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Post by Nick Upton on Jun 30, 2019 17:25:14 GMT -5
Prompt 71: “Let me help.”
It'd been a long day today. There was no denying it. Nick had been out in the fields for most of the day while Miki had worked in some of the animals and mostly watched over the kids - they had four now with the youngest at just a few months old. And summer time meant that - save the few weeks that had a vacation bible school in July, that could take the kids during the daytime for a few hours - Miki's duties actually on the farm fell to others.
Elizabeth and Rosalie were old enough now to do a few things here and there. Elizabeth would collect chicken eggs out and put them in a basket that Rosalie carried back to Mikayla (though she was terrified of the chickens and never tried to grab eggs herself) and the two of them would check water levels for the animals. Elizabeth also would refill the water for the barn cats who kept mice at bay.
Miki, meanwhile, mostly worked inside - doing the more business aspects of the farm where she could look after all the kids. Even though her work was a lot less physically demanding, Nick knew that it was no less difficult than his own. Therefore, he did his best to try and pick up some indoor chores whenever he could as well.
That was why, tonight, after he'd come in for dinner finally he'd gone ahead and brought his own plate over to the sink where Miki was working on the dishes that she and the kids had made earlier. He'd come in later after finishing up the chores that he had to do, telling Miki to eat with the kids before they were too hungry to do anything else.
"Let me help," he said, reaching for the sponge as she rinsed another dish.
"Nick, it's okay, I've got it," she said, looking over at him.
"I know you've got it, but I want to help," he answered, washing his own plate off and handing it over to her.
She sighed slightly but then smiled a little and leaned over to give him a kiss. When she pulled away she looked him over before saying, "You need a shower."
At that he laughed out loud. "Thanks for that, honey," he grinned. "If you'd like, I can wait til the kids are asleep so you can join me."
Mikayla looked at her husband at a measuring way and then gave a nod. "We'll see once the dishes are finished," she allowed, then turned back to the sink to continue her part. He did the same, knowing the sooner that the dishes were finished the sooner he'd get an answer.
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Post by Isabelle Hamilton on Jun 30, 2019 17:28:39 GMT -5
Prompt 75: “Don’t look at me like that.”
It had been a week now since Izzy had started to feel off. Her body was achey, her head hurt often and she overall just felt awful despite the over the counter medicine that she'd been taking. She hid it as best as she could though, not wanting to bother anyone because it wasn't that bad. Besides ,she had too much to do to be taking time off work to go to the doctor or to be trying to organize anything in terms of extra child care.
She should have known that Tanner would catch on though. Her husband had developed a way of looking after her and of figuring out when she wasn't at her best. When she'd went to grab some Tylenol today she caught Tanner giving her a knowing look.
"What?" she questioned.
He raised an eyebrow at her, as if to question if she was really asking him that question and she knew exactly why he was doing it.
"Don't look at me like that." She took the Tylenol and he sighed as he shook his head.
"Iz," he moved to wrap his arms around her waist from behind. "I called the doctor today. Got you an appointment for Tuesday."
Her body slouched slightly at being caught and she gave her own sigh. "Tanner, I promise, I'm fine. It's probably just a bug." She hated when he made a big deal out of things like this, but she knew that there was no way that he'd back down either.
"Well it's one that isn't going away, so you need to see someone," he answered, pressing a light kiss to the side of her head. "Cindy will understand that you need to see the doctor. I set it so that the kids will be in school anyway. 10 AM. If it had been any of the kids you'd have taken them to the doctor already."
"Of course I would have," she agreed without hesitation. That was different, the kids were so important to her and Tanner was so important to her, and she just worried more about them than she did about herself.
"So let's try treating you with the same care that you'd treat the kids. Or me," he suggested as his chin moved to rest on her shoulder. "Okay?"
She knew that she'd never do that. The only times she'd ever gone to see a doctor without being pushed to do so were when she was pregnant. But she figured that she'd try to give Tanner some piece of mind so she nodded slightly. "Okay, I'll go to the doctor," she agreed. She'd listen to him, this time anyway.
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Post by Anna Davidson on Jun 30, 2019 19:31:40 GMT -5
Prompt 58: “I can’t breathe.”
Anna was enjoying spending the day at her house with Noah. Last summer she'd gone to visit him, but this summer he was coming to visit her in New York. Her moms obviously preferred this arrangement because it meant that she was spending more time with them instead of off in Kansas City.
They'd done some of the typical touristy things and caught a Broadway show the other night but today they were just spending time alone together. Her mom was off running errands and her other mom was busy meeting with some producers over a project, while Joseph was off doing who knew what, probably with Landon.
Earlier they'd gone swimming together but now they were laying on the couch, watching a movie. She'd cuddled up to Noah and his arm was wrapped around her. Given that she had only put back on shorts once she'd dried off his hands were resting on her bare skin. At one point he moved his hand though she and jumped slightly.
"That tickles!" she exclaimed, when he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, does it?" he asked, a wicked glint in his eye.
"Noah, no," she tried but it was no use. Soon he was full on tickling her and she was laughing, trying to pull away from him as his strong grip kept her in place. "No-ah!" she shrieked, giggles coming from her as he continued his assualt.
"An-na," he teased, not giving up in the slightest.
"I can't-" she tried to get out between the laughs that were hard to stop. "I can't breathe."
At that he finally stilled his hands though he was looking at her with amusement and she tried to fix him with a stern look, which only served to make him laugh more.
"That wasn't very nice," she informed him, trying to use a stern voice and failing spectacularly.
He did, for a moment, try to look at least a little scolded but he quickly dropped the act. Instead, flashing her a suggestive look. "Are you going to punish me for it?"
Instantly catching his meaning she ran her tongue across her bottom lip slowly and shifted so she could sit up. "Maybe," she answered, reaching behind her back and undoing her bikini top and getting it off. "Or, you could just apologize."
Whatever he chose she had a feeling that she'd be very glad that no one else was home right now.
