you. “i’m going out with my high school friends and- before you ask i still love you- but i wanna go alone,so” atsumu’s eyes shoot up at the uncharacteristic seriousness in your voice, but he allows you to continue. you put down a bag of mcdonald’s, his favorite order with an extra large fry just how he likes, “ do not text me,” you take a bag of kfc , mainly wings that are extra hot because you know he loves to wash it down with coke,” do not call me,” as you put things down, you can see atsumu’s eyebrows drop and a pout grow on his pretty pink lips. finally you present the rice balls that samu made, and a coke, “ don’t email me, or smoke signal me, or anything. okay?” you finally finish, look up at him hopefully.

his lip is jutted out as he glances down at the items you used to bribe him and back to yours. you nearly start tapping your foot impatiently. atsumu leans down so for once, you two are eye to eye level. “ are ya sure you still love me?” he asks you softly. you think for a moment that he’s kidding, but the pause and loud swallow you hear give him away.immediately, you realise that you’ve screwed up. before you can answer, your boyfriend speaks again. “if you didn’t want me to come you could’a asked me to just.. stay here. i would have. ya didn’t have to go and spend all that time bribing me like i’m a mafia boss or somethin’” atsumu sighs, obviously disheartened and now walking away from you. you go to hold his bicep to stop him, but he easily moves out the way without making it look obvious.

you’re feeling really bad now, the dull look in his eyes eating into your tummy. “ i do still love you, tsum, don’t be dumb. i just,” you paused when he looks at you with a raised brow. he looks like he really couldn’t care less about your excuses right now. “i actually don’t have an excuse, i’m just being dumb,” your voice was small, timid from hoping that your boyfriend isn’t too upset. the last thing on your mind is the buzzing phone in your pocket but it’s the first in atsumu’s.

he turns again, getting a glass of water. “ answer it, go. have fun. just text me if you get drunk off your ass and i’ll come get ya, if ya aren’t sleeping at one of your friends’ places.” atsumu instructed you. you bite your lip in thought.quietly , you go up behind him. he pretends to not notice your presence, the warmth of your skin hovering over his clothed back. his eyes stay trained on his very important glass of water. your arms wrap around him gently at first but when you feel no protest, you get comfortable. he tuts, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth. “ you’re gonna be late, yn. go.” and you nearly cry at him using your first name- but you soon realise that if he did what you had done, you’d be doing a lot worse than calling him a first name.

you inhale. deep, calming, hopeful. “ i’m not going,” you mumbled into his covered flesh. he fights a smile, affection creeping onto his skin. “ why? you seemed pretty interested in it a minute ago? i reckon you should go have fun with your little friends. god knows why ya wanna be here, with me, who you wanted to avoid all night.” as he talks, his tone is more playful , more pouty. you rub a thumb over his tummy, speaking into his back and causing vibrations that seem to warm his soul. “because i realise that i like you more than them and i screwed up,” you say. he nods curtly, eyes shiny with unshed tears that are now going away. “ good. i’m glad you know that.” he says.

your newly free arms are folded as you do your classic awkward smile- waiting for his verdict. “go change. we’re watching mulan.” atsumu tells you. before you walk away, you go closer to him.

“i’m sorry,” you say, tenderly putting a hand on his shoulder. “ i should’ve just asked you like a normal person. i wont do that again, promise.” you know you’re in the clear, his eyes soft and his own hands running up from your hips to your cheeks to hold them. he plants a kiss on your lips, affectionately holding your face until your cheeks squish slightly. “it was funny , kinda,” he mumbles. you huff air out your nose, shaking your head. “barely. i almost made you cry,” you reply. he shrugs. “‘s okay, sweetheart. i forgive ya. i wont crucify my baby just ‘cause ya don’t know how to communicate.” and you laugh at that. he releases your gorgeous face, placing a little slap on your ass. “ go on, get comfy. you got a whooole night of apology cuddles ta give me, lover.”

r. suna !

suna rintaro is apathetic, painfully apathetic.

everyone knows. it’s his resting bitch face, the monotone voice and hooded eyes that make people think that he doesn’t care. for others, it’s true, he doesn’t. when it comes to a news anchor or someone interviewing him he wouldn’t give them any time of his day if he wasn’t forced. he isnt the type to talk without purpose- and until you that purpose was only to tease people, communicate, or pass a sarcastic comment every once and a while.

but to you? suna rintaro was not himself , or what people have ideally plastered together of him in their heads. suna rintaro became rinnie, or rin. the rin who would hold your hands in his when it was cold or rub his cheek against you for fun, rin that kissed your nose and kissed your shoulders after you showered. rin who would lip sync any song he heard in the car to you.

rintarou became a completely different person around you; his walls of steel melting to a puddle and letting you pass. his heart became only for you. something that also changed was how tolerant he became to being around someone, that someone being you. he found himself wanting to be around you always, opting to come with you everywhere and always touching you in some way. no matter how much you writhed or attempted to sway his clinginess it never seemed to ebb away.

that is how you were put into this situation. standing across from him as he lain on your bed- all his favorite food, a new hoodie , and a $100 bill on top of it. he stared at you in absolute disbelief. “ .. so the reason i got you this is because i wanna go to the spa, and no. you cannot come.” you explain to him, tone firm but your heart nearly falling into your ass when he sat up with a bored look on his face. “ are you like,” he starts, picking up the gifts like they were toxic waste- only with two fingers, “ bribing me right now?” he asked. you pondered for a moment, “ basically. i am , yeah.” you reply. he looks up at you, green irises boring into yours as he tries to telepathically say that you’re kidding.

he sighs when he realises that you arent. he gets up, his t shirt draping down his large figure as he collects all the stuff and places it in your arms. “ don’t want it, and let me go shower,” he mumbles, walking past you. you drop the items back onto your shared bed, following him like a lost puppy. the sound of water wafts to your ears as you reach the bathroom, rin now shirtless in front of you. you look at him, confused.

“ showering.. for?” you ponder out loud. he blows air from his nose, pulling his sweat pants down and adjusting the water. your boyfriend, only in boxers, turns to you. “ so we can go to the spa, you silly thing.” he teases , hand coming up to pinch your cheek lovingly. you scoff. “ i just said that you can’t come, rintaro.” and he hisses in faux pain.“full first name? ouch.” your boyfriend jests. before he can hop into the shower, his hands hook around his boxers and-

“rintaro.” you call him sternly and he laughs wholeheartedly. running a hand through his brown hair he’s now inches away from you. “you did say that i can’t come, but you’re wrong. i’m literally getting ready to right now,” he says casually. you poke at his built chest, eyes flitting up beautifully to meet his own. “rintaro i said no, just stay here, you don’t even like the spa,” you were whining now, and his heart squeezed ever so slightly at your childish tone.

“true, i don’ like the spa, but i like you.” he smiles , hands rubbing your shoulders. he places a kiss on your nose, directing you towards the bathroom door. “so, before i get naked infront of you and we both end up staying here, go away.” and before you could protest - he was gone.

#haikyuu #haikyuu !! #haikyuu!! #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x gn reader #haikyuu x male reader #haikyuu x female reader #atsumu miya #atsumu x reader #atsumu fluff #atsumu miya headcanons #atsumu miya scenarios #atsumu scenarios #suna rintarou #suna rintaro #suna x reader #suna rintarou x reader #suna scenarios #suna headcanons #inarazaki #inarazaki x reader

[antianakin]

Anidala and the possibility of Love Bombing

I’ve recently been introduced to the concept of love bombing, a form of emotional abuse that can be experienced in any stage of a relationship but often occurs in the earliest stages and often used by those with narcissistic traits or PD, and I think this might have occurred in the earliest stages of Padme and Anakin’s relationship and continued into the later stages.

To start I would like to say that I am working from an understanding of love bombing based on reading a few articles and learning about one specific case IRL, but applying signs of love bombing to Padme and Anakin’s relationship (mostly focusing on AOTC, because I haven’t rewatched TCW in a while and don’t know which episodes most of the examples that come to mind are from), this is what I’ve come up with.

1.Excessive and overwhelming attention and compliments.

Anakin pretty much showers her with this throughout AOTC, regardless of her boundaries and discomfort.

2. Excessive following of your whereabouts.

As Padme’s bodyguard in AOTC, Anakin has constant access to Padme’s location and her as an individual, which means he can continue putting forward advances regardless of whether she says no or not throughout the early stages of their relationship. Later, although I doubt it was intentionally on his part, he removes her from any authority she had over him by taking him with her to Tatooine and Geonosis, which prevents her from any option of using her position to override his advances and enforce her boundaries.

3. Ignoring your boundaries.

Anakin repeatedly ignores Padme telling him she’s uncomfortable and displaying discomfort at his advances in AOTC. He later disregards her commitment to her work as a senator in TCW.

4. (I’m going to put a bunch together for this one) Intense declarations of love, the giving of extravagant and unnecessary gifts, and emphasising that your relationship is ‘special’.

When they are going into the Geonosis arena, (although Padme initiates it and is the one actively declaring love in this scene) Anakin uses the opportunity to emphasise their relationship as special, saying: “You love me?! I thought we decided not to fall in love. That we would be forced to live a lie. That it would destroy our lives…”.

Which follows on from Anakin’s own declaration of love earlier in the movie, which would be nothing if not overwhelming to be on the receiving end: “From the moment I met you, all those years ago, a day hasn’t gone by when I haven’t thought of you. And now that I’m close to you again, I’m in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you makes my stomach turn over – my mouth goes dry. I feel dizzy. I can’t breathe. I’m haunted by the kiss you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me. What can I do? I will do anything you ask… If you are suffering as much as I am, tell me.”

This kind of long-winded declaration is (from my understanding) actually characteristic of love bombing, although IRL, it takes the form of texts and emails.

In TCW “Hostage Crisis”, he gives Padme his lightsaber, which could be considered an extravagant and unnecessary gift, he does this in order to resolve a disagreement (in which it really seems like he is trying to guilt her into behaving how he wants her to) and essentially declare that his love is more important to him than anything else and that their relationship is so special to him that he’d put his life in her hands.

5. Pressure to commit to a relationship.

Although I don’t think we know if getting married was a mutual decision or not, they did so after an incredibly short time after their reunion and I don’t believe that onset war is a truly justifiable enough reason for such a commitment after such a short period of time. Also, Anakin’s behaviour towards Padme throughout the entirety of AOTC could be considered this.

6. A bizarrely intense and fast paced relationship.

They knew each other for what, a week or two, or less, before getting married? In addition to the multiple love confessions, I think this applies.

7. (Again, a bunch) Being intensely clingy, wanting to know everything about you immediately and telling you their personal details too quickly, and wanting constant validation.

I think the love confession under 4 applies and he arguably ends up oversharing regarding how he views his relationship with Obi-Wan, beginning by praising him before saying: “In some ways- a lot of ways- I’m really ahead of him. I’m ready for the trials, but he feels that I’m too unpredictable. He won’t let me move on.” and “He’s overly critical. He never listens. He- He doesn’t understand. It’s not fair!” Throughout this, I think his tone grows rather petulant and he seems to be looking for Padme’s validation of this view. Immediately afterwards he disregards Padme’s request that he not look at her in a way that she says makes her uncomfortable.

8. The love bomber lashing out when criticised and not taking responsibilities for previous relationships.

A platonic example: After Shmi’s death, Padme witness’ Anakin lashing out in response to his perception that: “It’s all Obi-Wan’s fault! He’s jealous! He’s holding me back!”, which builds on his earlier conversation with Padme, and is followed by the rather terrifying declaration of committing mass murder. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if the idea of criticising Anakin got linked to the idea of extreme violence for Padme, even if subconsciously. But, back to the point, Anakin places all the blame on Obi-Wan, refusing to acknowledge any fault of his own in the process.

9. Saying the “right things”.

Not a perfect example of this, but in TCW “Hostage Crisis” Anakin resolves a disagreement over Padme prioritising her work by leading her through a specific thought process:

Padme: “Hey, I’m supposed to be on a meditative retreat. We should go away together. I know a place far away from here where no one would recognize us. Yeah, it’ll be like we’re actually husband and wife instead of senator and Jedi.”

Padme: “I–I can’t, Ani.”

Anakin: “What do you mean, you can’t? Oh, it’s only two weeks. We’ll be back before anyone even notices we’re gone.”

Padme: “I have to bring this bill before the senate. It’s important.”

Anakin: “Uh-huh. More important than the way you feel about me?”

Padme: “Not more important, but important. The work I do–the work we both do is in the service of the Republic, to protect those who would otherwise be powerless to protect themselves.”

Anakin: “Of course. But those are ideals. Isn’t our love more important to you?”

Padme: “But I-”

Anakin: “No. No, but. To me, there’s nothing more important than the way I feel about you. Nothing.”

Padme: “Anakin, don’t be so-”

Anakin: “Oh, you don’t believe me.”

Padme: “I didn’t say I-”

Anakin: “I’ll prove it. Just watch. [Pulls out his lightsaber] When I finished constructing my lightsaber, Obi-Wan said to me, “Anakin, this weapon is your life.” This weapon is my life.”

Padme: “No, Anakin, I can’t. A Jedi lightsaber is- Wow, it’s heavier than I thought.”

Anakin: “It’s yours. Believe me now?”

Padme: “If all you, want to do is make fun of me, I think you should just go.”

Anakin: “That’s not what I want. Not at all.”

Then they kiss.

This strikes me as an incredibly manipulative conversation, in which Anakin is aiming to behave in a way that ultimately controls Padme’s reactions throughout the conversation and is both unrealistic and ultimately hollow (Anakin will need to take his lightsaber back, and the gifting of it proves to be detrimental to the later situation).

10. Showing extreme jealousy when you’re with someone else.

The Clovis situation.

I’m not trying to disregard Padme’s agency in the relationship, she does seem to reciprocate to some extent, but I’m just wondering how much of that agency is actually hers.

I’d like to know your thoughts on this if you’re willing to slog through all of this, it sort of got away from me.

@nyx987

I’m really hesitant to apply specific terms like this to characters in Star Wars, I’ve seen certain terms get thrown about in fandom specifically around Anakin and his behavior and the ways that those discussions can get really gnarly. I am not a psychiatrist, I’ve never studied psychology by any stretch of the imagination, so I’m not inclined to apply things like this to Star Wars unless it was specifically discussed in text or by someone like Lucas as something he had in mind when writing it (for example, the idea of attachment and the way Lucas specifically uses it and how THAT applies to Padme and Anakin’s relationship).

When I discuss this relationship and the reasons I think it’s bad, I try to go for things like “unhealthy” that are a bit more vague and don’t necessarily refer to a specific diagnosis. I talk about how selfishness and greed come up in the relationship because those are words Lucas used to describe Anakin. I talk sometimes about how sexism impacts the relationship both from a meta standpoint (everything in AOTC relies on the trope of “when a woman says no she actually means yes”) and an in-universe standpoint (Anakin demanding obedience from Padme as his wife seems relatively intentional as something the audience is intended to view as BAD).

I have used the term abusive before, but I have also seen people push back on that (up until he’s literally choking her, obviously), so I’m trying to stay away from that one these days. I’d maintain that it is a fundamentally dysfunctional and unhealthy relationship for BOTH of them, I think they’re BOTH making selfish choices here and that this relationship brings out the worst of both of them, but that’s as far as I’m currently comfortable taking it.

So, I dunno, MAYBE Anakin is an example of love bombing, but I can hardly consider myself any kind of expert or authority on the subject enough to say one way or the other.

#submission #anti anidala #anidala critical #anakin critical #anti anakin #anakin skywalker critical #anti anakin skywalker #padme amidala #love bombing

[noa-nightingale]

✨ Gay Oars Project 2024 ✨

I am bringing it back! :D

I started the Gay Oars Project in 2021, continued in 2022 and had to take a break in 2023 for mental health reasons. Now here is the updated version.

What is the Gay Oars Donation Project?

It used to be this: People requested fan art from me, and in exchange donated some money to one of two GoFundMes.

I like drawing but I am always and forever a word person first. So, this time, instead of art, there will be short stories and poems! <3

What do you write?

Anything Watcher and Buzzfeed Unsolved. I specialize in puppets and anthropomorphic foodstuff but I will accept other requests too. Keep it clean, though!

Where are the donations going to and how much do I donate?

Like last time, these are the options:

Tonya Kay’s GoFundMe

GoFundMe for @queerunsolved​‘s mom

You decide how much you want to donate. I am okay with any amount and I won’t judge you for donating a small amount. This is completely up to you.

BUT! If you have another person or charity in mind, please tell me!

How will you know that I really donated?

I would like to think of this as a gentlemen’s agreement, so to speak. I don’t want to ask for excessive proof. When you get a confirmation email for your donation (or similar), a screenshot will be okay (with your personal info blocked out, of course). I really don’t want to make this more complicated than it needs to be.

Is there a minimum age I have to be?

Apologies in advance but you have to be at least 18.

