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jaehyunssi · 8 months

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neighbor - l.mk

synopsis: after breaking up with your boyfriend, you spent hours crying in the middle of the night. your loud and nonstop cries made mark knocks your door to find out what’s going on

neighbor!mark x reader - fluff - oneshot please read slowly for full experience + listen to any fluff playlist u have!

“Mark?”

When you heard someone knocking at your door at one in the morning, you didn’t expect that it would be your neighbor, Mark. Well, living in a cheap apartment won’t give you any guarantee that the walls would be soundproof too, you guessed. But one thing that surprise you more is how the man you almost know nothing about is standing in front of your door, looking worried.

You take a breath from your mouth, since your nose is clogged from the excessive crying. “What are you doing here?”

“I…” If he has got to be honest, he doesn’t know either. One thing that led him to find himself standing in front of you is how long and loud you cried that whole night. Probably two or three hours, which made him somehow wants to run to see you, maybe making sure you’re okay, or, well, he doesn’t really have the clearest idea too.

You tilt your head. “Yes…?”

“I really want to answer you, but your face looks-“

“Hideous?” You cut his words. “I know. Well, isn’t that clear enough for someone who just got dumped.”

Mark swallows his saliva. He doesn’t even know anything about you yet other than a girl who lives one door on his right yet the first thing he knows about something personal from you is the fact that you broke up with your boyfriend, who he also didn’t know the existence of.

“You don’t look okay, you know.” He looks at you, still. From your puffy eyes to your red nose, maybe the tears that has dried up on your cheeks, or even your lips that looks more blushed than it always be. “You could use a friend.”

The man with the white t-shirt covering his upper body somewhat surprised you with his sentence. When you first saw Mark, knowing that he would be your new neighbor after replacing the previous one who got married, you never thought he would be someone who cares so much about a stranger crying. You can’t lie that you were afraid that he’ll ask you to shut up, but this is not in any scenario of what thought you wanted to happen.

“Only if you want to see kleenex all over the couch..”

He smiles after letting out a quick chuckle. “I can get used to that quickly.”

You opened the door voluntarily after confirming his willingness to see a stranger at her worst. The man took off his sandals before finally entering the living room. Finally witnessing the scene where you spent almost three hours crying over someone who cheated on you with your own enemy. He turns his head, looking at you that by now is closing the door.

“Told you.” You raised your eyebrows.

But he shakes his head. “This is not bad at all.”

“Not even The Notebook playing on the TV?”

“Well…” He squints his eyes. “Not really a great movie to be a companion for heartbroken person.”

You laughed. “Okay, Mr. Rotten Tomatoes, let me clean up this place for you.”

Everyone needs a friend, and a friend needs someone to be the friend for. For as long as Mark knows, he loves the feeling to be needed. He loves when someone asks him to hangout with them or just to help them do something, but this is the first time Mark ever asks for someone to need him. As someone who’s actually really friendly, he never thought he would find himself asking for someone to make him their friend, until he knocked on a girl’s apartment door today.

As Mark put the hot cocoa powder on a mug he found on your kitchen, he began to think of why he had never talked to you before. He felt stupid, but at the same time, it was such a great choice for him to see your face clearly now. Somewhat a great timing, somehow grateful that you got dumped, somewhat relieved that he can finally talk to someone that he can only look at since he moved to this apartment you both lived at.

He doesn’t even know what made him scared to talk to you before. You’re not even a scary person.

“Oh my… what?” You grab the warm mug Mark hands you to. “Did you make this while I was cleaning the living room? How did you even…”

He lifts his shoulder. “Well, I have to do something.”

“Oh, come sit here.” You pat on the couch you’re sitting on. It’s a long couch you’re proud of. You remember the first time you bought it and you brag it to everyone who has ever been to your apartment. It was somewhat your best purchase. “You’re my guest, you know. A new one, even.”

“I know but I wouldn’t want your tears on this drink.”

“You’re pretty annoying to someone you just know ten minutes ago.”

He smiles. Now that you realized, he never let go of his smile. “Do you want to tell me about that break up then?”

You shook your head before sipping the hot cocoa Mark made. “This is nice.” You look at him watching you drinking the masterpiece he made. If only you knew, Mark had to look at the instructions on the can before he made it for you. “Can I know about you instead?”

“Me?” He points at himself, which you nod to. “There’s nothing much to tell about me.”

“There must be something.”

“I think it’s safe to say I’m not that exciting to know about.” He wraps his arms on the head rest on top of the couch, almost erasing the distance between the two of you. You keep your position still, as you still looking at those brown eyes of his.

“I hope no one told you that.”

The man chuckles. “Just me.”

You sighed, then you stand up, wanting to put the already finished mug of hot cocoa on the kitchen sink. But the sudden movement made you stumble, almost falling down right to the floor, before you land your other feet on the right positiont as Mark instinctively holds your back.

“God, are you really okay?” He looks at you as he helps you stand correctly. His arms are holding yours as you try to gain your full vision. “Can I..” He lifts his hand, stopping right in front of your forehead until you give him a nod to touch it. His furrowed eyebrows gave you a hint of something wrong.

“(Y/n), should we go see a doctor? You’re having a fever.”

You shake your head while you close your eyes. “No, please. I want to stay.”

“This can get worse, you know?”

“I know, I know. But, please.”

Mark let out a heavy breath. He helps you sit on your couch, putting his hand once more on you, but this time, on your neck. Knowing that it’s really a fever, his face is now not giving any friendly expression.

“Wait, okay?” He told you before leaving you alone.

You nodded.

Mark quickly run to the kitchen, looking for any clean napkin as fast as he can before he runs it through water. He grabbed a bowl of water, trying to give you a compress, at least for you to get better than your now temperature. “(Y/n)? Hang on, okay?”

You nod, again.

Mark haven’t really done this before, so he doesn’t know if he needs a hot water or a warm one, a cold water or a lukewarm one. So he made 4 bowls of water, each one with its own temperature. He found your bedroom quickly, running from here and there to put the bowls right beside your bed.

“Hey.” You can hear his voice, the way he pants, trying to catch a breath after running around your apartment. “I’m gonna carry you, okay?” He asked.

“What? No… no…” You shake your head.

He crouched down, grab your cheek for him to get a better look at you. Probably now, probably just now, he just realized how beautiful the stranger in front of him is. He doesn’t know what’s hypnotizing, your eyes, or your nose, or your lips, or, is it just you.

“Let me help you.” He told you as his eyes go back from your eyes to your lips, then back to your eyes again. “Please.”

You can’t really think much of what’s happening, but hearing him pleading made you say okay.

Now, the only thing that you know is that you’re no longer at the couch now. You can see your arms wrapping on Mark’s shoulder and neck, you can’t even believe how close your face is to his. You began to wonder if any man has ever worried about you this much. You began to think if Mark knows how nice this feels to you.

“Hey…” You called him, not really know why you forgot his name. But you’re clearly not fully conscious.

Your call made Mark stopped in the middle of his way on carrying you to your bed, just right before your bedroom door. “Hey.” He smiles. “Are you okay?”

You smile at him back. “Yeah.”

“Okay, one more step.”

You probably passed out because you don’t know what happens after that, but Mark managed to carry you safely to your bed, gently put down your body and he didn’t wake you up. He keeps compressing you, with the cool water after looking up about it on the internet. Placing the compress, sinking it on the bowl, placing it again, repeating the step for probably an hour.

The man watches you. Hearing you snore on your sleep made him relieve. At least you didn’t have any trouble on sleeping, and that’s good enough for him to know that you’re going to have a good rest tonight. He smiles, he thinks he never smiled this much on a day throughout his life. Maybe he did, but maybe, he has been giving a different smile to you today.

Mark tucks your hair behind your ear, not wanting any strand of it to get wet from the water excess from the compress cloth. He can’t find something else more appealing to look at other than your sleeping face. It’s crazy to him, that taking care of you, who’s still a stranger that turns out to be sick after crying for three hours, would be something that feels somewhat like heaven.

Maybe you’re the heaven he’s been wondering about after all these times.

“(Y/n)?”

Even though he didn’t expect it, you woke up. “Hm?” You responded, not really sure what Mark just said.

“Ask me to stay.” He pleaded.

“… What?” You try to open your eyes, only to see him sitting down on the floor as his hands holding the compress on your forehead. “Mark… what are you… why are you there?”

Mark stays quiet, his other hand is on top of your blanket, making sure that you stayed warm. “Ask me to stay with you, (y/n).”

You look at him in his eyes. “But… why?”

“I’ll stay, if you want me to.”

Mark doesn’t have the slightest clue of how or why he would ask you to ask him to stay, but he wants to. He wants to stay, even if it means he’s going to stay up all night changing the compress, checking your temperature, making sure that the heat goes down, he wants to do all that.

“I can’t say no to that face.” You laughed.

And Mark think he just fell in love.

a/n - hey! im back and i bring something fluffy (again) since mark has been on my mind whenever i play niki or lauv lol. and yeah please talk to me about how u feel abt this!!! slid thru the askbox or make some notes<3 ily all thank u so much

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mxlktxa · 10 months

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ʜᴇᴀᴅʟɪɴᴇꜱ

ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ!ᴀᴜ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴄᴇʟᴇʙ!ᴇʟʟɪᴇ ᴡɪʟʟɪᴀᴍꜱ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ; ᴇʟʟɪᴇ ᴡɪʟʟɪᴀᴍꜱ*, ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴠɪᴇᴡᴇʀꜱ

ᴄᴡ; ɪɴᴠᴀꜱɪᴠᴇ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ, ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ, ꜱᴛʀᴀᴘ-ᴏɴ ᴜꜱᴇ (ʀ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ), ᴛᴇᴀꜱɪɴɢ/ᴘʀᴀɪꜱɪɴɢ, ɴɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇꜱ/ᴘᴇᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇꜱ

ᴡᴄ; 1.1ᴋ ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ, 6.0ᴋ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ

‘Famous singer/songwriter and artist, Ellie Williams seen with famous actress and singer/songwriter Y/N’

‘Songwriter Ellie Williams, leaving the studio with Y/N? Is this the internet's new favorite couple?’

“So, as you know, we’ve seen some things about you and Y/N. Is there anything you’d like to share about the two of you with your fans?”

“I wish there was something to share. We’re just good friends. I’m just trying to see if I actually want to get into the acting industry. She’s my—, like… I don’t know, she’s my decoy. My practice, if you wanna put it like that.”

“Look, we know this isn’t a very appropriate question and it’s been asked a lot. Y’all are fuckin’?”

“Who?”

“C’mon, Ellie! You and Y/N, of course! We gotta know. Give us the scoop, man.”

“Jesus, no. I’ve got my eyes set on somebody else anyways, she’s just a good friend.”

“You two, Y/N and you, have been spotted together a whole bunch lately. Is there any reason or coincidence to it?”

“I mean, no. Other than just she brings me with her to check out what the acting industry is really like. It’s… It’s crazy, honestly. Props to her for having the courage for that, she’s a fucking… She’s super fucking strong.”

Blah, blah, fucking-blah. I hated all these stupid fucking articles and interviews with the same dumbass questions. Why did people have to know my relationship status with someone else? Why did they care so much? Why is it a problem for people who don’t know either of us? Just let us live our fucking lives, good-fucking-god. Can I just live my life the way that I want to without being harassed about my love life?

Y/N and I had met at an award ceremony, both fairly new to the respective careers we had gotten ourselves into. We were both assigned to open the show and also seated next to each other. She's such a lovely girl, super chill and respectful. She also minds her business when she's supposed to and never bothers anyone. But her fanbase? I don't know how or why she deals with any of the men she's attracted, but good on her.

I couldn't even be mad at the people asking such invasive questions because here I was, in a hotel room with her, burying my strap deep into her, face contorting into such a wonderful face that I needed to be engraved into my mind. She was so sweet and delicate, a wonderful view to just gaze upon. She sat on my lap as I used my hands to guide her hips down and push my hips up into her. The drool slipping from her lips, hanging from the corner let me know just how much she was really enjoying our time together.

"Fuck, Ellie, I can't do this anymore, I can't take it," a rich whimper came from the gorgeous figure above me, hands gripping onto my shoulders like crazy. A smirk grazed my face as her teary eyes came to meet mine, begging for us to come to an end. I couldn't help but lift her ever-so-slightly so she would offer me yet another cry from those beautiful lips of hers.

I couldn't respond to her. No way, no how. I tilted my head to glance down at the mess she was making on my lap, chuckling at how crazy it was. One hand slid up to her slightly parted lips, thumb slipping in to press down on her tongue. Those lovely moans were now muffled, hips grinding on mine to create that friction she had loved so dearly, starting to now shake at the euphoric sensation she had been receiving for the past hour and a half.

"Oh, but you're taking me so well, princess. How many times have you finished, hm? It's a fucking disaster down there, y'know."

As much as she wanted to respond to me, we both knew she couldn't. She was sucking on my thumb at this point, those delicious sobs still detectable. Chuckling at her attempts, my arms wrapped around her waist as I shoved my face into her chest to lick from her sternum to just below her neck while my thumb had left her oral cavity.

"You're so cruel, Els."

"I'm cruel? You really think so?"

"Mhm. I can't take this. It's too much, I'm so shaky."

She was not kidding about that. She was shaking like a little chihuahua, holding onto me for dear life. I hummed at her situation, peeling away so sluggishly.

"My sweet girl," I whispered, "I'll let you lay down next time. I promise."

"You said that last time and had me against a wall for a full forty-five minutes."

"You looked so angelic. What was I supposed to do? Give you what you want?"

"Yes!" She pouted, though there was a slight smile in that pout she gave me. I shook my head at her, helping her up from my lap as she tried not to fall over and eat shit. I should really give her a break but... She's all good. I know she is.

“I wish we didn’t have to hide this shit anymore,” her face rose up only to hide in the crook of my neck, sighing softly as she ran her hands up and down my arm, “if only people could mind their own fucking business.”

“We could always just say fuck it and go public. I don’t care anymore, they already know.”

Y/N’s eyes popped up, all wide and happy, a lovely smile taking over the pout I knew she had set up just seconds ago. I nodded to her, sitting her in the chair I was in, grabbing her a damp rag and her clothes that had been dumped on the bed.

“But that’s only if you’re willing to answer some questions people ask.”

“I don’t care. As long as you’re okay with it then I am too.”

Shrugging, I cleaned her up, taking my time when I came to run the rag over her still hardened nipples and her cunt which still was glistening in the dim lights. Her chuckle brought me back to looking at her, speeding up the process before kissing her forehead.

“So,” I chuckled, “that song we recorded is getting released at midnight and you are going on tour with me. You think that’s enough confirmation from the both of us?”

“Oh definitely. If they need more, sucks to be them.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

“What are we gonna do? Put out a sex tape?”

“I mean…” I smirked softly, glancing at our phones on the bed, “we—,”

“Shut up, Ellie,” a giggle cut me off while her hand beckoned me over, “you get an hour and a half. Go crazy,” her legs spread open, the heaven’s calling my name as I stared down at her glistening core.

“You know me so well.”

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illiterateaffairs · 10 months

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DISTRACTIONS X | LET ME BACK IN

pairing: jamie tartt x f!reader (ted lasso)

rating: T

word count: 8,787

summary: jamie’s upset that you’re keeping secrets from him and keeping him a secret. you need to find a way to fix everything.

A/N: Thank you all for your reactions on the last chapter. Even if you’re mad at the reader, I love that you guys care so much about her and Jamie. I hope despite the angst this chapter makes it a bit better...here we goooooo! xo

distractions masterlist | previous chapter

Something was wrong with Jamie. And you had a feeling it was your fault.

After you returned from your interview with the publishing house in New York, Jamie started acting differently. He was quiet and distant. When you tried to ask him about it, he brushed you off. At first you thought something had happened, and that he’d eventually tell you what was wrong in his own time. But that was a week ago and he still hadn’t given you any explanation as to what was making him act like this.

You think maybe he’s caught on to your own secrets, such as the job opportunity you still weren’t telling him about. The interview had gone well, so much so, that you were about to have your second. You had talked yourself up to telling him about it before then, but since he was already not talking to you, you didn’t want to make matters worse. Or you were using Jamie’s feelings as a perfect excuse to delay the inevitable. Either way, you weren’t any closer to explaining your behavior than he was explaining his.

It was eating you up inside. You wanted to ask what was wrong, but you couldn’t bear the answer. You figured he was mad at you for all the secrets surrounding your relationship, and in a perfect world you’d give in and tell him everything. But you seized up every time you thought about doing so. It only made you feel even worse that he was pushing you away, and you were helpless to do anything about it. His behavior hurt you, but you couldn’t help but feel like you deserved it, so you took it.

It was clear communication was something you both needed to work on.

You also didn’t want to pry too much because you figured AFC Richmond’s upcoming match against Man City was also getting to him.

In the bits and pieces he’s told you about his dad, you knew he hadn’t seen him since they had it out when they played at Wembley. They were also going to Jamie’s hometown, and the die-hard Man City fans weren’t particularly thrilled when Jamie left the team for his brief reality tv stint. You can’t imagine how all of this is weighing on his chest. You imagine it's pretty hard, and again you just wish he’d come talk to you about it.

Today you decided to try giving Jamie complete space by not reaching out, with the hopes that maybe he would do so himself. In an effort to not sit around and wait by your phone, you go out to lunch with Keeley and Rebecca to enjoy your day off.

Turns out it's exactly what you needed. Not only were you dying for a good meal - that Rebecca was paying for - you were in desperate need of girl talk. You were thrilled to catch up with both of them, and were even more excited to hear that Rebecca was investing in Keeley’s PR company so it didn’t have to completely shut down. You were also very intrigued when Rebecca made reference to Roy spending the night with Keeley a few nights ago, and upon questioning from both of you, Keeley played coy as to whether that meant her and the brooding football coach were getting back together.

