Venetia looked to Luke’s house as she pulled up to it. It’d been a while since she’d last been here, but Ashton had called that morning to tell her what happened with Luke and how upset he was and he’d asked her to help Luke. She’d made a stop that morning to get some of Luke’s favorite comfort foods, wanting to use any idea that came to mind to try to cheer him up. Climbing out of her car, she grabbed the bags and made her way up to the door, grabbing the spare key Luke kept hidden under a rock in a planter - she’d have to tell him to hide it somewhere else later because this hiding spot was terrible - and, after unlocking the door, she made her way inside. “Lu?” she called out as she made her way into the kitchen to set the bags down, “Brought you some food - your favorites, even!” As she proceeded through the house, her expression softened when she spotted him on the couch, curled up with Petunia, and her heart ached at the sight of him. She’d always loved the idiot, and she’d never seen him look so vulnerable before. Making her way over, she crouched down in front of him, spotting the bruises on his knuckles, and she sighed, lifting a hand to run her fingers through his hair, surprised with the new length. “Lu…” She chewed on her lip but didn’t want to disturb his sleep anymore, certain he’d probably had trouble sleeping lately anyway, and she reached to pet Petunia before standing up. Not wanting to pull Petunia’s attention from Luke, she moved away and went to fill up the pup’s bowls before grabbing ice packs out of the freezer for Luke’s bruises and she set the ice packs on the coffee table in front of the couch before she went back to the kitchen to cook for him.
Michael had done his best to make his house clean and presentable for Molly’s visit. She’d be staying for a month and he found himself excited, eager to see her, and he knew it was for more reasons than one. The first reason was obvious: she was his best friend and, no matter if a day passed or a week or a month or a year, it always felt like a lifetime since he’d seen her last. The second reason, though, he’d kept a secret for years, for as long as he could remember: he loved her, so much so that she was the most important person in the world to him. He’d never told her, even though she deserved to be told, but by the time he realized it when they were younger, their friendship was so deeply rooted that he didn’t want to risk losing her in any way. So, instead, he’d kept it tucked away in his heart ever since the moment he realized it, and no matter how badly he wanted to tell her, he never could. But, that was okay, because at least now, he’d get to spend an entire month with her, since he had a break from band duties and she had some time to spare. Hearing the knock at the door, he perked up, sure that he was grinning from ear to ear just with the thought of seeing her, just with the thought of her in general. “Coming!” he called, taking a quick look around his house one more time to make sure everything looked okay and acceptable before he made his way to the door. Taking a breath, he opened the door, though his heart swelled at the sight of her, happiness filling him, certain she looked more beautiful each time he saw her. “Hey you,” he greeted with a grin, moving to wrap his arms around her, hugging her tightly, “It’s so good to see you, Molly.” He squeezed around her gently, taking her in before he pulled back and motioning. “Go ahead, head inside, get comfortable. I’ll grab your bags.”
Rossella smoothed out her hair when she woke up, a quiet hum escaping her. Josh had already left the bed, it seemed, but she shrugged the thought aside. Climbing from the bed, she moved to grab a shirt to tug on - it ended up being one of Ash’s that had gotten mixed up in her laundry months ago; she’d just never bothered to give it back, it was too comfortable, and she’d be lying if she said that his scent on it didn’t comfort her when he was gone for months with the band. He was her best friend, but she knew that she held a deeper affection for him than what was normal. But, she could never admit to it - she didn’t want to ruin their friendship, and she was dating Josh. Besides, she knew he preferred to just hook up with girls here and there; some nights, he’d make so much noise that she’d leave their home for the night just to get away from it, not wanting to admit to the jolt of pain she’d feel when she thought of who Ashton spent his nights with. Breathing out, she made her way out of her room just in time to hear Josh tell Ashton, “You know I can’t promise something like that.” When Rossella saw the grin on Josh’s face, she knew he was up to no good, so she moved over, smacking the back of his head. “Whatever you’re taunting Ash about, reign it in,” she hummed out easily, moving past her boyfriend to head to the kitchen to look through the fridge, “What do you guys want for breakfast?” Josh looked up, making a face, but shook his head. “Nothing for me, babe, I’ve gotta get going,” he said and, before Rossella could say anything in response, he was already heading out the door. Rolling her eyes, Rossella looked to Ash once Josh was gone. “Well, what do you want for breakfast, Ash?” she asked. “Or am I just cooking for myself?”
