#we Do have whiskey i think... maybe ill have some fun tomorrow | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

flowerpot112 · 3 years

Text

Marauders First kisses

SIRIUS BLACK

"But what was it like?" Asked Peter, his eyes wide. James and Remus were either side of him looking on in admiration.

Sirius for his part was lounging in the armchair by the fire basking in the attention from his best mates, a Cheshire cat grin on his face. He had just sauntered through the portrait hole a hero, announcing to the boys and common room at large that he had just 'snogged' Laura Hayes, a fellow third year in Hufflepuff. He was inordinately proud of this fact, being the first amongst the four of them to kiss a girl.

"Brilliant of course you muppet" Sirius said shoving Peter with his foot "She couldn't get enough of me, then again who could blame her?" He gestured to what he knew was a classically handsome face.

"Awesome…" Peter breathed flopping back into the sofa.

"Poor girl, must have inhaled too many fumes in potions, probably brain damaged…." Remus grinned sitting next to Peter, reopening his book without looking at it.

"Well, if she wasn't before she is now." James sniggered as Sirius now aimed his foot in Remus direction. "So you were good at it then?" He now looked on in apprehension, he knew James would never admit it outloud but it was this fear that held James back from his own first kiss, it wasn't as if he wasn't more popular amongst the girls. James, like Sirius, always made sure he was laughed with, never at.

"What do you mean? 'Course I was good at it!" Sirius expression turned from that of absolute pride to outrage before slowly morphing into one of uncertainty "I mean, I think so… I mean it's not difficult, is it? People do it all the time…. Right?" He was proud of his achievement, but now the ever-present doubt crept in. What if he had one it wrong and now she was laughing with her friends as he was with his.

Sirius prided himself on his carefully crafted image, to the world he was the handsome, charismatic rebel of the Black family and he preferred it that way. His mother had taught him long ago to show emotion was to show weakness, he was still working on forgetting these sentiments. He looked to Remus as he often did when he was uncertain.

"Why are you looking at me you bloody idiot? You're the only one who's done it!"

"Yeah, but you always have the answers Remus, answer me damn it!"

"Well, like Pete said what was is it like?"

Sirius thought for a moment then answered quietly "Weird at first… and a bit awkward, I mean it's a bit strange to have someone else's tongue in your mouth! But, overall, yeah…. Brilliant, she was all pressed against me and smelled good and stuff…" He trailed off a small smile coming to his face. Yeah, he consoled himself, he'd done it right. After all Laura had asked him to Hogsmede afterwards. He liked Laura, she was half blood and her father was a mechanic, whatever that was, it it meant she grew up around motorbikes. Sirius was obsessed.

"Awesome" Peter reiterated.

James, his nerves now soothed (after all like Sirius said people do it all the time, could be too hard), grinned at Remus and moved to ruffle Sirius hair "Our boy's growing up so fast."

Remus mimed wiping a tear from his eye as Sirius foot now swung in the direction of James.

PETER PETTIGREW

"Peter! You absolute legend!" Remus gave Peter a congratulatory smack on the back, accidentally sending the poor boy toppling into a bench in the great hall.

"Snogging Marlene McKinnon, who'd have thought it eh?" Sirius said passing Peter a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, way to go to old boy" James added his eyes twinkling.

Peter was busy blushing, it was unusual for him to be centre of attention even amongst his closest friends, he often felt he was on the outside looking in. He had been on his way to lunch the previous day, in his own world, grateful it was Friday. His mother had been ill the past week and Peter had been fretting his way through classes, making his usual struggle with spell work an absolute train wreck. This had landed him with three detentions and a stern telling off from McGonagall, followed swiftly by a shortbread biscuit. Marlene McKinnon of all people had stopped him in the halls and, peter noticed in full view of everyone, asked him to Hogsmeade the following day.

"It'll be a laugh…" she had exclaimed bumping him the shoulder. Peter had stammered out his acceptance of her offer through his confusion, feeling as though he was blushing from head to toe.

It wasn't that he didn't like Marlene, he knew her well enough and she was certainly a very pretty witch, it was just that Marlene usually spoke more to James and Sirius than Peter. James had known her well since childhood and the pair had a sibling like bond and Sirius, well Sirius enjoyed flirting.

Still Peter had bade farewell to his grinning friends and joined Marlene to walk down to Hogsmeade making small talk. Once in the Three Broomsticks they had talked about their upcoming plans for Christmas and laughed about the latest pranks he and his friends has played on the Slytherins. This latest escapade had earned the four troublemakers the name 'The Marauders'. They had complained about the ungodly amount of homework the professors had lumped upon them for the holidays whilst shopping in Honeydukes and set back for Hogwarts in silence. Once reaching the door of Hogwarts he had made to tell Marlene goodbye until she has leaned across and pecked Peter on the lips.

Now Peter, thoroughly cheered, had make his way to the great hall where his jokester friends were waiting. As he laughed with them, telling them of his first date and kiss he failed to notice James mouthing his thanks to Marlene, who just nodded and winked back.

JAMES POTTER

James knew objectively girls liked him. He was handsome, funny, athletic, and intelligent. His family's money didn't hurt one bit nor his pure blood status, although any girls interested in that James wouldn't entertain. Now that he was an official member of the Quidditch team it seemed every girl liked him. Well, most girls, he corrected himself thinking of a certain red-haired witch.

He quickly shook himself from that train of thought. He had asked her out, hadn't he? And she'd laughed derisively in his face before shooting a hex his way. Granted Snape was still coughing up soap bubbles from his own hex when he'd asked but he'd been genuine, much to his surprise. No she didn't want anything to do with James. But Clarice Wentworth did.

He brought himself back to the present and threw his most charming grin over his shoulder at her as he made his way across the Gryffindor common room to his fellow trouble makers. The quidditch celebration bash was in full swing, the Prewett brothers having provided all manor of treats and tricks to get the party going.

"Jamie, my boy, having a pleasant time?" Sirius asked, his ecstatic expression betraying his casual tone. After all the whole of Gryffindor house had just witnessed the enthusiastic kiss he'd just shared with Clarice.

"She just planted one on me!" James exclaimed his lips tingling a little at the memory. Which was the truth although he had been a more than willing participant. "Just walked right up and did it."

"Sounds horrific" Peter commented sarcastically.

"Shall we rush you to the hospital wing?" Remus added rolling his eyes. An action James echoed. Remus took a swig of his contraband fire whiskey.

"I'm not complaining," James explained grinning and looking over to where Clarice was giggling with her friends. "Just surprised, I'd not really noticed her properly before." He sure as hell did now.

"Not noticed her! She's bloody fit!" Sirius eyebrows looked to be attempting to join his hairline, Peter nodded vigorously.

"Too busy mooning over, then being hexed by a certain talented witch" James, deciding Remus had had quite enough for one night, snatched the bottle from Remus hands.

"I've no idea what you could possibly mean Remus, my dear friend." Still, he couldn't stop his eyes from flicking to the table where Lily Evans and her friends were sitting. They appeared to be deep in conversation but Lily, sensing James gaze no doubt turned to look at them, he looked away quickly.

Remus and Peter wore identical knowing smiles whilst Sirius just rolled his eyes and leant over to throw an arm around his favourite friends' shoulders. "Never mind Evans, she's a right stick in the mud mate, some birds just don't appreciate perfection when they see it." He shook James a little in his grasp. James appreciated Sirius' flattery, although he wasn't 100% sure his mate wasn't talking about himself.

"It would certainly make my life easier; I'm hoping to make prefect next year and Lily is a shoe in. Don't fancy spending patrols with her ignoring me because you've ticked her off." He threw James a fond but exasperated look "Maybe its best to leave her and Snape alone for a little a while?" He looked quietly hopeful.

James conceded to himself Remus had a point. Whilst it was fun to cause a bit of mayhem with the boys and funnier still seeing Snivellus get what was coming to him, he had recently found himself wanting to impress Evans, wanting to make her smile as Snivellus did, wanting to make her laugh the way Meadows did… wanting it to be her surprising him with a kiss in the common room. He could lay off… for a while at least. Clarice seemed charming and obviously more than welcomed his affections. Maybe spending some time having fun with her wouldn't hurt.

"Agreed."

Sirius scoffed "You're actually gonna let Snivellus get away with that stunt he pulled on Peter last Wednesday? Peters head was 5 times its normal size for hours!"

James tutted "Of course not! What do you take me for?" He threw arm over Sirius in return grinning, whilst Remus groaned "We just cant get caught, that's all"

Now it was Sirius turn to groan, James heard him mutter something about unfairness and credit. James chose to ignore his mates' dramatics. He looked back over to Clarice and said, "If you don't mind lads, we'll pick this up tomorrow, see you in the dorm." He made his way over to her.

REMUS LUPIN

What can only be described as a squeal echoed through Gryffindor tower. The blonde girl rushed past the three laughing Marauders clutching her shirt over her bare chest.

"Manly, Pads, really I'm impressed mate." Said James sarcastically.

"Shut it, Prongs!"

"Yeah Prongs, Sirius is too much of a free soul to be confined by stereotypical gender confines… or at least his vocal cords are" Remus teased as Sirius casually corrected his uniform without a hint of self-consciousness as the boys trooped into their dorm.

They flopped down on their own beds, dumping their bags, and shuffling out of their shoes and jackets, still wet from the storm raging outside.

"Now, Moony my romantically challenged friend, don't be jealous"

"Romantically challenged?" Remus countered, his eyebrows raising "Says the mutt who can't keep a girl past a week!" If Remus was honest with himself, he supposed he was somewhat 'romantically challenged' but he thought of it as more of a side effect of what he became each month. He tried not to mourn the things he couldn't have.

"How dare you!" Sirius clutched his chest in mock indignation as James and Peter guffawed "I'm still finding the right one."

James sniggered even more "And that entail's you snogging you're way through the population of Hogwarts…. How?"

"We can't all pine after Evans now, can we? Simply not enough of her to go around Prongs m'boy"

"She seems to be coming around to you lately James" Peter supplied helpfully defending his friend as he threw a pillow at his grinning friend.

"Thanks Pete, see Black that's good friend!" James said catching the pillow Sirius launched back at his face just in time.

"Yes James your methods of seduction are truly astonishing to behold, I look on in awe." Remus couldn't help but agree with Sirius, the day Lily Evans looked at James Potter with anything other than thinly veiled contempt would be the day Dumbledore showed up to the great hall clean shaven.

He told his dear friend so, to which James replied "Well atleast she knows how I feel! How long have you been mooning over Maeve Mathers now?"

Sirius sniggered at the pun before adding "Ask her out Moony! Join in on the fun!" Remus glared at them, they knew damn well what his worry was. As nice as it was that James was dead certain his condition shouldn't matter Sirius at least should understand Remus' trepidation, growing up in the Black household as he did.

"What we need is a tie!" Peter suddenly announced to his comrades interrupting his thoughts. Three heads swung in his direction, each boy looking at him quizzically.

"Say what?"

Grinning at the realisation he knew something his brilliant friends didn't Peter sat up properly to explain. "I've heard of muggles doing it, if one of them is with a girl in a shared room they put a tie on the door to let the other lads know, you know so they don't have to walk in on one of them half naked twice a week" He gave Sirius a pointed look.

Sirius remained unfazed "See Remus, we'll get a tie…"

"We have ties Padfoot"

"…and you'll have peace and quiet when shacking up with Mathers" Remus sincerely doubted he'd ever have peace again, not with a stag, dog and rat to contend with. But if he was being brutally honest, his 'furry little problem' wasn't the only thing holding him back.

"You have done it haven't you Moony?" Asked James, as usual hitting the nail on the head.

"Done what?" He attempted to evade, knowing he was never that lucky.

"Kissed a girl you loon, snogged, frenched, necked… canoodled?" Sirius supplied helpfully wagging his eyebrows. Peter cackled and fell to his side, meanwhile James looked at Remus his brows furrowing.

He stammered for a second before answering "I'm not interested." He willed them and himself to believe it.

"Yeah right!" Both Sirius and Peter exclaimed.

Peter continued "How do you know? Its like turnips, I used to always say I didn't like them but mum always said how did I know if I didn't try them and she was right, I tried them and now I add them to every roast, they pair excellently with gravy…" He trailed of seeming to realise the other three were looking at him like he'd slobbered on their shoe.

"Don't think girls are like turnips Wormtail."

Siruis looked back to Remus "Although that is the reasoning I had before making out with Stephen Spellings, maybe you could try a bloke Moony." He grinned daringly.

"And on that note, think its time to drop it lads." James said laughing before shooting both boys a look before turning around to get changed. Remus gratefully turned to do the same.

The boys could be incorrigible, but they usually did what James said, Peter certainly did anyway.

It was later that night when Padfoot and Wormtail were in the bathroom brushing their teeth that James plopped himself down beside Remus on his bed.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about you know. Not having been with a girl before."

"I'm not embarrassed! I just have other worries!" He insisted motioning toward the half moon through the window.

"How many times do I have to tell you Remus? That doesn't change who you are, anyone disagrees, you send them my way" James gripped his shoulder. Remus felt the usual twinge of affection, he knew he was lucky to call these three idiot's friends.

Underneath James guileless gaze he could stop it from slipping out "Well, it is a bit weird, isn't it? I'm 15 Prongs and I've never kissed anyone. What kind of girl wouldn't laugh?"

"It's not weird Moony, you're not pushing 30 or anything." He rolled his eyes and paused before a maniacal grin appeared on his face, Remus groaned, that look never led to anything good. "But Moony, you wonderful man you, if that's what you're worried about…" And before Remus could react James lips were pressed against his.

James lips were soft and warm although his nose bumped into Remus' slightly. It was over rather quickly, and James lent back seemingly unfazed.

Remus sat there in shock whilst James patted him on the shoulder, "There you've done it now. If Mathers asked you've been well and truly kissed before. Nothing stopping you from asking her to Hogsmeade now!"

His shock fading Remus broke into a strained laughter "Yeah thanks a lot" He shook his head at his best friend and shoved the laughing teen off his bed. At least he had done it now, he supposed, and it has been sort of nice, though he may have preferred Maeve to James for his first kiss.

Hope you guys enjoyed.... Also on https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13966800/1/First-Kisses

#james potter #sirius black #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #lily evans #marauders #harry potter #james & sirius #james & peter & remus & sirius #sirius and james #sirius & remus #marauders headcanon #marauders fanfiction #james x lily #jily love

4 notes · View notes

invisibleanonymousmonsters · 4 years

Note

I'm sure Grayson and Owen have broken some hearts in hfy but has there ever been a time where either of the two had any major heartbreaks themselves? Have girls ever broken their hearts?

Howlin’ For You – Masterlist

The kids and their potential SOs

Yes, Grayson has definitely broken some hearts. He’s just like Bucky in that way. He never has ill intentions. But he’s a flirt and he’s charming. Teenage girls don’t notice anything beside that - even if Grayson makes it clear that he’s not looking for anything serious.

Amelia doesn’t really date anyone until later in life. But because of that, she knows exactly what she wants. She’s also mature and emotional intelligent to notice red flags and bad traits in men. So she’s very good at find good men that are right for her.

Owen’s relationships always end mutually. Or they stay friends and it makes everything a bit easier.

But Grayson does get his heart broken when he’s younger, a year or so out of college.

He was living in the city and didn’t even tell his parents he was coming home. He just showed up at his parent’s place.

“Oh my god! What are you doing here?” Y/N screamed in excitement and pulled her son into a giant hug.

But when she pulled away, she saw his grief-stricken face.

“What’s the matter? What happened?”

“Umm...Jen and I...we broke up.” Then he winced and shook his head. “Well, actually, she broke up with me.”

“Oh, Grayson. I’m so sorry.”

“I just needed to get out of the city for a bit. Do you mind if I stay for a few days?”

“Of course not. You never have to ask. This will always be your home.”

Grayson pulled his mom into a hug again.

An hour later, Grayson was sitting on the back deck with his mom, drinking whiskey.

They both heard the roar of Bucky’s motorcycle, signaling that he was home after a long day of working at the shop.

Grayson gave a look to his mom.

Y/N patted his arm and went inside to catch Bucky.

He walked into the kitchen and immediately went for a beer.

When he spotted Y/N, he smiled and gave her a quick kiss. “Hey, doll. How was your day?” Then he noticed something was off from her expression alone. “What? What is it?”

