|
Post by Ella Bellamy on Sept 14, 2019 19:41:39 GMT -5
Prompt: "Did I say that out loud?"
It had been a couple of months now since Ella had started dating Dom, and things were really taking off. He was an amazing guy - intelligent, kind, giving, quick witted, and so, so very hot. It made no sense to her that he was single, if she was being entirely honest, and for the first few weeks she had tried to keep in mind that nobody was perfect, and that she might just uncover whatever the reason was that he wasn't dating anybody when he seemed like such a catch. So far, it hadn't happened, and she couldn't help but feel like she'd won a jackpot that didn't belong to her. Like she'd found a lottery ticket on the ground with all the right numbers, and had claimed it as her own.
It wasn't to say that she felt inferior, exactly, or that she looked down on herself, but he was on a level that was hard to reach. Watching him interact with Shawn and Audrey showcased that he was a great friend. Listening to him talk about his parents and siblings made it clear that he was family oriented, but not in a way that he couldn't make his own decisions as to what was best for him. His career path denoted a strong sense of selflessness, not to mention bravery. It was a self sacrificing job, one that involved willingly risking his own life in order to save others. He could hold a conversation with her on a number of topics, and he was quick on his feet, holding his own in debates. So, with all that in mind, it was hard to feel like she could hold a candle to him - and she hadn't even gone into the whole physical aspect of things yet.
To say that he was attractive was an understatement, and it wasn't just about his appearance in general, but also the way he held himself, the way he approached her, the way he looked at her as his fingers ran down the side of her neck. Just thinking about it sometimes made her so desperately needy, but the trouble was that she couldn't satisfy herself anymore, not after being with him. He'd made her feel things she'd never felt before.
So, it probably came as no surprise that she was falling hard for him already. The strength of her own emotions was something a bit scary, but Audrey didn't seem too worried about it when she'd discussed the matter with her best friend. In fact, the other girl was positively giddy about the two of them making an official match of it, even though Ella felt it was much too early to say that. Still, she found herself wanting to see him more and more, and on days that their schedules didn't match up, she missed being able to talk to him.
That was how she'd wound up at the fire station today. She'd never really thought one could just walk up to a fire station - and mind you, probably not just anyone could - but Audrey visited Shawn every now and then, so she'd decided to do the same. Granted, Audrey and Shawn had been together for years now, and everybody knew the other girl. She was still just a stranger, which made her a bit anxious that she'd get turned away, although when she'd introduced herself as Dom's girlfriend, she'd received a bit of a knowing look that her made her wonder what exactly the other guy had been talking about, but she'd been let in.
Dom's coworkers wasted no time in informing her that she could find him in the gym, so after getting directions, she made her way there, feeling a bit silly as she held the tin of cookies she'd brought with her. Not cookies she'd baked herself, even - baking wasn't one of her strengths. Upon entering the gym area of the fire house, she found it to be empty save for her boyfriend. His back was turned to her, and he was presently in the process of doing pull ups. His shirt seemed to have been discarded, which she assumed must be due to the sweat glistening on his body, probably making it uncomfortable to wear clothes. His muscles rippling under his skin as he pulled his entire body weight up to the bar, the effort in his back and shoulders visible in a way that made her knees weak and her stomach woozy.
"Oh fuck me, he's perfect," she found herself saying. She hadn't spoken the words loudly, but the otherwise silence of the room made it seem like they echoed, and the next sound that resounded was the slight thud of his feet hitting the ground before he turned to face her.
His chest rose up and down with labored breaths, and although the look on his face couldn't be described as smug, there was a bit of self satisfaction there as he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Erm, did I say that out loud?" she asked before he had a chance to say anything, the warmth that rose to her face indicating that she must be turning a violent shade of red.
"Either that, or I'm a telepath now," he teased her as he walked toward her, leaning down to press what might have been a greeting kiss to her lips if there hadn't been so much heat to it. "And I'd love to, but I'm at work right now," he added, his tone a bit lower, his fingers lightly grabbing onto her waist.
Now she felt a bit breathless herself, gently sucking in her bottom lip as is trying to taste him still. "I, erm... yeah, that's why I came by," she spoke, trying to brush off the wave of need that had come over her with his kiss and his proximity - and everything about him, really.
"And to marvel over my perfection?" he taunted with a slightly crooked grin, causing her to roll her eyes as she placed her hand on his chest, intending to push him away but finding that she didn't actually have the will to do that right now, goosebumps forming under his fingers as his hand reached up to rest against the side of her neck.
"Okay, I was caught off guard. Don't let it go to your head," she told him with what she hoped was a stern look, but she felt quite sure that her face didn't have the capacity to manage that right now. Not when he was looking at her in a way that made her insides melt and her knees buckle. Something seemed to shift at that point though, his hand sliding up to her cheek as his expression became gentler. The intensity was still there, emotional rather than sexual. And it still made her feel breathless.
"Just so you know," he began, his voice quieter as he leaned in impossibly close, feeling his warm breath against her lips as she tried to hold his gaze. "I think you're perfect, too," he went on, his lips meeting hers once more, and she was only mildly aware of the clanging sound of the cookie tin as it hit the floor, her body melting into his. Maybe, just maybe, there was nothing to be scared about as far as her feelings were concerned. Because there was something about the way he kissed her right now, heated but steady, slow but deep, that told her that she wasn't the only one falling hard.
|
|
|
Post by Emily Parker on Sept 20, 2019 22:24:07 GMT -5
Prompt 62.“When you smile, I fall apart.”
Emily had never been good at sharing what was going on in her inner world. At least not aloud. There were journals filled to the brim with the workings of her emotions, of her mind and heart and every day she wrote something. It was a part of her daily routine. In the morning she sat with her journal, writing a poem. The poems were all different, ranging from haikus to epics that spanned multiple pages. Some would rhyme but many were free verse. She'd try different styles that suited her moods, different periods of her life. All of these poems were kept closely guarded. They were diaries in their own right, not something to be shared with others.
Some poems, if she felt they had a bigger potential were rewritten and reworked - usually with help from her father, because although poetry was never his favorite writing style he always seemed to know how to improve them. His usage of language could bolster her own and he never pushed her about what was written, never asked questions as to what caused her to write something. It made her feel safer to share that way. Besides, anything deemed too intimate was never given to him.
She didn't believe in sharing these raw journal entries with others though. Today was an exception, however. Today was her wedding day. She was joining her life in the last way she had left to Thomas' and she loved him so much. There was only one thing that she'd never fully shared with him, and it was those journals.
So, that night when they went back to the hotel they were staying in before their honeymoon the next day before anything else she grabbed his hand and led him to the bed. There was the traditional intimacy that she was sure that they'd partake in later on, but it wasn't her intention at the moment. Instead, she wanted to share some emotional intimacy with him.
"I have something I want to share with you," she told Thomas, who was looking tired but so very handsome in his tux.
"Okay," he said patiently, never the type to push her or ask extra questions.
He trusted her. It was the same sort of unbreakable trust that she had in him. Such trust was the reason that allowed her to go over to her suitcase and pull out a journal that she'd packed into it . It was a newer one, but the writing inside of it was old. They were poems, transcribed exactly from her older journals. All of them about Thomas and their relationship. Taking a breath, she walked over and sat down next to him.
He eyed the journal in her hand, knowing what her poetry journals looked like, and looked a little surprised. "You don't have to," he informed her, probably following her thoughtline of sharing a new type of intimacy.
"I know," she assured him. "I want to." Then she took a breath and began, "September 18, 2033,
When you smile, I fall apart So suddenly, so thoroughly And for a moment, I cease to exist All I am, I don't miss
Each grin, each quip Casual touches, far too quick Lingering glances, baited breath I lose myself Want shouldn't hurt like this
Late at night, wide awake I break myself apart, Try to piece together Someone worthy of you All I have is not enough"
For a moment she paused, afraid to look over at him. Afraid that he'd think her silly and over dramatic, that he wouldn't get it and wish she hadn't shared. The older she was the more dramatized these poems could seem. It made her feel self conscious. But she managed to chance a look over at him and when she did she saw him looking at her in the most peculiar way.
Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed her in such a deep and intense manner that when he pulled away a moment later she felt a bit disoriented. "I love everything that you are," he told her with such an intense tone that it was hard not to believe.
Somewhat shakily, she nodded and felt herself warm up slightly. if she didn't continue now though she knew that she never would, so she pulled back, opening back up the book to continue. "April 21, 2034," she continued, feeling better about the idea of sharing these personal insights into herself with him.
|
|
Andrea Parker
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Taylor and Milo
Posts: 301
|
Post by Andrea Parker on Sept 23, 2019 20:34:47 GMT -5
Prompt: "You can’t please everyone. People are going to hurt, people are going to shout, no matter what you say or do. That’s just how it is."
