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#*starting sunday i have 35 hours; and then that next week i should have a lot of hours still
ms-m-astrologer · 11 months
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The Week Ahead: May 15-21, 2023
Lunar Phases
Tuesday, May 16, 01:10 UT - Balsamic Moon, 9°56’ Aries
The key phrases for the Balsamic lunar phase are to “let go of the past” and “envision the future.” Usually Aries has no problem with either one. We may feel a little petulant and whiny about it, though. Having a healthy way to blow off steam will be helpful.
Friday, May 19, 15:53 UT - New Moon, 28°25’ Taurus
The key phrase for the New Moon is to “set a new intention for the month” - something we think we can pull off in a month’s time! We should be able to make slow and steady progress. Because Mercury is still in its Storm, it’s best to continue on with some piece of a larger project, started before April 15, when Mercury entered its Storm.
Void of Course Moon
Monday, May 15, 02:56 UT (Pisces) - 07:56 UT (Aries)
Wednesday, May 17, 09:10 UT (Aries) - 12:28 UT (Taurus)
Friday, May 19, 17:51 UT (Taurus) - 18:48 UT (Gemini)
Sunday, May 21, 22:12 UT (Gemini) - Monday, May 22, 03:28 UT (Cancer)
Retrograde/Direct/Etc.
Pre-retrograde shadow: Saturn/Pisces
Retrograde: Pluto/Aquarius
Post-retrograde shadow: Mercury/Taurus, Ceres/Virgo
Ingresses
Tuesday, May 16, 17:20 UT - transiting Jupiter enters Taurus
Starting off with an ominous kind of bang, too, as Jupiter almost immediately will square Pluto Rx in Aquarius. Security is an issue. I think this transit potentially will end well enough next year, it’s just that getting there will have its challenges!
Saturday, May 20, 15:31 UT - transiting Mars enters Leo
And again, almost immediately there is a challenge (in this case an opposition) from Pluto Rx/Aquarius. This transit won’t be as easy as Jupiter’s through Taurus - we’ll have to battle our own egos almost constantly. (This is Dolt 45’s natal Mars position. Ick.)
Sunday, May 21, 07:09 UT - transiting Sun enters Gemini
Gemini season also starts out with an aspect to Pluto, but this time it’s a trine. We’re quick to spot new possibilities in the challenges we face, but will we be able to commit to making the necessary changes?
Et Cetera
Mercury is direct but still in its Storm, moving just over 1° this entire week.
There are three Opportunity Periods this week:
Saturday, May 13, 15:12 UT - Monday, May 15, 07:56 UT. “An excellent time for the arts and healing.”
Friday, May 19, 15:23 UT - 16:23 UT. This is 1/2 hour before and after the New Moon. “If you have something important to begin around now that’s part of a larger project started before April 15, this is a great time to do it.” (April 15 was when Mercury entered its Storm, pre-retrograde - Merc is direct now, but still in its Storm, hence the caution.)
Monday, May 22, 03:28 UT - Wednesday, May 24, 14:35 UT. “This rare entire-sign OP is suitable for virtually anything, including investments. However, with the stressful aspects of Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto, it is important to find a balance between desire and self-control.”
About “the stressful aspects of Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto:” all three Fire-ruling planets change signs this week - Fire being the way we do things. Jupiter/Taurus and Mars/Leo will form a fixed t-square with Pluto, in 0-1° range of fixed signs Aquarius, Taurus, and Leo. This can manifest as a total impasse - “do not pass Go, do not collect $200” - along with resultant destructive fury that our will has been blocked. We don’t seem to have any say in, or any control over, what happens to us. We can react violently - we can choke down our toxic feelings and implode on them - or we can let them go. The Sun moving into Gemini will help us see possibilities for new ways. We may be a bit opportunistic, and at the same time we may be genuinely curious and intrigued by the new prospects and circumstances. It will absolutely help us read the room; the challenge is in how we use what we’ve read.
Transiting Jupiter in late Aries has been trampling all over my own natal South Node - my natal Jupiter is opposite my natal South Node - and I’m getting all kinds of insights (whether I want to or not!) into basic human selfishness. It is caused by heightened anxiety for our own self - it’s driven by insecurity and an absense of self-love. (I’ll share a very helpful article I read about it.)
Of course we all can see how Aries’ intrinsic insecurity is therefore a basis for Taurus’ emphasis on security. Jupiter magnifies the traits of whatever sign it’s in, for good or for ill - and if Jupiter/Aries has amplified our insecurity, then Jupiter/Taurus will make us want to compensate.
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greenbagjosh · 8 months
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Friday 14 August 1998 - Saturday 15 August 1998 - The Mariä Himmelfahrt ride to Paris - Banlieu loop around Neuilly / La Défense - lovely pizza at Tony's along Rue Faubourg (Ledru Rollin) in the 11th district
Hi everyone
I hope you have enjoyed the photos and videos of my journeys this past week.
For those driving to work, how was the commute through school zones? Today it was at least a 15 minute ordeal to go just a quarter mile past a middle school, which should have taken no more than three or four minutes. School is open for some districts, so please pay attention to the school zones and slow down as necessary. And avoid the ones that take too long to get through.
I still have remaining stories up to 18th August 1998, last one will appear this Sunday the 19th.
Here's a rundown for 14th and 15th August 1998.
Friday 14 August 1998
- final day of work, work up to lunch time with regular job duties
- filling out paperwork of end-of-project
- leave work at 2:30 PM, shopping at Neuperlach Zentrum
- speaking to roommates to end my lease as I am going home soon
- packing up large bags to take to München Hbf to store for the night
- have dinner and go to sleep
Saturday 15 August 1998
- wake up about 6:30 AM, have shower and eat light breakfast
- take U-Bahn to München Hbf for the last time that summer
- collect luggage from locker and get to the EC Maurice Ravel
- train goes from München Hbf to Ulm, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Kehl, Strasbourg, Nancy and Paris Gare de l'est
- About 3:30 PM take metro line 5 to Bastille, line 8 to Ledru Rollin
- Check into Auberge Internationale des Jeunes in 11e arrondissement, leave luggage
- go to Paris Gare du Lyon to buy round trip reservations for 16 August 1998 TGV to Lyon Part Dieu
- take a RER ride from Gare du Lyon, then to Gare St Lazare and return by metro station Pereire Levallois
- dinner at "Tony's Pizza" at
- sleep because of the early train next morning.
On Friday the 14th August 1998, my contract to work at Widgetmeister International was to expire. The work I did was a good start, and my colleagues would have more time to work on the remainder of my project as more of the colleagues were returning from vacation. I would work on my normal job duties for the morning, but in the afternoon, I had to go over with my supervisor on what needed to be done next so that my colleagues could have a plan of action on how to continue. Also I had to notify HR on where to deposit the final paycheck. At 2:30 PM, I had a time balance of 0 hours, so I could leave the office for the last time and turn in my identification card.
I had to buy a few last minute items at the Neuperlach Zentrum, as the 15th and 16th were legal holidays, not just in Germany but also in France. I bought some food at the Kaufland store, 35 mm film and a couple of CDs at the Saturn Hansa. I went home to pack up, and let my roommates know that I was moving away. I let them have any unopened soft drink cans leftover. They were aware I was going to leave early the next day. After I packed up, I had the rest of my lunchmeat, cheese and bread, as well as whatever out of my soft drinks inventory I could drink, so that I would not have too much to carry around the next day. Then I went to bed.
Saturday 15th August 1998 came around, and at 6:20 AM I woke up. I was concerned that I could not carry all of my soft drinks along, as I had no space left. And is it particularly comfortable to carry around a cotton sack with soft drinks, in addition to a day bag, clothes bag and suitcase? I would have to leave some behind. I took my shower, got dressed, had a light breakfast and drank as many of the soft drinks as I could but not so much that I would upset my stomach. For long-distance travelling, that is not a good feeling. Before leaving, I had to write in 15 on top and 08 on bottom of the Eurail pass, leaving one space blank, hopefully for Sunday the 16th.
I left my key and went downstairs to the bus stop for line 37 to Arabellapark, and U-4 to Hauptbahnhof. At 7:10 AM I collected my suitcase and the clothes bag, then found the car of the Eurocity 67 "Maurice Ravel". I chose the one closest to the station but furthest from the engine, because at Stuttgart Hbf the train would switch direction, and it would be expected, that my car would be close to the front when arriving at Paris Gare de l'est. The train left, for the last time that summer, at 7:40 AM, stopping at
- München Pasing
- Augsburg Hbf
- Ulm Hbf
- Stuttgart Hbf <->
- Pforzheim
- Karlsruhe Hbf
- Baden-Baden
- Kehl Hbf
- Strasbourg
- Nancy
and then nonstop to
- Gare de l'est
While listening to the radio, the top-of-the-hour news mentioned that Saturday 15th August 1998 was a legal holiday for most of Bavaria, except for a few villages in northern Bavaria with a protestant majority that declared 15th August 1998 as a regular workday for businesses usually in operation on Saturdays. This would also be a legal holiday in Austria, France, Italy and some parts of Switzerland.
The train went to Stuttgart and changed direction. Until the train arrived at Strasbourg, I was in the frontmost car with the best window view. When the train was stopped at Strasbourg, removing the Deutsche Bundesbahn locomotive and changing it for an SNCF locomotive, resulted in four cars were added at the front. So I was no longer in the frontmost car.
On the radio, I heard a song that I did not know was in Hebrew until years later (I thought it was Arabic). It was Minister Moshe Montefiore, or "השר משה מונטיפיורי". It was sung by Yehoram Gaon. This was received on an AM radio station, so the reception was not particularly of good quality, more like hearing it from a cell phone call. It was almost 12 PM when I switched stations to hear the last German-language newscast before crossing into France.
After Strasbourg, the train went on to Nancy, and after Nancy, the train went non-stop and very fast, almost 150 mph / 240 km/h on average. The train left about 1 PM from Strasbourg, so it would be reasonable to expect the train to arrive in Paris by 3 PM or so.
Once the train arrived at Paris Gare de l'Est, about 3:15 PM, the walk to the entrance hall seemed longer, mainly because of my luggage, and at the time, I did not have a rolling suitcase. Not only that, but the metro train stations did not have escalators everywhere, particularly downward escalators, even at Gare de l'Est or Gare du Nord. It would make the journey to the hostel at Rue Trousseau in the 11th arrondissement near the Ledru Rollin station, a more difficult journey. I wanted to save money so that I could properly enjoy visiting Lyon the next day, as such, I stuck with the metro, no matter how many stairs I had to climb or descend, and make my Paris Visite ticket worthwhile. Therefore I took the M5 from Gare de l'Est to Bastille, and made the transfer to the M8 which went shortly to Ledru Rollin. I made sure at Bastille to be at the front for the M8, as Ledru Rollin at the east end had an upwards escalator to the fare gate.
