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#litg fic
mrsbsmooth · 1 month
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DOUBLE CHAPTER WEEK
Chapter 16 posted today.
Marshall’s long, inked finger trailed under her chin, bringing her up to look at him. The darkness of his black eyes caught her like a spider’s web, and it was as if she was suddenly hypnotised. She barely felt him as he slid his arm down, curling it around her waist. She just felt herself leaning backwards as he guided her that way. He smelled good. He smelled so good. Dark like spiced rum, and she was suddenly drunk on him. He leaned in, and his lips grazed her cheekbone, tracing a line up to behind her ear. He pressed the smallest, softest kiss behind it, before his breath was like nicotine down her spine.  “My advice?" His voice had her in a trance as she felt it against her skin. She closed her eyes, letting the heat overwhelm her. "Forget about him.”
Read on Ao3 or Start from the beginning
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eskiix · 9 months
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Read on Ao3
When I woke up this morning, I wasn't expecting to write and post an entire oneshot today. But I got tagged on the writer's discord, and here it is: a Roberto stick or switch fic where the boys don't see MC on the post card, the ceremony order makes sense and my fellow Roberto Stans get the reunion we deserved.
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0shewrites0 · 10 days
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Chapter 17: marry me 💍
When Geri entered the girls' dressing room, she was surprised to find Rory in there alone. She was sitting on a stool, her shoulders slumped and her eyebrows knitted together.
"Babes, are you OK?"
At Geri's voice, Rory looked up abruptly and forced a weak smile onto her face. "Oh, hi Ger..."
Geri frowned and hurried over to her side, pulling out a stool right next to her and perching herself on it. "Right, that won't do. Talk to me, girl."
Rory took a deep breath, then exhaled forcefully. "It's just... Did it seem weird to you how Alex reacted when I accepted Travis's apology?"
tag list | @libelle949 @oakley-my-sexy-firefighter @eskiix @hi-im-karla @aldcaldos 🤎
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driftycities · 8 months
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They were crowned winners in August. But he knew he loved her in July.    The next July, though, he’d lost her.    And this July he’d be seeing her again for the first time in nearly a year.    He had a love/hate relationship with July.   
In honor of season six coming to an end tomorrow, here is the first chapter of my reunion fic! May Lewie live on ✨
Read on ao3 here.
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lucas-koh · 7 months
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The Kissing Handbook
Dating 101: The Great Ham Man
Hamish is a great kisser. Hamish knows as much, because who knows more about Hamish, than Hamish?
Apparently, Daisy does.
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luckyqueenreign · 1 year
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The Story of Us - is a four-part series that will delve into MC (Gemma) and Suresh's relationship pre-villa.
If you missed click here to read Part One + Part Two
PART THREE: The End
"And there's no one to blame but the drink and my wandering hands"
Tag List: @squishy-noodles @hi-im-karla @kunepie @brasister @kvngdomheartz @whati390 @smexilexi420 @viperidae94 @misterytull @theesocialintrovert @kiwi-tai @future-mrs-suresh @ordoesshemouthfuckyouforever @kikithegr8 @fujihime-litg @0shewrites0 @abecerra611 @kimberlae @roundbrownlover @novelcurrentmodern @paleslutz-blog
NC-17 🥵🌶
I had to call on the queen of sadness @katsie to help me with some of the sad bits, so if it's extra sad - blame her! @0shewrites0 thank you so much for your help too!! You are both angels and Part Three is so much better bc of your help 💖
Is it possible for guilt to eat you alive? Would it be slow and painful or quick and painless? Seems like slow and painful is the only way I know. 
Gemma’s infectious laugh pierced through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Suresh looked up to see the waiter joking with her, while he pretended to be engrossed by his menu. He was a corporate lawyer, but somehow could no longer read. All of the words on his menu, jumbled together into a mess on the page. 
Cheater. Cheater. Cheater. 
The singular, painful, horrible word echoed in his mind. It had been a week since he had done the unthinkable. A week since “the incident”. As much as it killed him to hide this secret from her, he knew he couldn’t tell her what happened that fateful night. She meant too much to him to blow it all away on one mistake that he would never make again. With each day that passed, the decision on whether to tell Gemma weighed heavier and the secret seemed to hang like a dark cloud over him. He grew more and more worried that she would somehow find out. But he tried to push back those negative thoughts, especially when his Gemma was back. 
“Have you decided to tell her you cheated tonight?” the waiter asked Suresh with a smile. 
Suresh’s entire body tensed and he stopped breathing. 
“Excuse me?” Suresh choked, looking at him incredulously. 
“Have you decided on what you’re eating tonight, sir?” the waiter asked again. 
Fuck, of course he didn’t ask if I was going to tell Gemma about the cheating. How could he possibly even know?
“The steak frites look good, thanks,” he said, handing him the menu. 
“Resh, you ok?” Gemma asked when the waiter walked away. 
Nope. Absolutely not ok. Not even close. Because I’m so terribly close to losing you. 
“Yes, Gem. Just got assigned this really tough case at work this week,” he said, then reached out and took her hand. “But I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
Fake it Suresh. Fake it till you make it. If Gemma suspects something is wrong she’ll start asking questions and you know you won’t be able to lie directly to her face. You can’t tell her. You have to stay strong. For her.
“You look stunning tonight, you know?” he said, smiling at her. 
Suresh couldn’t help but stare at Gemma. She looked radiant tonight, she positively sparkled. 
“Thank you, babe,” she blushed. The crimson hue on her cheeks bore the same color as the scarlet letter etched on his heart. 
“I think I have an idea on how we can get your mind off work tonight,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eye. 
Under the table he could hear Gemma’s shoe drop to the floor and she started to tease Suresh moving her way up his leg. Slowly caressing him, continually moving upwards finally landing on her desired target, his crotch. She gently stroked it, feeling it harden underneath her. 
“Gem…” he said, his breath hitching. 