Andrea had known, going into the career she had chosen, that not every day would be easy. It was something she had prepared herself for, and something they had been warned about in school. There would be times when there was nothing she could to ease an animal's pain, hectic days when she wouldn't have a moment to catch her breath as she got called into emergency after emergency, weeks that would feel like a never ending parade of people who most definitely should not own pets. All of these things were facts of life she'd known she would have to face, and she felt she had been ready for it, or at least as ready as could be.
But then, you could never really prepare for a helpless animal, who only knew to put their trust into you even though they didn't quite understand why you were doing what you were doing, dying on your examination table.
A couple had rushed into her clinic ten minutes before closing today, frazzled and panicked, holding a bundled blanket stained with blood. Their eight month old puppy had somehow gotten out of their yard and ran into the street, where an inattentive motorist had hit it. Both the man and the women shook as they handed over the small, broken body, her in hysterics and him in apparent anger.
She had rushed the animal back to the operating room, but she hadn't even had time to assess the situation to know how to best proceed when the tiny pup had shuddered, and then stopped breathing. They had tried to revive him, but the strain of his injuries on his still fragile and growing body had been too much trauma, and both herself and her assistant had soon had to resign themselves to the fact that there was just nothing to do.
Going back out to the couple had been just as hard, in a very different way. It was bad enough that the woman seemed inconsolable in that moment, part of it was likely due to the shock of finding her pet so badly injured in the street, but the man's anger had come to a point. His screams rose through the waiting room, his face red as he sputtered in rage, blaming her for the death of his dog, yelling that she didn't know a thing about what she was doing and that she shouldn't be allowed to practice anymore, threatening to report her for not trying to save their pet. And although she did her best to keep her cool in the face of his verbal abuse, merely apologizing and trying to explain that the puppy had been too badly hurt to save whenever she got a chance, they'd only managed to get him to leave once her receptionist had threatened to call the police if he didn't calm down. He'd then proceeded to storm out, slamming the door behind him with a force that she felt ought to have broken the glass window in it, but his wife had remained, stammering through her tears that she wanted the body of her puppy back so that she may bury it.
She had made quick work of cleaning the still body of the dog, gentle with it even though it could no longer feel pain. She'd had to wrap it back up in the bloodied blanket for lack of a better alternative, bringing it back out once the trace of trauma had been reduced as much as possible and silently handing back over the bundle.
The drive back home had almost felt like an out of body experience, parking her car in the driveway and walking in to find Zane sitting on the couch, watching the news as their own dog slept on the floor as near to his feet as he would allow.
"The kids are in bed, but they still wanted you to go up and tuck them in once you got home," he told her after greeting her, but she found that she couldn't move from where she stood in the entry way. And in that moment, the shock of being yelled at as harshly as she had coupled with the loss of her first patient washed over her, her knees shaking a bit as she let out a quiet sob and brought her hand up to her mouth, tears streaming down her face. It wasn't her silent crying that alerted her husband to look back at her, but her lack of response. Upon seeing her, however, a look of understanding crossed his features as he got back to his feet and walked over to her, his arms pulling her in as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and gave a quiet sigh. Sensing that something was wrong, their dog also walked over to her, giving a soft whine as she nudged her hand with her nose.
Admittedly, she felt a bit silly, crying so much to her husband about losing one of her furry patients when he had to deal with the same risk on a daily basis, save that his own patients were humans. There was so much innocence and goodness in pets though, and she couldn't bring herself to devalue their lives just because they were animals. Granted, Zane never tried to make her feel like her work had less worth than his own, and she knew he wouldn't judge her for taking the loss so hard. So she allowed herself to cry against his chest for a while, but soon she pulled away as she tried to remind herself that it was all part of the game. "I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice still thick with tears as she rubbed her palm against her eyes.
"What happened?" he asked her simply even though he already knew, not acknowledging an apology he didn't need.
"I just... this couple, they brought in a puppy tonight. It was so small, and it was covered in blood. Hit by a car. I tried, but I just... I couldn't," she explained, her chin a little wobbly as she drew in a shaky breath. "He was too hurt. But the man, he just... screamed and swore at me, and the woman cried so much," she went on with a shake of her head. "And I feel like I failed. And like, maybe I'm just not meant to do this."
"You didn't fail," Zane spoke, his tone gentle but sure. "You're a great vet, Andrea. You can't let one bad night make you think otherwise."
"But he yelled so much, and I tried to explain, and I just... couldn't," she said in a defeated manner.
To that he gave a sigh, shaking his head a bit as his hand moved to her cheek. "Andrea, I know you want to do good, and you want people to like you, and trust you. But you can’t please everyone. People are going to hurt, people are going to shout, no matter what you say or do. That’s just how it is."
She remained quiet for a moment after he'd spoken, knowing he was right, but also knowing that her need to please and help people wasn't something she could just override. Not that he had ever asked her to, but it was something he frequently reminded her of. Taking in a steadying, albeit still slightly shaky breath, she leaned in closer so that she could press a soft kiss to his lips before hugging herself close to him once more, burying her face into his neck. "Thank you," she told him, keeping her eyes closed for a moment. "I'll go up to see the kids now," she went on, looking into mirrored closet door to ensure there was no more trace of tears on her face before heading up the stairs.
Their oldest was already deeply asleep, and so she only just brushed her lips to his forehead as she pulled his blanket a little tighter around him. Their youngest, however, stirred the moment she walked into the room, sleepily reaching to her. "Mommy, I drawed you a picture today," she spoke in a tired mumble, vaguely gesturing to her bedside table where Andrea found a piece of paper covered in purple crayon marks that somewhat resembled a cat. "Is a kitty. It was hurt, but is better cause of you," she added with a big yawn, her eyes closing against her will as she snuggled herself against her pillow.
There was a swell of warmth in Andrea's chest as she heard the words her daughter spoke, knowing she couldn't possibly have known how much she would need this today. It took her a moment before she could speak, her hand lightly brushing against her daughter's soft cheek as she leaned into to press a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you baby," she told her in a quiet voice. "I'll bring it to work tomorrow, so that all the animals can see it and feel safe," she went on, to which the little girl gave a half nod.
Days like today would never become easy, that much she knew. She didn't think she would ever get used to losing a life, no matter how small, and to be honest, she didn't feel like she should. But watching over her sweet, kind hearted daughter as she slept, it was easier to remind herself that the good days would by far outweigh the bad ones.
|
|
|
Post by Gabriel Winters on Sept 24, 2019 9:14:12 GMT -5
Prompt 67: “I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
It had been a few months now since Gabe had started to see Mady. She'd caught his eye a little before Christmas break - although they'd gone to school together for a long time - and he'd known that he had to date her. She was gorgeous, intelligent, strong willed and interesting. It wasn't until after the holidays though that he had asked her out and once he did it hadn't taken him long to fall hard. Hunter teased him a lot about it, as did other members of the team, but he didn't care. Right now he was walking through the halls with Madison, on their way to lunch. His fingers were threaded through hers as she told him about her English project and how it was going.
As they were walking together they passed a group of girls in their year who were talking and throwing glances toward them.
"I heard she's sleeping with him," one of them was telling the others.
"I don't know what he sees in her, she's such a bore," another added.
Gabe felt certain that they were talking about Mady but he knew that if he said anything they'd deny it. Plus, Madison had made it quite clear that she didn't care at all what some girls said about her and saw no point in him getting into scuffles over it. He'd narrowly avoided suspension after almost coming to blows with another member of the hockey team who had decided to say something awful about Mady that he wouldn't repeat even when he was asked what it was.
Mady hadn't stopped telling him the details of her assignment either. If she'd heard them she was choosing to ignore them, so much so that she wasn't even going to acknowledge anything. She had a moral high ground about her that he did not and he wished that he could be a bit better about it. So he tried to force himself to ignore it as well. Still, it was hard to do so even as they put distance between themselves and the gossiping lot. And before they reached the cafeteria, he pulled Mady aside toward a bank of lockers and moved a hand to rest on her cheek.
She looked at him a bit confused, but didn't get to ask what he was doing before he spoke up. "I don't think you're a bore," he told her.
At that she gave him a look as if he was being the most oblivious person in the world. It wasn't often that she made him feel stupid - surprisingly, given how intelligent she was - but the look she gave him now said that she thought he was a bit stupid. "I know you don't," she replied, matter-of-factly. "What I don't know is why you bother getting upset about what they say anyway. It's not like I care."
"Well I do," he answered, moving one of his hands to rest against her cheek. "I know that not everyone is going to see how amazing you are, but that doesn't mean they have to be bitches about it."
She was shaking her head as she listened to him. "Gabe, I know they're just jealous girls. It's not a big deal."
For a moment he broke the no kissing in public rule and leaned forward to press a brief kiss against her lips, staying close even once he had finished kissing her. "I wouldn't change a thing about you," he said, serious as he looked into her eyes. He loved her, plain and simple. Although perfection wasn't really something that anyone could attain , he thought her perfect anyway. There was nothing about her that he didn't like and although people tried to assure him time and time again that it would change, he stubbornly and fiercely defended his idea that Mady was perfect.