It was a five minute walk from Ledru Rollin (usually it's two to three without luggage) to the youth hostel at Rue Trousseau. I checked in, and paid the nights of the 16th and 17th in French Francs, about 91.00 FF each night including breakfast. That's about € 14.00 per night in 1998 money. In order to book a bed, the first night is prepaid and that was already done by fax. I had a bed in the third floor, in a four bed room. The shower and toilet were in rooms in the hallway. I left my luggage in the room and put whatever else would otherwise fit in one of the room lockers. I think it was 5 FF for the deposit.
I had to take care of some business, namely buying two reservations for Paris Gare du Lyon to Lyon Part Dieu, and back, in first class. If for some reason they did not have spaces, I would have to pick other trains or cancel the journey altogether and waste the last day left on the Eurail Pass. The way to Gare du Lyon was not particularly complicated, it just required taking the M8 to Bastille and M1 to Gare du Lyon. When I arrived at Gare du Lyon, I was fortunate to be able to buy the reservations needed for the TGV train. I think they cost around 50 FF each.
I thought after that, I should take a ride on the RER D train. Previously I had only taken it in late May 1998, from Gare du Nord to Chatelet Les Halles, but this time I wanted to go from Gare du Lyon to one stop in the south, and towards St Lazare. The RER D went to Maisons-Alfort, about a zone farther than I expected. Just south of Gare du Lyon, there were many TGV trains parked. When I took the train back to Gare du Lyon, I found that the transfer stations of RER D and RER A, are on top of each other. To get from RER D to RER A, you need only to go downstairs. I have been to those two stations enough times, to notice that different soaps are used to clean the stations. The RER D has a banana soap used, and the RER A has a more floral smell. I don't know if that is the case anymore today. While waiting for an RER line A to Auber, I heard the last minute or so of Pascal Obispo "Où est l'elue" on the PA system.
At Auber, this is a big transfer station with long walkways between stations, in contrast to Düsseldorf Hbf where everything seems to be compacted. Particularly between Opera and St Lazare, it is a free transfer provided that you stay in fare zone 1. Otherwise you would have to buy a separate ticket for zones 1 to X. I took the Line L Banlieu train that went from St Lazare to Pont Cardinet and took the shuttle bus to Pereire Levallois. Then I thought, why not make a loop via Issy val de Seine, to La Défense with T2 and back to the 11th with RER A? I could get home in plenty of time to go to sleep. So I did that. For dinner I had a pizza at Chez Tony - as far as Google maps shows, Chez Tony on Rue Faubourg in the 11th arrondissement still exists 20 years on. He gave me to start, a glass of tomato juice, probably the best tomato juice I ever drank. I had a quattro stagione pizza and glass of Kronenbourg.
After dinner I went to my room, gathered together what I needed, including the tape recorder, blank tapes, camera and film, and whatever soft drinks I had. Then I went to sleep. Tomorrow would be the last day for meaningful travel as I needed to use Monday the 17th for last-minute shopping.
Just three or four more days for travel, hope you enjoyed as much as this last week's travel in 2018.
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Saturday,  29  April,  2023........ Warmup.........Bench Press........ “36 Intervals”.
Overnight rain cleared out and left us with a pleasant cool morning at the Barn.
Warmup #1:
Admiral Armando started us off with some mobility/flexibility exercises.
Warmup #2:
Partner  Med-Ball
10  Passes,  5  Different Ways
Strength
Bench Press:          10 / 5 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3
Last 3 Sets Same Weight
Larry/Shane=245     Average Dave/Armando=225      Bernie=215      Robert=195     Scott=185     Paul/Dyer/Ed=155     Tom/Dana=145    Timmy/Coach/Rodney=135     Joe/Warren A/Elisa/Alicia=95     Kayla/Sue=80     Will=75     Jackie=65     Sammy=Dumb-Bells     Lew=Biked     Linda/Rick/Manny and maybe others=no posting
Metabolic Conditioner
“36 Intervals”
20  Seconds Work
40  Seconds Rest
4  Stations
Max  5  Athletes Any Station
9  Rounds Each Station
Score:  Total Reps
American Kettlebell Swings     (53/35)
Box-Jumps     (24/20)
Slam-Balls     (30/20)
Calories  On  Bike  ERG
Armando=417     Dana=394     Sue=393     Linda=389     Kayla=386     Ed=381    Larry=368     Timmy=365     Rodney=364     Shane=358     Bernie=357    Alicia=356         Warren A=347     Rick=341     Paul=337     Dyer=328    Joe=326      Jackie=321     Tom=319     Coach=313      Elisa/Robert/Scott/Will=all had prior engagements and had to leave a little early.     Sammy/Manny/average Dave=did it but didn’t post       Lew=Biked thousands of calories
Notes:
One guy said “Coach, why we always be doing this same workout every other week”,  while another guy said “WOW, this was original and a great workout !!  I hope you put this on the list and we get to do it again sometime!!”   Funny, HUH ??
I knew the WOD took 36 minutes and I tried to not waste time ( I had it mainly set up before you got here ) but still the total workout took 1 1/2 hours and some of you had to leave.  Regrets.   
Robert brought a huge dump of Murph shirts to distribute.  He started the handout today because, although I am grateful for his generosity, it is always a pain in my butt to give them out.  He brings the shirts in neat separate tranches of sizes, but somehow they quickly get shuffled like a massive deck of floppy cards.  For a disturbing number of you the free t-shirts are like getting a wedding dress sized at Kleinfeld’s in Manhattan and you have to try on 3 different ones like your entire lifetime of happiness depends on your choice before you settle for the one I told you to take in the first place.  If you didn’t get yours, I will get them organized on hangers and grouped in sizes in the closet.  All you have to do is ask.  Don’t forget to wear it on Memorial Day when we do Murph and take the group picture for Kayla’s Instagram. 
Sunday at 0730 and at 1 PM.
I deeply apologize in advance because the planned WOD is somewhat similar to one you did last weekend.  I will post the workout next, and if you think it’s a waste of your time and effort, perhaps you should go to a for-profit gym and sign up for a 6 month membership. 
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moonctzeny · 4 years
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Baby
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au+trope+prompt game: college!au Jaehyun + fake dating + it’s just so hard not to fall in love with you
pairing: jung jaehyun x fem!reader x asshole!yuta
other members as background characters: yuta, mark, johnny, jungwoo
genre: angst, smut
word count: 9,124
warnings: abusive relationship, toxic behaviour
summary: “When Yuta breaks your heart for the millionth time, you meet Jaehyun, freshly broken up and looking for revenge. You decide to start fake dating to get back on your exes, but your plan takes an unexpected turn. You fall in love.”
a/n: I really don’t like putting yuta in a negative light like that it’s just for the fic’s sake! also I literally used the name Naeun as Jaehyun’s ex because I think it’s SUCH a pretty name, NO correlation whatsoever to any korean celebrity named naeun!
_____________________________________
You knew it was wrong.
Looking through your boyfriend’s, Yuta’s, phone while he took a shower, was the arguably the tackiest thing you have ever done.
He was always distant lately, only seeming to make time for a booty call, and at first, you blamed your hectic schedule. Your major was demanding, to say the least, so when Yuta suggested that you replace your dates with some “quality time” at his dorm, you had no objections. You didn’t know that he also meant ignoring your calls, canceling on you at the last minute to meet up with his frat brothers, and keeping your relationship strictly between four walls and two naked bodies.
The thought of him meaning more to you than you meant for him ate you away. It creeped in your mind while you heard the water running from your shower, and lead your fingertips to tap in the password of his phone.
Opening his messaging app, you recognize his best friends’ icons in a group chat consisting of his frat members. You scrolled up, ignoring the latest massages regarding a party that the frat would be throwing in two weeks. You started to feel guilty, not exactly sure what you were looking for, when you saw your name at the screen.
m0rklee[00:10]: @yutassanhyung, i saw your girl today at the supermarket! why didn’t you tell her about the party next Sunday?
you[00:12]: what girl lol  
m0rklee[00:13]: y/n?? i thought you guys were together?
you[00:12]: nahh
fairyteil[00:15]: eyy @yutassan if you’re done with her i know a couple guys who wanna hit it too
you[00:16]: be my guest haha
you[00:16]: don’t get me wrong she was bad when we met but shit is getting kinda stale
tenoutoften[00:17]: aren’t you on your way to her place lol
you[00:17]: hey hey pussy is pussy
Was that all you were to him? Pussy?
Yuta called you special, he called you yours. He didn’t like it when you were talking to other guys. He ripped your lingerie set because he didn’t want anyone else to ever see you in it but him. And then he dared to go around and call you a fling?
You heard the water stop running and knew you didn’t have much time until you had to face him, the thought alone making you sick.
You didn’t bother to lock his phone again, leaving the chat that made you so upset open. Grabbing your keys and a jacket, you left your place and hoped that Yuta would get the message and get the fuck out of there before you came back.
Your legs walked on their own accord, your memory leading you to the only place where you knew you’d find any sort of comfort. When Johnny opened his door, tears were already streaming down your face. He took the open tequila bottle you were holding and pulled you in for a hug. He smelled like weed and beer, and after hearing the “Is that the pizzas?”, you realized that your best friend wasn’t alone.
You quickly wiped your cheeks and fixed your sex hair that Yuta messed up, trying your best to look presentable. Johnny put a hand on your back and lead you to his living room. Jungwoo, your and Johnny’s friend from high school, was sprawled out on the couch, a little disappointed after seeing that you were, in fact, not the pizzas. Next to him, drowning in a bean bag, was Jaehyun. You didn’t really know him very well other than the fact that he took the same major as Johnny, so you felt a little insecure looking as messy as you did right now. His eyes were red, just like the other men’s, but you could swear his eyelashes looked a little damp.
Jungwoo’s words were muffled by the barbecue chips he was munching away.
“Yoo y/n, I didn’t know you were coming!”
You placed the tequila bottle on the table,
“Yeah, Woo, figured you wanted something to drink”
“Move” Johnny murmured to him, but he only stretched and sighed dramatically, shoving a handful of chips in his mouth.
“I don’t need a drink I need food. I’m hungry and I got the munchies”
Johnny grabbed his ankle and with impressive ease, dragged Jungwoo to the floor. The taller man sat on the couch, on the side next to Jaehyun and you followed his lead, letting a grumpy Jungwoo lean his head on your knees. Taking the lit joint from Jaehyun’s fingers, Johnny turned his attention back on you.
“So tell me chica” he said and took a hit, “who do I have to beat up?”
“Yuta”, you grumbled, “I’m ghosting this motherfucker”
You felt the vibrations on your lap when Jungwoo started talking.
“What did he do this time? Didn’t I tell you not to get involved with stupid frat boys?”