“Grayson’s here.” She sighed and crossed her arms. “Jen broke up with him. He’s real upset, Buck. Said he just wanted to get out of the city for a few days and he just showed up.”

Bucky sighed and rubbed his face. “Did he say anything more?”

Y/N shrugged. “Not yet, really.”

He nodded. The twins were always more likely to open up to their mom than him.

He followed her back out onto the deck.

Grayson stood up as soon as he saw his dad.

“Hey, punk. It’s good to have you home,” Bucky told his son as he pulled him in a giant hug.

“Hey, dad.”

“Hey,” Y/N told them. “I’m going to go to the grocery store real quick. I’m going to make your favorite dinner, OK? You guys just sit and get drunk.”

“We can help, mom.” Grayson insisted.

“Nope. I got it. You just relax.”

Bucky and Grayson caught up on life. Bucky made sure not to pry and didn’t ask about Jen or the breakup. If his son wanted to talk about it, he’d let him bring it up.

After a few more whiskeys, Grayson brought up the subject.

“She wanted me to move across the country with her. It was just a lot. Like, too much too soon. I mean, we’re barely out of college. Why can’t us just being together and having fun be enough for now? And I just realized her life plan wasn’t the same as mine. ”

He sighed. “And I think she realized it too: I wasn’t the person that could give her the things she wanted and when she wanted them.”

Bucky gave his son a look of sympathy. “Well, then maybe it was for the best.”

“I still love her. Beyond our future plans, we just...we worked.”

Bucky gripped his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Grayson. I really am. I know it’s gonna suck and it’s gonna hurt...for awhile.”

Grayson nodded.

“But maybe we can have a barbecue with the Howlies tomorrow night. Eat some food, get drunk,” Bucky offered.

Grayson grinned. “Yeah, that sounds fun.”

#howlin' for you #howlin' for you asks #howlin' for you headcanons #howlin' for you questions #howlin' for you drabbles #howlin' for you one shots #biker!buck #biker!bucky x reader #dad!biker!bucky #biker!dad!bucky #grayson barnes #amelia barnes #owen barnes

80 notes · View notes

yathinkbruh · 3 years

Text

[7/2/2012 11:57:28 PM] Stephen: went to a 88 jiuba with some chinese friends, guy i met on weixin invited me. we went to some place in luohu which is right next to hongkong, that ***** didnt give me directions so i wandered the streets for 30 minutes until a taxi drivery finally directed me to the right place. had to pay fucking 200 kuai for the table we got, couldnt get in at first cuz they said i was wearing flipflops that werent allowed for dress code. i put on some size 3 chinese converse ripoffs and walked in with half of my foot sticking out like i didnt give a fuck, was k and then changed back to flipflops. drank this delicious juice and whiskey or something blend, could drink that shit all day which we pretty much did, not a lot of alcohol so we probly drank glasses each. the club was fuckin huge, had epic video screens with victoria secret runaway cameos going on along with music videos to the trash top 40 they like to play here. chiense people all stood around at the tables waiting for their friend to arrive. even though its a bar no one actually looks for others to mingle with and instead sticks to their friend circle only. i went around the bar trying to find a girl to coem to our table to drink with us but her guardian guy friend w/e was too jealous and butthurt so he gave me a hand motion to go away..lul. we played dice game a fuckton, for the first hour it was just 3 guys derping in the club looking around like fools. eventually their female friends came but not girlfriends, some randmo hoes who just came and went after playing some drinking games with us. didnt really make sense. i was asking one of the girls if she was having fun why she wanted to come to the bar if they were just going to stand around, shes like im just bored i guess. truth be told no one really dances there or does anything, they just personify awkwardness as they look around trying to make new acquaintances but its ultimlately impossible since they cling to their circle of friends. the employees at this bar were really fun & friendly and danced more than the guests. in the bathroom this guy tried to give me a stick of gum while iw as peeing and then led me around at the end demanding a tip. i gave him 5 kuai for the lulz. i made eye contact multiple times with one of the better looking girls in the club (probably late 20s), most were fugly and it was like 70/30 m/f...but she was with several other friends making it impossible for her to leave them and actually talk to me. i left after 1 cuz i have work tomorrow at 830

[7/2/2012 11:57:47 PM] Stephen: and this place was super chinese

no foreigners and every1 was speaking some trash dialect

including the guy i was with, fucking impossible to understand

he didnt slow down at all

[7/2/2012 11:58:06 PM] Stephen: i might as well have been at the train station

such a cluster

the club was so legit

live singers every half hour

good sound system

girl pretending to dj on the side

weith some beats headphones

chinese djs at these clubs are good

the people who go there are riffraff though

[7/2/2012 11:58:23 PM] Stephen: i was going along at the beginning just to be nice/ thought it would be an adventure to hang out w/ random guy

i was sitting on subway

he looking at me

i was sitting

as soon as seat opens he sits his fat ass next to me

starts talking like hey where you from what you doing in china

so hes this random businessman from dubai who's lonely and comes here a lot to the exhibition center

he has no friends or family

hes kind of awkward and creepy

but i have nothing better to do

21 hours agoStephen Brownlee

and hes the same, finished for the day

so im like k ill go eat w you

maybe you're just lonely like i was today

i had to go exploring alone cuz no1 would hang out

(got a lot of weixin contacts that way though)

anyway we go to restaurant

hes kind of picky, has zero understanding of china, still kind of weird

we talk about general stuff

eat at a muslim restaurant

lol

he takes forever finding it

when i could have found it..

w/e

we took a taxi there

anyway hes just a fuckup in general and you wonder what hes doing in china

then he says some legitimate stuff about its hard to find true friends in china

every1 just wants money from you

and im like yeah i know that feel bro

so i sort of think maybe he just feeling really down cuz he has no friends

then we leave the restaurant and hes like where to go now

i told him i wanted to explore the city and hes like im tired

need to rest

then wanted to go to a hotel with him

also when we walked he would lead my with his arm awkwardly

he was like we can go back and rest, get a hotel

im like ...

his english is shit

so eventually he mades some super roundabout attempt at giving me a straight request

we just go to hotel herherher

this guy was middle aged and fat

anyway hes like i want to kiss your eyes

creepy motherfucker

messages not sending

then im like the fuck breh

oh before he was like

like what hes looking for

hes like haha just joking

im like uhh...

then hes like you arent gay

im like what the fuck are you even saying breh

lol

ok now no messages are sending

what the fuck

sorry idk how much you saw

anyway before he was like we believe meeting someone is part of gods plan

me meeting you today

god planned that to happen

lul...

k breh

anyway i was looking for an escape

at one point he was gonna get a taxi for us and i started walking in the other direction

waved as i left

he didnt follow

thank god

so i got the fuck out of there

like what hes looking for

me meeting you today

im like uhh...

what the fuck

messages not sending

[7/2/2012 11:58:39 PM] Stephen: hes like haha just joking

then hes like you arent gay

im like what the fuck are you even saying breh

lol

ok now no messages are sending

sorry idk how much you saw

anyway before he was like we believe meeting someone is part of gods plan

oh before he was like

then im like the fuck breh

creepy motherfucker

[7/2/2012 11:58:53 PM] Stephen: we just go to hotel herherher

waved as i left

he didnt follow

at one point he was gonna get a taxi for us and i started walking in the other direction

anyway i was looking for an escape

k breh

this guy was middle aged and fat

creepy motherfucker

then im like the fuck breh

[7/2/2012 11:59:13 PM] Stephen: anyway

as soon as he was out of sight

i ran

lol

and got on the first bus i saw

oh man

but then my roommates was like

awww you shoulda gotten his contact info

im looking for rich guys from dubai

can get a lot of money of them

lol

i gave him my fone #

at the start

we'll see...

he might give up

he complains about being alone but the whole time i was thinking yeah who would want to be with you you creepy fuck

i was feeling very down today cuz unable to find friends to hang out with all weekend

so i felt a little empathy

alright thats pretty much it

1 note · View note

questingtheworld · 5 years

Text

Living The Fantasy - Chapter One

AO3 Link

Summary: Meeting royalty, falling in love, and living happy ever after were the things Hollywood movies were made of…or happened only to the Meghan Markle and Daniel Westling’s of the world. Rylie Martin was neither made for the silver screen nor one of the lucky one percent—that is, until a bachelor party entered the bar she worked at one fateful night. Even after a magical meeting and love in the air, Rylie knew getting that fairytale ending wouldn’t be easy. But nothing could have prepared her for what awaited her in Cordonia.

Pairing: Liam x MC

Chapter Title Inspiration: Say You Won't Let Go - James Arthur

Word Count: 10,769

A/N: I've only recently discovered Choices (where has it been all my life!) and TRR was my first book, and it has just completely captured my heart. So much so that I decided to try and expand on the universe that they gave us.

It will mostly be from Rylie's (MC) point of view, but I do plan on having some "intermission" chapters where I explore some "behind the scenes" moments from another character's POV. Warnings and tags to be added as the story continues.

Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

* ~ * ~ *

Chapter One: I Met You in the Dark

I met you in the dark, you lit me up

You made me feel as though I was enough

As Rylie heaved two large bags of trash up so they weren’t dragging on the ground as she brought them to the dumpster, her mind wandered as it usually did when performing such glamorous tasks, especially when she was on her second of a back-to-back shift and was basically just running on fumes by that point.

Often her thoughts drifted to alternate universes where she was holding up a plate of decadent pastries instead of rancid garbage or wearing a form-flattering designer dress instead of an ill-fitting, alcohol-stained waitress uniform and pretend the pitter-patter of what she hoped weren’t rats were instead the footsteps of an elegant ballroom dance.

(Not that she even knew a single one, but hey, this was a fantasy, not reality. Speaking of reality, Rylie could distantly hear her co-worker Daniel’s yelp and tug on her arm, threatening to pull her from her daydream and back to the present where those sounds were rats. Not wanting to low-key freak out with him, Rylie delved deeper into her fictional other life.)

Maybe she could have a job where the words, “it’s five o’clock somewhere,” wasn’t a daily utterance, or maybe she could win the lottery and never have to work at all ever again. Or maybe, just maybe, she could be someone who was treated equally and with respect instead of--

“Hey! Rylie, Daniel, quit slacking off over there!”

--Well, that .

And she was so close to reaching the ‘prince charming’ and ‘happily ever after’ portion of her fantasy, too.

With a sigh, Rylie turned to face their manager, Kevin, as Daniel let go of her arm. “You told us to take out the garbage.” Rylie wasn’t usually the type to talk back to her bosses, but there was only so much belittling someone could take before they snapped and Rylie knew that her manager knew that he wouldn’t be able to replace her so easily if he fired her.

Unfortunately, her manager also knew that if she didn’t need the job so badly she would’ve quit by now, which always left him with the upper hand. “I didn’t expect you maggots to take it literally and throw yourselves out with it. Now I’m telling you to wait on the bachelor party that just rolled in. So chop chop!”

Forced to take the loss, Rylie bristled as Kevin smiled smugly before turning to head back into the bar.

“If bullying us is the only thing that makes him happy in life, I think we’re the ones winning in the long run, Rylie,” Daniel said in an attempt to placate her, and after a moment Rylie let out a long breath, expelling all her tension and anger.

“That’s true,” she conceded as they hurried to toss the remaining garbage bags into the dumpster. “That doesn’t make it right, but I’m not going to let him take up any more brain power. Let’s go check out the damage of this bachelor party.”

Heading back inside, the two of them peeked from around the corner of the Employee Only entrance at the back, eyeing the trio of males that waited at the front to be seated. A tanned man in a dark grey suit called out to Traci, one of the other waitresses, as she passed by with a pitcher of water for one of her tables.

“Waitress, there you are. We need your best table!” the man in the suit said.

“Forget the table,” one of the other men said, dressed on the complete opposite spectrum of his friend, with a button-opened long sleeve denim shirt over a plain white t-shirt and jeans. “Just bring us your whiskey, and lots of it.”

“Maybe the one in the suit is the one getting hitched?” Rylie theorized as she continued to peer out at them, watching as Traci assured them that someone would be out to seat them shortly and left to attend to her customers. Guessing what everyone’s story was for them to walk into a barely ‘Grade A’ bar was a thing they did to pass the time. “Do you think they’re bar-hopping, or that this is the pre-game?” she asked, turning to look back at Daniel to find that he was already looking at her with a sad puppy expression, hands clasped in the universal sign of begging. She could already guess what it was he was going to request of her. “Oh, no, Daniel…”

“Rylie, please take this one. I’ve got a date tonight, and I’ll never make it out of here in time…”

While it was only a group of three—smaller than the huge bachelor party they were expecting—alcohol always made things more unpredictable. “Why do I get all the rowdy tables?” Rylie half-complained, though she already knew she was going to do it for her friend.

“Because you’re a saint with a heart of gold and patience a mile wide?” Daniel buttered her up.

Rylie hummed noncommittally, but her poker face cracked as Daniel jutted out his bottom lip more and she threw her hands up in defeat. “Oh, you know I’ve got your back. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do tonight…and they’re kinda hot…and the tips should be good…” Rylie listed, trying to make herself feel better about accepting and make Daniel feel less guilty for asking.

“Oh, thank you, thank you! I owe you one. You’re the best!” Daniel gushed as he hugged her, and she laughed and hugged him back.

“Just have enough fun for the both of us. I wanna hear all about it tomorrow!”

Unfortunately, their manager chose that exact moment to walk in on them. “Are you two still talking? I’ve seated them already. Now get over there before I dock your pay!”

Rolling her eyes as Kevin left again—maybe if they weren’t so short-staffed he wouldn’t have to do some actual work like seating customers, the horror!—Rylie waved bye to Daniel before straightening her uniform and plastering the friendliest smile she could muster as she walked over to where the party was seated, grabbing three menus as she went. Rylie bowed her head apologetically for interrupting their conversation; it sounded like they had some sort of European accent. “Hello, gentlemen!” she greeted as she placed menus down in front of them. “Sorry for the wait. My name’s Rylie and I’ll be taking care of you this evening.”

Before she could ask for their drink order, the third man that was in a crisp black shirt spoke first. “Waitress, steaks for the table.”

I have a name…and I just gave it to you! Rylie screamed internally, but her countenance betrayed nothing. It wasn’t like it was the first time she’d been defined solely as her occupation instead of as a person. She opened her mouth to respond, but the suspected-groom-to-be beat her to it.

“How about some filet mignon, medium rare and prepared with a béarnaise sauce?”

Does this man think he’s at a five-star restaurant? He was certainly dressed like it, but even she could appreciate someone who wanted to look good wherever they went. The smile remained on Rylie’s face despite her thoughts. “The closest thing we have to ‘filet mignon’ is the deluxe burger.”

Suit man made a face as if the word ‘burger’ itself was beneath him. “Dare I ask for your wine list?”

“We’ve got an excellent vintage house red…”

“ House red?! ”

“It also comes in white if that’s more to your taste.”

That only seemed to cause more terror in the man. “My taste ? Why, I never …”

“Sir, this is a Wendy’s,” Rylie said in a flat voice, unable to help herself when the man set it up so nicely. When silence followed instead of laughter, she shifted awkwardly. Tough crowd. She watched as the eyebrows of the man in the suit furrowed together, and she could already imagine him demanding for her manager and Kevin having the satisfaction of firing her. The man’s mouth opened, and Rylie held her breath.

“But…that’s not what the sign in front of this establishment said—”

A sharp gasp interrupted suit guy, and Rylie returned her gaze to the one in the black shirt. “Oh. My. God. I’ve read about this meme online but I never thought I’d witness it in person! Do me, do me!”

“Err…” That didn’t go the way she was expecting. It was a good thing, don’t get her wrong, but it was still throwing her for a loop. Who were these people and where did they come from? Rylie looked at denim dude, hoping he was the only sane one among them.

Denim man sighed as if wordlessly saying ‘this is why we can’t have nice things.’ “We’ll be fine with a bottle of whiskey...and four deluxe burgers.”

Rylie nodded, mentally taking down their order as she retrieved the unopened menus from the table but pausing when she realized he ordered one more than there were in their group. S he locked eyes with denim man to double check the quantity. “Four, sir?”

The man nodded behind her, and Rylie turned and came face to face with someone’s chest. “Oh!” Rylie let out in shock, taking a step back reflexively. Slowly, her eyes trailed up from the layered clothing (less formal than the suit man but more dressy than the other two), taking in his gel-styled black hair to his facial features that seemed Asian mixed with something before locking eyes with him. Whoa, he’s really cute.