Text first or donation first?

Please don’t donate right away! I probably won’t be able to tell you exactly how long I will take with writing your request - I don’t want anyone to donate and then have to wait for their text/poem.

I will let you know when it is is done, please don’t donate beforehand.

What happens with the text?

I will post it on my tumblr, and you will have permission to re-post it on your own social media (with credit!). Other people do not have permission to re-post it.

Why are you doing this?

I want to help people, and I can’t give a lot of money on my own. The idea here is that we come together to support others.

If you have questions, ask me! I want to keep this as barrier-free and informal as possible. I am not a professional and this is not meant to be a big scary thing, just a little project to help some people out.

Here are some examples of my work:

Gay Oars Poem

Gay Oars Haiku

We're Meant to Be

Gay Oars Fanfiction

But wait! There is more!

I have told Team Watcher about the Gay Oars Project via their p.o. box - I am fairly certain that at least Shane is aware of the project. At the end of the year, I will compile a list of people who participated and send it to the p.o. box again. So here's your chance to be on that list! (Or to tell me not to put you on that list because you don't want to be perceived lol.)

Thanks for reading. Reblogs are very appreciated! 💖

#watcher #shane madej #gay oars #puppet history #gay oars project #we are watcher #ryan bergara #hot daga #steven lim #gay oars project 2.0

[aerodaltonimperial]

share some personal lore you never posted about before

is this, like, lore about me??? i can't tell from the original post so we are going for it and if you didn't actually want to know about me I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE what could i share that's lore-worthy lmao...

back in 2007, i dated a famous cosplayer. if you were anywhere on the scene at that point, you knew who he was. he was on the cover of, like, cosplay magazines. hosted shit at conventions. and he broke up with me by completely ghosting me on the RSVP for a friend's wedding and never answering another phone/text/message again. IT WAS VERY HORRIBLE LMAO.

the first summer i was in japan, my sister was in osaka (i was in tokyo). i went down to visit her for a week, and did a solo hike in the middle of july with no smartphone. the heat index was like 115 degrees. i was climbing up ROCKS. i did NOT have enough water. i got to the top and promptly ran into an entire nest of murder hornets (suzumebachi). you need to know that these fucking hornets kill more people in japan every year than anything else lmao. i was so fucking PANICKED that i was going to DIE alone on this mountain in osaka that i SPRINTED THE ENTIRE WAY DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, followed some random people to the station, and promptly collapsed with heat stroke once i was back.

uh.... i was accepted into the university of pennsylvania graduate school of education (ivy league, one of the best education grad schools in the country) and didn't get offered enough financial aid to go, so turned down the offer of a spot in the program. however, i saved and printed my acceptance email so i could always remember that i had gotten in!

that's the three genres of lore about me - gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss hahahaha

[weepingfromacedartree]

Ten Milestones (Interlude): Voicemails

Hi friends!

Another interlude chapter is ready for ya. It's quite different than our standard chapters, so... enjoy :)

Two quick notes:

1. This interlude spans the first five-ish years of Colin’s travels abroad. It starts after the events of Chapter 5 and will lead directly into next chapter.

2. Anytime “…” appears between paragraphs, it’s to indicate that the speaker is pausing for a few seconds.

June 9th, 2015 - 3:23 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey! I wanted to call and make sure you landed safely. But I, uh —

[Laughter.]

I think I got the timing wrong. I think you’re still in the air. So just call me back whenever you do land.

…

I still can’t believe you’re really doing this. I mean —

[Nervous laughter.]

Obviously, I can believe it. I just — I can’t wait to hear all about it. 

Bye, Colin. 

~~~~~~~~~~

June 29th, 2015 - 7:07 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I just emailed you a few pictures, but um —

[Laughter.]

Did you know there are like a million stray cats roaming around Athens? I swear, there’s at least one on every corner, popping his head out looking for food or attention. But I was just going for a run and — I swear to god — I saw the reincarnation of Mr. Whiskers pissing on an olive tree. This tiny grey fur ball looked up at me and —

…

Wait. Is Mr. Whiskers dead? He would be like twelve now, right? I —

…

Well… In the case that he’s still alive, I think I just saw his long lost Greek cousin. Professor Whiskers, maybe.

[Laughter.]

Alright, Pen. Talk soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

August 27th, 2015 - 2:13 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. Just saw your text. Yes, I landed safely. Yes, Madrid is beautiful. No, I have yet to try the paella — but I promise you’ll be the first to receive my review. 

[Laughter.]

I’ll call you later once I get a bit more settled. Bye Pen. 

~~~~~~~~~~

October 18th, 2015 - 9:20 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey. I just finished reading over the Italy piece. It was good. Like, really good… But perhaps one too many cheese puns? 

…

Anyway… Call me back when you have the chance. You still haven’t told me about Caffè Florian. [Laughter.] Do they even stock enough sugar for your tea? 

…

Okay, well… Goodnight Colin. 

~~~~~~~~~~

November 23rd, 2015 - 7:39 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. 

Sorry. I know it’s early. But I also know today is gonna be shit so, uh…

…

Call me later, if you can. 

~~~~~~~~~~

December 16th, 2015 - 10:01 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I’m calling from Paris and —

I don’t know why I said that. [Laughter.] Obviously you know I’m in Paris. But, I — I was just watching the tower light up and I had a sudden memory of you telling me you wanted to come here once and I…

…

I could be misremembering. [Faint laughter.] It was a while ago, I think. But I think you’d like it here. I’ll tell you all about it at that surprise Welcome Home/Birthday/Christmas Eve Party that I know absolutely nothing about. 

Night, Pen. See you soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

February 14th, 2016 - 9:27 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I hate to admit it, but I am only just now realising that time zones exist and that if it’s 9:30 in New York, it’s…

…

Shit. 2:30 in London.

I apologise for ringing you in the middle of the night —

Actually — no I don’t. If I recall correctly, you’re up writing or reading or procrastinating until at least 3 AM every night anyway. Please call me back ASAP with your own apology for dodging this very important phone call. 

~~~~~~~~~~

April 7th, 2016 - 8:08 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I’m on the train heading into Chicago. My computer just died, so I apologise in advance for the stream of consciousness bullshit I’m about to leave for you in this message. But, um…

There’s something about being on this train that has me thinking about travel and distance and —

Good god, this already sounds corny. Sorry. Bear with me a moment. 

…

It wasn’t until I landed in New York that I realised just how far away from home I was. I looked it up, and the city was about five and a half thousand kilometres away from London. I mean — god. I remember being at Eton and thinking 35 kilometres was an insane distance. 

In January, New York was the furthest place I had ever been from home. Then I went to Toronto, and that became the furthest place I had ever been from home. Now I’m heading into Chicago and —

I don’t know. There’s something about being on a train that’s making me hyper-aware of just how fast I’m hurdling forward. How, every second, I’m travelling even further and further away from the pinpoint where I’ll always measure my distances from. I —

[Tired laughter.]

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, honestly. Nonetheless, thank you for lending me your future ear — assuming you actually made it this far. I —

…

Oh — I see the city up ahead. Once I get to my hotel, perhaps I can try to turn this bullshit into something a bit less corny. 

I’ll call you tomorrow. Night, Pen. 

~~~~~~~~~~

June 6th, 2016 - 6:15 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. 

Guess who’s flight just took off without him? I know — shocking, coming from such an experienced traveller such as myself. But my connecting flight was delayed so I really can’t take any of the blame.

…

Anyway… I’m stuck in Terminal E of Logan International, where I’ll likely be spending the next several hours dying from boredom and eating as many bags of crisps as I can get my hands on. If you aren’t too busy, maybe you can call me back and help with the boredom bit. 

Talk soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

August 7th, 2016 - 12:49 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hi! I was just looking at your pictures from Cyprus and I —

[Distant clap of thunder.]

Oh. [Laughter.] I was wondering what it’s like to be in beautiful, sunny weather in the middle of the summer. Must be devastating. 

~~~~~~~~~~

September 21st, 2016 - 8:30 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I was just reading back your notes on my piece and I’m a little confused about the last one. 

What the fuck does “too many food puns” mean? The only reason I came to Hungary was to capitalise on its pun potential. 

Please call me back ASAP so we can get this sorted.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 24th, 2016 - 12:02 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. 

Sorry, I know it’s late. But I’m also waiting around doing absolutely nothing, so I thought I would check in. 

I’m still in Sweden. But we’ll, uh — we’ll probably take off in the morning once the snow lets up. I —

…

I can’t believe it’s been six months since I’ve seen you. Since I’ve seen anyone at home. I’m a little worried that I’ll get home tomorrow and find that Greg now towers over me. Hyacinth called me last week just to complain about his latest growth spurt, so…

… 

Oh shit. Sorry — I knew it was late, but I didn’t realise it's already midnight. 

Merry Christmas Eve, then. I suppose it’s still technically the 23rd in London — but I suppose that doesn’t matter much when it comes to voicemails. 

I feel like there’s another commemoration on this date that I’m forgetting. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but it’s so late and I’m just so bloody tired…

…

Oh well. It’ll come back to me. 

Night, Pen. See you soon.  

~~~~~~~~~~

May 3rd, 2017 - 11:50 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. Sorry. I didn’t realise how late it was. I —

…

Did you know that you can’t sink in the Dead Sea? The water is so dense with salt that your body will just pop up if you try to go under. You could try your absolute hardest to sink to the bottom, and it just wouldn’t let you. 

I think there’s a metaphor in there somewhere. But it’s also very late and I just spent half the night staring at a Word doc and I’m starting to lose my ability to process complex thought. 

…

Fuck it. I’m sending you the first draft now. It’s shit, but if you’re not too busy tomorrow, maybe you can send me your thoughts. And prayers.

…

Alright. Night Pen. 

~~~~~~~~~~

August 24th, 2017 - 10:17 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey! Um… 

Daphne wanted me to call and remind you all not to get the groom too drunk the night before his wedding. Fair warning: if you don’t call me back within five minutes to confirm that Simon is still standing upright, she’s prepared to send Eloise in to break up the party. 

~~~~~~~~~~

October 10th, 2017 - 7:54 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. Just calling ‘cause I wanted to ask if you’ve ever tried pickle soup. It sounds kind of strange but —

[Slurp.]

Good god. It’s bloody delicious. Absolutely recommend. 

[Slurp.]

Talk soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

December 31st, 2017 - 10:58 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. At the risk of sounding extremely needy… 

You’re still coming tonight, right? God knows who invited her, but Cressida Cowper is here and she keeps handing me tequila shots and I really don’t —

…

Oh shit! There you a—

~~~~~~~~~~

January 19th, 2018 - 2:30 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hi! Just wanted to call and see how Sydney’s treating you so far. Is it weird to be experiencing summer in the middle of January? 

[Laughter.] 

Anyway… Call me back when you have the chance. 

~~~~~~~~~~

April 20th, 2018 - 5:58 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey! Good news — the baby’s here! In worse, but also extremely funny news…

Apparently El walked in while Daphne was pushing. Mum said her face literally went white before doubling over onto the floor. I —

…

Actually, I should probably go and check on her. I think they’re treating her for a concussion as we speak. 

See you soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

May 24th, 2018 - 4:44 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey! Sorry — can you call me back when you have the chance? I know we’re supposed to get lunch tomorrow, but Danbury just called and asked if I could come in tomorrow about the columnist position and I know we already had to postpone, but I’m worried I —

[Sigh.]

Sorry. 

[Nervous laughter.] 

I’m rambling. Call me back so we can discuss.

~~~~~~~~~~

June 25th, 2018 - 6:21 PM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Just wanted to call and see how your first day on the job was. And, of course, to complain about having to travel by myself again. I almost forgot how bloody boring these layovers can be without someone there to complain about them with. 

[Faint laughter.] 

In person, I mean. 

…

Anyway, call me when you’re free. I can’t wait to, uh — 

[Cough.]

To hear about your day. Talk soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

August 22nd, 2018 - 9:09 PM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Just calling because, uh — 

Because I wanted to say hi, really. 

…

Venice is good. It’s quite nice, this time of year. The weather’s starting to cool a bit. The water is calm. The food is the best in the world — but that’s not really time sensitive. 

…

I really cannot stress this enough. I believe it to be a great tragedy that you have yet to eat real Italian pasta. I know you’re extremely busy with work, but if you happen to have a free weekend over the next few weeks, the door is always open. 

…

Alright. Night, Pen.

~~~~~~~~~~

September 21st, 2018 - 11:51 PM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Sorry for the late call. But I, uh —

[Faint laughter.]

I forgot how warm it is in Greece this time of year. I’m currently sitting by a river at midnight and it’s actually quite pleasant. Disturbingly so, if you ask me. 

There are a few dozen other people here enjoying the weather — smoking and talking and wearing sandals, or all things. I can’t imagine anyone wearing sandals in London tonight. 

…

There’s a lot I’ve forgotten about Greece. Like the cats. It’s insane, Pen. I can see three right now without even having to turn my head. I —

…

It’s just strange. I stayed here for nearly three months. That was three years ago, but still… Nothing fundamental has changed during that time. And yet…

…

And yet it feels unfamiliar to me now. But I suppose that has more to do with me — and perhaps time — than the country itself. 

…

God. I sound like somebody’s grandfather. I think that’s my cue to head back to my hotel.

Night, Pen. Talk soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

December 19th, 2018 - 11:12 PM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Sorry — I know it’s late. 

I just sent you the first draft of my piece and…

I don’t know. There’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. I tried to weave it into the story, but my readers don’t come to me for Bridgerton family history lessons, so —

[Laughter.]

Suffice to say, I left it out. 

But I don’t know. I just — I keep thinking about it.

…

Did you know my grandfather was stationed here at the end of World War II? He came here in ‘44, about a year before it all went shit for the Germans. And when it did, he was given the option to leave Vienna and immediately return to London. At the time, he hadn’t been home — hadn’t seen my gran — in over three years. They wrote hundreds of letters to each other during that time — all of which are stashed in a box at Aubrey Hall, in case you were wondering. But anyway…

When the war ended, as much as my grandfather wanted to go home and see my gran’s face again, he wrote to her and asked if she would be willing to wait a little while longer. If she could stand it if he stayed here. If he remained in Vienna while the allied forces first occupied the city — to continue carrying out his duty. 

She said yes. He stayed here another two years. He arrived back on English shores on April 6th, 1947. Two days later, they got married. They did at a courthouse, just the two of them together. Like they were the last two people in the world. 

…

I, uh — I didn’t piece this all together through the letters alone. My dad actually told me about it a few weeks before he died. I remember asking him why granddad stayed in Vienna for so long after the war technically ended. How he could stand to stay away from the woman he seemed so desperate to return to.

I remember my dad telling me: “There are times when duty surmounts passion.” Which I didn’t understand. Mainly because I was eight and had no fucking clue what the word “surmounts” meant, but…

Now, I understand what he was trying to say. That duty and passion are separate. That my grandfather’s duty lied in war, while his passion lied with his love. That his duty went beyond his required deployment period. That he stayed in Vienna those extra two years because that’s what he felt was right, even if he would have preferred to go home and be with the love of his life. 

Now, I —

…

I think my dad was wrong. He described my grandfather’s duty to his country as passionless — as if it was something he had to do when he wanted to be elsewhere. But I’ve read my grandfather’s journals from that time, and he never wrote about his life like he was carrying the weight of the world on his back. He may have been homesick and distressed at times — it was a bloody war, for god’s sake. But he — he was also proud of what he was doing. He was fulfilled. He was not drowning in a lack of passion. 

I think we —

[Cough.]

I think some people, at least, have multiple passions. Passions that are at war with one another. That make it impossible to achieve everything we want all at once. Some that beg us to go home, some that beg us to stay. 

I think my grandfather made a choice. I think he chose one passion for a while, and one forever. I think he knew that once they married, he wouldn’t be able to bear living without my nan ever again. 

…

[Awkward laughter.]

I guess he was lucky that she was willing to wait for him.

…

[Sigh.]

Well… I believe I’ve taken up enough of your time. If you somehow managed to listen all the way to the end, I sincerely apologise for the rambling. I promise I’ll wait until Sunday to share the rest of my travel epiphanies with you. 

Take care, Pen.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 20th, 2018 - 12:11 AM

To: colin 🤡 

From: pen 💛

I always listen until the end. 

I’ll see you on Sunday. Goodnight, Colin. 

~~~~~~~~~~

January 31st, 2019 - 3:45 PM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

You know, Pen, I’m starting to suspect that you purposely ‘miss’ my calls just so you can listen back to these wonderful voice messages whenever it pleases you. And while I can understand your desire to have these recordings stashed away forever, I would selfishly prefer some actual back-and-forth between us. 

I’m currently sitting outside one of the seven wonders of the world. Call me back and I’ll tell you all about it.

~~~~~~~~~~

March 21st, 2019 - 5:17 PM

To: colin 🤡 

From: pen 💛

Hey! Thank you so much for your insights on my story. Danbury loved it. 