Unfortunately, that’s when the topic changed to your own romantic endeavors. Both of your friends inquired about how you and Jamie were doing. At first, you plastered on a polite smile, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to convince them everything was okay if you couldn’t even convince yourself. As soon as your faux-smile flips into a wobbling frown, both women sit up and are at the ready to comfort you.

“We’re actually not great right now,” you choke out, feeling yourself becoming emotional about everything for the first time. Determined not to cry, you bite your tongue, “Jamie’s been distant lately and I’m pretty sure it's my fault.”

“Oh, babe,” Keeley sighs, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear, “What makes you say that?”

You take a deep breath, “First, that I’ve still been hesitant to tell everyone about us.”

Rebecca frowns from her seat on the other side of you, grasping your hand, “I’m sure he understands why you want to wait.”

“But I don’t even fully understand why,” you sigh, squeezing her hand, “And it's not just that. I’ve been lying to him about something else, too.”

Rebecca and Keeley remain quiet, giving you the space to admit it yourself. After collecting yourself, you begin to explain how you were interviewing for a literary job in New York, thanks to a friend back home. You told them it was going well, and that you had another interview set up in a couple days, and while you were excited to have a job in your dream career field, there was also something holding you back. And you didn’t want Jamie to worry about you moving away, especially if you didn’t know whether or not that was going to happen yet. But you fear he’s caught on to the sneaking around and is upset with you.

You take a deep breath, after you word vomit every worry you were feeling. You were staring at the table throughout your whole explanation, and when you finally look up at them, they’re exchanging looks with each other.

“What?” you whisper, “Do you think I’m a horrible person?”

They rush to assure you they do not in fact think you’re horrible at all. They completely understand why you’ve been keeping this to yourself, but admit that it probably isn’t making Jamie feel good that you’re keeping something from him, even though he doesn’t know what it is.

“I know its scary,” Keeley says softly, now holding on to your other hand, “But I don’t think Jamie will react as badly as you think. Yeah, he’d probably hate the idea of you leaving, but he’s also so supportive of you. You know that.”

You nod, “I do know that. I think it's just the last time I told someone I was with that I wanted to go after a new job, he made me feel like shit.”

Keeley scoffs, “Well that guy was an asshole and he’s not Jamie.”

“I know.” You repeat, firmly this time. Hesitantly, you turn your focus to Rebecca, “What about you? Are you upset that I've been considering another job?”

“Please, I’ve been waiting for this day to come since you started,” Rebecca chuckles, “You and I both knew this was just temporary, until you were in a better place to go after what you really wanted. I’m proud that you’re making those steps now.”

You close your eyes, absorbing her kind words. While it was reassuring to hear, it didn’t make any of this easier.

“Even if it was supposed to be temporary, that didn’t stop me from finding the best people I’ve ever met,” you squeeze both of their hands, “I don’t want to leave any of you just as much as I don’t want to leave Jamie, even if it's what I’ve always wanted.”

Rebecca and Keeley exchange another look, this time with small smiles forming on their faces.

“What if we told you, you could do both?” Keeley asks mysteriously.

You narrow your eyes, “What? Did you suddenly invent teleportation or something?”

“No, better,” she smiles proudly, “I recently took on a new client who’s an up-and-coming author from Wales, who is signed under this major agency here is London. So, because I’m the best person ever, I reached out to his agent and told her all about you and the book you’re working on, and she’s interested in meeting with you.”

“A literary agent, in the U.K., is interested in meeting with me?” you ask, dumbfounded.

Keeley nods aggressively and Rebecca gives you a huge grin.

“So, if they like my work, they could potentially sign me, and I could stay in Richmond?”

“Yup,” Keeley confirms, “And then when you eventually finish your incredible book, I can be your publicist!”

You laugh in disbelief, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll think about it,” Rebecca says, “We know New York was where you wanted to be and maybe that’s still your dream, and we’d 100% support you. But if staying in Richmond is where you want to be now, you can do that too and still pursue writing.”

“Yeah, we love you, and we just want you to be happy,” Keeley assures, “Although, selfishly, I’d want you to stay here but that's just me.”

“No, I second that.” Rebecca quips.

“But totally no pressure,” Keeley tacks on, and after a beat, the three of you burst into a fit of giggles.

“Thank you, both,” you smile genuinely, “For everything but mostly being so supportive. I appreciate you looking out for me, and I will definitely consider meeting with that agent.”

“Good,” Rebecca cheers, pulling her hand from yours to clap hers together, “Everything will work out, career wise and with Jamie, too. I know it.”

Keeley squeezes your hand again, before returning to finishing her brunch, and your conversation swings back to what Rebecca has had going on. While you still needed to fix things with Jamie, as well as figure out what the hell you wanted to do with your writing, you had a feeling no matter what happened, everything would be okay.

Contrary to feeling more confident in your situation, it had only gotten worse. Over the last few days, Jamie had gone from distancing himself from you to completely ghosting you. Your attempts at reaching out weren’t completely ignored, but his responses were minimal and you could tell were excuses. At work he’d avoid you, and when you invited him over, he’d say he was either tired from training or doing extra training. Again, you couldn’t pretend it didn’t sting, but you tried to push it all away, hoping after the Manchester game, he’d start feeling differently.

Meanwhile, you were also grappling with not one, but two job opportunities. The one Kara presented was in your dream city, but the one Keeley offered would keep you here with your new found-family. Both were appealing, but both scared the shit of you. Moving to yet another city was a big deal, but staying in one just for someone else was a mistake you’ve made before. Not that Jamie was at all like Mason. You knew that above all else. But it was still something to consider. Plus, it was anxiety inducing having two of your friends get you these chances that felt a little unearned, especially with how you’ve been handling everything. It was a lot to process, and the one person who usually helps you relax was avoiding you. By no fault but your own.

Jesus, you were getting no work done today, with all of these other problems taking up space in your brain. Plus you were hiding from Ted’s mom in an effort to keep your secret, because she in fact did not know about everything.

“Oi!” you jump at the sound of your office door being busted open, a booming voice accompanying it, “You need to fix your boyfriend.”

With your hand over your chest, trying to settle your racing heart, you give Roy Kent an apprehensive look, your eyes flitting to the hallway behind him.

Roy rolls his eyes, “Most of the team has cleared out for the night. No one’s going to hear us.”

Still, he invites himself into the room and pushes the door shut rather aggressively, before plopping himself down in the seat across from yours with his arms crossed.

You calm down a bit, but you still feel nervous with the glare he was giving you. Did his eyebrows get thicker?

“What do you mean?” you ask eventually, wondering if you come off like you don’t know exactly what he’s talking about.

“Tartt,” Roy spits out, “He just spent the last fifteen minutes crying into my arms.”

Your face falls, “He did?”

“Yeah. Said he’s lost his wings.”

“Jesus,” you mutter with a frown. “Did he tell you why he feels like that?”

Roy shakes his head, “He says he doesn’t even know.” You bite your lip, breaking eye contact with him. He tilts his head, “Something tells me you might have an idea.”

You sigh, crossing your own arms before looking at him again, “He’s been acting off the last week or so.” Roy nods. “I think it has something to do with the Man City match coming up.”

Roy grunts, “That doesn’t surprise me.”

You hesitate before adding on, “And I probably have something to do with it, too.”

Roy furrows his brows again, “What did you do?”

You grit your teeth, “I think it's more about what I’m not doing. I’ve had some personal stuff I’ve been sorting through recently that I’ve been keeping to myself. And I can tell he’s been wanting to tell everyone about us even though he says it's fine that we’re not.”

“So?” Roy shrugs, “Just fucking tell everyone.”

“It's not that simple.”

“Why not?” he questions, “Are you embarrassed of him or something?”

“No! Of course not. I do want people to know.”

“Then why not tell people?”

“Because every time I think about telling anyone - the team, my family - I get this horrible feeling in my chest and I feel like I can’t breathe. I don’t know why, but it freaks me out.”

Roy’s silent for a second before letting out a “Huh.” Another moment goes by, “You should talk to Ted about that.”

Inwardly you laugh. Oh, how that was only another part of the problem. A problem you still didn’t understand the root of.

“Either way,” Roy continues, “I think you should at least tell Jamie this. He needs you.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” you say, “He’s barely talked to me the last few days, and when he does it's nothing of substance. I want to help him but I don’t know how to get him to let me.”

Once again Roy doesn’t say anything right away. You instead decide to break the silence this time.

“Maybe Keeley would be able to get through to him,” you suggest softly, “She already kind of knows something’s up and she’s known him longer. Maybe he’ll listen to her.”

Roy looks as apprehensive about the idea as you sound, but you both know it's not a bad one. Eventually he nods and stands up.

“I’ll ask her,” he states. You take that as the end of your conversation before Roy turns back in your direction in the doorway, “You’re going to have to talk to him eventually. Jamie may be stubborn and weird and a fucking idiot sometimes, but you’re important to him. He’ll come around.”

You give him a slight smile, though it's a bit forced, and thank him. He nods once, his lip quirking up a bit in what must be his version of a smile, before he disappears down the hall.

Maybe if you couldn’t fix Jamie someone else could.

Apparently no one knew how to fix Jamie.

While you hadn’t heard from him into the next day, Roy and Keeley had informed you she’d try to talk to him when everyone arrived in Man City. You waited in the suite you were sharing with her and Rebecca, anxiously hoping she’d come back and announce he was magically doing better. But, when she quietly entered the hotel room, the look on her face told you everything.

“He’s still upset?” You question already knowing the answer.

Keeley regretfully nods, “And I think I made it worse.”

“How could you have possibly made it worse?” you exclaim.

“I didn’t mean to!” Keeley cries, her hands shaking, “But there’s team movie night, tonight, right? Maybe some time with the team and a good, old-fashioned rom-com will cheer him up.”

“I don’t know, Keeley,” you sigh. You hesitate for a few seconds, before asking, “Did he say anything about me?”

Keeley looks at the carpeted floor, “Not really. I brought you up - said you were worried about him - and he just looked sad and didn’t say anything.”

“Fuck,” you breath out, collapsing backwards on your bed, “Did I break him?”

“No,” Keeley urges, jumping on to the bed beside you, “Trust me it can’t be just your shit. The boy is unhinged right now.”

You snort despite the situation.

“Come on,” Keeley nudges you, “Let's get a drink, relax a little, go to the movie night and see if we can’t talk to him after, yeah?”

You sigh again, before reluctantly nodding and letting her pull you up and out of the room.

Jamie needed to clear his head. Contrary to what he had hoped, a team viewing of You’ve Got Mail was not enough to lift his spirits. In fact, he could hardly get through five minutes of the movie without thinking of you. And thinking of you came with a reminder of how you’d been hiding things from him, and then how he’d cowardly been avoiding you instead of facing the problem head on. Of course those anxieties also doubled when he remembered the game he was playing this weekend.

He felt guilty for shutting you out. Of course he did. He honestly hadn’t meant for it to get this far, he was just trying to figure out how to bring it all up. But then he started spiraling about returning to his home town and seeing his dad that it all became too much. He wanted nothing more than to talk to you about his worries, but you were apart of the reason he was so anxious. He could sense your own guilt - especially during the movie when he could feel your eyes staring at the back of his head. But he was still afraid of where the conversation would lead, so he once again pushed those feelings away.

Jamie knew there was one place he could go that would instantly make him feel better. And that was his mother’s house.

As soon as the credits rolled, Ted was calling for a 10PM curfew, but Jamie was on his way out. He expertly navigated the streets of Manchester, hoodie pulled over his head to avoid unwanted attention. About halfway through his commute, he caught onto the fact that you, Roy, and Keeley were trailing him. Despite his avoidance of all three of them, he couldn’t help but feel amused that they were trying to sneakily follow him.

After leading them through a tunnel, in which the trio lost track of him, he doubled back and snuck up on them. Once again, he was satisfied that he’d managed to startle the three, but then he noticed the worry on your face, and he was reminded of the situation you were all in. He briefly considered ordering them away, until Keeley asked if he was buying drugs, so he figured ridding them of any weird suspicions they may have about him would get them off of his back.

As he led them unknowingly to his mum’s house, he felt a pain in his stomach knowing you were purposely leaving space between the two of you as you followed behind. He wanted nothing more than to take your hand, but just because you felt bad about hiding things from him, didn’t absolve you of everything.

When they arrived on his street, a few of the neighborhood kids started yelling obscenities at him. Jamie just shook his head, knowing as well that Roy was definitely amused, before walking them over to his house.

Simon, his step-dad, greets them warmly and Jamie introduces them to his three confused companions. Then before he knows it, his mum is bounding down the stairs and all of his anxiety begins to melt away as she engulfs him into her arms.

Pulling away briefly, he turns back to see the curious looks on your faces, “Mummy, I’d like to introduce you to my friends, Y/N, Keeley and this hairy prick’s Roy.”

You smile sweetly in recognition as you all greet Jamie’s mom, but Jamie can tell you’re still caught off guard.

“It’s lovely to meet you all. I’d give you a hug but I’m not letting go of this one,” Jamie’s mom, Georgie, says cheerfully before Jamie picks her up and spins her around.

The lot of you end up in the living room after that, Jamie collapsing in his mother’s arms on the couch as Simon serves the rest of you with some of his homemade sweet treats. After Jamie tells her about the jerks online making fun of his hair, Georgie suggests that Simon give the rest of you a tour of the house. As they all file out, Jamie looks up at you. You give him a tiny smile; one that somehow conveyed guilt, sorrow, and support. Jamie was both happy you were here and scared as hell about where this night was going to go.

Now left alone with his mum, she finally presses Jamie to confess to what has been bothering him. He begins to explain how ever since he stopped playing football to spite his dad, he’s begun to feel like he’s lost his passion; that his heart wasn’t in it.

Georgie frowns and holds her son closer. She lets him know that whether or not Jamie was the way he was in spite of his father, he was an amazing human. She also admits to how emotional she was when she saw him play for England. She assured him that even if his dad was in the stands tomorrow, drunk and screaming at him, it didn’t matter. He had nothing to prove to him. Even if he was feeling lost, she was positive he’d find his way eventually.

Jamie instantly felt comforted by his mum’s words, hugging her tighter. He knew that no matter what happened with his dad, he’d always have her and she’d always be his biggest fan.

After her speech, they sit in silence for a few moments, with his mum brushing her fingers through his hair.

“Jamie, is something else bothering you other than your dad?” she asks softly.

Jamie plays with the strings of his sweatshirt, not even sure where to begin when it comes to you. He hadn’t told his mum about you officially, but he certainly hadn’t shied away from mentioning you over phone calls the duration that you’d been here.

“There’s also a girl,” he says slowly, “That I’ve been seeing the last couple months.”

He can feel his mum smirk into his hairline, “One of the girls that came here with you tonight?” Jamie already knows his mum knows about Keeley, but he still clarifies that it's you. “And you like her?”

Jamie sighs. Like doesn’t even begin to cover it. “I’m mad for her.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I think she’s hiding some things from me,” he admits quietly, “And she’s also been keen on keeping our relationship a secret from most of our friends and I dunno why. I’m afraid she’s ashamed of me.”

“But she treats you well? Makes you happy?”

“Yeah.”

“Then she’s probably just scared, babe,” she tries to soothe his worries, “I doubt she’s keeping things a secret for any reason to hurt you.”

“But why would she be scared?” he questions, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to hurt her. I’ve done and said everything to make sure she knows that. Well, up until I started avoiding her the last few days.”

Georgie shakes her head at that last bit, but ignores it, “It doesn’t matter what you say. If voices in her head are telling her otherwise, they’re still going to be louder than any other voice even if it's unreasonable. This is the girl you told me about right? The one with the asshole boyfriend from America?”

“Ex-boyfriend,” Jamie mutters making his mother chuckle.

“She’s probably still reeling from the way he treated her. Even if you prove that you’re not anything like him, it's still gonna take some time for her to fully trust you. Or anyone. You need to be patient with her, love.”

Jamie sighs. He knows she’s right. He has his own voices in his head working against him half the time, he should be more understanding of whatever is going on in your own head. He gets that you’ve been fucked over before, and you’re definitely putting up walls because of it. He just wishes there was something he could do or say that would erase all of the emotional scars you had. But again, maybe that was something you could work on together. He just needed to actually step up and talk to you.

Even though you and Jamie have been in a rocky place, you are enjoying the tour of his childhood home. There are so many little things throughout the house that give you a glimpse into Jamie’s life, you try to memorize it all. You’re loving everything you learn, that is, until you make it to Jamie’s room and see the poster of Keeley with two footballs covering her breasts. You feel a little weird seeing a picture of your friend and boyfriend's ex in his childhood bedroom, but part of you is equally amused, especially with Keeley’s reaction. And then there’s an old photo of Roy pinned right beside it that completes it all.

Simon leaves the three of you alone to check on his baked goods in the oven. You eventually excuse yourself to the bathroom in order to gather your thoughts, but also to give Roy and Keeley the chance to talk. You’ve been sensing the tension between them all night, despite their insistence on just being friends.

As soon as you shut yourself in the hall bathroom, you stare at your face in the mirror. You look downright exhausted. And you were. All of the worrying you were doing about Jamie, on top of the shit you were keeping from him, was weighing heavily on you. Seeing him turn into a little kid in the presence of his mom both melted and broke your heart. He was clearly hurting for a million reasons, and it killed you to even be one. It also hurt you when he introduced you to his mom as a friend, but it was your own doing.

Splashing water on your face, you begin to question everything. Why did you really want to keep your relationship with Jamie a secret? You have half a mind to send an email blast to the entire club right now saying you’re together, but even the half-baked idea makes your stomach hurt. But why? Why couldn’t you just be a normal person and tell the world you had a boyfriend. It wasn’t a big deal.

Except it was. Because it was Jamie. And with all his quirks and occasionally prick-like qualities, you adored him. More than you’ve ever adored anyone. It was the biggest deal in the world and you didn’t want to risk messing it up.

But you already have.

