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Post by Layla Fair on May 21, 2018 19:26:38 GMT -5
Thanksgiving break was quickly approaching and while Layla was excited to have some time from her demanding schedule, she was less excited that said break would also be spent away from William. Her boyfriend was a staple of her days, given that they'd been lucky enough to be in the same group this year they had all of their classes together. Thus, she'd gotten used to having him around most of the time, not that they were always interacting directly but it was just nice knowing that he was there and as silly as it would be, she knew she'd end up missing him for the days that they'd be apart. In preparation though, she planned on spending a bit more time with him that wasn't focused on homework. Hence, she was currently getting ready to head over to his dorm since his roommate was supposed to be out for the evening with his own boyfriend. Grabbing her keys, she waved goodbye to her roommate and took the short walk over to the boy's dorm building. Getting to William's room she gave a knock but didn't wait for an answer before making her way inside.
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Post by William Aldridge on May 22, 2018 12:42:19 GMT -5
Although William was looking forward to visiting home for the short holiday, he wished it wouldn't mean having to be apart from his girlfriend. That had been the downside of every single break he'd had every since they'd started dating, and he knew it would be that way until they graduated - at which point, they would hopefully both have gotten into the same college. He'd thought of inviting her to come with him, but he knew she also missed her family a lot, and so he'd decided not to bring it up and cause a dilemma for her. Still, now that they were on the brink of having to leave and go their separate ways, he kinda wished he had brought it up anyway, just in case she might have said yes. There was no point in dwelling over it now though, and besides, it wasn't like they would be apart for weeks. It would merely be a few days, and until then, he still had time to spend with her - including tonight, during which they would be able to have some privacy to top it off. He'd not needed to spend much time getting his dorm ready for her, his room tidy as it usually was, but he had taken a shower after class, putting on a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt before settling in bed with the book they were currently working on for English Lit, figuring he'd get a bit of reading out of the way while waiting for her. As it was, he'd barely just made it through one chapter when he heard the knock on the door, but he gladly put the book aside as he got off his bed, going over to the door to greet his girlfriend as she let herself in. "Hey," he spoke with a light smile, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
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Post by Layla Fair on May 28, 2018 18:43:31 GMT -5
Senior year had been a bit of an adjustment for Layla because although she'd thought that she'd been used to the work load at the Academy, they did manage to increase it during their last year, which had simply made it more difficult to see William outside of class as much as she might have wanted to. Her relationship too seemed like it would need a conversation about where they were really planning on going to college and the likes although they had put into applications to several schools together. That wasn't worth talking about until they knew where they got in though, so she wasn't too worried. The fact that he was there to greet her caused her to smile, returning the kiss that he pressed to her lips and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I was thinking about maybe ordering some food. I'm in the mood for Indian. Is that okay?" If he wasn't they could always order different foods. It didn't really matter if they were eating the same thing, the only thing that really mattered was that they were eating together.
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Post by William Aldridge on May 29, 2018 20:29:07 GMT -5
Although this upcoming holiday would be spent apart, William was glad that he and Layla had made plans for the rest of their breaks for the year so that they would be able to actually spend time together. That had been one of the reasons why they probably hadn't bothered to bring up Thanksgiving, seeing as it was a shorter amount of time off. Meanwhile, considering they nearly had a whole month off for Christmas break, it'd made sense to arrange to be together. He'd gotten permission from his parents to spend Christmas over with the Fair family, after which they would head over to Scranton for New Year's. They'd likely arrive around the same time as the rest of the crowd that generally spend part of the holiday season with them, and that plan did mean that a gathering would be in the cards during Layla's visit, but hopefully it would all go well. Then, he'd made plans of his own for their Spring break, after making sure that both their families would be okay to not receive a visit from them during that week, and then summer would be next. Basically, if all went well, this would be the last holiday they would spent the entirety of apart. Not that it made it any more appealing, but maybe a bit more bearable. Smiling lightly as he felt Layla return the kiss he pressed to her lips and wrap her arms around his neck, his own arms finding their way around her waist as he held her close, tilting his head a bit as she spoke. "Indian sounds fine," he told her with a nod, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. Reaching in his pocket so he could take his phone out and bringing up his UberEats app before handing it over to her. "Here. You pick the place."
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Post by Layla Fair on Jun 3, 2018 17:44:20 GMT -5
Layla was always a fan of trying something new and different when she could, dso she often preferred restaurants that weren't standard American fare since that was usually what was served at school. Luckily, William didn't see that as a negative in her and usually indulged her when they went out to eat together. Not that it mattered so much for an order in, though she smiled a little as he agreed to her suggestion nonetheless and kissed her forehead. She did take his phone when he offered it to her and typed in the name of an Indian place that she knew was good and not too expensive. "Thanks," she told him, since clearly by using his account he'd be the one paying. She'd just have to pick it up next time, not that money was a big problem for William - he had more money than she'd ever have at any given point, she was certain. Looking through the menu, she picked a curry and added it to the cart before handing the phone back over to her boyfriend. "With Thanksgiving coming up I figure that I'll get enough of the standard American food. My dad is always very proud of his turkey and he always makes way more than we actually need."