You started petting his hair, the softness comforting under your fingers.
“Apparently I’m not ‘bad’ enough for him anymore” you replied, throwing air quotes and rolling your eyes.
“Whaaaaat” Johnny drew out with a cough after taking a particularly deep inhale from the blunt, “you’re like the baddest bitch I know. Even now, that you’re all puffy from crying and smell like his dick”
You hit his shoulder, almost dropping the joint he was passing to Jungwoo, embarrassed that he would say something like that in front of Jaehyun, an almost stranger to you.
“I don’t know, man” Jungwoo started, and you could hear the smile on his face, “when girls cry it’s kinda hot”
You were contemplating how many hairs of his you should rip out of his scalp when the telecom rang, assumably by the pizza delivery man.
“Saved by the bell”, Jungwoo muttered to himself and got up quickly to open the door. While the youngest paid for the pizzas, Johnny held your hand, a bit guilty for his words earlier. He had a mischievous smirk and kept shifting his gaze between you and Jaehyun, who had been sitting in silence ever since you got here, occasionally smiling at your friends’ teasing.
“Fuck Yuta, man. You should find a nice guy to treat you well and fuck you even better y’know?” he started, and patted his buddy roughly on the back, “Like Jae over here”
Your eyes widened and you instinctively glanced at Jaehyun, ears a deep red and a matching shocked look on his face.
You cleared your throat, “No offense, but, like, aren’t you practically married to this girl-uhhh what’s her name again? Naeun?”
To someone who wasn’t listening to your conversation, it must have seemed like you tased him, or brought up a painful childhood memory, or asked him if he’d be willing to lick a lemon after washing his teeth. He looked away from you, and turned his attention to his nails, ripping a cuticle off in deep concentration. His voice was so quiet when he finally spoke, that you barely heard him. “I broke up with her, actually.. Like, three hours ago”
Guilt washed over you in an instant, not knowing that you scratched a wound so fresh. You wanted to apologize and even ask if you should leave the three alone, when Jungwoo grabbed the Tequila bottle and crashed on the couch clumsily between you and Johnny.
“Fuck love!”, he yelled, “let’s get wasted”
_______________________________________
You stared at the empty José Cuervo bottle rising up and down Johnny’s chest with every one of his snores. He was laid out on his couch, his tall height taking up all of its entirety, leaving Jungwoo passed out on the floor. Jaehyun followed your eyes and smiled at Johnny’s sleeping face, mouth open and tongue spilling out.
After the 4th shot, you found out that Jae was a pretty decent guy. He let you rant about Yuta while your friends were busy trying to see who could eat a large pizza by himself the fastest. You told him all about how you never went on dates anymore, how you looked through his phone after having sex, and the text conversation you found earlier tonight. He listened carefully, without judgment, and after smoking some more of Johnny’s staff, he opened up to you about his relationship with Naeun.
Or rather, how he found her fucking his roommate on his own bed.
You always thought of these two as what they call a ‘power couple’. Valedictorian meets basketball all-star, they graduate and have beautiful babies, while all the rest of us mortals can do is admire from afar. You would have never guessed the toxicity, constant cheating and manipulation that Jaehyun was recounting. You bonded over stories about cancelled dates, emotional distancing and feeling like you’re always the one giving but never receiving. If you were being honest, you would have never expected such emotional depth from a college point guard. He drew you in with his gentleness, and you noticed how different he was from Yuta, who engulfed you with his intensity. You also hated how even now, you were still thinking of him.
Just then, you got his third message for the night:
asshole [03:35]:come on baby don’t ignore mee, me and the guys were just messing around
you [03:36]:stop texting me
you [03:38]:we’re done
You locked your phone, upset and angry, and felt Jaehyun sigh.
“I know I’m falling for her stupid games, but I just want to get back at her y’know? Show her what she’s missing, that type of thing”
You knew exactly what he was talking about. During the past hours, you weighted all the possible ways you could make Yuta regret ever taking you for granted.
He was so charming that he could get laid with anyone he wanted (and probably did, even when you were ‘dating’), but even after what he said to Taeil, you knew that he hated the thought of anyone else fucking you. He wanted your body to be his, without having to deal with the commitment that came with that privilege.
You thought about fucking one of his frat buddies, but that would get you from being called ‘Yuta’s girl’ to ‘ΘΨΩ’s cumslut’, and your self esteem couldn’t take that blow.
Jaehyun’s deep voice interrupted your train of thoughts.
“Maybe Johnny’s right”
“Huh? ”
“You should date me”
You blinked at him twice, not knowing what to reply when you saw him wave his hands frantically in front of his face.
“Fake date me! I mean, you should fake date me. Sorry, the weed’s got me a little fucked up”
At first, the idea seemed crazy. Yes, it would make Yuta furious that you were supposedly fucking one of the hottest guys on campus. Yes, Naeun would get mad that she didn’t have Jaehyun’s constant attention that she so craved anymore. Yes, you two might have revealed your deepest insecurities, opened up your hearts to each other all while sharing a bottle of alcohol, but you had never hanged out together without Johnny being present. You had barely hanged out together, period. But wouldn’t that make it even more believable? Two of Johnny’s best friends break up at the same time, meet up at his house and inevitably end up together. You didn’t share the same major, so you wouldn’t have to put up the act too much at college. And with social media, making a fake relationship believable was easier than ever.
asshole [03:42]: fuck you. you think you can find someone better than me?
Drunk and lacking logic, you agreed on the plan, and gave him your number. You had just finished creating the contact on his phone when he suddenly got up and rushed to the bathroom, facing the consequences of the tequila and weed combo.
You passed out on Johnny’s bean bag and when you woke up on Sunday afternoon, Jaehyun was gone.
———————————————————
You didn’t expect him to text you on Monday, thinking that it was intoxication that gave him the idea of fake dating and made it look brilliant. So when he gave you the address to his dorm, to further discuss your ‘operation’ you were surprised, but determined to succeed.
The plan was simple. You would start tagging each other on your instagram stories, to show people that you were spending time alone. He agreed to pick you up from your lecture on Wednesday, your classes coinciding on neighboring buildings. And for you final act, he’d come with you as your plus one for the frat’s party next Sunday. Mark was nice enough to invite you, after Yuta ‘forgot’ to do it instead, and Naeun, being Taeil’s sister, wouldn’t miss it for the world. It was the perfect opportunity to flaunt your new relationship, all while being on the opponent’s part of the field.
You started off innocently enough. After you and Jaehyun finished brainstorming ideas about the ‘operation’ as he insisted on calling it, he suggested you stay for a movie and some Chinese food. His dorm was cozy, a little messy, maybe, but it fitted his boyish charm. He had a nice collection of vinyls, stating that his favorite one was I. by Cigarettes After Sex. You were a bit taken aback by his love for dreampop and rnb, but the more you got to know him, the more it seemed to fit him nicely. On the wall next to his bed hung a display full of all of his sport trophies. He was known for his basketball skills, but you also saw medals for soccer, track, volleyball. Amongst them all was an English certificate and a spelling bee award. You wondered if he ever felt pressure trying to be so perfect all the time.
The movie was terrible, but Jaehyun managed to entertain you by making silly jokes throughout and mocking the actors’ bad acting. It was the first time you ever saw him crack a joke like that and be willing to contort his handsome features. So much better than the dream boy image he was feigning for everyone, but you didn’t know him well enough to tell him. The movie was halfway done when he picked up his phone and opened a camera app through his Instagram.
“Shouldn’t we take a story? Since we’re together anyways?”
You nodded and scooted closer to him. He was a bit hesitant as he positioned the camera to capture your legs that were touching, a scene from the movie playing in the background. It was a cute picture but nothing indicated that the two of you were more than friends. You pressed the X at the top of the screen to discard the picture, and placed his hand on top of your thigh. You turned around just in time to witness his ears turning into a fuschia pink.
“Is that okay?”
He nodded and regained his cool, taking the picture and tagging you with a red heart next to your username.
A couple hours after leaving his place you texted him, asking if Naeun had replied to his story. He said that unfortunately, the only person who batted an eye was Johnny, replying with a “ 👀 👀 👀 “ .
———————————————————
You met up again the next day, at your apartment this time.
He looked nervous being in a place so foreign to him yet so personal to you, so you decided to turn the lights down to help him relax, insisting that you weren’t trying to seduce him or anything. He laughed at your joke but still looked tense, and you thought that maybe he needed some liquid courage to open up.
“Hey Jae. Want a drink?”
It took him 3 beers to finally loosen up and show you his dimpled grin again. You were sitting on the floor, facing each other and feeling comfortable in the ambience of the room. A Spotify playlist was playing in the background so it would fill up the awkward silence but wouldn’t distract you from your conversation.
“Wait wait wait. So you sleep without a pillowcase?”
“Yeah, didn’t you notice it when you came to my place yesterday?”
“I thought you forgot to do your laundry!”
His laugh was resonating and deep and manly. It made his eyes disappear and his face light up, not that it didn’t anyway - the guy could easily be a skin care ambassador, and you made a mental note to ask him about his moisturizer later.
You followed his gaze to one of your walls. Pictures were filling it up, memories of yourself and your siblings, of your friends from home that you missed, of Johnny and Jungwoo. You felt a little insecure then, comparing them to Jaehyun’s countless medals and awards.
“I’m not good at sports like you, so I have nothing else to hang on my wall”, you laughed awkwardly but he shook his head.
“No, I’m actually jealous of you. Everyone always seems to want to be around you”
“Except Yuta”
“Yuta’s an idiot, then. You are way out of his league anyways.”
You felt yourself turning into a blushing mess and looked for a way to break the awkward silence that followed his comment.
“Wanna share another one?” you asked him, shaking the empty beer bottle on your hand and he nodded. You started getting up when you felt him put a hand on your shoulder and pick up the bottles you had finished up from the table himself. He rinsed them off and put them away to the recycling bag next to your sink, the domesticity of the action making you melt. You watched as he stood on his tiptoes to reach a lager from the top drawer of your fridge, revealing a defined set of abs and two cute dimples on his lower back. You ripped your eyes away immediately, like you were caught doing something illegal, and he walked back to his spot next to you. As soon as he sat down, he groaned and threw his head back.
“The bottle opener was on the kitchen counter. I forgot to bring it”
Without saying a word, you took the beer from his hand and placed the cap in your mouth. It was a party trick that your older brother had taught you when you were 15. After finding a stable indentation on your teeth, you manipulate the rough edges of the cap and pop the beer open. You return the glass bottle to Jaehyun, who’s looking at you incredulously.
“Fuck me, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen”, he breaths out and you feel your whole face burning up. You opened and closed your mouth a couple times, trying to register that someone like him thought you were hot, when you felt your phone vibrating, saving you from further embarrassing yourself.