That’s it, you decide, staring your reflection down as you dry your face with a hand towel. You were going to tell Jamie everything. About Ted. About your job conundrum. And then once the air was cleared and Jamie - hopefully - still wanted to be with you, you’d hopefully feel better and be able to tell the world. You don't give yourself the chance to change your mind. As soon as you were back in Richmond you would talk. But hopefully you get the chance to at least apologize to him tonight. If he lets you.

You don’t have to wonder about that long. As you exit the bathroom, you nearly run full force into Jamie, but he gently grabs your arms to steady you.

Your heart doesn’t settle though, as you find yourself alone with Jamie for the first time in what feels like ages.

“Hi,” you breathe out shakily, studying his eyes for any sign of what he might say to you.

“Hi,” he repeats just as quietly, slowly and reluctantly, removing his arms from around you.

After a few seconds of silence, both of you open your mouths to apologize, but as soon as the words ‘i’m sorry’ leave his lips, you’re frowning.

“Jamie, you have nothing to be sorry for,” you insist, “You’re the one who’s been hurting these last couple weeks, and I have been the one to make it worse.”

Jamie shakes his head, “But I do have a reason. I fucked up. I should have just told you what was bothering me instead of pushing you away. You don’t deserve that.”

“I-”

“You don’t.” he states, leaving no room for argument.

You swallow thickly, “Why did you? Push me away, I mean?”

Jamie shrugs his shoulders, “I think I was afraid if I confronted the issue, that’d you tell me you didn’t want to be with me or something. So I just shoved it all down. But that clearly didn’t help.”

You sigh, “I get that. I still want to be with you, though, just so you know.”

The corner of Jamie’s lips lift, but it's still wobbly, “What has been going on with you then? I know you’re keeping something from me, and I know it has something to do with why you don’t want to tell anyone about us. I want to respect your decision, but it honestly has been killing me not telling anyone.” Jamie’s voice gets small, “Is it me? Are you embarrassed of me? Am I not good enough?”

“No, Jamie,” you step forward and gently place your hands on his face, relieved he doesn’t push you away, “You know that’s not it. I like you so much and I’m proud to be with you.”

“Then why don’t you want anyone to know?”

“You want the honest answer?” He nods. “I don’t know,” you whisper, “It scares me, Jamie. I don’t know why, but the idea of more people knowing makes me even more afraid of losing you somehow. I know that doesn’t make sense, but for whatever reason, keeping to our bubble makes me feel like I can protect us from anything bad happening.”

“Babe?” he quips quietly, “Something did happen. That’s why we’re having this conversation.”

You sigh, defeated, “I know. I told you I’m bad at this.”

Jamie frowns and wraps you in his arms, “You’re not any worse than me. We just need to talk to each other.”

“Yeah,” you nod into his shoulder, “I promise I have more I want to tell you - and I will actually tell you - but it’d probably be better to do once we’re back home.”

Jamie’s heart swells. He knows you don’t mean anything by the word home, but he can’t help but feel comforted by the phrasing. “That sounds good,” he says softly, pulling back slightly so he can see your face, “Promise me, it's nothing bad. Like, you’re not seeing someone else, and you’re not wanted for murder, right?”

You laugh, despite the weight of the situation, “No, it's none of those things.”

“Good,” Jamie smiles softly, “And I promise not to ignore you the next time I’m upset.”

“Thank you,” you give him your own watery smile, “Are you going to be okay, tomorrow? At the game, potentially seeing your dad?”

“I don’t know. I hope so,” he answers honestly, “Seeing mum always helps.”

Your smile widens, “Yeah. Your mom is wonderful. I’m really glad you have her.” You brush a few strands of hair out of his face, “I also promise next time we visit it will be under better circumstances, and you won’t have to introduce me as your friend.”

Jamie grins, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m still okay with waiting as long as you need,” Jamie adds, “I’m scared, too. Also eager to brag about my insanely hot girlfriend everywhere I go. But I can wait. As long as you need.”

You giggle, “Thank you.”

“Alright, let’s get Keeley and Roy, and get out of here.” Jamie states, making a move in the direction of his bedroom. However, you tug him back.

“One more thing,” you whisper, before planting your lips on his for a long awaited kiss. When you eventually part, you both smile, “I missed that.”

“Me too,” Jamie nods before pressing his forehead against yours, “Never going that long without doing that ever again.”

You chuckle and agree, before you both part to collect Roy and Keeley. When you reenter Jamie’s room, you find the pair with their hands interlocked. They react as if they were in the middle of something - which they clearly were - but Keeley stands up and drags you out of the room, leaving the boys behind. You make a mental note to ask her about that later.

Outside o the house, the four of you say goodbye to Jamie’s mom and step-dad. His mom surprises you and gives you an extra tight hug. You have a feeling she probably already knows a thing or two about your relationship with Jamie. You find yourself unbothered by this though, and hope you find yourself feeling this way about telling your own family soon.

You watch on and admire Jamie and his mother as they say goodbye. You’re once again so thankful he has a parent like her in his life, and that he’s clearly gotten the best parts of himself from her. He also definitely gained much of his confident arrogance from the way she talks about him, but he wouldn’t be Jamie without it so you can’t complain.

After one last wave, and a promise to return, the four of you head down the road, making plans to get a drink upon arrival back to the hotel.

The rest of the night you feel a sense of relief flood you. You and Jamie were okay. More than okay, in fact, you come to realize, when he’s propositioning you to come back to his room with him. A room he wasn’t sharing with a teammate, he’s sure to emphasize. You of course eagerly accept, and spend the night wrapped in Jamie’s arms before falling into a blissful sleep.

You find yourself thinking about your late night hook-up when you lie awake early the next morning. Things were different between you. They were more intimate, even by your standards. It was like you used your bodies to convey every ounce of how sorry you were, and how much you cared about one another. It was slow. Tender. Loving.

Before you can linger too much on that thought, Jamie’s eyes are fluttering open as he lays on the pillow next to you. As soon as he blinks the sleepiness out of his eyes, he gives you a warm smile, which you return.

“Good morning,” he whispers, running his fingers through your messy hair.

“Good morning to you, too.”

“I wish I could stay here with you all day, but…”

“You’ve got to get ready for the game.” you finish for him.

He nods regretfully before pushing himself out of bed. Before he can get too far, you reach for his arm.

“Will you be okay out there today?” you ask, once again.

And again, Jamie seems unsure, but he plasters another small smile on his face before leaning down to give you a kiss, “As long as you’re there watching, I’ll be fine.”

You can’t help but smile back, pecking him one last time before shooing him off to get ready.

With another moment alone, you once again feel relieved that you and Jamie are back in a better place. However, you feel that familiar ache in your chest that something is missing; that you still have things to make up for. You know you still have a lot to explain to him, but that could wait until tomorrow. You needed to see Jamie win this game first.

Richmond’s match against Man City on this day will go down as one of the most stressful football games you’ve ever witnessed.

Everything started out smoothly. You watched enthusiastically from a box, seated in between Keeley and Rebecca, with Higgins on her other side. Van Damme was blocking every attempt made by the opposing team, and Jamie assisted Colin in making the first goal of the match. As you and your friends cheered, Leslie was hesitant to celebrate in fear of jinxing the team, so he stayed frozen in place.

Unfortunately, things took a turn after that. It was like the whole stadium was against Jamie. From the moment he walked onto the pitch, angry Man City fans were booing and cursing his name. Not only that, it seemed like every player on Manchester’s side was out to get the footballer, knocking him down or stealing the ball every chance they got.

You watched on nervously, trying not to let it get to you. It was the name of the game. But it didn’t mean you had to like it.

Half way through the game, the worst of your fears happened. In an effort to prevent Man City from scoring, Jamie leapt to block the ball and hurt his ankle in the process. You watched with bated breath when he wouldn’t get up from his spot hunched behind the goal line. He brushed off Isaac’s attempts to help him, and eventually got up himself. You let out a sigh of relief, until after walking a few feet, Jamie is falling back onto the pitch and the medical team is rushing onto the field.

“Holy shit,” you mutter under your breath.

Keeley takes your hand in hers and gives it a squeeze. “Hey, it's okay. Jamie’s going to be okay.” But you can tell she sounds just as nervous as you feel.

You don’t know how long you’re waiting to see if Jamie will make it back up, but its torture. Ted is clearly banking on Jamie being able to play again, refusing to substitute anyone for him and having the team play with ten players instead of eleven. For their part, they’re holding down the fort, and Van Damme continues to block every shot. But you don’t care about the game, you just care about Jamie.

At this point, both Rebecca and Keeley have a hold on each of your hands as you watch the medics look after Jamie. You know the coaches must be getting restless, because Ted goes to talk to Jamie again. You wish nothing more than to be able to rush down onto the pitch and comfort him yourself, but you trust that Ted is giving him the pep talk he needs to hear.

And it seems as though you were right, because minutes after talking to Ted, Jamie is up and walking back onto the field, to the excitement of the crowd and his teammates.

You feel a weight lifted off of your shoulders, letting go of your friends’ hands to clap for him yourself.

“Yeah, let's go Jamie!”

It was as if the next few moments happen in slow motion. After defending another goal against Man City, Van Damme is sending the ball down the field to an open Jamie, who expertly navigates around several opponents to get towards Richmond’s goal. You watch in awe as Jamie scores the team’s second point, bad ankle and all, all on his own.

You practically fly out of your seat to cheer for him, screaming and jumping around with Keeley and Rebecca. In the midst of the stadium’s celebration, a whistle blows to finally send in Jamie’s substitution. Looking a bit shell-shocked and relieved, Jamie slowly makes his way off the field, but it's not without a proud send off from the entire crowd - including the Man City fans who were previously cheering against him.

Jamie’s touched face fills the jumbo-screen, and your heart swells with adoration. You know how much this has to mean to him. You also feel overcome with love for your uncle, who let Jamie have his moment before taking him out of the game.

You had never felt more proud of Jamie, and you were once again overcome with the urge to run to him.

You sit anxiously through the final moments of the game and rejoice in yet another celebration when the clock finally runs down and Richmond is declared the winner. Even as you embrace both of your friends in all the excitement, your thoughts are still consumed by Jamie.

You needed to see him.

You can hear your heart pounding in your ears, as you walk with Keeley, Rebecca, and Higgins down to the guest locker room. You try not to appear over-eager, wanting to remain in step with your friends, but you find it hard to resist the temptation to run ahead of them. After what feels like a trillion years, you make it to the locker room, finding the team’s celebration in full force. You break away from your group, as they go to congratulate the coaches. Part of you also desperately wants to talk to Ted, about a lot of things, but particularly how much you appreciate him for being there for Jamie tonight, but you had to see Jamie first. Your eyes scan the room as you walk through, congratulating Colin and Dani as you pass each of them, before you finally notice Jamie, towards the middle of the room. Sam had his arm around him, most likely supporting his teammate with his injury and all.

Not even really processing that your feet take you there, you find yourself in front of the footballers. Sam sees you first, giving you a blinding smile. You don’t hesitate to return it, but your attention is hard pressed on Jamie, and Sam seems to get the memo.

“You’re here!” Jamie exclaims, breathless from the excitement, and a bit confused about what you’re doing.

You nod, “Yeah,” you shout over the noise, a bit breathless yourself. “You were…incredible out there.”

Jamie squints at you, though he’s thankful for the compliment, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you bob your head up and down, still running on adrenaline.

Jamie’s confusion is palpable, but when he goes to say something else, you don’t give him the fucking chance.

Like a force, you wrap your arms around Jamie’s neck and pull him in for an earth-shattering kiss. You feel Jamie’s surprise, but it's short-lived as he wraps his own arms around your waist. You balance Jamie’s weight as Sam lets him go, only to start cheering for the two of you. This, of course, grabs the attention of the rest of the team, who immediately join in when they see what the two of you are doing.

You hear shouts of surprise and excitement, and a few people shaking your shoulders, but you couldn’t care less. Your focus was entirely on Jamie, who was giving you the best kiss of your life right now. Unfortunately, breathing was still a thing so you had to pull away. When you do, you can’t look away from Jamie’s eyes, that are once again overcome with emotion. You imagine you look the same.

“Is this really happening?” Jamie eventually gets out, shakily.

All you can do is nod again, with a breathless laugh, “I think so.”

Jamie eagerly kisses you again before engulfing you in the tightest hug. Into his shoulder, you whisper how proud you are of him, and he only squeezes you closer to him, if at all possible.

Over his shoulder, you notice the rest of the club. Roy and Keeley look on at you two happily - or as happy as Roy Kent can look. Higgins for his part looks delighted as well, and Rebecca looks proud as hell. Beard looks like he’s frozen in place from the shock. And Ted…

You hadn’t really thought about how you were doing this in front of Ted.

When you study him, he is exchanging a look with Rebecca, who shrugs her shoulders innocently. Ted looks back at you, a little bit stunned, and a little bit amused. When he makes eye contact, you find yourself opening your mouth as if you could explain from where you were through all the commotion. He just raises his hand, signaling there was no need to say or do anything, and then he gives you a supportive smile.

You are once again flooded with relief. You knew you would eventually have to talk to him about everything, and explain more to Jamie as well. But at this moment, everything felt right in the world for the first time in a long time.

The team’s victory celebration carries on throughout their bus trip back to Nelson Road and into the locker room as most of them get changed for a night out. Jamie elects to stay behind, wanting to rest his ankle, and also get a bit of alone time with you.

You help Jamie walk to the treatment room, before telling him you were going to grab something from your car. He, of course, doesn’t let you leave without pulling you in for another kiss. He’d been kissing you any chance he got all night, basking in the freedom he now had to do so as he pleased. You had to admit, you could definitely get used to all the affection.

For your part, though, you didn’t need anything in your car. You just wanted the chance to task Roy and Keeley to find some champagne, so Jamie could still have his own little celebration. But you also wanted to talk to Ted.

On your way to the coaches office, you pass Beard who is headed to the after party. When he clocks you, he gives you a wide eyed look.

“You, missy, are my shit list,” he states, crossing his arms.

“What for?” you cross your own arms, “You want Jamie all to yourself or something?”

“No, Jamie’s not my type,” he teases, “I’m hurt that you didn’t tell me.”

You chuckle, “To be fair, I didn’t tell a lot of people.”

“Still, I thought we were closer than that.”

You give him a smile, uncrossing your arms to touch his shoulder. “I promise the next time I secretly date a footballer on the team you coach, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Thank you,” he places his own hand over yours, before pointing a finger at you, “But this better be the first and only time that happens.”

You giggle again. He kisses your head, letting you know that he is very happy for you, before disappearing into the night, as Beard does.

That leaves you to find Ted alone in his office, packing up his bag. You knock on the doorframe, getting his attention, and immediately receiving a playful grin from him.

“There she is,” he sing-songs, “Mrs. Jamie Tartt.”

You scoff, “Woah. Woah. Woah. We aren’t betrothed.”

Ted snorts, “I know. I just like teasing you, Kiddo.”

You laugh lightly, before you decide that it's now or never to address the elephant in the room.

“I’m sorry for not telling you,” you say softly.

Ted shakes his head, “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

You nod, but you don’t feel any less sorry.

“Does Jamie know about our little family-affair?” Ted eventually asks.

You shake your head, “No. Was thinking I’d wait to tell him tomorrow, but…”

Ted nods, seemingly knowing exactly what you’re thinking, “You’re scared?”

“Yes,” you breathe out deeply, “But I don’t get it. I can’t tell him about you. I haven’t been able to tell you or Michelle or Dad and Pop about him. I really, really like him and I should be able to tell everyone that. But it terrifies me and I don’t understand why.

“I do,” Ted sticks his hands in his pockets and raises his shoulders, “Because as soon as you say something like that out loud, especially to the people who know and love you most, it makes it real. And that’s what's scary.”

You suck in a huge gulp of air, “Yes. That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling. I just didn’t know how to put it into words.”

Ted nods, continuing, “And telling family is twice as hard, because they’re the people who know you better than anyone else. They can call you on your bullshit, but they also know when something is the real deal. Which is probably why you never told us about what was really going on with Mason.”

You narrow your eyes at him, “How do you…”

“Rebecca may have mentioned a couple things in passing,” he admits, “She is not a fan of him to say the least. Rightfully so, it seems.”

“Yeah,” you agree shakily, “Even though Jamie is a lot different than Mason, I think I didn’t want to hear truths I wasn’t ready to accept yet.”

You did everything you could to keep your family and Mason out of the same room - and Mason made it easy - because you weren’t ready to have them all tell you how bad he was for you, even though you knew it deep down. But with Jamie, you just weren't ready to accept how important he was to you.

“It’s all understandable, Kiddo,” Ted states, “And I’m sorry that you went through that alone for a bit.”

You shrug it off, “I was okay. I wasn’t completely alone.”

Ted’s eyebrows raise, “Apparently so.”

You feel your cheeks get hot, “That’s not exactly what I mean, but yeah, Jamie was certainly nice to have around the last few months.”

Your uncle chuckles, “Well, I’m happy that you found each other. I know you don’t need my approval or anyone else's, but I think you two are really great for each other.”

Your stomach swirls, comforted by this notion. “Thank you. I think Jamie would be happy to hear that, too.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to let him know once you finally get your act together and introduce him to the family,” you roll your eyes, “Now, get outta here, Kiddo, and give that boy some company.”

You nod, taking a half step out the door before immediately spinning around to capture him in a big hug, “Love you, Uncle Ted.”

Ted sighs quietly, “Love you, too, Kiddo.”

Ted once again shoos you out of his office, and you bid him a goodnight, telling him to give Dottie a hug for you.

When you rejoin Jamie in the treatment room, you find him typing away on his phone. He pockets it when he notices you come in, and gives you a sweet smile.

As you join him on the infirmary bed he’s perched on, you press another chaste kiss to his lips. Jamie struggles to think of a time where’s been happier. He had you, and the rest of his people knew. He couldn’t ask for anything else. As you lean against his shoulder, and once again recount how proud you are of the game he played today, he can’t help but stare at you and take in just how special you are to him. He wants to find the words to express this to you, and a certain L word nearly leaves his lips, when he hears the door open to reveal Roy and Keeley.