“Sorry I’m late,” the newcomer apologized to his friends, though his gaze was still on her. “Thank you for your patience, Miss…?”

It took Rylie a moment to realize he was talking to her this time. “Uh, Rylie,” she answered less gracefully than she had hoped. Wonderful first impression there, Rylie.

The man smiled, though whether it was because he was being polite or because he actually found her sudden dimness adorable was unknown (Rylie’s inner voice was lamenting that it was the former). “Charmed to make your acquaintance, Rylie.”

“Trust me, the pleasure’s all mine,” Rylie replied dreamily before stiffening when her brain caught up to what her mouth said. “I mean, it’s nice to meet you.” Smooth recovery. “Let me go put your order in. Be right back!”

Fleeing the scene with what was left of her dignity, Rylie sped walked to the kitchen and put in their food order. She took a brief moment to knock her head against the wall a couple times for her embarrassing display before she took a deep breath and headed for the bar to get their drinks.

“Let’s see, whiskey, whiskey…” she murmured to herself as she looked over their stock of liquor. In her haste to leave before she made even more of a fool of herself in front of the bachelor party, she didn’t ask for what specific whiskey they wanted. What kind of whiskey people were they? Rylie discreetly glanced back at the bachelor party’s table, analyzing them. Bourbon seemed a little tame for them, but she believed the only one of the four who could handle a single malt scotch was the one in denim. Deciding it was best if they chose, Rylie picked up three different kinds and put them on a tray along with four empty glasses.

“Hello again, gentlemen,” Rylie greeted. “Your food’s in the works. I’ve got your drink order here, but since the type of whiskey wasn’t specified I figured you guys can pick your poison.”

“Poison? You’re asking us to choose how you’re going to kill us?” the tanned man gasped as he watched Rylie place three bottles of whiskey in the middle of the table before distributing glasses to everyone.

“It’s a figure of speech, Tariq,” denim man explained, eyeing the three bottles in turn before looking up at her. His expression was hard to read, but Rylie knew she was about to be tested. “What’re our choices?”

Rylie straightened under his gaze, firm and ready with no sign of weakness; if he thought he was the first man to question her knowledge of liquor when she literally worked in a bar he would be solely mistaken. “If this is your pre-game, or if you’re new to the world of whiskey, I recommend Four Roses. It’s smooth while having none of the bite of other whiskey.”

The man in black perked up at the term he didn’t recognize. “What’s a pre-game?”

“Like a pit stop before the real party begins,” Rylie answered with a wink before continuing. “If you’re feeling a little adventurous but don’t want to jump off the deep end quite yet, there’s Johnnie Walker. It’s a blended scotch and is a nice middle road between bourbon and a single malt whiskey, like the Macallan here. Choose this if you think you can handle a real kick to your taste buds.”

Rylie gave denim dude a look, who crossed his arms and nodded appreciatively; it looked like she passed.

“What would you go with?” the cute latecomer asked her.

She tapped Johnnie Walker. “It’s the best of both worlds. But it really depends on you—”

“We’ll take it!” the hyper man in black said before anyone else could say otherwise, though no one moved to object his decision.

“Excellent choice,” Rylie said dutifully, though she couldn’t suppress the tiny bit of pride that welled up inside her for the party to trust her word enough to go with her pick. After opening the bottle for them and filling their glasses three quarters of the way full, Rylie left the bottle in the middle of the table for them to refill at their leisure and collected the other two that weren’t chosen, placing them back on the tray. “If you’d like that on the rocks, let me know, though I do think it will dilute the taste.”

The latecomer smiled that million watt smile again. “No rocks, then.”

He could light up the world with that smile , Rylie thought wistfully. “I’ll be right back with your burgers.”

As Rylie walked back to the bar to return the other two bottles her manager suddenly appeared beside her. “Johnnie Walker, Rylie, really? Why didn’t you give them the Macallan when you know it costs more?” Kevin hissed at her.

“The customer chose,” Rylie said through gritted teeth as she kept a smile on her face on in case anyone was looking, “and haven’t you heard that the customer is always right?”

“I know for a fact that they asked for your opinion. You could’ve lied to sell the more expensive one. They clearly don’t know any better and they would’ve been too drunk by the end of the night to notice the bill.”

Her manager was actually the worst. Rylie pointedly refused to look at him or even give that ridiculous statement a response as she put the bottles away. A server’s word meant something to her, at least, and she wasn’t going to lie just to cheat the customer. It probably made her the worst employee in terms of selling unwanted things to customers but her integrity mattered more to her. It was another one of those things that probably should’ve gotten her fired a long time go…

“You’re just lucky that the price difference isn’t too much; less money I’m going to take out from your paycheck.”

…But then Kevin got back at her by doing things like that.

Rylie finally turned to face her manager as she clutched the now empty tray in her hand tightly. “You can’t do that!”

Kevin smirked at her. “I just did. Now you better grab their food before it gets cold and I’ll be forced to take their meal out of your paycheck too when they inevitably walk out.” He made a ‘shooing’ motion with his hand and Rylie had no choice but to do as he said, even if she was going to do it anyway.

The rest of the night was generally normal, with Kevin’s yelling at her and her co-workers normal background noise by now and the one sleazy man (there was always one) who was constantly calling her over for something just to keep her in his presence. Surprisingly, the bachelor party never got rowdy, though they certainly kept the rest of her shift interesting in the way the man in the black shirt was constantly trying to talk about pop culture with her and how Tariq (if she remembered what the one in denim called the one in the suit’s name was correctly) actually tried to eat his burger with a knife and fork.

“Can I get you guys anything else?” Rylie asked politely as she cleared the empty plates off of their table. She didn’t want to rush them but closing time was in a couple of minutes, and after spending 16 hours at work she was ready to book it out of there.

“Just a glass of water,” the man in denim asked as the cute latecomer slid out of the booth to let the one in black out; him and Rylie locked eyes and shared a smile as he sat back down.

“For the table?” she asked for clarification.

The latecomer looked down at his watch as he sat back down and frowned slightly before looking up at Tariq, who nodded. He sighed softly. “If it’s not too much trouble,” he said apologetically.

Well, there went her chances of leaving on time. Still, she couldn’t look at his handsome face and feel anything but a flutter in her heart. “Not at all.”

After delivering their water, Rylie started cleaning the rest of the tables so that she’d have less to do when the bachelor party was done. As she was finishing up wiping down the bar, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see the man she had been eyeing all night. “Hey! Do you guys need a refill?”

The Asian man smiled. “Actually, I think we’re about ready to head out. I just wanted to thank you...and apologize. I know we kept you late, and my friends can be...demanding.”

Was that why he was frowning at his watch when I brought the water earlier? I thought they were running late for something. Did he know what time we closed? The possibility that that thought might’ve been true left her breathless at how thoughtful that would’ve been if it was. “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Rylie assured him. She’d definitely handled worst tables than his before.

His eyes seemed to search her face for any hint of a lie before he smiled. “I got the feeling that you could take care of yourself.”

Rylie raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, what gave it away?”

“I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just…your features are soft, but sometimes they betray your fiery spirit within,” he answered genuinely before his cheeks reddened and he cleared his throat. “Plus I can imagine it’s not easy to work here...”

“..And that’d require some backbone?” Rylie finished for him, laughing when he seemed even more embarrassed by his insinuation. Before her mind can catch up to her body, she reached out and placed a hand on his arm to comfort him, and she felt him relax under her touch. “I’m not mad, just curious as to what made you think that. You’re not wrong, and I do have a baby face; trips people up all the time.”

Realizing she was still holding onto him (it just felt so natural ), Rylie quickly let go and cleared her own throat. “It was kind of you to come over and apologize. It wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it. If you guys are heading out now, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the bachelor party!”

The man took another step forward as Rylie began to turn away to get back to work. “That wasn’t the only reason I came by. As… unnecessary as it may be in your opinion, I still have an invitation I’d wish to extend to you to make up for things. If you don’t have any other plans tonight, maybe I can buy you a drink. We’re about to go to a club.”

Well, this wasn’t how Rylie was expecting her night to go, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. Maybe taking the party table would reap more benefits than she originally thought. “Oh? Which one?”

“We were hoping you might have some advice about that,” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’re not from around here.”

Rylie smiled coyly before mimicking his earlier action by searching his face for a lie and saying, “I got the feeling that you guys weren’t native New Yorkers.”

The man realized what she was doing almost immediately and decided to play along in this sudden role reversal of theirs. “Oh, what gave it away?” he said, eyebrows raised.

A grin spread across Rylie’s face before she tried to school them into a more serious expression. “No offense but I’ve never met anyone quite like you since I’ve gotten to this city, and that’s a good thing, trust me. Plus the accents were a bit of a giveaway, though what really sold it was how your friends acted. No chill whatsoever.”

“No offense taken. I’ll humbly accept the first part as a compliment. As for the rest, we’re not exactly used to…all of this,” he waved his hand out vaguely in front of him.

“New York can be pretty overwhelming for those not used to a big city.” The man looked like he wanted to protest but decided against it, so Rylie continued. “Hmm, well, if you really want to let loose, I’ve heard Kismet is the hottest club in town at the moment.”

“That sounds perfect. I know the guys want to go crazy tonight! So, does that mean you’ll join us…?” he trailed off hopefully.

“Under one condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“You tell me your name. I’m not in the habit of leaving with complete strangers,” Rylie said with a smile.

The man winced slightly, and Rylie believed if he had less restraint he would’ve smacked a hand against his forehead. “Where are my manners? My name is Liam. I’ll introduce my friends once we’re outside.”

“Trust me, Liam, you have more manners in your pinky than most people do in their entire being. And that sounds like a plan! Just let me finish up here and I’ll meet you out front.”

“You’re too kind, Rylie,” Liam said, then bowed slightly before heading towards the exit.

“And you’re too modest!” Rylie called after him, cherishing the chuckle that she heard before she headed for their table to clear it. She noticed an envelope under their bill and read the neat note written on the front. “Thank you for your service tonight. This is your tip: open once you arrive safely home,” Rylie read aloud to herself before turning the sealed packet in her hands. It felt like it had some thickness to it, but it could’ve just been a bunch of dollar bills. Were they embarrassed? It wasn’t like it mattered, especially since it seemed like she was going to get a drink out of it.

“Who even puts tips in an envelope anyway?” Rylie asked herself. They continued to surprise her with their quirkiness. Shrugging, she stuffed the envelope in her apron pocket and quickly finished her closing duties before heading into the breakroom to change. I am so ready to get out of this uniform… Rylie thought as she began to change into a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, a chic berry purple short sleeved shirt that complimented the tone of her medium brown skin, and accessorized with a faux gold chain and black ankle boots.

Pulling at the hair tie that kept her hair up revealed that while the top half of her hair was a dark brown, from the middle down to the tips was a dark pink ombre colour, otherwise hidden by the way she had styled her up do. Rylie finger combed her hair, trying to get that sultry messy wave and parting it on her right side. With that done, she donned a black leather jacket and checked herself out in the mirror.

Perfect.

Grabbing her bag, Rylie clocked out, waved by to any of her lingering co-workers and avoided her manager like the plague as she made her way outside, finding Liam and his friends waiting for her.

The guy in denim was the first to notice her as he looked up from his phone, and he did a double take as he saw her approach. “Wow,” he breathed out as his eyes subtly raked up her form until he locked eyes with her.

“Wow?” Rylie repeated as she stopped in front of him.

“I...almost didn’t recognize you,” he tried to elaborate, still at a loss for words.

“That uniform wasn’t doing you justice,” Tariq agreed with denim man’s disjointed appraisal, also eyeing her with an approving gaze.

The one in the black shirt joined his friends in crowding her, unabashedly checking her out. “Yeah, the waitress is hot.”

Rylie let out a laugh, trying to figure out if she was amused, flattered, or upset by the attention and comments. They acted as if they had never seen a woman in skinny jeans before, and while it was really nice to be seen as attractive it was also a little objectifying.

Before she could decide, there were footsteps behind her, and she turned to see Liam giving his friends a stern look. “Ahem. Her name is Rylie, and I doubt she appreciates you talking about her like that.”

She hummed, unsure. “The jury’s still out on that one.”

Denim man bowed his head in silent apology, while Tariq looked taken aback as he seemed to be the whole night she was waiting on them. “Are we on trial?”

“Still a figure of speech, Tariq,” denim man said.

“I would appreciate being called by my name, though,” Rylie added, looking at Liam gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Right. Sorry, Rylie. I meant to say, you look lovely,” the one in the black shirt said sincerely, folding his right arm across his stomach and bending slightly at the hip rather regally before standing up and clapping his hands together. “Now let’s get this party going!”

“Before we go, I did promise to introduce you to everyone. This is Drake,” Liam named as he gestured towards the man in denim, “Maxwell,” the one in the black shirt gave a wave, “and Tariq,” Liam finished as he gave the one in the suit a pat on the shoulder.

Rylie gave a wave back to the group. “Nice to meet you all, officially.”

Drake crossed his arms, eyeing her with a more calculating look than before. “So she’s our tour guide now?”

Rylie frowned slightly. Well, isn’t he a ray of sunshine. Liam had made it sound like everyone was on board with her coming along. If that wasn’t the case she wasn’t going to insert herself into their bachelor party. “It’s okay, I can go. I can tell when I’m not wanted.”

“Please stay,” Liam beseeched her softly before facing Drake squarely. “Rylie was kind enough to agree to show us around. She’s doing us a favour, so play nice.”

The two of them held gazes for a while, having some sort of silent conversation before Drake looked away mumbling something that sounded like ‘masochist’. “Don’t go,” Drake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’d be grateful for your assistance.”

“Apology accepted,” Rylie said, smiling innocently when Drake’s head snapped towards her.

“I didn’t apologize—”

She began going up and down the balls of her feet and batting her eyes at him sweetly, beaming as Drake realized he couldn’t argue with her. With a grumble, he turned and walked away with Tariq and Maxwell following after him, the latter’s laugh reaching her ears.

“Well since the plan is still a go, I’ll just order us an Uber—” Rylie started as she pulled out her phone.

“Actually,” Liam said, gently placing a hand atop hers that was holding the phone, “we already have a ride.”

He motioned her forwards, and Rylie walked towards the direction the others had gone to see a limo waiting around the corner. “Wow,” Rylie said with a whistle. “You guys really went all out for this bachelor party, eh?”

She missed Liam’s grimace, only turning when his fingers lightly touched her elbow in order to get her attention. “The guys wouldn’t have it any other way. If you could tell me where the club is, I’ll inform the driver.”

After showing the driver the location from the map off her phone, Liam and Rylie climbed into the back with the others before the driver closed the door behind them and got into the front seat.

“So…” Rylie began a few minutes into the drive. “What made you guys choose New York for your bachelor party instead of like…Las Vegas?”

Drake frowned. “Too crowded.”

“Too hot.” Tariq needlessly adjusted his suit.

“Too tempting. We’d definitely get into some sort of trouble there,” Maxwell shivered as scenarios went through his head.

“‘ We ’?” Drake raised an eyebrow at him.

“You guys do seem the type that’ll somehow recreate ‘The Hangover’,” Rylie mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“‘ You guys ’?” Drake repeated again, as if to stress that he wasn’t going to be sucked into their hypothetical mess.

Maxwell nodded at Rylie, ignoring Drake. “Right?! Besides, it was Liam’s idea to come to this city.”

Rylie moved her gaze to him, curious, and Liam chuckled good-naturedly. “I was afraid that what happens in Vegas may not stay in Vegas,” he half-joked. There was a moment of hesitation as he glanced at his friends before he leaned in towards Rylie slightly. “Besides, we never would have met if we hadn’t come to New York. Perhaps it’s—.”

“Kismet,” the driver announced as the limo slowed to a stop, and Rylie felt her face heat up at the perfect timing and double meaning of the word.

Liam seemed to flush as well, but his gaze was still steady on her as he whispered, “Took the words right out of my mouth.”

Rylie swallowed. “I never took you to be a pun guy,” she said, playing on how ‘pun’ and ‘fun’ sounded alike, and willed her heart to slow. She was not going to fall for someone she’d never see again. Don’t do it Rylie.

“It seems like we have that in common,” Liam observed as the door opened and his friends piled out. Liam got out as well before bending down to look at her, holding a hand out. “Shall we?”