Johnny’s picture lit up on the screen and you mentally prepared yourself for the following conversation. You and Jaehyun decided against telling anyone about your relationship being fake. It’s not that your best friend wasn’t reliable, but if you told Johnny you had to tell Jungwoo, and Jungwoo doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut to save his life.
“John, what’s up”
“Eyy chica what took you so long?”
You looked at Jaehyun who had leaned back against the pillow of your couch and sipped on the beer you would share.
“Yeah sorry I was a little busy”
“Busy.. with Jaehyun?”
You tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but you were still trying to recover from the previous incident.
“Yeah, he’s here”
“Ohh I see, little y/n can’t get enough of Jae’s slam dunks.. I bet he’s teaching you the bank shot, the opening tip, the double dribble, the fast break, the palming.. he sure is great for a rebound-”
You interrupted him, growing tired of his nonstop basketball innuendos.
“Why did you call me Johnny?”
“Damn, sorry, I just wanted to ask you what you wanted for your birthday”
Shit, you forgot about that.
“Just get me whatever, I don’t care, you know how much I hate celebrating anyways. I’ll get the cake myself, so no surprises”
Jaehyun lifted his brows and waited patiently for your call to end before asking:
“What are we celebrating?”
“It’s my birthday on Friday. I’m going to invite a couple people over and Johnny’s already stressing over it. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to come”
“How can your boyfriend not come to your birthday party?”
You laugh bitterly.
“Well, it’s not like Yuta came last year. To any of my parties for that matter”
“Well, he must have made up to you somehow? Got you a very special gift or something?”
“If you count eating me out as a gift then yes. It was very rare indeed.”
You took the beer from him and took a sip yourself. You noticed he had his eyes glued on his phone, his expression gloomy.
“Is everything okay?”
He snapped out of it at the sound of your voice and turned his phone screen towards you.
It was Naeun, or rather a post on her instagram account. She had her tongue out in the picture, hugging two guys that were unfamiliar to you. You read the caption.
“One day the loser will realize that the diamond he thinks he’s playing with is actually a rock”
Jaehyun mumbled an apology. I guess he thought that you’d be a bit offended being called a ‘rock’ but you were actually feeling satisfied. Your fake relationship had managed to get her attention, and for Jaehyun’s sake, you wanted to rub it in her face even more.
You opened your camera app and placed your phone on the table next to you. He figured what you wanted to do so he sat up straighter and motioned to his lap. You’d normally be a bit hesitant to sit on him if it wasn’t for the two beers and your determination, that had fired up again due to Naeun’s words. Leaning back a bit, you set up the self-timer and he put his hands on your hips to stabilize you.
You had agreed on turning up the boldness of your pics, so you placed your hands on his neck, right under his jawline. He snaked his hands upwards and wrapped them around your waist, bringing you even closer. His eyes were glossy from the alcohol and he looked at you with an impressive calmness, considering the intimacy of your position. It seemed like he was waiting for something, the ticking of the timer urging you to take things a bit further and he nodded, as if giving you permission. You leaned in, and pressed your lips on the corner of his mouth, like you couldn’t decide on kissing his dimple or his lips.
After hearing the click you climbed down from his lap, and prayed that the photo came out in focus. Your heart couldn’t handle another retake. From the angle of the camera, it seemed like you were a couple in love, sharing a sweet kiss on the lips. You added a cute caption and tagged him, so he could repost it later on his own account.
It hadn’t been 5 minutes before your phone lit up.
yutassan replied to your story: what the fuck?
You smiled triumphantly and showed the message to Jaehyun, who laughed at Yuta’s reaction. He gave you an excuse about some forgotten homework and how it was late and he has to go.
“Remember, I’ll pick you up tomorrow from class, so wait for me”
After he left, you thought about your almost kiss and the dimples of his back for way too long.
——————————————————
You exited the classroom with a growing headache. The lesson today seemed extra boring, and all you could think about was that you had to convince Johnny that it really took just three days for Jaehyun and you to officially start dating.
As promised, the pair waited for you at the end of the hallway, your best friend looking at the two of you expectantly. Jaehyun was a good actor, you thought, as he approached you before you got to reach them, meeting you halfway.
“Hey baby”, he smiled at you, the nickname turning your legs into jelly. He wrapped one arm around your shoulder, and kissed your cheek sweetly, making Johnny coo at the two of you.
“I can’t believe that I hadn’t thought about pairing the two of you together earlier”
He must have thought that the awkward body language and the silence that fell was a sign from you and Jae to leave you alone. He excused himself, saying something about “letting the young lovers swim in the pool of their love”, or something along those lines.
The two of you walked together, following the road to your next class that was just a few buildings away.
“So how has class, baby
You rolled your eyes at the insistent nickname, “you know that Johnny left us, like, 5 minutes ago, right?”
“Let me enjoy itttt”, he whined, “Naeun never let me call her anything like that”
“Why is that?”
He looked at his feet moving and frowned in thought.
“She said I was embarrassing her in front of her friends. I think she just didn’t want other guys to know that we were together”
You felt a pang of sadness and you realized that it always followed any conversation you two had about his and Naeun’s relationship.
“Well then if you call me baby, I can will you honey. Or sugarplum. Or pumpkin pie. Or-“
It was startling how fast Jaehyun pressed you up against the wall. In just a moment, he had put his hands on your waist, burying his face in your hair. You shivered when you felt his breath as he spoke against your neck.
“Yuta’s watching us”
All you could do was stay frozen in place, and listen with wide eyes.
“Huh?”
He chuckled at your response, but he replied patiently.
“Yuta? Your ex? He’s right over there. Figured we should give him a show”
And with that, he kissed you. Everything was happening so fast, that you could barely comprehend that Jaehyun, that was a stranger in the past weekend, was now making out with you at the hall, for everyone to see.
And that included Yuta.
You opened your eyes in the kiss and searched for him, spotting him with his frat buddies. His eyes were piercing through the two of you, and you saw Mark holding him back by the shoulder. The look on his face was priceless.
Jaehyun pulled back and you wrapped your arms around his neck.
“Thank you”, you whispered, “but I need one more favor”
“Anything baby”
“Slap my ass as we walk away”
Sure enough, Jaehyun took your hand and you continue your walk, momentarily stopping to make eye contact with Yuta and give you a little spank. It was something your ex loved doing on the rare occasion you two met up outside of your dorms, no matter how public the setting. You heard Mark yelling something at his ‘Yuta hyung’ and that’s when you thought, your plan just might work.
———————————————————
You didn’t see Jaehyun until your birthday. It was just a small get together, but your place was starting to get a bit crowded as time went by. Johnny had been suffocating you with hugs ever since he got there, reminiscing the time you met as teenagers and calling you an old lady. Jungwoo on the other hand couldn’t stop asking about Jaehyun. You kept making excuses about how he didn’t feel so good today and might not make it. You didn’t expect him to come, of course. Just because you had agreed on fake dating, it didn’t mean that he had any obligation to be present in all your social events. The loving message he left on your Facebook wall was enough to fulfill the purpose of your current relationship.
That is why, when you heard a knock on your door, the last thing you thought you’d see was Jaehyun holding a dozen of red roses.
“Happy birthday baby!”, he exclaimed and gave you a kiss on your cheek,
“I asked Johnny about your favorite flowers, hope we got it right”
Feeling speechless, you took the roses from his hands and inhaled their sweet scent. You were dumbfounded that he actually came, and even brought you a present. You thanked him for coming, and he repeated the same thing he said back at your place, “how could your boyfriend miss your birthday?”
And even you were fooled, momentarily, when he held you by the waist later that night and sang you happy birthday. You blew your candles and all you could wish for was a love like the one Jaehyun was faking for you. He helped you clean up, and was more than willing to socialize with all of your friends. You admired how well he fitted in your social circle, already friends with Johnny and Jungwoo, yet so nice that even people he met for the first time came to love him.
You were sitting on one of your dining chairs, your two best friends already passed out on your couch. They had brought two bottles of vodka and your favorite tequila, but you weren’t in the mood to drink. You couldn’t help but remember the time when you practically begged Yuta to be there on your special day and he still missed it. You were scared that if you got a little drunk you would text him, or worse, call him, his sweet talk bringing you back to him all over again.
The only sounds resonating through your apartment were Jungwoo’s light snoring and a chill Spotify playlist playing from your laptop. A familiar tune came on, and you recognized it being ‘Nothing’s gonna hurt you baby’ by Cigarettes After Sex. You immediately looked at Jaehyun, the only conscious person still at the party other than you. He threw his head back and sighed contently at the sound of his favorite song. You saw him get up and walk over to you, reaching his hand out.
“Will the birthday girl spare me a dance?”
You slow danced in the middle of your living room, ending the night in the sweetest note. Jaehyun always felt so stable, so safe. You wondered how he got himself tangled up in that mess of a relationship with Naeun. Maybe it was the way he treated people with such kindness, void of any prejudice. Maybe he was a little bit like you, and didn’t think he deserved much.
“She’s crazy” you mumble against his chest, his confused hum making you feel the vibration on your face.
“Naeun. She’s crazy for ever cheating on someone like you. You’re perfect”
“I have my flaws”
You thought about how competitive he got when you played beer pong earlier, how his ears get red when he gets embarrassed, how he shows his dimpled smile in apology when he’s late. His love for drinking and how it makes him more honest, his trust in people that must have gotten him hurt many, many times. You liked them all, you loved them all.
“It’s just so hard for someone not to fall in love with you”
———————————————————
And that’s how the days went by with Jaehyun. You met up almost every day, in restaurants for a nice dinner, or hanging out in each other’s dorm. It was so much fun getting to spend time with him, that you sometimes forgot to make your meetup public on social media. You helped him with his math homework, and he helped you dye your hair. You even went to his basketball game, and he dedicated one of his goals to you, following every teen movie cliche.
You felt a little sad how it was all falling to an end. The plan was successful, for the most part. Naeun had asked Jaehyun to meet up later tonight, talk things through. You wished he wouldn’t go back to her, but you knew you had no real say in his love life. Yuta saw that he didn’t own you, that there were people like Jaehyun that were willing to give you what your ex had promised you, but wasn’t able to give. Well, not really, you reminded yourself. Jaehyun was faking it. You shouldn’t let yourself get lost in the fairytale, even if the past two weeks were some of the best of your life. He had proposed that you claim that the reason for your upcoming ‘breakup’ was differences in character, but you decided to stay friends. You were happy that at least, in the midst of all this mess, you met someone like him.
It was Saturday, a day before the frat party. You had invited him over, celebrate the end of your relationship with some pizza and a movie.
The movie was boring, but Jaehyun made you laugh. It reminded you of the first time the two of you met up alone. You had gotten comfy on your couch, sharing popcorn when you noticed. A huge bruise was peeking out from Jaehyun’s tank top, the dark color contrasting against his porcelain skin.