Jamie looks up at them curiously, brushing off how flustered he is from his previous thoughts, “What are you two doing here?”

“I invited them,” you speak up, drawing his attention back to you as you give him a smile.

“Yeah, wanted to keep you company,” Keeley adds with a bright smile of her own.

Roy reveals a bottle of champagne from behind his back, “And fucking celebrate.”

Keeley squeals and claps as you squeeze him into a hug. While Jamie would have loved a night just the two of you, he can’t complain when he’s surrounded by a group of people who care about him. He never thought he’d be so lucky.

As Roy pops open the bottle and starts passing it around, you also can’t help but feel warmed by this moment. As the four of you share the champagne and joke around, you’re in disbelief that you’ve made it here; to be surrounded by genuine friends and a boy who was crazy about you. Not to mention becoming closer to your family again with Beard and Ted around. You still had a lot to sort out regarding your career, but one thought echoed through your brain the rest of that night:

Why would you ever want to leave this place?

A/N: THERE IT IS!! oof i poured my heart into this one and can’t wait to hear what you all think! the secret is out!!! mostly. ted has something to say next as well all know. anyway. TWO CHAPTERS LEFT!💗

Taglist: @atabigail @escapismqueen @boundtomyfate @sammysgirl1997 @lil-tracys @shephard17895 @alaspice @itsbarbraann @redpool @drmeghanjones @straightforwardly @alex-sulli @aiyaiy @artemismaximoff @roadtoself-love @theloud-yet-quietone @forcesofgrief @kirisimpster @geek-and-proud @grippleback-galaxy @lalla-04p @gabbycoady13 @royalestrellas @qardasngan @creationcitystreet-em @percysaidnever @emily-b @mrfitzsimmons @k-n-e @agentstarkid @legobatmans9thab @mrsprongs25 @sokkigarden @for-fuck-sake-im-alive @dollfaceyourfear @dicgohargreeves @heyitz-julia @vampirodelascajas @grxcesmind @lizziel1410 @a-sweet-little-fangirl @bcon24 @looooooooomis @queen-of-dumbasses @moseyluvs @alipap3 @amachira @respondingtoshowerthoughts-blog @daphneblakeswife @chelseamount @k0z3me @lickitandsendit3 @miakat9 @shimmeringfrenchie @meg-ro @selmasemlan @hellfire-babez @rockchickrebel @katdahlali @taytaylala12 @lemonpiegurll @pri00r @brianandthemays @afraidofshrimp @curlypeter @sonyume @rexorangecouny @thewildestwonderland @cyphah @buckybarnex @eviemae263782 @piper570 @ibong-adarnaaa @spookysins @optimisticsandwichgladiator @marveltg365 @ringpopdust @gcidrvsh @beardsplitter @scaramou it wouldn’t let me tag the last few of you, let me know if its something with your settings, otherwise i can keep trying in future updates! <3

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt x f!reader #jamie tartt x female reader #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso fanfic #mine #distractions series

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thelittleliars · 1 year

Text

Hoodie

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Words: 1.3K

Summary: Someone stole your favorite hoodie.

AN: I had this cute little idea for an au. So here it is! Natasha in a hoodie is still one of my favorite looks of her.

You had been looking everywhere for your favorite hoodie for over an hour but it seemed like it disappeared from the face of the earth. The last time you saw it was a couple days ago when it laid on your desk. You were sure of it. Nothing but an old nirvana t-shirt and purple hoodie that Kate forgot was on your desk. Continue looking for your hoodie would only waste more time so you decided to visit your best friend who lived a couple blocks away.

You quickly threw on a pair of vans and a jacket, grabbed your keys and left your tiny apartment with frustration. The 10 minute walk to the Avengers Tower helped you calm down but still were super bummed that your favorite hoodie was now gone. At the Tower you had to go through security before getting on the elevator up to the lounge where your best friend Yelena was most likely chilling. Steve and Bucky were the only ones there though.

"Hey guys!" You greeted them with a friendly smile. "Has any of you two seen Yelena?"

Bucky shook his head, which you expected since he and Yelena barely saw each other anyways. "I'm sorry, Yelena just had gone out with Kate and Peter I believe." Steve told you. You nodded sadly, thinking about if you should call her to meet up with them or not. "Natasha is in her room though." You blushed at the mention of the red head. Cap and Bucky were the only people who knew of your crush on Natasha. They constantly gave you the chance to be closer to her which was super sweet of them. You mumbled a small thanks before making your way towards her room which was a floor below.

You were so busy with your thoughts that you forgot to knock, you busted right into her room where she was talking to someone or rather something. She talked to her phone, it looked like she was either filming herself or being in a video chat. "Ohh.." You felt the heat of guilt and embarrassment in your face. "I'm so sorry. I should have knocked first."

She turned her head around when she heard your voice, also starting to smile at the sight of you being in her room. You returned a shy smile back to her, trying hard not to show any signs of the crush you have on her. Natasha waved you in before you could make up your mind to just leave her alone. You quickly closed the door behind you before you rushed to her side. Then you finally saw what she was doing, filming something on some app you don't recognize. "Is that TikTok?"

Natasha snorted, "It's actually Instagram." The information of her using Instagram was new to you and also kind of surprising. "You should actually know that since you know... you have an account there."

"Oh honey, just because I have an account doesn't mean I have the app on my phone and use it." The words just came out of you before you could even realize what you were about to say. Nat fully turned her body to you, your eyes immediately took her full form in and that's when you realized that she was wearing your clothes. She was wearing your favorite hoodie, the one you were looking for all this time. How it landed here with her was beyond you. "Like what you see?" She teased you as she caught you starring at her.

"T-that's my hoodie." She looked down her own body, then looking back up into your eyes with slight confusion. "You're wearing my favorite hoodie right now. I was looking for it all day Tasha!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was yours." She apologized. "I stole it from Yelena's room thinking it was her's or Kate's."

"Cука!" You muttered to yourself. It made perfect sense that Yelena stole it, she was the last one visiting you in your apartment a day or two days ago.

Natasha grinned at you, she liked that you cursed her sister in their mother language. "Here let me give it back to you." She took off your hoodie in one swift motion and now stood in front of you in a bra. You were shocked that she was confident and comfortable enough to stand there so exposed. After the shock was over you tried your best not to look at her boobs, so your eyes wandered around her room. When you looked to her desk you saw her and yourself on the phone screen. That was when you realized that it was still recording, you shyly step in front of her phone to cover the camera with your back. "You're still recording." You told her with a hint of uneasiness in your voice. Her eyes suddenly became big. "Oh shit.. Y/N I'm not recording anything, I'm live on Instagram!" The panic was written all over her face.

"Good thing you don't have many followers to tune in.. right?" You ask her cluelessly. She huffed, she would have loved your innocence about social media if it were for a different situation that didn't include exposing herself half naked to the world.

"Detka, I'm an Avenger." She stated. You nodded, "Wow! Who would have thought!" The sarcasm and teasing was dripping from you. "So what?" Natasha sighed, she was getting tired of this situation. "Turn around and look at the upper right corner." You did as you were told to do, there in the corner was a tiny viewer count saying 50K and it kept growing by each second. Only then you realized why Natasha reacted the way she did. "How do you end this live thing??"

Natasha noticed your now new panicked state and found it quite amusing. "You gotta.. uhm.. on the right.. wait let me just.." She stepped behind you and pressed her body into yours, hiding her half exposed body from the world. You felt her arms brushing against each side of your body, trying to navigate her way to end the livestream. With every movement she made you felt her boobs, that were pressed against your back, even more. Warmth spread through your whole body and you start to panic since you couldn't control yourself anymore. Don't say anything stupid. Don't say anything stupid. Don't say anything stupid. You constantly told yourself.

Both of you sighed in relief when you saw that the livestream had ended. She leaned her forehead against your shoulder for a second before taking a step back and turning you around by your waist. "You could have returned my hoodie later." Natasha continued to stare at your face, only meeting your gaze from time to time. "How come you forgot that you were live?"

As soon as the words were out of your mouth, her gaze returned to yours, her green eyes looked into your y/e/c ones softly. "I got distracted." Nat admitted. You raised your left eyebrow, not getting what would distracted her that much. "By what?" "You." Your breath got caught in your throat. "M-me?"

She gave you a small shy smile and nodded. "Yes, you." Your heart beat so fast that you could heart it in your ears. It was also a reason why you could not stop stuttering. "W-w-why?"

"Is that not obvious?" She teased you before her whole aura got serious. "You always looks so cute and you talking russian just made things worse." Holy motherfucker... NATASHA ROMANOFF FINDS ME CUTE. The two of you stood there with blushing cheeks looking all awkward and like two idiots who didn't know how to make a first step.

"I honestly don't know what to say."

She took your hands into hers, holding them softly in between your bodies, squeezing them a bit because of her nervousness. "Would you go on a date with me?" You felt your voice slip away so you just nodded and smiled at her widely.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #black widow #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha x reader #black widow x you #natasha x y/n #Hoodie

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winterchimez · 5 months

Text

Nonsense | Jacob Bae

SUMMARY: never would you have thought that joining the music club is where you would develop an abnormal crush on your senior/club president Jacob Bae. so when the university's annual school performance is around the corner, you have decided to give a shot to confess your feelings in the most extravagant way possible.

PAIRING: senior!Jacob x junior g.n!reader

GENRE: fluff

WARNINGS: pg-13, kissing, yall this is just pure tooth-rotting fluff

WORD COUNT: 4,473

A/N: we're back with another fic for the emails i can't send fwd: collab that i'm doing with @heemingyu 😉 shoutout to both sana & @sungbeam for beta reading & helping me out with this one!! love you both loads 💕 also, lowkey this was written for you @zzoguri aka cobster's future, i hope you'll enjoy this (and may this somehow be a little something for you during your hectic times ily my moni forever!! ❤️)

It was finally the summer holidays, and you were ecstatic as you heard the sound of a vehicle driving right onto your front porch. You had been waiting for this moment since you got the news during the new year and counting down the days on your calendar without fail every day.

Once you heard the engine stop, you immediately ran out to the door to jump right into the person’s arms which were already opened wide, fully expecting your demeanour.

“Yujin! I’ve been waiting months for you!” You shrieked as you hugged your cousin tight, rubbing your cheek against hers.

Both you and Yujin were raised together by your grandmother back in Vancouver, and things took a turn when your parents eventually got a promotion up in Toronto, causing you to move far away from your family. Because of that, you don’t get to see each other often anymore, the most being once every 2 years when your parents will try their best to make time to attend the Christmas parties held annually at your grandmother’s house.

Yujin was like your long-lost sibling; even though you were cousins, you both felt there was more to that. Ever since you both have gotten your very own mobile phones, you both promised that you would FaceTime each other almost every other day. You knew everything about one another—from each other’s darkest secrets to how much money you stole from your parents' wallets when you were younger to buy that vinyl you have been eyeing for the longest time.

But lately, things have been a bit too chaotic for you both to keep up the promised ritual. Since you both started university, it was hard to make plans, especially when studying in different courses, which also meant different timetables and classes. During the weekends, the both of you would often be occupied with either school events or at your local pizzeria as your part-time job. Hence, texting was the primary source of communication between you two.

And besides that, something crucial had happened to you lately, and you couldn’t wait to spill the beans to your cousin.

Once you had helped Yujin unload her stuff from the car and moved it up to your room, you quickly made yourselves feel comfortable by cuddling together on your sofa bed.

“So, tell me. How has life been for you?” you asked, blinking your eyes, trying to give her a pleading face because you wanted to know about everything that had happened lately.

“I’ve been promoted to being part of the student council at my university! Oh, and then there’s also me actually acing an exam that I clearly did not study for because I was up all night that past few weeks playing Genshin Impact. Oh, and then there was this adorable guy from my campus who I think kind of has a crush on me because he always glances in my direction, like you know? That stare? And then—”

“Woah woah, slow down, tiger,” you had to pause your cousin because clearly, she was dumping all of the information without giving you time to process them individually. With that, the both of you chuckled, hands placed onto your stomach as you began to laugh a little bit too hard until it started to hurt.

This was what you had missed so dearly, and you couldn’t help but put on this genuine warm, soft smile on your face as you looked into Yujin’s eyes.

That was until she squinted at you.

“Whatever you’re doing right now is creeping me out real bad, so I suggest you stop that.”

You slapped her arm. “Rude.”

“Fine. What about you then? I’m sure your time at the University of Toronto has been a wild ride for you.”

“About that…I have something I need to consult you for,” you lowered your head and voice to a minimum, which got your cousin's ears perked up and was prodding your arms, wanting to know the details.

“Oh my god, did you just finally have your first kiss?”

“W-what? No! I mean, at least not yet….”

“What do you mean not yet? So do you have a special someone in your life right now?”

With a deep sigh, you took one of the pillows lying on the floor and threw it in Yujin’s direction, causing her to hug the pillow tight as she laid her head down gently to rest on it.

“Buckle up, babe. It’s going to be a long story.”

Flashback

“God, why do I have to sign up for this?”

You stomped your feet to the ground as you looked at the paper, which read: “Applications for extra-curricular activities such as clubs are mandatory for all students, commencing on April 2023.”

Your university had been pretty lenient over the years, and they had never once forced students to participate in clubs if they chose not to, understanding that some of them had make-up classes for their courses or were just busy with their thesis and side jobs. Most of the students in the university themselves took on part-time jobs, such as working in the school’s cafeteria and library, to earn a little bit of pocket money to survive.

So, when they decided to change the rules after the previous headmaster resigned and was replaced by a new one that everyone did not like, she chose that both coursework and extracurricular activities played a crucial role in one’s graduation.

Left with no choice, you stood before the bulletin board, trying to find a club that suited your taste.

“Screw Mrs. Kim.” You huffed.

“Look, Y/N. It can’t be too bad. It’s just a club. After all, nobody said you have to be super committed to it,” Your friend Keeho sighed, looking at how you beat yourself up over such trivial matters.

“You don’t understand, Keeho. This means I will have less time at home because I will have to leave to work my shifts at the pizzeria right after clubs. What is going to happen to my games and k-dramas?” You whined.

“If you want to graduate from university, you’re going to have to choose one now.” Knocking some sense into you, he gave you a pat on your shoulder before walking away towards the opposite direction, heading to his club.

You turned to look back at the bulletin board once again, scanning through all of the posters and flyers that were scattered throughout. After a minute or two, your eyes finally landed on this one cream-coloured flyer, and you sighed before checking the location once more before heading to your destination.

“This is the only option that will work for now.”

“Hello?” You called out, but the room was empty as you opened and peeked your head through the door. Thinking that you should try again, you entered the room and looked around.

There was nothing here but a ray of sunshine shining through the glass window into the empty room, and the sunlight landed directly on the lone black piano at the corners of the room.

Maybe playing it for a while wouldn’t hurt at all.

You slowly approached the piano and opened it up as you made yourself comfortable, sat down, and got into the rightful position, gently laying your hands on the keys. Immediately, you started playing one of your favourite pieces of all time, Summer by Joe Hisaishi. Unbeknownst to you, your body began swaying along with the music, enjoying the moment you were in.

That was until a clap made you stop your tracks.

“Wow, that was some excellent playing right there.” The male gave you a round of applause as he slowly approached you, causing you to jump right up, looking all flustered.

“I-Umm—I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to play the instrument without approval—”

“Oh no, no! The piano is free for anyone who wants to play, so you’re all good,” he reassured you, causing you to calm your fast breathing down by placing a hand on your fast-rising chest.

As he finally reached where you were standing, he posed a question directly at you. “Is there anything that I could help you with?”

It was there, and then you took in his facial features as the sunlight shone from his face. His soft fluffy brunette hair, those doe-like eyes, and how mesmerising it was as he smiled. Adding onto the fact that he keeps smiling in the best way possible, your heart starts to flutter.

“Umm, hello?” He was now waving his hands over your face.

Oh, right. You were supposed to sign up for a club. What on earth were you thinking, Y/N?

“Y-yes! I’m here actually to umm…sign up for the club,” you said reluctantly, a little bit too shy with your answer.

That was when the male’s eyes widened, and he did a little jump to indicate how happy he was to hear that from you, and he quickly extended out his hands to you, giving you a handshake.

“But of course! We are always open to new members joining the music club! Oh, pardon me, where were my manners? You can call me Jacob.”

“Y-Y/N.” You replied.

It has been around two weeks since you joined the music club, and everything has been going smoothly for you. Thanks to Jacob (who turned out to be the club’s president), he has helped you so much in trying to get you to blend into the crowd and with other musicians, creating a very safe and warm atmosphere for everyone.

It was also then that you noticed what kind of a person he was. He was very gentle, yet suitable to be a leader. The tone of his voice and the way he handled things fairly and reasonably made everyone respect him and want to perform alongside him.

From what you have heard from the club members, Jacob would lead the team to busk at the city centre once every two to three weeks, which was where they would earn some money that served as their reward as they went out to celebrate once in a while at the local party scenes such as the bars.

Thanks to his guidance, the university’s music club eventually garnered enough audience from the school and the public to the point that they have been invited to perform multiple times throughout the year. You have heard that even local communities such as the orphanage and childcare facilities would often ask Jacob and his team to function for the underprivileged ones, and they would gladly volunteer, even if it were for free.

There were a few times when you stayed behind to help Jacob close up the music room (more like you were trying your best to spend much time with him as much as you could), and it was when you decided to ask him about his thoughts and the way he did things around here.

“Music just means so much to me, and I would gladly perform every day even if I had to. It’s not about the money; it can be great as a little side income, but what matters most is that I do this because I am passionate about it,” he replied, clearly stating his goals and reasons well.

Ever since that conversation, you notice more in detail how he did things or even when he performed. Just as he said, he was passionate—it didn’t matter if things were hindering his way, he would still make way for it.

No matter how burnt out he could be from his coursework or side job, he would always place the music club first, making sure that not only he enjoyed the whole process but also the club members as well.