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Post by William Aldridge on Jul 5, 2019 12:34:46 GMT -5
Prompt 30: “I’m worried about you.”
Will was exhausted, there was no two ways about it. He was in school full time and his dad made him drive over from New York to Scranton every weekend to do 'on the job training'. Except, it rarely took place at work and instead took place at his parents house where he was forced to look over new and old contract terms, review internal company policies and the structure of the company. Amongst all that he was trying to spend time with his wife, who he knew was less than thrilled about him having to spend all his weekends in Scranton. The drives were tiring, his work was tiring, and all together, everything about it was tiring. Especially because it'd all piled on the further into school he'd gotten. His first couple of years he only had to make occasional trips back to Scranton, but now he was nearing the end of his degree it'd become a demand to come home every weekend to prepare. Winter finals were starting to draw close too, making everything more difficult. Not to mention the roads worsening with the weather conditions.
Despite the rain and darkness he'd made it back to the city, greeting his doorman and making his way up to the apartment that he shared with his wife. During the drive home he had called her and spoken to her along the way, but no matter how much they spoke it didn't really make up for the distance that was so clear between them. Talking to Val was all good and fine, but they were both physical people, and he knew that she missed the closeness that they couldn't share when he was away.
He came in to find Val on the couch, her sketch book in hand and she was furiously sketching some design. Though she set it aside and got to her feet, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him in greeting.
"Welcome home," she said, her hands reaching to run through his hair.
Still feeling exhausted from his long day talking business politics with his father and the crappy drive back to the city, he gave her a gentle kiss and a slight smile. "I'm glad to be home."
Her fingers moved to his face, tracing the bags under his eyes gently and frowning. "I'm worried about you," she said, in that direct way that she had. It was something that he loved about her, the lack of pretense. There was nothing fake about Valerie and in a world full of people trying to put on their best faces by whatever means necessary, it had been a breath of fresh air to him.
"I'm fine." This wasn't anything that he couldn't handle. He was in the home stretch of his degree, just a semester more after he got through these exams. True, the exams themselves were a bit of a stressor and sure, he was upset about barely being able to see his wife nowadays, but a break was coming up and then he'd have a month where he was free to spend a lot more time with her.
Val had never been one to like lies though, or to accept them when they were handed to her. Still, she was gentle with him in a way that she might not be with anyone as she shook her head. "Will, you're burning yourself out. Between your homework, studying, classes and driving to Scranton every weekend. It's too much. You need to cut back on the trips home. I doubt there's that much more you can learn now. You've been studying the company since you knew how to read. There's no reason to have you making the trip every week."
"You make it sound worse than it is, it's only two and half hours each way," he pointed out. Well, in low traffic, with clear roads. Today it'd taken him closer to three hours. "I'm managing. It won't be for too much longer anyway." His hand moved through her hair and he pressed a light kiss against her forehead. "Let's not dwell on it now."
She sighed and shook her head but didn't pull away. "I'm just as stubborn as you are William. Don't think this conversation is over," she warned him but leaned into his touch.
Somehow, he had a feeling she was already planning something anyway. Whatever it was, they'd see if it worked but for tonight he was going to enjoy being home with his wife. After all, he had lost time to make up for.
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Post by Scarlet Stevens on Jul 6, 2019 13:50:47 GMT -5
Prompt 1: “I’ve never seen you wear a dress before”
Scarlet was the more traditionally feminine one of her couple. Sure, she was in a relationship with a beautiful woman who wasn't butch by any means, but was definitely more of a tomboy if she had to describe her. Maybe that was why they fit so well together though. Her own pastel and flower preferences, her red lipstick and skirts, her morning prep time and collection of high heels - they were all things that Sophia accepted about her but felt no need to take after. Instead, the brunette favored comfortable and practical clothing, nothing that drew attention to her curves and her makeup - when she ever bothered wearing it, was more to just mask any breakouts than anything else.
The thing was though, that Scarlet was convinced that her bride to be was the most beautiful woman that she'd ever seen. Her dark hair, pale skin and piercing blue eyes were a deadly combination to start with and then when it was paired with her body... well, it was no wonder that she'd known that she had to be with her the second that she'd seen her. No doubt she was a knockout beauty.
In terms of their wedding though, she'd found that it make things fairly easy. Sophia wasn't overly picky about things like flowers, didn't really care too much about table settings or the decorations around the reception and ceremony spaces.
The first time someone had asked them if they were going to see each other's dresses before the wedding she turned and looked at Sophia in mild surprise.
"I've never seen you wear a dress before," Scarlet said, having never considered the idea that Sophia might wear one to the wedding. She was sure that the brunette would look stunning in a dress, but it just hadn't come up. Honestly, she had difficulty even considering what Sophia might look like in a wedding dress.
"And you're not about to," Sophia answered. "I wasn't planning on wearing one for the wedding." She didn't seem apologetic over that and Scarlet wasn't surprised by the news.
In fact, that made a lot more sense to Scarlet and she smiled as she pressed a light kiss against her fiancee's cheek. "Of course not. I still don't want to see whatever you're wearing before the wedding. And I definitely don't want you to see my dress."
Sophia gave a nod and squeezed her hand. "I didn't figure it'd be any other way," she assured the redhead.
With that settled, the conversation evolved into talking about cake flavors and signature cocktails and what they were thinking of doing for a honeymoon. There was a lot to get settled in terms of a wedding, after all, and they had a while to go before theirs was over.
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Post by Julian Hart on Jul 6, 2019 14:18:09 GMT -5
Prompt 38: “Are you flirting with me?” “You finally noticed?”
Although Julian had never considered himself to be the oblivious type, he was one of the few people that thought such a way about himself. Others around him would and did consider him the type that was not great at reading between the lines. Worse still, it wasn't that he was unintelligent, it was just that the subtleties tended to escape him.
Sometimes, that meant that he got himself into situations that would have otherwise been avoided if he had been better at catching onto what people were saying by their tones. Other times, it just took him far too long to catch onto something others would have considered to be obvious.