Call me back when you have the chance. Thanks again!

~~~~~~~~~~

April 29th, 2019 - 7:57 PM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Just wanted to give you a head’s up that I just sent you a draft and it’s absolute bollocks. If you can manage to turn it into something vaguely readable, I will literally fly you out here just to say thanks. And I know how much you love Thai food. 

~~~~~~~~~~

June 29th, 2019 - 10:20 PM

To: colin 🤡 

From: pen 💛

Hey! Sorry, I just saw that you called! And I am now remembering that you’re in Dubai and probably — hopefully — fast asleep by now so…

[Laughter.]

…

[Indecipherable noise.]

We’re, uh — We’re still out for Kate’s birthday. We’re on our way to karaoke, actually.

[Laughter.]

Thank god El is here, or else I would be worried about being the worst singer in the pub. I —

[Indecipherable noise.]

Sorry! I have to go. Call me when we’re both awake. 

Lo—

[Cough.]

Um… Goodnight!

~~~~~~~~~~

October 18th, 2019 - 8:08 PM

To: colin 🤡 

From: pen 💛

Did you really just send me an SOS text from Los Angeles? I admire your creativity, but this is not how you convince someone to drop everything and take an impromptu holiday with you. 

…

In the event that you are in an actual emergency, please contact the proper authorities. I appreciate your commitment to the bit, but I ask that you please not sacrifice your life for it. 

~~~~~~~~~~

December 9th, 2019 - 8:30 AM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen.

I just finished reading your new column. Phenomenal, as always… But how the hell did you manage to sneak a pun in there? I thought Danbury had a strict policy against “superfluous literary devices.”

However you managed it… Congratulations. I couldn’t be prouder. 

~~~~~~~~~~

December 19th, 2019 - 4:41 PM

To: colin 🤡 

From: pen 💛

Hey! I had a work thing tonight but it just got cancelled. Any chance you want to meet at Mondrich’s? 

Let me know. I’ll, um, hopefully see you soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

January 29th, 2020 - 9:22 PM

To: pen 💛 

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. 

…

You’re the closest thing I have to a manager, right? In your professional opinion…

Would it be crazy to bail on this trip early? Give myself, uh… 48 hours to go home and grab some proper fish and chips. See Auggie and Blair. See mum. See you — obviously. London isn’t the most logical pit stop between Berlin and Prague but…

…

Yeah — you know what? It was a dumb idea. I’ve got plenty of those, so… 

Call me back when you’re not too busy. Maybe I can share some more. 

~~~~~~~~~~

February 14th, 2020 - 10:00 AM

To: colin 🤡 

From: pen 💛

Good morning!

Is it still morning in Prague? I —

[Faint laughter.]

I suppose that doesn’t matter much when it comes to voicemails. I, um — 

I’m doing some research on old churches. Which — don’t ask. But I’m currently sitting on the steps outside St. Bride’s Church. I don’t know if you’d recognise it, but it’s the one downtown that, um —

[Laughter.]

The one that looks like a wedding cake. 

I think you’d like it. And not just because of its food-shaped exterior. 

It’s actually considered a church for writers. And for publishers. It got that reputation back in the 17th century, when the publishing industry was booming here on Fleet Street. But, regardless of all that…

It’s really quite an interesting building. I can see why it’s attracted and inspired so many great writers over the years. 

Maybe we can check it out the next time you’re in town. Which is…

God. June, I think? 

…

Anyway… I’m still at the very beginning stages of my research, so I barely know what it is I want to write about yet. But one thing that’s stuck out to me so far is how old these buildings feel. How the architecture, the acoustics, the artwork, the — 

…

Honestly? I’m not sure exactly what does it, but something makes these buildings feel as though they’ve stood here forever. This particular church has only been here about 350 years. But still… You feel all that time when you walk through its halls. 

It’s a good reminder, I think. To know how long things last. 

…

Wow. So this is how it feels to be on the other side of these long, rambling, stream of consciousness voicemails. 

[Faint laughter.]