Slowly, you began to admire him for not just his good looks but also his personality. It was as if he was this fine perfect gentleman that had just entered your life easily, and you couldn’t stop thinking about him each day.

It was the way he was always smiling with others, the way he would sometimes sit at the piano and play a duet with you, the way you both were guitarists, so one of you would either offer a fun little duet session after club hours, even up till writing song lyrics together.

And how there was one time he unintentionally got his arms around your waist when you slipped from the wet, freshly-cleaned wooden floor from the club, and he caught you in time.

That was something that you have thought about all the time ever since it happened.

As the weeks progressed to months, the little spark in your heart for him eventually grew, and it just kept getting bigger each time you saw him in the same club room.

And that was when you knew you were in big trouble.

End of flashback

“Damn, you're whipped,” Yujin concluded after listening to your story.

“I know. That’s why I’m telling you this, Yujin. I’m so screwed.” You buried your head in your palms, the slight headache becoming more prominent now.

“Hey, what’s wrong with liking a senior? I’d say it’s your time to shine and confess to him.” She reassured you by gently rubbing your back before you slowly lifted your face up.

“That’s because I think I might be in too deep,” you mumbled.

“And how exactly did you come up with that conclusion?”

“Do you ever start stammering and slur your speech when they get close to you like they’ve not done anything, but somehow you just can’t converse like a proper human being.”

“Oh.”

“When they literally tell you how they absolutely love your eyes and loved making them roll?”

“Okay. Go on.”

“And that you actually finally got their contact number and literally named them ‘do not leave me alone’?”

“Hold up, let me see.”

Reluctantly, you fished out for your phone in your back pocket and scrolled through your contact list until you found Jacob’s. As you click into it, you nervously hand your phone to your cousin, praying internally that she will not drop another diss to make you feel worse than you already are.

Do not leave me alone ❤️‍🩹. That was exactly what was written for the club president’s contact name on your phone.

“Damn, Y/N. I never would have thought you would be so delusional. I’d like to think that you’re far worse than I am,” Yujin declared, turning your face into a bright red tomato again.

“I know, Yujin! And I have never felt this way before. That’s why I needed your validation.” You were practically doing somersaults mentally right now, wishing that you could take it all back, but at the same time, you needed to let out your inner feelings too.

As Yujin handed your phone back to you, she raised an eyebrow before posing you a question. “So, what exactly do you intend to do from here on?”

“There’s this upcoming music festival at my university this weekend, and I will be performing on stage.”

“Oh, that’s great—”

“And I’m going to perform a song I wrote specifically about him,” you blurted out.

That made Yujin shut her mouth as she tried to process what she had just heard. “Wow, Y/N. You are literally going all out on this.”

“I just need a way to get this off my shoulders somehow, Yujin. And it’s now or never,” you said.

“Will he realise that you are trying to serenade him, though?” Yujin asked as she placed her hand on your shoulder.

“Success or not, I will still do it. And then I’ll completely forget that I’ve ever written this song ever again.”

It was finally Friday night, and the auditorium hall was filled with students, lecturers, and outsiders. Peeking from the backstage, there was this nervousness in the pit of your stomach, and you were now trying your best to rethink your actions.

What exactly had made you even decide to sign up for the concert in the first place had remained a mystery for you, and looking back now, you swore you would’ve thrown a cold bucket of water over you to wake you up from your insanity.

But it was too late to turn back now, as it would be your turn on stage in a few minutes. After the previous performer finished his chosen song, the MC briefly introduced you and your contributions to the music club before finally inviting you onstage.

As you entered with the white guitar you had gotten for Christmas a few years prior, you tried your best to search for Yujin amongst the crowd—sure enough, she was sitting right at the side, waving her hands enthusiastically to cheer you on. You couldn’t help but flash a smile back.

And finally, you decided to find the man of your dreams, and he was sitting right in the middle section along with the other club members. He gave you a clap just like the rest of the audience did and mouthed out a few words that you couldn’t grasp. Perhaps he was just saying “all the best,” as one would as they support their fellow members.

When you finally reached where the microphone stood, you adjusted yourself before positioning your fingers along the instrument's strings and introducing the piece you were about to perform.

“This song was written by a special someone in the crowd tonight, and whoever that it may be, I hope this song speaks to your heart and that you mean a lot to me. Without further ado, enjoy.”

With a few strums from the guitar, you gathered enough courage to smile before singing into the microphone.

I’ll be honest. Looking at you got me thinking nonsense. Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in And when you got your arms around me Oh, it feels so good

Instantly, you noticed several people from the crowd starting vibing along with your song as they naturally swayed their bodies from left to right, enjoying the melody and rhythm your song produced.

I had to jump the octave I think I got an ex, but I forgot him And I can’t find my chill, I must’ve lost it I don’t even know, I’m talkin’ nonsense I’m talkin’, I’m talkin’

When you peeked from the corner of your eye, you noticed how Yujiin practically stood up, clapping her hands along with the rhythm. Naturally, the people around her joined in, as did the crowd from the middle and far left section.

God, were you so grateful for that, so much so that you were trying to hold back your tears.

I’m talkin’ all around the clock I’m talkin’ hope nobody knocks I’m talkin’ opposite of soft I’m talkin’ wild, wild thoughts You gotta keep up with me I got some young energy I caught the L-O-V-E How could you do this to me?

I’ll be honest. Looking at you got me thinking nonsense.

With one final strum, you ended the performance with a bang, and you got the crowd to give you one of the loudest cheers you have heard throughout the night. Some have even given you a standing ovation, and you swore that tears were about to form in your eyes.

You quickly redirected your attention to Jacob, and he did the same, standing up while giving you that sweet honey smile that you’ve grown to be obsessed with, clapping along with the rest of the audience.

Thank you for existing, Jacob Bae. I hope you can hear my thoughts through this song written specifically for you.

With a final bow, you quickly exited the stage.

You were sitting on a bench at a park near campus, opening the bottle of sparkling water you had gotten from one of the nearby vending machines.

You met up with Yujin right after the show and told her how you wanted some time alone just to wind down and digest everything that had happened. You reassured her that you wouldn’t be gone too long and would return as soon as possible. Thankfully, your cousin understood the message and agreed so long as you did not venture far away nor leave her alone too long exploring your campus.

With a sip of the water, you couldn’t help but smile as you looked up into the skies filled with stars on a clear night like today. The secret was finally out, and a burden was lifted from your shoulders, so you could just sit back on the bench and relax a little bit.

That was until a voice brought you back to reality.

“Mind if I join you?”

You jolted up from the bench to see the man you were trying to serenade, and immediately you felt the heat rise towards your cheek, and you began stammering again.

“Y-yes, o-of course!! Umm..g-go ahead!!”

As he sat next to you, you naturally shifted slightly away from him and ducked your head down as you began to rub your palms around the water bottle you were holding back and forth. Jacob noticed your demeanour, and he couldn’t help but giggle as he saw the redness of your face becoming more prominent.

Because he had always known how you have been having a crush on him.

To break the ice, he devised a simple conversation to help you loosen up a bit and break off the tension.

“I really like your guitar, Y/N. It’s just the right shade of white, and seeing it reminds me of elegance and simplicity but in an attractive way.”

“U-uh, thanks! It was gifted to me as a present—”

“Just like you, Y/N.”

Wait, what?

Did you just hear that right? Or is your mind playing tricks with you? Maybe the after-effects of adrenaline from the performance got you thinking nonsense. But you had to make sure.

“I umm…I beg your pardon?”

“I said what I said, Y/N. I know you have a crush on me.”

Oh no.

“How I make you feel all giddy and excited every time I talk to you.”

Oh, hell no.

“And I’m going to guess that the song you just performed was directed towards me.”

Lord Jesus, take the wheel.

At this point, you felt as if you were receiving dozens of arrows shooting right into your heart one at a time, and you were just about to pass out. What you thought was a simple crush became way too apparent to the point that your love interest has already known since day one.

This is the most embarrassing shit ever.

You quickly recollected yourself by sitting up straight and clearing your throat before responding properly.

“Ha-ha, I guess I-I was too obvious!! I-I’m sorry if I might’ve made you un-uncomfortable in any way—”

That was when Jacob interrupted you. “What makes you think I was uncomfortable by all of this?”

Jacon now inches a few spots closer to where you were, and your butt was glued shut on the bench because if you were to move any further, you would end up falling straight onto the grass.

Oh, good lord.

“I’m actually grateful for you, Y/N. I think it’s the first time anyone has ever felt that way about me,” he smiled.

That was when you blinked your eyes. “W-what, really? How can people not fall in love with you—” You clasped your hands over your mouth as soon as you said the “L” word.

He chuckled. “I don’t know. People have always seemed to view me as a good friend but not a potential love interest. I haven’t had one since a long time ago, and that made me rethink if I could ever date again.”

Gently he laid his hands onto yours that were situated on the bench as he turned his full attention to you now.

“And funny enough, I’m pretty sure I have feelings for you too. The moment I saw you playing Summer on the piano that first day we met, I knew there was something different about you. And I am so glad that eventually we got close to one another.”

After that, Jacob finally took in a deep breath before turning his direction back to you, which made you gulped for a second. “I think it wouldn’t be fair for me to not give you a proper response to your confession to me, no?”

Oh, god. It’s here. “S-so…what are your thoughts, Jacob? Was the song okay?”

“Y/N. It was far beyond just okay. It was a masterpiece, and I loved how quirky you are with the lyrics. It was something else, but it suited my taste.”

As he finally intertwined his fingers with yours, he inched his face closer to yours until they were centimetres apart.

“I accept the proposal, Y/N.” He smiled.

“Y-you…you do?” You asked weakly as if you were already not melting enough from the tension and heat.

“Will you give me a chance, Y/N?” There was this glistening in his eyes, and he looked exactly like Puss in Boots from the animation that both you and Yujin loved watching when you were kids.

“If you’re ready to deal with me, of course,” you stammered.

He gave you the biggest smile before pulling you into a warm embrace. “More than ready, Y/N.”

As you sunk into his embrace and took in his scent, you rested your chin upon his shoulders and stayed just like that briefly before Jacob broke off the hug and gently grabbed both of your shoulders, his eyes now landing on your lips.

“May I?”

Without giving a proper answer, you immediately shut your eyes, indicating that it was a yes in your books. Jacob chuckled at that for a while before leaning in to give a peck on your lips.

The sweet moment was then ruined by a ruffling noise coming from behind as both you and Jacob turned towards its direction. Sure enough, you found your cousin Yujin emerging from one of the trees with her phone in hand, recording the whole session.

“Now, that is what I call a successful indirect confession!” She exclaimed.

“Miss Ahn Yujin don’t you even dare—” you quickly threatened her before you took off running towards where she was, and she did the same but ran away from you instead.

“You will be sleeping on the streets tonight!” You yelled.

“Try me, Y/N!” She replied.

Jacob watched as the two of you began chasing each other around the park, and he couldn’t help but giggle as he laid back and propped one arm on the bench, just admiring everything about you.

“Little did you know Y/N, that you also got me thinking nonsense about you all day every day.”

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lfghughes · 10 months

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Hi!! can you write something with Nico and the reader being friends for a while and him having a crush on her and the guys all know about it and tease him because he's always staring at her with googly eyes

a/n: you all should know that one thing i love is best friends to lovers trope

Nico’s cheeks were burning red and it wasn’t because of the hot sun that was beaming down on all of them. He should have known that when he brought his best friend to this team bbq that his teammates would be teasing him all day. Were they wrong in what they were saying? No, Nico knew he was hopelessly in love with his best friend but she didn’t know that and he could feel his stomach twist in knots every time they made a joke in front of her about it.

He figured it would only be a matter of time before she put two and two together and this is not the way he wanted his feelings getting put out there. It was almost a relief when she had joined the other girlfriends and wives because it at least got her out of earshot from the teasing. “She fits right in doesn’t she?” This time it was Erik who was speaking up and Nico groaned in frustration. “You know, you’re kind of becoming like an annoying uncle to me.”

This time Jack and Dawson decided to chirp in with their own opinions too. “When are you going to make your move?” Dawson asked and Jack had to follow up with “Eventually she’s going to notice you looking at her with hearteyes so you might as well just go up to her and kiss her right now.” Nico waved off Jacks idea, no way was he going to take advice from him on this and do all of that in front of the other guys.

“Whatcha boys talking about?” The voice from his best friend made Nico nearly jump out of his skin and he just hoped she hadn’t heard any of the words that were just spoken about her. “Oh uh nothing. Jacks just talking about…his weird love life.” Nico quickly said and immediately regretted because there was so many different excuses. “Oooh, got a girlfriend, Hughes?” She asked and Nico instantly recognized the look of curiosity that grew on her face. What in the world did he just open.

“Actually maybe you can give me some advice on this.” Jack started, a devilish smirk growing on his lips. “I’ve been best friends with this girl for years and I realized I’m actually in love with her but I don’t know how to tell her.” Nico had never once wanted to smack Jack the way he did right now. “That’s easy, tell her.” At this Jack looked over at Nico with a pointed look that screamed ‘told you so’ and Nico forced a smile onto his lips. “I think you’re right, thank you so much for the help.”

Nico looked down at his watch before looking back up at his best friend “Are you ready to head home?” He asked and she nodded her head. “Yeah, ready whenever you are.” Nico knew that Jack was right and he could only really hold onto this for so much longer. The drive home he considered all the different ways to say how he felt but all of them sounded lame and his heart was pounding wildly. Once he pulled up to her place he knew he was out of time. “Everything okay? You’re weirdly quiet.”

Well maybe saving it for tomorrow wasn’t an option since she noticed something was off. “Earlier the advice that you gave Jack, did you mean it?” He asked and there was a glimmer of something in her eyes. She nodded her head slowly. “Because I’m about to admit something and if you don’t feel the same way I just don’t want it to affect our friendship and make it weird.” That of course was his biggest worry because there was no taking it back.

“I like you, like really like you and I don’t want to mess up our friendship but all the guys know about it and they tease me about it endlessly. But I also realize that they’re right and that I should tell you. So yeah, I really like you.” Nico took a deep breath. Everything was out there in the open between them now and it was either going to end really well for him or he lost his best friend. He was caught off guard when she leaned over the middle console of the car and gave him a quick kiss. “I have been waiting to hear you say those words.”

#nico hischier imagine #nico hischier blurb #nico hischier x reader #nico hischier

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slvt4elliew · 6 months

Text

ellie hcs!

cw: ellie x afab!reader, established relationship, 2 idiots in love, mentions of drinking, explicit language, 18+ near the end, switch! ellie, lots of mentions of sex at the bottom, mdni or i'll find u :3

a/n: hiii! this is my first time writing so...ntm cuz it kinda sucks. idk what i'm doing so suggestions would be great! thank u 4 reading! mwah mwah mwah 💋

loves calling you random stupid nicknames. "hey, honey bunches of oats, could you come here rq?" "im sorry, what the fuck did you just call me?"

loves when you paint her nails or do her makeup, even if she complains the whole time. "ugh, this feels so gross." "c'mon, it's just lipgloss el."

BAGGY CLOTHES 🔛🔝!! her wardrobe consists of big dad jeans, random thrifted graphic tees, a shit-load of flannels, wife pleasers, sweatpants, plaid pj pants, goofy ass socks, and her one pair of beat up converse.

practically smothers you in kisses, think gomez from the addams family. forehead kisses, neck kisses, kiss on the cheek, on your shoulders, literally everywhere.

only wears childrens boxers. shes got a collection of 'em. im talking teenage mutant ninja turtles, minecraft, fortnite, SPIDERMAN, batman, dinosaurs, glow is the dark stars, etc. sometimes she'll wear the simple plaid ones tho.

she thinks shes soo good at dancing when she drinks, like she acts like shes hot shit when she just looks goofy. "babe. babe. baby, look. look at me." and when you look over she starts doing what she thinks is moon walking... its hilarious actually.

so so so clumsy. girl can't walk in a straight line to save he life. shes constantly tripping over air, and her untied shoe laces. you even made a T chart to keep score. rn its ellie 0 : air 22

always has a hand on you. you're sitting next to her? shes either pulling you into her lap or has a hand resting on your thigh. walking together? has to be holding your hand. she's in the middle of talking with someone else? a cold hand sits on your lower back, her thumb drawing soft circles to remind you shes still paying attention to you.

her hands and feet are SO cold. while laying next to her watching a movie or something, she slips a hand up your shirt to just rest it on your stomach but you squeak and flinch away from her FREEZING hands. you swear shes cold blooded

speaking of which, she loves slipping her hands up into your bra to 'warm up her hands'. whenever she asks you, you obviously allow her even though you know she'll sneakily start pinching at your nipples or squeezing your tits.

literally the funniest person ever. she can always make you laugh with her randomness and how stupid she can act. it also doesn't help that she knows you like the back of her hand so she knows what makes you nearly cry from laughing so hard. she just gets so much joy from seeing you laugh, even if it's at her. she'll do anything to see you smile.

loves cuddles!!! she has to have weekly movie nights where you both cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie.

treats you like a queen, girl is on her knees bowing down to you. does whatever you ask, you want water? done. your hungry? shes already ordered food. on your period and need stuff? shes already in the car, driving to the store. "whatcha need, pretty girl? it's okay, i can go get it."

loves you so so so much. you're her fav girl ever, she'll do absolutely anything for u.

NSFW!!

shes def a switch. bae can switch up so fast

black, 8.5 inch, slight curve, and has veins.

constantly praising you. "fuck. doin' so good for me, baby. yea, that feel good?" "yeah- just like that..."

she says the dirtiest shit ever "you gon' be a good little slut for me, hm? yea? c'mon use your words, baby." "you wan' me to fill ya up, wan' me to make u a mama?" "yeah? you like that shit? course you do, such a fucking slut, huh?"