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Post by William Aldridge on Jun 3, 2018 18:19:36 GMT -5
Although William hadn't exactly grown up used to many types of exotic foods, he'd never been a very picky eater. As such, he was generally pretty open to trying new things, and he didn't mind going for less traditional options when he was eating out with Layla. He wouldn't exactly classify Indian as his favorite kind of food, but he liked it well enough, so he didn't really have anything against the idea of having some for dinner. Waiting for her to make her selection before she handed his phone back, looking through the menu and picking a dish as well as a dessert they could share before placing the order. "Alright, it should be here in about twenty minutes," he said with a nod as he put his phone back in his pocket. "And that makes sense," he added in response to her saying she'd get enough of the standard American fare with the holidays coming up. "We don't usually have a whole lot of variety at gatherings, although I guess it's mostly finger food," he mused with a tilt of his head. "But my mom does usually make a pretty traditional Thanksgiving feast. Or, Paula does anyhow," he went on with a light shrug. He honestly wasn't too sure about how much of it she made herself and how much of it was their chef's doing.
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Post by Layla Fair on Jul 2, 2018 11:54:42 GMT -5
There were differences in lifestyle between William and Layla, that was for sure and when she'd visited him over the summer she'd had a glimpse into just how wide the gap between them actually was. True, she wasn't hurting for money herself - as both her dad and pop had good jobs that paid well - but the sheer amount of wealth that William possessed was a bit staggering when she thought about it. Luckily, her boyfriend wasn't the type to flaunt his wealth in any way, nor was he the type that looked down on those without such wealth. Which, honestly, was a good thing because she wouldn't have been able to date him seriously if he had been the type to do so. She laughed a little as he mentioned that they had a traditional feast that was prepared by either his mom or their cook, because the fact that he didn't actually know who was the one who did the cooking was an endearing fact about him. He was always so lost in his own world that it made perfect sense to her that he wouldn't have paid attention to such things. "Well, at least there is that," she answered. "Though, I'm sorry that you're going to have to do a gathering over Thanksgiving break."
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Post by William Aldridge on Jul 2, 2018 15:53:18 GMT -5
William gave a light smile as Layla told him that she was worry he had to go to a gathering over break, wondering idly how she'd react to it once she actually attended one herself. Of course, he wouldn't make her go if she would rather not, but there was no way he would get out of it himself. For the most part, he didn't really mind gatherings that much, because he typically allowed his mind to wander throughout most of it. Sometimes he spent some of it with Mackenzie or Leslie - not generally with Chace, which was the younger guy's decision more than his own - but ever since Mackenzie had started going to college and her intentions of taking over the business were viewed as more of a possibility than before, she had to do a lot more socializing than she'd been made to before. As for Leslie, he figured the amount of time he'd spend with her would depend on whether or not Tristan was invited. He felt like he would be, since their grandma was in charge of the guest list for this one, and she would want to please the younger girl by inviting her boyfriend's family. "I suppose I can't complain. My dad used to have to fly home for almost all of them," he said, scrunching up his nose slightly at the thought. "I only usually have to do that once or twice a year."
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Post by Layla Fair on Jul 4, 2018 11:46:34 GMT -5
William had told Layla a little about the gatherings that he had to take part in and she had to admit that the whole thing sounded a bit outlandish to her, probably because she'd never considered that there would be a culture like that still existing, where children had to dress up and go to parties for the sake of their parents every other month or more. Adults getting together made sense, bringing young adults and older children into it didn't. She didn't really insult it too much in front of William when he wasn't insulting it either because it wasn't really her place to be judging the things that his parents made him partake in when he was otherwise very well taken care of. Not to mention, her boyfriend was very attached to his grandma and she played a large part in these gatherings from what she understood. However, as he added that his father had been required to fly home from Kansas City to go to gatherings almost every time she couldn't help the shocked look that crossed her face. "Almost all of them?" she repeated in a bit of wonder. "That's so much time and money just for some parties. I'm glad your parents are reasonable."
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Post by William Aldridge on Jul 4, 2018 13:40:50 GMT -5
William wasn't surprised to note the slight shock that crossed his girlfriend's features as he mentioned that his father had been made to attend nearly every gathering in his youth, in spite of the fact that he came to school here. "I think the logic was meant to be networking," he said with a light shrug, moving to take a seat on her bed and bringing her down to sit on his lap as his arms encircled her waist loosely. "Since he decided to go to a boarding school, and so wouldn't get to socialize with his peers on a daily basis, they had to find another way for him to stay connected to his environment, I guess," he went on with a shake of his head. "Especially since he was gonna be taking over the family company. I'm pretty sure if my aspirations were even slightly inclined to being business related, my grandfather would push a lot harder for my attending more gatherings throughout the year. As it is, I'm surprised he doesn't do it with Mackenzie," he mused before giving a light snort and shaking his head a bit more firmly. "Nevermind, I'm not surprised. He probably still doesn't take her seriously as the next in line to be CEO."