Bye, Colin. Thank you for lending me your future ear. 

~~~~~~~~~~

March 11th, 2020 - 5:55 PM

To: colin 🤡 

From: pen 💛

Hi! I just got off my train. I assume you’re still in the air, so just text me whenever you land. 

Hopefully the airport wasn’t too chaotic, but um…

…

I’ll meet you at the hotel. I — 

I can’t wait to see you. 

#bridgerton #polin #fanfiction #weepingfromacedartree #fanfic #ao3 #ten milestones #penelope x colin #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton

[deanmarywinchester]

sorry for new yorkposting. anyway please see this real actual the intercept interview with bill de blasio on the subject of him dropping a groundhog to its death.

[image description: a screenshot of an emailed interview. text reads: ‘On a lighter but more tragic note, do you have any regrets about dropping the groundhog in 2014?

Yeah. 100 percent. I'm like, "Don't make me hold a fucking groundhog." I mean, what the hell? Let me tell you exactly what happened.

Please.

I go there and it's seven in the morning, which means my motor skills are not at their best. I put on these gloves, and they're like, "Here's a groundhog," I'm like, "What the fuck?" I'm like, "Don't you have a little more coaching to go with this or whatever?" It was idiocy. Why would you want an elected official to hold a groundhog? I don't know anything about holding groundhogs. So the whole thing is just insane. There's an original sin here. Don't hand someone a groundhog, right?

That sounds like the name of a children's book.

Only trained groundhog holders. And do you squeeze it really tight? I mean, what do you do? So I'm like, talk about a lack of advance work.’ end image description]

#I’m like don’t make me hold a fucking groundhog #why is the word groundhog inherently comedic. bill murray comedy ass city #my posts #nyc tag #sorry for weird formatting the intercept is paywalled so I was emailed this interview #cw animal death #? like I guess idk if ppl need that tagged

[harrygoeswest]

Trigger Warnings: sweary sweary language, bullying

Word count: 12,550

Chapters seven & eight

nine

“You know, that woman is so delusional sometimes.”

I looked at Geri, and then followed her gaze towards Lorraine who was ushering children into the hut for the start of the late kid’s club.

I grunted. “I can think of many, many more words than delusional to describe her.”

“Does one begin with a ‘C’ and end in a ‘T’?”

“Number one on the list actually.”

Geri sniggered. “I thought so.”

“She’s just rude and entitled and needs a smack round the face.”

“Violence is never the answer, Floss.” She teased, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“It should be.”

We watched as Lorraine made her way over to the car park from the hut, me with a much more unwelcoming demeanour than Geri. She kept her distance from me, as she should, but she made such a big deal out of it, feigning a look of terror in order to gain some sympathy from the other parents. I couldn’t tell you what she needed sympathy for, but I’m sure she was going to make it about the little explosion I had the week after Easter.

Debbie rubbed her shoulder as Lorraine passed her by, and everyone kept asking her if she was okay.

“You’ve got to be joking me.” I scoffed.

“You gotta give it to her - she puts on a good show.” Geri muttered, still watching her.

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I know you haven’t. She’s up to something.”

Lorraine made it to her car and rummaged around inside the boot for a moment, but quickly locked it back up. Then she started walking towards us.

“Oh no,” Geri said, barely audible.

I squared my shoulders. I didn’t know what she wanted but I was ready for whatever nonsense she was about to come out with.

“Florence,” She started, holding a piece of paper in her hand. She was facing away from the other parents now, so her expression was completely different from the look of terror she’d been acting on seconds before. “This is your final bill.”

My brows furrowed. “What?”

“The final payment you owe me for the morning child care.”

I narrowed my gaze. I knew I was all paid up. I paid in advance, not post-term and I always had done. “I don’t think so.”

She was glaring at me. “I think I know how much you’ve paid, Florence. And it’s not enough.”

“Are you seriously trying to embarrass me in front of the other parents?”

“Not at all, it never even crossed my mind.” Her voice and her face didn’t match.

“Really?” I retorted. “This isn’t just a big show to get the other parents on side and make you feel better about yourself?”

“You sound ridiculous, Florence. How else am I supposed to tell you?”

“In an email? Or on the phone, in a text, literally any other way.”

“I like to tell people in person.” She shrugged.

I snatched the bill from her. “I have paid this and I am going to prove it to you.”

“Well, you have until the end of the week.”

“I’ll do it whenever I fucking like, thank you very much.”

The other waiting parents were muttering between one another now. I knew I probably hadn’t shown myself in a very good light, but I didn’t care. The woman was evil and needed to be knocked down a peg. Or ten.

Lorraine finally stalked off, and the first thing I did was make sure the other parents knew I wasn’t pissing around. Silently. I glared at them.

“What a cunt.” Geri mumbled.

I didn’t say another word until Ruby appeared, with Oscar right behind her.

“Hi Mummy!” She shouted.

“Hi, baby.” I cooed, and stroked a hand over her hair. “Hi, Oscar.”

“Hello Ruby’s mum.”

“How we doing - did we have a good day at school?”

“It was okay. We don’t really like Mondays because we have to do P.E.”

“Oh wow, she’s definitely your child.” Geri laughed.

I smirked. “Shush you.” I said, and turned back to the children. “Are you ready to go? I need to make sure Oscar gets fed before his daddy comes to get him.”

“Yep! We’re ready!”

“You’re looking after the dentist’s kid?” Geri whispered.

“Yeah. Because we can’t send them to the morning club anymore I need to get some time back, and so does Harry. So on Mondays I look after Oscar and on Wednesdays and Thursdays Harry looks after Ruby.”

“Right…” Geri looked suspicious. “I thought you were scared of the dentist?”

I wasn’t sure if she was generalising or if she meant the new sexy dentist specifically. “I am.” It was still true either way. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I loaded the kids up into the car and drove home. The first thing I did inside was turn the oven on, and then I helped Ruby change into some play clothes before I let her and Oscar run riot in the garden before dinner.

Geri’s comment about hating P.E had amused me somewhat, because Ruby actually loved being active when it was all on her terms. As soon as someone else told her she had to do exercise she wasn’t interested. Perhaps because the word ‘exercise’ implied it was more a chore.

I dipped in and out of the garden, keeping an eye on both them and their dinner. Oscar seemed to be such a calm child in comparison to Ruby, who never stopped talking or moving. Oscar simply sat there and did whatever she told him to.

The children ate their dinner quickly, eager to get back outside and play. I gave them choc ices for dessert to cool down, but as per usual they seemed to get more of it around their faces than actually in their mouths. I made sure Oscar wasn’t covered in chocolate by the time his dad came to collect him.

Harry knocked on the door at just gone six o’clock. He was still in his scrubs, head to toe, hair a little scruffy, and for the first time I noticed a stubble on him.

He smiled as soon as he saw me, eyes again drawn to the t-shirt I was wearing. He cocked his head, smirking. “Is it?”

I looked down at myself and laughed when I realised which t-shirt I was wearing. It was grey with the words ‘THIS IS MY DOG WALKING T-SHIRT’ printed on the front. “By the weekend it will be.”

“Getting a dog-,”

I shushed him, panicked. I looked over my shoulder and then pulled the door closed behind me, taking a step outside.

“Ruby doesn’t know yet.” I whispered.

“Oh shit,” he laughed, “sorry.”

“It’s fine. She’s been banging on about it for months but I’ve never agreed to it in words to her.”

“I see. I’m sure she’ll be over the moon.”

“Bloody better be, he’s cost me an arm and a leg.”

Harry continued to smile at me, but I didn’t know what else to say. I felt like an obscure statue in a local park.

“How has Oscar been anyway?”

“Oh right, yeah.” I’m an idiot. “He’s been an angel, actually. He’s so calm.”

I opened the front door again and took a step inside. “Oscar, your dad is here!”

“He is a very placid child.” Harry agreed, hands now shoved into the pockets of his scrubs.

I didn’t know what placid meant. I pretended to. “Yeah, Ruby just orders him around and he does it. Feel like I maybe need to tell her to reel it in.”

“No, she’s fine.” Harry shook his head. “I think he likes it, he’s just happy to have a friend.”

That comment stirred me a little. Did he not have any friends before?

I realised it was rude of me to make Harry wait outside, and I was sure Oscar hadn't heard me. “Let me just go and get him - they’re in the garden. Come in,”

“Oh, thank you.”

I left Harry there while I went out to the garden to find the children. They were still playing, completely oblivious to the world around them.

“Oscar, your daddy is here to take you home.”

“Oh,” Ruby said with a sad pout.

Oscar was already standing and had started making his way towards the house.

“You still get to see him tomorrow, Rubes.” I reminded her.

“I know but it was fun having him here.” She whined, following Oscar.

“And you get to do it again next week. And you’re going to Oscar’s house on Wednesday and Thursday. So you will have lots of occasions like this to come, won’t you?”

She huffed at me. “Yes.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Harry was still waiting in the hallway, barely having moved. “Hey, little man.” He grinned at the sight of his child.

“Hi, daddy.” Oscar smiled up to him.

“D’you have a good time?”

“I did.”

“Good lad. Say thank you to Ruby and her mum for looking after you, then.”

“Thank you Ruby, thank you Ruby’s mum.”

He was so cute I wanted to burst. “You’re very welcome.”

“Bye Oscar!” Ruby shouted. “Bye Harry!”

“Bye, Ruby.” Harry chuckled. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

We waited for them to reach their car before I closed the door and locked us in. Ruby was standing in the middle of the hall as if she suddenly didn’t know what to do with herself.

“Ready for a bath, poppet?”

She hummed, the sound disconnected.

“Come on then.”

I helped Ruby bathe, though she didn’t play like she normally would. She let me wash her hair and scrub her down, and then she got out. I wrapped her up in a towel and dried her off, plaited her hair and tucked her into bed. A minute later she was asleep.

My house had been turned into a bombsite for Ruby’s party. Not that it was the definition of pristine on a normal day, but even for a small party with close family and a few friends, my mother decided to bring an overkill of food and drink and decorations. I left her to it.

Zara and Mickey had come, with Geri, her husband Owen and Milly. Mum and Dad had been there for hours, Frank and Diane with them. The only people we were waiting for now were Oscar and his dad, and Ruby’s other friend Scarlett.

I knew I was rubbish at hosting but I couldn’t ask Mum and Dad to host a birthday party after everything else they were doing for us, so I bit the bullet, pulled my big girl trousers up and just got on with it. Dad actually ended up answering the door more than I did. I just tried to make sure everyone had enough to drink to keep hydrated before the food came out.

Harry turned up with Oscar just as Mum was arranging all the food on the table. Of course they were the only people I actually answered the door to.

“Hello, welcome!” I tried to put on my best happy and excited voice, even though I was sure I sounded constipated.

“Hi, thank you.” Harry smiled, nudging Oscar in first. “Go on, mate.”

“Everyone is in the garden, you’re just in time for food.”

I walked through the house after them to make sure they went the right way, not that there was much room to get lost in my modest little home.

As soon as Oscar spotted the other children he was off like a shot, leaving Harry and I alone. I felt awkward and didn’t know what to say.

“Decorations are cool.” Harry commented as he gazed around the garden.

I grimaced to myself because I actually hated them. My Colombian mother had set the garden up like a Hawaiian luau (make it make sense!), with inflatable palm trees and flamingos, palm leaf bunting, lei headbands, wristbands and garlands. My dining table looked like a giant hay bale, and there were paper pineapples in every direction but I didn’t know why.

“My mother is to thank for this. I was just gonna give her a tiara and a sash.”

Harry looked at me with a smirk. “The ones she’s wearing now?”

I nodded. “Yep. Drink?”

“Love one.”

I helped Harry find a non-alcoholic beverage, sourcing one for myself too.

Mum had gone all out on the Colombian niceties, including Lulada - a smoothie-like drink which was notoriously hard to come by in this country.

“Floss,” she hurried over to me with a tray of cholados, “¿Puedes volver a ponerlos en el congelador? Se derretirán antes de que nadie se los coma.” She asked me to put them back in the freezer before they melted.

“Sí,” I took the tray from her, “las sacaré en 30 minutos más o menos.” I said I’d bring them back out in about half an hour.

“Gracias, mí querida.” Thank you, my darling. She kissed my cheek before I disappeared inside.

I stored them in the freezer in the top drawer and told myself to keep an eye on when everyone was finished with the savoury food before I brought them back again.

Back outside, I grabbed a plate and called for Ruby to come and get something to eat. Oscar was already with his daddy next to me looking over the spread with confused expressions.

“Florence?”

I looked at Harry when he spoke my name.

“Sorry, Floss.” He was obviously getting irritated having to correct himself all the time. “Er, what is everything?”

I bit back a flattered smile. It wasn’t very often I was the one someone went to for information. “Yeah, it’s all Colombian, but it’s actually more normal than it looks. So, the deep-fried things are empanadas, done the Colombian way, with chicken and potato fillings. Next to that in the weird-looking green leaf bags are tamales. They’ve got chicken, pork and peas in them, and the leaf around the outside is a plantain leaf which you can eat. And the bread is pan de bono which is cheese and yuca bread. So, it’s cheesy bread but made with yuca starch, and they are bangin’ when they’re still warm.”

Harry laughed, “Alright.”

“The pitta-looking things are arepas - Mum usually fills them with pulled pork and tomato, and they’ve been grilled on the barbecue. All this meat,” I gestured vaguely to the wide selection of charred meats, “is what we call carne a la llanera, so it’s been slow cooked on a barbecue on, like a tall round spit, and you have it with the steamed potatoes and guacamole. The two big pots are ajiaco and cazuela de mariscos, which are chicken and potato soup and a seafood soup.

“Then for desserts you’ve got cocadas which are like coconut cookies, and obleas which are wafer sandwiches with fruit, nuts, cream and chocolate. I’ve also just put cholados in the freezer which are frozen fruit cups - like a frappe but not.”

“Wow.” Harry nodded, smiling, “okay. Thank you.”

“Any time.” I smiled back.

I filled my plate up and made sure Ruby had done hers, and then went to sit with Geri and Zara while I ate.

“Floss, do you ever regret jilting the dentist?”

I snapped my head in Zara’s direction, glaring at her. “Shut up.” I made sure said dentist wasn’t paying attention before I continued. “No I don’t.”

“Really? You seem to get on so well, it must play on you a little bit.”

“No, it doesn’t. I am fine.”

“So, there’s nothing there?” Geri’s question was inquisitive. “No… flirting or anything like that?”

“We literally just look after each other’s children sometimes. Not that deep.”

The pair of them narrowed their eyes at me. “We shall see.”

I ignored them and carried on eating.

The party continued for a few hours, with Ruby opening her gifts while everyone was still there and the cholados finally being served because I definitely forgot. I disappeared for a little while because I was concerned about the state of the kitchen, but Ruby was left in good hands.

I heard so much while I was in the kitchen. There wasn’t an abundance of couples at this child’s birthday, but 3 out of 4 managed to have an argument in the living room without realising I was only in the room next door.

Zara and Mickey were first, although it was more like bickering than an actual argument. Mickey wanted to leave early for something and Zara kept saying no. I wasn’t necessarily offended that he wanted to leave early. He wasn’t too great friends with anyone here and he didn’t have any children to appreciate a children’s party.

The arguments only really got intense when Geri and Owen started digging at one another.

“Where are you going?” Geri hissed.

I didn’t know whether I should keep going with my tidying or stop entirely so they weren’t interrupted.

“I’m going home, Geri.” Owen said, not concerned with whispering.

“Why? You can’t just leave without saying anything - people will find it strange.”

“People in this village find everything strange if it’s not entirely to their view of normal.”

“I know this. Look at what Floss has had to put up with recently.”

“Floss brings most of her own troubles on herself.”

Ouch.

“Don’t be so archaic, Owen. That’s not fair and you know it.” Geri’s voice came much harsher than before. “You said you wanted to keep up appearances for Milly’s sake, and you leaving in the middle of a party because you’re pissed off with me is not what I would consider keeping up appearances.”

“I just can’t do it. I can’t go around behaving like we’re still happy and in love or whatever when you don’t want me anymore.”

“I still care about you! I’ll always care about you - that doesn’t just go away!”

“Not enough to stay with me!”

“You can’t keep me forced in a marriage this way, Owen!”

“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you fucking married me!”

I’d heard way more than I should’ve, but I couldn’t start making noises now, one of them might kill me. I bit my lip and continued standing still in the middle of the room in silence. I had a wet pan in my hands and it was dripping onto the floor. I started drying it with a tea towel as quietly as possible.

After a painful period of silence, Geri finally sighed. “Go home, then. I’ll make up some shitty excuse as to why you’ve fucked off without saying anything.”

“Maybe you should tell everyone the truth. We are in this stupid mess because of you in the first place.”

“I wouldn’t want to deny you the pleasure of telling everyone yourself how evil I am.”

“I will never take any pleasure in telling people that my wife is leaving me. Especially not for a woman. It’s embarrassing.”

“You’re only embarrassed because it emasculates you. Get your head out your arse.”

A second later the front door slammed, and I flinched. I heard Geri’s footsteps disappear back outside. I went back to cleaning up my kitchen with tense shoulders and tinnitus.

Frank and Diane were next, although I had no interest as to what they were arguing about, nor did I care whether they could hear me or not. I did the washing up as loudly as I pleased.

Whatever the two of them were arguing about didn’t last very long, and Diane went back to the garden to enjoy the remainder of Ruby’s afternoon. Frank, however, obviously couldn’t help himself.

The door creaked when he opened it. “What’re you hiding in here for, Florence?”

“I’m not hiding.” I retorted, refusing to look at him.

Frank made a sceptical sound, but I knew it was a farce. The man’s entire life was a farce. He started picking at the leftover food on the counter. “This is all lovely but I do miss a good sausage roll and pork pie.”

I took a deep breath. “Bring your own next time, then.”

“Oh, no - I could never insult your mother like that.”

“But you’ll do it behind her back?”

I could feel Frank’s eyes burning the back of my head. “I’m just saying… We English people like to eat English food.”

I’d paused in doing the washing up, too angry to speak. I clenched my fist around the sponge, dishwater pouring out of it over my pruning hand.

“I don’t mean to offend you, Florence.”

“Really?” I scoffed. “Because you’re doing an excellent job of it.”

“Don’t be like that.”

I threw the sponge into the sink and turned a glare on him. “In future, if you don’t like the food my mother pours herself into for hours on end, don’t fucking come.”

He shushed me, that smarmy look on his face again, and he placed his hands on my waist.

I felt sick.

“Calm down, I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just airing my thoughts. I love Daniela’s food - always have.”

“Please take your hands off me.”

“Florence, come on,”

“Floss.” I corrected him through gritted teeth, trying to move away from him.

He laughed at me. “What’s got you so wound up today, aye?” He started stroking my sides.

“Lo juro por Dios, si no me quitas las manos de encima te castro.” I threatened to cut his dick off if he didn’t stop touching me.

Someone cleared their throat and knocked on the kitchen door. Frank took a frantic step back, and I could feel my face burning.

Harry was standing just outside the door, with Oscar and Ruby playing just behind him. He looked a little pale in the face, expression unreadable. “Sorry to interrupt,”

“No, no,” Frank raised his hands, “you’re fine, young man. I was just heading back out anyway - you carry on.”

I couldn’t help but notice the subtle glare on Harry’s face as he watched Frank leave the room. I was already gawking at him when he met my gaze again.

“I, um, just wanted to let you know that we’re gonna head off, if you don’t mind?”

“Oh,” I shook my head, “of course not. Um, did you both have a good time?”

“I did.” Harry smiled, though it wasn’t quite as genuine as I’d seen before. “Oscar, have you had a good time?”

Oscar stopped whatever it was he was doing with Ruby and peered up at me. “Yes, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” I smiled back at him.

Harry stroked a hand over his son’s floppy curls. “Ready to go?”

Oscar silently nodded.

Ruby and I walked the dentist and his son to the door and waited for them to safely get into their car and drive off, waving at them the whole time like those Chinese cat statues with the funny arms.

“Having a good day, poppet?”

Ruby stood right in front of me, her head craned to look up at me with the biggest smile. “Yes, thank you, Mummy.”

“Good girl. We’ll have a nice day tomorrow as well, just me, you and niñera y abuelo, sí?”

“¡Sí!” She shouted back, and opened her arms wide.

I giggled, leaning down to pick her up around her middle. She clung to me like a koala did a tree - her arms around my shoulders and her legs hooked behind my back. I pecked her nose and her cheek, and she did the same right back to me.

“Te amo, Mamá.” I love you, Mummy.

I hummed loudly with the proudest grin on my face. I loved hearing her speak Spanish. “Yo también te amo, querida.” I love you too, darling.