CRAZY STAMINA. she can go for hours if you'd let her. doesn't even think about cumming herself until you've came at least 3 times. "c'mon baby, you can give me another, yeah? i know you can... you're being so good for me, one more?" "nghh can't...i-its too much." "you can baby, just one more, c'mon..."

lovesss doggy style. "all fours on the bed. now." her grip on your hips is bruising, leaving light purple marks in the morning which she'll press soft kisses to as an apology. usually has one hand on your hip so she can thrust harder into you and another in your hair, either pushing your face into the pillows or pulling your head back so she can see your fucked out face.

has the worst case of ghost-dick when shes not sober, just fucking desperately humping your ass.

if shes fucking you with her fingers, she always either sucks them clean herself or has you do it, shoving her long fingers into your mouth, sometimes purposefully making you gag on them.

she also def likes it when you suck her strap. she doesn't even care if she cant actually feel it, the harness slightly bumping against her clit and seeing how you look up at her is enough for her.

biggest tease!! rubbing slow and light circles over your clit, just enough to make you squirm and whine at her. "you wan' more? nu uh, you gotta say it."

basically makes you sit on her face, wrapping her arms around your thighs and pulling you down on her face, keeping you there. she doesn't even care, she wouldn't gladly die like that.

usually dom but can be very subby.

if you don't let her touch you shes whining and begging for you to let her. "fuck- please, baby. i'll make you feel so good, j-just..shit- please.."

used to be very shy about you eating her out but has grown more comfortable w it. "aghhnn just like that...fuck, doin' so good for me."

already starts panting and whimpering when you only barely touch her. the small kitten licks you make up her slit has her squirming and bucking her hips upward in search of more friction.

SO GOOD AT AFTERCARE!! if she's being mean, she'll immediately drop the act and cover your worn-out body in soft, loving kisses. then she'll go get a wet wash cloth and wipe you and herself off before carelessly throwing it somewhere in the room. she'll then snuggle up with you in the bed, cuddling your warm body from behind and peppering your neck and shoulders with kisses while you drift off.

#ellie williams #ellie the last of us #ellie tlou #ellie x reader #ellie x fem reader #ellie williams smut #tlou2 #the last of us #Spotify

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no-fate-but-what-we-make · 2 years

Text

As Intimate As Chocolate Cake

Pairing: Sweet Pea x female!reader [2nd-person pov]

Word Count: 3.3k

Rating: T for swears; no warnings

Description: When Toni is put in charge of the new menu for the Whyte Wyrm, she decides to use the opportunity to set up two of her friends

A/N: Loosely based off a scene from Hart of Dixie season 4, episode 5: Bar-Be-Q Burritos, where George and Annabeth are set up on a date by their friend Lemon

Disclaimer: I’ve only seen up to parts of season 3 of Riverdale, therefore I know nothing about the current seasons and what has transpired, so there will be no spoilers. Also, this was written with minimal editing, so any errors are accidental. Gif credit to the owner, as it is not mine.

- - -

Cheryl Blossom walked into Pop’s, looking for Toni, but instead she found someone else.

Two someones, actually.

You’d been enjoying your strawberry malt and fries all by yourself when Sweet Pea had decided to join you without warning.

“Careful now - rumor has it if you drink too many strawberry milkshakes in one sitting, you’ll wake up as a strawberry.”

You couldn’t resist the urge to roll your eyes, dunking a pair of fries in the malt before bringing them to your lips. “Thank god this is a strawberry malt then, or I’d be fucked.”

He sat down in the booth across from you without asking, grabbing a fry before you could pull them away. “Milkshake, malt - same thing.”

“Nope,” you replied, popping the p. “Malts have malted milk powder; milkshakes do not.”

Sweet Pea pulled a face at that. “And why would you want that?!”

You shrugged. “Personal preference.”

“Weirdo.”

You looked up to give Sweet Pea a piece of your mind at that, but found him smiling instead. It was rare to see a smile from the Serpent, and seeing it made something that felt awfully like desire pool in your stomach. You ignored it, taking a sip of your malt while you gathered your thoughts. “Wow, a compliment? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think the world was ending.”

Sweet Pea snagged another fry, popping it into his mouth, the smile turning into a smirk. “Who knows? It might be.”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

Before you could respond to that, Cheryl interrupted. “Well, well, well. Fancy seeing the two of you here. And looking chummy, no doubt. What’s so funny?”

“The end of the world,” you quipped, causing Sweet Pea to snicker and you couldn’t help joining him.

“Haven’t you looked outside, Cheryl? Pigs are flying!”

Cheryl let out a huff, shaking her head. “Ignoring all that,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, “have either of you seen Toni? She said she would meet me here, but I can’t seem to find her.”

“Whyte Wyrm?” Sweet Pea supplied. “You know she’s been spending all her free time there ever since she became part owner.”

“I just didn’t think she’d get so caught up in it that she’d forget about date night!”

“Have you tried calling her?” You suggested, regretting it when Cheryl fixed you with a glare.

“Of course I’ve tried calling! She didn’t pick up and I-”

Just then, the door to the Chock’lit Shoppe opened, the bell signaling a new customer. The three of you turned to see Toni Topaz making her way over, pulling Cheryl in for a hug and a kiss. “Sorry I’m late,” she murmured. “Got a bit caught up reviewing the new menu for the Whyte Wyrm’s grand reopening.”

“You’re here now and that’s all that matters,” Cheryl said, her smile returning. “Ta-ta, you two. Don’t get too cozy over there.”

You and Sweet Pea burst into laughter once Cheryl and Toni were seated at the opposite end of Pop’s. “God, she can be so eccentric at times,” you giggled, shaking your head.

“I don’t know what Toni sees in her, but I’m glad the two of them have each other.”

“She sees in Cheryl what I have since elementary school: a girl with a lot of love to give who just needs someone to see her potential.”

Sweet Pea shot you a look as he grabbed another fry. “If you say so.”

“Hey, if I said the same thing about Toni, you’d be defending her, too. Cheryl’s my friend like Toni is yours - we go way back.”

“True.” You were almost taken aback when the Serpent agreed with you. He slid out of the booth before you could process what had just happened, but not before stealing a handful of fries off your plate. “Let me know when you’re here again - I can always get behind free fries.”

“In your dreams, Serpent!” You shouted at his retreating back, no malice in your voice at all.

- - -

“See what I mean?” Cheryl whispered to Toni, the two of them tucked away in their usual corner booth that surveyed the whole of Pop’s, splitting a milkshake. “There’s definitely something there.”

“Maybe,” Toni drawled, narrowing her eyes as she watched Sweet Pea duck his head and smile to himself when his back was turned from you. “I haven’t seen Sweet Pea look this smitten in a while.”

“Do you think they’d have a chance if we worked our matchmaking magic?”

“What is it you’re always saying? Sometimes the craziest ideas are the most brilliant ones?”

Cheryl smiled, leaning in to kiss Toni. “You’re absolutely right, Tonikins! Shall we start plotting now?”

- - -

“What’s up, Toni?” Sweet Pea growled into his phone, his frustration bleeding over from one phone call into the next. Fangs had been giving him shit for something and while he was glad to have Toni’s phone call as an excuse to hang up on his friend, he was still pissed.

“What’s up, Sweet Pea, is that I have the perfect solution to your dilemma.”

“What kind of solution?” He paused. “Wait. What’s my dilemma?”

“Nevermind that. Meet me for breakfast tomorrow morning so we can discuss.”

“Discuss what? I’m gonna need more details than that, T.”

Toni couldn’t help but let out a giggle. “All will be revealed tomorrow morning, Sweets. Riverdale Cafetorium at seven sharp - don’t be late!”

She hung up a moment later, leaving a stunned but obedient Sweet Pea in her wake.

- - -

“Cheryl? Is everything okay?” You asked when you answered Cheryl’s phone call. Before she’d met Toni, you and Cheryl spoke on the phone almost nightly; now she rarely called so you figured something had to be up.

“It will be. Meet me in the cafetorium tomorrow at seven?”

“Uh, sure? Why the phone call, though? You could’ve just texted.”

“Just wanted to hear your voice, YN. See you then!”

Nothing was said after that, the line going dead as Cheryl presumably hung up. “See you then,” you said into the void before going back to your nightly routine.

- - -

Toni and Cheryl were already seated at a table when you arrived, the two of them sharing a pastry as Sweet Pea looked on across from them.

“What’s he doing here?” You asked, unable to keep the harshness out of your voice. It was way too fucking early for this and you didn’t even have time for coffee.

“Calm down, dearie. Take a seat.” Cheryl was unusually perky but the tinge of obey me in her voice had you doing just that.

“Yeah, dearie. Take a seat,” Sweet Pea mimicked, and you couldn’t help shooting a glare in his direction. “But really, you two. What is it that was so urgent you couldn’t tell me over the phone last night?”

Toni sat up a little straighter, glancing at Cheryl briefly before she spoke, “Well, because Cheryl and I have a favor to ask. As you know, I’ve been stressing over the reopening of the Whyte Wyrm - particularly the menu - and I was hoping that as my friend,” she looked at Sweet Pea, “and my girlfriend’s best friend,” she looked at you, “that both of you would be willing to come over this weekend for a sample meal.”

“I knew she wanted something,” Sweet Pea leaned back, crossing his arms and muttering under his breath, and you couldn’t help but agree with that statement.

“Of course she did,” you said in the same tone before turning your attention back to Toni and Cheryl. “All you had to do was ask! Of course I will!”

“Me, too. But YN is right - next time just ask us. Not everything has to be a big scheme.”

His statement shocked you. The two of you hadn’t ever really agreed on much since Toni and Cheryl’s relationship had started, and now you were both agreeing with each other more than once in twenty-four hours? It was almost too much for you to handle. Sure, the two of you were polite and cordial with each other - for the most part - but lately it seemed to be getting out of hand.

“That’s really good advice, thank you,” Cheryl said, cutting in. “So, we’ll see you Saturday at eight? Oh, and dress real nice. Tonikins and I wanna see what the vibe could be like if we manage to bring in some fancier customers.”

And just like that, Cheryl and Toni stood up in unison just as the bell signaling first period rung, leaving both you and Sweet Pea stunned for the second time.

“Why do I feel like the scheming isn’t over yet?” Sweet Pea asked, turning to look at you.

Your eyes narrowed towards the doors where Cheryl and Toni had just exited. “Probably because it’s not…” Your voice trailed off as your gaze met his and you finally got a glimpse of his face up close and in broad daylight. A flash of his face from last night illuminated by the neon lights of Pop’s crossed your mind, specifically of him grinning as he popped a fry into his mouth. That same desire came flooding back and you knew you had to leave before you did something stupid and make a fool of yourself in front of the Serpent.

“See you Saturday at eight!” Sweet Pea called after you as he watched you walk away, wondering what the weekend had in store.

- - -

You sat in your car, putting the finishing touches on your lipstick and tugging at your dress one more time before taking a deep breath and getting out. After the ambush in the cafetorium by Cheryl and Toni, you’d spent more time than you cared to admit agonizing over your outfit, but in the end it was a no-brainer. You’d worn the dress you felt most confident in, pairing it with strappy heels and light makeup that accentuated your favorite facial features.

Seeing Sweet Pea all dressed up made you stop in your tracks. His version of ‘fancy’ was nice jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms. His Serpent neck tattoo was on full display, standing out against the stark white of his shirt.

“Hey,” he said, crossing his arms and drawing your attention back to them. “You ready for this?”

“I guess so. There was never really an opportunity to back out now, was there?”

“Those two make it very hard to say no, don’t they?”

You huffed out a laugh, shaking your head. “Don’t I know it.”

Before either of you could say any more, the door swung open and out stepped Cheryl, clad in her signature red. “There you two are! Come on in! Welcome to the new and improved Whyte Wyrm!”

“You look…nice, by the way,” Sweet Pea murmured as he held the door for you, letting you in first.

A shiver of need raced through you at the feeling of his eyes on your body. You paused, looking back at him and meeting his gaze. “Thanks. You, too.”

Your mouth was practically watering as Cheryl set down a filet mignon in front of you. “And this is our bourbon-maple glaze filet mignon.”

“This looks delicious,” you said, smiling at Cheryl. “Give my compliments to the chef.” Toni stood off to the side, the first time you’d ever really seen her look nervous about anything.

“I gotta say, everything has looked fantastic tonight, Toni, and I’m sure the Whyte Wyrm’s reopening is going to be a huge success,” Sweet Pea chimed in, surprising you. You hadn’t really ever heard him give anyone a compliment, but you figured if anyone deserved a compliment from Sweet Pea, it was Toni.

“Thank you,” Toni murmured, nodding stoically.

“Well, you both have exquisite taste buds and despite how much you both have grown and changed over the years, I knew I could count on you-”

“Okay, what is going on with you?” Sweet Pea asked, the two of you exchanging a suspicious look.

Toni laughed awkwardly, trying to drag Cheryl away.

“Yeah, what’s so funny?”

“It’s just that we’ve all known each other for so long…” Cheryl trailed off, realizing her mistake.

“I knew it!” Sweet Pea clapped his hands, more excited than you’d seen him while he was stealing your fries at Pop’s. “I knew it!”

“Knew what?” Toni asked, her turn to look suspicious.

“You and Cheryl are out here trying to get YN and I closer so we can be some weird, messed-up version of the Breakfast Club.”

You let out a groan, shaking your head. “Seriously? Cheryl, you know how I feel about you trying to set me up with people! I thought we agreed you were going to stop doing that after eighth grade.”

Sweet Pea crossed his arms and your attention diverted to his delicious forearms once again. “And that’s why we’re here…this is a scheme within a scheme,” he tutted, giving both Toni and Cheryl a reproachful look.

“Excuse us for wanting to try to get the two of you to see in each other what Cheryl and I see in both of you!”

“This is just like that time Toni and Cheryl left us in the woods for some fucked up bonding experience over our hatred of Weatherbee.”

“Or when they sent us on that futile mission to the abandoned Southside High and we had to hide in the janitor’s closet until they were able to get us out.” Sweet Pea glared at them. “The two of you can be so annoying.”

“So fucking annoying,” you agreed, seething as more memories popped up where you and Sweet Pea had been thrown into situations thanks to Toni and Cheryl’s scheming.

“Do either of you want dessert or not? Cuz if you keep whining, Cheryl and I will just eat it ourselves.”

That shut the two of you up and Toni nodded, satisfied. “Enjoy your filet mignon.”

“We’ll be here,” Sweet Pea said, finally getting a chance to cut into his steak.

“Oh, fuck this is good,” you couldn’t help groaning at the first bite. “I had my doubts about a bourbon maple glaze on steak but this is…wow.”

“Mm-hmm.” Sweet Pea’s hum of approval sent another foreign feeling racing through you.

You tried to think of another conversation topic, but all you could think of was yet another time you and Sweet Pea had been forced together by either Toni’s or Cheryl’s schemes.

Conversation flowed pretty easily after that, and neither of you paid any attention when Toni slipped in and cleared your plates while Cheryl served a single slice of chocolate cake between the two of you.

The cake was delicious, maple syrup infused into the icing, of course.

“Fuck, this chocolate cake…Wow. You’d think Toni would’ve splurged and given us two pieces,” Sweet Pea shook his head as he brought his fork in for another bite.

“I know,” you agreed, nodding. “It’s like you’re stealing my fries all over again.”

“Ha ha,” Sweet Pea deadpanned, making you giggle. “Doesn’t Cheryl have some weird, fucked up saying for this?”

His question took you by surprise, but you knew exactly what he was talking about, rattling off the phrase as if Cheryl herself was saying it. “It’s the most intimate thing two people can do other than…” You stopped short, your eyes widening as you realized the final word.

Your eyes met Sweet Pea’s, his expression mirroring yours as you both finished the word in unison.

“Sex.”

The sounds of your forks hitting the fancy china were the only sounds in the room as the two of you processed what had just happened.

“Are they…?” You started.

Sweet Pea finished. “Trying to set us up?” You nodded and he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “They better not be.”

“They’re really outdone themselves this time. It’s a goddamn scheme within a scheme within a scheme.”

“I mean, I just don’t understand why they think we would make a good couple. It’s so random and strange - no offense.”

You shrugged, truly unoffended even though you’d have been lying if you said you hadn’t been entertaining the idea all night. “None taken.”

“I’m still not convinced there isn’t more to this scheme.”

“God, I hope not,” you said, resisting the urge to run your hands over your face but you didn’t want to ruin your makeup. “There’s only so many schemes I can participate in during a year and I think I’ve already hit my limit.”

Sweet Pea looked around before leaning in, a smirk on his face. “What do you say we get out of here? We’re not technically dining and dashing because this was free, but I could definitely go for some fries and a chocolate milkshake.”

You didn’t have to be asked twice, dabbing your mouth with your napkin before pushing your chair back and heading out, Sweet Pea instinctively taking your hand in his as the two of you made a mad dash for Pop’s.

“Thanks,” the two of you said in unison as Pop Tate set your malt and Sweet Pea’s milkshake down in front of you, placing a large order of fries in the center of the table.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna be able to finish all these fries after the meal we’ve just had,” you said, eyeing the basket as you took a sip of your malt.

“I’m sure we’ll find a way if we sit here long enough.”

Your phone vibrated with an incoming text from Cheryl but you ignored it, turning your phone facedown on the table. Sweet Pea did the same and you couldn’t help feeling secretly thrilled that all his attention was now focused on you.

“So,” you started, picking up a fry, “Fancy a trip down memory lane?”

You didn’t think you’d ever seen the Serpent smile as much as he did tonight, and it was starting to affect you. Before tonight, you never would have thought twice about considering someone like Sweet Pea as boyfriend potential, but there was something about both Toni and Cheryl butting into your dating life to bring Sweet Pea in that was making you reconsider.

You reached for the last fry at the same time he did, your fingers brushing his. You recoiled as butterflies fluttered in your stomach, but it didn’t seem to affect him. “It’s all yours,” Sweet Pea said, gesturing to the solitary fry.

“You sure?” You hesitated. “We could split it.”

Sweet Pea shook his head. “Like I said, it’s yours.”

You couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on your lips as you dunked the last fry into the dregs of your malt. “Maybe there’s more to you than just a Southside Serpent.”

That made him chuckle and duck his head - and in that moment, he had never looked more attractive. “Well, maybe there’s more to you than just Cheryl’s sidekick.”

It was well past midnight when the two of you exited Pop’s, making your way to your separate vehicles.

You stalled at the door to your car, part of you not wanting the night to end. “I…had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Me, too.” Sweet Pea stepped closer and you sucked in a breath. “Maybe, we could do this again without Cheryl and Toni’s interference?”

“I’d like that. Are we counting this as a date?”

“I don’t know. Would you like it to count as a date?”

Not one to shy away from getting what you want, you decided to go for it. “Well, if you were planning to kiss me goodnight if this was a date, then yes, I would like tonight to count as a date.”

Sweet Pea towered over you, his eyes flickering between your eyes and mouth. You could hear your heartbeat in your ears as you stared up at him, waiting for him to make the first move. “I’d never turn down an opportunity to kiss a pretty girl goodnight.”

With that, your lips met in a tender kiss, the promise of something more lingering in the air when you finally pulled away. “Goodnight, YN,” Sweet Pea murmured, his thumb brushing over your cheek as he stepped back. “Get home safe.”

“Goodnight, Sweet Pea.”

#sweet pea x reader #sweet pea fanfiction #sweet pea fanfic #sweet pea imagine #sweet pea imagines #riverdale imagines #riverdale imagine #riverdale fanfic #riverdale fanfiction #sweet pea x you #sweet pea x y/n #sweet pea fluff

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Destiny & Deliverance: Chapter 22

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Dieter Bravo X OFC New as of 9/30/2023

SUPPORT YOUR CREATORS. REBLOGGING & COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

Series Rating: Explicit (18+)

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives.

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: "I could feel the darkness setting in."

It had been three days since the call with Dieter that turned my life upside down. It had also been three days since I was sober. I was spiraling. Hard. Lauren and Gabby had both tried calling me, but I refused to answer, sending the calls straight to voicemail. Their text messages followed, making it clear that they knew something had happened. The only response I would give them is that I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it for the foreseeable future.

Dieter had posted pictures on his social media account from the movie set. Several of them showed Chloe hanging all over him. He had removed the picture of the two of us, taken by him when I was sleeping, that he had previously shared on his account. That alone was a clear indication that something was going on. Not just to me, but to everybody - if it hadn’t tipped off Lauren and Gabby, the tabloids most certainly would notice. As always, they loved reading between the lines. To make things worse, they had published a series of photos from when I visited Dieter on set. Most of the images showed us together and happy, but there was also a candid shot, taken right after his confrontation with Craig. Unsurprisingly, the narrative provided did not match what had actually happened. The gossip rags made it seem like he and I were having an argument. It was all completely fabricated nonsense that only added more fuel to the already blazing fire.

That evening, I was sitting on a lounge chair next to the pool as the sun started to set over the hills. I stared blankly at the water rippling in the pool, my mind hazy as I occasionally took a swig from the bottle of vodka in my hand. It burned in my throat, despite the liquor being top shelf, but it didn’t bother me too much; every time the sting hit, it helped shove away the thoughts crawling through my head.

When the sliding door near the patio suddenly opened, I saw Lauren stride out of the house with purpose, her eyes set on me. She paused in front of me, staring me down with a look of sympathy on her face.

“You look like shit.”

“Thanks for stating the obvious,” I slurred as I took another drink from the bottle. I tried to think of how to get rid of her. I wasn’t ready to have this conversation and I wasn’t sure if I ever would be.

I felt uncomfortable under her gaze as she took in my appearance. It made me fidget nervously as I avoided her eyes. Besides, I knew how I looked. I hadn’t showered in three days, which had turned my hair into a mess of tangled curls that pointed in all directions. My face was red and splotchy, and I could feel how swollen my eyes were from the ridiculous amount of crying I had done. My outfit consisting of a pair of cotton shorts, a ratty t-shirt, and robe didn’t do much to help me either; I felt like death and probably didn’t look far from it.

Lauren snatched the bottle of vodka from my hand as she sat down beside me, shaking her head when I tried to grab it back.

“No.”

I gave her a look of annoyance and snatched it back anyway.

“Don’t worry, I’m pacing myself.” My eyes drifted back to focus on the water.

She snorted but chose not to reply, for which I was grateful. Instead, she asked, “Have you eaten today?”

I sighed heavily, “Yes, I ordered a pizza.” I stayed focused on the pool, not breaking the trance of my eyes on the rippling water, wishing it would swallow me up and drown out all the thoughts running through my mind.

“Do you want to fill me in on what happened?”

I turned my head to look at her, my brows knitted together in confusion.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I paused briefly. “I don’t even fucking know.”

It was her turn to look confused, “You didn’t get into an argument at that bar?”

I waved my hand dismissively, now annoyed that even my best friend was apparently reading the tabloids to check in on me.

“No. That’s all a bunch of bullshit.”

She nodded in understanding. “Okay. So, what happened?”, she pressed, once again trying to take the bottle away from me.

“Can we just not? I don’t wanna talk about it. With anyone, ok?” I gave her a stern look as I held the vodka out of her reach, then took a swig. I meant it. I knew she was annoyed that I wasn’t offering any details, because I had never been resistant to discussing certain things with her. But I didn’t want to talk about any of it now. I couldn’t.

“You can see that I’m fine and breathing,” I offered, gesturing at myself. “You’ve accomplished your mission. Can I just be alone now? Please?” I gave her a pleading look. It was clear that she was hurt, but I didn’t have the capacity to deal with that.

Lauren scoffed as a look of frustration formed on her face. She looked like she was about to say something, then stopped herself as she turned around, striding back toward the house as she shook her head. After she left, I felt a wave of anger come over me. I had been trying to push it away for days, but her attempts at making me talk had just sliced open all the wounds again and it felt like anger was seeping from my pores. I grasped the liquor tight in my hands and stood up, needing a moment to balance myself, then made my way over to my craft room.

The painting that I had started for Dieter felt so much bigger than the space it actually took up, and I couldn’t stop myself from walking over to it. Tracing my fingers over the painted canvas, I had to think back to our time in Sonoma. The memories had been on a loop in my head over the past days. He had been so different. I couldn’t understand why he had done a complete one-eighty on me, acting like a completely different person. Maybe Anna was right. Maybe I didn’t know him, and I couldn’t handle him at his worst.

Out of a habit that had crept up on me over the past days, I moved to take another drink of the vodka I was still clutching in my hand, then stopped midway as I stared at the bottle. Fuck. I was losing myself again. It hadn’t just been the anger roaring inside me that had started to seep out - it was actual darkness that had been setting in, carving out places inside of me as it slowly took over, numbing my brain. I let out a frustrated scream as I threw the bottle against the wall beside the painting. I decided in that moment that I wasn’t going to allow myself to go back to that dark place. I had been there before and barely made it out alive. This time it would consume me completely if I let it happen again, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to come back from it.

Clinging onto the sudden wave of clarity, I went upstairs to the kitchen and pulled down every bottle of alcohol that I could find. I poured it all down the sink without a second thought. Then I forced myself to take a shower. The water wasn’t soothing, but rather a slap to my face - first so hot that condensation fogged up the entire bathroom, before I changed the temperature so the cold hit me even harder, giving me goosebumps all over. It helped to pull me out of my head and back into my body. It was amazing how much better I felt afterwards. After that, I set my alarm and went to bed. At that point, I was determined to move on and keep this from affecting me as much as possible. If he didn’t want to be with me, there was nothing I could do about it. Which meant there were zero reasons for me to continue to dwell on it. I was only hurting myself by doing that. He had already inflicted more than enough pain on me than I knew how to deal with.

The next morning, I got up to get ready to go into work. I needed to get out of the house. Away from him. He was still here, a little piece of him in every room. Clothing, shoes, a toothbrush, his scent on the sheets… it was all a painful reminder that he currently existed somewhere that wasn’t with me. I needed to get away from it all and clear my head.

I dressed in a form fitting pencil dress with a matching blazer and black pumps, styling my hair in soft waves around my face and down my back. Some heavier makeup than usual helped to cover the redness left by days of crying.

I knew paparazzi would be outside the office, waiting like they had been doing every day since the Anna incident. They knew I couldn’t stay away forever. If I ran into them, I wanted to make a statement without words. One that said I was moving on and that I was fine. I was no longer the weak and anxious woman I had been with Justin. That was one thing I could thank Dieter for; he helped me get my confidence back. No matter what, I wasn’t going to let anything take that away from me, not even him giving up on us. I needed all that confidence and resilience to get through this.

The paps had obviously gotten a little wiser, now realizing where the employees parked. There were at least seven of them waiting at the entrance to the lot, watching every car that entered. They wasted no time following behind my vehicle on foot as I searched for an open space. As soon as my door opened, they started peppering me with questions about Dieter and the status of our relationship. I attempted to exude confidence as I gave them nothing but a polite smile while I walked toward the entrance of the building. Careful not to give any sort of reaction to their harsh line of questioning.

The atmosphere in the office shifted as soon as I walked in the door. The tension was visible in the faces and posture of every person in the room. They all seemed shocked to see me. No one said anything, they just looked at me with wide eyes. My eyes danced around to each of them before I continued walking toward my office. Kerrie entered behind me after a few minutes had passed. She was clearly nervous and not sure how to act.

“Is there anything you need from me?” she asked timidly.

I stared at her momentarily as I bit the inside of my cheek.

“Yeah, can you get me a status update on our new accounts? And set up a meeting with Steve. I know he has some sort of problem he needs his hand held through.”

She nodded, “Talia, I don’t know what happened but…”

I raised my hand to stop her from continuing, “It doesn’t matter. I would much rather not talk about it. I don’t want anyone to mention it. I’m fine and I’m moving on. Let’s just try to get back to normal, please.”

She gave a slight grimace before nodding in understanding and walking out of the room.

From that moment on, I slid back into my pre-Dieter routine. My day went by quickly. I stayed busy enough that I didn’t have time to think about him, which was refreshing. It was exactly what I needed to recenter myself and move forward. Of course, I was again reminded of him as I walked to my car. The paps that were still hanging around asking questions they thought might get a reaction out of me. I continued with a polite smile and silence as I made my way to leave. Luckily, no one tried to follow me home this time.

That evening, I was determined to remove every trace of Dieter I could find. I put everything that belonged to him in boxes and set them in the garage. I washed his smell out of all the sheets and blankets, wanting no trace of him left behind. I wanted it to be like he was never there. It was the only way I was going to be able to move forward.

Though removing all proof of his existence from my home helped, the following week was a little harder on me. I knew Dieter was scheduled to be on a filming break. It was the few days we had planned for him to come home and spend with me, but I wasn’t sure if he was still coming back to LA or not. I wondered if he would try to reach out if he was in town or if he would even bother to come home at all. The Friday he had been scheduled to fly in, I was anxious and had a hard time focusing while I was at work. Not knowing what to expect was the most stressful thing to me.

I got my answer later that evening when I finally broke down and checked his Instagram account. He had posted pictures of himself with Anna and a couple of other people. The caption indicated they were at a club opening in New York City. In every photo he had a drink in hand and appeared to be intoxicated. I couldn’t be sure that was the case, but his eyes looked different. They seemed darker and emotionless somehow. It made me feel uneasy as I swiped through them. I did take solace in the fact that he was on the other side of the country, and I wouldn’t have to worry about running into him here. Hopefully he was planning to stay there for the entire duration of his break. I hated to see that he was back with his old group of friends though. That was just asking for trouble, particularly because he had been in such a bad headspace.

I sighed heavily as I threw my phone down, rubbing at my eyes as I leaned my head back against the couch, willing myself to stop thinking about him. I left my hands covering my eyes for a few minutes while I tried to clear my thoughts of him, completely zoning out in the process. When I removed my hands and raised my head, I was startled by Lauren. She was standing in front of me with her hands on her hips, a look of annoyance on her face.

I jumped slightly at her appearance, “Fucking hell, what are you doing? Can’t you just announce yourself? You’re gonna give me a heart attack doing that shit.”

“So, you’re feeling well enough to go to work and act like nothing is wrong, but you can’t respond to any of my texts or calls?”

“Jumping right to it then…” I chuckled, but my chest tightened nervously as I knew there was no avoiding her now. “Yes, sorry. I had to spend time cleansing my life of that asshole's existence after work. I’ve been busy.”

“That asshole? Cleansing? What the hell are you talking about?” She now had a look of confusion on her face.

“Dieter, the asshole. I packed up all his stuff. I don’t want any trace of him here. It’s all gotta go.” I said in an eerily calm way as I gave her a serious look.

“Are you ever gonna tell me what the hell happened? How are you in a drunken stupor over him one day, then completely back to normal the next?”

“You wanna know what happened?”, I snapped back at her. “He said I’m a fucking burden and inconvenience that he doesn’t have time for. We’re not compatible and it’s just not working for him anymore. There are better options out there, whatever the fuck that means…”

I gestured wildly with my hands as I spoke, my voice laced with anger. Lauren’s eyes got wider with each word. Her jaw hung open in shock.

“He really said all that?” She covered her mouth with one hand in disbelief.

“Yeah.” I raised my brows as I gave her a tight smile, then shrugged as I shook my head.

“Well, that wasn’t what I expected. I was hoping it was just a misunderstanding or something.”

“No. He ended it over the phone with those exact words.”

She sighed. “Ok, well that makes sense as to why he won’t respond to my texts.”

“Don’t try to contact him, please. It’s not worth your time.” I waved my hand dismissively at her.

She had an odd look on her face, like she was conflicted about something. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, then she was on to the next question.

“That doesn’t explain how you’re suddenly ok… going into work like nothing happened while smiling at the paparazzi like you're living your best life.”

“Oh, is that how it looks? Good”. It was the first thing in days that I actually felt good about, or at least decided that it was how I wanted to come across. “He doesn’t need to know I spent days wasted and depressed over his ass.”

“Talia, what is going on with you?” She now had a genuine look of concern.

“Lauren… I made a conscious decision to move past it. I don’t need him. I’m not gonna pine over someone who doesn’t want to be with me. It’s just gonna make me spiral again if I do.”

I stood to walk toward the kitchen to get something to drink out of the refrigerator. Lauren followed closely behind me, looking confused again.

She scoffed, “So what, you're choosing anger now? I’m not sure that’s the healthiest way to deal with this either.”

I whirled around to face her, almost bristling at the comment. “As opposed to causing my liver to die a slow death? I think it’s a pretty fucking good way of dealing with it. Besides, why wouldn’t I be mad? Those were some fucking hurtful things he said to me.”

Lauren nodded briefly in agreement, “Alright. Fair enough. I can’t argue with that logic.”

She sighed heavily as she leaned against the counter, taking the canned coffee beverage I offered her.

“I guess I should count my blessings. I really thought I was gonna have to come make you take a shower and force feed you after the last time I saw you.” She smiled as she opened her coffee.

I gave her a small laugh in return. She wasn’t wrong. I was a mess that day she came over.

She took a quick drink before changing the subject, “Well, I wasn’t gonna ask, but since you seem to be living your best life these days…I have that art fundraiser thing tomorrow. You wanna be my plus one? I have a painting on display.”

“Of course! I’m not gonna miss out on that.” I gave her a genuine smile this time. I knew that I had been very absent in our friendship lately, and I needed to do better. I wanted to do better.

“It’s kind of fancy. Do you have something to wear?” She grimaced slightly at her words, knowing I wouldn’t be too thrilled about it.

I sighed, “How fancy?”

“Like semi-formal.” She gave me a cheesy hopeful smile.

“I don’t think I do. I’ll go find something in the morning, just for you.”

Lauren bounced up and down, clapping in excitement. She moved to hug me around the neck.

“Thank you for going!” She said somewhat breathlessly. “It might be good for you to get out of the house and do something fun anyway,” she added as she pulled away.

Lauren left soon after that, in a considerably better mood than when she arrived. She seemed satisfied with my current state, which was probably a good thing. I really didn’t want her nagging me constantly. Above all else, I didn’t want her to spend time worrying about me. She had enough on her plate as it was.

After she left, I decided to get ready for bed a little early and watch TV until I fell asleep. Even though I outwardly appeared to be doing ok, sleep had been an issue since that call. It was restless and frequently interrupted for absolutely no reason other than I was wide awake with anxious energy. It was starting to become an issue again. Deep down, I knew it had everything to do with Dieter, but I refused to admit it to myself. I couldn’t allow myself to miss him in any type of way or else I was going to spiral again. I resorted back to taking melatonin, which seemed to be doing the trick for now. Hopefully that wouldn’t change.

I woke up around 8AM the next morning, feeling decently rested. I decided to go for a quick run before I showered. I had been slacking off on that lately and figured it might help me burn some energy off. I opted to go for a run around the neighborhood, making sure to go in the opposite direction of Dieter’s house. I didn’t want any surprises. After that, I got ready to go find a dress for the art fundraiser. I dressed in some ripped jeans and a plain black t-shirt. I threw a hat and sunglasses on for good measure, because, yes, I was that person now.

I decided to go to a local couture dress shop that Lauren and I had been successful at previously. Since it was a small boutique, I was hopeful I wouldn’t run into any issues while I was there. When I entered, one of the employees came over to assist me, introducing herself as Daniella. I gave her the details of what I was looking for, mentioning that it was for the art fundraiser that evening. As I said the words, I immediately wished I hadn’t done so. I needed to learn to keep details to myself instead of mentioning them to people I didn’t know. She left me for a few minutes as she went to pull some dresses for me. After she walked off, I took my sunglasses off and stuck them in the neckline of my shirt because I felt like a loser for wearing them inside.

While I was flipping through the racks, I noticed another employee staring at me with a perplexed look on her face. I sighed; I had a feeling she recognized me. I turned my back toward her and wandered off to another part of the shop, out of her sight, in hopes she hadn’t worked out who I was. Daniella appeared several minutes later with an arm full of dresses. The other employee trailed behind her holding several other options. She introduced herself as Emily. I gave her a polite smile as she continued to stare at me.