“What the hell?!” you exclaimed and scooted closer to him. You rushed your hands on his chest, your fingers pushing the fabric aside to examine the bruise. You found even more bruises scattered around it, accompanied with scratches that stretched longer than his top could.
“It was from the game the other day”, he tried to excuse, but you weren’t buying it.
“Jae, I was there. You played basketball, not WWE. Now who did this to you?”
He sighed and fidgeted with a loose string on his jeans, clearly uncomfortable.
“When I caught Naeun with my roommate, and broke up with her, she didn’t take it very well”
You kept staring at him, urging him to continue.
“She started calling me names, saying that she’s the best I’ll ever have. That I’m worthless without her, just a social climber trying to mooch off of her popularity”
He motioned on his torso, “When I kicked her out of my place, this happened”
“Is that the first time she acted violent?”
He shook his head. “Pretty much every time she didn’t get her way”
“Jae”, you started, placing your hands on top of his “this is abuse. Have you ever talked to anyone about it?”
“It’s- it’s nothing. It’s embarrassing”
“No it’s not! Abuse is not exclusive to any gender! Guys get affected by it too!”
“It’s embarrassing because I know I can physically stop her but I don’t”
His eyes were starting to water, the sight was heartbreaking. “I sit there frozen and just take it”
“Why?”
“Because part of me believes her. That I’m hopeless without someone like her, dictating what I can and cannot do. I don’t need a shrink to tell me that it’s sick. I have these bruises to remind me”
You were starting to get angry. Angry at that bitch for hurting him, angry at Jaehyun who puts up with it, angry at you, for not seeing past the obvious like everyone else.
“I’m not letting you go see her tonight”
He laughs at you, putting up an invisible barrier between you.
“Not letting me? Wake up y/n! We’re not a real couple, remember? We’re just faking it to satisfy our selfish needs. This whole thing is pointless”
He stormed to the door and you tried to stop him, but he was too riled up for that.
“You’re going to forget about me as soon as this whole circus is over, just like everyone else”
“How can you accuse me like that when you haven’t even let me be a part of your life for real?”
“Because now you’ve met me. Me. With all my ugly, all my fucking bruises. Is it still so hard not to fall in love with me?”
With that, he closed your door with a bang, not even letting you answer that yes, it was impossible not to fall in love with Jung Jaehyun.
———————————————————
History seemed to repeat itself, as you got a text from him the next morning, that you didn’t expect.
jaehyunnie: let’s meet outside of the frat at 10:30, i’ll bring the booze.
And that’s what you did, showing up with your shortest skirt, spotting Jaehyun sitting a few meters from the frat’s entrance. He was laying against the wall, his eyes red, and he gave you the same smile he always did when he saw you, as if your fight yesterday never happened.
“Hey baby” he said and pulled you in for a hug. You couldn’t resist the invitation, and felt yourself melting in his embrace. He smelled like weed and shower gel.
It was nice, how he proclaimed your truce, but you still had to get something off your chest.
“Listen, Jae, about last night, you were right. This whole thing is pointless. We can go home, if you want”
“No baby”, he started and pulled away just enough to look at you. His eyes were droopy but glancing back at you with such care as he moved a strand of hair out of your face, “we’re here to have fun”
You wondered why he was still willing to come to the party with you as your boyfriend. Maybe he wanted to do you one last favor with Yuta, or maybe he wasn’t done indulging in Naeun’s petty games. You looked at his forearms, noticing a few scratches that weren’t there yesterday.
“I’m guessing you and Naeun didn’t make up last night”
He shook his head, and rubbed his hands on your back, keeping your temper down.
“Did you get in a fight?”
“Something like that”
You didn’t know what came over you. It was anger and protectiveness, possessiveness even. You laced your fingers in his locks, letting his head rest against the wall. If Naeun wanted you to speak in her language, then so be it.
You started kissing his neck, on that part on the side that is tender and sensitive. You heard passerbys whistling at the two of you, seemingly getting it on in public. Your licks and sucks weren’t meant for pleasure though, you had a goal and that was to leave a bruise. A statement for Naeun.
You walked in the building hand in hand and followed Jae to the kitchen, where he poured you a drink out of the bottle he brought along. Looking around, you sensed a couple familiar faces staring back at you from the crowd. Taeyong from class, Mark and Ten, and last but not least, Naeun. You downed the drink in one shot and lead Jaehyun to the dance floor.
He put his hands on your hips, and swayed you at the sound of some club song you weren’t familiar with. You ground your ass against him and he hissed, keeping you close against him. A little voice in your head was screaming how this isn’t real, to him this is all pretend, but you ignored it. You wanted her to think that he was yours, that she couldn’t hurt him anymore.
“Why are you doing this to me y/n? Yuta’s not even around”
Jae turned you around, and you put your hands on his shoulders. He looked absolutely breathtaking tonight. You searched his face for a flaw, yet couldn’t find any. You wouldn’t change a single thing on him.
“She’s here” you said venomously.
He buried his face in your neck, inhaling the smell of your hair and trying to ground himself from his high. “I don’t give a fuck about Naeun”
He kissed your ear and your mind fogged up even more.
“She didn’t ask me to meet up yesterday, I did. I wanted to tell her that she and I were done, for good. I thought she wouldn’t be here tonight, but I guess she changed her mind”
What?
“Then why are you here? And why did you let me give you that big ass hickey?”
He stopped nibbling on your ear, and whispered to it instead.
“I’d never miss up on a chance to feel yours”
The bodies dancing next to you, the liquer you had downed a few minutes ago and Jaehyun’s words were getting too much to handle. You felt suffocated, unable to distinguish where reality ended and pretending began with you two.
“Jae, I need a moment, excuse me”
Releasing yourself from his grasp, you made your way to the kitchen. There wasn’t any fresh air, but there was plenty of booze. You poured yourself a shot and as you downed it, you felt another liquid trickling down your top.
You looked up to find out who managed to make this night even worse for you, only to come across the last person you needed to see tonight. Yuta.
“Shit I’m sorry”, he muttered and you avoided eye contact, thinking you’d manage to get away without him realizing it was you. Luck wasn’t on your side tonight.
“Well well well. Long time no see.”
Confidence was dripping from his smile, to his stance, to the way he looked at you. He had dyed his hair your favorite color, his white locks begging to be tugged and played with. To top it all off, he smelled good, so, so good. He smelled dangerous. Comfortable.
You immediately realized that you didn’t have the self control needed to resist him. Turning on your heel, you started to get the hell out of there when he held your wrist, keeping you in place.
“Wait, I’m sorry, you can’t stay like this, you’ll catch a cold”
“Since when are you worried about me?”
“C’mon y/n, please. Come upstairs, I’ll give you a clean shirt. No funny business, I promise”
You hated yourself for this, but you followed him upstairs to his room, like a pray falling right into the hunter’s trap. He closed the door behind him, muting the loud music and you sat on his bed that you were so familiar with. Looking through his closet, he passed you one of his t-shirts, and turned around to let you change with some privacy. It was comical how chivalrous he was acting, considering the unspeakable things you’ve done in here.
“Not like you’ll see something you haven’t seen already”, you murmured and he chuckled, raising his hands.
“Hey, I’m a gentleman. It’s my fault, after all. I have a habit of getting you wet.”
Blushing at his comment, you quickly changed into the clean shirt and felt the bed dip next to you. You thanked him under your breath and started getting up, when you felt him hold you back once again.
“Stay, just a moment. I’ve missed you”
“What do you want?”
“You, baby”
Yuta was the one who said it, but you swore you felt Jaehyun’s voice reverberating through the nickname. Suddenly, it felt like there was no air for you to breathe.
“That’s not happening, Yuta. I’m with Jaehyun now”
He scoffed, “Jaehyun? Naeun’s puppy? Come on now, we both know you can do better than that”
“Don’t talk about him like that”, you bite back, but he doesn’t budge.
“What kind of boyfriend leaves his girl alone in a party like this?” He grips your chin, making you stare at him face to face, impossibly close. “Look at you. Every single guy in this party wants to fuck you. You expect me to be ok with this?”
Yuta lets his other hand glide on your knee, moving up to your thigh slowly. He smiled at how easy it was to focus on him.
“Do you remember how I made you feel? How I reminded you that you’re mine? You were moaning so loud, Mark thought you’d pass out. You loved it.”
You wanted to scream, tell him that this was the past you, that you couldn’t take going back to him once again and get your heart broken one more time, but you felt helpless around him. The warm feeling was only temporary, it would soon evaporate when you face the fact that to him, you are nothing but a play toy, a possession.
And that’s when Jaehyun barged in through the door. His eyes moved frantically from Yuta’s hands on your thighs, to his band tee you wore, to your discarded top on the floor. He quickly turned red, the color spreading from his neck to his face, then landing on his ears.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing with my girlfriend?”
You instantly got up, following his thought sequence.
“It’s not what it looks like! He spilled his drink on me and gave me a clean shirt and..and..”
“And you decided to sit on his lap to thank him?”, he mocked you and Yuta laughed.
“Calm down, dude. I didn’t make her do anything. Besides, it’s not the first time y/n found her way over here after some disappointing dick”
Jaehyun grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up from the bed, forcing him to stand and face him. You moved between the two, trying to stop the catastrophe that was about to happen. Jae might have more muscle power than Yuta, but if the whole frat ganged up on him he would have to leave this place in a stretcher.
“Jaehyun please, let’s just go. Baby, please”
The nickname was the only thing that brought him out of his rage and made him listen to you. He let go of Yuta and took your hand, dragging you out of the room.
You were two hallways down when you pulled away, forcing him to stop.
“Why did you have to get so mad?”
“Why the fuck did you go back to him?”
“I didn’t! It was just.. so hard for me to tell him no”
You felt your eyes water with how pathetic you sounded. Jaehyun rubbed his hands over his face, groaning in frustration.
“Don’t you understand how much it fucking hurts? To see you with that guy that treats you like shit when I’m right here, willing to give you everything? When I’m in love with you?”
You couldn’t process what he said because in a moment, his mouth was on yours. The kiss was so different than the one you shared at the hallway of your campus. It was passionate, it was rough, and this time, he monopolized your attention. His lips were determined to bruise into yours, leaving you breathless and causing your back to fall against a wall. It was crowded around you, eyes prying into your intimate moment but to you, the only person around was Jaehyun.
“You smell like him”, he growled, sucking on the tender spot under your ear, “makes me wanna fuck his scent off of you”
That was all you needed to hear. You led him to the frat’s guest room, knowing that Taeil always kept a spare key in the lamp next to the door. Unlocking the door seemed like a tour de force with Jaehyun leaving open mouthed kisses on your neck, but you finally managed to stumble inside. You locked the door behind you, continuing your heated kiss, hands roaming around each other’s body.