Early on Sunday morning, I pulled everything for the puppy’s arrival out of the shed in the back garden and set it up in the living room. Dad was already on his way back from Wisbech with the puppy in tow, apparently fast asleep in the front passenger seat.

I’d bought a penn for him because I couldn’t have him running riot around the whole house in the middle of the night, and I wasn’t particularly keen on having him in bed with me or Ruby.

I had to be as quiet as possible because I desperately didn’t want Ruby to wake up before Dad arrived with him, otherwise it would ruin the whole surprise. I made sure everything was ready for the dog, and then I started decorating the living room with more age appropriate decorations than the lual nonsense from yesterday. I’d bought a big pink foil balloon shaped like a number 6 yesterday before her party, and I was pleased to see it had managed to last overnight.

Mum and Dad turned up just after 8 o’clock, which was lucky because I was starting to worry Ruby would’ve been awake 2 hours before, but I hadn’t heard a peep from her.

I made sure the door didn’t make a sound when it opened, and Dad had the puppy on a short lead so there was no chance of him going on a mad rampage through the house before I got Ruby out of bed. He was keen to look around, so Dad walked him around the house for a bit to get him familiar with his new home. After ten minutes of mooching, I sat with him on the floor to calm him down a little.

“There’s that handsome young man I remember seeing!” I whispered, stroking over his head over and over while he licked up my arms. “You are so beautiful, Ruby’s going to be such a happy little girl today.”

The dog flailed around in my lap, ferociously wagging his tail and grunting with all his excitement.

“Can you do me a favour, mister?” I still spoke to the dog, stroking my hands down the length of his little body in the hopes it would settle him. “I need to go and get Ruby so she can come and meet you, but you need to be really good and really patient while I do. Can you do that?”

The dog ruffed, and I started to get antsy.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes!”

I pecked the top of his head a couple of times, and left him with Dad again while I stood up and brushed myself off.

“Shall I make her some breakfast, Floss?” My mum asked, clearly itching to get in the kitchen.

“She wanted some of the leftover obleas - it’s all in the fridge.”

Daniela nodded. “I’ll get them out and ready - make it look nice and pretty for her.”

I lifted my head slightly, biting away a smirk. “Alright.”

I made my way upstairs, lightly knocking on her bedroom door as I peeked my head in.

Ruby lifted her head up, eyes struggling to open and mouth formed in a little ‘o’.

“Buenos dias, cumpleañera.” I said in my quietest voice.

“Buenos dias, Mummy.” She grinned in a gravelly whisper.

I sat on the edge of her bed, smiling at her pretty little face. I wiped the corners of her eyes where sleep had collected, and then stroked the back of my finger against her soft cheek. “Must’ve needed that sleep, it’s nearly 9 o’clock.”

She nodded, rubbing at her own eyes. “I was tired.”

“Shall we get you some breakfast, then? Grandma and Grandad are waiting downstairs, I think they’re hungry.”

“Okay.”

I helped Ruby out of bed and downstairs, letting her go first. As soon as she walked into the living room, she saw the puppy waiting for her. He was sitting like an angel, and either Mum or Dad had wrapped a ginormous blue bow around him.

Ruby squealed, and the dog yapped excitedly, running straight for her out of Dad’s grip. He leapt into her lap, licking her face and trying to crawl all over her. I’d never seen such joy on her face and it almost brought me to tears. Dad was laughing and Mum kept repeating, “Que preciosa,” how precious and, “Hermosa,” beautiful over and over again.

Eventually the dog got so excited that he started running between everyone else for attention as well, and I did have to say it was joyous to watch.

Ruby immediately came to me once she was able to, and wrapped her arms tightly around me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“It’s not just me - Grandma and Grandad helped get him too. He’s from all of us.”

She kept saying thank you as she skipped around the room to each of us. “I’m so happy! He’s exactly what I wanted!”

Thank God. I felt like a physical weight had been lifted off me.

“After we’ve all had some breakfast we can take him for a walk.” Dad said, stroking over her hair. “Hopefully it’ll wear him out a bit.”

“Okay!” Ruby grinned.

Seeing my baby that happy was overwhelming. I knew that in that moment, no matter what stress that animal might cause me ever the next few months while he adjusted, it would be worth it to see Ruby constantly delighted like that.

ten

We drove out to the Sherborne Park Estate at around lunchtime, parked up, and began walking. We started easy, far enough that Bongo would exert some energy for when we stopped to eat, but not so much that we’d be carrying him around for the rest of the day.

We walked through the centre of the park first, through the woods and around to the village. In the village we had lunch in the local and always popular tea room, charging up ready for the rest of the afternoon. From the village we did a huge loop, walking east all the way to River Windrush and then following it along to the Watermeadows, and finally back down to the car park through the common and Picardy Copse.

It was a beautiful day for a walk like that, and a beautiful day to celebrate my baby’s birthday with her new best friend.

Bongo was incredibly well-behaved for such a young puppy. People stopped constantly to give him attention, and he lapped it up like any good boy would. He never barked, he never jumped, he never bit, he never growled. He just basked in his new life of being the most popular dog around. In the car on the way back he stretched across the backseat, with his chin resting on Ruby’s knee and his paws poking into my thigh.

I was overly conscious about our nighttime routine with him. While he was so young I wanted him to stay in his penn because I’d read horror stories about sofas being destroyed and fridges being raided. I was desperate for that not to happen.

“Mummy, can he sleep with me in my bed tonight?” Ruby asked in the evening just before I was about to put her to bed. She was sitting at the end of the sofa with the dog in her lap, stroking over the top of his head.

“We need to get him used to his cage, muffin. If we let him sleep wherever he wants to he won’t be disciplined when he’s older and he’ll be too big for that.”

“Oh,” she pouted, a devastated sigh leaving her. She never argued any further.

I went up with her, resting my head on the side of her bed while she talked herself to sleep. Bongo had decided to join us but I wouldn’t let him on the bed, so he sat next to me, ferociously wagging his tail. Once Ruby was safely off, I took the puppy back downstairs with me.

“You’ve had a long day, haven’t you, mate?” I chuckled as he stretched out next me, his chin on my thigh. I stroked him from his head to his back over and over.

I watched TV for a little while longer, but I was tired too and eventually decided to go up early.

I ushered Bongo into the penn, gave him a couple of chin scratches and a peck on the head, and then dropped some biscuits into his bed. Obviously he ate the treats without question, and I made my escape.

Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, he started whimpering. I stalled, guilted but the sound. My chest tightened and I tried not to turn back to him to give him the attention he wanted. I was out of sight so he didn’t know that I’d stopped, and I waited to see if he would calm down.

I knew the longer I waited listening to him the more likely I would be to give in to him, so I marched upstairs and pretended I hadn’t heard it. I readied for bed and tucked myself in, dozy as soon as my head hit the pillow.

It was quiet. All I could hear was the wind whistling through the houses from the field. I didn’t hear a car, I didn’t hear a conversation, and I didn’t hear the puppy downstairs.

Until he barked.

When he started barking, it wasn’t fully formed. It was like those little yappy things you hear on dogs that are smaller than cats. But it was still loud, and I was scared Ruby would wake.

I whined and sat up, throwing the covers off me. I hurried back downstairs while making as little noise as I possibly could, and sat on my knees in front of the puppy before he could make another sound.

I shushed him, stroking over the top of his head where he sat upright in his bed. He licked my face and hands, like it was some kind of bribe for me to stay with him. I was stupid but I wasn’t that stupid.

I waited with him for ten minutes before I tried again, because I could barely keep my eyes open, but all the events from my original attempt repeated themselves. Bongo started crying as soon as I was out of sight, and two minutes after he started barking.

“Fuck sake,” I muttered, and marched my way back downstairs.

I stood in front of him with my arms folded and a scowl on my face. “Right, let’s get one thing straight, mister. I am in charge of this house, not you. You stay down here at nighttime and you go to sleep like a good boy, and I go to bed upstairs like a normal human being. Got it?”

He stared at me, completely silent.

“Good. Now, I’m going to bed, and you will stay here quietly.”

I turned around and opened the latch on the penn. In the next second, Bongo had shot out and was on his way to the stairs.

“Oh, you little shitbag.” I said through gritted teeth.

When I found him he was charging excitedly from the landing, into my room and back again. Once he spotted me, he ran back into the bedroom and jumped onto my bed. He padded his way around it for a while and then plonked himself down in the middle of the two pillows.

I dragged a hand down my face and tried not to squeal.

Crawling onto the bed, I shooed him away with my hand and hiss-like noises. He growled playfully and ran to the end of the bed, and I took my opportunity to settle back down. Bongo curled up right next to me only seconds later.

Once again, as I was close to drifting off, I was interrupted by something else.

“Mummy!” Ruby shouted in a whisper from the doorway.

“Ruby, go back to bed.” I said without even opening my eyes.

“You said Bongo had to stay downstairs!” She argued, climbing up onto my bed. “You lied, you just wanted him all for yourself!”

“That’s not true.” I shook my head against my pillow, eyes still shut. “He was barking and escaped.”

“I think you should let me sleep in here with you to say sorry for lying to me.”

I rolled onto my back, utterly bewildered. She was smarter than me, that was for sure. “Fine, but you have to go to sleep, Ruby. You can’t stay awake all night and play with the dog - he needs to learn a routine and you need to keep yours.”

She hummed thoughtfully, over-exaggerating with it in that way that children do, and then grinned. “Okay.”

She crawled under the covers on the empty side of the bed and settled right down. “Night night, Mummy.”

“Buenas noches, querida.”

In the morning I took Ruby to school and she got upset because she couldn’t take Bongo with her. It must’ve been frustrating for her - I could understand where she was coming from. Yesterday all she’d done was spend time with her puppy, it was all the world revolved around, and now she was being dragged back down to Earth. All it took for her to calm was the reminder that he’d be waiting for her when she finished, and it was our day to look after Oscar. She ran off towards the school gates, nearly face-planting on her way there.

“Now that is a handsome boy.” Zara said once she arrived at the garage, abandoning her things in the middle of the floor and dropping to her knees in front of the puppy.

I watched with a small smile as Bongo made himself familiar with the new face and his new surroundings, tentatively lifting his muzzle up towards Zara and sniffing her before he decided she was acceptable.

“What was she calling him again?”

“Bongo.” I said, and zipped up my coveralls.

“Great name. How did something so smart come out of you - your child is a genius?”

I shook my head. “No idea. Must be something from her Dad. Tea?”

“Go on, then.”

I slipped out of the office to the kitchenette at the back of the garage and made a round of tea for us. I drank it while I was going through the pile of forms for cars that needed to be fixed. There was a lot.

“Did you notice anything weird between Geri and Owen on Saturday?” Zara asked, perching on the edge of the desk. She took forms from me as I handed them to her - jobs that she could easily do.

“Nope.” I lied.

Of course I hadn’t forgotten about the argument they’d had in the living room while I was pretending not to be in the near vicinity in the kitchen. But Geri’s issues with her husband were none of my business, and I didn’t intend to find it out without her telling me on her own accord.

“They were behaving so weirdly, I swear. He wouldn’t look at her.”

“Maybe they’d just had an argument.” I shrugged.

“Me and Mickey had had an argument, but we didn’t just not talk to each other. And Owen left without saying anything. Not a chance in hell did he leave early because he was sick. He was slurping down those frozen things that your mum puts alcohol in like nobody’s business.”

“Cholados.” I reminded her. “I think you’re reading too much into it, Z.”

“I’m gonna ask her.” She decided in that instance. “Was she at the school this morning?”

“I didn’t see her, but I don’t in the mornings very often.”

Zara wandered off with her job forms in hand, leaving me to feel more concerned than I had over the weekend. I appreciated that Zara was probably just trying to be a good friend, but I knew what Geri was like, and I knew that she didn’t like other people poking into her business. If what Owen had said was true and she was leaving him, that was something she needed to come to us with, not the other way around.

Later on Zara told me that Geri had replied to her text, but she’d said nothing was wrong and she and Owen were fine. I told her to leave everything alone after that.

That evening I was curious as to what would happen with Bongo. I couldn’t have him stay in bed with me again - it disrupted Ruby’s bedtime routine.

I decided to stay up as late as possible, putting him in his cage before I went up but staying up with him for a little while longer. He did curl up in his bed after a while of sitting and staring at me, and I turned the TV right down so I could hear his breathing.

It took a bit longer than I’d have liked, but I remained patient. He kept standing up, circling a few times on the spot and then plonking back down again. He did this maybe ten times before he finally nodded off. I listened to him snoozing for another hour before I took myself to bed.

I was glad when I got to the stairs and he didn’t cry, and more so when I got into bed and fell asleep, and was not awoken by the sound of his barks downstairs.

I don’t know what time it was when I woke up and needed the toilet, but I hadn’t heard a peep out of him. I decided to look in on Ruby to make sure she was alright before I used the bathroom.

I tried not to lose my temper when I saw that at some point she’d woken up, gone downstairs, and brought the puppy upstairs to sleep with her. He was curled up next to her by her feet, snoring away. I knocked my forehead against the doorframe.

I couldn’t wake them up now. I’d have a barking dog and an upset child.

That morning, I made sure she knew she wasn’t to do it again.

“But he was crying, Mummy!” She insisted, a little scowl on her face. “I didn’t want him to be alone and I didn’t want him to wake you up.”

“Ruby, he has got to get into a routine with us, we can’t just let him all over the house because he cries at night - he needs discipline.”

“It was just last night, I promise! I won’t let him with me again.”

I knew at that point all I could do was take her word for it.

On Tuesday afternoon I was ready for a fight. I’d prepared all of my receipts from sending Ruby to that awful morning club, and was just waiting to pounce on Lorraine. I took Bongo out of the car and let him drag me by the lead. Geri was standing alone, which I found odd at first considering Harry was also waiting, but then I realised he was being heckled by three other mums. I didn’t know what he was saying but it couldn’t have been as funny as Debbie was making it out to be.

“What’s going on there?” I asked, tightening Bongo’s lead as I stood next to Geri.

She leant down with a smile to pet the animal, greeting him with the same cooed, “Hi, gorgeous boy,” as she did yesterday. “Just pointless flirting. I was talking to him to begin with, and then one of the mums I don’t know joined us and started asking about molars and flossing. But she was flirting so I gave up and left.”

I snorted. “Sounds painful.”

“It was really weird, I won’t lie. Like, I know he’s a dentist, but I don’t think talking about molars in a flirtatious way is going to get the bloke to like you.”

“What even are molars?”

Geri turned to me with a frown. “They’re… teeth, Floss.”

“Oh.” Was all I said.

I looked in the direction of the dentist. He was wearing scrubs on his bottoms again and a plain white t-shirt, one arm folded across his front and supporting the other, rubbing his hand into his stubbly cheek. He also didn’t say a single word, while Debbie didn’t look like she was ever going to shut up.

In the next second he glanced in my general direction, meeting my gaze. He lifted his hand away from his face by way of a wave. I didn’t know what to do, then. I’d been caught staring. I forced a smile, but looked back to the gate.

“Why are you so afraid of that man?” Geri asked. I wasn’t looking at her but I was sure she was smirking.

“I’m not afraid of him.” I lied.

“Floss, you couldn’t be more terrified of him if you tried. I know he’s a dentist, but he’s harmless.”

“Dunno what you mean.”

Seconds later, Bongo suddenly got excited, weaving through my legs and away from me.

“Hey,” I said, following where he was trying to run off to as I gripped his lead tighter, “stay here, please.”

It turned out Harry had excused himself from conversation about general dentistry to come and speak to us. Or the dog, I wasn’t sure.

“Hello,” He said immediately to the puppy, crouching down to give him some fuss, “hello.”

I watched, stunned and frozen in my place while the dentist gave the dog his full attention for a solid minute, stroking and cooing included. I couldn’t not watch - it would be almost rude not to. A good-looking man in scrubs and a cute puppy fawning over one another? They made whole calendars with this kind of content.

Geri nudged me, and I finally looked away to find that everyone else was watching him too. I felt under pressure.

Harry finally stood to his full height and smiled at me. “Y’alright?”

I nodded tightly. “Yep, you?”

“I’m fine.” He shrugged. “Much better for seeing this good boy.”

Bongo was still fighting for his attention with hand licks and standing on his back legs while pawing up Harry’s front.

We waited in silence for the children to appear, with me staring ahead and trying not to draw attention to myself, Geri picking her nails, and Harry still playing with the dog.

Then, I spotted Lorraine across the car park talking to one of the dads, and I forgot about everything else around me. “Excuse me,” I muttered.

From where she was standing it looked like she might have been trying to avoid me, but she had a fat chance of that happening. As soon as she noticed I was coming, her initial expression was shock, and then she squared herself off.

Bongo was trotting alongside me and stopped when I did. Then he did something I didn’t expect - he looked up at the woman I was ready to fight with, and immediately growled.

Interesting!

“Come to pay the money you owe me, Florence?” Lorraine goaded.

“No. How many months in total was Ruby coming to you?” I demanded.

She scoffed at me. “I don’t know.”

“Considering you’re asking me for more money, do you not perhaps think you should know?”

Lorraine opened her mouth, but never actually said anything.

“How many months?” I repeated.

“I don’t know!”

“Then go and find out!”

Her expression fell, mouth parted. Then, in a snap movement, she shook her head and marched away, scowling. I watched her as she yomped across the car park, muttering away to herself.

The dad she was talking to before gave me a judgemental look. I glared at him when I turned away.

“I have never seen you like that before.” Geri said, eyes wide but quite obviously entertained by my little outburst.

Harry snorted. “I have.”

Bongo was fussing around my legs, little squeaks coming out of him. I sighed and bent down to pick him up. He licked my cheek and then pushed his head into it.

“I’m sorry, but I am not going to be bullied by that ridiculous woman. I don’t care what she’s told the other parents and whether they believe her, she’s a cunt.”

I waited and waited for Lorraine, or Ruby, to appear from the school. Something was obviously keeping the children back but we hadn’t been told anything about it if that was the case. Sometimes they held these emergency assemblies and sent us an email about it an hour before the end of the day. If they had sent one, I hadn’t seen it.

Lorraine finally came back, cheeks pink and her shoulders slumped. She didn’t usually look so miserable. She made her way straight over to me, but she was obviously conscious of the other parents watching. I put Bongo back on the floor, and he’d already begun growling at her.

“22 months.” She said, barely audible.

“Sorry?”

“22 months.” She repeated, much clearer, followed by a defeated huff.

“Right.” I shoved my pile of bank statements into her chest and folded my arms. “Count them.”

She looked at the receipts and then at me. “What?”

“They’re all there, highlighted to make it easier for you. So I want you to count them.”

People were starting to whisper and it was irritating me. I knew we were a spectacle for the bored parents of this sleepy village, but I wanted them to see that no matter how stupid I made myself look, I wasn’t going to let other people get away with it.

Lorraine stood and counted every highlighted transaction on the papers in front of her. She held her breath at the end, the paper crumpling in her hands, and then she counted them again.

“Well?”

She swallowed. “22. There’s 22 here.”

“I thought so.” I said, snatching the paper back from her. “Thank you very much.”

“It was an honest mistake, Floss.”

“I don’t care if it was an honest mistake.” I said, folding my arms. “You were pissed off that I went mad at you in the car park, and you found the first thing you could to try and make me look bad in front of all of these people like some kind of dumb revenge. You knew exactly what you were doing, whether the error was genuine or not. Did you really think that as someone who runs her own company I wouldn’t know how to handle my fucking finances?

“I’m so sick of this fucking nonsense with you. You fucked up by trying to hide the fact that your son is a bully, and that you enabled him. Whispering shit to him about my life so that he could use it against my child. And then I called you out on it and you got angry, so you bitched about me to the other parents and then tried to embarrass me in front of them. Do you know how petty that is?”

Lorraine swallowed, “I’m sorry.”