Today he was meeting up with Rosalie for the first time in New Haven and he was wondering how it was going to go. He liked Rosalie, she was gorgeous and intelligent and honestly just an interesting person to talk to. They were friends, but maybe on the way to something more? He wasn't really sure.
At times he felt certain that she was flirting with him. Other times he felt he might have been reading into things incorrectly. All together, it was hard to tell. Hopefully today things would be cleared up.
When he got off the train, he looked around and was happy to catch sight of Rosalie standing off the platform. With a smile he made his way over to her and was struck by how small she actually was. "Hey," he greeted, hesitating for a moment before going in for a hug.
"Hey," she answered, sort of awkwardly hugging him back.
He didn't prolong the hug for such a reason. Instead, he pulled back and looked down at her. "You're shorter in person," he said, joking to try and lighten the mood a little.
The look that he got in response to the comment indicated that she wasn't thrilled with it. "Or maybe you're just taller in person," she answered, raising an eyebrow at him in challenge .
A chuckle escaped him as he gave a slight nod. "Maybe," he allowed. "I'm ready to go and see the sights of New Haven though."
"Yeah, you're about to be disappointed," Rosalie said. "The sights are limited at best."
"I'll settle for limited sights and good company," Julian smiled, figuring that he really didn't care what they ended up doing so long as he got to spend the day with the blonde. After talking to her for months now, actually hanging out together was the goal.
She gave him a smile as she looked up at him. "Well that I can give you," she said. There was something to her body language that made him think that maybe this was a flirtatious comment but he wasn't sure and so he decided to not comment on it for now.
Instead, he let her lead the way out of the station and out to the first order of business for the day. Admittedly, that was coffee for him. He'd already had one on the way over, but he needed another, so he let Rosalie lead the way to the nearest Dunkin Donuts. They each got some coffee and then headed out, properly caffeinated.
It turned out that she hadn't been lying in saying that there weren't many sights in New Haven, but he was enjoying exploring the college town anyway. Talking to Rosalie was easy and it was even easier to look at her. Their interactions hinted toward flirting and he caught her looking at him a few times.
While they were walking along the river and talking he got the impression more and more that she was flirting with him. "This is a really nice area," he commented as they walked along.
"Nicer today than some others," she replied, looking at him in a way that seemed to be urging him to do something. He didn't want to make the wrong move though.
At this point Julian decided just to go ahead and ask. "Are you flirting with me?"
Rosalie's light eyes closed and she sighed before she opened them back to look at him. "You finally noticed?" Her tone had a touch of sarcasm in it - maybe more than a touch, even.
"I didn't want to.. you know, assume that you were," he explained. She was still looking at him in a way that suggested disbelief. "Or make things awkward by my wishful thinking."
"I was being pretty obvious, you made things more awkward by only sometimes replying," she answered.
"I'm sorry, I'm not always great at reading between the lines." There he shrugged, but gave her an apologetic look anyway. "I didn't mean to give you mixed signals or anything. I like you, Rosalie. And not just as a friend." They'd stopped walking at this point and stood side by side.
She was looking up at him and she saw her smile a little at his words. "I like you, too, Julian. Not only as a friend either." Maybe she was being more direct for his benefit. She stepped closer to him and there was only a couple of inches separating them now. "Do you need help reading between the lines with this?"
This he could figure out and so he shook his head, leaned forward and captured her lips with his in a kiss. His hand moved to rest on her cheek, his thumb lightly brushing against her skin as their lips moved together. What started out as innocent enough deepened slightly without him even needing to think about it, causing him to only pull away after he felt like he needed to breathe.
Once they parted, he stared at her for a moment and then grinned. The trip out here had definitely been worth it.
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Post by Michelle Foster on Jul 6, 2019 17:34:19 GMT -5
Prompt 69: “I didn’t want you to see this.”
Michelle was having a nice night hanging out at Naomi's place. Jonathan was at work, so the two of them were just hanging out together, watching a movie and drinking sangria. Overall, it was very enjoyable. The only thing that sucked was that London had to work and so she couldn't make it on the warm September evening. She and Naomi had similar likes in terms of tearing a Netflix movie apart while watching together, laughing at the critiques that the other gave in terms of story or fashion or music choice.
It was getting a bit later when her phone rang. Surprisingly, she looked down and saw that it was Philip. Her boyfriend - though, he earned the title through being the consistent plus one in her life, not from much else - rarely gave her a call. Usually, he texted her when he wanted to hang out. The fact that he was calling at all said that something serious was going on so she asked Naomi to excuse her for a moment and headed out into the hall.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked, cutting to the chase. She hadn't grabbed her shoes when she made her way into the hall, standing in the tile she wished that she had.
"Oh great, you decided that I was worth answering for," Philip's slurring voice was on the other end of the line. He was drunk. Very drunk. Possibly high. He'd been getting a bit out of control lately with the substances and she'd told him as much last time that she'd need him. Partying was all good and fine, but it had a place and he was starting to get over his head. When she'd first gotten involved with him they both agreed that drugs were too risky to mess around with - too likely to develop a dependence on and too costly. He seemed to have changed his stance over the summer.
Picking an argument was not going to do anything so she took a deep breath in before answering. "Why are you calling?" she asked instead, keeping her tone steady. His moods got unpredictable in times like this.
"I need you to lend me some cash," he answered. "I can come pick you up. Show you a good time after."
Now she felt her mouth pull together tightly. First of all, it wasn't like she had cash to spare anyway. Her budget was very strict, with her entertainment allowance already all allotted for the month. And she wasn't going to take out of savings for him. Secondly, she didn't even like hooking up mostly sober when he was drunk. "I don't have any cash."
"Bullshit," he swore and she closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. "You and I both know we've got that savings account. Don't be a bitch."
Her own temper flared at this point, she was not going to take being talked to like that. "Don't call me a bitch. I'm not emptying my savings account to give you money you don't need."