Smiling, Rylie accepted his help out of the limo, and the group made their way to the back of the line into the club as the limo drove away to park until called upon again. It was perhaps only a ten minute wait, but she could hear snippets of Maxwell, Tariq and Drake going back and forth about ‘waiting’ and being able to ‘skip the line’ and something about ‘stop being babies’ the whole time.

Unsurprisingly to Rylie, once they got to the front of the line she was carded, as was Maxwell, and the group laughed as Tariq insisted that his ID be checked as well. As soon as they were inside, though, the guys immediately headed for the dance floor like the music was a siren song calling to them.

“Time to party!” Maxwell yelled as he shimmed to the middle of the action.

“No one wants to see your running man, Maxwell,” Drake teased as even he seemed to loosen up with the beat.

“You there! Who do we talk to for bottle service?” Tariq called out to a passing server.

“Yeah, sure, we’ll get a table for the group, you’re welcome!” Rylie called after them as Liam chuckled beside her.

“Thank you for bringing us here,” Liam said as they were seated at a table on the sidelines of the dance floor. “Looks like the guys are having fun already.”

There was something about how Liam said it that drew Rylie’s attention to him. He looked content, but it seemed that it was more out of his friends’ happiness than his own. She returned her gaze to his friends on the dance floor. “I bet you’re used to putting everyone else first.”

Liam turned towards her, startled. “And why would you say that?”

Rylie shrugged nonchalantly, but she chose her words carefully in case he took it the wrong way. “I can tell. I’m good at reading people.” She could see him patiently looking at her from the corner of her eye, expecting her to elaborate. She took a deep breath and plunged in. “You said ‘the guys are having fun’, which suggests that you don’t consider yourself a part of said group that’s having a blast. Plus, you are here instead of out there on the dance floor with them.” Rylie turned towards him, relieved that he didn’t seem upset by what she said. “So, forget about your friends for a minute. What about you ? Do you like it here?”

To her surprise, Liam actually gave her question some thought. “What I’m enjoying most is the company. And I believe I owe you a drink...So what’ll the lady have?”

Rylie gave him a look that said that she was not impressed by his deflection. “So that’s a no,” she answered directly for him, but smiled at the implication that she was a part of making it worthwhile for him. “But I’m glad I make up for it.” Rylie picked up the drink menu and looked through it. “Hmm, I think I’ll have a flaming cocktail.”

“Let’s make that two,” Liam said as he lifted a hand to signal for service.

A few minutes later their drinks were delivered, and Liam carefully handed Rylie a drink before picking up his own. “Careful. We’re playing with fire here…” Liam warned.

Part of Rylie wondered if Liam meant more than just the drinks, and figured she was overthinking things. “That’s what makes it fun!” Rylie said as she raised her glass. ��To enjoying company.”

Liam smiled as he also lifted his glass. “Cheers.”

They clinked their glasses together before they both blew out the fire from their drinks and drank.

“Mmmm, this is good. Thank you, Liam. I guess this makes us even.”

Liam stilled for a moment before he looked down, thinking. “Hmm…you’re right. Now I’ll have to find some other excuse to get you to stay.”

Rylie felt her face heat up again and she reached over to place a hand on Liam’s knee so he’d see it and look up at her. “You don’t need an excuse. Turns out...I’m having fun. Clubs aren’t really my scene, and I thought I’d be dead tired after a 16 hour shift but you, and your friends…it’s like you give me energy, give me life.” She laughed at how cheesy that must’ve sounded, but it did finally make Liam look up at her. Her eyes sparkled with how in awe he was, inadvertently proving her point. “I guess there is something to having good company that could make anything better.”

“I’m very happy to hear that.” Liam laughed as Rylie tried to wave off his comment, squeezing the hand that was still on his knee. “Honestly. Well, not about you working for 16 hours, that seems…excessive, but…Hanging out with you is the most fun I’ve had this entire vacation.”

“Yikes! I mean, that’s sweet of you to say, but as amazing as I am I think that means you haven’t really been enjoying yourself very much if I’m the highlight of your trip.”

Liam let out a sigh, sitting back in his seat as he gently swirled his glass, contemplatively watching the liquid swish in a circular motion. “It’s been wonderful, but there’s something missing. I really wanted to do one thing in particular while I was here…”

“And what’s that?”

“It’s...well...” Liam laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Rylie remembered him doing it back at the bar, too; it seemed to be something he did when he was embarrassed. “You’re probably going to think it’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty...It wasn’t really in the guys’ plan, so we just never got around to it. And now it’s my last day here...I don’t mean to sound so ungrateful. It was thoughtful of my friends to throw me this bachelor party. They’ve done their best, but I’m not in the mood to celebrate.”

Rylie froze in shock as the entirety of what Liam had said hit her. She must’ve stayed that way for some time, because after a while Liam looked up from his drink and leaned forward in his seat towards her, a worried expression on his face. “Rylie?”

Rylie blinked and looked at him, attempting to smile. “Yeah, no, hi, I’m here. Sorry. There’s just… a lot to unpack in what you said. I…didn’t realize this is your bachelor party.” Aside from the fact that she had assumed the husband-to-be was Tariq, with the way Liam had been acting towards her she thought… But maybe it was all in my head. Still, she shouldn’t have been surprised; it should’ve been obvious that someone as great as Liam was already taken. Besides, she told herself not to fall for him, and now she had a really good reason not to.

Nothing’s changed.

The next time Rylie smiled, it was more genuine. “Congratulations.”

It was Liam’s turn to fail miserably at looking happy. “If you knew the whole story, you might not congratulate me so quickly.”

Rylie’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Oh?”

“I actually don’t know who I’m going to marry yet...only that I’ll have to pick my fiancée by the end of the year.”

“Okay…” Rylie said slowly. “What does that even mean? This sounds like a cross between an arranged marriage and ‘The Bachelor’.”

Liam seemed to struggle internally over something before he said, “The truth is, Rylie...I’m the Crown Prince of Cordonia.”

Rylie choked on the drink she had just taken a sip of. “You’re a prince ?” she coughed out. “Am I being Punk’d right now?”

“I’m unsure of what a ‘Punk’d’ is but I can assure you that I’m telling you the truth.”

“Like you’ve been telling the truth up until now?” Rylie retorted, but her voice had less of a bite than it could have as she was distracted by the first part of what Liam had said. “But…it all makes sense now. The pop culture references and the wine, the way you guys act and the reaction to my clothes…all sort of fits with the sheltered court life, right? I believe you, Liam…if that is your real name,” Rylie joked lightly, a small smile on her face.

Liam let out a sigh of relief that she not only believed him, but wasn’t terribly mad at him, too. “It is, I promise.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I mean, if you didn’t trust me or thought I was a threat you wouldn’t have invited me out with you guys in the first place. Or why tell me at all? You could’ve gone back to… Cordonia?” At Liam’s nod, Rylie continued, “And I would be none the wiser. Just…why?”

Liam clasped his hands together and looked down at them as he tried to find the words to explain. “I do trust you, which is crazy and scary and right all at once. That’s why I told you; I felt you deserved the truth, especially since you also put your trust in me by being here. As for why I wasn’t more upfront with you…” Liam moved his gaze back to her.

“I’m not normally allowed to go around without the Royal Guard, and I was only allowed out on the condition that I kept my identity a secret. But perhaps more than that, just for one day, I wanted to be free. I’m very aware that I have a duty to the monarchy. I’ve never known anything else.”

“Oh, Liam, I’m so sorry.” Rylie reached out and hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her. “Your secret is safe with me. I guess living the fairy tale life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh?” As she pulled away, she gasped. “And I gravely underestimated you putting other people first; you literally put an entire country of people before yourself.”

Liam laughed softly. “Being royal isn’t as bad as I just made it sound, it’s just not as devoid of responsibilities or one party after another like people think it is. But I wouldn’t trade it in for anything in the world.”

“Spoken like a true prince,” Rylie teased.

Liam smiled. “But what about you? You could be anything, do anything. What drives you, Rylie?”

“Being a peasant is not a walk in the park either, or have you forgotten my 16 hour shift? But…I’m sort of doing what I want now, in a way. I want to see the world. Cover the earth before it covers me, you know?”

“Where have you been so far?”

“Here.” At Liam’s confused look, Rylie laughed. “You’re not the only one who isn’t a native New Yorker. I’m actually from Canada. I went to university here and then once I graduated I just…never left. I’m saving up, and one day I’m going to see everything. The Northern Lights, the Eiffel Tower, Machu Picchu…there’s so many different people to meet, different cultures to immerse myself in...”

The look Liam got sometimes when he looked at her was back again, like he couldn’t believe she was real. “That’s beautiful, Rylie.”

Suddenly, Maxwell’s voice drifted over to them from the dance floor, and they spotted the guys still out there, now mingling with the other club-goers. “Come on, Drake. Show off those moves!”

“Another bottle of champagne!” Tariq yelled. “Who knew we’d find a decent vintage here?”

“Looks like your friends are having fun,” Rylie commented.

“Good. I’m happy for them. They deserve to have fun... Tomorrow, it’s back to Cordonia for the start of the social season.” Liam looked about as somber as he sounded.

Rylie frowned. She had no idea what Cordonia’s social season consisted of, but she was pretty sure what Liam would be going through would be worse than his friends. After all, he was the one that seemed to have a deadline for a marriage to someone he didn’t even know yet. If anyone deserves to have fun on their final night of freedom, it’s Liam. And she was going to give it to him. A plan was already forming in her mind. “But it’s not tomorrow yet…”

It was almost as if Liam could hear that she was up to something from the tone of her voice. “What are you suggesting?” he asked, equal parts intrigued and dubious.

“You said you wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. Let’s do it! I know a place where we can catch a boat tour. Best view in town.”

“Right now?” Liam checked his wristwatch. “But it’s way past midnight. Won’t all the tours be closed?”

Rylie picked up her phone to also check the time. “Oh...right. I forgot how late it’s gotten.” She paused only for a second before she unlocked her phone and began texting someone. “In that case...you’re lucky I can cash in a favour.”

“A favour?” Liam repeated as she watched her work, noise chiming from her phone every few seconds. “And just like that, you can get us on a tour boat after midnight to see the Statue of Liberty?”

“Well, maybe a few favours, actually, but I have some friends who owe me. It won’t be easy, but I know this is important to you, so...” With a flourish of taps, Rylie lowered her phone and grinned at him. “Let’s go!”

Liam blinked and looked up as Rylie got to her feet. “Right now?” he said again, still thrown over the fact that she would go through all this trouble just for him.

“It’s only getting later every minute we wait. Besides,” Rylie glanced back at the dance floor and his friends who were still partying hard. “It looks like the guys are busy enough. I bet they won’t even notice you’re gone; they haven’t come by our table since we got here.”

Liam seemed to mull over that fact for a bit, but he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as he kept his eyes on her. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

“Nope,” Rylie said, popping the ‘p’.

With a nod, Liam got to his feet. “Then I happily surrender to your demands.”

“Wait, really?” It was Rylie’s turn to be shocked as she looked up at him. She had hoped he would agree, but after hearing all the limitations he had she wasn’t sure he could.

Liam laughed at her surprised reaction. “Well, I will have to let the guys know that we’re going, but I can do that after we’ve already left. Besides, I’m finding it hard to say no to you, but even more than that, I’m finding that I don’t want to.”

Rylie’s heart swelled and she knew she was a goner no matter how much her brain was trying to tell her not to. Scratch that, everything’s changed. She was going to be heartbroken in the morning, but that was a problem for her future self. She was going to enjoy this moment right now until her proverbial carriage turned into a pumpkin. “Then let’s get going.”

After settling their tab, Rylie took Liam’s hand and led the way out of the club. “Now,” she started to explain as they walked, “we will have to take an Uber this time, but that’s only so that the limo’s free if your friends want to come get you. We’ll tell your driver where we’re going so he’ll know where to bring them.”

As they stopped by the curbside, Liam squeezed her hand. “Rylie, that’s so incredibly thoughtful of you.” Rylie shrugged as if it was nothing even though it meant so much to him.

“I’m not here to cause an international incident,” she teased. “Just let your driver know it’ll be at the corner of Old Fulton and Furman Street. I’ll order the Uber now.”

Not long after Liam had called to tell his driver the plan and texted his friends where he had gone and instructions on how to reach him, their Uber arrived and a short ride later they were getting out at the intersection she had mentioned. It was a short walk from there to the docks, the twinkling lights from Manhattan greeting them across the water from where they stood.

“…And here we wait,” Rylie said as she folded her arms atop the wooden railing that lined the docks.

Liam mimicked her movements as he stood beside her, his arms just a few inches from touching her own. “For?”

“For the magical boat I’ve summoned just for you.”

“No magic carpet tonight?”

“I’m afraid my monkey’s currently taking it for a joy ride.”

The two of them looked at each other and laughed, though while Rylie returned her gaze to the skyline Liam kept his eyes on her. “Not a bad view…” he murmured, tracing every line of her face as if to commit her vision to memory.

“Yeah, I like how—” Rylie stopped as she turned back towards Liam and found him still staring at her. “Oh, that’s so cheesy,” she teased.

Liam smiled, unashamed that he was caught looking. “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

Feeling a blush creep up her cheeks, Rylie elbowed him lightly. “I’d say the same but I feel like you hear that from enough people already. Don’t want your head getting too big for your crown.”

Liam laughed before he shrugged. “Perhaps, but it’s an empty compliment coming from them. I feel like it’d actually be true, actually mean something, if it came from you.”

Rylie swallowed. “Then…I think I have the best view in the whole city right now.” He smiled, and she thought she had gone blind for a second. “You could definitely light up all of New York with that smile for sure. I’ve been thinking that all night.”

It was Liam’s turn to blush, and he ducked his head down as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I…thank you, Rylie.”

“Y-yeah, of course, no problem.” Rylie cleared her throat before spinning around so that her back was leaning against the railing instead. “Now, I’m dying to know why you’re so eager to see the Statue of Liberty.”

He lifted his head to look at her again. “Can’t you guess?”

She knew what the Statue of Liberty was supposed to mean, and though she never thought it’d apply to him, it also did in the most basic way. “…Because she symbolizes freedom.”

Liam nodded before he looked out towards Manhattan. “Freedom is something that I’ve always wanted. But I’ve always known that my role would require me to give up much of what I desire.”

It was one thing to see this dilemma in movies, where it was only a speedbump in the overall story and things eventually all worked out by the end credits, but it was another to actually know someone in real life going through the exact same issues and not being able to just circumvent it as easily because real lives were at stake. Still, Rylie couldn’t help but wish there was something Liam could do about his situation. “But you’re the prince. Can’t you do what you want, at least some of the time?”

Liam let out a hollow laugh and shook his head. “As a member of the royal family, my actions reflect on my house and all of Cordonia. It’s something I’ve never been allowed to forget. No matter how badly I might want to.” He looked back at her for one long moment before turning away again.

Rylie’s heart ached for him. She hated seeing others in pain and not being able to help them. “Liam…”

She reached out to touch his arm, but before she could there was a loud blast of a horn. They both looked out across the water and noticed a tour boat pulling up.

“There’s our ride,” Rylie announced, glancing back at Liam to check if he was okay. He gave her a weak smile and a nod and she led them down the ramp to where the boat was waiting.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” the man tying the boat to shore said as he caught sight of Rylie.

Rylie grinned and gave him a tight hug. “Paul, long time no see! And Chris, miss you!” She waved at the captain who stood by the steering wheel, waving back. “Spending all your time out on the water instead of on land, it’s no wonder I never see you.”

“You only have yourself to blame for that. I wouldn’t even have this gig if it weren’t for you.”

“And soon we’ll have a boat thanks to you, too,” Chris yelled from the bridge.

“Really? They agreed to sell it to you guys? That’s fantastic!”

“Hell yeah! But we could be here ‘till the sun rises catching up, and that’s not what you’re here for.” Paul not-so-subtlety raised his eyebrows towards Liam.

“Ah, that’s right! Paul, Chris, this is Liam. Liam, Paul and Chris.” Rylie introduced, taking a step back as the men waved and shook hands and exchanged ‘nice to meet you’.

“You must be something special if Rylie’s going all out on a first date,” Paul commented as he moved to guide him on board but Liam waved him off, expertly getting on before turning to offer a hand to help Rylie.