“I know I am not the smartest person in this village. I know people think I’m crazy, but I don’t care. I have never cared what people think of me as a person. However I will not accept someone taking their dislike for me and trying to make me look like a bad parent, because I know that is one thing I’m good at.”

“Mummy!”

At the sound of Ruby’s call I took a deep breath and searched for her. She was running towards us, finally, and my face broke into a smile.

“Hola, querida,” I said, crouching down to accept the hug she always gave me.

Ruby choosing to hug me first over the dog helped me emphasise my point to Lorraine without me even having to.

When I stood up again, Lorraine had already gone.

“¿Vamos a casa de la abuela?” Are we going to Grandma’s?

I stood back at her fully formed question, laughing. “Who taught you that?!”

“Someone came in today to teach us some Spanish! I asked at the end of the day so I could say it to you.”

I shook my head with a smile. “That’s… okay. Well, did you know the most out of everyone else?”

“Yeah! No one else knew any Spanish.”

“Well, there we go. Did you learn any other phrases?”

“Hay una serpiente en mi bota.”

I narrowed my gaze and remembered one of the kids in her class was mad about Toy Story. I snorted. “Of course.”

“What does that mean?” Geri asked.

“There’s a snake in my boot.”

Harry giggled.

Geri smirked and looked down at Ruby. “Hugo?”

She nodded with a big grin.

“Alright, let’s get going. Grandma will be dying to hear about Spanish classes.” I put my free hand to Ruby’s back. “Say bye to everyone.”

“Bye everyone!”

eleven

On Wednesday when I got to the garage there was already someone waiting on the forecourt outside. I didn’t recognise him as local, and he was leaning against the side of his blue Lamborghini Huracan with his arms folded and a pair of sunglasses on that looked too big for his face.

I parked in my usual place out of the way of everything else and stepped out of the car, feeling much less glamorous than he looked.

“Good morning,” I said to him with an expectant expression, but went straight to the garage door to unlock it.

He seemed taken back by my genuine greeting. He looked at his watch and then back at me. “Are you always this tardy?”

I frowned. “I don’t know what that means.”

The strange man pushed away from his car and made his way towards me. Meanwhile, I tussled with the garage door until it finally gave in.

“Are you always this late?”

I looked at him, offended by his question. Up this close I noticed things I couldn’t see before. He was an older man but not old, maybe in his late thirties or early forties. I only guessed this from the salt and pepper hairs around his ears. He had a very square face, but in a kind of attractive way, and when he took his glasses off I found a very blue pair of eyes. He was dressed smartly, in a white dress shirt not buttoned all the way up, and black tailored suit trousers. He looked exactly like the type of person who would drive a blue Lamborghini.

Before I could respond to his rude question, he made a comment that confused me.

“Wow.” He said, taking a step back when I tried to stand straighter.

“What?” I asked with a furrowed brow, but moved towards the buttons on the side of the doorway to finish opening the garage door. It was loud while I did, too loud to hear a man speak.

The stranger’s gaze flicked between me and the ascending garage door, trying not to express his amusement.

I waited for him to finally say what was so… wow, trying not to appear as irritated as I was.

“You’re very beautiful.”

I blinked at him. I couldn’t see how that had anything to do with me being late. “What’s your point?”

Now he looked confused. “I… don’t have a point.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay,” I said around my exhale, and turned away from him to get Bongo out of the car. He was sitting in the window when I reappeared with a cocked head, and it was quite cute.

“How long will it take to sort the car?” The weird man asked, following me as I walked Bongo through to the office.

“Well, I’d need to know what’s wrong with it first.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it, it just needs a service.”

“Right,” I rolled my eyes, but he couldn’t see me do it. I settled Bongo down in his bed and then found a form for the customer to fill out. “It usually takes a few hours.”

“So I’ll have it back soon? Like, today soon?”

I stared at him blankly, and looked out into the crammed garage, and then back to him. “Not today, no.”

“Why not?”

“Because all those cars in the garage have actual things wrong with them and they’ve been waiting longer.”

“I can pay you more to prioritise it. Money is no issue.”

Must be nice.

I gave him another perplexed stare. “If you’re so keen to get it done, why didn’t you take it to an actual Lamborghini garage?”

“Because a friend recommended you. And the Lamborghini garage charges an arm and a leg for a service.”

“You’ve literally just said money isn’t an issue.”

He took a moment, unsure what to say, but his bemused smirk said it all. “Alright, fair enough. But you were recommended to me and I’d really like it to be done today. Please.”

“No.” I shook my head, handing him the form on a clipboard.

“Why not? I’ll literally pay you double whatever you would normally charge.”

“I won’t be bought. Sorry.”

“Oh, come on.” He laughed in a kind of pained way. “These other people won’t know.”

“These other people can’t afford to pay me double. That Nissan has been there for three days, and you can sod off if you think I’m not going to start on it right away because you’re too impatient to wait.”

He pressed his lips together tightly. “What’s your name?”

“Floss.”

He tipped his head. “Floss, as in the dental stuff?”

“No, Floss as in Florence.”

He was obviously confused but he was still smirking. “Well, Floss. You drive a hard bargain. Is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?”

“No.”

“Really? My son is looking to become a mechanic, I could get him to come and help you. Maybe if it works out you could give him a job.”

“If your son is looking to become a mechanic, maybe you should get him to service your car.”

He laughed again, like he was in agony, towards the ceiling. “Come on, Floss. What’s a man gotta do to get his car serviced around here?”

“Wait.” I said, and folded my arms. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but we could talk about this all day and it won’t change anything, and I’ve already wasted too much time talking about it. You either leave it here, or you don’t. Your choice.”

The man looked at me for a while, and he was obviously fighting with himself. “You know it’s not very often I don’t get my own way.”

“I believe you.”

He sighed and started filling the form out, but he was enjoying himself. “You know, I quite like the idea of having my car looked at by you. And on the plus side of leaving it here, I get to come back and see that pretty face of yours again.”

I took the form from him when he handed it to me, and hooked the clipboard under my arm. “Do you need a courtesy car?”

He bit away a smile. “I might do.”

“Is that a ye-,”

“-Morning!” Zara announced herself. She was carrying a small brown paper bag and a two-slot tray with coffees on the top.

I lifted my head at her as she passed, and she wasn’t shy in eyeing up the man standing in front of me.

“Don’t worry about the courtesy car.” He said rather quickly. “Just give me a call when you’re done with her.”

“Okay.”

I was admittedly relieved to see him go, and my tense posture dropped once he finally left the garage.

Zara came to stand next to me, chewing on a croissant. “Who was he?”

“Some minted Lambo owner.” I said, looking at the information on the form. Darren was his name. He looked like a Darren.

“He was sexy.”

“He was annoying.”

“Yeah, but he was sexy.”

I grunted at her and turned away.

“What did he want?”

“A service.”

Zara’s laugh was dirty. “You could give him a right good service if you tried hard enough. And he’d enjoy it.”

I paused, narrowing my gaze at her. “You’re not talking about the car, are you?”

“No I’m bloody not, he was delicious. Let me tell you, if I was single I’d-,”

“-You don’t need to tell me, Z. Leave some for the imagination.”

I wandered into the office and left Darren’s form on the bottom of our to-do pile. Or rather, on the bottom of Zara’s to-do pile, since she usually did the service jobs.

“Cheers for the coffee.”

“My pleasure. I was running late so it was the least I could do.”

I spent the rest of the day stressed at how much work I had to do, and found myself late collecting Ruby from the dentist’s house again. He must’ve thought I was utterly useless.

I had no idea what I looked like marching across the pebbles up to the front door, but at that point in the day I didn’t really care. I knocked twice and then folded my arms.

It took Harry barely a minute to come and answer. He swung the door open, an easy smile on his face again and in a pair of bright green jogging bottoms and a white t-shirt. “Hi,” he started, and then he frowned at the sight of me, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’ve just had a busy day.” I shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it.

Harry pressed his lips together, still frowning at me like he was debating something. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, it’s alright. Honestly. I really just need to get Ruby home and fed.”

He studied me for a little bit longer. “I don’t mind if you want to have a little bitch, Floss. ‘M all ears.” He flicked behind his right ear with a little smile.

I bit away my own. “I appreciate that, but-,”

“-Mummy!”

Ruby appeared behind Harry in the hallway, a big grin on her face, and she sped out to me to give me a hug.

“Hola, querida.” I said as I hugged her back. I picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my shoulders. She was warm and it felt wonderful around me. “¿Cómo estás?”

She looked at me with a hum, playing with my hair in the ponytail I had it in. “Soy bueno.”

“Buena.” I reminded her. “You’re a lady.”

“Ruby,” Harry said, and we both looked back his way. Oscar was standing by his legs with a little smile on his face. “Do you and your mum want to stay for dinner?”

Ruby gasped and looked at me, eyes bright and warm. “Can we, Mummy? Please, please, please?”

“Er…” I was lost for words.

“Please?” She begged.

I looked back at Harry, who had a smug grin on his face, probably because he knew I didn’t have a way of saying no.

“Mummy, please?”

I sighed and put her back on her feet. “I guess we can, yeah.”

“Yay!” Ruby squealed, and started jumping up and down. “Can I go and get Bongo?”

Shit, I’d forgotten about the dog.

I met Harry’s gaze again. “I’ve got a blanket he can sit on.” He offered.

“Oh, are you sure? I’ve got one in my car if you’d prefer?”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”

I gave Ruby the key to the car so she could go and retrieve her puppy, watching carefully to make sure there wasn’t an accident where he ran off or accidentally tripped her over. She ran straight into the house with him and Oscar, leaving the key with me. I locked the car from where I stood.

“That was really naughty of you.” I said to Harry as he took a step back to let me in.

He laughed, cheeks a little rosy. “What? It was Oscar’s idea - blame him.”

I toed my shoes off by the front door and followed the dentist through to the kitchen in the next room.

Even though the house looked big from the outside, inside it was still very much like a cottage, with low ceilings and exposed beams. The kitchen was open plan with a dining room, spread from the front to the back of the house, the counters overlooking the garden, and then a four-seater breakfast table in the front window, with a cushioned bench.

In the next room was the lounge, where the children had toys spread out everywhere, of which Bongo was animatedly sniffing.

“Ruby, you keep a close eye on him.” I warned her, “And don’t let him get on any of the furniture, alright?”

“Okay!” She agreed, but I wasn’t convinced she’d actually listened to a word I said.

Harry put a large woollen blanket on the floor by the back door, folded up multiple times so that it was comfortable enough for him. “That alright?”

“More than alright, thank you.”

“What do you want for dinner, kids? Takeaway?”

“Yeah!” They screamed in unison.

I gave Harry a bemused frown. “Where are you gonna get a takeaway from in Bibury?”

“The Catherine Wheel.”

“They don’t deliver…”

He smirked. “They do to me. What would you like, Ruby?”

I watched with fascination as Harry took the children’s orders, and then he nodded me back into the kitchen and told me to make myself comfortable. I gingerly sat at the dining table, not comfortable at all.

He moved around his kitchen with ease. It was like watching a practised dance as he found glasses out of cupboards and bottles out of racks. His arms were everywhere and his legs swanned around. His back muscles rippled with every slight movement and it was embarrassing how closely I watched his every move. I was so fascinated by him I didn’t realise what he was doing until he screwed the top back on the wine bottle.

“Harry, I can’t have a drink.” I shook my head as he presented me with a glass of red wine.

“Why not?”

“It’s a school night, and I have to drive home.”

He shrugged, and sat in the chair next to mine. “It’s only one - you’ll be fine.”

I set my jaw, but I tried not to give away just how frustrated I was. Today was not the day for this. I didn’t need to get hot under the collar over this man after my horrendous day.

“What happened at work?”

I stared at him, noting the relaxed posture he held. He was sitting, but in a rather laid-back way, literally. He’d sunk into the chair, legs stretched under the table, and his right hand was resting on the base of his wine glass.

I tried to make myself as small as possible. “It was just busy - it has been all week. But things just kept coming and kept coming. I’m only one person.”

“Haven’t you got, um,” he scratched his face as he tried to remember, “Zara there with you?”

“I do, but she’s not a mechanic.”

“Oh. What does she do, then?”

“Literally everything else. Services, anything cosmetic, if you know what I mean?” He nodded, so I carried on. “If someone needs a temporary car she’ll handle it. Basically anything that doesn’t involve fixing a car, she does. But at the moment there’s a lot of cars that need fixing.”

“I see.” He nodded again. “Well, I’m sorry you’ve had a shit day.”

I shrugged. “It might not have been so bad if I hadn’t started off the day talking to some utter prick.”

Harry tapped the table. “Tell me more.”

I rolled my eyes. “He was rich. Like, richie-rich. Turned up in a bright blue Lamborghini Huracan and asked why I was late.” I scoffed. “Then when he actually looked at me he was… well, I guess he was flirting with me, and it was odd. Then he wanted to pay extra for me to get the service done faster and I told him no, and he got really funny about it.”

“Funny how?”

“He said he had a son who was training to be a mechanic and tried to get me to hire him to help.”

“That’s weird.”

“I know.”

“Also, Lamborghini garages have services where you can drop your car off and get it serviced there and then.”

“That’s what I said!” I nearly shouted. “But he didn’t want to pay for it, which was ridiculous because he was offering to pay me double the price for the service just to get it done quicker.”

“I mean… from an income point of view, that might not have been a terrible thing.”

“Harry, I’ve got cars sitting in that garage that have been there nearly a week because I haven’t had time to get to them. I’m not going to pander to a spoilt rich man just because he couldn’t be bothered to wait.”

“Alright, I guess I kind of see your point. What was the outcome?”

I grimaced. “He left it with me because he said at least he got to see me again, or something.”

Harry giggled. “God loves a trier.”

“He was a cock.”

“How do you manage to attract these weird men all the time?”

“Dunno, but it might explain why I’m sat here with you.”

The dentist’s mouth fell, and he brought his hand to his chest. “Ouch.”

I took a drink from the glass Harry had poured for me, and I had to admit it was an incredibly satisfying feeling. It made me feel warm inside. Still on the tail end of the comment about weird men, I thought about what Harry had seen on Saturday with Frank.

“I’m not having an affair with Frank, by the way.”

Harry’s head craned back a bit, eyes wide and with a tight smile. “What a statement to make.”

“Oh,” I smacked my face into my palm.

“I don’t even think I know who Frank is, but I’m glad we cleared that up, Floss.” He was laughing, breath around his wine glass making it sing a little as he took a sip.

“No, because I know you saw something on Saturday, and I don’t want you to think-,”

“-Oh, that bloke!” Harry sat forward, patting the table again. “I was going to mention something after but I didn’t want to make you more uncomfortable, which it was obvious you were, by the way.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure how it looked from an outside point of view.”

“You looked like you wanted to murder the man, Florence.”

I screwed my face up, feeling hot. “I did.”

“What did you say to him?”

“What do you mean?”

Harry swallowed another sip of wine. “I heard you say something to him in Spanish.”

“Oh,” I laughed but it was nervous, “I think I said I’d chop his dick off if he didn’t stop touching me.”

Harry nodded with a smile. “Nice. Can he speak Spanish?”

“Not as far as I’m aware. But he’d spent 5 minutes bitching about the fact that my mum only ever made Colombian food when we have a party. Speaking to him in a language he didn’t understand made me feel kind of…”

“Powerful?”

“Yeah? I guess?”

“Well, I’ll tell you it makes you superior to him, that’s for sure.”

I smiled at the table, and I knew I was blushing - I could feel it in my cheeks. “When I was little my mum always used to say she hated that man, and still does now, but I didn’t really know why. And then as I got older it started making sense. Now I hate him more than my mum does.”

“Who even is he?”

“One of Dad’s friends. His wife is also really good friends with my mum, but she’s fuckin’ blind. I think my mum told her once that Frank is a nonce, but it didn’t go down very well.”

Harry's laughter was like barking. “Did she really call him a nonce?”

“Something like that. I don’t think she realised the real meaning of the word at the time.”

“That’s funny. I do like your mum.”

I was nodding around a smile. “Most people do. She’s so Latin in so many ways, like she’s fiery and a bit loud, and very opinionated. But she’s also really… nice? Like a really good kind of nice. Kind, gentle… you know.”

“I do. My mum is the same. Just not Latin.”

That made me giggle for some reason. “You don’t think about how important it is to have a good motherly figure in your life until you’re older, do you?”

Harry took a deep breath and looked towards the living room. “No, you don’t.”

I realised then that he was probably thinking about Oscar and the lack of someone like that in his life. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.”

He looked at me with a frown. “About what?”

“That stupid comment I just made, I didn’t mean to-,”

“-Jesus, Floss.” He shook his head, laughing breathily. “You don’t need to apologise. We moved down here for a reason - I miss my mum but Oscar needed to form that relationship with his other grandparents too, and I couldn’t do that where I was before.”

I watched him for a moment, but he didn’t seem upset. “Do you miss home?”

He pursed his lips. “Sometimes. I think it was a shock to the system at first, but I maybe kinda prefer it here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! It’s so quiet, the school is good. Well, apart from the bullying incident, but it is good everywhere else. The people are nice, excluding Lorraine. I like it here.”

“That felt like a very small list.”

“I’m serious! I can’t explain it, but it’s just… it’s lovely here. And Oscar is happy and that’s all that matters.”

I took a deep breath. “Well, I can’t argue with that.”

“Would you ever consider moving for Ruby?”

“I’d do anything for Ruby.” I said without hesitation. “I mean, we have everything here that we need - my parents are here, I grew up here and I wouldn’t want to pull her away from that, but if I needed to for whatever reason then I definitely would.

“I actually sometimes think about going to Colombia or one of the other countries down there, but my mother hated it so I’m not entirely convinced it would be any good for us.”

“I don’t know anything about Colombia so I couldn’t say, but I imagine uprooting her life like that might not be best. To move to a new town or city is one thing, but to move to a completely different country is entirely another.”

I smirked. “They your words of wisdom, are they?”

Harry laughed. “Absolutely. Although it was more observation than wisdom.”

I wished he wouldn’t use big words like that.

When the food arrived Harry asked the children to come and sit with us, apparently not keen on Oscar eating in the living room. I hadn’t ever thought about a rule like that - Ruby and I just always ate together at the kitchen table.

After we finished eating I also asked for a pint of water and necked the whole thing for sobriety purposes, not that I was drunk. Ruby thanked Harry and Oscar for having us before even I did, and then we drove home.

Even though I was exhausted we still had to take Bongo for a walk. Ruby could barely keep her eyes open and I ended up carrying her half way around. We called it a night and I promised Bongo a longer walk in the morning before work.

Chapters twelve, thirteen & fourteen

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles writing #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst imagine

[roosterforme]

Adult Education Part 15 | Hangman x OC

Summary: Jessica knows Jake is sorry for losing it on Brian, but now she has once again started to dread going to work. Things had been looking up, and she desperately needed that hopeful feeling back. But a chance run-in with Brian's wife and one well timed email might just be the start of something good.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, angst, mention cheating, 18+

Length: 3500 words

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female OC

This story is part of the Beer Boy and Sugar universe but can be read on its own! Adult Education masterlist

Seriously, who let Jake on my masterlist!? Banner by @mak-32

Every day that Jessica woke up and got ready for work felt like she was making herself look presentable for her own execution. She hadn't slept well after Tuesday evening when she went home and cried after Jake punched Brian in the face. He offered to stay with her, but she told him she needed some time to herself. And now she was in a cycle of dreading every minute of work, just like before.

She'd had these soft glimmers of hope over the last few months. She had made a new friend, she had a boyfriend who she was falling in love with, and she absolutely nailed the fraternity fundraiser. Everything was looking so hopeful, but she should have known there was no way she could have it all if Brian was involved. Especially since it looked like he had a broken nose on Thursday morning.

She thought she was going to throw up when he looked at her. Any minute, Dean Walters or someone from his office would be knocking on her door, asking what exactly had possessed her boyfriend to punch the head of the science department.