"Selfish whore," Philip snapped, the sound an ugly contrast between the tone and speed. "All you ever think about is yourself. I'm sorry I even met you."
"Sober up, Phil," she answered, suddenly feeling tired as she went to head back into the apartment. He needed help, clearly, and she was not the person to give it. Their relationship had always been so breezy and easy, she'd trusted him to be the guy that would stand by her side and never expect more. Never ask for more of her than to do the same - to make sure neither of them had to fly stag to important events that were best attended by a partner. And to always have someone to call up to hook up with when needed. It seemed time to sever that tie though.
"I swear to God, if you hang up on me, the next time I see you I will make you regret it," he threatened, his voice low and dark.
She paused, a cold prick of fear in her stomach because he sounded very serious. Her hand shook as it was held out toward the door handle and she brought it back to her side. "I just don't see what I can do for you right now, Philip," she answered, her tone more careful than it was before but she managed to keep a quiver out of her voice. "Given that, I thought you might want to call someone else."
He snorted. "Don't see how you can help. Alright, Chell, I'll call someone else." She let out a breath she didn't know that she was holding. "But I'll see you around, babe. And when I do, I expect you to be a lot more helpful, or I might not be in such a good mood. Got it?"
A part of her was very worried what that meant, but then, she had probably listened to too many newscasts about crime. "I'll see you later," she answered, her voice still steady.
"Did you hear what I said?" he questioned, apparently not happy with that answer.
"I did and I said I'd see you later," her patience was wearing thin and her nerves were on edge.
"Fuck you, always have to be the smartass maybe you'll regret that later," he hung up and she could tell that he was pissed. Maybe she'd made a mistake there.
For a few minutes she stood at the door, her hands still shaking as she tried to calm herself down. Her imagination was getting the better of her, telling her that he was going to go on some drug fueled rampage but that was ridiculous. Despite trying to calm herself down, maybe it was the alcohol but she found herself tearing up. She was so in her head that she didn't hear the footsteps approach, didn't realize anyone was behind her until she heard someone speak up.
"You gonna go inside, or are you just planning on blocking the door?" Jonathan had apparently finished work and was back. He wouldn't be able to see her tears from his angle, which was good and the tears were slow enough that he shouldn't be able to read it in her body language. She made no move to indicate that she'd heard him, just tried to force herself to stop crying. "Michelle?" he asked after another moment of her not moving.
Because her emotions were all over the place, she was suddenly angry at him, although she knew that she had no place to be. Turning she faced him head on, a few tears still streaming down her face. "Sorry, I didn't want you to see this," she gestured to her face, her tone sarcastic. "But I'll get out of your fucking doorway."
The way that he looked at her was hard to place. Maybe because she didn't know him well enough, even after months of being acquaintances. Maybe he was surprised, maybe he was frustrated at her snapping at him, maybe he was something else entirely. Whatever he was, she didn't want to hear it so she turned before he could speak and pushed the door open, then went to grab her shoes and her bag.
"I'm leaving," she told Naomi. "It was great seeing you but I've got to get back to my place."
Even though Jonathan had literally just gotten home, he made the offer she knew he'd make. "Let me give you a ride, at least," he suggested.
"I don't need a ride. I just ordered an Uber." She hadn't yet, but she was going to. "And I don't really feel like being around anyone right now anyway."
"Michelle, please, let Jonathan give you a ride," Naomi said, looking at her worriedly.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll see you later," Michelle waved the other woman off. "I'll text when I get home if it makes you feel better."
Naomi agreed that it would and Michelle determinedly refused to look at Jonathan when she left. If there was one thing she hated, it was showing weakness.
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Post by Via Davidson on Jul 6, 2019 18:01:39 GMT -5
Prompt 74: “Are you ready for this?”
Via sat in the car on the way to the festival. She was in a comfortable dress, nicer than the ones that she usually wore though. Her foot was tapping against the carpet and she kept looking outside feeling anxious. This was going to be her first time showing at Sundance and it was a big deal. She knew that it was a big deal. The reviews that she got here could help further her career, get her more funding and overall get her working with some bigger names. If her film wasn't well received, it could hinder her and set her back possibly for years.
The one thing keeping her from totally losing her mind was the presence of her wife, Ruth, who sat next to her dressed a touch more casually than Via. The ticket that she had gotten to bring her wife had been a surprise, but a welcome one. Honestly, she wasn't sure she could have handled something this monumental without the other woman at her side. But then, what if she failed right in front of Ruth? What if her wife was there to witness a lukewarm or outright negative reaction to the film she'd submitted? What if-?
"You're stressing yourself out," Ruth said, looking over at her and reaching for her hand. "You made an amazing film. They wouldn't have selected it if you hadn't. Already being chosen to show is telling of your talent."
That was Ruth, always the most practical person that Via knew. A voice of reason through any storm. She nodded and tried to force her leg still. "I know. I'm just worried. It's my first major festival. How I fare here is really a make or break situation."
"No matter what happens, you will keep making great movies, Via," Ruth assured her, looking at her in that slightly forceful way. Sometimes, Via thought that Ruth was able to will things into happening. "I'm proud of you and Joseph, is a baby but he'll be proud of you once he understands the concept."
The thought of their infant son - currently being watched by Ruth's mom - did make Via sigh a little. Clearly, this was no place for him but she found herself missing the boy and she did hope that someday he might be proud of her accomplishments. Leaning over she pressed a light kiss against Ruth's lips. "Thank you for coming with me," she said, knowing that it might not have been her first choice of what to do .
"I wouldn't let you do this alone," Ruth answered, squeezing her hand as the car came to a stop. Once they stepped out they'd make the walk to the red carpet of sorts and be photographed more than Via had ever been photographed at any point in her life. "Are you ready for this?"
Via looked at her wife, leaned forward and gave her another brief kiss and then parted from her. "With you? I'm ready for anything." A quick adjustment to her skirt and she was opening the door, heading out and preparing herself for what was sure to be a night to remember.