“We’re not—”

“I’m not—”

Rylie and Liam looked at each other as they spoke at the same time before laughing.

“Well, he is special,” Rylie said as she took Liam’s hand and stepped onto the boat.

“You’re still too kind,” Liam insisted.

“And you’re still too modest,” Rylie countered, and Paul laughed at their antics.

“You two are so cute. Now, I would be a horrible tour operator if I didn’t offer commentary during our trip, if you are so inclined to accept.”

Liam and Rylie glanced at each other and she shrugged. “It’s your call.”

“The boat ride alone is already so much, I couldn’t possibly ask for more,” Liam declined politely.

“Besides, I didn’t cash in all my favours just to owe you one,” Rylie joked, trying to help Liam feel less guilty.

“It would’ve been on the house, thank you very much, but I can tell when people are trying to get rid of me for some alone time,” Paul winked before he clapped to signal Chris. “We’ll be heading off shortly, enjoy your trip!”

“Thank you,” Liam and Rylie chorused together even as Rylie rolled her eyes at the ‘alone time’ comment.

“Shall we?” she said to Liam before leading the way towards the starboard side of the ship where the Statue of Liberty would be seen.

As they settled into a spot and the boat began moving, Liam spoke. “As bad as this is going to sound, a part of me didn’t think you’d pull this off.”

Rylie laughed. It did sound a little bad, but she wasn’t too surprised. If she didn’t know herself she’d have thought the same thing. “Oh, savage! You just don’t know me very well.”

“You’re right,” Liam admitted earnestly, turning towards her, “But I’d like to fix that. You’re fascinating, Rylie. Why are you doing this for me?”

“You seemed like you needed it,” Rylie said simply, as if she hadn’t just moved heaven and earth to make sure he saw the Statue in the last few hours he had left in the country. But for her, it was that simple. Liam was someone in need, she had the means to help him, so she did.

“That’s... so sweet of you. To be honest, no one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

“Really?” Rylie snorted. “Come on, you’re a prince. I bet people do things for you all the time.”

“I know what you’re thinking; I do get all the perks that come with being royalty. But it’s a lot like their compliments, given in hopes of getting something else in return because they see my crown before they see the person beneath it. No one’s ever seen me as just... me . No one’s ever listened to me the way you do. No one’s ever come up with a spur-of-the-moment plan to make my dreams come true.”

“Liam...how could I not see you? How can I not see the man who was first to call me by my name instead of by my job description? Or the man who personally came to apologize on behalf of his friends and then goes and puts said friends’ wants above his own at his own bachelor party? Those qualities are what makes you amazing, Liam, not your crown, and that’s someone who deserves happiness just like everyone else.”

“Rylie…”

“So, what else do you dream about? Maybe I can go two for two.”

Liam smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He moved his gaze back towards the swirling mist around them. “Finding someone. Someone who can be the queen that Cordonia needs.”

“And...also someone you fall in love with, right?” Rylie added when it became obvious he wasn’t going to.

Liam was actively trying not to look at her now. “That’s never been part of the criteria that the Cordonian Council uses.”

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t have both, Liam.”

“...Love is one luxury I cannot afford, especially as a prince,” he whispered, so low that Rylie wasn’t even sure he had said anything.

Before she could ask him, they felt the boat slow down and the mists dramatically begin to part revealing the Statue of Liberty. Liam made a noise that suspiciously sounded like a gasp at the site of it, and Rylie found herself more captivated watching his reaction to that Statue than the Statue itself (and not only because she’d seen it thousands of times already). “So, what do you think?”

Liam’s eyes were alit with wonder. “ Magnificent. I’ve heard that art has meaning because of what it makes the viewer feel. Whether it’s ink splatters on a canvas or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it only matters if it moves you.”

“And?”

“And right now, looking at this view with you, I feel like anything is possible.” He finally looked back at her, practically glowing from the inside out. “Thank you for this moment, Rylie. This feeling...this means more to me than you could ever know.”

“Liam…”

“I want you to know that I admire you. Your adventurous spirit. The way you follow your heart.”

It hurt to hear how resigned he sounded about his situation and she mourned how it sounded like he was saying goodbye not only to her, but to this part of him that was able to be free for just a few hours. A lack of privacy, a lack of freedom...being born royal came at such a high cost without the chance to decide if you even wanted it. But surely not being able to choose that one person you can be you with, having to kill a part of yourself to live that life...that was too much of a sacrifice.“You can live that way too.” Rylie hoped speaking it out into the universe would make it real.

Liam shook his head sadly. “If only. My whole life I’ve prepared myself to do what’s best for Cordonia.”

If this was the last moment Liam was going to have as a free man, it was going to end on a high note. “Well, we’re not in Cordonia now…”

Rylie looked up and locked eyes with him and Liam felt himself being drawn down towards her, helpless as he surrendered to her gravitational pull. There was only a moment of hesitation as their lips hovered over one another before they kissed deeply. Her hands clutched desperately to the front of his jacket as both of his hands cupped her face, one hand eventually drifting down to the small of her back to press her closer towards him as they continued to kiss.

As the need for oxygen began to make itself known Rylie pulled away, but Liam, unable or unwilling to part from her, stayed close by, leaning his forehead against hers as they both gasped for air.

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” Liam said breathlessly, still recovering.

“I try,” Rylie said with just as much difficulty.

Liam closed his eyes and gently rubbed his nose against hers in an eskimo kiss. “I’m glad to have met you, Rylie,” he spoke against her lips. “I’ll never forget this night…”

Rylie gave him a small smile. “Even when you’re surrounded by beautiful women going on group dates to private beaches?”

“Especially then,” he promised before pulling back to look at her properly. “How did you…?”

“I did watch one season of ‘The Bachelor’; figured it was close enough to whatever you’ll be doing,” she joked.

Liam chuckled, wrapping an arm around her as she rested her head against his shoulder. He placed a kiss atop her head, and together they enjoyed the rest of the boat ride in comfortable silence, basking in each other’s company until they were once again back at shore.

“All right lovebirds! That concludes our tour. I hope you enjoyed the ride,” Paul said as the two of them approached him by the edge of the boat as he secured it to the docks.

“It was everything I could have ever dreamed of and more,” Liam praised, shaking his hand. “Thank you.”

“We really appreciate it,” Rylie started, but Paul raised a hand up to stop her from continuing.

“Don’t mention it. What’re friends for? Just don’t be a stranger no more!”

Rylie smiled at Paul before giving him another hug. “I won’t.”

After Liam climbed out of the boat he helped Rylie up, and with their hands intertwined they made their way through the docks and along the sidewalk towards the street.

“Liam!”

Ahead, at the corner where they had told the driver to drop the guys off, was Drake, who had both hands cupping his mouth to amplify his voice and was now lowering them as he saw he had grabbed their attention. Close behind him stood Maxwell, who raised a hand to wave. Tariq stood by the waiting limo, one hand braced against the side as he leaned on it.

Liam and Rylie waved back with their free hand before slowing to a stop a small distance away so they could have some privacy.

“Looks like your ride is here,” Rylie said.

“You mean our ride. We can drop you off—” At the shake of Rylie’s head, Liam stopped speaking.

“I think it’s best if we parted ways here,” she said as she let go of his hand, feeling empty and cold the moment she did.

“Rylie—”

“It’d be suspicious if I got dropped off by a limo in my neighbourhood.”

“Who’s going to see at this time of night?”

“New York’s the city that never sleeps, remember? Do you really want to risk it?”

Liam did, Rylie could tell from the look in his eyes, but she could also see the internal struggle going on in his head between the logic of her words and what his heart wanted to do. She pushed further, knowing it was in his best interest to let her go.

“I can handle myself, remember? Besides, I think you’ve got bigger things to worry about than me.”

“A prince can multi-task, you know.” Despite his argument Liam sighed, conceding as he always seemed to do with her. “But at the risk of me not only underestimating you yet again but also being called a liar, I trust you to get home safely.”

“You too.”

Liam nodded, knowing she meant Cordonia and not his hotel room.

“And I want you to know that I’m glad I met you too, Liam. I’ll never forget you .” Rylie couldn’t help but laugh at how she was mimicking the words he had told her on the boat, mirroring the way they had copied each other back at the bar. That felt like ages ago. At Liam’s small smile, she knew he was making the connection too. “And hey, if you televise your wedding like all the other popular royals do I will definitely tune in.”

That made Liam laugh, and he shook his head at her ability to do that even now. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please tell your friends that it was nice meeting them.”

“I’m sure the feeling is mutual.”

“I dunno, Grumpy Cat might be a tough sell.”

Confused, Liam turned around at Rylie’s head nod to see Drake frowning at them now and he had to stifle another laugh. “I don’t think that nickname will help you.”

“I said what I said. Oh! Tell Maxwell I said that, he’ll be sad he missed it.”

“I will.” His smile faded, and he was somber once more. “Goodbye, Rylie.”

Rylie hated goodbyes so instead she said, “Take care, Liam.”

Liam bowed his head and made his way towards his friends. She waved as each of them got into the limo, lowering her hand to wrap her arms around herself as they drove away. She stood there until she could no longer see their taillights, just as a tower bell in the distance rang, signaling a new hour, the end of their fairytale night.

Rylie let out a breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding.

“I hope you find your happily ever after.”

#playchoices #the royal romance #trr #trr fanfic #trr mc #king liam #liam rhys #trr liam x mc #long post #marie writes #living the fantasy

4 notes · View notes

blueyesandleatherjacket · 5 years

Text

Our last winter, 29/31

► Our last winter - Human!Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler. ► Written for @doctorroseprompts 31 days of ficmas. Day 29: Fire. ► AU Verse, Teen. ► 1,574 words. ► A/N: This is a prequelle to Ghost of you.

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home.” - Edith Sitwell.

They were all gathered in the living room again. They were sat around the table but no one was saying a thing. They were still shocked about what they had witnessed in the streets. No one could ever forget such an event. It had completely dispersed the good mood the celebration of Christmas had settled down. They had just gone back to Maxence and Rose’s flat and sat down around the table. They hadn’t even taken off their coats. They were cold, but it wasn’t because of the weather anymore: they were cold inside. Fear was having this effect on them. You would have thought that Tegan would have been the first one to break down after such a shock but he was being the strongest of them all, sat there, his arms folded on his chest, his face sullen. It was giving a seriousness Maxence wasn’t used to see on his face.

Clara and Liv were cuddling into each other. Were they doing this as friends or as lovers, it was a question that didn’t have any answer. The women were very vague on their relationship and they were having fun on this fuzziness. Maxence didn’t mind. It was their personal life. They were doing what they wanted. All his attention was on Rose. Since they were back home, she had been sitting by his side and her head was hidden in his neck. Her face was paler than usual. He had his arms around her and was rubbing her back slowly. His mind was thinking about this man again. If Rose hadn’t dragged him away, what would this man have done to him? He couldn’t help but be curious. He would love working on this case and finding out what was the cause of these symptoms that hadn’t been alerting anyone so far.

He wondered why no one was working seriously on this case. Just by what he had seen, he knew that this was far more than a bad reaction to an abnormally long eclipse. If he had been part of the sanitary authorities, he would have asked someone to list all the sick people and he would have built a team to start researches on this new illness. But maybe that was just his curiosity.

“I’m working on this case,” admitted Tegan. “The effects of the eclipse on the human brain. Harvey asked me to yesterday. I had scans but I had no idea what to expect until now.”

“I’ve seen many things during the war but this…”

Maxence raised his head. Jack was never speaking about the war and what he had seen and done on the battlefield. The fact that he was mentioning it here and now meant that the former soldier who had gone through the most terrible things was sincerely shaken. Everyone was certain that the next world war would be a nuclear one… but what if it was actually a bacteriological one? A dirtier and slower way of fighting. More dangerous too. Who could survive to a deadly virus unleashed in the nature?

“Whatever it is, we’re not letting any of you come home tonight.”

Rose approved this decision. She too thought that it would be a bad idea to let their friends go home knowing what was wandering in the streets. The flat was small and there wouldn’t be enough beds for everyone but they would have to do with what they had. She raised her head and Maxence softly kissed her temple.

“I’m gonna make some tea.”

“We’ll need something stronger than tea.”

“I’ll add rum.”

“That should do.”

Rose’s voice was shaking but no one was making a comment since they weren’t feeling any better. Both Clara and Liv knew that their voices would be trembling just as much if they were speaking. That was why they were keeping silent. Rose left the living room for the kitchen and they heard her filling the kettle and putting it on the heating plate. Maxence got up and opened a cupboard in the living room. He pulled out a bottle of strong whiskey and a few glasses. He put the glasses on the table and poured some whiskey in them. No one hesitated in taking one.

“What should we do?”

“I’ll try to reach Harvey tomorrow.”

“Aren’t you on holidays?”

“I think holidays are dispensable when something so big hits the country.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Liv drank her glass down in one. She kept her glass between her hands to stop them from trembling. She was a mess of anxiety and the simple sound of dishes breaking in the kitchen made her jump and hide in Clara’s arms. Maxence was in the kitchen as soon as he heard the noise. Rose was knelt down, watching the pieces of a mug that had slipped from her hands. He knelt down beside her.

“I’m scared.”

“I am too.”

It was rare to hear Maxence admit that he was scared but rose knew he wasn’t lying. She had seen him tonight. All fascinated that he was, the terror was filling him. He had sensed the danger long before them all and that’s how he had managed to keep them safe. What would have happened if he hadn’t been there?

“You saved me again.”

“And you returned the favour.”

He picked the bits of empty mugs and threw them in the bin. He finally got rid of his coat and helped his wife up. He trapped her in a tight embrace. They both needed the comfort. He took her coat off and lined up the mugs on the counter. The kettle whistled and he poured the water in the mugs. Rose pulled out the rum and tea and sugar.

“Do you think we can have a barbecue?”

“Not really the season.”

“No, but since we don’t have a chimney, I thought that we could grill some chestnuts on the barbecue.”

That wasn’t a bad idea. He just had to light a fire on the small barbecue they had on the balcony. It would be fun and nice. A good way to finish the evening on a better note. They brought the tea in the living room. Their friends had finally took off their coats. Maxence grabbed matches, torn papers and a lighter. He went on the balcony despite the cold and began lightning the fire. His breathing was forming smoke in the cold air. The first flame was a relief but it quickly went out. He groaned in frustration.

“Come on,” he mumbled. “I know it’s cold but you can do this for me.”

“Do you think it will answer you?”

Rose was joking but Maxence still found her pale and shaken. She put the bowl of chestnuts down on their exterior table with paper cones. She wrapped her new scarf around his neck and tucked it under his sweatshirt so it wouldn’t bother him. He threw some more papers in the tank of the barbecue and lighted another match. A couple of small flames appeared and he blew on them to make them bigger and stronger. It took him a while before he managed to have a good fire before him. He put his hands before it to get warmer. Rose came and did the same thing. She found it relaxing to watch the flames dancing and listen to the fire crack. Maxence put the first round of chestnuts in.

“Fire can be so fascinating. One of the first big inventions of the mankind. One of the most useful.”

“And one of the most dangerous.”

“And yet, we still gather around it and welcome it like a friend.”

“We cannot fear the things we are supposedly controlling:”

“But no one can control fire. It’s just… it’s got a mind of its own, a power we ignore.”

Maxence didn’t know if she was still speaking about the fire or if she was comparing it to the human kind. Just like fire, humans could be friends or enemies. They could be controlled at times but most of the time, they were going off limits. They were destructive and almost unstoppable. Playing with the human kind could result in getting burnt.

Maxence pulled his wife closer to him and they observed the fire silently as the chestnuts were slowly being grilled. He took them off the fire one by one and placed them in a cone formed with newspapers. He was filling other cones when their friends came out. Rose hadn’t moved from his side.

“You’ve abandoned us so we’re joining the fun.”

“Maybe if we’re all stuck one to another, we’d get warmer.”

“I’d rather have my face grilled like a chestnut.”

Tegan’s sarcasm made them all laugh. Alcohol was doing him lots of good. He was more relaxed, more normal. He could freely reject Jack’s flirting and laugh about things that would leave him indifferent in normal times. Once again, Maxence thought that he really liked this version of the man.

“I’m making grilled chestnuts. Who wants some?”

