#( after the bullshit of the last three years the Spidey Office can get fucked )

[watsonjackpot]

+ ( USM outselling ASM gives me life. )

#( after the bullshit of the last three years the Spidey Office can get fucked ) #out of character talk ( ooc )

[allegra-writes]

"Bad together"

Prologue: Benjamin Reilly

Peter Parker x Reader

General audiences

Warnings: none.

"And if I'm dead to you

Why are you at the wake?

Cursing my name, wishing I stayed"

My tears ricochet - Taylor Swift

"... It's a disaster! Look at her! It's like someone took a look at Black Cat, selected everything that made her sexy and then took it out!"

Black Cat. The name froze the young photographer on his tracks right outside his boss' office. He hadn't heard that name in a long time, the last sighting had been well over a year ago. He would know.  After all, it had been him, the very last person to have seen Felicia Hardy, alive or dead.

"What are you talking about? That looks hot af, not to mention badass!" Jade's persuasive voice reached his ears, making him smirk: It was no secret the chief editor had a soft spot for the young intern. And, on her part, the petite brunette was a firecracker. Poor old Jameson didn't stand a chance. "Come on, dad. Single handedly taking down three of the Kingpin's goons? That's impressive. It deserves to be one of the slides!" 

"Not if we don't get a higher quality picture. That blurry video is good enough for a thumbnail, but not for a slide" Slides were a big deal, they were the Dailybugle.net's equivalent of a front page, and if J. Jonah Jameson took something seriously, it was his web site. He prided himself in the quality of the "receipts" of his "tea", as if that validated the trashiness of the bullshit articles he posted, more fiction from hyper imaginative wannabe writers than serious work from real reporters. 

"Well, then let's get the pictures. Where is that star photographer of yours?" 

The photographer rolled his eyes, typical Jade. As if the queen of cool didn't know his name. As if she hadn't graced his bed a handful of times already. 

"That's a good question. Dolores, get me Reilly!"

"I'm here, Jonah" Ben finally stepped inside the office, throwing an envelope on Jameson's desk before throwing himself on a chair across it. He could feel Jade's eyes on him, almost like a physical caress, trailing from the long, slick back curls on the top of his head, to the muscles of his arms, threatening to rip open the seams at the sleeves of his white t-shirt, to his jean clad thighs. Still, he didn't turn to look at her, refusing to give her the satisfaction. 

"What do you have for me today, boy?"

Ben gesticulated vaguely with his head in the direction of Jade, and Jameson caught the hint. 

"Jade, out!" 

"But, dad, my story!" The petulant reply left her mouth before she could stop it, undoubtedly the product of years of habit. But she had the grace to look embarrassed and leave the office without another word, trying to save whatever professionalism she had left. 

Once she was gone, Jameson opened the envelope, flipping through the various pictures of a masked figure swinging around New York in a black and red suit. 

"Hmmm… these are good" the older man praised, staring at the images of a frustrated robbery at 5th avenue

Ben snifled nocomitically,

"There was a fire at 16th avenue happening at the same time" He offered, "we could use that. Spider-Man forgets his roots and leaves his old neighborhood to fend for itself, running off to save some pretty socialite…"

"Oh, that is excellent! See, this is why I like you, kid. You have initiative. Unlike these snowflakes out there. Oh, but Spider-Man is a hero. Hero, my ass"

"Well, when you watch your so called hero sit back and do nothing as your life gets destroyed" Ben shrugged, "the rose colored glasses tend to fall off…"

Jameson made a face at that,

"Yeah, about that… I'm sorry. For the role the Daily Bugle played on that…"

Ben shook his head, 

"You thought you were getting the truth out there. It's not your fault to have been played, along with half the world. Plus," he added, sounding genuinely enthusiastic, "you gave me this job. And now we can really tell the truth"

"Even when our idea of the truth is somehow different" The older man scoffed, flipping around a picture of Spider-Man sat on what appeared to be a hammock of his own webs, eating a hamburger and reading something that looked suspiciously like a comic book, "Still hung up on that high schooler theory of yours?"

"Well, if it talks like a brat and acts like a brat…" Ben took out another envelope, this time containing a few burger king wrappers and, effectively, a spider-man comic book. 

"Where did you even get these?"

"Harlem" was Ben's curt reply, and Jameson knew that was as exact a location as he was going to get. 