Mady was looking back at him with obvious care, though also that look that he'd come to expect whenever he sang her praises too much. A sort of exasperated affection that never kept him from doing it. "Yes, well, you've made it quite clear you're blinded by love," she answered plainly, though he could see the smile that pulled at the corners of her lips.
"Well I'm not going to say that I'm not very in love, but I think blinded is too strong a word," he argued, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Now come along, my most beautiful and perfect girlfriend, I am starving and if we don't get to lunch soon Hunter will come looking for us." Just like that he pulled back, grabbing onto her hand again and leading the rest of the way over to the cafeteria so that he might be able to get his lunch.
|
|
|
Post by Shane Micklesen on Sept 26, 2019 19:37:11 GMT -5
“Are you banned from all Taco Bells, or just that Taco Bell?”
Shane was driving back home after a weekend of adventuring with Kylee. They'd gone out to Mount Rushmore and of course made plenty of stops along the way, which he'd all gotten for his vlog. He'd have a lot of editing ahead of him to condense it down to manageable viewing portions. Mostly because they'd gotten so many great bits and there had been a surprising lot of things to stop at. It was what made the trip into a whole weekend of different adventures. From the road side stops to the main attraction it had all been a great time. Plus, it was somewhere neither him or Kylee had been so they checked off that national monument together.
Kylee seemed to have enjoyed herself too, though he could tell that she was getting tired as the return dragged on. It was getting later now, since they'd taken a different route home than they'd taken to the national park and that had its own fun places to stop along the way. It'd been worth it, but their car had gotten quieter the later that it was getting. He was also getting hungry too, though he hadn't eaten that long ago all things considered.
Still, he voiced his concern to Kylee. "I'm getting hungry, and I have to use the bathroom," he said, more to see if she wanted to get anything or also had to use the bathroom.
Kylee had been looking out the window and therefore noticed that there was a sign advertising the restaurants coming up. "Well, if you can't wait til we're home there's a Taco Bell at the next exit."
"Oh, no, I can't go there," he answered, shaking his head and not making the lane change that would have brought them off. He glanced over to Kylee where he saw her raising an eyebrow. It made sense, given that he wasn't at all picky for food usually. And truth be told, he did love Taco Bell, they had great food that was perfect for drunk Shane.
"Are you going to tell me why?" she asked, when he didn't volunteer the information. Now she was shifting in her seat, looking over at him curiously. Having dated him for a while she'd learned well enough that there was always a reason for everything he did.
"I'm banned," he replied, stubbornly looking out the window ahead.
At that, she laughed a little. "Are you banned from all Taco Bells, or just that Taco Bell?" It wasn't an unreasonable question. They were within an hour of home by now, so he could have been to that Taco Bell in the past.
"Technically, I think that I'm banned from all Taco Bells." It wasn't like he'd tried to step into Taco Bells in other states and he didn't know how they would know if he was going in. Unless the restaurants had a masterlist of all people ever banned from Taco Bell that the staff was required to memorize. It didn't seem like it was worth it to test though.
"Shane!" Kylee was looking at him in that slightly scandalized way. She sounded more awake now as she leaned a bit closer to her fiance. "How- what did you do that ended up banning you from all Taco Bells?"
Usually, if he thought that he wasn't in the wrong, Shane would be very happy to tell such a story and would make it quite funny. However, in this case, he did consider now that perhaps he had been rightly banned from the fast food chain. "Well," he dragged the word out and glanced again at his fiancee. "It's possible, that as a sophomore, I went to film at Taco Bell without any permission. And it's possible, that while filming, I may have created a bit of a... distraction to the other diners."
"A distraction?" Kylee pressed on, knowing that if she asked him he would tell her.
"I was making a sort of parody of haute cuisine. So, I put up a table cloth and some candles and then filmed someone doing like a review of the food." The concept was good and he'd liked it, it had tested well too for a short film about a man who was so rich that he made everything unnecessarily fancy. "But then, you know how they have fancy music playing at restaurants?"
She knew him well enough to guess where it was going to go. "You had a live string quartet come in to play?" she questioned. "I mean, I guess that's fairly disruptive to everyone else."
"Right, well, it wasn't a string quartet," he corrected. "See, I had thought about that, but then I had a better idea. Or, I thought it was a better idea."
"A better idea?" Now even she sounded uncertain and was watching him closely.
His hand came off the wheel for a moment to flip over as he tilted his head in the same direction and a half shrug. "I mean, it is still Taco Bell, right? So, I had a marachi band dress up in tuxes and then come in and play inside the restaurant."
Kylee's mouth was pulling together in the way that said that she was trying not to find this funny but did kind of find it funny.
"But wait, there's more," he continued on before she could say anything. "It just so happened, that the marachi band was pretty loud and unexpected. And, maybe, it startled an elderly man, who may have had a heart attack."
"Shane!" Now her hand was resting on her chest as she looked at her boyfriend in shock.
"Okay, in my defense, he lived. And secondly, how was I supposed to know that a marachi band could cause an old man to have a heart attack?" Maybe it had been in poor taste to subject a whole restaurant to a marachi band, but marachi bands did it on subways in New York all the time. "Anyway, after the ambulance got there and took the guy away, the manager banned me. He said I was banned at all Taco Bells but like, I'm not sure if that's really enforceable realistically. Still, I haven't gone back since. Also, Thomas got turned away from the one close to home one too because, you know, twins." m
Now Kylee was shaking her head, but she reached over and squeezed his thigh lightly. "I guess it's a good thing I don't like Taco Bell all that much then," she said, then sighed. "You caused an old man a heart attack."
"On accident!" he exclaimed, thinking it unfair that this was the part she decided to focus on.
"I still understand why they figured they had to ban you," she said, then glanced at the next sign which had a listing of the upcoming restaurants. "Given that we ate McDonalds a few weeks ago, I take it it's safe for us to go there?" She said it seriously, but he could hear the humor beneath the surface.
"Yes, we can," he answered, flipping on his blinker and moving over to the right lane. "But now you know my secret Taco Bell shame. This is who you're marrying."
"Well, nobody's perfect," she shrugged and then flashed him a grin. Maybe she wouldn't hold the Taco Bell ban against him.
|
|
|
Post by Bethanie Foster on Sept 28, 2019 20:57:29 GMT -5
Prompt 3.“I don’t want to talk about my feelings, to be quite honest”
Any relationship that went on long enough was bound to have a rough spot here and there. Some might have thought, even, that in the case of Bethanie and Samuel Foster there might have been more rough spots. The two of them were opposites attract personified, in terms of personality. Where Beth was excitable and wore her emotions freely on her sleeves, so much so that she had a hard time hiding what she was feeling even when she tried. On the other hand, Sam was stoic, living a largely internal emotional life and making it difficult for those who didn't know him well to guess what his true feelings were. Ten years of marriage, and a few more of dating before that, had made Beth as much as a expert on his moods as she could be. Likewise, it had taught Sam how to handle his emotional wife when she was particularly fragile.
Lately though, something had changed. Beth couldn't put her finger on what it was - a fact that was driving her a bit crazy, to be honest - but she knew something just wasn't right. Despite their differences in processing the world around them, she usually felt that the two of them were at least on the same page, even if they weren't at the same line. There'd been a shift though, one that had left them out of sync and she felt it acutely. Her first thought was that it had to be Sam, because she didn't feel like she was doing anything differently, but after a talk with Mel who suggested that maybe she take a step back and look at her own actions more critically, she realized that something in her own behavior had shifted as well even if she hadn't originally thought so.
It was summer time, the busiest time of year for her husband and usually that meant that she worked extra hard to make sure that they had time alone together. Between three kids who were home all day and an increased work schedule, alone time had to be forced into a schedule, not the other way around. This year, she wasn't trying as hard to make sure that happened. She didn't know why, but her mentality had shifted. She was tired and Sam was tired and so she hadn't been pushing it. If a scheduling conflict got in the way she let it go. What had brought on such a mood she couldn't say, but now she was uncertain that it was Sam who had started it. Maybe, he was responding to her? Maybe they each were a little more tired and a little less invested lately. Either way, it was clear that something needed to change.
Part of her worried that maybe Sam was starting to grow bored of her, which was why he hadn't pushed either. It wasn't that she thought he loved her less, exactly, but maybe years together had made her faults more prominent. And well, as good a shape she tried to keep in, her body certainly wasn't the same after three kids as it had been before them. Maybe he was less attracted to her now, or things had grown stale. What she wanted to believe was that she still was just as in love with Sam as the day that she'd married him, but it was possible that through the years her own affection had cooled slightly. Was that a bad thing though? Over the past weeks she'd spent hours on Skype talking in circles around Melanie, who had grown steadily more tired of hearing of this and started just insisting that she had to speak to Sam.