He filled one last cone but didn’t let the fire die. He made sure that he kept burning so they wouldn’t be cold while they stood outside and shared the chestnuts. None of them went back on the event of the night. They preferred forget it for the moment. Just for a couple minutes, they all stood by the fire, eating grilled chestnuts and enjoying the rest of their night…

×××

Buy me a coffee?

#doctor who #doctorroseprompts #ninth doctor #human!nine #rose tyler #doctor x rose #prompt fulfilment #31 days of ficmas #day 29: fire #our last winter

1 note · View note

amanda-teaches · 7 years

Text

S’mores

Summary: A fall bonfire leads to some unexpected developments.

Pairing: Dean x Reader, Sam x Eileen (because I’ll go down with that ship with @because-imma-lady-assface)

Word Count: ~2300

Warnings: Fluff, fall fluff, Saileen fluff, Dean fluff, all the freaking fluff

A/N: This is for @d-s-winchester’s Fall in love with Fall Challenge. My picture prompt is below. I had a lot of fun writing fluffy Dean again and I hope y’all enjoy it too. Unbetaed, so blame my tired teacher brain for any mistakes.

When your best friend, Eileen, had gotten together with Sam Winchester, you’d been beyond happy for the two of them. You loved Sam almost as much as you loved Eileen, and they’d both been through such heartache and pain in their lives, that they, more than anyone, deserved to find happiness. You, for one, were so glad they’d found it in each other.

So, when Sam came to you and told you he was thinking of planning a romantic getaway for him and Eileen, you’d been all for it. Your best friend deserved some alone time with her man, and they both needed some time outside of the bunker to be together as a couple, without you, Dean or Cas getting in the way. You quickly volunteered to help him plan it, but things seemed to keep getting in the way. Between Lucifer and the crazy British Men of Letters chick, it seemed like the universe never wanted this weekend to happen.

But, you finally caught a break in early November. Everything seemed to have calmed down for the time being, and you were living in a time of relative quiet, which was rare in this life, so now seemed like the perfect time to get the getaway plan in motion.

You happily helped Sam pick a cabin Eileen would love out by the lake. It was isolated and beautiful, and it’d be a perfect fall escape for the two of them. Once all of the plans were finalized, Sam surprised Eileen with the trip.

Just as you knew she would be, she was beyond happy, signing so quickly and excitedly that even you had trouble keeping up. You couldn’t help but smile when you saw the joy that came over Sam’s face at her reaction. He loved her so much that just making her happy was enough to make him happy. That was everything.

But, just like with everything in your lives, something was bound to go wrong eventually. This time, it waited until the week before the trip.

Sam and Dean got called away on a routine werewolf hunt. They were supposed to gank the monster in plenty of time to make it back, but they ended up getting delayed by an early November snowstorm blasting Minnesota. Unfortunately, that meant that they wouldn’t end up making it back in time for Sam and Eileen’s cabin getaway.

Eileen was crushed, but you weren’t going to give up that easy. You were determined to find a way to salvage the weekend for your best friend, even if Sam was stuck in the ridiculously snowy Minnesota. So, that was how you ended up sitting in the living room of the cozy two-bedroom cabin trying to turn Eileen’s ill-fated romantic getaway into a fun girl’s weekend.

“Come on, Eileen,” you insisted enthusiastically, “we can still have fun. The cabin’s already paid for, so we should try to enjoy it.”

Eileen frowned at you and responded, her words punctuated by half-hearted signs. “No offense, Y/N, but you weren’t exactly the person I envisioned when I pictured this weekend. So, you’ll forgive me when I say I’m not exactly in the mood for fun.”

You were about to respond with another argument in favor of a fun diversion when the sound of a knock at the door silenced both of you. You let all of your thoughts fall away as years of hunter’s instinct instantly kicked in, with both you and Eileen drawing your guns at the exact same moment.

You moved as one to the door, perfectly in sync, with Eileen taking the lead. You steadied your gun and held your breath ever so slightly as she reached for the doorknob, ready to cover her against whoever, or whatever, was on the other side.

The tension quickly drained out of you the second you recognized the familiar, shaggy-haired man standing in the doorway. You breathed a sigh of relief as Eileen leaped into Sam’s arms and lowered your gun.

Once the two lovers had properly reunited, they pulled apart, creating enough room for Sam to step into the cabin. It was only then that you noticed Dean standing behind him, looking ridiculously sexy in his green canvas jacket, flannel, and faded jeans, jeans that showed off his bow legs a little too well, not that you were complaining. You swallowed and pushed away your distracting thoughts, replacing them with a genuine smile.

“Hey, what are you two doing crashing our girls weekend?” you proclaimed jokingly.

Sam grinned, looking at you for the first time since he’d arrived. “Technically,” he said, grabbing Eileen’s hand as he spoke, “you crashed our romantic weekend.”

“After you bailed,” you said, softening your joke with a smile that he happily returned. Dean, on the other hand, did not look nearly as amused.

“Yeah, I wish we’d been able to bail. Then, I wouldn’t have had to drive through a freakin’ blizzard to get here by tonight. But, no…... Sammy here was so desperate to see his girl that it was worth my Baby getting pelted.”

Sam rolled his eyes, not even bothering to look back at his brother. “The car will be fine, Dean.”

“Oh, yeah? Why don’t you tell her tires that!” He scoffed and stepped into the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him. “You owe me some new ones, dude.”

“Uh huh,” Sam muttered before turning his full attention back on his girlfriend. “I’m so sorry we almost didn’t make it, babe.”

“It’s ok,” Eileen assured him. “All that matters is that you’re here now and we can have our weekend.” She leaned up on her toes for a kiss, and you laughed as Dean made an exaggerated grossed out face behind their backs. Unfortunately, Sam noticed.

“Speaking of which, don’t you two have somewhere else to be?”

“Not after that drive, Sammy,” Dean grunted, throwing his bag down and collapsing into the chair you had been occupying mere moments before. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back wearily. “I’m staying the night. Your romantic weekend will just have to wait.”

You turned to Sam and Eileen and shrugged sympathetically. “I can drive the two of us back if you want…”

“No, don’t!” Eileen reassured you with an easy smile. “The two of you are welcome to stay the night. We can wait until tomorrow for some alone time. Can’t we, Sam?”

“Yeah, sure,” Sam agreed unhappily, with a disappointed frown that was almost comical. You could already tell that, for him at least, tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

Dean, on the other hand, had no such reservations. “Great!” he announced enthusiastically from his spot on the chair. “A night off in the woods. What should we do first?” He opened his eyes and winked at you. “We could always go skinny dipping.”

“Ha ha,” you whispered sarcastically, but you couldn’t help the blush that covered your cheeks at his suggestion. You’d always had a thing for Dean, ever since you’d started working together. After all, who wouldn’t? He was gorgeous and hilarious and tough and sexy. It was natural for you to be a little attracted to him, or a lot attracted to him. But, despite the jokes and innocent flirting, you knew he wasn’t interested in you like that. Somehow, you’d found a way to be okay with that. But, that couldn’t stop you from blushing.

“There’s a fire pit outside,” Eileen said, interrupting your inner monologue. “We could always light one. Maybe make some s’mores?”

“Sounds perfect,” Sam said. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. She leaned into him slightly and you couldn’t help but feel a twinge of longing as you watched them. You were beyond happy for them, and not jealous at all, but you couldn’t help but want what they had. That security, that love, was a rare gift.

“Let’s do it!” Dean yelled, jumping up with a sudden burst of energy. He walked towards the door, grabbing your hand and pulling you along as he passed. “Come on, Y/N/N. Let’s get our s’more on.”

You laughed and let him pull you along, happy to just feel the heat of his hand in yours for the moment. You knew you could never have Dean Winchester but, in moments like this, you let yourself imagine what it would feel like. And boy, did it feel good.

Dean pulled you outside into the crisp fall air and over to the fire pit. When he let your hand go to kneel down by the stack of wood, you instinctively pulled your jean jacket tighter around you.

Dean let out a small chuckle and addressed you without even turning around. “Cold, Y/N/N?”

“I’m fine,” you whispered firmly, but your chattering teeth betrayed you.

“Here,” Dean muttered. He finished building the roaring fire and stood up, quickly pulling his canvas jacket off before placing it gently on your shoulders. You pulled it close to you, inhaling the unique scent of Dean- whiskey mixed with a little gunpowder and leather.

“Thank you,” you breathed, suddenly distracted by the brilliant green eyes that were staring directly at yours. After a few heart-stopping seconds, Dean opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped by the arrival of Sam and Eileen.

“Got the s’more supplies,” Sam announced, holding up a bag full of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. Eileen echoed his excitement and quickly held up four matching sticks.

“Great,” you said quietly, plastering on a smile and moving away from Dean. You settled down on the blanket-covered log next to the fire and reached your hand out for a stick. Eileen handed it to you along with a marshmallow. As you placed your marshmallow on the edge of the stick, Dean settled down next to you. You ignored the heat rolling off of him, instead desperately trying to focus on getting the right toast to your marshmallow.

A half a dozen s’mores, and a few beers, later, your awkwardness was long forgotten as you struggled to contain your laughter at the latest story of the early, prank-filled days of Dean and Sam’s storied hunting career. Dean had his arm wrapped around you effortlessly while you laughed, and you leaned into him as if it was the most natural thing in the world, loving the feel of his soft, muscled body against yours.

Around midnight, when Sam and Eileen finally called it a night, you and Dean decided to stay behind for one last s’more. As Dean held his marshmallow over the dying fire, you closed your eyes and leaned your head back, enjoying the slight, fall breeze that washed over you. You tipsily smiled into the sky, content to just be in the quiet moment.

When you opened your eyes, Dean was staring right at you with a strange, soft look on his face. “What?” you asked with a laugh. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” he whispered gruffly, his voice wracked with an emotion you couldn’t quite identify. It instantly sobered you up.

“Dean?” you whispered, leaning closer to him. “What is it?”

He slowly brought a hand up to rest on your cheek. “It’s nothing,” he muttered quietly. “But being here with you has me thinking about something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time.”

You could almost feel your heart stop beating. “And, what’s that?”

“This,” he whispered a second before his lips captured yours. He pressed lightly at first, a little unsure, a little unsteady, but the second you started to respond, the kiss ignited into a wildfire with Dean taking control and you giving as good as you got.

By the time you finally pulled apart, Dean was breathing just as heavily as you were. You were pleased, and a little proud too, to know that the kiss had affected him that much. Apparently, Dean Winchester was just as attracted to you as you were to him.

“Well,” you teased lightly, “that was certainly something.”

“Yeah,” Dean said, his eyes already back on your lips, “that was something all right.”

You unconsciously licked your lips, drawing a soft groan out of Dean. “So...what now?”

He grinned devilishly. “Now, we go test out that second bedroom.”

Your joy-filled laugh was cut off by Dean swiftly pulling you back towards him, his lips once again connecting with yours. He effortlessly picked you up and all but ran to the cabin, both of you desperate to spend all night long seeing just how much further this kiss could go.

The next morning, Sam came out of his room before dawn, gently rubbing the sleep from his bleary eyes. He’d gotten up a little early, determined to get the coffee ready before Eileen woke up. He didn’t even think about where his brother or you had slept in the two bedroom cabin, practically moving on autopilot as he got the coffee beans out of the cupboard.

Just as he was about to turn the coffee maker on, he heard quiet giggling coming from behind the closed door of the second bedroom. He stopped, focusing his eyes on the door when he heard it again. He barely had a enough time to register the sound when the door burst open and you and Dean came barreling out, hanging all over each other and quietly laughing. Dean was shirtless, wearing only his boxers, but that wasn’t what surprised Sam the most. What surprised him the most was the only thing you were wearing: Dean’s shirt.

“Um, guys?” Sam sputtered out, drawing surprised glances out of both of you, “WHAT THE HELL?”

Dean smiled and wrapped his arm around your waist, making you squeal as he pulled you close. “You may want to wake Eileen, Sammy, ‘cause Y/N and I have something we should probably tell the two of you. Spoiler alert: there’s going to be a few changes in the Bunker.”

“Yeah,” you affirmed as you wrapped your arm around Dean’s neck to pull him down for a kiss. “Some very happy changes.”

Forevers- @hamartiamacguffin @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @katymacsupernatural @impandagrl @cyrilconnelly @white-sky-black-birds @impala-dreamer @castielhasthetardis @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes @shotgunintheimpala @be-amaziing @jalove-wecallhimdean @there-must-be-a-lock

Dean Tags- @akshi8278

#ash loves fall #fall in love with fall challenge #dean x reader #sam x eileen #saileen #dean fluff #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural reader insert

160 notes · View notes

superanimenatural · 7 years

Text

Joker X Reader

Warnings: Blood. Lying. Fluff.

@sailor-yun (Hope this is okay :D)

@zomtompham

I had a proper job once. A crime scene cleaner. Now I worked for a private employer and was paid a lot more, but it also came with a lot more dangers. There were two of us and in a place this large, we need it. I took the downstairs and my partner took the upstairs, but maybe I should ask to swap, because at the moment I was looking down at a large blood stain. Two feet over and it would have been on wooden flooring, but no, this had to be on thick carpet. This might be easier if he just brought a new one, but that wasn't what I was being paid for. With all the tools and cleaning products I dropped onto my knees and began cleaning it, thankfully the carpet wasn't white or this wasn't going to work. I wish I could say this was the first time, but it wasn't and probably wouldn't be the last. Then came the carpet cleaner and I turned it on, it was loud. Loud is an understatement as a plane could crash next to me and I wouldn't be able to hear it. Then there was a tap on my shoulder and I squealed. I moved quickly to turn it off and turned with a swear word on the tip of my tongue until I saw the pale skin, the green hair, the green shirt and the man that carried it all off and I swallowed down the word that was on my lips as I stared at him. With my heart pounding and my stomach now twisting in knots I watched as he walked around me, I don't think there was an inch of me that he didn't look at. "Have you finished?" he asked calmly as his head tilted. It really wasn't a question, he wanted me out and I wasn't going to argue. "I will finish later." I slowly backed away and he watched me go. I unplugged the machine and then went back to it and wrapped the cable around it, he stood there watching. "You can finish now," he came closer and I shook my head.

"No, I can move on to somewhere else. I don't want to get in your way." I went to bend to grab the other things and his hand reached out and his fingers moved under my chin. I stilled as he took another step closer. "Perhaps I would like you in my way." he moved his hand up my jaw his thumb brushing over my bottom lip and I think I might have stopped breathing, I knew from the beginning that I wasn't going to get close to my new boss. I had seen women coming and going over the months of working here and I wasn't planning on being one of them. Everything in me wanted to lean into his hand but with every bit of strength I stepped back and now he looked confused, his hand dropped and he pushed both hands into his pockets.

"It no trouble sir, I have the kitchen to clean," I moved quickly and grab my things and hurried out of the room. This was the fourth time I had seen him in the months I had been working here. In the kitchen, I was trying to catch my breath. I knew he was psychotic, but Lord if he wasn't handsome, even with the pale skin, all those tattoos. I would love to sit and ask what each of them meant, but no one got close to the Joker and stayed around long enough. The women were one-night stands, but lately there wasn't any, he spent more time here. The kitchen door opened as he walked in, he looked like he was about to say something but then he growled and turned around and walked out. I stood there staring at the open doorway and listened to him muttering as he walked away.

A week later it was like every time I turned around he was there and he wasn't making me any less jumpy. I felt paranoid that I was doing something wrong, that he thought that I was up to something. Was I being spied on? "Morning," he said as I walked into the living room. I froze to the spot and he stayed on the large purple sofa watching me. "Morning Sir, I will come back later." I made a move to walk back out and he jumped up. "No!" he snapped and came to me, "I get the feeling that you do not like being around me?" he asked standing in front of me. I looked up at him and his eyes softened for moment and then it was gone. "No sir, I just don't...." I started,

"Want to get in my way? You have said. I do not mind you in here." he smiled and my heart was beating that fast it was going into melt down, "I have something for you," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it for me and there was a necklace and the little pendant was two little guns. "That is lovely." I looked from it to him and he was just watching me, "but I can't except them sir. I only work for you," my voice lowered as his look turned dark.

"I know it is your birthday tomorrow, I would like to take you out." His voice was firm and he pushed the box back into his pocket. "I can't. Urmm, my mother is ill and I need to be there for her." Even I heard my voice break. "You are saying no? To me?" he moved closer and he felt taller and I was shaking my head.

"Not no, it was can't, I am sorry," I managed to slip to the side and out of the room. Then there was a smashing sound behind me, I would clean that up later.