"So you still believe this is a copycat? Some kid playing dress up"

Ben simply shrugged again. 

"Well, there seems to be an epidemic of those lately" Jameson admitted, indicating Ben to come closer, passing a tablet to him, "Jade just handled me this, take a look"

Ben took a deep breath, steeling himself, already knowing what he was going to see in it. Yet, a part of him couldn't help but hope to be wrong. To hope the silver haired figure facing three much bigger, stronger looking ones as he pressed play, wasn't the same one he had spent weeks memorizing last summer. Wasn't the body he had found solace in, when everything fell apart, once again, for the hundredth time in his life. 

To hope it wasn't you. 

But when in his twenty-two or so years of existence, had things ever gone his way? 

Ben felt the screen crack under his fingertips.

"I've heard of her" he lied through his teeth, "didn't even think she was real, to be honest. Extremely elusive, and cunning." That much was true, "I don't understand how something as mundane as a security camera managed to catch her…" 

Unless you wanted to be caught, that was. 

"Well, I don't care if she's the fucking Loch Ness monster, I want an HD picture of her on my desk tomorrow to go with Jade's article. I already have a headline: New Catastrophe Jen wreaks havoc on Hell's Kitchen" Jameson's eyes lit up with glee as he weaved his hands up in the air, like writing on an invisible marquee. 

Ben snorted

"Don't you mean Calamity Jane?"

Jameson's face fell, the color rising to his cheeks, characteristic vein popping on his forehead. 

"I meant what I meant, boy! Now, what are you still doing here? You have 24 hours to get me that picture"

"I'm going to need 72," came Ben's unphased reply, "and I want twice what you pay me for the spidey pics"

Jameson's vein looked about ready to explode,

"48 hours. And deal."

Ben jumped from his seat and bolted out of the office before his boss could change his mind, not realizing until it was too late that he was on a collision course with a sweet looking short haired blonde girl. 

"Watch where you're going! Jeez!"

"Me? You're the one who crashed against me!" 

Ben rolled his eyes, but crouched next to the girl anyway, helping her gather the papers that had been sent flying on impact back together.

"Peter? Oh my god, is that you?"

Of course. What an idiot, he should had recognized that annoying, shrilly voice the second he heard it. It had caught him off guard, something he knew he couldn't afford. But how could he had ever imagine he could run into Betty fucking Brant, Yale cum laude, in the freaking dailybugle.net headquarters of all places?

"Sorry, sweetheart. You must confuse me with someone else…" He mumbled, lowering his head even more in a vain attempt to hide his face.

"Of course not!" She insisted, "You're Peter, Peter Parker, we went to Midtown together!"

"Miss, I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"Don't be silly, Peter!" She chuckled, completely deft to his tone or the way his whole demeanor had changed the second she had called him by the old name. "How have you been? Oh, just wait until I tell Ned, he's going to be so-"

CRACK.

At last, the tablet that had been in peril ever since Jameson had put it in Ben's hands, the one that contained his assignment, met its demise, both broken halves falling to the ground, along with all the papers he had picked up for Betty. It was several moments before he could get the shaking of his hands under control, before the tar black rage inside him subsided enough for him to be able to move without shifting. But it had.

"Peter Parker is dead." He deadpanned, dark brown eyes finally meeting Betty's stunned blue ones, "Tell Ned that, he'll probably be glad to hear it"

With that, he stood up and walked away, leaving a confused and agitated Betty behind. 

To be continued...

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #tom holland #peter parker imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #peter parker x reader smut #tom holland x reader smut #dark!peter parker #dark peter parker #venom #venom!peter parker #marvel #black cat #felicia hardy #bad together #arvin russell

[interstellarflowers]

peter parker x reader | i want you to know |  chapter three

i want you to know | chapter three: his/yours

chapter one | chapter two | chapter four | masterlist

a/n hey everyone, sorry this took so long i hope you guys like it thank you for being so patient you’re all the best

t/w angsty as per usual, cursing, self-destruction

unedited 

    “Didn’t anyone tell you that you have a bedtime?” 

    There he was again, with his jokes and his childish banter, how could he maintain such a positive front after all that’s happened?

    “Didn’t anybody tell you that I’m seventeen and can make my own choices?” 

    “Seventeen.” 