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Post by Layla Fair on Jul 8, 2018 19:21:47 GMT -5
Layla listened while her boyfriend tried to explain the way that his family had thought in their forcing their high school aged son to attend parties hours away by flight during the school year. It did give her a little more respect for Mr. Aldridge, if she were honest, since the workload at the Academy could be near crushing at times and having to devote hours every month just to go home for an event would have surely made it that much more difficult. She did give a light smile when he mentioned what it'd be like if his own interests were business inclined because the thought of William in running a business was a tad absurd. Her boyfriend, so often lost in his own world, who saw the beauty in the everyday and could do wonders on a canvas, would have never been suited for such a life. "Well then I'm sure he'll be in for a big surprise when she does take over the company," she pointed out as he mentioned his grandfather not taking Mackenzie seriously. "I hope he's not holding out hope that you'll do it. Even if you were pressured into it, you would not be a good person for the job." Her hand moved up to his face, her thumb brushing against his cheek as she smiled at him. "You're too much an artist for it."
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Post by William Aldridge on Jul 14, 2018 10:30:07 GMT -5
William gave a light nod as Layla said that his grandfather would be in for a surprise once Mackenzie did go ahead and take over the company. He didn't even know his great grandfather's thoughts on the matter, but he didn't figure they were any better, either. The older man was one that he barely knew, as he always gave an aura of being too good even for his own family. Not that he minded - the less contact he had with them, the better he was. He'd never been too please to be their namesake, but at least, his own father sort of redeemed the whole thing, since he knew that as far as his mom was concerned, he was named after his dad, nobody else. Shaking his head slightly though as his girlfriend went on to mention that she hoped his grandfather didn't still hope he'd be the one in charge of the company someday, because that wasn't quite the right word. "He doesn't hope, he expects," he said with a light shrug, a slight edge of coldness slipping into his tone as it often did when he spoke of his grandfather. "I honestly don't think even he realized what kind of a wrench my mom would throw in his plans for the future when he decided to let my dad marry her," he went on with a roll of his eyes. "But someday he'll have to get over himself. Even if I were to develop an inkling of interest in being in the business world at this point, I wouldn't take it away from Mackenzie. She's worked practically her whole life for it. And even if she somehow decided she didn't want to go through with it anymore, Chace would do a much better job than I could."
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Post by Layla Fair on Jul 15, 2018 18:36:07 GMT -5
It hadn't taken Layla very long to discover that while William adored his grandmother - always speaking of her with the upmost love and affection - his grandfather was at the opposite end of the spectrum as far as he was concerned. And the more that she'd learned about the old man the more that she'd understood his point of view. After all, he seemed truly awful and she wondered exactly why his grandmother was still married to someone like that - though she never questioned it to William because she didn't want him to take it as a slight. She rubbed his back lightly as he spoke about his expected role in the family and why he wouldn't do it. "Besides," she continued on, her tone a touch teasing. "If you were to go into business the art world would lose a promising individual and I don't think I could forgive you for that." She pecked his lips lightly. "But I am sorry that you have to deal with someone who can't see the type of person you are and where your talents lie." The world was a better place for the art that William brought into it, she had no doubts about that.
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Post by William Aldridge on Jul 31, 2018 14:20:14 GMT -5
William gave a light smile as he felt Layla's lips peck at his own, trying to keep his mind off of unpleasant things as he focused on his girlfriend, his fingers lightly brushing against her skin as they slipped just beneath the hem of her sweater. "Well, I'd never dare disappoint you," he told her as she mentioned that she might never forgive him if he went into the business world and deprived the world of his art, pressing a light kiss to her jaw. "And most of the time I don't," he went on with a light shrug as she added that she felt sorry that he had to deal with someone who couldn't see the type of person he was. "Besides, I feel I'm quite lucky in my place in the family. I'm confident with who am I and what I want, and I have no qualms about pursuing a future my grandfather, of all people, disapproves of," he told her with a small sigh. "He goes really hard on Leslie and Chace, though," he spoke with a frown, shaking his head a bit. "It's a different kind of hard than how he talks to Mackenzie. It's the kind that somehow both demands perfection but conveys low expectations, like they couldn't possibly ever do anything worthwhile in his eyes."
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Post by Layla Fair on Aug 26, 2018 14:21:35 GMT -5
Layla gave William a smile with a shake of the head as he replied to her by saying that he wouldn't dare disappoint her because he was just so William and she loved him for it. He wouldn't disappoint her because of who he was, that much she knew already. As he continued to mention that he was happy with his placement in the family she nodded a little, glad that he didn't really care about anything that would be said about the person he was. She made a slight face as he continued by saying that his siblings had it rougher, looking at him a bit thoughtfully as he explained the predicament that they were in. "It must be difficult for them," she agreed. "Being in a position where no matter what you do it'll never be good enough, but trying to achieve those goals anyway. Damned if they do well, damned if they don't." She tried to imagine what it would be like to have that sort of familial pressure and couldn't. "I'm lucky, all my family is so supportive of me and of Tessa, of course. I don't know who I'd be if I felt like I couldn't do anything worthwhile."
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