But it never came. And the anticipation was just making it worse. When she heard someone tapping on her door, her stomach lurched as she sank a little lower in her seat. "Come in," she called out, her voice wavering. When the door eased open, she was surprised to see her friend standing there. "Advanced Calculus," she muttered, leaning back in her seat and taking a deep breath.

"I brought you some coffee," the other woman said as she closed the door behind her. "And I also came to ask you why the hell you didn't tell me that Jake punched Conley in the damn face!"

When Jessica looked at her again, she just shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

She set down the coffee cup and said, "You don't have to talk about it, because I already know all about it, because Jake won't shut up about it to Bradley. He thinks he fucked everything up with you. He thinks you're mad at him."

Jessica let her forehead rest on her desk. If she tried to say she wasn't avoiding Jake, she would be lying. "I think I just need to deal with the repercussions on my own. But I'll text him back." She reached for her phone and looked at the most recent message from him.��Hey, Smart Girl. I'd love to bring dinner to your office hours, but only if you want me to.

"Wait. What repercussions?" the other woman asked as she took a seat with her own drink. "You don't think this will fall back on you? Do you?"

"How could it not? Have you seen Brian's face?"

She snorted. "I sure fucking did. I came up here more or less to congratulate you for making Jake fall in love with you so hard that he did that for you."

Jessica's heart pounded in response, and she knew her eyes were wide. Jake hadn't said that to her yet, and she hadn't either, but she felt like it was right there. "He just punched him all of a sudden. I didn't ask him to or anything."

"I know. That's the whole point. He couldn't let someone be shitty to you. I just knew Jake had it in him."

Jessica looked down at her phone again and decided to stop avoiding someone who made her so happy. I would love it if you brought me dinner.

His response came almost instantly, letting her know that he would be there. She felt a little better as she looked at her friend. "Thanks for the coffee." But she waved it off and shrugged. "I also wanted to stop by and tell you that everyone is still talking about your fratraiser. They all loved it."

Jessica wanted to love it, too. It has been the perfect night until Brian showed up. "Thanks. I still want to stop in and talk to Dean Walters about it, but I was trying to wait until things with Brian blew over."

"You should definitely talk to Walters," she replied as she stood to leave.

Jessica was tired of hesitating all the time, so she asked, "Do you want to have lunch together today?"

"Can't," she replied with a grimace. "I promised Dr. Rosenthal that I'd look at curriculum with him again."

"Tenure must be so nice," Jessica replied wistfully. "Not that I'll ever know."

Before she slipped out the door, the other woman said, "I'm still holding out hope, and you should, too."

Hours later, Jessica was still considering those words when she took a little break before the start of her office hours. She had been hiding at her desk, looking for a birthday gift for Jake, when she started yawning. With her office hours spread out like a gauntlet in front of her, she decided to quickly grab another coffee from the lounge. She would need it to get through a tutoring session with Luca.

But as soon as she walked through the door, she was met with Brian, and he had his arm wrapped around the same teaching assistant she saw him with before. The one he was most definitely sleeping with. His face looked terrible as the bruising had spread out from his crooked nose, giving him two black eyes. Jessica was sure the glare he was sending her way must be painful for him at the moment, and she had to try her hardest not to laugh. Apparently he was in full scumbag mode now, because he didn't even bother to separate from the TA as Jessica waffled next to the door, undecided if she should stay and make some coffee or not.

"Did you need something, Dr. Reed?" he snapped, his voice extra nasally.

The mere sound of his tone was enough to make her regret coming down here. "No, actually. I'll just leave you to your...business." She turned and left them, hoping she still had a can of Coke in her mini fridge that would suffice. And that was when she almost ran directly into Sabrina Conley.

Jessica recognized her immediately, and she could tell Brian's wife remembered her as well. A chill rippled along her entire body as she felt the woman appraising her with a hateful scowl. "Are you the reason my husband's face is a mess?" she asked, venom lacing every word. Convinced this week couldn't get any worse, Jessica stood frozen, completely unsure what she should say. Was it her fault? Or was it Brian's? Or maybe it was Jake's fault? She just wanted to hide in her office again and cry.

Sabrina took a step closer, her voice somehow more scathing as she said, "Can you at least tell me where he is?"

Jessica nodded, a jerky motion, as she pointed behind her and said, "In the lounge." It was a few seconds before she fully realized what she had done, and by that point it was too late. Sabrina had already disappeared around the corner, and then Jessica heard an angry shriek.

--------------------------

It had been two solid days since Jake saw Jessica, and this was the proof he needed. Seeing her every day had become a necessity. It hurt that she'd distanced herself a little bit after the incident with Brian, even though he could understand that she probably just needed a little space and time. But the irrational side of his brain was running completely wild.

"I fucked up the best relationship I have ever had," he groaned in the locker room on base.

"No, you didn't," Bradley replied with an eye roll. "Or... maybe you did. Maybe Jessica is out on a date with Dev at this very moment."

Jake glared in response. "It's 5:30 on a Thursday. She just finished a lecture, and she's getting ready for her office hours. She's not anywhere with Dev."

Bradley smirked as he got dressed in one of his hideous shirts. "You have her entire schedule memorized. That's so cute."

"You have your wife's entire schedule memorized," Jake retorted.

"That's right. Dr. Tits is finishing up her linear algebra lecture right now which means I can pick her up on my way home. Unless we take a detour to the library," he muttered, and Jake decided to tune him out. He needed to stop home and grab the food he made yesterday in the hope that Jessica would want him to stop by tonight.

He would make this all up to her. If she was somehow in some shit at work because of him, he would have to try to fix it. So he picked up the little individual containers of chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables along with some ice packs. But his condo was so quiet, he was anxious to leave again. He was hoping Jessica would want to spend the weekend here with him, cooking and reading some journals. Making love and watching a movie. Really anything she wanted to do.

He drove his new truck to campus and parked, knowing he was right in the middle of her office hours and not wanting to intrude if she was working with Luca or someone else. So he went slowly up the walkway past Chippy's and crossed the street to the science building. If he saw Brian, he would stay calm this time. He wouldn't fuck anything up worse for his girlfriend.

When he reached her office, the door was closed, and he heard a soft conversation inside, prompting him to wait his turn. He was hoping it was Luca. He already felt the rage building inside of him over the fact that it could be Brian again. But then the door opened, and a skateboard hit the floor in front of him, and Jake smiled.

As Luca skated away, Jessica launched herself at his chest, and Jake welcomed her, dropping his cooler bag on the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly as she buried her face in his neck and held onto him. "I missed you."

"I don't know," she whispered. "I just know I missed you, too." She started backing up, pulling him into her office, and he reached to pick up the bag of food.

When she guided him to her desk chair, he was delighted that she pushed him down before sitting on his thigh. Jake's hands went to her waist, and she came to rest against his chest with a sigh. Maybe she wasn't so upset with him after all.

He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry," he whispered again. He'd said it so many times. "I'm sorry I punched him."

"I know you are. It's okay, Jake. Part of me is absolutely delighted that you did that," she told him as she ran her fingers along his name tag. "Because he deserved it." She swallowed hard, and when she spoke again, he could barely hear her. "Brian's wife was here today, and she walked in on him alone with one of the department TAs in the lounge. I'm sure it was as obvious to her as it is to me that he's sleeping with her now."

"Shit," he grunted, stroking her jaw with his fingers before brushing them through her hair. "If he got caught again, then he deserved it."

She nodded. "I don't know why I feel guilty that I was the one who told her he was in the lounge."

Jake's fingers froze. "You feel guilty? Baby, the only one who should feel guilty about anything is Brian.""I know that," she whispered. "I do know that. But Sabrina has been through enough, and I've been feeling bad for her for the past year."

She needed a break, and Jake knew it. "That's understandable, but it's still not your fault. I think you should come spend the weekend at my place and let me take your mind off things."

Jessica tilted her face to look at him. "How are you going to do that?"

He kissed her forehead again as he said, "By cooking for you and kissing you and reading journals with you." Her soft moan had him pressing his luck. "We could pick out some journals right now, and I could have them ready for when you come over tomorrow after work. You worked really hard on your fundraiser, and you deserve a break this weekend."

"Jake," she groaned. "That sounds perfect." The fact that she was curling up on him and yawning now let him know she was exhausted. And if Brian's wife was on campus earlier today, then there was a good chance she was upset that her husband's face was all bruised. He needed to take Jessica's mind off of this shit.

"I'll go grocery shopping tonight, and then the whole weekend is whatever you want it to be, Jess."

--------------------------

On Friday morning, when she ran down the hallway and into her office, Jessica turned on her computer. While it started up, she grabbed a few more journals from her shelf to take to Jake's place. Her plan was to leave right from campus to spend the weekend with him, her overnight bag already in her trunk. When she logged in to check her university email, she had to read over the newest message three times to believe it.

Dr. Reed, I realize this is very short notice, so please allow me to apologize in advance. Dr. Conley is taking a short leave of absence, and in an effort to keep disruption to a minimum, there is an immediate need for professors who are willing to step in and teach some of his courses. Due to conflicting schedules, you are the only PhD in the science department who can advise his Senior Studies class on Wednesday afternoons. I know this will be an additional workload if you are willing to take it, so we can discuss compensation on Monday. However, if you are willing, please let me know today so I can finalize this schedule. It would be much appreciated. Sincerely, Dean Corbin Walters

"Oh shit," Jessica gasped. Brian was taking a leave of absence? And not only was the dean not upset with her, he was asking her to take one of Brian's classes? "Holy shit." She lunged for her keyboard and typed up a response so quickly, she had to read it three times to fix the spelling errors. Her heart was pounding, because she would have been willing to do this even without the extra compensation.

And now she sat back in her chair, wondering exactly what had happened with Brian's wife. The anticipation was going to eat her alive, but she had a quantum physics lecture to hold. First she added a note to her calendar to call Dean Walters' office and schedule a meeting for Monday.

By the time Jessica was leaving campus on Friday afternoon, she had a meeting scheduled with the dean. She also took the time to update and recalculate all of her grades, and Luca was finally passing. She rode down the elevator with a smile on her face, knowing Brian wasn't on campus, lurking around a corner, ready to give her a hard time. Instead she walked out to her car in her heels with her head held high.

Her stomach was growling, but she knew Jake would feed her all weekend. He would take care of everything. She wouldn't have to scrape together any sad meals or plan her lessons through next semester just for something to do. She was allowed to enjoy herself when she was with her boyfriend. She was allowed to let her feelings grow deeper.

Of course she wasn't disappointed when she knocked on the front door of his condo, and the door swung open to reveal him in an undershirt and gray sweatpants, the smell of something delicious wafting to meet her.

"Baby, you should call me from the parking lot next time," Jake drawled, reaching for her. "It's getting dark outside, and I don't want you walking around alone."

Jessica whimpered as he pulled her inside and locked the door. Of course she thought he was being a little dramatic, but she appreciated him nonetheless. "Okay, next time I'll call you." She barely got the last word out as his lips met hers. Her palm slid over the roughness of the stubble starting to grow in on his cheek before she pushed her fingers back through his hair.

"You're really not upset with me?" he asked softly, eyes closing to her touch.

"No," she promised. "I just needed some time to think about things, but I'm not upset with you."

It was all a seamless motion as Jake scooped her up by her thighs and backed up until he was sitting on his couch with her on his lap. "I missed you," he whispered, squeezing her legs and hips gently.

She laughed as he kissed her neck. "You saw me yesterday."

"It wasn't enough." His voice sounded a little rougher.

She tugged on his hair until his lips were hovering against hers. "It was less than a day ago."

His nose bumped hers as his hands tightened around her waist. "Well apparently I can't go that long, Jessica."

She could feel his cock hardening through his sweatpants, and the more she tugged on his hair, the raspier his voice seemed to get. His green eyes were so pretty and eager, and she wanted him right now. Her skirt was already bunched up on her thighs, so she took his hands in hers and used them to push the fabric the rest of the way up to her waist.

A little smirk formed his lips as she said, "I can't go another minute."

Jake grunted and shook his head before his eyes trailed down to where she knew her rose colored thong was on display for him, and he swiped one long index finger up along her clit. "Jake!" she gasped, grinding down on his cock. He did it again, and she rolled her hips again. "Oh my god."

With one hand, Jake hooked her underwear to the side, and the cool air met her wet core. With his other hand, he tugged himself free of his sweats and his underwear, his thick cock standing at attention for her. She didn't hesitate as she sank down around him, making him groan loudly. One slow roll of her hips, and she was groaning too. Just when she was getting a good rhythm going, her lips met his neck, and his phone alarm started blaring in his pocket.

"Shit," he grunted, stilling her movements with one hand on her butt as he mashed his fingers against his phone screen. "I'm making you a chicken pot pie, and I don't want it to burn." He stood with Jessica fully seated on his cock, and she grabbed at his hair and his neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist, losing one high heel as he walked.

"Fuck! Jake!" she nearly screamed, clenching around him with each step he took.

"Hang on, Baby," he whispered, setting her on the island before turning away from her to reach for his pot holders. She was whimpering for more as soon as he was gone, but she was treated to the sight of him removing the pie from the oven before tossing the pot holders on the floor and rushing back to her, his wet cock bobbing along. "I got you."

He was back where she wanted him with one sharp thrust, and the look of concentration on his face as he worked her up made her smile. "You liked it when I was walking, didn't you?"

All she had to say was, "Yes," and he had her up off the island again. She lost her second shoe as he grinned and walked around the island, rubbing the spot deep inside of her that made her ache with need. "Yes." She was a mess, clinging to him and making ridiculous sounds while he walked her back through the kitchen. And then she was clenching around his cock, with her lips to his ear, but when she saw the dinner he made for her, she came. She whined his name, one long, loud syllable.

Next thing she knew, he had her back pressed up against the refrigerator, magnets clattering to the floor as he got some leverage and thrust into her with all his weight. "Jessica," he growled, nudging her glasses with his nose and squeezing her butt. Then he filled her up with his cum, his cheeks flushed and his eyes half lidded.

Jake kissed along her lips as he murmured, "Let me feed you dinner, Smart Girl. And then we can do anything you want as long as you don't leave my side." --------------------------

Could things be looking up? I mean, Jake can't really be blamed, right? And it looks like scumbag Brian is found out once again. Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 16

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[faust-bite-archive]

How the 3 idiots started dating: Azul, Idia, Yael (my self insert Yuu)

Read their lore below the cut

For Azul I have it Yael kept going back for stupid petty deals and Azul was too dense to pick up on. Yael just wanted an excuse to talk to the octopus man. Think “oh I’m some poor defenceless magicless little man :( just ignore my vampirism and the unique magic that comes with it I need my big strong merman to come help me with everything I’ll pay you so much Azul” and Azul just heard “pay” and doesn’t question it. It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy how domestic it feels or how strangely calming Yael’s singing voice is as they complete the small contract. But really these are basic chore level of petty for the contracts. Like this is all during book 3 btw the crush hit hard and fast and really pathetically. It was 100% one sided for so long btw and Yael knew this was a bad idea he was trying to kiss the literal enemy. Enemies to lovers (real, canon)

Yael: make a deal to help me…i don’t know clean despite being 324 years old…100% legit please believe me and don’t question that.

Azul: weird request but you’re paying and money is money :)

The tweels: oh he’s advanced stupid

Azul does confess after he noticed Yael didn’t come see him for a couple weeks at one point. After the book 3 events with Azul’s overblot Yael became scared of Azul same way he does for Riddle and Leona as well. Well not scared but he’s having nightmares about their blot forms and if he sees them for too long he panics. He’s better by now with Riddle tbh and Leona after sharing the dorm with him so long. But after Azul’s it’s too soon. Too much for him mentally. So he stopped showing up to the lounge on his regular schedule. Then a week passed. And then two weeks. And he won’t answer or even open texts. Won’t answer emails. Won’t sit near them during lunch in fact he just kinda stopped showing up to lunch all together. Which freaked out everyone. He was still in ramshackle at this point so no housewarden could forcibly check on him ask if he’s ok. And then suddenly a month passed. And Azul was a worried mess and was half way to breaking and entering into the falling apart dormatory which he knows would be a bad idea. But this lead to him doing some introspection on why the fuck do I even care actually?? Jade had to tell him because Azul is 100% too dense and has too low self esteem to assume it’s a crush on the little vampire. And by that I mean Jade literally hit him upside the head with a book and explained in detail everything Azul missed action and body language wise over the past months. He offers a one time cooking service for “being a persistent customer” over text to lure Yael out to the lounge after hours to make a big deal confessing over dinner in private right next to the jellyfish tank, Yael’s favorite spot in the lounge. So that way the little jellyfish swim near them both as Azul lays out his feelings a bit too close to how he also describes his contracts. But Yael doesn’t care it sounds transactional he just happily accepts the terms because he loves this silly merman.

The Idia one happens a few months after Azul and Yael start dating.probably closer to right before book 6 like half way though book 5-ish. The competition or festival still haven’t happened yet. But practice has already started for sure. Idia assumed he lost his chance with them both,because he was a sad little man with a crush on them both, and they catch wind of it via Ortho who seeked them both out to reveal his bothers crush and current depression episode that the festival planning has made worse. This transpired to them telling Ortho don’t worry we got this basically. They just needed to buy time really. Just a couple days to plan so they didn’t anger Vil with the practice schedule Yael was apart of. After a few days they both barge into his room and drag his anti social ass outside to a weeping willow tree they found in a remote part of campus and force him onto a date and he just accepts they basically adopted him as a boyfriend and he just has them. Like it was just grab, deliver to date spot, okay you’re dating both of us now kissy kissy time.

He goes online to play his games that night just sends this to his little gaming partner “i think im in an relationship. I didn’t choose to be. They just started dating me by force.”

Love those 2 fr thanks for reading my word dump on them 🖤

#twst #disney twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst self insert #twst azul #twst idia #twst ships #twst oc #twst sona #twst mc

[theliterarywolf]

Your school’s twisted priorities reminded me of something when I was in school.

When I was a senior we couldn’t finish this cartoon about some old story (British lit) cause they had humorous implications to genitals and such. Again these are all seniors who probably probably (I know I did) looked up stuff not family friendly.

But back in middle school when I was like 12 or 13 we watched the autobiography of Jane Pittman. If you know it you’ll know there’s a scene where a group of freed slaves get ambushed and murdered including an INFANT. We were not told that level of violence was going to be in that film I was in tears, left the room, never trusted my teachers to show us appropriate films again.

Anyway my point was your school is being stupid and you deserve better 😤

Also, guess what?