Her younger sister had also did little to ease her fears that everything was normal because when she asked her about if she'd noticed her own attraction to her husband waning the answer she'd gotten was, "That's a hard no." The younger woman had noticed her mistake too late as Beth was already tearing up worried about her marriage and what it meant as Mel hastily tried to explain that all couples were different and that she couldn't base her relationship on what was happening on other peoples.
Tonight was a night where Sam hadn't had any events, but he'd spent most of the day editing photos. She'd had her own job and dinner had been a fairly quiet affair - well in terms of their own conversations, the kids had plenty to say. Still, Beth stole more than a few glances at Sam trying to work out what was going on in his head, if he'd noticed the shift and what he thought about it. That wasn't conversation to have in front of the kids though. So, she waited until it was time for bed. After making sure that all the kids were tucked in and finishing her nightly routine, she made her way to their room where Sam was already in bed scrolling through something on his phone. While she got into her nightgown she threw some glances toward her husband to see if he was watching, but he was not. He seemed engrossed in whatever it was he was doing.
Biting back a sigh, she got into bed with him. Once she was sitting next to him she looked over at him again and tried to decide how to broach the subject.
"Just say what's on your mind, Beth," Sam said, startling her slightly because he didn't even look away from his phone before speaking. Once he had though he looked over at her and set his phone down.
"Okay," she answered, taking in a breath before continuing. "I'd like you to talk about your feelings and I'd like you to be honest."
"I don't want to talk about my feelings, to be quite honest," he answered back plainly, in that no nonsense way that Sam had. "But, why don't you explain what is going on first."
"Oh come on, Sam, you have to have noticed it too." Beth didn't believe that her husband was blind to what happened in their relationship, or as emotionally unintelligent as some assumed. "The distance between us lately?"
He was silent for a moment. "We've both been very busy lately," he said, as an excuse for himself or for her she was uncertain.
"We've been busy before," she replied, raising an eyebrow at him. Hell, she'd been pregnant with two young kids and still found time to make for the two of them to have alone time. "Are you... do you still find me attractive?"
Rare were the times that emotions were splayed so openly on Sam's face, but right now the surprise that he had at the question was obvious. "Do I still-? Of course I do. Beth, what would make you think that I'm not attracted to you?"
"Well, you haven't been as.. affectionate lately," she explained, twisting her hands in her lap in the way that she did when she felt uncomfortable.
"Because you haven't been as affectionate lately," he countered. Reaching out he stilled her hands by covering them with his own. "I thought maybe you wanted a bit of space, given that you've been acting like you wanted space. We've both had a lot on our plates."
Now she couldn't help the way that she pouted slightly. "Mel has a lot on her plate and she and Oli haven't had any lulls like this," she pointed out, still worried that there was more that he wasn't saying.
Sam didn't bother to hide his sigh. "Mel and Oli have one child, who doesn't get into half the trouble that Dean does. On top of that we have two other children to look after." He moved his hands, reaching down and pulling Beth into his lap. "If you're so worried about it, we can go out on Thursday."
A smile light up her face as she looked at him, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss against his lips. "Thank you," she said, pulling back slightly. It was a start and maybe if she just pushed herself back into things they'd work out. For now though, it seemed Sam had his own ideas about how to make things better as he pulled her back in for a heated kiss, apparently planning to make sure there was no doubt of his attraction to her.
|
|
Kylee Micklesen
Kansas City Native
Daughter of Roxanne and Elijah
Posts: 610
|
Post by Kylee Micklesen on Oct 8, 2019 8:36:17 GMT -5
Prompt: "I lost our baby."
Life with Shane had been interesting since the moment Kylee had started dating him, but it'd become even more so after he'd started his vlog. Of course, she knew his end game goal was to mostly produce content and work on longer projects, but in the meantime, he had to build himself a following, which meant he had to come up with a lot of content. And sometimes, that content could get... well, interesting, to say the least.
His latest project had come after a Q&A video where the subject of having kids had been brought up. She wasn't sure how the wheels in his brain turned - she'd honestly stopped wondering a while ago by now - but it had somehow lead him to deciding they should do a parenting video, with the help of one of those life like dolls high schools sometimes used for child development projects. And in true Shane fashion, he'd decided they should keep the fun going for a whole week.
It was very, very rare that Kylee got grumpy or even annoyed with her fiance. She loved his energy and his creative spirit, his thirst for adventure. However, it was now day five of the experiment, which involved more continuous filming than she was accustomed to, and although the doll was, well, just a doll, the point of the whole thing was to treat it as though it were an actual baby. And it acted like an actual baby, meaning her sleep schedule had been seriously affected, to say the least. Of course, she knew these things would happen once they did have a child, but the very big distinction there was that it would, actually, be their child. Not rubber and mechanism.
She had managed to earn herself some peace and quiet today though, by telling Shane that he had to take the doll with him while he ran the few errands he'd lined up for himself, and he'd actually jumped at the opportunity of taking the thing all over the place. She wasn't sure if he meant to weird people out by acting like he truly, earnestly believed the baby was a real one, but she wasn't about to ask. Instead, she'd climbed back into bed the moment he'd left, wrapping herself up in blankets and giving a soft sigh of satisfaction at the knowledge that she might get a couple more hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be - she'd only been asleep about an hour when she felt a hand on her shoulder, giving a soft groan as she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes to see Shane standing above her. "What is it?" she asked sleepily, a touch exasperated at not having been able to take a proper nap, as she sat herself up in bed. It took her a moment to realize there was a mildly panicked, slightly sheepish look on his face, and suddenly she felt that she knew what he was going to say just as he went ahead and said it.
"I lost our baby," he told her, his tone apologetic and nervous, as though he was fearing her reaction at this point.
And for a moment, she felt oddly like telling him off on this, asking how he could possibly have lost such an important thing in his care. That moment passed within seconds, and before she even knew it she had dissolved into laughter, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she wrapped her other arm around her waist, her body shaking slightly as tears rose to her eyes. Looking up at Shane to see a slightly outraged face, she tried to stop herself, but the expression and the situation was so comical that it only just made her laugh harder.
"Kylee! This isn't a joke!" he exclaimed, although there seemed to be something pulling at the corners of his mouth even if he tried to keep his serious face on. "How can you laugh? What if I lose our real baby?" he questioned, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke, seeming a bit frazzled at the thought.
With that, Kylee did manage to calm herself down, scooting over in bed so that she could pull him down next to her, her hand reaching up to rest on his cheek.
"I trust that you'll give more importance to our actual child when it's born, Shane," she assured him, wiping the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I know this kind of screws up your videos," she went on, her tone a bit more apologetic. "How did you lose the baby?" she then asked, reaching to take his hand in hers.
To that he gave a heavy sigh, shifting a bit uncomfortably as he glanced sideways at her, looking for a moment as though he didn't want to tell her. "I may have hung it on the back of the door when I went to the bathroom," he began. "And then, I may have started texting bathroom memes to Thomas, and forgotten about it when I left the stall," he went on, making a bit of a face.
And that just about did it for Kylee, bursting into laughter once more as she doubled over, only just laughing harder as he spoke her name again in the same mildly offended manner, playfully shoving her.
"I-I'm sorry," she managed to speak, gasping for air through the laughter. "I just... I'm just picturing... you hanging an actual baby on the back of the door," she went on, the pitch of her voice raising with practically each word, making it a bit trickier to be understood but she didn't really care. "And then, also... thinking of the next guy who went into that stall," she added, and that just about did her in, making it impossible for her to keep speaking.
"He may not be ready for those responsibilities!" Shane cried, which did nothing to help her out as she found it hard to breathe at this point. It took her another moment to calm down again, her face red as she took in some settling breaths, leaning in to press a soft kiss to the other guy's cheek.
"We can call lost and found," she told him. "But I think this just about concludes that particular series," she went on, feeling pretty relieved at that thought. "And I know we were trying to treat it like an actual baby, but it was still just a doll. I am in no way rethinking having children with you," she promised, her face solemn.
"Alright," he gave a light nod of agreement, wrapping an arm around her to bring her a bit closer, his hand running down her side. "I guess we're done practicing parenthood," he went on with a sigh, as though admitting defeat. He then leaned in a bit closer, pressing kisses along her neck in a way that sent shivers coursing up and down her spine as she bit down on her bottom lip. "Does that mean we can move on to practicing baby making?" he asked, his voice taunting but low as his fingers gripped a bit onto her hip.
She had been wanting to roll back over and try to finish her nap, but the way he spoke had her body reacting in a way that likely wouldn't let her go back to sleep so easily, tilting her head as he kept working at her neck. "So long as you don't film that," she told him in an attempt to tease, and that seemed a good enough answer for him. Within seconds, the baby doll was long gone from both of their minds, limbs entangled and clothes hastily removed. Glad that that particular adventure was done and their lives could get back on track - anyhow, there would be many, many more to come. And Kylee couldn't wait for them.
|
|
|
Post by Marcus Huang on Oct 8, 2019 12:21:17 GMT -5
Prompt: “I don’t want to screw this up.”