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Post by Ivy Chavez on Jul 13, 2019 21:12:16 GMT -5
Prompt 52: “I’m scared.”
It was just a little over a month and a half ago that Ivy had noticed her period - which had been coming like clockwork since she was twelve years old - had been late. She allowed herself forty-eight hours before going to a pharmacy and getting a pregnancy test, which she'd then taken while Eric was in class (not planning on letting him know if it came up negative). It had come back positive and she'd told him, then waited a few days and gone to the hospital to get it confirmed by blood work. They had confirmed as well that she currently expecting and she and Eric had to sit down and talk about how things would work out.
She was finishing up her last year of school and this had not been in the plans, but if everything went well during the pregnancy, she should finish the year before having the child. They weren't going to tell anyone yet though, only their respective best friends.
"In case anything happens, I don't want to have to tell everyone about it," she explained, finding that Hazel would be the only one she'd want comfort from. "We can tell them a little later."
"Okay," Eric had agreed. Already it was clear that for the majority of the pregnancy decisions he was planning on defaulting to her. Which was good, because she would be doing pretty much what she wanted - with suggestions from him on occasion.
Her date that she'd feel comfortable starting to tell more people would probably be around the four month mark and even then she'd limit it until the sex of the baby was to be revealed. She didn't care too much about what the sex would be, though she did find herself starting to wonder whose features the baby would take and what sort of names might sound good.
The logical part of her brain warned her not to get too attached to the idea of the baby. She was well aware of the statistics regarding women and their chance of miscarriage. Even so, every day that passed she couldn't help but think about the future. Who wouldn't?
Then it happened. In the middle of the night she woke up in pain, especially in her abdomen. Sitting up she cringed, reaching her hand down to her stomach and pressing down on it a little to try and soothe the pain. It was then she realized that her underwear seemed wet. A sense of dread filled her and she hurriedly pulled the blanket down turned on the light on her bedside table.
Beside her, Eric shifted, turning more fully to face her. "What?" he questioned, clearly just groggily coming to consciousness.
She wasn't paying attention, she was looking down at the sheets on their bed. Where she'd been there was blood and her breathing started to pick up, tears prickling in her eyes as she tried to pull herself together. Sometimes women bled and it wasn't a big deal. There seemed to be a lot of blood though, more than just a few spots - her underwear was soaked through. "Eric," her voice sounded weird to her own ears, strangled and hollow and afraid.
Something about it must have been off for him too because he instantly seemed to be awake, shooting up and looking at her. He seemed to pale as he took in the blood that was around her.
"Eric, I'm scared," she admitted, looking down at all of this blood it seemed impossible that anything could have survived this. Usually she felt strong, untouchable and never afraid. Right now though, she felt weak and fragile and awful.
For a moment he seemed frozen and then he was pulling her to him, holding her tight and kissing the top of her head. "We've got to get you to the hospital," he told her, seeming to gather his wits about him as he pulled away.
"I need to- I need to wash up," she said, knowing that she couldn't go like this. "Give me a minute." Standing up made her legs feel funny and looking at the blood that remained on the sheets she felt that shock of fear and horror once more. Staring at it made it worse; she looked away and started toward the door.
He nodded. "I'll pull out your clothes and hire a taxi." Already he was grabbing his own clothes and getting them on.
Meanwhile, she made her way to the loo and turned on the tap, stripping off her underwear and throwing them straight into the garbage. Instead of turning on the shower she simply took a seat on the side of the tub and grabbed the loofah that she usually washed with, wetting it and wiping the blood away from her skin. The way the red water swirled around the drain made her feel sick and filled her again with the certainty that she had just joined the statistic of women who suffered a miscarriage. Nonetheless, she forced herself to get clean, crying as she did so.
Once the blood was washed away, she dried herself hurriedly - using the towel to wipe away her tears as well and then made her way back to meet Eric. It didn't matter that she already knew what the doctor was going to tell her, she got dressed and followed Eric out to the taxi once it arrived, holding his hand and staring out the window without any more tears. It was one thing to break down in front of Eric, it was another to do so in front of a total stranger. Besides, what did she have to fear anymore? The worst was already happened.
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Post by Dominic Wilde on Jul 14, 2019 16:42:38 GMT -5
Prompt 32: “Are you hurt?” “No.” “Then why are there bruises all over your face?”
Today had been a particularly rough day at the firehouse for Dom, or rather, the last twenty-four hours had been rough. Two car crashes - one with a fatality - and then a fire recuse at an apartment building as well. The car crash was worse because the driver had kept trying to get to the deceased passenger and he'd had to try and hold back the guy. With how strong he was it wasn't that big of a feat but the guy was struggling against him with all his might as he tried to get him calmed down and that had resulted in a few different hits to his face from his flailing arms. Desperation could cause even the most unassuming of people to pack quite a punch. In the end they'd had to get him some medical help because it was clear that the man was having some sort of breakdown and Dom had been glad when the guy had been forced into an ambulance to be examined.
During his drive back to his apartment was uneventful and he was ready to just climb into bed with Ella when he arrived, knowing that she had today off. Stripping off his clothes and putting them into the hamper he got into bed with his still sleeping fiancee, smiling a bit as she instantly moved to snuggle closer to him when he got into bed. His arm wrapped around her and he pressed a kiss to her forehead when she moved to lay on him.
Her eyes opened sleepily as she looked up at him but then she sat up quickly, looking down at him with worry. "Oh my God. Dom, are you hurt?" she demanded.
"No." He was confused at her question, having forgotten the possibility that there could have been marks left from his encounter late the night before with the grieving man.
"Then why are there bruises all over your face?" she asked, a little pointedly as she looked down at him. To be honest, he couldn't complain about the view it offered him since she hadn't been wearing anything to sleep.
"Oh, that. Had to restrain a very upset car accident victim and he did not really appreciate it," he answered, giving a shrug. He'd taken some Advil after the incident and sort of forgotten about it. Even when he'd caught sight of the few bruises that had bloomed from the hands of the victim he'd sort of just ignored them. With how little sleep he'd gotten yesterday he had different things to worry about. "It doesn't really hurt or anything. Come lay back down, I'm tired."