 She responded with a devilish smirk on her face. “Resh…”
“Wha- What are you doing?” 
“Just having a little bit of fun. Is it helping you forget your work problems?” 
“Yes, babe. You’re the best distraction.” 
And he decided right then and there to push the nagging voice to the back of his mind, to ignore the guilt and instead focus on Gemma. Because he had his Gemma back and he wasn’t going to waste anymore time dwelling on the horrible thing he’d done. 
“Let’s go home,” she said.
Suresh smiled and flagged the waiter over. 
In the car park they found it difficult to keep their hands off one another. Suresh leaned in close to her, his tongue dipped between the seam of her lips as they parted to let him enter.  They lost themselves in the kiss and he pulled her body closer to his, pressing his erection into her thigh. 
Gemma’s phone started to vibrate non-stop in her bag and she pulled away from the kiss, gasping. 
She looked down at her phone screen. “Shit, it’s my boss!” She took a deep breath to try and steady her breathing, calming her pounding heart.
“Hey Fran!” Gemma’s voice was unnaturally chirpy as she answered her boss. Suresh started dotting her neck in kisses, occasionally sucking hard, then swirling his tongue over the soon-to-be bruise.
“The marketing deck? Yes I sent it over on Monday morning…” she said, angling her neck, giving Suresh more room to ravish her neck. “Yes, I can resend it.” She suppressed a moan. “I’m not home but I’ll be home in 10 minutes or so.” Her boss cut the line, and Gemma rolled her eyes as she hung up. 
“Damn, do you need to go home? I was hoping we could go back to my place tonight,” he sighed. 
“I don’t need to go home babe, I just need to get on your laptop.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. “ I already sent her the file earlier in the week, I’ll just log onto my emails and resend it to her.” 
“Amazing.” He gave her a searing kiss. “ Let’s go home then,” he said, as he opened the car door. 
“You drive,” she said, tossing him her car keys. 
When they arrived back at his apartment, Suresh ran around the length of his car to open the door for Gemma, picking up exactly where they left off in the restaurant’s car park. He closed the distance between them, crashing his lips onto her. 
She giggled as she shimmied away from him, watching his disappointed expression.
“We’re going inside first.”
There was a dark glint in his eye. “That didn’t seem to bother you when we were in Sicily.” Gemma blushed at the memory, making Suresh’s grin widen. “I recall you liking that very much.” He reached for her again, but she stepped back. “This is different. This is Edinburgh. Where we live. People we know could see us.”
He winked. “That just makes it more fun.”
“Okay, you have got to calm down,” she giggled, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside towards the elevator. He clicked his tongue and pulled her towards the stairs instead. Gemma pouted. “But my feet hurt,” she said.
Suresh grabbed her thighs and lifted her up. She instantly hooked her legs around his waist.
“Better?” He asked. She answered him with a searing kiss. Suresh stumbled on the first few steps, grabbing the banister to catch himself.
“Careful,” Gemma cooed. “Or we’ll end up in the hospital instead.”
“I’ve always wanted to have sex in a hospital,” he said. She could feel his erection now, and she pressed her hips into him, making him gasp and stop momentarily. She stared down at him through her lashes.
God she’s beautiful, he thought, nearly doing two steps at a time now.
“You are going to hurt yourself,” she gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.
“The faster I get you upstairs, the faster I can ravish you,” he said, his voice gruff. 
“Then we should hurry,” she purred and leaned down to pepper his neck with kisses. He groaned at the feeling, then pressed her up against the wall next to his door. He fished out his key from his back pocket, unlocked the door and slammed it behind them the second they stepped inside. He pressed her up the wall again, giving her an onslaught of kisses and unzipped her silky, mini dress, sliding it off her body. His fingers greedily roamed her body ready to devour her. 
“Babe…Laptop and then you can ravish me all you want,” she purred. 
“Fuck. OK…” 
He led her to the office and opened up his MacBook Pro, entering his password. The background a picture of the two of them on their trip to Italy a few months back, he noticed Gemma smiling fondly at the picture before opening the internet browser and logging into her email account. He quickly undressed as she bent over the laptop, clicking a few key words into the search bar. It only took her a few minutes to find the marketing deck and she started to draft a new email to send to her boss. 
Suresh made his way over to her and continued kissing Gemma’s neck and letting his hands roam her body. 
Swoosh.
The familiar email sound indicating her email had been sent. Her job was now done and she was now his. 
Ping. 
A text message popped up on the screen. Both he and Gemma could see that it was his coworker Simon, who also was dating Gemma’s best friend, Chloe. 
Simon: Resh, have you looked at the Thomas file yet? I sent it to you an hour ago…
“Do you need to get th -” 
Before she could finish her thought, Suresh’s lips were on hers. His tongue reached deeper into her mouth and hers into his, hungrily searching for one another, deepening the kiss as his hands roamed her body. There was an urgency to the kiss that neither had experienced before that bordered on violence. She raked her fingernails over the sculpted ridges of his washboard abs as she made her way down to his dick, twitching at her touch. Suresh squeezed her ass pulling her closer to him, lifting her in his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist, carrying her to the bedroom. 
“Resh! I can walk!” 
He softly chuckled into her neck, “Nope, you said your feet hurt.” 
In the bedroom, Suresh lowered Gemma onto the bed, climbing on top of her, caging her under his muscled frame. His dick pressed into her stomach, as he claimed her lips with a tongue thrusting kiss, while his hands scooped up her perky, needy breasts. He lowered his mouth and flicked his tongue around her nipple, licking and sucking, causing her entire body to come alive as she moaned softly against his touch. His hands gently traveled south, down her taut stomach and between her legs, releasing a delicious moan from her lips. 
“Gem, you’re so wet…” he growled, as he slid two fingers into her wet folds. 
Arching her back into him, he pumped his fingers back and forth in a steady motion, curling them inside of her. 