Given that Marcus had never been in a long term relationship before, it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone that he simply wasn't very adept at parts of them. Thus far, he felt that he was navigating it fairly well but it turned out that apparently there were parts of it that he wasn't doing so great.
He found that out after Kaitlyn had gotten upset with him for something, but he didn't know what. The fact that he didn't know was also apparently part of the problem. It'd made him confused and he's gone to Evelina for advice, because she was his oldest and closest friend. Also, despite the fact that he had studied a lot of psychology in his time, and he could therefore identify aspects of why Kaitlyn did why she did, he was not a mind reader. He was used to people coming to him willingly and confiding in him.
In terms of Kaitlyn he felt like he was in the dark. He couldn't make educated guesses about what went on in her mind if she wasn't giving him anything to work with. And he'd explained as much to Evelina while they were sitting on her couch together, Amelia playing in front of them on the floor. "I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to talk to her about something when she won't tell me what we're supposed to be talking about?"
"Marcus," Evelina was looking at him in that way that said she thought he was being either unreasonable or a bit of an idiot. "Have you even told Kaitlyn that you love her?"
He looked at her a bit startled, wondering where she was going with that. "I... I don't know," he admitted, thinking about it and not sure that he had mentioned it. Not in those words anyway, but he'd made it quite clear that he did. "I've certainly made it clear that I do though." His actions spoke to loving her, from rearranging his life schedule around her to inviting her to live with him.
"Didn't you just say that you weren't a mind reader?" His best friend had a point there. Maybe. "If you don't tell her, how is she really supposed to know? Which, it sounds like that's what she's upset about. You haven't really been talking to her all that much when it matters."
At this Marcus gave Evelina a look because he thought that she might be exaggerating a little. He talked to Kaitlyn, sure, she wasn't always his first choice but he doubted that he was her first choice either. "Well, if course I still go to you first, she does the same with Faith."
The blonde was shaking her head as he spoke. "No, Marcus, it's not that. Of course she knows that she won't replace me as your best friend. But even with me, you aren't that open. For someone like Kaitlyn... she's going to want emotional intimacy too, Marcus. And if you're not sharing that part of yourself with her, it can cause doubts on her end," she explained. "Really, it's not a surprise that she's upset with you and she probably thinks it's obvious why."
Having never had to deal with relationship politics like this personally, Marcus still felt it was hard to wrap his mind around. He tended to think of himself as very logical and quite open about the things that mattered. Not only that, he felt that even if he didn't say things plainly all the time, he showed them and actions were a very important part of communication. The idea that Kaitlyn wouldn't recognize the extent of his feelings hadn't ever crossed his mind. He recognized her own, knew that she was just as in love with as he was with her. It seemed obvious, so he didn't need her to say it. In fact, the way that she'd never said anything made him think that she felt the same way that he did in terms of needing to say something. Maybe Evelina was right here.
He gave a sigh, looked down at Amelia playing and watched her for a few moments. The young girl was adorable, pushing a barbie doll in a truck and humming lightly to herself as she did so. It distracted him for a moment and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Evelina looking at Amelia as well. The two of them sitting in silence as they looked down at her daughter. "I don't want to screw this up," he said, suddenly, breaking the silence between them as he turned his attention back over to Evelina. His words weren't loud, but they rang with honesty.
She sighed as well and reached over to place her hand on his arm. "I know," she answered. "That's why you need to tell her how you feel and just talk to her in general. You can't go through your whole relationship without ever talking about things."
It still seemed that she was exaggerating but it occurred to him that he didn't really know how Kaitlyn would be feeling. Maybe she'd feel the same way that Evelina was saying. Usually, he tried not to use the tools that he'd learned in his classes on the people closest to him, but it was occurring to him that maybe he would have to use them. That he'd have to get Kaitlyn to open up more to understand her since his assumptions had not turned out to be correct. "I'll talk to her," he agreed, though he made no move to leave now. Instead, he decided that he was going to play with Amelia and give his mind some time to wrap around everything. So, he got down onto the floor and asked the small blonde if he could play too, smiling at the way that her face lit up at the question while she immediately started grabbing toys and giving them over to him.
|
|
|
Post by Shane Micklesen on Mar 4, 2020 19:37:51 GMT -5
Prompt: "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Can I tell you a secret?"
Shane had gone out tonight with some friends that he'd made while he was still in school but had kept contact with. Karen was spending the night with Chloe and Thomas as a general rule did not go out to any sort of club atmosphere. Plus Kylee was in Orlando doing her Disney college program. All that meant that there was no one there really looking out for Shane and for how much he was drinking. Between the general party atmosphere and how much everyone else was drinking, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone that he had more than a few himself and got to the point where he was feeling quite intoxicated. At that point the had started to think about Kylee and then he started to miss Kylee. It wasn't that he didn't usually miss Kylee, he did miss his wife. They often would text, Facetime and otherwise just do everything to keep in contact with one another. However, tonight there wasn't a way to get into contact with her because she was working really early tomorrow morning and had already gone to sleep for the night. He wished that he'd be able to go home and get into bed with her, snuggle her close and smell the scent that was uniquely Kylee.
"Imma go home," he said to Greg who was the closest to him.
"What?" Greg asked, speaking a bit louder because the music was making it hard to hear.
"Imma go home," Shane shouted back.
"Alright!" Greg gave him a fist bump and motioned that he'd tell the others.
Making his way outside, Shane ordered himself an Uber and while waiting he looked through his phone at all the pictures and videos that he had of Kylee. She was so beautiful and he smile made him feel warm inside. Just hearing her voice was so soothing and he felt that the few weeks that they'd been apart were more like months that had passed. How was he supposed to know if anything changed about her without seeing her? What if she started using new hair products? What if she grew a new mole and he didn't get to see it? What if she grew taller? He wouldn't know! Suddenly he had to tell Kylee how much he missed her and how much he loved her. Since he knew that she wasn't going to answer he didn't bother trying to Facetime her, instead he went ahead and just opened his camera to make a video. "Kylee," he started, pouting as he looked directly into the camera. "I miss you. I miss your hair and your legs and your ass. You've been gone like a million years and when I get home you aren't gonna be there. Only Thomas is gonna be there. Thomas does not smell good like you do. And now I'm worried you're gonna grow a mole and I won't be there and then how will I know? Will you tell me? Kylee tell me if you get a new mole! I've gotta know."
He sniffled as his throat got tight thinking about the fact that Kylee wouldn't be back for more time than she'd already been away. "I just miss you, sunshine. And how come it feels like you've been gone for all my life? Are you using new shampoo? Don't use the new shampoo cause then how can I know what you smell like? I wanna know what you smell like. I wanna see your face. Pictures aren't the same and videos aren't the same. I just wanna see you already. Is it time to see you? Why not?" He sighed as he got the notification that his Uber would be arriving soon. "Kylee, I'm tired. And now I gotta get in an Uber. But I miss you. Call me? I have a lot of stuff to tell you."
As the Uber pulled up, Shane walked over to the car which the driver rolled the window down to ask if he was Shane.
"That's me," he answered, getting into the back. His stomach felt a little funny but he decided to focus on talking so that he wouldn't get sick and then have to pay a cleanup fee and lose his good rating. "Man, you ever done that long distance thing?"
The driver seemed that he was used to chatty passengers because he didn't act any amount of surprise at being addressed. "No," the driver answered simply.
"Good!" Shane exclaimed loudly, nodding multiple times. "Don't! Cause then you start missing them and they're gone and you have to smell your own pillows!" If this rant was odd to the driver he didn't show it, he just nodded and kept driving without comment. "And your sunshine is in Florida and you're in KC and it's like dark and sad and you just wanna go on adventures together but then you gotta go on adventures with our best friend or your twin brother and it's not the same. And also you can't get laid and it's the worst. Cause before you're getting it on the regular and then you're just all alone and even your twin brother is getting it more and it's like woah, you don't even get it that much. Why am I now getting it worse than him?" He continued on with his ideas about how unfair the fact that Thomas was getting laid more than him was and how much he missed Kylee.
Luckily, at this time of night it did not take long for them to get back to his apartment. "We're here," the Uber driver said, cutting off Shane from continuing further.
"Oh, thanks!" he said delightfully, opening the door and heading into the building. The trip up to the apartment took a few minutes with him having to stop a few times along the way. Once he arrived into the apartment though he decided to head straight to Thomas' room, planning on crawling into his brother's bed with him, not feeling like going into his room alone and having to just miss Kylee. After somewhat awkwardly getting his shoes off, he took off his shirt and then got out of his jeans. Making his way into his bedroom he dropped his clothes off and then went over to Thomas' room, trying to quietly open the door. He knew what side of the bed that Thomas usually slept on so he went to the other side, pulling the covers up.
What he wasn't expecting was for Emily to be in the bed nor for her to wake up and scream as she felt Shane trying to get into bed.
"What the fuck!" Shane cried, falling out of the bed as Thomas shot up and quickly turned on the lamp next to him while Emily did the same.