The answer seemed to relax Ella a little but she was still looking at him in that way that she did which said that she was worrying and she sighed as she slowly moved to take back her place in his arms. "I'm sorry you got hit," she offered.
"It's just the way it is sometimes," he answered, honestly not bothered by it. "I'd probably do the same if someone was trying to stop me from getting to you if you were hurt."
The logic that he used there seemed to resonate with her because she nodded against his chest. "Yeah, people tend to forget logic when they're in panic mode. Though I pity anyone who'd have to try and hold you back."
At that he couldn't help but chuckle because there were definitely guys at the house who he'd just plow over if he needed to. "Don't pity anyone who tries to keep me away from you when I know you need me," he answered, rubbing his hand along her back and pressing another kiss to the crown of her head.
"You know, you should know better if you were in that situation," she pointed out, pressing a kiss to his chest. "That they'd keep you back because they need to help me."
"Ella, if it came to you, all logical thought would be so far out the window that none of that would even cross my mind." The thought of something happening to her did make him hold her a bit tighter, as if keeping her close would stop anything that might come her way. "Now, let me go to sleep. I'm tired and I just want to be here in bed with you."
Her lips pulled into a smile against his chest and she pressed another peck there before closing her own eyes. "Alright," she answered, yawning a bit and nuzzling her face against him as she tried to get more comfortable. Another hour or so of sleep would be well enjoyed.
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Post by Gabe Mead on Jul 15, 2019 15:48:49 GMT -5
Prompts 5: “Distractions! All of you are distractions! I can’t work like this.”
It was a rainy Saturday in New York City, and that meant that all of the kids were inside the house. Violet had come up with some games to play for their children to keep them entertained. It sounded like they were having a great time too, judging by the way that laughter kept ringing out from the living room.
Gabe, on the other hand, was busy in his office looking over a script that he was supposed to be learning for an audition. The script was dry. He didn't particularly want the part, but the job of an actor was largely auditioning and his agent thought he'd be a good fit. Work was never guaranteed for him either, so he couldn't turn down auditions just because he thought a project a bit uninspired. Getting through the script was a chore in the worst way and he was trying to drudge through it nonetheless.
Another peel of laughter broke out from Rachel, while he heard Carter protesting that some ruling that was being upheld was unfair.
"Carter, those are the rules," Violet's voice cut through. "If we don't want to play by them then we don't have to play at all."
Now he heard Rachel abruptly stop laughing. "Don't ruin the game for all of us, Carter!" she lectured.
"I'm not!" Carter argued back. Gabe could imagine his son crossing his arms across his chest and glaring toward his sister.
"Rachel, Carter, if we can't be nice to each other we won't be playing anymore," Violet said patiently. She never let the two of them argue for too long, never put up with it but did so with a patience that he did not always possess.
There was a little bit of grumbling but then the game seemed to resume based on the noise that he heard. For a few more minutes he sat and tried to get through the script before deciding that he was not going to miss out on some fun with his kids. He could read the script later.
Walking into the living room he threw his hands up in a dramatic fashion. "Distractions!" he exclaimed. "All of you are distractions! I can't work like this."
Veronica looked up at him in worry. "Oh no, daddy. I'm sorry. We can be quieter."
On the other hand, Rachel looked delighted. "Come play with us, daddy!"
Violet gave an apologetic look to him before shaking her head. "We'll keep it down, sorry sweetie. Kids, your dad has important work to do, so we need to be a little quieter."
Gabe shook his head, crossing the living room to the coffee table where a board game was laid down. "Nope, it's too late. I'm too distracted. I must play the game. Whose team should I be on?"
"Mine!" Came a chorus of voices.
"Well, how am I supposed to pick between my three favorites?" he asked aloud, looking between the three of them before looking up at Violet. "What do you think, Vi? Whose team should I join?"
Violet gave him a fond look while she shook her head. "Oh no, that's something you need to decide on your own."
Leaning over he gave Violet a light kiss, ignoring the comments that came from the kids as he did so. "Thanks for the help, babe," he teased. "Now let's see... can I be on everyone's team? What do the rules say? I'm deciding to be on everyone's team. That way I win for sure." He gave a wink toward the kids.
"That's not fair!" Carter cried, always having a deep respect for fairness.
"Alright, alright. I'll find a way to pick a team," he relented and pulled out his phone to ask for a random number between one and three. It said three, so he joined Rachel on her team and let Carter explain the rules to him once he was seated. This was a much better use of his time anyway.
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Post by Ryan Lawrence on Aug 10, 2019 13:11:47 GMT -5
Prompt 9: “No, you can’t hold my hand right now.”
Ryan was excited to be in Hawaii. He'd never visited the island state before. His girlfriend, Tasha, though had spent many years visiting her mom and clearly loved the place. As a result, he'd decided to accompany her on the visit to her mom's this time around as things were getting fairly serious for the two of them.
It was going to be a very relaxing vacation and he was genuinely looking forward to being shown around by Tasha to all of her favorite places. He had also decided that he was going to lean into the destination. That meant that he'd brought a variety of more colorful options. This morning, after he had showered he pulled on a Marvel short sleeve button down that featured heroes amongst the floral pattern and some shorts before going to meet Tasha in the living room where she must be since she was no longer in the bedroom where she'd been getting ready previously for the breakfast they were going out to.
She turned when he entered the room, took one look at him and shook her head. "No."
Looking down at his shirt, he looked back up at his girlfriend and raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, seeing nothing wrong with his attire.
"You look like a characterization of a white tourist," she answered smartly, her arms crossing over her stomach. The motion caused his eyes to flick down to the cleavage that was more prominently highlighted by the move. She caught him, giving a look that was probably to tell him that she was putting in an effort and he should too.