It was my birthday and I was going out, but with some friends from school which I hadn't seen in ages, but it was a get together and to catch up. However, I couldn’t tell any of them who I worked for because none of them would understand. But the thought of the gift kept popping into my head. I wasn't going to have a one night with him. How was I supposed to spend one night and then watch him bed others after me? I would have to quit. But lying to him, if he ever found out that I was going out and not looking after my mom, what would happen?

It was supposed to be a casual night out, so I was in jeans and a top. I left my hair down. I received a text saying they were waiting for me outside in the taxi. Grabbing what I needed I headed out.

The club was fun, I drank, I danced, I laughed, the girls were fantastic and it was a good night. It had been a while since I had laughed this much. That was until the girls went quiet, their smiles dropped and I frowned at them. One of them pointed to behind me and I turned and closed my eyes. Mister J was walking towards me. People in the club were parting like the red sea as he walked, and of course he didn't look happy. "You came out?" he asked and I just realised that the music had lowered as well, everyone around us was trying to look anywhere but at us. "I did…" I managed, my fingers wrapped around each other with nerves. "Are you with someone?" His voice was a low growl and he stepped closer.

"Just my friends." I turned to point to the girls who were all now very interested in their drinks,

"Just girls?" he sounded shocked and as I nodded he laughed and not just a low laugh but he tilted his head back and gave a loud laugh. Then he stopped his head lowered and he looked straight at me, his hand came up and was placed on the side of my neck and he leaned in and whispered, "But you still lied to me," his lips brushed the bottom of my ear and every single hair stood on end as I tried to hold in the soft moan. His lips brushed down my cheek to my lips, but he didn't kiss me, just past his lips over mine. His breath smelled of whiskey, his eyes remained open as he watched me. "I didn't mean to," I said back and as I talked my lips brushed his, he moved his head slightly back and I could see him suck in his bottom lip to lick it and my stomach flipped. "Come home with me tonight?" he smiled and then frowned as I shook my head.

"I can't,"

"Do you have someone? A man waiting for you to come home to him?" he snapped and I just looked at him.

"No, no one," I tried to turn to look at my friends but they still were trying to ignore what was going on.

"Then why?" Again, his look changed to angry.

"Because I am not that kind of girl," My voice hardened and I snapped. Then I froze. Oh, this was it, I might never be seen again, but a smile grew on his red lips. "I don't want that kind of girl. I have done that. I want something different… something like.... you," he waved his hand in front of me and I think my heart has just stopped.

"No, no, that is not happening," I brushed past him and people watched me go, then they turned to Mister j to watch his reaction.

I made it to the ladies and I tried to close the door but he walked in. He slammed the door so hard I was sure the building shook. "You walked away from me?" He snarled at me and I moved back and hit the wall. He stalked me like I was prey.

"I am sorry, but...." I shouldn't say it, but to be caught out in a lie again, "I was scared." I finished.

"Of me?" he was closer now, his hands either side of my head. Why was he asking that? Who wasn't scared of him? He demanded and people delivered. "I don't want you scared of me. Ever!" He leaned in feather light kisses across my cheek, nose, lips, chin. "Why? Why me?" I managed to ask.

"I don't know. I saw you working, the way you smile, I heard you laugh and I stopped what I was doing to listen. I want that. I want to be the one to make you smile, to laugh, to moan, to scream." he kissed me and I gave in and kissed him back. It got harder as he pressed his body against mine. His hand lowered and then found its way up my top and his fingers touched my bare skin then up to the material of my bra and he growled against my mouth. He lifted his head and looked down at me. "Say you are mine (Y/N) say it, say it, say it," his whispers getting quieter with each word, I nodded not trusting my voice, "Say it!" he demanded

"I am yours," I looked at him straight in the eye and he laughed.

"That's my girl. Enjoy your night tonight my sweet girl. As of tomorrow, you are mine," he dropped his hand from me and I wanted to pout, "Looks like I need another cleaner," he moved towards the door.

"I am not keeping my job?" I stuttered and he looked back at me,

"There is only one reason you are going to be on your knees now Princess," he laughed as he walked out and I wondered what the hell I had just done.

I shouldn't have worried. It's been months since I had moved in with him and he treated me like his queen. He made sure I had everything. I would see his craziness with others, but once he came to me, he would drop to his knees in front of me, his arms would wrap around me, his head on my stomach and I would hold him. He once said I was his safety net to stop him falling too far. This might not last, but I was going to take every day I could get.

#jared leto #joker #joker fic #jared leto joker #joker x reader #x reader #dc comics

155 notes · View notes

worryinglyinnocent · 7 years

Text

Fic: The Darkness Within (3/?)

Summary: When washed-up paranormal investigator Rum Gold meets Belle French, he does not quite know what to make of her claim of a supernatural presence in her life, but sensing her genuine fear, he begins to investigate. What he uncovers shakes the cynicism he has so long held to its very core, and he calls in the help of disgraced ex-priest Father Macavoy to help him lay some demons to rest…

A slow burn, eventual rumbellavoy. The rating may increase in later chapters.

Rated: T

[One] [Two] [AO3]

=====

Previously...

“Bad night?” Gold asked. She nodded. “Maybe you’d like to tell me about it?”

She shook her head. “No. I know your reputation. You wouldn’t believe me. Besides, I can’t remember. I can never remember. That’s the whole problem.”

Gold had no idea what he was letting himself in for, but he took the plunge nonetheless.

“Try me.”

=====

Three

Belle shook her head.

"You'll think I'm crazy, just like everyone else."

Gold shook his head.

"No. I might not believe in whatever it is that you're going to tell me, but I believe that you believe, and that's half the battle. I can see that whatever it is that's troubling you is having an adverse impact on your life." Gold paused, trailing one fingertip around the rim of his tumbler. "You have a genuine fear that you're trying to find a real world explanation for, and I'm offering to provide that real world explanation. That was the entire reason you took an interest in my book, wasn't it? And you found it unhelpful."

Belle nodded. "Yes, you're right." She gave a long sigh, taking a sip of her drink and staring into the depths of the glass, not meeting his eyes. "To be honest, I don't really know exactly what the matter is. I just know that there's something. And whatever it is, I'm afraid of it. And I don't want to be afraid anymore."

A soft snort of self-deprecating laughter escaped her lips. "Truth be told, this has been going on so long that I don't even know where to start, or what to say. A medical professional would look at me and immediately say that I had some kind of sleep disorder and some kind of memory disorder, but it's not as simple as that."

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Gold suggested. Since she had already put the idea of a medical explanation for her problems forward, it was the one that he was inclined to take. The body and mind were both mysterious things that no-one could fully hope to understand. There were so many illnesses that scientists could not fathom either a cause or cure for, but there were usually steps that could be taken to mitigate their effects. Perhaps Belle had already tried these and they had failed. Perhaps she felt that her problem was not medical and that such intervention would not help her.

"I know what you're thinking," Belle said dryly. "And believe me, I've seen enough doctors in my time to know that whatever this is, it can't be treated by a handful of pills or some kind of surgery. If it could I'd be booking myself into that hospital tomorrow. As it is, I'm here." She looked around the bar. "I don't even really know where here is."

"Storybrooke, Maine," Gold pointed out, and Belle gave him a withering look.

"I know that much. I suppose I don't really know why I'm here. I guess I was just drawn here. Oh, it's more complicated than that. This thing, this... presence. It's taking over my life."

They fell into silence; Belle drained her glass and ordered another, as if the liquor fortified her and gave her the strength she needed to continue with her tale.

"Why don't you begin at the beginning?" Gold prompted.

Belle laughed, shaking her head softly. "If we really want to go right back to the beginning then we'll be delving into your most hated territory, Mr Gold." There was a slight smile on her face as she continued in spite of her melancholy, and it was good to see. For a brief moment, something in her face lightened and it brightened the room. "Psychics."

Gold suppressed a groan. Of all the things that he had investigated over his careers, the number of phoney psychics he had encountered and put out of business was a sore point. At one stage, it felt like all he was doing was smacking his head against a brick wall, investigating claims of miracles and seances that turned out to be a load of crap.

"It's all right," Belle said. "I've never been to one myself, and I've always taken all the reports of these people with a pinch of salt, but you wanted to start at the beginning and that's where I'm starting. It was my mother." She sighed. "Back home in Australia, my mother went to see a psychic whilst she was pregnant with me. It was only meant to be a bit of fun, nothing serious, and she didn't believe any of what he told her. She couldn't remember most of it. Probably about meeting some tall, dark stranger, you know the usual spiel. There was just one thing that unnerved her at the time, and that she didn't really think much about. He said that there was a dark cloud surrounding her child, something that he couldn't see clearly through. I mean, if you're a pregnant lady then you're going to be slightly wary of anything that could harm your baby and although a dark cloud is pretty vague, it still sounds kind of ominous. Still, she thought that perhaps he was just trying to get more money out of her. He was scaremongering to get another reading out of her, where he would say that everything was going to be all right and she didn't need to worry. But the psychic said that he wouldn't read her again. He practically shooed her out of the house, as if he was scared of this strange black cloud."

"But your mother didn't believe what he said?"

"Like I said, she was unnerved by it a little, but in reality, what's a dark cloud? It could be anything. It became a family joke then, every time something out of the ordinary happened, we blamed it on my dark cloud. Now though..."

"You think that there might have been something in the psychic's words and that there is some kind of a dark cloud?"

Belle nodded.

"Depression and other mental illnesses are sometimes described as being like a dark cloud," Gold said.

"I know, and I'd love for the explanation to be that simple. I don't really have any other symptoms, and none of the treatments I've tried have really worked."

Gold took a sip of his whiskey, considering her story carefully. She hadn't told him all that much, and nothing that could be explained away. Nothing that really warranted an explanation. Her mother had visited a psychic, which seemed to have no bearing whatsoever on her current position.

"Where's your mother now?" he asked.

"She died when I was seven," Belle said. "Car accident. She'd been to visit her family in a different town so at least I know that wasn't anything to do with me."

The words made Gold start. "You think you might have had something to do with deaths?"

Belle looked at him sagely, her eyes older than her years. "I've already told you that I have a lot of trouble with my memory," she said. "Who knows what I might have done in the bits I can't remember? My father died three months ago, but I wasn't there when it happened. I was in the house, I was in the next room, but I wasn't... present, if you get my meaning. I woke up and he was dead and I had no memory of anything that had happened. The coroner said it was a heart attack, natural causes, I'd been asleep at the time and didn't realise anything was amiss. No foul play suspected at all, no suspicion against me."

"But you suspect yourself."

Belle nodded. "I don't trust myself. My father might have died from a heart attack, but what if it was something I did that caused it?" She sighed, and they fell into silence again for a long time. "I guess that's why I moved. Up until then I had just about been able to live with it. It was getting worse, the whatever it is, but I could just about manage with Dad's help. Then suddenly I didn't have Dad and I had the terrible fear that it might have been my fault, and I can't live with it any more. I need answers, an explanation, a cure, anything. I just want it all to stop."

Gold took a moment to consider the facts of the case she had presented to him. He was missing one very crucial piece of information.

"What is it that you're trying to live with?" he asked. "This 'whatever it is' as you call it. The dark cloud."

Belle sighed. "I don't know what it is, but I think there's something sharing my brain."

Gold quirked an eyebrow; Belle noticed the motion and gave a little huff. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"I'm still listening."

"I call it the Dark One," Belle said, but she was looking at him warily and Gold could see her barriers going up again. "I don't know what it is. I can just feel it in there, sometimes. A little part of my mind that's closed off and doesn't belong to me. And then I have these blackouts, and I can't remember anything that happens during them, and I know that's when it comes out."

A thousand perfectly logical medical explanations flew through Gold's head. Hundreds of historical cases of fits and seizures and blackouts and epilepsy being attributed to possession and witchcraft.

But Belle had already said that there was no medical explanation; that she had already tried to get one.

"And I have proof, sort of," Belle said. "Well, nothing that you would call tangible proof. But my dad saw it. He saw me during my blackouts and he said he'd never seen anything like it."

"Did he give any more details?"

Belle shook her head. "No, I could never get it out of him. He was always really rattled though, I can tell you that much. Whatever it was, he never got used to it.”

Her movement was sudden then, she drained the remainder of her whiskey and slipped off the barstool. "This was a bad idea. I shouldn't have said anything. It's stupid. Just forget it. It's nothing. I have blackouts, a lot of people do."

"Wait, Belle!"

But she was already going, hurrying out of the bar, not looking back. Gold wondered what could have spooked her. Maybe she had felt an episode coming on and wanted to get somewhere safe before she succumbed to it.

Maybe, the less practically-minded and more psychically inclined part of him said, the Dark One was rearing its head and protesting at Belle sharing its secret. Gold rolled his eyes. Belle was not possessed. Possession was impossible. Malevolent evil spirits did not exist.

Since his entire object in coming to the bar had been to talk to Belle, there wasn't really a lot of point in him remaining. All the same, there was something that he could do, just to satisfy his own curiosity. Whilst the barkeep's back was turned, Gold carefully picked up the glass that Belle had been using with his handkerchief, tucking it into his jacket pocket and placing some bills down on the counter to cover his drink. The walk back to his house felt different tonight. There was something in the atmosphere that was fraught, charged with a particular kind of tension and excitement that Gold had not felt in a very long time. This was the thrill of the chase, the idea that he might find something inexplicable and prove the existence of the paranormal. Of course, in the past, that feeling had so often been followed by disappointment, but in this case, Gold would not mind the disappointment because it would still be a victory for his own common sense and peace of mind.

Even as he sat down behind his desk and took out the sheet that he had transferred the handprint from the window onto, he was telling himself that he was being utterly ridiculous and since he was at the stage of stealing whiskey tumblers from bars in order to try and prove or disprove a theory, then taking a step back from the city and coming to Storybrooke evidently had not been enough for his nerves. He was going to have to get a lot further away from it all below it took over his life completely.

He still couldn't bring himself to stop doing what he was doing, though, and he carefully lifted Belle's fingerprints from the whiskey glass, setting to work with his magnifiers. Gold had never had access to any of the high-tech machinery that could match fingerprints to databases within seconds, but he didn't need them. He just needed to compare the two.

He spent three hours poring over the prints, checking every single detail, every single comparison marker, and then he checked them all again. There was no getting around it, and suddenly his conversation with Belle at the bar took on a far more chilling turn. There was no doubt about it. It was Belle's handprint that had been on his window that morning. Belle had been in his garden, pressing her hand up against the glass.

Why?

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle #Belle French #Mr Gold #Fic: The Darkness Within

14 notes · View notes

winstonhcomedy · 5 years

Text

“Dope A-F”- 1/24-1/25 - “Booed Off Stage and Reg Charity”

Sweet lord almighty. Thursday/Friday were some slobbrerknockers of shows. I’ve got three bad boys to cover so let’s hop right to it laydees.

Earlier in the week I got asked by Travis Carl if I could fill in for him at The Richmond Funny Bone hosting for the “Fresh Drunk Stoned Tour”. I of course agreed. Luckily the open mic this night was The Camel hosted by Jameson Babbowski. This was an early mic so I got to get two sets in.

I head over to The Camel right after work. I am the first comic there. The Camel always has a chill fun vibe to it. When Jameson gets there I look at the lineup and I know like half of the comics. The influx of new comedians continues. It is getting kind of insane. I feel like more and more experienced comics are either moving away/giving it up/taking a step back from standup. Which is a shame. I love the new comics, but I do miss the feeling of going to an open mic and it being filled with all the dudes I started with.

New comics are always good for a scene. As people trickle out you need more comics to trickle in. They bring audience members, and a sense of enthusiasm that is kind of gone from people who have been doing standup a while. The downside is when your scene becomes all new comics booking showcases becomes difficult. You want to give people opportunities, but at the same time a showcase full of newbies is just an open mic.

There is a family with a small child at the show. They tell Jameson they are ok with the swearing and are going to leave aft4er a quick bite. I get to see a few of my friends like Alex Castagne and Mike Engle. So that was a nice little hang.

Jameson goes up and does a quick hosting set before bringing me up. I go up and talk to the kid a little bit and get a few laughs. The crowd is interesting. Paying attention, but not really loving the comedy yet. My set goes pretty well. I need to write some new stuff because I am getting to the point where the new stuff I am working on is starting to become fully formed. The jokes go ok. Some hit pretty hard and some get nothing. All in all I was able to riff a couple new tings, and work on wording. I’d give this set a C-. I grab my stuff and run to my car to head to Short Pump to get to the Funny Bone.