    You fall silent for a moment, of course, you were aware that you were seventeen, but you were also aware that most seventeen-year-olds haven’t had to carry part of humanity on their shoulders. Most seventeen-year-olds didn’t have a company to take over, most seventeen-year-olds didn’t have a world-renowned legacy to live up to, and lastly, most seventeen-year-olds didn’t have to compete with the Spiderman for this legacy. 

    “...Didn’t anybody tell you that I don’t have any parents to give me a bedtime?” You choked out. 

    Peter shot you this-this look. You didn’t even know how to describe it. Seven different emotions flooded through his face at once and you didn’t know if you should prepare to be yelled out, completely shut down, breakdown or jump off the fucking building.

    Peter doesn’t do any of this, he just sits down next to you because he’s gentle because he’s quiet because he just takes it. You detested this. You hated him for this. Why? Why would he just take it? Why is he still fucking here?

    It’s quiet for a really long time. Part of you wanted to tell him that you’d go inside, that you’d go to bed. You wanted him to leave. Part of you just wanted to make a nice conversation, to make him feel better, to get rid of a silence that was no longer so comfortable. Silence was better than lying.

    “I lost Mr.Stark too,” Peter looked across the city with you, “I lost him...I can’t lose you too.”

    The sun was rising, Peter was getting up.

    “Peter-”

    “I have to go.” 

    “Okay.”

    He was off, swinging through the tops of buildings, blending in with the sunrise.

    You never really thought about it. You saw the sunrise nearly every day, but you never really saw it. You were always so caught up in yourself that you ignored it. You ignored the mango orange and the wine red crashing into each other and giving way to the sky blue. You never stopped to notice the cotton candy clouds and the way that the stars faded away into the watercolor display from above. You were too caught up in what the world had lost, you were ignoring what the world gave to all every day. You never stopped to appreciate the gift that came every day, a new day. You never appreciated the gifts that every new day had brought...

    It was time to try something new. 

    Returning somewhere so familiar yet so unknown was always such an indescribable sensation. You ran your hand across the row of lockers that a year ago would just be a row of lockers to you, now they felt like something out of a fever dream. Fluorescent lighting was playing tricks on your eyes and the scent of the cafeteria flooded your nose along with the scent of whiteboard markers and floor cleaner. Your senses were in a frenzy and you were sure that you were seconds from breaking down-

    “(y/n)? You can come in now.” The principle motions you into his office with a pitying expression on his face. 

    The meeting was fine. Everything went smoothly, you transferred back over into Midtown High School just fine. Everything was fine, so everything should’ve felt fine...Why didn’t you feel fine?

    By the time you stepped out of the office, it was 6:54 am. Class was minutes away from being in session. The backpack that you used to wear every day suddenly felt like you were carrying a ton of bricks on your back. Everything felt so off, and that’s when you realized why. You looked around the hallways, really looked. Faces you used to see every day were unfamiliar. They all looked at you. They looked at you like you were some ghost, back from the dead, you certainly felt like it but you didn’t think that people would look at you like that. They all had these looks on their faces, indescribable, they all had such pitying and sad eyes. There were whispers. Some had something else in their eyes that made you miss the pitiful looks. It was like everything you had read online was glaring at you. It was like everything that everyone was saying was hitting you at once. It was a long walk to first-period chemistry. 

    Peter walked into school, another sleepless night, another restless day. Walking into school never seemed to become any easier, not when he knew what he left behind. He had left your side. He knew that you weren’t his responsibility, he knew that he didn’t have to watch you, but the thing was that that wasn’t what he was doing. You weren’t his responsibility, but you were his. On missions, you were always his teammate. On school projects, you were always his partner. In magazines, you were his alleged girlfriend. Throughout media, you were his partner in crime. Through life, no matter where you saw it or who you were hearing it from, you were always his something. He didn’t claim ownership of you, it wasn’t like that, he just missed you being by his side. He missed having your back, he missed you having his. He missed talking to you, really talking to you. He missed going to sleep and knowing that you were going to be fine. He missed knowing that you were fine.

    “Peter!” Ned hurdled towards Peter out of breath, “I’ve been looking for you all morning!” 

    At this moment Ned takes a good hard look at Peter. He looks at the ever-darkening bags underneath his eyes, how less lively they make him look, how this isn’t the Peter he used to know, how tired he looked, how burnt out, how...gone he looked. He wanted to say all of this to Peter, he wanted to tell him. He wanted Peter to stop, he wanted Peter to rest, but he didn’t, he couldn’t bring himself to. 