"I am a white tourist," he replied, holding up his hands in a sort of nonthreatening sort of way. Tasha was stubborn, but he hadn't been involved with her for years not to understand the proper way to deal with her.
"Yeah, but you don't have to look like one!" The woman across from him gave her huffy sigh that he recognized all too well as meaning that she was annoyed, but not actually mad. That much he could handle. "Go change into something else."
At that his lips pulled into a line and he gave a shrug of the shoulders, his dirty blonde hair falling into his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. "I don't think you're going to appreciate anything else I put on any more." He thought of the new collection of button downs, of the brightly colored shorts and the few graphic tees that were in his luggage.
The way that Tasha's glare darkened before she closed her eyes said that he might have made an error. "Why are you determined to be like this?" It was a rhetorical question, so he did not bother with an answer. "Let's go then." She grabbed her bag and her phone and immediately started texting someone. If he had to guess he'd think that it was Tiffany, probably to complain about his attire. Possibly about having to go into public with him. He knew she'd forgive him eventually though.
As they went to walk out onto the street, he reached to grab a hold of her hand as he often did when they were walking. Except Tasha pulled her hand away and shot him a dark look that told him not to try again.
"No, you can't hold my hand right now," she informed him, her tone hard. "Not when you're dressed like a middle aged man on vacation with his family."
"Hey, I am not. A middle aged dad would have cargo shorts." Ryan gestured to the salmon colored shorts that finished a above the knee and down to his ankle socks and plain canvas shoes. "And socks with sandals."
"Fine, then some sort of white hipster dad," she corrected, clearly still not impressed. "I'm not holding hands with a hipster dad."
Maybe her resolve would weaken by the end of the trip. Or more likely, she'd get tired of people assuming that they weren't a couple and trying to hit on either one of them and start acting a bit more accepting of his festive style. Either way, he accepted that for now he was to walk beside his girlfriend without any contact. Nothing could keep him down for long on this vacation.
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Post by Carson Medawar on Aug 10, 2019 13:49:44 GMT -5
Prompt 18: “I trust your opinion”
Carson was in a bit of a tough spot. Not that he could really complain about it, because the spot was a very good place to be. He'd recently heard back from two different productions that he'd auditioned for. Thus far his movie career had mostly been supporting roles but even then he knew that he was doing well, there was nothing to complain about in terms of the work that he'd been picking up at a mostly steady way.
The problem was, that there was no way that he could take each role. Both were leading roles on scripts that he'd read and had been very interested in. Complex roles that had award nominations written across them if done properly. His agent was thrilled by the news, but it was ultimately up to him to choose which role he wanted to take on.
This was the first time he'd had a problem with scheduling conflicts. A young actor still finding his footing took the roles that were offered and auditioned for everything that he could possibly fit the description for and wasn't completely disgusted by. Some jobs he loved, some he hated, but all accomplished getting him a paycheck and more credits under his name. Now he had to make a choice, pick between roles and figure out which would be the best for his career.
His agent had a preference toward one of the projects, but honestly, he still wasn't sure how much he trusted her judgment. The two of them had clashed already over opportunities that he'd turned down - but he knew what he was about and what he was willing to do.
Instead, he waited until his wife had come home from her classes and asked her to sit down with him. "Steph, I got the parts," he informed her, as he always did when he was signing on to new projects.
"Oh, Carson! That's great! Which ones?" Stephanie's easy smile and genuine excitement for him was hard not to be appreciative of. She was his biggest supporter, always ready to cheer him on.
"The movie projects. The big ones," he explained, watching her eyes widen and her smile grow larger. Before she could say anything he interrupted. "I can only take one. The shooting overlaps."
At that she did dampen ever so slightly, but it was hard to keep her down. "But you said either one would be great, and it's so impressive that they both want you!"
"That's true," he acknowledged. "I don't know which to take."
She reached out and covered his hand in her own. "You will figure it out. How much time did they give you?"
"I have a couple of days, but you're missing what I'm saying here, Steph," Carson explained, looking into his wife's wide eyes. She was so happy to just support him, she was doing just that. Providing him with a supportive base. Her eyebrows pulled together slightly and she looked at him in a very cute, confused way. "I want you to help me decide which to take."
"Oh, Carson, I'm not... I don't know which part will be better for you," she looked a little alarmed at the prospect. "I'm sure you and your agent would be better at weighing it out and-"
He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. "I trust your opinion," he interrupted, firmly and decisively. "I honestly can't decide and I don't know if my agent is right in what she's thinking. I want your thoughts on which project will be better. I've drawn up overviews of each and I want you to look it over and tell me, honestly, which project seems more worthwhile."
For a moment, the blonde woman sat in silence. He could tell that she was still thinking about it, but she was such a helpful person and so she nodded. "Okay," she answered, smiling a little when he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss.
He took the film she suggested, rejecting the part that his agent had been pushing him toward and instead fully embracing the project that Stephanie had suggested that he take. Two years later, he got his first Golden Globe nomination for the role and he bought his wife a bouquet of flowers and took her to a nice dinner to celebrate her decision that night.
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Post by Christopher Quinn on Sept 2, 2019 21:04:05 GMT -5
Prompt 34: “Is there a reason you’re blushing like that?"
Despite not being the most built person around, Christopher was someone who tried to keep himself in shape. That meant that he went to the gym as well as did other workouts. In this case, he'd gone for a jog in the summer sun and that had proved to be a very efficent workout. He was extremely sweaty by the time that he got back to his apartment and upon walking through the door he immediately stripped off the tank top that he'd been wearing. Looking up only when he heard Eloise starting to greet him.
"Hey, sweetie, did you," she started but then paused for a moment, her eyes taking in his torso as she came into view, a red hue coloring her cheeks. "Did you, um, have a good run?"
There was undeniably something really great about knowing that the very simple action of being sweaty and shirtless could get Eloise flustered so he grinned as he nodded. "I did," he answered, moving closer to her and setting his tank top on top of the couch.
She was keeping her eyes up, or trying to, but he saw the way they shot down as his arm stretched out before moving back up to his face. "I'm glad," she said, her cheeks still bright pink.