It has been a while since I have been on a show here. I walk in and say hi to the staff. Every time I come by they have some new wait staff, but a lot of the people who’ve been there for years are still around. People like Cory, Derek, Buz, Brittany, and of course Jason the gm. I get to talk to everybody for a bit and shoot the shit before the comics from the “Fresh, Drunk, and Stoned” tour show up.

They were coming from VB so they had a comic down there drive them up and they gave them a guest spot. Drew Grizzly is the comedian who drove them. I have only seen him perform a couple times at clash so I don’t know much about his standup. I know the couple times at clash I wasn’t super impressed, but also that was forever ago and I think he was a super new comic at that time.

All three of the headliners were super cool. They were Tim Hanlon (LA), Matt Bellak (Chi) and Franco Harris (Chi). Very chill dudes and fun to hang with. all real professionals as well. Franco came in and had the complete run down written up ready to hand over to the sound guy Buz. I was going to be doing 10 up top, Drew was going to do 7, then each of them would do 20 each to close out the show.

They also did a great job of packing the show on a Thursday night. They didn’t sell out but they came damn close. I think there was close to about 220 people in there. Which is definitely a treat for a Thursday.

I go up first and have a super strong hosting set. I tried some material I’ve never done there before and it went over great. My “problems with China” bit hit super hard, and my “Angel/Devil” closer really got them. I’d give this set a B+. I really had them in a good place to get this show going and I bring up Drew.

I walk to the green room while he starts his set. I don’t really pay attention to it. He’s not getting a huge laugh or anything, but I don't think anything of it. I am talking in the back with the guys, and after like 2 minutes we start to hear a noise coming from the green room. I can’t really tell what the noise it, but is most assuredly not laughter.

I start to listen closer and realize it is boos. Drew is bombing so hard he is getting booed. Tim and I go out to check it out and we are just in awe. This crowd that was super into the show had now completely turned on him. Apparently he had started his set and said he had weird pubes. A woman responded, “you got a problem.” Instead of rolling with it he doubled down and started to be aggressive with the lady. He had not built up the goodwill in his set to warrant this type of response. So the crowd started to turn. He also mentioned that he doesn’t date black women (he is a black guy) which honestly is where he really lost the crowd (primarily black audience).

I have never seen this kind of shit before. It is surreal. People are losing their minds yelling at him, booing him, screaming to get him off the stage. People are standing up out of their seats. Like it had the vibe that someone was going to come up on stage and get him. Jason came out of his office wondering what was going on. It was too much for security to silence everyone. He was getting the light from the back, and he wouldn’t get off stage.

I don’t know how much time he did but it felt like a millennium in that atmosphere. It might be the worst set I've ever seen in my life. I was inching closer and closer to the stage trying to give him a hint. Also I was worried I was going to have to go on stage and take the microphone from him. The worst part is I have to go up after this. I tell Tim I am going to try my best to get the crowd back and do something before he gets on stage.

Drew finally gets off, and I go back up amidst a sea of boos. They’re still yelling and I give them a second to see if they’ll die down enough to try to get a word in. I finally grab the mic and say, “I think this is the first time in history where a room full of black people are like, ‘Thank God the white guys back’”, and it absolutely murders. People stand back up and are screaming and hollering. People are giving me high fives, and I'm really selling it leaning over with the mic stand talking to people and getting them pumped up. I bring Tim Hanlon on stage and the show is back on track. This is now one of my favorite comedy memories.

I go back to the green room and Drew is talking about it, and Franco and Matt are giving him good advice. Bombing happens, everybody does it, this is not a reflection of an entire comedians career or act. I do know that I have never in my life seen a worse set, and at least Drew knows it can’t get worse. He was in good spirits, and we all ended up having a dope rest of our night. I get a lot of compliments and I get to watch Tim, Matt, and Franco have super hot sets to end this amazing night. I also get a weekend of work from Jason in March. I love filling in dates on my calendar.

After the show I stick around, take some pictures, and meet some people. I say my goodbyes to everybody and then head to my car. I drive home enjoying the end of this awesome night.

1/25

The next day after work I took a nice nap, and then headed down to perform on Tidewater Tonight in Virginia Beach at Pinboys. This is a talkshow co-created and hosted by Roberto Lundgren Rodrigues. This isn’t a standup show. I had to create a character to be interviewed. I low-key love stuff like this, but I don’t get the opportunity to do it often.

I came up with the character several months ago when I was first asked, but I kept having to reschedule. I finally got an open Friday and was ready to unveil Reg Charity. Basically the character idea I had was I'd be a disgraced, southern, ex PBA bowler who was banned from the sport due to my rampant alcoholism. So after my PBA career I started inventing. All my inventions are supposed to do the opposite of what they normally do (sunglasses that brighten the room, chips that help you lose weight, whiskey that sobers you up, and a toaster that turns toast into bread). It slowly becomes apparent during the interview that none of them work, and I get drunker and drunker on my “non-alcoholic” whiskey.

I get to the venue early and am just hanging out with the people who run the show. Ryan Dix, Roberto, Laura Batty, and a few others. My buddy Nick Deez showed up also.

So after they set up for the show we wait for it to start. There is a tiny audience of maybe 5 or 6 who aren’t involved in the show. That’s ok though because everybody is super into the show. I am so excited to see how the video turns out because I am super excited about it. I improvised the entire thing. I feel like I went in and out of my accent, but I honestly don’t care. It was super fun, and I got people laughing. I had an absurd outfit on, and some great lines. I’d give it a solid B. If I get to go back I know I’ll do even better.

They do some ads, and a singing commercial. Then Donna Lewis goes up and is doing the character of an ex child star. She is having a hot one, and everyone is having a blast. The show ends and it was definitely a success.

They make several attempts to lift the couch up with me in it. We get some funny pictures of me falling out of it, and them failing to lift me. We keep chatting for about an hour, and just talk shop, and shit. It was a super dope show, and I can’t wait to do it again.

All in all this was a helluva two days of shows. A real hoot and a half. I just want to give everybody who reads this blog a million kisses. XOXO I love you and I’ll be back to recap the weekend tomorrow sweeties! GOODBYE LAYDEES!!!!

#comedy #talk show #standup #bomb #boo #epic fail #improv #jokes

0 notes

samanthasroberts · 6 years

Text

Southern Charm Recap: Can They Get Any More White?

I have emerged from my two-day hangover solely to write this weeks recap. Guess killing brain cells is one of my hobbies now.

When we left off I wasnt sure if I was Team Kathryn or Team Whitney, and I dont think thats ever going to get resolved tbh. However, I did just notice Kathryns facial expression in the opening sequence more or less sums up her entire personality.

Thomas and JD, back at it again with the polo. Cause that ended really well the last time. Can they get any more white?

Whitney has some fruit salad and is making coffee and Larissas like, If that’s cooking, I’m about to be the next winner of.

Whitney trying to explain what going steady means to Larissa is pretty hilarious tho.

Kathryn andKody? Corey? Fuck, I forgetare getting a seaweed facial or some shit, AKA Bravo is pampering them so they can talk shit in style. Nice.

Kathryn is bummed that once she has her baby she has to go home alone with her two children.

Kathryn: Im a 24-year-old soon-to-be mother of two. If you dont think Im overwhelmed and nervous then you dont think.

Wow that was like, unnecessarily aggressive Kath.

Cooper? Cooper! Calls Thomas a 50-year-old playboy and is like,

Cooper: Instead of letting it frustrating you I just say let it strengthen you.

Cooper is the moral compass this show needs.

Meanwhile Thomas is sipping bourbon with JD on his porch because Kathryn really needs him.

JD: Hows the baby? Thomas: The doctor said fine… JD looks skeptical, because Im sure he knows better than a trained doctor.

JD: Kathryn moving up the due date seems awfully peculiarseems suspect.

JD is a regular Hardy Boy over here.

JD: I think women dont like being asked for paternity tests.

NO FUCKING SHIT.

JD is like, and Thomas is like, Its clear hes forgotten who hes about to have a kid with because Kathryn is NOT going to be down with Thomas basically accusing her of slutting it up and then trying to trap him into fatherhood. JUST SAYING.

Its date night with Craig and Naomie. Craig chooses going to L.A. over the biggest event for his company, because hes never been to L.A. before. And Craig wonders why hes not allowed to head a bourbon division. I don’t foresee this ending well AT ALL. Craig, youre a fucking idiot and for once Naomie is in the right to tell you youre fucking up.

Craig: Do you see how hard Im trying to justify this?

Yeah, because you KNOW YOURE IN THE WRONG. Thats literally what justification is.

Cameran and Landon meet up for a candle-making class and I am kind of jealous because that low-key sounds fun. Landons explaining her travel guide to Cam, so Im going to take a quick nap.

Cameran: I think its hard for Landon bc she was a typical Southern stereotype of the woman who got married young and was taken care of and she doesnt have that anymore.

Wait, how is this the first Im hearing of this failed first marriage? How has this NEVER come up before this season??

Cameran: So any man prospects? Landon: IDK not really its kind of sad and pathetic.

Landon is like Same tho. Cameran: Do you think the reason youre not meeting anyone is because you want something to work out with Shep? Landon:…Yeah

Cameran and I are both like, FINALLY!

*Cue a montage of them looking really couple-y* I’m rooting for you guys!

Landon brings up every middle schoolers dilemma which is that if she dates Shep, then shell lose him as a friend. Can we get like, a violin quartet to score some melodramatic music or something?

Craig and Shep make it to L.A. and Whitneys bachelor pad is sick. I guess this is what that Bravo money gets you. On an unrelated note, I have a very compelling idea for a new reality show, if you wanna get on board Bravo, Ill get you in at the ground level.

Craig: I wouldve had FOMO if I hadnt gotten to come out heresothanks.

Whitney: Meh whatevs

Whitney: #NewCraig has taken on this persona thats like, not chill dude.

Whitney basically lets it go with the caveat that he may never fully trust Craig again. Eh, Im sure theyll be fine.

Shep: You know when youre perfectly drunk and youre really good at pool? Is that like when Im really drunk and I think Im really good at dancing?

Classic Shmosby.

Larissa crashes the boys weekend which is not at all chill. Larissa is, I guess, the WGG of the group.

Shep: Should I change? I dont want to look all fratty and Southern.

Well that ship sailed like, approximately 36 years ago. Whitney makes a joke about waking up in the morning covered in blood and vomit. Was he secretly with me and my friends this weekend? Unclear. V. possible.

These two slutty-looking blondes show up and Shep is in fucking heaven. Craig low-key wants to kill himself.

Whitney: The goofy, disarming thing works in Charleston but not so much in L.A.

I’m sorry, Whitney, but who you callin goofy? You’re not exactly a chiseled Greek god over there. Whitney takes a casual shot at Craigs bourbon knowledge, or lack thereof, and now that hes gotten that off his chest this friendship is back on track.

The aftermath of Whitneys party looks a lot like the scene I dealt with Sunday morning. So, like, maybe they really were there.

Whitney: The marker of a good boys weekend is a pool of vomit with a partially digested meatball in the middle.

Whitney talks about how Shep didnt get any last night and Whitney said he had a meeting with Hand Solo which made me LOL.

Sheps like, and Im getting soooo mf sick of this trope. I am convinced Shep just acts this way because y’all expect him to be a fuckboy and nobody challenges him or holds him to a higher standard. Also, there’s just no way his dick games that good. THERE IS NO WAY.

JD is on the phone with Paula and SURPRISE, Craig basically didnt do shit for this festival yet still wants to be head of the bourbon division. The entitlement is strong with this one. Craigs phone is dead, party casualty, so JD is calling around to all Craigs friends like the angry dad he is. Did I mention this was dumb af, Craig?

Also, LMAO at how hungover they all look. Their hangovers are giving me life.

Craig: I just feel like Im being used to do all the bitchwork and its annoying. I lied, THIS is the whitest thing to happen on this show.

Shep: People take work too seriously. What happened to just drinking beer and laughing your balls off?

Yeah Shep, I think this may be why your restaurant is struggling to pay the rent.

Thomas and Kathryn are discussing the ins and outs of labor, which I will file away for future knowledge. Thomas calls Kathryn an expert at giving birth which is like, kind of rude lol. But I guess also accurate?

Kathryns opening up to Thomas about being alone this time around, looking up at him with big doe eyes, and Thomas is like,SHUT DOWN.

Thomas: The timing is really bad for me, could you just like, not give birth rn?

Kathryn: Thats why I like having you around, youre like a calming presence IDK why.

Kathryn, do you know what calming means? Im starting to think not.

Back at Whitneys, some massage therapist named Megan shows up, and Shep clearly has a boner.

Shep: So youre gonna give us all massages now?

Megan: Its like holding space to really connect more with yourself.

Shep is blatantly sexually harassing this poor girl. JFC. This is so creepy. Tone it the fuck down.

JD & Co. is launching his bourbon line at Charleston Cup, this horse race in Charleston. Craig is nowhere to be found, shockingly.

JD: Work isnt all roses and cherries. Sometimes its dirt and trenches.

Im putting that on a needlepoint for my office.

Sheps not going because his grandpa died. OK thats actually like, very sad. My condolences.

We will now resume with our regularly scheduled program of shit-talking.

Craig is taking forever to get readyCraig and Chad from are both the secret Betches interns.

Craig is hungover with an upset stomach and a sinus infection, which is literally what happens to me every time I drink. AKA right now. We’ll get through this, Craig. Emergen-c and green tea all mf day.

Cams like,

Craig apparently slept in and didnt do anything to help JD set up. Which, Im not surprised by, but again, is a really bad move for when youre trying to show initiative.

Cameran: #NewCraig is starting to run its course because at this point hes becoming #OldCraig

Dannis dropping some random whiskey fun facts and Craig is like, Fuck the bourbon division, Im not sure Craig is qualified to have any job at Gentry HQ, PERIOD. How the fuck is he going to be a lawyer if he never wants to do work? He’s gonna have a rude awakening if he ever makes it to first-year associate (I have heard).

Craig is there for all of two minutes and is already like, fuck this Im leaving.

Oh JK Craig didnt actually leave. JD gives a speech and what do you wanna bet Craig is gonna get shafted in this thank-you speech?

Wait for it..

BOOM. SHAFTED. I called it.

Cameran is so into this race its scary. How much money did she put down on that horse? Judging by her reaction to losing, Id say a lot.

Once again JD is dressed like a 1920s fat cat. Live your truth, JD.

JDs like, and Craig is like,

JD: Do you think you should have gone out of town? Craig: I mean Ive never had to give up a trip for a job so

Oh boy, Craig. I fear for you in the real world. I really do.

At Kathryns, she and Thomas are eating dinner. Kathryns going into labor tomorrow morning. I hope they dont actually film her birth. That would be kind of fucked.

Thomas: I want to have a traditional family, hear the shnookums running around, hear the house fill with laughter.

Lol, “shnookums” only makes me think of one thing:

Thomas: I still love Kathryn, I care about her but Im afraid a day of reckoning is forthcoming.

UH OH.

Kathryn asks Thomas how he feels and he says hes apprehensive and shes like, BRUH, FEEL APPREHENSIVE?!

Kathryn: If I say anything mean to you tomorrow just give me a free pass.

OK thats fair, she is giving birth and all.

Kathryn gets up and eats some generic brand Lucky Charms before giving birth. I take it all back, she really is struggling with money.

OK low blow. Sorry. Kind of.

Seeing the sheer amount of diapers in Kathryns house is enough to make me never forget to take my birth control.

Thomas: For some reason, maybe through divine intervention we were brought together. Steven Spielberg I believe said, Ive made a lot of movies, but my greatest creation of all was a child.

So I wonder at what point Thomas is gonna be like Who am I kidding, theyre gonna drag that out at least over the course of another epsiode.

OK enough shit-talking from me. That baby is cute. What did they name him?? How they gonna leave us hanging like that?

div.body_middle_part_right .bodypart:nth-child(n+2), a.prevBody{display: none;}

Source: http://allofbeer.com/southern-charm-recap-can-they-get-any-more-white/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2018/03/16/southern-charm-recap-can-they-get-any-more-white/

0 notes

jimdsmith34 · 6 years