“Fuck, Resh…” 
He looked up at her with a devilish grin, circled her aching clit with his thumb and continued to pump two curled fingers inside as she gasped. He continued a steady pace as he felt her getting closer and closer to release. 
“Resh…I’m c-” Gemma moaned in ecstasy as her body collapsed underneath him. Suresh didn’t give her a second to recover before his tongue was devouring her overly sensitive clit. Licking, sucking, and swirling her swollen throbbing nub. Gemma lost all control as he continued to go deeper, pushing her further into another climax. Tasting her as she screamed his name at the top her lungs and her legs quivered and shuddered underneath him as her orgasm washed over her in an intense wave.
Gemma tried to catch her breath as he slowly made his way up her body, trailing her stomach, breasts, and neck with soft kisses. 
He brought his lips to her ear, his breath hot on her neck, and whispered, “are you ready for round three?” He grazed his teeth against her earlobe as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. 
“Yes baby, please I need you,” she whimpered. 
He cupped her ass, lifting her up slightly as he filled her up in one swift motion. 
Gemma snapped her head back and moaned as Suresh thrust into her harder and faster. 
She dug her fingers into his back as he continued to thrust, hitting her most sensitive spot. 
“Babe…fuck…” 
Her walls clamped around him and he could feel her nearing her orgasm with every new plunge. Suresh gazed into Gemma’s eyes, and was met with a look of pure unbridled love, desire and heat. He quickened his pace and Gemma matched his thrust underneath, her legs gripping tight around his waist until they both released at the exact same time, his body shuddering against her as his lips reached down to devour hers, desperately. 
He wrapped his muscular arms tight around her, giving her a light kiss on her forehead. 
“Let me get a towel to get you cleaned up,” he said. 
Gemma smiled up at him, “what an absolute gent, thank you babe.” 
Suresh smiled, got up from the bed and started to head into the bathroom when he heard a text ping, coming from his cell phone. 
Ping.
“Babe, will you check that for me? I bet it’s Simon again about that damn Thomas file.” 
“Sure, babe.” 
Gemma reached over to Suresh’s side of the bed and grabbed his phone off the nightstand. 
She entered in his code, and opened his unread messages. It was an unknown sender. When he walked back in the room, the whole mood had shifted and the silence in the room was deafening. She  was staring at his phone confused with tears welling in her eyes. He could see her body stiffen and her breathing was off. 
Ping.
Gemma looked down at the phone in her hands again in disbelief. “What the fuck is this, Suresh?” She held up the phone screen facing him. 
“Hey it’s Gabi…Thinking about coming to the bar tonight? Would love u inside me again.” 
And then she scrolled down to a picture Gabi took of them together, her head nestled in his neck so you couldn’t see her face, her turtle tattoo taunting him. 
Tears rushed to her eyes. “You’re cheating on me?”
“Gem, please, it’s not how it looks. It was just one time.” He heard how weak his excuse was the moment he said it.
“As if that’s better?!” she spat. “As if one time doesn’t matter? Suresh, you slept with someone else. It’s exactly how it looks!” 
“Gem, please, just let me explain…I was so incredibly drunk after that fight we had…”
“The one last week? You can’t be serious,” she growled. “I just…I just don’t understand... I don’t understand how you could do this to me, to us!” 
“Gemma, I never wanted it to happen. I was so upset and drunk and it’s never going to happen again. I’m sorry, Gemma, please forgive me,” he cried. 
“Forgive you? Fuck you, Suresh!” She wrapped the duvet around her small frame as she got up from the bed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with him seeing her naked. “You’ve had multiple chances to be honest with me. And you’ve just been lying and hiding things from me. You slept with another woman after one fight - one fight - and you couldn’t keep it in your pants''. She laughed, but there was no humor in it, only disbelief and sadness. “I know that I pushed you away after my parents’ separation, and I am sorry for that, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to go fuck someone else. We’re done, we-we’re fucking through.” She picked up her underwear from the floor and pushed past him into the living room to gather the rest of her clothes.
“Gemma, no, please!  It was one time, I love you so much Gemma, please don’t leave me.” 
Gemma spun around and glared at him. “This is not what love is,” she said through gritted teeth. 
“Gemma, please, I’m so sorry.” He reached out to touch her but she stumbled back to avoid him.
“I hate you,” she sneered. “I hate you. I can’t believe you’d do that to me! I thought we’d…” She choked on her words, squeezed her eyes shut. Then she opened her eyes and stared at him, unable to hide the heartbreak. “Clearly I should have listened to literally everyone when they told me I shouldn’t trust you. They said you’d be the biggest mistake of my life. They were right.” 
“No, Gemma, please.” He jumped from one leg to another, trying to pull on his pants as fast as he could as he watched her hurry towards the door. He grabbed his shirt from the sofa and barely let himself pull it on as he ran after her. “Gemma!”
Gemma held her head high despite the tears washing down her face, smudging her make-up further. She heard him follow her, then shout, “I love you!”
She whipped around, almost shaking with rage. “Don’t you dare!”
“I love you so much,” he choked, his eyes welling up with tears. She let him approach her, whimpered when he reached out and brushed his fingers along her arm. “Gemma, please talk to me.” 
“All I ever did was love you, Suresh,” she whispered with tears streaming down her face. 
“I know. And I love you so much. You’re the only one for me,” he pleaded with her, tears running down his own face.  
“I love you, too,” she said. “But it doesn’t even matter anymore. I no longer trust you.” 
She turned from him and ran down the stairs, not bothering to turn around and look at him. It wouldn’t change anything. Their relationship was irrevocably broken, and he was to blame. 
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justtuesdays · 1 year
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love island the game season two: gift exchange
Thank you everyone for participating in this exchange. I (bryn) had an absolute blast getting to know you all and it's been such a pleasure reading through everyone's gift thus far. Hopefully, we'll see you all again soon ;) And the same goes for me (tuesday), it was a pleasure to converse and get to meet all you guys. Big fan of all you guys. Don't be strangers!