Although by now he felt he knew his girlfriend very well, Christopher couldn't help but go ahead and question her actions, interested to see what the response was going to be. "Is there a reason you're blushing like that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
His question only served to make her blush a bit more as she looked down. "I was just um, thinking.." she said, trailing off as she looked back at him.
There were certainly some guesses as to what she'd been thinking, but he figured it was going to be more fun if he could actually hear her say it. "Thinking about what?" he asked, looking down at her intently.
"Just, that you look nice," she answered, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Oh, I look nice? That's all? Huh, I was expecting something a little more exciting," he replied, shrugging a bit.
If possible, her blush seemed to deepen a little further. "Well..." She was looking at him partly like she wanted him to just put her out of her misery and tell her that she didn't have to continue. He wasn't about to do that though. Instead, he simply raised an eyebrow at her and inclined his head toward her for her to continue. "Also... just, that I'd like to take the rest of your clothes off." Her voice wasn't as strong here, it never was when she said things like this. However, he still loved it though.
"Well that's possible," he reached to brush his hand against her side, looking down at her as he took a step closer. "Under one condition."
She was looking at him in that way she got about her whenever things started to get more physical, a shyness that somewhat managed to mask her desire but didn't fully do so. Like even after all this time she still wasn't comfortable voicing her desires. Possibly not even entirely comfortable with them herself, though he found that she never made any mention of regret. "Yes?" she replied, swallowing and clearing wanting to hear what he was going to say.
"I get to undress you too." A hungry glint had entered his eyes as he looked down at her, already knoing damn well what she looked like. That wasn't the point, the point was what would come next and even with her poor attempt of trying not to be so obvious about what he was after his mind was already several steps ahead of the situation.
Nonetheless, he waited to get some sort of response from her. A verbal one anyway, since he'd practically seen her shiver as she looked up at him with an undeniable need of her own. What she managed first was a couple of small but eager nods. "Yes please," she said quietly but with no lack of certainty.
That was how his hands quickly went to the hem of her dress and not even five minutes later all of their clothes lay in a heap as eager lips met and searching hands ran desperately along bare skin. There was no thought of trying to go anywhere else and he laid her on the couch when they needed a more stable surface to continue.
All in all, whenever his girlfriend was blushing, it was typically to Christopher's advantage to pursue it and he planned on continuing to do just that.
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Post by Melanie Perreault on Sept 8, 2019 17:32:14 GMT -5
Prompt 40. “I think I just ripped my pants.”
A group date wasn't uncommon fare among Mel and her friends. Now that Jade was back in Kansas City, it happened every month or so that everyone got together and went out to do some activity. Last time they'd done an escape room. Well, they'd tried to do an escape room. They'd almost escaped even, no help due to much that Mel had done. She was honest with herself about such things and the honest answer was that she and Jess chased more dead ends than anyone else in that room. Tonight the group date had led to a bowling alley because it was Sunday and it was so cheap to play that they all had agreed it was a good offset from the last time they'd been out.
There was no surprises in the skills that were displayed during the first few rounds. Everyone was playing as well as expected, for herself that meant a middle of the pack performance with an uneven amount of good and bad rounds. There was skill to be had in bowling, she knew it, but she wasn't exactly finding it.
"I've got to start doing better," she said to Oli as she leaned against him in the booth that was in front of their lane.
Oli had his arm wrapped around her and he pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I love you, so I'm going to level with you," he started. "I think it's best that you give up any ideas of winning now."
"Of course you'd say that," she grumbled, pulling away slightly to glare up at Oli's name on the screen. How the hell some fancy Frenchmen knew how to bowl so well was a mystery that she didn't feel she'd be able to solve.
"I could help you line up your next shot," he offered, giving her a smirk as he raised his eyebrows slightly and pulled her back in.
"I'm sure you could," she answered, not pulling away and looking over at him like they were the only two in the room.
Unsurprisingly, Amanda was the one to pull her out of it. "Hey, love birds, the rest of us are still here," she said, a bit loudly for Mel's taste. "If you want to get lost in each other's eyes do it somewhere else. It's your turn to go, Mel."
With a deep sigh Mel pulled herself away from her boyfriend and got up to grab the ball. She walked up to the lane and got ready to throw.
"Standing there with your legs together is why you're doing so poorly," Amanda suggested from her seat - closest to the lane but right next to Jade. "You need to make it a fluid motion!"
Mel wasn't too thrilled to be taking advice from Amanda on this subject since the blonde was barely doing better than herself. "Oh a fluid motion?" She repeated, looking back at her.
"Yes, more fluid and more space between your legs," Amanda insisted.
"Who would have guessed she needed to open her legs more?" Jess teased from behind her.
Turning, Melanie shot her best friend a look and then sighed. "More fluid, more space. Fine." She took the ball and threw it while continuing after all the way down to the floor in a split. Her left hand raised behind her to flip her friends off. "Fluid enough for you?" She called back. Ironically she did hit eight pins down with her antics.
Jess was roaring in laughter and Oli was laughing as well as she heard Amanda say something about showing off. The laughter was probably what masked the sound of her jeans ripping. They were old and certainly not meant to do splits in. For a moment she froze, realizing that she was feeling a draft that she should not be feeling.
"You've made your point, you can get up," Amanda commented. "You've got another frame to throw."
Pressing her lips together and being prepared for the way that her friends were destined to react to this information she slowly brought herself into a sitting position and then tried to press her legs together as she slowly stood. "I uh- I ripped my pants," she said quietly.
Oli was giving her the look that he gave when he had no idea of what she was saying. No one else seemed to know either. "What did you say?"
Taking in a deep breath, Mel looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes before she looked back at her friends. "I said, I think I just ripped my pants."
The laughter that followed was so loud that Mel just brought her hand up to her forehead in shame as she turned a blotchy pink and slowly scuttled over to the group laughing at her expense. It seemed Karma was a bitch.
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