My Vice Principal emailed me talking about "As you were instructed to not use the selected audio for your later classes, you are also instructed to not use the website in class anymore whatsoever due to it being listed as 'Mature Content' and having 'Trigger Warnings' that are not appropriate for adolescents"

The thing of it is, though, is that whenever I decide that my classes will listen to a NoSleep Podcast story, I usually decide it 2-3 weeks in advance. Because I'll listen to it twice to make sure that my students can handle it and anticipate the kinds of conversation that can occur in the classroom.

However, when I saw the latter part of the nonsense, I kind of just snapped and emailed her back with (and this is just a brief excerpt):

"Good evening. You're stating that the reason I can no longer use that website is because it has Mature Content and Trigger Warnings. Yet, if I put in the pieces that you guys have had me teach into a Trigger Warning database (cue several Trigger Warning lists for each of the samples), not to mention that it was the district ELA rep who advised me to do a unit centered on WebToon comics, where some of the most popular stories include (long list of Trigger Warnings and 'Mature' topics), not to mention all of the informational texts that we have students read which deal with (long list of problematic and triggering topics), as well as the bookshelf of books delivered at the beginning of the school year where 2/3 if not more have Mature Content and Problematic Material that would also pop up on a Trigger Warning database.'

And all of that is on top of her main defense when I told her, face-to-face when she came back to my class to tell me to change the audio, is that 'yeah, well I would have to be the one to handle any parental complaints~'

... You mean your

JOB?!?!?!

I am... SO tired.

[seidigardensystem]

I Am Not Too Much

Dear Therapists,

Here we are yet again, sitting on your couch, with our legs curled up underneath ourselves. You're sitting in your comfy La-Z-Boy chair with your pen poised over your clipboard and we’re staring off into space, refusing to speak to you. What ever made you want to join this profession? Why did you choose to be here, on that side of the coffee table?

You’re our sixth therapist now. The first one, nice as she was, had no idea what was happening with us. The second just got frustrated and threw words out at us like borderline, histrionic, and manipulative. The third terminated after a handful of sessions with little explanation. The fourth only gave us one session. The fifth was nice, but canceled a lot and sometimes forgot to show at the appointed time.

We figured out what was going on all by ourselves while we were tossed about like the hot potato no one wanted to get stuck with. So here we are with you and now we’re terrified you will also have some excuse or reason to not see us anymore too. It was bad enough to have experienced abandonment as a child, but to experience with the very profession that professes to heal trauma was far more traumatic than the childhood event.

I did not believe you, no matter how much reassurance you gave me. I could not allow myself that luxury of belief in order to prevent myself from feeling the pain of being abandoned once again, because surely it was just a matter of time before my neediness would push you beyond your limits. How long before you realized that I was too complex, too disordered, and too far gone to be helped? Yet, I had to try with you just one more time. I cannot keep living this way.

And you were true to your word. You answered every text, every email, and even the accidental phone call. You showed up for every appointment, every single time. Not once did you complain. Not once did you sound annoyed. Not once did you tell us we were too much. You explained your boundaries clearly. You explained your expectations clearly. Every trauma response was met with compassion. You squeezed me in for emergency sessions when I requested them. You took your vacations and did your self-care and had a plan for us to get through those times when you went away. And you always came back. You were true to your word. You saw me through the worst struggles I had and now you get to see me graduate with my Master’s and go on to do the same work.

Here I am now, looking around at others who are not so lucky to have someone like you. We are still denied care under the excuse that dissociative identity disorder is simply too advanced for me to treat. The signs and websites and social media accounts tout their trauma-informed ways and claim to treat all the things except for dissociative identity disorder. I am sorry, I cannot help you, DID is out of my scope. Our friends have been lied to, terminated, and turned away over and over again. They are often forced to drive hours in order to see a therapist willing to work with DID. I had to fly out of state to receive appropriate care. Not everyone is so fortunate to be able to do that. At the time, I knew of four residential trauma treatment centers that specialized in DID. Now there are three, because a new CEO took over where I had received care shortly after I left and he did not believe in DID. Seriously?

We are not fake, nor are we rare. We are everywhere and we need care and treatment. We need you to not be afraid of us. To be trauma-informed is to be dissociation-informed. Who else can we turn to if not a trauma therapist or a trauma treatment program? We might arrive with severe attachment wounds, struggle with unsafe behaviors, and a slew of trauma responses, but we are capable of healing. We are capable of learning how to develop a secure attachment. We are capable of turning our distress of dissociation into a superpower to navigate the world. We are successful teachers, lawyers, financial advisors, and therapists ourselves! Include us in your care and treatment.

When a client sits across from me and asks me why I became a therapist, it is because of you. It is because you showed up for me when no one else would. You were a rock in my storm. Our field needs more dissociation-informed rocks. Get the training. Teach others. Stretch and grow beyond your comfort zone. You are desperately needed because we truly want to heal. We are not too much. I am not too much. You are not too much. We hope you get the joy of joining us for our healing journey.

Sincerely,

Your client

#dissociative identity disorder #trauma therapy #did #borderline personality disorder #healing from trauma #ptsd #cptsd #ptsd recovery #mental health #trauma #trauma therapist #emdr therapy #multiplicity #plural community #psychotherapy

[literaticat]

How do you politely phrase that you don't like calls or zooms? I realize there's some calls you can't get out of but especially with editors I feel like it's never necessary. Honestly the idea of having to sit through a barrage of calls every time I get edits or something new happens really harms my excitement of the publication process.

There are, as you say, some calls you can't get out of -- like the initial call with a new agent, or a marketing zoom that has multiple people from different departments on it telling you about all the great things they are allegedly doing for your book that would be quite difficult to conduct via email.

For the most part, though, editorial letters come via email, "something new happening" tends to come via email, honestly almost everything comes via email. Sometimes editors will offer to have a call if you want to process what they have said in the letter and talk it out or something, which IMO can be HUGELY helpful because sometimes it's hard to gauge tone in a letter or you don't know what they are talking about and you need to have a convo to figure it out, etc -- but you don't have to take them up on it. I have never personally witnessed any client having to "sit through a barrage of calls." Like, can one or two necessary calls a year be considered A BARRAGE? I don't think so!

Further good news: almost all publishing calls are scheduled well in advance***-- most publishing people are not just randomly calling you unless they have SPECTACULAR news, and if that's the case, FOR GOD'S SAKE pick up the phone, it'll be worth the trouble!

If somebody wants to schedule a call and you don't want to, you can just tell the truth. I'd phrase it in a positive way, though -- instead of "I don't like calls or zooms", I'd go with "I prefer email, honestly, it's easier for me to process!" :-)

...

*** I will say though, I do sometimes -- RARELY -- text or email a client and say, "Hey, I have a couple questions for you, do you have a minute for a quick call?" Because a) I'm sick of typing, and b) it IS faster -- if I just need to tell you something quickly and have a little back and forth to get your feedback RIGHT NOW, just calling is faster than emailing you, waiting until you read the email, getting your response, writing my response, getting your response, etc. Like this could have been a two minute call, instead it took half the day. But if you don't respond or don't have time, that's fine. And if I already know you loathe calls, I wouldn't even ask.

[tlbodine]

So You Need a Blurb…

If you publish a book, the time will come in the process when your publisher will ask if you have anyone in mind to blurb/endorse your book. And then you will feel foolish telling your publisher that you don’t know anyone or maybe have no idea what a blurb is so you surreptitiously turn to the internet for help. Then you find this post. I gotchu, fam.

What Is a Blurb?

In publishing, “blurb” can mean a lot of things, from the jacket copy to your elevator pitch. But most often, if you’re asked to get a blurb from someone, that means an endorsement from another author or reviewer.

It’s the text on the back or the book or the first few pages where it says, “Fantastic! Five stars!”- some person

What is the Point?

If you ask around, basically nobody cares that a book has a blurb in it. It’s not the thing that will make or break your book sale. But they are a sign of legitimacy, that you are Someone, and that you are part of the community rather than a nobody from nowhere. They’re more important (and common) for lesser known writers breaking out. And they look nice on marketing materials.

How Do You Get Them?

You ask. Sometimes your publisher asks for you. But mostly you will be emailing authors and asking if they can blurb your book.

That Sounds Terrifying

It’s not so bad. For the most part, authors are flattered that you thought of them, especially if they’re midlisters that aren’t huge names. A blurb can give you both a little boost. And sometimes these conversations can stir up further relationships in the community. Writers buy books from each other. They generate buzz. If someone asks me to blurb their book, I’ll feel more invested in its success and might talk it up to others. And getting friendly with other writers is a good way to get invited to conventions, contribute to anthologies, etc. Sometimes authors recommend their pals to their agents. Sometimes they remember you when it comes time for award nominations and votes. So it’s worth it to swallow your fear and reach out.

OK But Like. How?

Step one: pick an author. Actually, pick several, because you’ll want multiple blurbs and not everyone will say yes. Pick people you think would like your book. This means knowing what they write. Aim for someone a few rungs up the ladder from you in experience. Yeah, you can ask Stephen King too, but the big guys are less likely to respond.

Step two: contact them. Track down an email address if you can. If they’re agented, you might need to go through their agent. Do not go into their DMs or tweet them publicly. Write a simple, professional email:

“Hi (author); my name is (name) and I really love (book they wrote that you liked). I have a new book coming out (date) and want to ask whether you might be able to provide a blurb? The book is about (one sentence hook). I would need any blurb back by (deadline you cleared with your publisher). I totally understand if you’re too busy, but if you’d like to take a look I can have my publisher provide an ARC in (format). Thank you for your time!”

An ARC is an advanced reading copy. It’s a not-finalized version of your story that can be sent to readers to start building buzz. Small publishers will usually only have digital arcs in pdf, mobi, and epub. Bigger publishers will have print arcs.

Fire the email off and wait. One of three things will happen:

1 - they say they’re too busy, sorry

2 - they say that sounds great

3 - they never reply

If you never hear a reply, it’s okay to send one follow-up after a couple weeks, then let it go.

After you’ve supplied the ARC, let them sit on it and then email to check in a week or two before it’s due. If they send it in late, it’s fine. It can’t go on the book cover but it can go on the Amazon page and marketing materials. Late is better than nothing.

What Will I Get?

Usually they’ll email you back a nice sentence or two that’s very sound-biteable. These are fun to write and authors can get clever with them. Usually you’ll get a larger one and can cut it down if necessary but it’s obviously bad form to take stuff out of context.

Sometimes they’ll shout you out on their socials. Sometimes you have to make the neat graphics yourself for your socials. You can ask them to share a cute graphic you made but don’t be pushy about it. They did their part.

Did They Actually Read My Book?

Yes. Probably. Mostly. Maybe they skimmed it. Authors are busy. Usually they want to say something nice even if you’re not their favorite style of writing. No matter what, thank them for their time (again!) and just don’t use blurbs that you don’t like.

Tips for Success

- be nice and polite, always. You don’t have to be mega formal. But you should hew on the side of politeness.

- maintain some kind of presence online so people can scope you out and see if you’re a nazi, obnoxious, a serial killer etc. Usually this means Twitter. But something is better than nothing.

- pick writers you like. If you like their writing, they’ll probably like yours. Also check them out online to be sure they’re not a nazi or sex pest or have any scandals that look bad on you. Due diligence!

- it helps if you’re friendly with them or have casually interacted in the past. Remind them about it if you have. “We met at this convention” or “we had x good talk on Twitter” but you don’t have to know them.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck in your quest!

#writing advice #publishing #i love this #writeblr #writing #publishing advice #blurbs

[tarotnoob]

PAC: What's happening this week and into next week?

I felt like doing a pretty simple, straight-forward reading around some predictive elements over the rest of the week - maybe into the week after. Also, tumblr is back to doing that cool thing where if you type it up or voice to text on the tumblr app and then go to save - it errors and deletes, so I'd already had this written out.

But, just use your intuition, I'm not providing crystals - and I will show the picture for all piles at once and then give the messages for each pile. It's okay to be drawn to multiple piles.

Pile 1: knight of pentacles and ace of pentacles. so pretty straight forward. for a lot of you this is going to be a new project at work or some type of opportunity for a promotion. it could also be related to studies, of course. for some of you, i'm seeing it as a new job, job interview, or opportunity for advancement. for like maybe very tiny few, sure it could be some type of offer from an earth sign like... a date, but there are no cups. this is more about career/study/project opportunities coming in. for some of you, could definitely be a collab with at least one other person, as well.

Pile 2: oh boy well i had clarified this in my previous attempt because i knew right away that this pile might be affected by a mercury retrograde (and it is merc in gemini right now until may 22). i always read 3 of swords as a potential retrograde or merc retro thing... and mercury is a special card belonging to the deck. so typical things like - issues with electronics, issues with travel, issues with communication/thinking. when i clarified it was like queen of swords, 8 of swords, so very similar in the sense of being trapped by negative thinking, being overanalytical. it could be also having to be mindful of the way you talk or how someone talks to you. it could be receiving bad or disappointing news and having a bit of a downward spiral moment that's like - nothing ever goes right, why can't i do this, why do i feel stuck, etc... i think i made a reference that it reminded me of Elsa because it's sort of drama queen energy but without the fire, so like - i hurt everyone and nothing works and so i'm just going to isolate myself from everyone and live this cold, lonely, painful life... feelings are valid but the 8 of swords coming out tells me that you're exacerbating or causing even more problems with your perspective or the way you're thinking.

it's also possible this may be a person you encounter who might dump a lot of troubles onto you and you can choose to give them space or maybe someone in that energy will want to distance themselves or you're the one distancing bc you're just not in a good place mentally. mercury is communication, travel, internet, thinking... maybe you might want to check out your merc placement and how the retrograde will affect you. pile 2 usually is about our relationships as well so this may be about... no contact with someone or receiving a rejection or verbal fights with a partner or friend or family member. it can be a lot of things so just be cautious of typical merc retro issues and also the way you think or how you talk, etc... there were a lot of negative cards around the clarifiers, like 5 of cups, 5 of pentacles... so disappointment, some type of lack (mentality)... negative thoughts, too much analyzing... not communicating or miscommunications... isolation... etc... if you're aware it's coming or even aware you're making it worse, maybe try to step out of that energy or maybe it's a time to do some shadow work around thinking like that or stuck energy... watch those travel plans, watch out for phone or email malfunctions. make sure the text you wanted to send gets texted, etc... lots of potential scenarios but it seems heavily pointed in the area of communication/thoughts/mental stuff/technology, etc...

Pile 3: Hierophant and Fool, coming out separate

I had such a long message for you but you don't need one, really. So, a few things to point out. two major arcana. Hierophant fell out on its own and I gave another bc everyone else had 2, and you get the fool

could be relevant to taurus season timing in particular

there are multiple layers coming through because of the images and card meanings so one layer is that this feels like a divinely driven opportunity or situation

it also feels as though this opportunity will come from an institution such as a school, government organization, even a religious or spiritual advisor, maybe MAYBE family member

This opportunity will create a whole new path for you in life, one that will change things for you so potentially a relocation, new job, something NEW NEW NEW. for a lot of you - especially if you were drawn to pile 1 - it really feels like an acceptance letter to a school, a visa or government issued thing that allows you to travel or gives you more freedom, or a job offer from an institution like a higher ed place or government work... like if you applied to work at a university or applied to work at the dmv, etc... dmv seems small but there are no small anythings bc the POINT of this new opportunity or offer or even like MASSIVE SET OF NEW BELIEFS, is that it's a doorway to a new path, and one that is part of your divine path. like a literal instruction or divine opportunity from your higher self or someone big and up there

in this hierophant image, it's meant to be your higherself but it looks like you're getting stabbed in the heart, so it's got ace of sword energy to it, so there's an epiphany or download that's kind of being forced onto you. so i see it as an example, let's say you were turned down by several jobs and you're like wtf why does that happen, guess what you get one this week or next week and it's... in another state or country and at the end, they may say yes... and you move, and not only do you live in a new place at a new job BUT this fool card makes me think there will be people you are meant to meet along this journey such as soul tribe or even SOULMATES. look at that fool card and the wolf that's waiting on the peak. it's like your alpha or something and there's still some bit of journey left to get to them but it feels like this opportunity or situation puts you on the path to them... so the whole journey is like... afjsa; a lot bigger than what it may seem.

besides a literal opportunity of some sort for a lot of you, this is also a spiritual shift in the sense of (especially if you were drawn to pile 2 or all piles) but there might have been a feeling of being trapped whether it was in your own beliefs or negative thoughts or an old crappy job or getting no's all the time and no offers - it doesn't matter but the image shows a sense of (the divine) breaking you free of stagnation and putting you on a new path that is closer to your calling type of path... and one that includes folks maybe for you to meet who will be of importance. but there are risks and the usual fool associated stuff involved with this new journey. it may seem scary but i think that's what was keeping you stuck before. now i feel like something whether it's downloads or a sure fire YES that will push you into being okay with taking that risk. it'll feel weird like whereas before you were like no i'm not ready i don't think i want that and now you're finding yourself going hmm that sounds cool i feel excited about that even though i'm not entirely sure how this will work out. so maybe spirit is trying to free you from attachment to results or expectations. i read fool as a uranus card so perhaps anything to do with uranus in taurus is relevant... uranus is in taurus now and will go retrograde in august... so in terms of timing this could be SOMETHING gets started now during taurus season and then another step will happen in august. so this makes sense if you apply or interview for a job and start in august or get some notification about school and classes start in august, etc...

wow suddenly tumblr is applying word limits to "blocks" so i'll end it there before it tries to delete this post though i switched to my laptop or maybe it's merc in retrograde issues.

let me know if any of these predictions make sense for when you read this or if you were attracted to multiple piles and it still fits. as personally i see how and why the piles are connected. pile 2 represents a stuck state, but pile 1 may be the opportunity coming through and then pile 3 is the potential implications of that opportunity and how it'll shift you out of a stuck headspace.

but yeah hope that helps and resonates for some of you! beware of merc retrograde - it's retro in gemini until may 22 so 5 - 22-22. even the numbers are like "change" and then balance/relationships/choices/new paths or decisions!

#tarot #pick a card #pick a pile #general reading #next two weeks #predictions #tarot reader #mercury in retrograde #astrology #spirituality #spiritual advice #changes #opportunities