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A Project | Carl x MC (Co-Workers) - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for lasswithumor
Dewey Decimal System | Noah x MC - by @longbobmckenzie | for 0shewrites0
Didn't Talk About It | Bobby x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for mrsbsmooth
Domesticity | Bobby x MC, Lucas & Bobby & Chelsea & MC, Lucas x Chelsea - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for callmebeem
Every Color | Noah x MC (Soulmate AU) - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for queen-of-boops
First and Second Chances | Bobby x MC, OC (Margot) x Gary - by @lucolestead | for sunshinejihyun
First Day of Autumn | Noah x MC - by @justtuesdays | for bypine
Fixing the Heater | Henrik x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for justtuesdays
Girls' Night In | Bobby x MC, Bobby & Chelsea & Mc - by @sunshinejihyun | for callmebeem
Just One More Kiss | Lucas x MC - by @justtuesdays | for mrsbsmooth
Just One Question | Noah x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for doulyeah
Matching Costumes for Bra Sisters | Chelsea & MC - by @doulyeah | for whatisreggieshortfor
My Best Friend | Hope x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for aislinnstanaka
Not Taken...Yet | Gary x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for 0shewrites0
Not That Girl | Marisol x Lottie - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for aislinnstanaka
One More Chance | Lucas x MC - by @0shewrites0 | for @doulyeah
Overheard | Bobby x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for lucolestead
Pining and Post-its | Carl x OC (Naleah Coleman) - by @queen-of-boops | for lasswithumor
Purple & Yellow | Lucas x MC (Soulmate AU) - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for aislinnstanaka
Renewed Fancy | Gary x MC, for Bobby x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for sunshinejihyun
Something About You | Kassam x MC - by @lasswithumor | for bypine
Soulmates After All | Lucas x MC - by @aislinnstanaka | for queen-of-boops
Stupid Cronuts | Rocco x MC - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for longbobmckenzie
Surprise? | Lucas x MC (Angst to Fluff) - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for rebelrayne
Take a Risk | Henrik x OC (Isabel Romero) - by @rebelrayne | for justtuesdays
Take in Front | Lucas x MC - by @bypine | for mercedesdecorazon
The Alps | Henrik x Lucas - by @mrsbsmooth | for longbobmckenzie
The Doctor | Lucas x MC (Enemies to Lovers) - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for mercedesdecorazon
The Rogue and The Mage | Kassam x MC, Henrik x MC (Fantasy/Adventure AU) - by @whatisreggieshortfor | for bypine
Typical | Bobby x MC - by @mercedesdecorazon | for lucolestead
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dawnsbreaking · 1 year
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chapter one
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Suresh Desilva never imagined himself buying someone an engagement ring. His dream life included an impressive law school degree and a cushy job in corporate litigation that allowed him plenty of money and time off to travel the world with whichever pretty girl he felt like bringing along. It was all going to plan. That was, until he started seeing Catherine. And all the visions of wedding bells and picket fences that seemed to follow her around.  - Pre-villa. Two proposals gone wrong.
- pairing: Suresh/Catherine (MC) chapter word count: 4,317 read on AO3 want to be tagged in future works?
Suresh Desilva never imagined himself buying someone an engagement ring.
His dream life included an impressive law school degree and a cushy job in corporate litigation that allowed him plenty of money and time off to travel the world with whichever pretty girl he felt like bringing along. And it was all going to plan.
That was, until he started seeing Catherine. And all the visions of wedding bells and picket fences that seemed to follow her around. 
They'd met at a bookstore in the science fiction section. Classic meet-cute. Suresh had been there buying a novel as a gift for one of his nerdier friends from law school but seeing Catherine had made him want to pretend to care about the books she was browsing just to impress her.
He was smooth, asked her out in the same way he did with other girls, and she'd accepted his number despite a skeptical attitude. It had helped that he bought the book she’d wanted for her. Otherwise, she might not have looked his way at all.
Over coffee a week after the bookstore, Suresh learned that Catherine was a Junior Doctor, specializing in cardiovascular surgery. He was thrilled to have met someone as dedicated to their work as he was to his. A doctor and a lawyer, he’d joked, they’d make a great pair.
Suresh had always thought of himself as charming, but getting to know Catherine made him realize that he’d been doing things all wrong. He was charming in a one-size-fits-all way. He walked into a room like a forest fire, expected the world to bend to his will just because it always had.
Catherine, on the other hand, was a slow burn. A pilot light. Reliable but oft overlooked. A tiny flame just for those that bothered to venture close enough. She didn’t charm strangers just by nature of being, she charmed those she cared to charm with painstaking effort. Learning this, like everything else with Catherine, took some time.
She was busier than he was—a first for him, he'd always had girls on his schedule and not the other way around. Many of their dates happened on carefully planned coffee runs in between meetings (Suresh) and during rare lunch breaks from the clinic (Catherine), but they made it work.
It took a beat for Suresh to realize that Catherine taking the time to get to know him at all was a sign of interest and an act of service. Her schedule didn’t allow for frivolous dating and neither did her personality. He kicked himself for not realizing sooner and planned an elaborate dinner to celebrate the milestone of him overcoming his ignorance.
He asked her to be his girlfriend that night and she’d accepted on the grounds of a contract they drew up on a bar napkin. A contract according to Catherine, that is. Suresh refused to endorse the legality of her shoddy document, even though he agreed to the terms wholeheartedly. The bar napkin vows were simple. They would both put their careers first unless things became serious enough to revisit. They would both do their best to communicate problems as they arose. Most importantly, they were exclusive as long as Suresh wanted to be. Catherine didn’t have time to worry about whether or not he was being loyal to her, so she gave him an easy out. They would separate painlessly if they needed to separate.
It had pained Suresh to see such a manifestation of relationship anxiety from Catherine. But he understood her hesitation, humored her, signed his name along a dotted line drawn in pen.