He was taller than you, so when you felt him grab your ass with such eagerness, you almost lifted off the ground. You palmed him through his jeans, the roughness of his hard on making your panties stick from wetness just a bit more.
“I want to taste you” you managed through kisses, but he just unzipped your skirt as a response, pulling it to the floor in one hasty move. Petting your clit through your underwear, a shiver ran down your spine, spreading goosebumps all over your arms and legs.
“I don’t think I have the patience for that”
He walked you backwards towards the guest bed, taking his pants and shirt off along the way. You sat on the edge of it and admired his godly proportions, when you took notice of the bruises and scratches that led to your fight on Saturday. Suddenly feeling the need to slow down, you started leaving kisses over each and every one of them. You wanted him to trust you, give in to you completely. He had his flaws just like he said, but you wanted all of him. And you wanted him now.
“I need you, now”, you voiced your thoughts and helped him take off his boxers, revealing his hard cock. He was thick and decently long, making your mouth water and your pussy clench.
Towering on top of you, he removed your panties that were embarrassingly damp at this point, and by his smirk, you knew he noticed.
Jaehyun bent your legs next to your torso, making you expose all of you. He licked his lips as he dove into your lower ones, muttering praises about your “pretty pussy”, turning you impossibly wet.
Jung Jaehyun never disappoints, you thought, because the moment you felt the first lap over your sensitive bud, you got a taste of heaven. He alternated between licking and sucking over the spot that turned you into putty against him. You were already unbearably turned on at this point, and the changing pace of his tongue made you lose your mind.
Your pants and moans only seemed to urge him on, and after a few minutes of his careful treatment you felt yourself getting close. He must have sensed it, because when you grabbed the bedpost in an effort to stop shaking, he stood on his knees, and reached for a condom in his wallet.
You didn’t have time to complain about the denial of your orgasm, and started taking Yuta’s shirt off, when he grabbed your hands and placed them back on their previous position on the headboard.
“Don’t”, he said sternly as he lined himself up your entrance, “I want to fuck you in his shirt”
There was no time to think about whether his request was healthy or not, because when you felt him stretch you out, the only thing on your mind was him and his dick.
You let out a deep moan and he took it as a sign to screw himself deeper inside you. Your pussy gushed uncontrollably, filling the room with the lewd sounds of skin slapping against skin. You unlaced your fingers and ran them down his back, ghosting them over the dimples that had affected you so much.
Jaehyun lowered himself, letting his chest touch yours, and you could feel his abs contracting over the fabric of Yuta’s shirt.
“I bet he’s never eaten you out like that, yeah?”
“N-no, never, ahh”
He sat up again, putting your legs over his shoulders and lifted your butt off the mattress, gripping your hips to steady himself before continuing his incredible pace.
“You’re mine, aren’t you baby? Mine to give you everything.”
The position felt divine. He was hitting it incredibly deep, reaching the spot that had you moaning so loud you were thankful for the unbearably loud music of the party. You were sure his fingers would leave a mark over your hipbones but you didn’t care, the pain only accentuating the warm feeling in your belly.
“J-Jae don’t stop - fuck don’t stop I’m gonna cum”
He leaned over, grabbing your face that was contorting in pleasure.
“Look at me when you cum for me”, he demanded, and when you rolled your eyes behind your head, letting go, he let out his first moan for the night.
He kissed your lips sweetly, helping you ride out your high.
“You’re so beautiful, my baby. So, so beautiful”, he praised and you submitted fully to him. He turned your body around, positioning you in all fours, and you wondered where the gentle boy you met at Johnny’s house went. His dick buried in you once again, spreading your juices around and the sensitivity of your previous orgasm made you aware of every single inch.
“So fucking tight”
Jaehyun didn’t go easy on you. He saw how much you liked it, how you were pushing your ass against his cock. He pounded in and out of you with the intention of fucking your thoughts out, and that’s just what he did. When the feeling got too much, and making any sort of noise seemed like a feat, you felt him push your hair back, and start biting on your neck, most definitely leaving a mark.
“I’m gonna cum. Fuck, I’m gonna cum”, he muttered, his voice wavering and you felt him release in the condom inside you.
It took a while for the both of you to regain your breaths. Jaehyun’s chest was heaving up and down as you rest your head on top of it, not brave enough to break the silence.
“I’m sorry”, he finally said and started petting your hair lovingly.
“About what?”
The bed was foreign and small but you both stayed still, wanting to bask a little more in the peacefulness of the moment.
“About getting so possessive, and saying all these things out of jealousy. I acted just like him..”
You kissed his left peck, listening to his heart that was starting to beat in a faster pace.
“Jaehyun, you’re nothing like Yuta. I get how you felt, I feel the same way when I think about you with Naeun”
He took your hand that was resting on his abs and planted a kiss on your palm. Your heart did a flip and you were pressed so close together, he sure must have felt it.
“I should have told you about her sooner. About the fights and how I let her go because of you. I was in denial about my feelings for you because-“
He stopped mid sentence, wary of the way his words would come off to you. Jaehyun was a proud man, but he opened up his heart tonight, admitting he was in love with you. He had already exposed so much of himself that you gave him the time he needed to organize his thoughts.
“Because I was insecure. That you would never like someone like me. That Naeun was right. That you were only interested in playing pretend with me and didn’t mean any of the things you said, and I let myself get carried away in a lie”
You and Jaehyun were two lost souls, trying to break free from the constraints your insecurities built up for you. You didn’t have to succumb to your masochistic tendencies anymore, wasting your time in heartless lovers because now you found him and he found you. Both unable to see any value in themselves, but more that willing to treasure the other. And that was enough for you.
“I’d be honored to be loved by someone like you. Baby.”
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kpop---scenarios · 3 years
Text
Into The Night (2)
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Pairing: Kai x Reader 
Warnings: Unprotected Smut, Angst, 
Word Count: 6.9k 
A/N: I'm sorry!!
As the rain pours down, it soaks you but you have a hard time finding the urge to care. You watch the staircase from in front of your car, waiting for the man you love, the man you hoped loved you enough to come chase after you. You desperately wanted him to tell you that you were enough for him and that he had enough of the business that was taking so much from him. 
But he never came. 
A part of you must have known he wouldn't give it up, not for you. It wasn't as though you were anything special anyway. You were you, and he was a god, someone who deserved more than just you. 
You closed your eyes and for a moment imagined what it would have been like had he chased you. Kai running down the stairs, into the rain to take you in his arms and tell you how much he loved you and needed you, that you were first, that you were enough. 
But instead, you got into your car soaked and cried hard while driving to your apartment. Maybe he didn't love you as much as you thought he did. Maybe you truly weren't enough for him. 
Day by day, you stared at your phone, reading the last text he had sent you before you left. It was the last time he had typed out the words you wished you could hear from his lips right now, even if you don't deserve them.
"I love you." 
You can still hear the faint whispers of him saying the words in your head, but as time goes on the whispers get quieter and quieter, slowly fading away. 
**
Every week something changed, for the better, and you noticed yourself becoming yourself again. You stopped agonizing over the fact that he hadn't texted you, then you stopped caring that he hadn't called you. If he had been the man you thought he was, he would have reached out, maybe tried to explain himself. But he didn't, so maybe he wasn't the man for you. 
A month had gone by and you started going to coffee shops with your friends, finally getting out of the house. 
Six months had gone by and you were washing your hair and doing your makeup, feeling like yourself again. 
A year later, you were thriving. You had a great group of friends, you were putting yourself out there with guys and you had just been promoted at work, which tonight, this wonderful Friday, you were celebrating with your group of friends at a new club in the city. 
"I will be there soon." You laugh into the speaker, looking out the window of the cab to see where you were. "Promise, like two minutes away." You tell Moonbyul, pressing the end call button. 
The cab driver pulls up to the club and you see Moonbyul, Wheein and Solar waiting outside for you. 
"Fucking finally." Moonbyul groans, pulling you in for a hug. The others join in, congratulating you on your promotion. 
"Come." Wheein squeals. "I got us the best table." She finishes, pulling you inside the club. 
You walk in and it's jam-packed with people. You squeeze her arm as you navigate through the massive amounts of bodies, finally settling at a table with your three best friends. 
"First." Solar pauses. "Shots." She smiles as four shots are delivered to your table. 
"That was cool." You laugh. 
The four of you down your shots. 
"Next," Wheein says. "More shots." Another round is placed on your table, one in front of each of you. 
The four of you take your shots again. 
Half an hour later, you had already done four shots and had two drinks, and to say you were feeling it would be an understatement. 
"I'm going.." hiccup. "To the bathroom." You giggle, ungracefully sliding from your chair and stumbling your way to the bathroom. You close your eyes for a split second as you walk past the bar, trying to ease the spinning when you bump into a hard chest. 
You open your eyes and look up, immediately thinking your eyes are playing tricks on you. You blink a few times before stumbling back, shaking your head slightly and looking back up at the man.. the man you once loved. 
"Kai?" You whispered. 
"Ayn.." he says. "It's good to see you." 
"Yeah.. um, you too." You say, unsure of really what to say. There were a few things you had planned to say to him had you ever actually run into him but you truly never thought that situation would arise. 
"How have you been?" You ask. 
Not what you wanted to say. 
"Good, good." He smiles that radiant smile that just melts your heart. "I quit the business." He says. 
Your heart drops. 
"When?" You ask, a little confused. 
"About nine months ago." He answers. 
You scoff. 
"So three months after you let me run out because you were never going to give it up?" You ask. You can feel the anger rising inside of you. 
"I.. well, Hwasa helped me realize." He says. Seconds later a gorgeous woman slides her manicured hand over his shoulder as he wraps his arm around her waist. 
You look at Kai confused, and heartbroken all over again. 
"Hi, I'm Hwasa, Kai's fiancee." She purrs, holding out her hand with a big diamond ring on the right finger. 
"Fiancee?" You breathe. "I tried.. for you.. and I wasn't good enough.. but you knew her for three months and she got you to quit and propose? What the fuck was I? Did you even love me?" You yell. 
"Ayn.. let's not do this here.." Kai says, looking uncomfortable. 
"No, I'm not doing anything... I’m...I can't breathe." You cry, turning around to stumble from the crowded building. You burst through the door, the cool outside air hitting you hard as you gasp for breath. 
Kai, the man you loved was now with someone else, someone who seemed worthy of him, not to mention he left.. he left the business behind. The one that you weren't good enough for him to leave. You weren't good enough to fight for apparently. 
With your feet dragging, you walk the long-distance home, ignoring the buzzing of your cellphone as you try to keep the tears from falling. You lost. 