    “What is it, Ned?”

    Ned shook his head, 

    “It’s (y/n), did you see?” 

    Peter’s heart dropped into his stomach and his feet turned ice cold, 

    “(y/n)? Ned, what happened? I-I have to go, I have to get to her. I-”

    “She’s right there!” 

    Peter whipped around so fast he nearly snapped his neck, There you were. You still looked tired, you still looked gone, but you were here, and that was huge. Peter broke into the biggest smile, the first real one since the end of the war, 

    “(y/n)!” 

    You turned around to meet Peter’s eyes through the hoard of kids in the hallway. Peter looked at you, your eyes were still tired, you still looked drained and you had this...sadness, that always seemed to run through you, Peter felt so lost. The last time he had seen you here you had been so happy, you looked healthy, you were smiling, you were you, but now was now, because there you were. Looking at him, and he was looking at you. You gave him a small wave and Peter raced towards you, racing a little too fast, but he didn’t care, he needed to get to you. 

     Peers gave you both strange looks as Peter pulled you into a big hug, others gave you sympathetic looks.

    “You’re finally here! (y/n), this is huge! We have to celebrate, we-”

     Peter had been so caught up in the moment that he didn’t notice your social queues. He didn’t notice your closed up posture and he didn’t notice that you weren’t hugging him back. 

    “Peter, please let go of me.”

    “(y/n), I’m sorry, but, please-”

    “Let go of me, Parker.” 

    Peter let go of you, shattered. 

    Flash stared at the scene with a malicious glint in his eye, 

    “Don’t you know she has a boyfriend Penis Parker, or did he leave when Daddy left?” Flash shot you a nasty look, “Did Spidey leave when Daddy left with his money? Aww, don’t cry, I’m sure Penis Parker here-”

    “Shut the fuck up.” Peter glared at Flash, he had never been so done with somebody’s bullshit in his entire life.

    You glared at Peter and gave him a look that said ‘Don’t.’

    “Make me Parker.” Flash challenged Peter playfully as he stepped closer, he was testing Peter.

     Ned shot you a look and you both nodded at one another, even after all of your absence Ned knew when you meant, he wanted the same. Peter needed to step down. 

     “I will.” Peter lessened the distance, Flash was playing with fire. Peter knew what he was signing up for, Flash did not. Flash was testing the wrong person. 

    Ned shot Peter a look that said ‘stand down,’ Peter shot Ned a look that said ‘stand back.’

    You pleaded with Peter, you mouthed, “Please.” Peter looked away and brushed you off. 

    It all happened in a blur, it was like a nightmare, before you could even process what had happened Flash was being rushed into the nurse's office and Peter dropped his usual demeanor and was screaming. You couldn’t hear him, in fact, you couldn’t hear anyone. 

    It was just a broken nose, that was all it was right? No. It wasn’t just a broken nose. It was a broken nose caused by Peter. Your Peter.

a/n i hope you guys liked it! honestly i started to get super discouraged with this series and was wondering if anybody was even interested anymore since part two had significantly less notes than part one, but it doesn’t really matter even if just on person likes it, its still worth writing. sorry i as quiet for a while though something bad happened, but like i said ill get over it. comment or drop by my ask box to be added to any of my tag lists, thank you for reading!! also let me know if you guys want a playlist for this series??

tag list

@assemblemotherfuckers @heartbeats-wildly @editsbyjenny @stark-spiderling @loxbbg @joe-mazzello-is-my-dad @imslightlyconfused @eridanuswave @itsmoony

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #x reader #marvel #avengers #avengers x reader #steve rogers #tom holland #tom holland x reader #spiderman #spiderman x reader #tony stark #tony stark x reader #iron man #peter parker x stark!reader #stark!reader #stark!daughter #fanfiction #fanfic #peter parker fanfic #peter parker fanfiction #avengers fanfic #spiderman fanfic #ffh #far from home #endgame

[stopforamoment]

“Landslide” (4 of 10)

Book: The Royal Romance (After Book Three)

Pairing: Bastien Lykel x OFC Rinda Parks

Word Count: 1,673

Rating: M for References to School Shootings, Panic Attacks, and Language

Triggers: References to School Shootings, Violent Deaths, ALICE Training and School Lockdown Drills, Panic Attacks

Author’s Note: Thank you to all the amazing artists whose work got me through a *really* long semester and TRR break. This is my little thank you to all of you. This series is partly to deal with my terror of what could happen to my family because of our careers and the never-ending school violence in the United States. Chapters are named after songs I was listening to at the time because I’m real original like that. This one is “Landslide,” sung by Stevie Nicks. 