“I’m sorry to keep staring, but do I know you from somewhere? I feel like I’ve seen you before,” Emily said as she continued to look at me, her brows knitted together in a puzzled expression.

“I don’t think so. I’ve been here a few times. Maybe you saw me then.”

“I don’t think so, I haven’t worked here that long.”

I shrugged and gave her a tight smile, “I guess I just have one of those faces then.”

Emily gave me a nervous laugh in response. Daniella led me over to the fitting room as Emily followed. They started to tell me about the dresses they had pulled for me. They were particularly excited for me to try a sapphire blue lacy cocktail dress they insisted would look “amazing” with my skin tone.

I thanked them as I entered the dressing room and started trying things on. I could hear hushed voices outside the door as I worked my way through the dresses that I liked. I heard one of them whisper, “I think that’s her,” followed by several shushing sounds. I dropped my head and sighed heavily. It figures this would happen. I couldn’t get out of his shadow no matter how hard I tried.

I got down to the last dress, which was the blue lacy one they were raving about. It fit perfectly. It was a form fitting silky fabric with a lace overlay, showing off all my curves in a very flattering way. The lace fabric extended down several inches below the silk lining at the bottom allowing skin to show through. It had lace sleeves that set slightly off-shoulder and unlined lace around the midsection. It looked classy, yet sexy. I snapped a pic in the mirror and sent it to Lauren right quick. Then I moved to put my clothes back on. She replied just as I was finishing up.

LAUREN: That’s like a revenge dress! It’s perfect! GET IT!

I chuckled at her response. With Lauren’s approval, I was going with it. I really just wanted this shopping trip over with at this point. I was nervous how things were going to go once I walked out of the dressing room.

I put the plastic back over the dress and made my exit. Daniella, Emily, and another girl paused their conversation to turn and look at me with wide eyes. Daniella gave me an overly enthusiastic smile as she asked if I found what I needed.

“Yes, I think so. I actually love the blue one. Thank you.” I tried to give them a genuine smile as they kept staring at me.

“I think I’m ready to check out now.”

“Of course! Right… this way.” Daniella said.

“Are you that Natalia girl that’s dating Dieter Bravo?” Emily blurted out.

I gave a tight smile, “You caught me, yeah, that’s me.” I didn’t bother to correct her. It still hadn’t been confirmed that we had actually split up.

“Oh my gosh! I knew you looked familiar. Can I take a picture with you?”

“With me? No, I’m nobody to be taking pictures with,” I laughed nervously. She was about to protest when the third girl, whose name I didn’t know, poked her in the back to shut up. Daniella started the checkout process while the other two stood by awkwardly smiling at me. Emily spoke up again, “So are you going to the fundraiser with Dieter tonight?”

I tried to control the pained look on my face as I responded, “Umm no, he’s out town right now.”

“Oh, that’s a bummer, it would have been cool to see you with him in one of our dresses!”

“Yeah, sorry to disappoint.” I gave her a tight smile.

I was trying so hard to be polite even though I could feel myself slowly dying inside. After I collected my card and dress, I thanked them again as I put my sunglasses back on and made a quick exit to the car before they tried to ask me any more questions. I had to take a moment to calm myself when I got in the car. I could feel my heart racing in my chest from that interaction. This had to stop at some point, right? Maybe I should have said we split. Would that make people leave me alone or make things worse? I sighed. “This fucking sucks” I said out loud to no one as I started the car to go home.

I began getting ready for the event as soon as I got home. Afraid that if I didn’t keep myself busy, my mind would wander to thoughts of Dieter. I managed it successfully until Lauren came over. She was scrolling through her phone while she waited for me to finish up. “What the…” She groaned as she came over to show me a post shared by a fan account. One of the salesgirls at the boutique had seriously snapped a picture while I wasn’t paying attention and posted it. They included details about the dress I bought and the event I was attending. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I shouldn’t even be surprised at this point.

“Well, at least the picture is decent, and you are sort of smiling in it. They also said you were nice. That counts for something, right?” Lauren asked hesitantly, trying to brighten my mood.

“Yeah, at least they didn’t say I was a bitch. I’m sure that would have fueled more gossip.” I replied sardonically as I walked toward my closet to get dressed.

As I was pulling up the zipper on the back of the dress, I started to have flashes of memories. Dieter’s hand lightly brushing my back as he zipped me up the night we went to the club, our eyes meeting in the mirror while he adjusted the straps for me. I quickly shook my head to clear the thoughts. I had managed to keep those types of memories at bay for the most part. I didn’t want to start having them now.

I took a deep breath before reaching down to grab my shoes and walking out to see Lauren sitting on the edge of the bed, still scrolling through her phone. She looked up, her mouth hanging open slightly, “Hot damn. You look so fucking good in that.”

I laughed at her as I walked over to the dresser to grab the earrings I had set out, turning back to her as I put them on.

“Ok, I’m ready. I think.”

“I must take a picture of you. Pose please,” she said with excitement as she opened the camera on her phone.

I gave her my best model pose, my hands on my hips, with a playful smile before I burst into laughter at how ridiculous I felt while she snapped away.

“Damn, that’s actually a good picture.”

She turned her phone to show it to me. She had snapped the photo just as I was starting to laugh, so for once it looked like I had a genuine smile on my face.

“Hmm, send that to me. It might be Insta worthy.” I handed her phone back to her.

She got quiet for a minute as she started typing away on her phone, a determined look on her face.

“What are you doing?” I raised an eyebrow in her direction.

She briefly glanced up at me then went back to typing, “Nothing.”

“Lauren.” I said sternly.

She raised an eyebrow back at me, “Just making sure that jerk knows what he is missing.”

“What?!?!” I snatched her phone away just as she hit send. I turned it toward me to see what she had been doing. She had Instagram Messenger open to a conversation with her and Dieter. She sent him the picture with the message “Just wanted you to see what you’re missing out on, asshole.” Above that were several unanswered messages of her asking him what was going on and why he wouldn’t answer her. I realized there was a possibility that she had been missing him too. The three of us hanging out had become such a routine, particularly on Fridays, but it only just now occurred to me that he had bailed out on her as well.

I didn’t have too much time to consider those thoughts; as I was looking at the phone, the message status of the photo with Lauren’s comment changed to “seen” right as I looked at it. I could feel knots in my stomach, knowing that he was on the other end of the chat right now.

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

She shrugged, “Because it’s a big fuck you to him. He deserves it. You look hot and happy.”

I shook my head at her as I looked at it again. The little bubbles popped up indicating he was typing a message, then they stopped. I froze, waiting to see if he would respond. The bubbles started bouncing again, then his message came through.

My breath caught in my throat. I could feel my eyes stinging with tears.

“I’m glad to see she’s doing ok. You two have fun at the art fundraiser. Sorry I can’t be there like I planned.”

“What is it?” Lauren asked as she jumped up to walk toward me.

I handed the phone back to her, “He replied.”

I scoffed, grabbing my shoes to put them on. Wondering how he knew about the art fundraiser as I did so. I assumed he saw the dress shop post making the rounds on his fan accounts. Lauren stood there with her mouth agape. Looking from me to the message on her phone. She started typing again but I shook my head quickly.

“No. Please don’t talk to him. At least not while you're around me. I don’t wanna know anything he says.”

She gave me a sympathetic look, but then nodded at me as she put her phone away. “Alright. I hear you.”

“Let’s go. I don’t want you to be late,” I said, changing the subject.

We took an Uber over to the venue. I was surprised to find several paps outside waiting, because of course they were. They started yelling questions at me as soon as I stepped out of the car. Some of them tried flattery, telling me how nice I looked, before hitting me with questions about why Dieter wasn’t there with me. Lauren and I did our best to ignore them as we walked inside.

We made a beeline to see Lauren’s painting first. True to her style, it was bright and colorful. An open field full of different types of wildflowers framed by a setting sun. The intricate details of each flower were amazing. I, of course, showered her in praise as she turned beet red.

After that, we made our way around that exhibit, chatting with various people as we went. I was surprised when we bumped into Alex as we were walking into the next section. I couldn’t tell if he was surprised to be running into us or not. He gave me a nervous smile, seemingly not knowing how to act around me. I guessed that was normal, given the circumstances with his older brother. I tried to act like he was any other friend, smiling as I pulled him in for a quick hug and a polite hello.

“I didn’t know you would be here,” I said as we pulled away from one another.

“Yeah, I actually have a charcoal drawing on display,” he said, somewhat shyly.

“Oh yeah, what is it? I’ll have to make sure I go see it.” I gave him an encouraging smile.

“It’s the… massive elephant drawing.” He motioned with his hands to indicate its size.

“Cool, I love elephants. I bet it’s amazing.” A slight tinge of red formed on his cheeks.

Lauren stood next to me, a shy smile on her face, glancing between Alex and me.

“Lauren was telling me not long ago she wanted to learn more about charcoal drawing. You should tell her more about that.”

Their eyes darted over to each other, an odd smile playing at the edges of both of their lips. I stood there, giving them a questioning look when I heard someone call my name. It drew my attention away from my thoughts as I turned to see who it was. The tall blonde figure approached me, coming in for a quick hug.

“Max, the DJ, right?” I said with a joking tone. He laughed.

“I thought that was you. It’s so weird seeing you here. I just saw Dieter in New York yesterday.”

I grimaced slightly before answering, “Oh, yeah? Well, I’m happy you two got to catch up again so soon.”

“Yeah, he mentioned you guys aren't together anymore. I’m sorry to hear that. I really thought you were going to be different for him. He’s such a fucking idiot to mess that one up.” He gave a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, well, shit happens, I guess. So, you’re into art?” I asked, attempting to change the subject.

“Not really. I have a friend that has a painting on display. Just here for support.”

He shook his head as his eyes darted around my face. I had a feeling he was about to hit on me, and I hoped that wasn’t the case.

“So uhh, what are you doing after this? You free?” He didn’t seem anywhere near as confident as he did the first time I had met him.

I gave him a small laugh, “I think that's a loaded question.” My eyes started to dart around to look anywhere but at him. I noticed Lauren and Alex’s eyes on us. They were definitely listening.

“I’m not really looking to start anything new right now if that’s what you're asking.”

“Of course. I totally understand. Well, if you change your mind, give me a call.” He pulled a business card out of the inside pocket of his blazer and handed it to me. “It was good to see you again. You look beautiful tonight.” He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before walking off.

I had a feeling that I had a serious look of annoyance and agitation on my face as I watched him walk away. I turned my head to look over at Lauren and Alex, who were both trying not to laugh.

“What the actual fuck was that?” I asked them, to which they finally started laughing.

“I guess since you're good enough for the biggest star in Hollywood, they all want a piece of you now,” Lauren said jokingly.

“That’s not fucking funny,” I said sternly.

“I’m totally telling my brother that happened. He needs to know other men are already moving in. He fucked up.”

I turned to look at Alex directly in the eyes, a little taken aback by that statement. He wasn’t usually so blunt. Hell, he typically didn’t say much to me at all. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. I gave him a tight smile and looked away. I was feeling some sort of emotion I couldn’t really decipher.

“Well, I don’t wanna interrupt you two and your art talk. I’m gonna go see the rest of the paintings. I’ll catch up with you later.”

I walked away, inhaling deeply as I went. Trying to steady my emotions before I lost control of them. I was being hit from all sides when it came to Dieter. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. I was so ready for the day to be over.

I made my way around the next exhibit of paintings, attempting to get lost in the pieces and not think about everything that had happened that day. Halfway through that section, I came to a large painting that immediately caught my attention. There was something familiar about it that caused a lump to form in my throat.

The painting was of a man and woman silhouetted in front of a swirl of gray and dark purple night sky. Stars were scattered around the background. One star shone brighter than the rest, just over the woman’s head. A blue fog surrounded them. The man’s face was completely in the shadows, but the woman’s was just slightly visible. I looked down to read the informational sheet posted below the frame and my breath caught in my throat.

Painting Name: La estrella del norte: La luz en la oscuridad (The North Star: The Light in the Darkness)

Description: The North Star is the light in the darkness that leads lost souls home.

Submitted By: Anonymous

I could feel my heart racing as I read through the information sheet multiple times. It took me several minutes to fully process what it said. Is that what he had been saying to me this whole time? I could feel my breath going shallow as I took it in. For the first time in months, I felt like I was going to have a full blown panic attack. I put my fingers up to the bridge of my nose and squeezed, begging the tears not to come.

“Fuck.” I said a little too loudly as I inhaled deeply, still trying to catch my breath. I could feel the stares from the people standing nearby and it felt like the room was closing in on me. I needed to get out of there. I walked away as fast as I could, attempting to find some space where there weren’t any people around. When I passed by Lauren and Alex, she followed right behind me, grabbing my arm to stop me.

“Are you ok?” She asked with a look of concern on her face.

“I gotta get out of here. I can’t take anymore today.”

I pulled my arm away from her and made my way toward one of the side exits. As soon as I was outside, I leaned against the wall, sucking the fresh air in as deeply as I could. It didn’t help with the lightheaded feeling I had, nor to steady my legs that suddenly felt weak, and it took everything I had in me not to crumble to the ground in tears.

After several minutes passed, I finally managed to get my breathing under control. I pulled out my phone to get an Uber so I could go home. Several frantic text messages from Lauren were on my lock screen, asking what was wrong and where I was right now. I briefly mentioned the painting and said I was going home, then continued with my original task of getting a ride.

Luckily, I didn’t get a chatty driver and made it home without any further drama. I briefly considered having the driver stop by the liquor store but managed to talk myself out of it. Once I was back into my safe space, the anxious feeling that had been lingering seemed impossible to shake off. I felt like I needed to further purge Dieter from my life for good.

I changed into my pajamas and went downstairs to my craft room. Staring at the painting I had started for Dieter, I realized it was all wrong. The colors were too bright and there were too many cheerful details. It needed to be darker, because at this point, we were both lost. I turned on some music, reached for a couple of tubes of darker paint, and went to work.

I started by covering the colorful sunrise with the dark night sky, using shades of navy and black, adding the glowing moon and stars of all shapes and sizes throughout. Including the most important one, the North Star. Once I was satisfied with the background, I began reworking the images in the foreground. I started by darkening the curtains over the window that framed the night sky. In front of the window was the surface of a dark wood table with a vase of three white roses and a gramophone, like the one at the house in Sonoma, now sitting bathed in moonlight. I darkened the colors on those items as well, but also gave them a soft ethereal glow.

It was a simple piece, but it packed in a lot of personal meaning. The white roses seemed to be a common theme between Dieter and me. Remembering that he mentioned the topic, I had looked into the meanings of flowers a little more while I was planning this project. White roses being a symbol of new beginnings still seemed to fit the current situation. They also meant everlasting love and eternal loyalty. As badly as he had hurt me, I knew a part of me would always love him and be loyal to him. Whether I wanted it or not. I also learned that the number of flowers often had meaning too. Three roses simply meant “I love you”.

The gramophone represented one of my favorite memories of us dancing to the sounds of the old antique when we were in Sonoma. I had gathered it was also something his parents would often happily do as well. So, I knew it would have double meaning for him.

I had originally planned to use the morning sunrise for the background. It reminded me of the first time he said he loved me, and wanted us to be together, as we laid in bed during the early morning hours. However, I now felt the dark night sky was more appropriate for so many reasons. We had been laying in the grass looking at the stars when I told him that I loved him for the first time. I wanted to remind him of my love as many ways as I could. Then of course, there was the fact that he had been calling me his North Star, which was the most prominent fixture in the background aside from the moon. I wanted him to know that I now understood what those words meant. I would always be his light in the darkness, and he needed to know that. So, with a little help from google, I signed the bottom right side of the painting with Tu Estrella del Norte (Your North Star). I continued to do final touches to the painting throughout the next week. Making sure it was the way I wanted it before I finally decided it was complete. (More after the image)

For the last round of Dieter’s mini home makeover, new furniture was scheduled to be delivered at the end of that week. Despite having reconsidered this earlier, I decided I would go ahead and handle it myself as planned. He was scheduled to be back in Canada for filming this week, so I wasn’t worried about him being there. Luckily the movers were quick at their jobs and got everything placed where I wanted in record time. After they left, I added the last few finishing touches of artwork and sculptures Lauren had curated for him. The last piece to go up was my painting. It would be the focal piece of the room. The darker colors I had switched to ended up working perfectly with the new color palette.

After I was done setting up everything, I went out to my car and grabbed the boxes of his personal belongings that I had packed at my house. I left them sitting on the counter in the kitchen, along with his house key and credit card. I took a few minutes to walk around, getting one last look at the place that had so quickly become my second home. Silently saying my final goodbyes to him as I made my way toward the front door. As I locked the door and closed it behind me, I felt a sense of relief after having fully purged him from my life once and for all. It also gave me some closure knowing that I was still able to say what I needed to him, without using any words at all - even if I didn’t get to do it that night over the phone. A/N: Anyone in tears yet? The painting thing hits the feels hard. Digital art is not one of my strengths, so forgive my poor attempt at creating the painting, but it gives you an idea of what I was going for. It looks better in my head. 🤣 For next chapter... we get asshole dieter and an interesting interaction with Lauren (which @for-a-longlongtime is still laughing about). I will post a teaser early next week and the chapter will follow as soon as final edits are done. Also, a big thank you to @for-a-longlongtime for working her magic beta skills on this chapter and putting up with me. She made it hit the feels so much harder with her edits.

We are going to hit rock bottom for Dieter starting in Chapter 24 and it's going to be rough. So, consider this your warning to start preparing. I'm not paying for your therapy bills, but happy to schedule a support group meeting afterwards. 🥴🤣 As always, please share your thoughts and theories. You know I'm a sucker for them. 💜 After you check out the chapter mood board (with a picture of the dress) included below, hope on over to this Today's Musings post to learn more about what is going on in Talia's head. Next Chapter

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