Calum couldn’t remember a time where he and Keira had ever gotten along; he didn’t think they’d ever even said a kind word about each other, to each other. He’d known her his whole life, their mothers having always been the best of friends. A part of him was sure that their mothers had expected for them to be the best of friends as well, but that had never come to fruition - hell, they’d probably even expected them to get together at some point, but all Calum or Keira had ever shown each other was disdain, even though Calum loved Keira with everything that was within him, with every fiber of his being. He just could never bring himself to tell Keira that, too certain that she hated him more than anything, and that it would only leave him heartbroken. Regardless, when he’d heard about Keira’s mother falling ill, he knew he wanted to help as much as he could. Keira’s mother had always been a kind, loving woman, and she’d treated him like a son; Hell, she was like a second mother to him. He had time away from the band for now, and it was a chance for him to do whatever he could to help Keira take care of her mother - and, while a part of him hoped that maybe it would mend things between them, it wasn’t the reason that he was wanting to help. He was planning to help solely because he was sure Keira couldn’t handle it alone, and her mother deserved to be well taken care of - the stress of it shouldn’t fall solely on Keira, in Calum’s mind. He’d packed up a whole care package, figuring maybe it would help, but he figured he’d stick around to help with whatever he could. When he approached the house and knocked, he heard Keira’s voice and it made his heart beat faster in his chest but he made his way inside as he peered around, spotting Keira’s head poking out of the bedroom. “Hey,” he greeted with a nod as he made his way over, offering up the box, “I brought this. And I’m here to help with whatever I can help with.”
Neva had been almost certain that the night before had been a dream - it wasn’t like it would have been the first time she’d had a dream about Harry that involved sex, though she would never dare admit to that out loud, especially to Harry. But her dreams had never been that vivid; she could remember the way they moved together, the way their breaths intermingled, the way it felt to be that close to him, to feel his skin against hers. Whining quietly when she heard Harry’s voice, she couldn’t help but try to bury her face against the nearest thing, which happened to be Harry’s chest, and she could feel the weight of his arm around her waist. The fact that she could feel him against her skin, though, was proof enough that the prior night’s events were certainly no dream - and she didn’t really mind. “Harry, nooo,” she murmured quietly, reaching to tuck her face against his neck, breathing in his scent, “It’s too early.” But, really, she found herself just not wanting this moment to end, too worried that the moment she opened her eyes, they’d have to pretend that last night never happened, even though she found herself wanting it to happen more. She’d had the biggest crush on her best friend for as long as she could remember, and she worried that their entire friendship would be ruined, but she didn’t want to forget anything that had happened between them.
Louis had prepared the extra room for Freddie, excited for his son to meet Odette, certain that everything would go well, and hopeful that Freddie would love Odette as much as he did. He’d been sent to clean up the living room and, while he was fond of Odette’s determination to make everything perfect, he knew that her hard work would go to waste five minutes after Freddie arrived - kids made such messes so quickly, after all. Amused with the thought, he lifted his gaze when he heard Odette, and he smiled slightly. “That won’t be the case, love,” he assured her quietly, though his heart eased and swelled when he felt Odette’s arms around him. Turning to face her, he slid his arms around her gently, holding her closer to himself, as close as he could manage to get her, and he ran his fingers through her hair. “He’ll love you. How could he not?” He arched a brow, peering down at her, and he leaned to press a fond, loving kiss to her forehead in hopes of comforting her in some way, and he held her closer to himself, pressing his face into her hair, breathing in her scent and allowing himself to relax with the weight of her in his arms, with her presence comforting him in ways that only she could. “Everything will be perfect, I promise. You should go easier on yourself, love.” Because the last thing he wanted was for Odette to stress out over his son; he wanted her to be able to relax and enjoy herself with him.