"Jesus Christ, Shane!" Emily was holding her hand to her chest, breathing heavily and very clearly startled.
"What are you doing?" Thomas demanded, sounding panicked himself. "It's-" His brother looked at the alarm clock and then back to Shane. "Almost one in the morning."
"I was coming to sleep with you!" The simplicity of the statement made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why? You knew Emily was coming over." Thomas was still sounding stern but he seemed almost resigned now, having recognized that it was just his brother and that he was clearly intoxicated.
"I forgot. Can I tell you guys a secret?"
Emily fell back onto the bed, huffing lightly and clearly wishing that Shane was not here at the moment. Instead, he went over to the other side of the bed where Thomas was and tried to get into it.
"Shane, no," he said, clearly trying to tell his brother off. It didn't stop him from pushing Thomas over the slightest bit. "Shane, no." Still the other guy kept trying to climb in until all Thomas could do to not be sat on by his brother was move over into the middle of the queen sized mattress squished between his twin and his girlfriend who rolled over and turned her back on everything Shane related because she did have an early morning tomorrow.
"I miss Kylee," Shane explained, frowning and leaning his head onto Thomas' shoulder.
"That's not a secret, Shane and I am sorry that Kylee is gone. I know it's hard on you," Thomas sighed. "And that you're sad that she's not here-"
"I am!" he nodded.
"But you can't come barging in this late at night and trying to climb into bed on top of Emily." The way he spoke he might have been chastising a small child, trying to inform them that although he understood why he was acting the way that he was it didn't excuse everything.
"Can I sleep here?"
"No, you can't sleep here," Thomas was patient but firm. "There isn't enough room. Let's go back to your bed."
"But there's no Kylee there!" Shane exclaimed unhappily, thinking about how empty his bed would be when he got into it.
For a moment Thomas seemed to be considering something and then he leaned in toward Emily, quietly saying something that Shane didn't catch. What he did catch was Emily's response of, "I understand."
"Come on Shane, I'll sleep in your bed with you," Thomas suggested.
"Really? You'd do that?" It seemed like a trick almost, even though Thomas was not the type to pull tricks on anyone.
"Yes, I will. I can't imagine what I'd feel like if Emily was going away for a few months. So if this will make you feel better, for tonight, I will sleep in your bed," he looked at his twin and spoke so openly and honestly that Shane did cry as he hugged his brother.
"I miss her so much," he said, wiping away the tears that were starting to fall as Thomas gave him a hug.
"I know, Shane, I know."
Thomas waited for Shane to calm down a little and then helped his brother to bed, advising him that he'd be back in a minute. He went back to his own room, gave Emily a kiss on the forehead and then turned off the lamp that was still on before making his way back to Shane's room and getting into bed with his brother.
"Do you think Kylee misses me too?" Shane asked, looking over at his twin.
Instead of commenting that he knew that Kylee had expressed that very sentiment multiple times to Shane, Thomas said what his brother needed to hear. "Yes, I think she does." And Shane was comforted enough to start considering falling asleep, much to Thomas' relief. All in all, his brother could have done a lot worse and he was always going to be there for him.
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Kostka on Mar 23, 2020 18:53:45 GMT -5
Prompt: ❝Where are your pants?❞
Moving in with Rachel was something that Jamie had been looking forward to since the idea was brought up. He'd sort of imagined that they'd live in New York where they were both from, but Rachel wanted to move out to California, where Felix had been living for a year already surfing couches as he waited tables and auditioned for part after part. He'd gotten a few small things - a commercial, a cameo in a crime series, some youtube things. So Jamie had applied to colleges out in California and accepted admission to one - wanting to take a break from consistent acting and do the college thing right. There'd been a large argument over what was an acceptable rent point when trying to settle the living situation, where Felix was being stubborn and he and Rachel had to fight with him about what was realistic. A studio apartment for the three of them was not. Nor, he argued, was a one bedroom, even if most of the time they were going to be staying in one bedroom. If it'd been up to Jamie they'd have a three bedroom place already, so that everyone could have their own space if they needed it. It was not up to Jamie though. What was settled on after Rachel had talked a lot to Felix by herself - and probably did a lot of other things he didn't want to know - was that they'd do a two bedroom apartment.
Overall, the place was fairly nice but then Jamie had sort of taken that for a given. They couldn't live anywhere that seemed dangerous, nor anywhere that would be too cramped. The touring of apartment complexes had taken literally an entire week before something was agreed upon and even then Felix had been none too happy that the price point was higher than what he could evenly afford given his current income, so Rachel and Jamie split the difference.
When it was finally time to move in came the interesting task of trying to set up a living space that worked functionally for all of them. They'd managed to do it, Jamie thought, fairly well. Since they weren't allowed to paint there'd been a lot of discussion over what was proper art to put up, but they'd settled on things that Rachel created and family photos being the right way to go about it.
The master bedroom was the one that was deemed as Rachel's although the three of them used it. Still, in addition to her dresser, she got the closet (though some items of both guys ended up there) and everything she owned was in the room along with a California King sized bed that the three of them slept in together, Rachel in the middle and either of them on each side. Both of the bedside tables held things that belonged to Rachel but the one nearest Felix contained a few games for a handheld gaming counsel and the one nearest to Jamie held whatever book he was working through for the week.
Since there was only one bathroom, it had all of everyone's hygiene items. Keeping that clean and organized was the bane of Jamie's existence and they'd only been living together for a month. Felix didn't take out shampoo bottles when they were empty, just brought new ones into the shower. Rachel's hair ended up in both the sink drain and the shower drain and he now had to clean that out. And one morning when Felix came home from an overnight shift he'd walked in on the other guy using his toothbrush, claiming that he thought that it was his own. Sharing a bed was one thing, sharing a toothbrush was a line that he did not appreciate crossing.
The other bedroom, as it was often called, held a double bed and the closet was shared between Felix and Jamie's lesser used items. A large dresser was also split between the two of them - Jamie's clothes on the left and Felix's on the right. It was scarcely decorated and thus far had not been used for anyone to actually sleep in although at some point it would. It looked pretty blank, Felix didn't have a lot of items and Jamie felt strange making the room look like it belonged just to him. He didn't want it to belong to him.
Then there was the living room, featuring a large bookshelf on one wall that had alternating shelves of belongings. Jamie's was the only one that held multiple books, though there were also some cds and movies, his shelves held many biographies and a few other non-fiction books about historical points that interested him. Felix's had a mixture of things that were not books, a signed basketball being the most notable and then a variety of movies and other small things that mostly sat in a pile but Jamie didn't bother trying to sort through. Rachel had a couple of books and movies too, but she also had the most random knickknacks of all three of them. In addition, there was a sectional that took up pretty much the whole of the back room that his parents had given them because they wanted to buy a new one anyway - so all three of them comfortably fit together when they could decide on something to watch. Most notable, however, was the large poofy rug that Rachel had picked out that covered most of their floor.
Finally, there was the kitchen which was also a strange area of the apartment. A small table sat in it for them to eat at but none of them were big cooks, which meant that the organization of the kitchen was haphazard at best. They'd sort of talked out where things should go but what ended up happening was that whoever put away the dishes put them away where they were used to putting them in their home, meaning that things like measuring cups sometimes ended up with pans and sometimes ended up with cups and sometimes ended up in the drawer with the spatulas. Slowly, they were just learning to look in all the places something could be.
Problems arose there too. Felix would tell him off for leaving the ketchup in the cupboard or eating leftovers that weren't clearly marked. Rachel had a problem with him putting the jam in the cupboard. He had a problem with Felix storing tupperware with the lids on instead of in a stack with other like tupperware. He'd heard Rachel and Felix debating about if peanut butter should be put in the fridge or not - Jamie sided with Rachel that it did not need to go in the fridge but Felix was adamant about oil separation occurring if you didn't.
All together it turned out that moving in with other people meant a lot of adjusting to how they lived. That was the slow process that was taking place and even more so, it was Felix and Jamie getting used to one another. They'd been more friendly since they'd first met up but seeing each other once in a while was different from actively living together and trying to form their own relationship that was separate from each of them just being Rachel's boyfriend. It was slow work, since they didn't have all that much in common in terms of interests - Jamie didn't care much for sports, Felix didn't care much for history. Their movie tastes too weren't all that similar; Felix liked horror, thrillers, comedy and action films, Jamie preferred dramas, biopics and documentaries.
They were trying though because neither of them planned on leaving Rachel anytime soon and that meant that they'd have to be together a lot. Both of them were making an effort, that much was clear. They were at least mostly pleasant with one another, save the few disagreements everyone was having about the proper way to keep an apartment.
Today when Jamie came in after class, he walked into the apartment and found Felix sitting on the couch playing a handheld gaming system with a shirt on but no pants. Why he was wearing no pants was beyond Jamie. "Where are your pants?" he asked the other guy, raising an eyebrow at him.
"What?" Felix glanced down and then looked back up at Jamie. "Oh, I spilled something on them and took them off."