*Obligatory disclaimer that Pixelberry Studios owns the TRR characters and my pocketbook with those darn diamond scenes. OFC with all her quirks is all mine. My apologies if Tumblr or I do something stupid when I try to post this.

Summary: Everyone deals with the aftermath of Rinda’s panic attack and her ugly crying. Bastien takes off some clothes, but it’s just a blue ball for the readers. Sorry! Bastien finally gets to read Rinda’s file.

*The “Keep Reading” link should be here!

After Rinda’s outburst and the violence of the video, the teachers stared awkwardly, unsure of how to help. Bastien turned from Rinda and barked at Mr. Kakos to dismiss everyone. Kakos stayed frozen and eventually everyone silently filed out of the gym, leaving Rinda sobbing on the ground while Laura and Bastien still held her. Eventually Rinda’s sobs were replaced by hiccups, and Bastien whispered that he would get her some water and a towel. He returned and handed Rinda the water, but she mumbled that she needed to wipe her face first. She kept her face down while she wiped her nose with the towel. “I’m sorry” she gasped between loud, racking hiccups. Bastien unscrewed the cap and handed Rinda the water bottle again. She took a few sips between hiccups and they slowed down. Then she took a larger drink and took a few deep breaths.

“Thank you . . . I’m so sorry . . . I’m an ugly crier and I’ve got booger bubbles coming out of my nose. Seriously, I’m so gross right now.”

Laura took the towel from Rinda’s hands, folded it over to a clean side, and slowly began to wipe her face. “It’s not so bad,” she lied.

Rinda gave a shaky laugh and gave her friend a hug. She looked up at Bastien, about to thank him, when she gasped in shock. “Mr. Lykel . . . I’m so sorry! Your suit . . . please. I’ll get it dry cleaned. We can find something else for you to wear . . .”

“Mrs. Parks, it’s fine. I have another set of clothes in my office. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you two alone while I change.” He gave Rinda’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and turned away.

“Oh God, Laura! I snarfed all over him. Did you see how soaked his suit was? The poor guy is a walking hazmat from my snot.”

Laura laughed. She shared Rinda’s need to use humor to lighten difficult situations. “Well, I did have fantasies about getting his shirt off. You were quite the wingman today.”

. . . . .

Bastien walked back to his temporary office and locked the door. One by one he took off the layers of his clothes, a methodic ritual that normally helped him transition from his professional to personal life. First, he removed his suitcoat. Normally he would put it on a hanger, even if it needed to be dry cleaned. Today, however, he folded it neatly and placed it in a plastic bag. Next he removed his side arm and placed it on the desk, within reach until he was changed and would wear it again. Slowly, meticulously, he removed his vest, then unclasped his tie pin and set that on the desk. He loosened his tie, completely unknotting it and pulling on one side of the fabric as it slid through his shirt collar. Bastien moved on to his shirt, slowly unworking each button as he thought about the day’s events.

When he was finished he threw everything else into the plastic bag that he would simply hand to his dry cleaner. Rinda really did mess up his clothes, but that was the furthest thing from his mind.

Once Bastien was changed and his sidearm reholstered, he sat down and opened Rinda’s file. Fuck. He still couldn’t believe he missed this information on her husband or that he didn’t properly put away the thumb drive and file when Kakos entered the room. He also wondered why Kakos somehow thought the training video was on the thumb drive, separate from all of the other training materials. Unless he saw the note and purposely did it? Bastien knew he was petty, but could he be that cruel?

It was a perfect storm of mismanagement, and Bastien knew it was entirely his own fault for not handling things himself. He felt himself slipping, ever since the terrorists were apprehended and he wasn’t running on adrenaline and urgency anymore. Now that he actually had time to stop for a moment and think about his situation, to be honest about his injury . . . No. Bastien pushed that thought back. Again.