**
The next morning you woke up, feeling as though a train had smashed into your life - oh wait, it did. You recall the events of last night and how your heart was shattered for a second time by the same man, in less than a year. You grab your phone, looking at the time, 11:34 am. Before you set your phone down, it buzzes an incoming message. You open your messages and your heart drops as you immediately recognize the phone number. 
Kai. 
[11:35 am] 17362592474: I'm sorry about that. Can we talk? 
It took all you had in you to not call him and scream at him. He's sorry about that, he's sorry? For what exactly? The fact that he didn't come after you, or the fact that he got engaged so quickly after leaving you shattered and a shell of the person you were before. 
You threw your phone to the corner of your room. You couldn't deal with this today. So instead of answering him back, you went about your Saturday. You went for a jog but you never did stop thinking about the woman, Hwasa who was so perfect and seemed so perfect for him. They were a gorgeous couple, one of those couples who should be featured in all the magazines. You didn't compare to her, clearly. 
That night you stayed in, ignoring the ringing of your phone that still sat in the corner of your room and instead binge-watched the saddest kdramas you could find and cried, while also stuffing your face. 
You woke up Sunday feeling terribly bloated, with an even worse headache but none of that compared to how your heart felt. As much as you didn't want to admit it, as much as this would absolutely fuck with all the progress you made in the last you, you still loved him. Seeing him Friday night confirmed that, you would still forgive him if you had the chance. 
Now you spent the rest of your Sunday agonizing over a decision you needed to make. 
Text him back, or ignore it? 
**
Monday morning you sat at your desk, chewing on your fingernail as you stared at the message on your phone that you had read almost a thousand times over. 
Can we talk? 
Sure, you wanted to talk, you had a lot of things you wanted to say to him. You grabbed your phone, typing the message before throwing it on your desk and trying to focus on some work. 
[10:12 am] You: Sure. Let's talk. 6 pm, my place. I'd rather this not be public. *Address*  
[10:14 am] 17362592474: See you then, Ayn. 
You roll your eyes at his reply. Boy, was he going to get an ear full. 
You paced in front of your door, checking your phone every 3 seconds. Time was moving so slowly as you waited for Kai to show up. You ran lines through your head, planning out exactly what you were going to say to him. You were ready and prepared to go off. 
You checked your phone again. 
5:59 pm 
Knock 
Knock. 
You stood in front of your door and took a deep breath before opening it. You almost gasped at the sight of him. He looked so good, but seriously, he had the audacity to look that good and show up here? What the fuck. 
"Hi, Ayn." He smiles. "Are you going to let me in?" He asks. 
"Oh." You say, coming out of your trance. You open the door wider, allowing him to come in before closing the door behind you. 
 "Nice place." He says, looking around. You lean against the door, your arms crossed as you try to remember the first thing you wanted to say. 
"Thanks." You whisper. 
That wasn't it. 
"Hwasa and I are on a break." He begins. "Look, I'm really sor.." he started to say before you cut him off. 
"Don't." You yell, raising your hands to your ears. "I don't want to hear that you're sorry." You spit. "Sorry doesn't make up the fact that you didn’t chase me. Sorry doesn't make up for the fact that you met someone 3 months after you let me walk out of your life like I was nothing, and then you got engaged! You really are.." you say before now he cut you off, this time with his lips. 
You hadn't even noticed him walking towards you until his lips were pressed against yours. Your eyes are still wide open as you realize what's happening. You place your hands on his shoulders, pushing him away. You're shocked as you gently touch your lips before raising your hand and slapping him. 
You look at him, up and down before grabbing his collar and pulling him back to you, latching your lips onto his. He wraps his arms around you pulling you in close. He backs up, pushing you against your door as he hikes up your skirt, his knee pressed in between your legs. You break the kiss and his lips travel to your neck, your hands now in between the two of you, unbuckling his belt. He shimmies his pants down, along with his boxers, his cock springing free. 
Kai places his hands behind your legs, picking you up and pressing you against the door once again. He lines up his cock before pushing himself into you with a gasp as his head rests in the crook of your neck. Your hands-on his shoulders as he thrusts himself into you, making you moan loudly. 
"Fuck." He grunts, his fingertips digging into the back of your legs as he fucks you. Your hand moves to his hair, running your fingers through his locks as he hits all the right spots, your clit being rubbed perfectly. 
You can feel his hot breath on your neck, his lips pressing a kiss as you cry out, loudly. 
"Just like that." You moan as your orgasm builds. "Don't stop." You cry, your fingers gripping tightly onto his hair. 
"Cum for me, please." He begs, you wrap your arms around his neck as your orgasm flows through your body, making you scream. 
Kai thrusts faster as he chases his high, spilling himself into you. "Oh god." He moans as he thrusts lightly, coming down from his high. 
You're both still for a moment, Kai still inside you as you both breathe heavily. "Shit." He whispers, pulling out. "That was a mistake." He says, pulling up his pants and buckling his belt back up. 
"What?" You ask, tears now brimming in your eyes. 
"No, that's not what I meant." He tries to assure you. "I meant the timing was a mistake, not you, never you." He says. 
"No, I get it. I wasn't good enough for you then, why would I be good enough for you now." You spit. "Get out." 
"Ayn.. please. It's not what I meant. I miss you!" He pleads. 
"Get out now!" You cry. The tears roll down your cheeks as he looks at you with such despair, to just listen to him. You don't care. You were a mistake. 
You storm towards your window, pushing it open as you struggle to catch your breath. How could you be so stupid as to let him fuck you, let him back into your life like that? 
This was a mistake 
I miss you.
Did he though? Did he miss you? 
You let out a loud and frustrated grunt as you swiftly moved around your apartment, rage cleaning. How could you let him come up here and taint your fresh, drama and Kai free space? Bad Ayn. 
Heading for your cabinets, you reach for your favourite cleaner, the one that smells like happiness to you and you begin your work. You scrub your door, cleaning away the sweat, the reminder that you let him fuck you against your door. You wash your floors, making sure to clean where he stood extra hard. 
When you were finally satisfied with your house and the cleanliness and freshness of your place, you went to take care of yourself, spending an absurd amount of time in the shower. You used different soaps especially on your neck, you washed your hair a few times and your fingers, trying desperately to get the smell of him off of you, trying to get the feeling of being called a mistake off of you. 
After your shower, you sat in your robe, in a chair in the living room, your finger hovering over the cold button on your cell phone. You needed to call Jisoo and tell her about this but you were slightly nervous about her reaction. You closed your eyes and pressed the call button and took a few deep breaths as you listened to the sound of the phone ringing. 
"Heeelloooooo." She answers in a singing voice. 
"I did a thing." You whisper into the phone. 
"A thing? Ooh, what kind of thing?" She asks. 
"A bad thing." You reply. 
"Do tell." She says excitedly. 
"I accidentally..slept with Kai." You whisper. 
She says nothing. 
"I'm sorry. WHAT?" She gasps. "Kai? As in, you just got over Kai? That Kai?" 
"That Kai, yes." You whisper. 
"Giiiiiirl." She screams. "So you're back together? I always loved the two of you together." 
"He has a fiancee." You whisper. 
"I'm sorry again, WHAT?" She says. "And you still fucked him?" 
"Well, he said they're on a break." You nervously laugh. 
"Shit girl. How do you feel?" She asks. 
"He said it was a mistake. The timing was a mistake but all I heard was I'm a mistake." You answer. 
"What'd you do?" 
"Kicked him out." You laugh. 
"Yas best friend, you go best friend." She laughs. "But in all seriousness, are you okay?" 
"I don't know." You respond. "I still love him, and I know I could forgive him but I don't know if I should. He broke me, and it took a long time to fix that and then he's got this new girl, and shit.. what do I do, Ji?" You sigh. 
"This is something you have to figure out for yourself. I can’t be the one to tell you what to do, as much as I would like to, this is you." She responds. 
"Thanks, Ji." You say before hanging up the phone. She was right, you had a lot of thinking to do but also, you really need to talk to Kai. 
** 
Kai sat on his couch with his head thrown back as he replayed this evening's events through his head, over and over again. He will admit, he shouldn't have kissed you but it couldn't help it. He really had missed you. He stared at your lips as you yelled at him and he thought about kissing you, then bam, he was doing it and he didn't want it to stop, but then you slapped him and kissed him back and everything escalated from there. 
He lets out a loud groan as he thinks about his life and where he was now, he felt like he was going insane. Everything was so fucked up, and in all honesty, it was his fault. Had he just gone after you, none of this would have happened. You would be here, laying in his arms, and you both would be happy but instead, you're broken and it's his fault and he's still in love with you. 
Kai thinks back to that day, the one when he let you get away and fuck does he ever wish he could have a redo of that day. The amount of shame he felt for what he did was indescribable. 
"Either you want it, or you don't. So let me know." You finished before walking away, and Kai stood there. He couldn't move as you closed the door behind you. He was hurt, angry and ashamed. You were so much more important than his business and he wanted to tell you that, but his pride wouldn't let him. He wanted you to be more understanding of his job and realize that it was just that, a job. So he waited. 
He waited for you to return, he waited for a text, a phone call, something - anything but it never came. He thought maybe you needed time but as the weeks went by he slowly began to realize that you had left him and it hurt. It had been too long now, he couldn't crawl back so maybe you would. If he was lucky, you would be the one to reach out to him. 
One night he had gone to a restaurant - alone. He ordered a glass of wine, and his meal and sat in silence as he watched the happy couples smile and laugh. He wanted that, with you. As he was lost in thought someone tripped beside him, dropping a purse. He knelt down to help and when he looked at the woman, he was shocked, she was breathtaking but nothing compared to you. 
Maybe that's what he needed, a distraction, someone to help him get over you. She smiled at him and he smiled back. "Thank you for your help." She says. 
"No problem. Are you okay?" He asks, seeing the tears in her eyes.
"Terrible date." She sniffles. 
"Would you like to join me…" he pauses. 
"Hwasa." She smiles. 
"Would you like to join me Hwasa?" He asks.  
"I would love to.." she pauses. 
"Kai." 
"Yes, Kai, I would love to " 
A few months later he was looking at the engagement ring he had bought, that was supposed to be for you and Hwasa had caught him, immediately screaming yes and crying. She was so happy. So he slid the ring on her finger and decided to keep it to himself. A few weeks later, he handed the business over to Baekhyun, not because Hwasa had convinced him like she thought but because he worried she would try to take it over. 
Kai was a little in over his head with her, especially when he couldn't stop thinking about you but he just couldn't bring himself to end it with Hwasa. He felt guilty, it had been too long now, maybe he was stuck. Maybe this is what he deserved, his karma for not chasing you. 
** 
A few days later, you glanced at the clock as you finished your paperwork, it was 9 pm. You let out a big yawn, stretching out your arms. There was a faint knock at your door, so you finished your stretch as you walked over to see who was here so late. You looked through the peephole and saw Kai standing there swaying. Your heart was in your stomach, you most definitely weren't prepared for this. 