"And you didn't think to put on new ones?"
"I was home alone, didn't see a reason to do so," Felix shrugged and looked back down at his gaming device.
"Can we make a new rule?" Jamie questioned, not really enjoying the idea that at any point he could just walk in on Felix in his underwear. Sure, they weren't all that different from swim trunks, but it was the principle of the thing.
Felix let out a groan as he looked at Jamie with a tilted head and an unimpressed look. "Jamie, why is there always a new rule with you?"
"Rules are good for all of us." It wasn't like he was planning on breaking the rule and he doubted that Felix wanted to see him just lounging around in his underwear everywhere either. "Why don't we just not hang out in our underwear?"
"You never hang out in your underwear," Felix pointed out. "This doesn't seem like it's something that would effect you to begin with."
"I don't do it because we live in a shared space." It was just being polite and respecting the fact that other people lived here.
"Are you going to try and force Rachel to abide by the rule too?"
It seemed that Felix was doing that thing that Jamie had noticed the other guy do sometimes, which was trying to poke holes in the logic that he was presenting by bringing up something that was understood not to be a part of the rule and he wasn't going to fall for it. "Felix," was all he said in a warning tone.
"Fine, I'll wear pants. But let's make another rule," Felix countered. "People who don't take off their shoes when they come into the apartment." Now he gave a pointed look to the shoes that Jamie was still wearing despite having moved away from the door. "Have to clean the floors after."
Jamie closed his eyes took a breath and gave a nod. "Fine, I'll take off my shoes," he answered, moving back over to the door and taking off his shoes to place them on the floor mat that was by the door.
"Great," Felix said and went back to his game.
"Pants, Felix," Jamie told him as he made his way over to the fridge, opening it up and sighing as he saw that the milk jug was just about empty. Felix sighed himself and put his game down onto the couch before heading into the bedroom, hopefully to get the pants he was supposed to put on. As for the milk, Jamie had no clue if it was Rachel or Felix who had left so little milk behind but it didn't matter, instead he just grabbed it out and poured the small amount into a glass while pulling the bread down. There were two end pieces left and nothing else but this was life with roommates he was told and after all, living with Rachel was worth the hassle
|
|
|
Post by Kalena Naihe on Apr 11, 2020 14:07:15 GMT -5
Prompt: A Kiss Because They're Running Out of Time
Double dates weren't actually something that Kalena minded. She'd never thought that she'd be the type to enjoy them, but it turned out that they could be fun. Their choice in doubling was always Tristan and Leslie, even if the two of them could be so obnoxiously disgustingly in love when they were together they could tone it down now and again if they were made to.
They usually rotated the locations for these double dates which could involve going out or staying in. Tonight was staying in and tonight it was at her house because well, her parents weren't home and it was more fun that way. Especially as they were currently in the middle of a game of girls verus guys catchphrase. It was fairly intense because although Tristan was not a competitive person by nature her own boyfriend knew how to egg him on.
As it stood the score was fairly close and Kalena wasn't sure that she and Leslie were going to win which was a problem for her. She was fairly competitive and she had, in fact, two nights ago when she'd been laying next to him in bed she'd made a bet about what the outcome of whatever game they played was going to be.
She'd laid cuddled up to him, her head resting on his chest with his arm wrapped around her, idly stroking the bare skin left exposed from her shirt hitching up and away from her jeans. "You know, Tristan and I are going on a third date winning streak," he said teasingly. "I think we should get a special prize for that."
"Oh, you think you're gonna win this time?" she asked, shifting so that she could look at him. Her hands rested against his chest now as she raised an eyebrow at him. "It's cute that you think that."
"Tristan and I are just a dream team," he gave her a cheeky grin that made her lips purse together as she rolled her eyes.
"Well dream team or not, Leslie and I are gonna kick your asses this time and when we win I think you will owe me both an apology and something special," she shot back.
"If you're so sure, let's make a bet," he suggested. "Winner gets to pick exactly what they want." Now his lips scretched into that kind of suggestive grin that she'd grown so used to that it stupidly made her heart beat slightly faster.
For a moment she debated, but then, not accepting would mean that she didn't believe in herself or in leslie and she could not put that message out into the world. So instead, she plastered her best smile across her face. "Deal."
Now that the timer was ticking though, counting down the last round of the game where Tristan and Alex were steadily getting closer to the lead that she and Leslie had managed to win themselves she was getting a little nervous. It seemed possible that they'd close the gap and then she'd have to be in debt to Alex. Truthfully, that wasn't something that she minded so much but she did have pride on the line here and losing for a third time in a row wasn't something that she was willing to do so.
So as Tristan tried to get Alex to guess whatever word was currently in front of him, she decided that she was not above playing a little dirty. After all, wasn't all fair in love and war? And was this not love? Her hands moved to Alex's face, since he was sitting right next to her and turned him to face her.
He didn't have a chance to question what she was doing although the question certainly started to flash across his face when she pressed her lips against his own in a deep kiss. The kind that always got him going, where she pressed herself into him and kissed him like there was nothing else that she wanted in the world than him and as expected he ended up melting into it. Confusion or not, she knew his weaknesses and her fingers were twirling the hair at the base of his neck as she put everything she had into distracting him.
From the other side of the table she thought she heard Leslie snort and Tristan sigh but she didn't stop until the timer buzzed and signified the end of the round, at which point she pulled back and gave him that same smile she'd given him a few days ago.
"You, you cheated!" he sputtered out as he looked at her, holding out a finger in accusation.
"You really did," Tristan threw in, sounding resolved to the fact that this was how the game had ended though.
"Alex, sweetie, I never promised to play fair," she winked and turned to Leslie. "We won!"
"You did not!" Alex was insisting next to her but she didn't care. The score sheet said that they won, besides, it wasn't good for him to always be winning.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get over it." The suggestive look that she threw him seemed to placate him for a moment but that didn't last long. Instead of answering him, she simply reached over and wiped away some of her lipstick that was smudged on the outside of his lips before turning back to Leslie and Tristan to ask what they wanted to do next. Later on she'd collect her prize from Alex.
|
|
|
Post by Audrey Russo on Apr 11, 2020 15:42:06 GMT -5
Prompt: A Kiss as a Lie
She wasn't used to having secrets. Especially not used to keeping secrets from her boyfriend, the one that she'd loved for years now and who she lived with and loved. They were open in their relationship, they communicated and she was proud of that. When she'd found out that she was pregnant the first thing that she'd planned on doing was telling him. He was working that day but she was going to tell him, until she was watching with the rest of the city as an office building caught fire right in his district. Her eyes glued to the screen as she watched the coverage showing fire fighters going in and rushing out as the flames engulfed the building full of people.
And she'd watched as that building suddenly started to collapse, cried out when the structure weakened and there were people unable to get out. She'd shaken and cried and sent up a prayer and another and another that Shawn was not inside right now. She'd wanted to rush to the building, she'd wanted to go and see with her own eyes that he was okay but she knew that she couldn't. Instead, all she'd done was silently cry and watch in horror as she tried to convince herself that Shawn was okay that he was going to be okay, that nothing could happen to him.
She'd let her phone go to voice mail when Ella called and then again when Mrs. Russo called, she ignored her texts and she hopped into the shower and tried to breathe. Breathe. Shawn was okay, he was fine. He had to be. They were going to have a baby.
A few hours went by like that. With her praying and hoping and just waiting as the rescue effort went on.
Then a call came in from Shawn even though from the news there were people still to get out, his voice on the other end of the line causing her heart to drop through her stomach in relief. "I wanted to let you know I'm safe," he said and his voice sounded exhausted and sad and awful.
"Can I come see you?" she asked, somewhat desperately. Hearing his voice was one thing, but seeing him was something else. Some proof that she needed, to feel him and know that he was whole and unharmed.
"I don't- no one is wanting to have visitors right now," he answered, somewhat brokenly. "And I'm just having a short rest before getting back out there. Dustin is still in there and so are some workers."
"Oh," she cleared her throat and nodded. "Okay. Be safe. I love you."
"I love you," he repeated and ended the call.
She hung onto the phone after it was over, staring at it and wondering what was going to happen. Dustin was someone she knew, he was a good guy, not much older than Shawn and he had his own family but her thoughts were still on Shawn and if he was going to be okay. What were these rescue efforts going to ask of him? What was going to happen?
A knock came on her door and she didn't want to answer. In fact, she planned on ignoring it too but then Ella's voice came through it. "Audrey, open up! I've brought you some food!" Still she didn't want to go over to it but it didn't matter, Ella had the spare key and the brunette came into the apartment anyway. Her best friend comforted her and held her close and asked her to talk about what was going on and eat some food.
Ella stayed the night, slept in bed with her and tried to make her get some sleep. It didn't work, she was wide awake most of the night thinking about Shawn and what was happening. When the end of his shift came she found herself springing out of bed despite not having slept, making her way to the living room so that she could wait for Shawn. Time seemed to drag on and on, it was unbearable. All she wanted was to be able to see him and know that he was okay. Her stomach was twisting as she worried that he hadn't slept enough to drive, that he'd get into an accident on the way home.