Turned out, the secret to getting a guy like Suresh to want to settle down was an equal match. Catherine worked like a foil to Suresh in all the best ways.
His old tricks didn’t work on her, and her occasional coldness wasn’t enough to keep him at bay. Both of them, though, knew the value of something that took a bit of effort.
After they became official, the relationship took on a whole new form. Catherine slept over after dinner that night and they’d had sex for the first time. Subsequently, she began sleeping over regularly. Often she would visit him late—early, she argued—after long hours of hospital rotations. It helped that Suresh lived near by the hospital. Catherine enjoyed the plausible deniability of a good excuse.
Six months passed without either of them really noticing.
In that time, Suresh learned that he enjoyed the slow burn. He learned that he liked letting her surgeon-steady hand stoke the flames. He learned that things didn’t have to flare up and fizzle out after a thrilling chase at a bar. They could build and rest, wax and wane. Live, breath, settle in.
It frightened and amazed Suresh all at once the way this thing between them felt built to last. And despite both of their reservations, things were beginning to get serious. Which brought him to the engagement ring.
They’d just wrapped up a two week holiday in Bora Bora. And while the trip had been idyllic, perfect days and exciting nights, Suresh found that he was excited to return home to the routines he and Catherine had settled into parallel each other.
It was fast for an engagement—lightning speed for a playboy like Suresh—but he’d heard the old adage. When you know, you know. And, fuck, he knew.
He paid for wifi on the plane to order the ring. Smiled at the secret as Catherine dozed with her head on his shoulder.
-
Suresh had never taken anyone home to meet his family, but he invited Catherine to Christmas in Edinburgh without a second thought. It had been a month since their trip to Bora Bora and Catherine had yet to mention any holiday plans with her own family.
“Come home with me,” he said, muting himself on the call with his mum, “for Christmas, I mean.”
Catherine shrugged, looking him up and down from her favorite place on his couch. Sitting, like she usually did, with a coffee in one hand and a patient file in the other.
“I haven’t got any plans.”
Suresh beamed as he returned to the call with his mother. “Yes, Catherine’s coming.”
He was a changed man, holding her hand under the table as they ate Christmas dinner with his family. Proposing on Christmas was a cliché that Suresh couldn’t bring himself to stoop to, but he was tempted as he watched her chat with his little sister. Laughing behind her hand, trading jokes with his dad and recipes with his mum.
The ring was in Suresh’s suitcase. Gold with stark white gems. A classic, just like Catherine herself. He carried it with him everywhere, even if he wasn’t sure when he intended to use it.
“This food is amazing,” Catherine told Suresh’s mother, dabbing the corner of her mouth gingerly with a cloth napkin, despite there being nothing there. “You’ll have to teach me how to make it.”
“I’ll send you the recipe.” Suresh’s mom beamed.
As much as he loved Catherine in particular, Suresh imagined that his parents would have been happy meeting any of his girlfriends. He could tell that they were just excited to be let into his life. He’d been guiltily aloof since moving out for school. Not quite estranged, but something approaching it.
The scene before him was pure familial bliss, a perfect contrast to the mercurial years he’d spent alone, flitting between bright office buildings and pretty girls and exotic destinations.
He squeezed Catherine’s hand under the table. He loved her. He’d told her so, weeks before, but he was still in awe at how much he meant it.
He loved her.
“I’ve got to get better at cooking,” Catherine said. “My older brother loved cooking when I was younger, so my parents didn’t have as much time to teach me.”
“I’ll tutor you any time.” Suresh’s mum tipped her wine glass in Catherine’s direction. “The door is always open. You’ll need to learn before you’re married!”
Catherine blushed, shifted in her seat.
“Amma,” Suresh groaned, feigning annoyance to save Catherine but feeling warm inside even still. “Don’t be like that. I wouldn’t mind cooking for us.”
He cooked for them plenty already, loving anticipating one of Catherine's visits and providing a hot meal when he knew her hospital days were fueled completely by vending machine snacks and cold cafeteria sandwiches. 
“Maybe Suresh can teach you.” His mum winked, not missing a beat. “I’ve taught him well enough.”
Suresh’s cooking ability was a side-effect of his older sister’s tendency toward feminism and nothing else, but he was glad for it in that moment. Aashvi had rebelled against the idea that she’d have to learn how to run a household just because she was a girl, so their parents thwarted her by becoming egalitarian. Suresh, just a year and a half younger than his older sister, had learned to cook right alongside her.
He was a better cook than Aashvi, now. And more tidy than his younger sister, Dayani.
Catherine, on the other hand, had been raised by parents almost too progressive for their own good. She hadn’t shown an interest in cooking like her brother, so she wasn’t taught. Most of her meals at home came from beginner-friendly meal subscription kits. And, even then, her abilities were questionable.
Suresh didn’t mind, though. Completely antithetical to his stoic nature, he liked the idea of caring for Catherine like his mother had cared for his father and sisters.
As Catherine helped Suresh’s mother clear the table, Dayani held back, giving Suresh a meaningful look as she pulled him aside. His younger sister was in high school, now, but he still saw a child whenever he looked at her. He wondered when she’d started carrying around an iPhone and sending memes to her friends via Snapchat rather than reading children’s fantasy books alone in her room.
“I like her,” Dayani said. That much was obvious, she’d been holding court at the dinner table all night, trying to impress Catherine.
Suresh pinched her cheek. “I know.”
“Whatcha talking about?” Catherine rejoined them, giving Dayani a sly look. “Any good gossip?”
“Desilva business,” Suresh said. He threw an arm over Catherine’s shoulders. “Maybe we’ll get married someday and let you in on all the family secrets.”
“Hah,” Catherine deadpanned.
“Until then…” Suresh mimed zipping his lips and throwing the key toward Dayani, who caught the invisible key out of the air with a flourish.
Catherine smiled. “You two are so cute. It’s a shame Aashvi couldn’t make it, I was looking forward to meeting her.”