Amedea honestly couldn’t believe that she’d actually agreed to Nathaniel’s little plan - he’d been trying to set her up with his friend, Daniel, for months. She’d normally had a way to get out of it: work, her parents had plans, school, any small excuse she could think of. But, she had the week off from work, her parents had gone on vacation, and she’d graduated college two weeks ago, so she was fresh out of excuses. This had resulted in her finally agreeing to Nathaniel’s suggestion of going on a date with Daniel, and she’d done her best to look presentable, never one to try to look flashy - Alysia had helped to at least pick something cute that wouldn’t make her stand out too much, which Amedea certainly preferred. But, now, all she could do was sit and wait, breathing out anxiously as she peered around. She didn’t even know what Daniel looked like and she was sure he didn’t know what she looked like, so she hoped that they’d be able to spot each other somehow. As the thought passed her mind, though, she heard somebody clear their throat, and she blinked, looking towards the man who spoke, finding herself stunned into silence. He was a lot more attractive than what she was expecting, and she found herself enjoying the sound of his voice more than anything. “O-Oh, um, right, that’s me,” she confirmed quietly, nodding as she shifted to stand up, though she made a face at realizing how awkward she must seem, “And you must be Daniel?”
Namjoon could vividly remember the last time he’d been to Australia, having spent a while studying here in the past. It was where he’d met the love of his life, Nicole - although she wasn’t aware that she was the love of his life. At the moment, they were only the best of friends. While the entire situation was complicated, he couldn’t help how he felt, and he knew that he wanted things to become more intimate between them. Hell, he knew she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, he even had a ring ready to propose to her when he felt the time was right. But, he had to work up to that, he knew it, and as impatient as he felt, he knew it was the way to go - proposing so soon when he wasn’t even sure how she felt about him may just serve to slap him in the face and ruin everything that was already between them, and he didn’t want to live his life without her in it in some way, even if it ended up not being in the way that he wanted. Regardless, now that he had time off, he figured now was as good a time as any to come visit her, to spend time with her, to just see her. Smiling with the thought, he made his way out of the terminal, eyes searching for Nicole, and he grinned when he spotted her, swearing the sight of her lifted his spirits in the best way. “Nicole,” he greeted, laughing when he felt her around him, and he slid his arms around her holding her up easily, his hands under her thighs. “Hey.” He squeezed her to himself gently. “I missed you.”
Alysia could feel a grin tugging at her lips when she heard Nathaniel’s voice, mischievous as ever. “As you wish,” she hummed out, holding her hand out for the phone. She couldn’t lie, she honestly enjoyed spending time with Nathaniel - he was attractive, sure, but he was also funny and kind, and any interaction between them was always enjoyable. In honesty, she could admit that he was the perfect guy, at least in her mind. The only person who knew that was Amedea, though, and she’d sworn Amedea to secrecy. Taking the phone when he offered it, she put in the password, humming in thought as she read through the texts. “Daniel would like for you to know that he hates you for this.” She grinned playfully, looking to Nathaniel with an arched brow. “You want me to reply or no?” She ran over Nathaniel’s offer quietly, debating. “Well, I’m perfectly fine with either option. Both have their merits and I’m not picky.” Plus, either way, she got to spend time with Nathaniel, and that was definitely something she found herself enjoying. It wasn’t often that they got to spend time together, just the two of them.
Cillian sighed out quietly. He didn’t know who thought this was such a good idea or why they pushed for it so strongly, but he’d come to accept that this was his fate - to pretend to date some woman he didn’t really even know. Nothing could be done about it, though; it had already been agreed on and he just had to play along, at least for now. As he made his way into the meeting room, he looked to the woman he was meant to be dating. He could admit that she was gorgeous, but that was expected - she seemed distracted by her phone when he had walked in, though, so he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when it came to interactions. “Yes, well, I was discussing things with my agency,” he said easily as he watched her. Those things had involved the matter of a vacation his agency wanted the two of them to take together - they’d even laid out a whole plan of places they should go and when; the entire “vacation” being turned into itineraries for them already. It was just a matter of waiting for her agency to agree to it at this point. “I take it you’re Audrey Rowan?” He arched a brow as he made his way over. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
May 19th, 2020 at 09:04am