Eventually the door opened and Shawn walked in looking more haggard than she'd ever seen him before. Clearly he'd been crying and she knew then, knew what he was going to say before he had to say he. In a few bounds she was across their tiny living room and wrapping her arms around him, holding him close to her as she tried not to cry herself. "I'm here," she said quietly, holding him tightly as he seemed to crumble apart again and he was crying.
"He- he- gave his oxygen to the woman he'd been trying to save." The words were hard to understand through the tears and the choking and he was gripping onto her so tightly that she felt she might break in half. Even so all she did was cling harder to him, running her fingers through his hair in the most soothing way she knew how as she apologized with words and with actions and let him get it all out.
Now was not the time to tell him about the baby. He needed to grieve and it was too fresh to spring this onto him, so she kept her mouth shut about the pregnancy.
A week went by and then another and she was going to tell him. She was going to tell him as he seemed to be getting better and then she was between classes when she felt a sharp cramp, one that had her heading to the bathroom where she realized that she was bleeding and that bleeding kept happening, kept going and she knew what was happening. Immediately her brain started going over the statistics about this about every reason that she shouldn't be feeling so heartbroken. It didn't help as much as she wanted it to.
Still, there wasn't anything that she could do to stop what was happening except stay where she was for a few minutes and just try to wrap her mind around the fact that she'd woke up pregnant and would be going to sleep no longer pregnant. After buying a pad from the machine in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror and made a decision. It wasn't something that she was going to tell him, she wasn't going to add to the loss he was already feeling.
All she allowed herself to do was have a little cry on her drive back to the apartment, then she took a calming breath and looked at herself in her review mirror, wiped away the tears and made her way upstairs to the apartment where Shawn was home.
He noticed something was off, he looked at her curiously and tilted his head as he took her in. "Audrey?" he questioned. "Are you okay?"
A smile crossed her face and she moved over to him, giving a nod and then pressing a kiss to his lips. The same way she kissed him after a particularly hard day at school, the soothing way.
I'm okay.
Everything is fine.
It's just been a long day.
When she pulled back she gave him a half smile and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. "I'm just happy to be home," she said, pecking his lips softly once more as he pulled her into his lap and buried his face into her neck.
"Me too," he answered and he pressed soft kisses to her neck that weren't lies at all.
|
|
|
Post by Makenna Freeman on May 1, 2020 14:58:57 GMT -5
Prompt: A Kiss to Shut Them Up
Of the two of them, Makenna was the one who complained the most. She had a naturally grumpy disposition, it was something that she'd gotten from her father. On the other hand, Justin was almost carefree in many regards and he rarely had things to grumble about. That was a good thing because honestly, their relationship did not need two people bitching about things all the time. They had their normal roles, Makenna would be annoyed and roll her eyes, grumble under her breath about whatever it was that had bothered her lately. Justin made stupid jokes and had an easy grin, he always had some ridiculous suggestion to throw out that was not helpful but made Makenna focus on that stupid idea rather than whatever it was that had gotten under her skin. It was a system that worked.
So, she was not all that thrilled by the fact that lately her boyfriend had seemed to be in a disgruntled state. And what had brought it about? Ashton's girlfriend, Marissa, coming over from England to visit him. From her own meeting with the other girl, Makenna found her decent enough - she was sharp, short (in words, not in stature), but very intelligent and Ashton looked at her like she lit up a room. Once upon a time seeing Ashton so obviously in love with someone would have made Makenna the grumpy one, back when she'd thought that she was in love with him. Now she knew that she hadn't been and she was simply happy that he had someone that made him so happy. He deserved to be happy and find someone who also clearly loved him.
As Justin was his brother's best friend she would have thought that he'd be happy about the way that his brother had lightened up since his girlfriend had arrived days earlier, but no. Instead, it seemed that every day Justin found something new to dislike about the Brit. There was nothing about her that endeared her to him in any way. He thought that she was haughty, he thought that she wasn't as interested in Ashton as he was in her, he thought that she wasn't even that pretty, he thought she wasn't being properly appreciative of his family's welcome. The list went on and on of the redhead's supposed shortcomings.
Logically, Makenna knew that it came down to a fear about Ashton deciding to move to England full time to live with her and leaving him behind. It was fear that drove his dislike and if he admitted it maybe he'd be able to just get over his dislike for half a second. That was not what he wanted to focus on though and in a move that didn't surprise Makenna in the slightest if there was any hint toward that being the case he frowned and dived into a reason why he didn't think that Marissa was good enough for Ashton.
Now, Makenna had tried to call him on that a few times but he'd just thrown out Kalena's name and she'd glared and told him that it was not the same thing. It seemed that her own dislike of Leslie's friend was coming back to bite her in the ass because Justin had insisted that as long as she disliked Kalena he was allowed to dislike Marissa and that, in fact, he had more reason to dislike Marissa than she had to dislike Kalena because Marissa was worse than Kalena.
It was not something that Makenna was willing to compromise on. Especially because she'd met Marissa and knew that the British girl was way better than the Hawaiian that continued to insist on trying to act like she was Leslie's best friend when really Leslie's best friend was Makenna. This put them at a bit of a stand off on the Marissa issue, or at least on talking about the Marissa issue.
Right now they were out at the park, playing a game of horse that Justin was destined to lose. Still, he indulged her today in the way that he would from time to time, even knowing that there was no way he'd come out on top. Except right now, he was standing on the court and dribbling the ball as he talked about the dinner conversation that his family had last night instead of actually making any shots. "So Dad is talking about how they're gonna be adding some new dinosaurs to the Museum of Natural History and he's excited to see it and he wonders if there's gonna be more pterodactyls added and all of a sudden, Marissa speaks up-" Makenna sighed, knowing that it did not matter what Marissa said Justin was going to be offended on his father's behalf even though she didn't think that Uncle Dakota was going to be. "And goes, pterodactyls aren't actually dinosaurs."
Now she closed her eyes and shook her head a little because there isn't much that she could care less about right now. Justin takes it to be some sort of encouragement because he exclaims, "I know! First of all, who cares if they're actually flying reptiles. Dinosaurs are basically reptiles."
Makenna did not care about dinosaurs or if they were actually reptiles or not. She doubted that most people cared if dinosaurs were reptiles or if pterodactyls were dinosaurs by the definition of the word. However, if she knew her uncle at all, he was one of the few people that actually would have been interested in such a discussion. Her uncle was a nerd like that, her own dad might have been interested, possibly her mom and maybe even Aunt Lindsey had thought it an interesting piece of trivia. Makenna didn't give a shit about stupid science trivia.
There was no basketball being played, she was hearing about Marissa again and Justin was getting all huffy. "Who cares if she thinks that she's smarter than the rest of us? It's Dad and she just interrupted him to tell him he was wrong about what a dinosaur is. Like he doesn't know."
This had to stop. She could not handle hearing anything more about Marissa or about dinosaurs. A voice in the back of her head pointed out that he'd done his fair share of listening to her complain about people, her mom, Kalena, one or two of her team mates that she didn't particularly get along with. None of that was anything she was willing to take into consideration. Instead, she walked right over to him with a roll of her eyes.
"Can you believe-" He was cut off by her grabbing a hold of his face, pulling him into a sudden kiss. It was made to shut him up and she nibbled on his bottom lip in that way that always made him lose his train of thought. She moved one of her hands moved around to the back of his head so that her fingers could tangle into his hair as she pulled him down into her, swallowing whatever rant he was willing to go on about what happened with the rest of dinner. Despite his confusion of her sudden move, he wasted no time in kissing her back.
Somewhere she recognized the sound of the basketball falling to the ground, rolling away from the two of them as his hands moved to her hips to steady the two of them while the kiss grew feverish. Given their current location though she didn't allow it to go on for too long before she pulled back, taking in a deep breath as she watched him open his eyes and look down at her with a mixture of confusion and longing. Then a stupid grin crossed his face, the one that sometimes made her stomach flip even now. "What was that for?" he asked.
"Shut up and take your turn, Justin," she answered, nodding sideways over to where the ball had rolled.
"I can't say that I'm all that interested in continuing now," he teased, his hands were still on her hips and he used them to pull her back closer.
At that she looked up at him with her most unimpressed face and raised an eyebrow, silently telling him that it was too bad if he was no longer interested because she still was. There was a quiet stand off where he looked at her with a pleading puppy dog pout which onl made her roll her eyes and then tilt her head in further disinterest. With a dramatic sigh he pulled away. "Fine," he grumbled and went after the ball so that he could take his shot.
It was one that she easily replicated and once she did he started back on his story, much to her chagrin. With a deep sigh she accepted the fact that as long as long as Marissa was in the state she'd have to hear Justin's grumblings about her. At least she'd bought herself a couple of minutes of silence and maybe later she'd be able to do so again.
|
|