“Right.” Suresh grimaced. His relationship with the older of his two sisters was much less fun. Strained at best, soul-sucking at worst. He hadn’t told Catherine much about it, but it was probably for the best that Aashvi hadn’t made it to celebrate Christmas with them.
She stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Maybe next year.”
“Ew,” Dayani joked, “get a room.”
Suresh laughed. “Will do.”
“Gross.”
The room in question was Suresh’s childhood bedroom, now made into a guest bedroom. The single bed had been upgraded to a double once Suresh had gotten a good job and a nice flat and his parents accepted that he’d probably not be moving back in for a very long time. He was grateful that he and Catherine didn’t have to squeeze into a twin bed or sleep on an air mattress in the living room like Aashvi and her partner had done in the past.
Though the bed was different, the rest of the room had remained pretty well intact. His posters from high school had been replaced with family photos—overflow from Mum's scrapbooks, surely. His bookshelves, though, still held rows of mystery novels and textbooks, as well as trophies from debate club and souvenir trinkets from various breaks visiting his parents’ families in Sri Lanka.
“Aw, you didn’t tell me we were staying in little Suresh’s room!” Catherine made pouty-eyes at him and exaggerated the sentence with a cutesy voice. She lingered at the bookshelf, ogling a framed debate club photo.
Suresh rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t sure we were.”
“You haven’t been back here much, have you?” She asked, voice approaching a more serious tone. Catherine was always just one errant thought away from a serious discussion. She didn’t have the time nor desire to keep her anxieties to herself now that she trusted Suresh to hold them.
He turned, knitting his brows at her. “What makes you ask?”
“Your family treats you a bit like a celebrity,” she said, “like maybe this is a special occasion.”
Feeling caught, Suresh took his usual tact for when he didn’t have the words to help her feel better. He pulled Catherine into a loose embrace, turned his voice to silk. His presence was soothing enough, so long as he wasn’t the reason for her fears.
“It is a special occasion, baby.”
“Okay, yeah, it’s Christmas.” Catherine laughed. “But, I mean.”
“No.” He pulled her closer, kissed above the neckline of her red sweater. “Because you’re here.”
“Ah.” Catherine hummed, leaning her head to the side to allow him access to her neck. Her pensive look remained when Suresh pulled back, though, so he resigned himself to the truth.
“I’ve never brought anyone home before,” he admitted, “I’ve never felt the need to with anyone else.”
“Oh.” Catherine examined him with a frown. The stethoscope was missing, but he half expected her to ask him to turn and cough so she could diagnose the root of his family issue.
“I didn’t know that,” she said, finally.
Suresh shrugged. “I didn’t want to make a thing of it, but—”
“That is the kind of thing you might make a thing of, though.”
“I didn’t want to scare you.”
“I’m not scared.” Catherine’s tone went defensive.
She was. And Suresh knew it. Catherine had very little experience with dating. She’d had a boyfriend in high school, but had spent most of her adult life single, sparing a Tinder fling here or there. She distrusted the notion of romance a little bit inherently.
Suresh had to remind himself not to take it as a personal indictment.
“You’re sure?” He asked.
Catherine nodded. Pecked his lips. “I’m sure. Thank you for telling me.”
“Always,” he said. He kissed her forehead, gave a convincing smile, took her to bed.
-
The next morning, Suresh woke up to find himself alone in his childhood bedroom. Catherine was a light sleeper and frequently snuck out of bed when she stayed over at his flat, but it was surprising that she’d felt comfortable to sneak away in his parents’ home.
Suresh got out of bed, throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before venturing to the kitchen, where he hoped he’d find his missing girlfriend.
“Good morning!” Catherine called when she heard the door open. She was sitting at the dining room table, having a cuppa with Dayani. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You could’ve.” Suresh grumbled. He didn’t like being left out.
“I’ve only really been awake for, like, twenty minutes,” Catherine told him. “Have a seat, I’ll make you a cuppa.”
Despite her reservations the night before, Catherine seemed quite comfortable navigating his family’s kitchen. He grumpily obeyed, nodding at his sister as he took a seat across from her.
“Remember when you used to stay up all night on Christmas because you were too excited for presents to sleep?” Suresh asked, trying to lighten his own mood with pointless nostalgia.
Dayani laughed. “Used to? I was up all last night.”
“Glad to see that some things never change.”
Catherine returned, a new teacup in hand. She set it in front of Suresh, her eyes darting between him and his sister.
“My family’s the same as you,” she said, “my parents are always up at four in the morning to open presents. We all take naps after, though.”
“Oh I wish! Mum is the worst, she insists on making a big breakfast for everyone before presents.”
“Actually! Hold on, one second.” Catherine left the table, scurrying back to the guest bedroom without another word.
“Where’s she going?” Dayani asked.
Suresh answered with a shrug. “No clue.”
Catherine returned a moment later with a small box, wrapped in peachy, luminescent wrapping paper. There was a little paper daisy on the front in place of a bow. Looking proud of herself, she placed the box on the table and slid it toward Dayani.
“You can open that one now, if you like,” she said.
Suresh had brought a gift card for each of his sisters, having given up on pleasing both of them long ago. Catherine had signed the cards alongside him. He had no idea she’d gotten other gifts behind his back.
“That’s from me. I hope you like it. Suresh was no help.”
Dayani beamed at her, carefully removing the paper daisy and unfolding the wrapping paper at the seams. She really was on her best behavior, Suresh had never seen her so careful with a gift from anyone else. 
“Oh, this is so pretty!”
“Let me see.” Suresh leaned over the table, trying to get a glimpse inside the box.
Laid carefully on velvet plush was a delicate rose gold necklace with a little Pisces charm. Suresh vaguely recalled telling Catherine that his sister was obsessed with astrology. It had been a passing comment, though, he wasn’t sure how she’d remembered.
“Suresh told me you liked astrology,” Catherine said, suddenly a bit sheepish, “I hope you don’t mind the Facebook stalking it took to find your sign.”