Normally Bastien was all business as he read a person’s file. Normally, he read the file before he met the person. But after spending the past few days with Rinda and holding her this afternoon while she cried, Bastien knew he couldn’t be impartial. The basics—Rinda grew up in Wisconsin, in the United States, and went to college in a city called Milwaukee. She had an undergraduate degree in secondary education, English, and history. She taught high school before going on to grad school, and the certification to teach elementary-aged children came later in life. She was 42 and had almost 20 years of teaching experience at the elementary, high school, and university levels. Only one year of high school teaching, though. Bastien grinned. He could imagine why a teacher wouldn’t last long teaching high school students, but he wondered why she chose to teach elementary school children later in life.

He moved from her professional information to start reading her personal data.

Then Bastien caught his breath and set the file down. He leaned his head into his hands and took deep breaths, trying to steady himself.

Rinda and Jameson had a ten-year-old son named Henry. Henry would have been eight or nine when his father died, even younger than Drake was when his father Jackson died.

. . . . .

Bastien leaned back in his chair, memories of Jackson’s death pounding over him. Jackson Walker was Bastien’s mentor, and since Bastien didn’t have any family nearby when he joined the Royal Guard, Jackson often invited him to dinner with his family.

Bastien became close with the family, often babysitting the two children—Drake and Savannah—when their parents had to work late or needed a date night. When Jackson died Bastien did his best to be there for Drake and Savannah, but it was a difficult situation for everyone involved.

Suddenly Bastien stood up and grabbed his suitcoat. He need to get the fuck out of there and find somewhere to get a drink. He locked the office door and walked down the hallway but stopped when he heard someone playing the piano in the music room. 

. . . . .

Rinda was sitting alone, softy singing.

Well, I've been afraid of changin'

'Cause I've built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I'm getting older, too . . .

Bastien stood outside the door listening. Rinda’s voice was raw with emotion and the lyrics shook him.

After she finished Rinda sat quietly for a moment, her back still to Bastien. He was about to turn away when Rinda quietly said “Did you get a chance to change, Mr. Lykel?”

Bastien stood still as Rinda turned around with a shy smile. “My secret Spidey sense. And I have eyes in the back of my head, too. It’s a teacher thing.”

Bastien walked into the room before pausing uncertainly. Rinda sensed his discomfort. “Did you need to speak to me about anything with the training? I’ve pulled myself together, so I’m okay to go through things right now, if you’d like. Or tomorrow when it’s convenient. I know you’ve got a lot to do.”

“It can wait until tomorrow. I just heard the music and wanted to see who was still here. I thought you’d be with Ms. Halkais, so I was surprised to see you here by yourself.”

Rinda nodded. “Laura did offer to let me stay with her. She’s amazing. I just needed some time by myself and I promised to message her if I changed my mind.”

Bastien nodded. “Are you going to be okay? I don’t want to leave you like this.”

Rinda gave a deep sigh. “Are we talking about my reaction to the video, or the fact that life with Mr. Kakos will be unbearable once you leave?” Bastien looked down at Rinda, staring intently into her eyes.

When Bastien didn’t respond Rinda broke eye contact, shrugging her shoulders before continuing. “Actually, part of the reason I was here by myself was because I was thinking about whether I’d stay or not.” Bastien sat down in a chair next to her, Rinda still seated on the piano bench.  “Don’t get me wrong, I plan on fulfilling my duties until a replacement is found. But after my reaction this afternoon it’s pretty obvious I’m a weak link, and Kakos and I don’t work very well together.” Bastien nodded his head in affirmation. “This school safety initiative is huge, Mr. Lykel. It’s bigger than the bullshit between me and Kakos, and I will gladly step down if that’s what’s necessary. It’s better if I resign now, before things really get underway with school. Besides, I’m not even close to finishing unpacking, and my son isn’t scheduled to arrive until next week so it’s not like I’d be uprooting him again so quickly. I can still help from the U.S. if necessary, if anyone even wants my input anymore. But yeah. That’s what I’ve been thinking.”

“Mrs. Parks . . .” Bastien stopped for a moment before continuing, the words suddenly spilling out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think about what he was going to say. “It’s been a hell of a day and I was going to get a drink. Want to join me?”

Rinda gave a weak grin. “That would be amazing, but only if you’ll let me buy. I really do owe you one because of your suit. By the way, just how disgusting were your clothes? You can be honest.”

Bastien’s face revealed no emotion as he stood up, ignoring her question.

“Ouch. That’s pretty bad, Mr. Lykel.”

#bastien lykel #choices trr #rinda parks