“It’s perfect.” Dayani fingered the charm, taking it in with greedy eyes before looking back up at Catherine. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” Catherine blushed, sparing a sideways glance at Suresh as if asking his approval.
He gave her an encouraging smile, again overwhelmed with affection for her. Beyond everything else, beyond the other things he liked about her, Catherine was always surprising him. It was like she was privy to some secret information about the universe, the way she always knew exactly the right thing to do.
“You’re all up so early.” Suresh’s mom strolled down the stairs at a leisurely pace, playing up the drama of her entrance. She was wearing her pajamas and a fluffy pink robe, but her makeup was done for the day.
“Amma, look at what Catherine gave me.” Dayani held up the necklace in its box for their mom to see.
While his mum and Dayani cooed over the necklace, Suresh rose from the table to slip an arm around Catherine’s waist. He whispered in her ear, “I love you.”
He couldn’t otherwise articulate all the feelings he felt for the moment—all the awe he felt for seeing Catherine’s skill for anticipating the needs and desires of others. The warmth and care he’d won from her extending now to the people in his orbit.
“I love you, too.”
“You didn’t get me a matching necklace, did you? With a Leo charm?”
“Nah, not your style.” She smiled up at him, kissed his jaw. “Sorry to throw you under the bus.”
“Eh, I deserved it.”
“Next time the presents can be from both of us.”
Next time.
Along with the necklace for Dayani, Catherine had also secretly procured an uncannily well-chosen bracelet for Suresh’s mother, a sturdy watch for his father, and something in a small box—wrapped with silver paper and secured with a paper star—for Aashvi. All of this was a sweet revelation when they finally exchanged gifts by the fire after breakfast.
Suresh overheard a conversation about the gifts between Catherine and Dayani as the two settled at the kitchen table afterwards. Catherine had offered to help Dayani with her Biology homework once her profession had been discussed.
“Could I leave Aashvi’s gift with you for the next time she visits?” Catherine asked.
She’d have better luck sending it by carrier pigeon, Suresh thought grimly. Aashvi visited home even less than he did.
“Um, you could do…”
“You ought to just let Daya keep it,” Suresh interjected.
Catherine looked up at him with a frown, reminding him that he’d yet to tell her anything about his relationship with his elder sister. It hadn’t felt worth mentioning until now.
“Or we can mail it,” he said, softening. “That’s easier.”
“Sure.” Catherine returned to her conversation with Dayani, but he knew from her expression that she’d tabled the discussion for when they were in private. He braced himself in advance for her reaction to his lackluster explanation.
It wasn't that he and Aashvi had experienced any sort of dramatic fight or falling out. That kind of direct communication was beyond both of them.
No, they'd drifted apart in their slightly overlapping college years and had just never found enough common ground between them since to mend the rift.
Besides this, Aashvi resented him for reasons beyond his control. And Suresh wasn't the type to accept blame that he hadn’t earned.
He could connect the dots well enough to know what she felt, though. Aashvi was independent like him and opinionated like him. She lived for her work just like he did. Suresh imagined she resented the way their parents expressed disappointment in only one of them for being distant and disinterested in family.
But none of that was Suresh's fault. He'd support her wholeheartedly if Aashvi would just bother to ask him what he thought instead of building up walls around herself. As it stood, they would probably never again be close like they were as children.
He could practically hear Catherine's side of the conversation already. She'd tell Suresh that it was in some way his responsibility to wonder after his sister. She'd say that he was being selfish by not defending her to their parents. That they probably got caught up in a silly misunderstanding somewhere down the line and he'd regret never clearing it up.
The worst part was that for all his aptitude in building strong cases, he didn't know how he'd make an argument against any of those points.
-
Suresh was right on the mark with his predictions for how Catherine reacted to his explanation. They were packing their things that night so they'd be ready to leave the next morning when Catherine brought up the gift for Suresh's older sister again.
"Are we really going to mail this, Resh?" She held out the box, dainty and sparkling. Suresh was tempted to tell her that Aashvi didn't deserve it. The gift in its delicate, shiny paper didn't mesh with the image of Aashvi in his mind, all her rough edges and calloused hands.
"You didn't have to get her anything," Suresh countered, avoiding her question.
It was unfortunate, sometimes, the hold that Catherine had on him. Just one disappointed look was enough to make him reconsider.
Suresh sighed. "Fine. I'll call her and ask for an address."
"You don't know where she lives?"
"She moves around a lot."
Catherine frowned, reaching for his hand to pull him to sit on the bed next to her. “Would you tell me what’s going on? You've bristled every time I've mentioned her.”
Where went his brilliant poker face around her?
Suresh wondered if he'd be able to get Catherine on his side. He imagined all the ways he could shift the story around, rearranging the points in his mind as if preparing to draft a legal document.
Finding no pockets of logic to rest his frustrations with Aashvi safely within, he sighed, giving up before he’d really put up a fight. "It's silly, really. I'll call her."
He made good on his promise the next morning, left alone in the bedroom again as Catherine bonded with his family without him. He’d almost be annoyed at how much his family liked her if he weren’t also wooed by Catherine’s mere presence.
Like he expected, the call went to voicemail.
“You’ve reached Aashvi Desilva,” a recording of Aashvi’s voice said on the other line, “leave me a message an’ I’ll get back to ya’.”
Even in her voicemail, she couldn’t be bothered to pronounce her words properly. She mumbled, still, like a child.
A tone sounded. Suresh had meant to hang up, but he hadn’t. And now he had to record a message, lest his sister receive a ten second clip of him breathing. Christ.
“Uh, hey Aash. It’s me.” He cringed, wishing he’d planned what he was going to say beforehand. “Just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas. Give me a call.”
He hung up, tossed his phone aside to get dressed. With any luck, Aashvi would ignore his call and therefore shoulder the blame for their continued estrangement.
Suresh was buttoning his trousers when his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Suresh?” Aashvi’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. Maybe he’d caught her in the Christmas spirit.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, unconvincingly.
Aashvi laughed and her voice found a sharp note. There she was. “Did Dayani put you up to this?”
“No, I…” He trailed off, unsure where to begin.
Why did he have to make caring for her so damn difficult? This is why he couldn’t ask after her, she questioned his motives every time. “Merry Christmas, Suresh. Is that all?”
“No.” Suresh straightened, leveling his voice as if treating this like a business call would make it feel less like pulling teeth. “I wanted to ask your address. To send a gift.”
“You don’t have to send me anything.”
“Just—“ He took a breath. It wouldn’t do to argue with her. “Just text me your address. Please?”
“Man, whatever’s gotten into you…” Aashvi trilled, giggling like any part of ruining Suresh’s morning was amusing. “Heart grown three sizes today?”
Suresh grumbled, "Something like that."
-
thank you for reading! please don't expect this to be on schedule, i don't even know where it came from. i blacked out at my laptop for three hours and woke up to find this. comments/reblogs appreciated <3
tags: @starsarestars @future-mrs-suresh @aislinnstanaka
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kiwi-tai · 7 months
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Free Alex fic idea
I absolutely do not have time to write this but Alex fic idea for anybody who wants it inspired by that story he told of going to a guys place to fix the cabinets and realizing it was the shared place of the guy and his ex.
So Alex and MC dated and it was great but MC broke up with him he’s very ready to settle and that’s not where they’re at rn or rather that kind of commitment is scary and they chickened out.
It’s winter and it’s brutal not only is it that couples time of the season and MC is single but their heaters busted (it’s been broken since they dated in the summer but who needs a heater then it just never got fixed). I know he’s a carpenter but listen I’m assuming this man is handy at a lot of things (not like that…well…anyway). Or it could be MCs door is busted and the winds coming through regardless it should be cold and who can they call it’s late they can’t possibly wait till morning they’ll get sick or get their flat broken into.
So they call Alex who of course comes over. He has to take off his jacket to fix the thing and he’s wearing like a really nice fitted sweater. It’s angsty, it’s cute, it’s really cold, may I offer someone in there the only one bed trope because it’s so late for you to get home.
Song for inspo and some specific lyrics I think fit the vibe:
Two weeks - Maisie Peters
You were driving fast, I was holding back/ And I loved you babe, but I bet you knew that
When you said we're like your mom and dad/ Knew you loved me babe, when you told me that/ And the song was true and the sky was black/ God, I wish it was two weeks ago
I wish when we went to the beach that day/ We'd taken more pictures, I'd been more brave/ I was happier than I'd ever known/ Now I wish it was two weeks ago
Please tag me if you write this I would love to read it!
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themirroredhearts · 1 year
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Mirrored Hearts ♡ Chapter Seventeen: Video Killed the Radio Star – Part II
“Why are you smiling like a Cheshire cat?" asked Sammi, her eyebrows furrowed, as Allegra zipped up her dress. "Aren't you worried?"
"Not at all, why should I be? That video couldn't have come at a better time," Allegra replied. 
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
link to fic playlist here – more songs to be added with chapter updates
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eurimoon · 2 years
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I made an illustration of a scene from @banirareiko 's fic from @litgwritersroom. When I tell you I'm OBSESSED. Too obsessed that she converted me into a Suresh clown 💀💀
Read the fic here!
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mrsbsmooth · 10 months
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He froze for a second as he watched his name on her lips, and once again, he was dumbstruck by her. Luckily, his body reacted before his brain did, plastering a wide grin on his face. He knew he wasn’t her first choice, but damn, it felt good to be her second.
- - - - - - - - -
Season 6 - from Lewie's POV.
Read Chapter 1 now on Ao3
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eskiix · 7 months
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Playing By Your Rules - Epilogue
Lucas Koh x MC - Post-villa, Friends with Benefits to Lovers Fic Read on Ao3 Posting this beautiful art of Lucas and Katie again, because PBYR is finally complete! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read it! I'm going to miss writing for these two <3
Fic Summary: Fresh from a break up, Lucas meets Katie. Flirty and fun, but emotionally unavailable, she's stuck in bed and bored out of her mind after breaking her ankle. What better way to cure her boredom and help Lucas get over his ex than by falling into bed together? Their arrangement has three rules: No kissing If it stops being fun, it ends And - most importantly - no catching feelings
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0shewrites0 · 7 months
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liquid gold
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Chapter 3: tree houses & dragon slides
Alex stood on the roof terrace, gazing out over the villa, the lawn below him, the crystalline blue waters of the infinity pool glistening in the sun and the sea breaking in the distance.
He'd gone to Casa Amor determined to take things even slower. Everything that had happened with Estelle had made him raise his guard again, and now he was cautious. But one thing was clear - Rory was making that damn near impossible.
He'd never met anyone with a presence like hers. No matter how crowded a room was, everyone would undoubtedly notice her entering it. And not because of confidence like Uma had, no. It was something else.
tag list | @libelle949 @alex-is-my-sexy-handyman @eskiix @hi-im-karla
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sparxaf · 2 years
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I just DO things.
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Kasslix has arrived.
This is a Felix fic. It's angsty. It's affirming. It's about discovering your worth. But it's also about having smutty sex with a complete douchebag.
A03
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Oh and again, this is @longbobmckenzie's idea. And thank you to @mrsbsmooth for editing the absolute fuck outta this. And Sam for doing all the things all the time and being amazing.
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lucas-koh · 5 months
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The Kissing Handbook
Dating 104: Be Flexible
Priya pulls back, eyes widening at his outburst. “Jeez. That’s all you had to say, Hammy.”
He sniffs, bringing his phone close to his chest.
Priya smirks. “Hang on. Is it Grace?”
Well… sort of? “Yes.”
Tag list: @alex-is-my-sexy-handyman @mrsbsmooth 💙
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