With a shaky hand, you turned the doorknob and opened the door slightly. "What are you doing here?" You ask, looking both ways down the hallway. 
"I fucking miss you," Kai yells. "Please let me in." He begs. 
You can hear your neighbours beginning to get annoyed, so you opened the door fully and grabbed Kai by his shirt to drag him in.
"You can't just show up here like this." You say, crossing your arms. "You're engaged." You finish, those last few words felt so bitter coming out of your mouth. 
"I'm not… I'm not engaged." Kai says, walking closer to you. He pulls you in, just holding you but your arms are still crossed. "Please.. hold me back." He whispers. 
As a tear rolls down your cheek, you uncross your arms holding onto him tightly. The two of you stand there for a moment, you take in his smell, remembering what he used to smell like. It's the same, but whiskey added tonight. 
"Come." You whisper, letting go of him, and pulling him towards your shower. You run the hot water as he stands there. "There are towels in here." You say pointing to the cabinet. "I'll have some clothes for you when you're done." You finish, leaving the bathroom to let him do his thing. 
He's not in there for very long. A few minutes later you look up to see him standing there with his towel wrapped around his waist with water dripping from his hair. You bite your lip at the sight of him, taking a deep breath and remembering you can't. You can't do that. 
"Here." You whisper, handing him some old clothes of his that you never got rid of. You felt a little ashamed to have kept them this long but it was something you could get over.  You turn around as he drops his towel, you can hear him sigh as he slides on his clothes  
"Done." He says, his voice low and shaky. 
"You need to sleep this off." You say, opening your bed covers. Kai crawls in, scooting over for you. 
"Please?" He asks, patting the open space beside him. 
"I can't." You whisper. "I'll be on the couch." You finish, walking away and turning out the lights as you make your way to the couch. 
** 
Kai wakes up startled. He sits up in bed, confused about where he is, he looks over at the clock, it reads 4:49 am and then he remembers. He came to your house, you hugged him back, put him in the shower and tucked him in. You were so good. 
Kai crawls out of bed, feeling his way out of your room and making his way to the living room. 
He walks in and sees you curled up on the couch, a small piece of your hair covering your face. He smiles at how peaceful and happy you look in your sleep. He misses watching you sleep at night, just looking at you and feeling so unbelievably grateful that you were his. Kai bends down, scooping you up in his arms and bringing you to your bed. He places you down, covering your shivering body as he crawls in beside you, making sure to leave space between you two. He wished he could wrap his arm around you and fall asleep with his face buried in the crook of your neck, but instead he fell back asleep with his face buried in your pillow and tears rolling down his cheeks. 
That morning you wake up, feeling extra warm. You stretch out your back, pushing out your ass and you're met with something hard pushed up against you. Your eyes shoot open as you feel a hand sliding over your stomach, pulling you in closer. You shouldn't be doing this but fuck, you missed him, you missed this and everything that came with it. 
A few minutes couldn't hurt. So you snuggled back into him, relishing in the feeling of being held by him again, his strong arms wrapped around you, making you feel like the safest person in the world. Your personality made a bit of a flip and you began scooting your ass back a little more, lightly grinding yourself on his cock. 
"Mhmm." He groans, pushing himself against your ass harder. "Goodmorning." He says, his voice husky and quiet. 
"Goodmorning." You whisper. 
"Can I.. just." He pauses, pushing himself into you further. You weren't sure what came over you, maybe it was the trance that you always seem to be in around him but you opened your legs, giving Kai the invitation to enter. 
He lets out a loud groan as he moves to pull his sweats and boxers down, his cock ready as it drips precum. You open your legs a little more, letting him move your panties to the side before he slides himself inside you, stretching out your pussy.
"Fuck." You whimper as he slides in and out of you slowly, making you crave more. He pulls up your shirt, exposing your bare breasts before cupping one, twiddling your nipple between his fingers. 
You reach your hand down between your legs, pressing down on your throbbing clit before gently rubbing as Kai continues to thrust inside of you. His face is pressed into your neck, nipping gently as his hot breath flows over you. 
"I've missed you." He breathes. "Your scent, your face, your body, your pussy, everything about you." He groans. Kai continues to fuck you, his hand leaving your breast to move up, wrapping around your neck. He lightly squeezes, making you moan loudly as your orgasm builds. 
"I missed you." You cry out, rubbing yourself faster, needing your release. 
Kai's hand around your neck tightens as you both cum, your body squirming as he fills you up. You both lay there, breathing, taking a moment. He releases your neck but instead of moving away from you, holds you closely for a few minutes. 
Kai springs out of bed a few minutes later, pulling on a shirt before finding his shoes. "Shit." He panics. 
"What are you doing?" You ask, very confused. 
"I have to go to work. I'm already late." He chuckles. "I will text you." He says, kissing you gently on the cheek before running out the door, leaving you standing there with his cum dripping down your leg. 
"Rude." You scoff, making your way to shower. Before you get in you text Jisoo, asking her to lunch because now, you have more news. 
She texts back immediately confirming and telling you she can't wait. 
**
"Again!?" Jisoo yells, throwing her hands up in the air while you hide behind your hands. "You slept with him, again." She sighs. 
"It was a.." you begin. 
"I will cut you if you say it was a mistake." Jisoo threatens. "Look, you guys need to chat about what the fuck is happening because you have me confused." 
"You're confused? I'm also confused." You sigh, taking a sip of your drink. 
"Excuse me." You hear from beside you. You look up and see a very handsome man standing in front of your table. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I just thought you were stunning and wanted to give you my number. If you are interested in a date, call me, if not at least I know I gave it a shot." He smiles, placing a napkin in front of you before walking away. 
You and Jisoo laugh as you slip the note into your purse. Considering how things were going with Kai, you didn't think you would need it. You finished your lunch with Jisoo and said goodbye before you went on a stroll and headed back to your apartment. You thought about your morning with Kai and smiled like an idiot as you skipped down the sidewalk, feeling like you were on top of the world. 
As you neared your apartment, you decided to stop and grab an iced coffee, maybe even a cookie from your favourite shop until suddenly you weren't very thirsty anymore, but instead, your heart sunk as your throat dried up. You looked in the window of the coffee shop and saw Kai sitting there with Hwasa, his hand in hers as they laughed. 
You pulled out your phone and dialled his number. You watched as he checked to see who was calling and then put his phone down, ignoring the call. 
With your heart hurting, you continued to walk to your apartment. You decided you were done being played by him and reached in your purse, digging for the napkin the stranger had given you earlier. If Kai wanted to play games with you, fuck with your feelings for him, well then you could do the same, and make him hurt more. 
The minute you got home you sat at your kitchen table, dialling the number the man had given you. 
"Hello?" He answers. 
"Hi." You say. "I realized that I never got your name." You smile. 
"I'm sorry." He laughs. "I don't usually do that so I was a little nervous. My name is Taemin." He tells you. For some reason his name made you smile widely. 
"Nice to meet you, Taemin. My name is Ayn." You say. 
"Well Ayn, would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" He asks. 
"I would love to." You answer, without a second thought. Kai was pushed so far to the back of your mind, you didn't even feel guilty about saying yes to Taemin, Kai could have Hwasa. 
"7 pm, Jungsik Seoul. Is it okay if we meet there?" He asks. 
"Yes, that sounds perfect. See you tomorrow." You say, hanging up after he says goodbye. 
You were truly excited, maybe this means you and Kai weren't meant for each other. Setting your phone on the table, you walk away, trying to decide what you wanted to have for dinner tonight when your phone rang again. You made the mistake of answering it without even looking at who was calling, you were just trying to be happy. 
"Hello?" You answer, a little tune in your voice. 
"Hi, beautiful." You hear on the other end. 
"Kai?" You ask.
"Yes, baby, you and me, tomorrow night. Can we talk please?" He asks. 
"No." You spit. "I saw you with Hwasa at the coffee shop this afternoon. You were smiling while holding her hand. So much for a break. I really continue to surprise myself at how many times I'll let you fuck with my heart." 
"Ayn." He says but you don't stop. 
"I have a date tomorrow night." You say. "He's taking me to Jungsik Seoul. So I'm busy, bye." You finish, hanging up the phone. You toss your phone onto your couch, heading to the bathroom and slamming the door behind you, your mood now completely ruined. 
**
You stood outside the restaurant in your red flowy dress and heels as you waited for Taemin to show up. You checked your phone again and it was only 6:57pm, so it's not like he was late, you were just a naturally early person. 
"Hey." You hear from behind you. You turn around and see Taemin walking up to you, in his suit that fit him perfectly, his hair laid out in a perfect way to shape his face, his plump lips spread into a smile. 
"Hi." You smile. 
"Have you been waiting long?" He asks, pulling the door open for you. 
"Just a few minutes." You say, walking into the restaurant. "Not long at all." 
"Reservation for Lee Taemin." He tells the man at the front who then takes you to your seats. 
As the two of you look over the menu, the conversation is flowing and you can't control your laughter. You were having an amazing time with Taemin, but your heart wasn't fully in it. You took a sip of your wine as Taemin looked past you, slightly confused. 
"Hey man." He says, standing up. 
"What the hell are you doing?" You hear from behind you. It's Kai. 
"I'm on a date man," Taemin says, pointing to you. 
"With Ayn." Kai snaps. 
"Like.. the Ayn?" Taemin asks, looking between you both. 
"Yeah." Kai answers.
"Bro, I'm sorry, I didn't know," Taemin says, putting his hands up to surrender. 
"You don't get to do this." You spit, standing up from the table. "You don't get to waltz in here and pull this shit." 
"He's a friend, Ayn. He knows about everything and how bad I've wanted you back." Kai tries to explain. 
"Oh, I'm sure you wanted me back so bad." You scoff. "That's why you were getting all cozy with Hwasa yesterday right? That was wanting me back, right?" You yell, crying again. "I'm tired of you lying to me about her. Either you're done with her or you're not." You finish in a whisper. 
"I am done. Look, Ayn, it's not what you think at all. Please, please let me explain." He begs. 
You look around the restaurant at all the people watching you and your drama. "Fine." You whisper, sitting down slowly into your seat. 
"Do you mind?" Kai asks Taemin, pointing to his seat. 
"Get your girl, man." Taemin smiles, walking out of the restaurant, leaving you both to talk. 
"I'm just going to go to the bathroom." You sniffle, earning a smile from Kai. 
You walk to the bathroom, with the plans of fixing up your makeup, trying to make yourself look somewhat presentable again. But you never had expected to see Hwasa standing in the bathroom, leaning against the wall as if she was waiting for you.
"Awh." She fake pouts. "Poor little Ayn. Are you upset that you're trying to ruin someone else's relationship?" She asks. 
You ignore her. 
Hwasa laughs. "Do you think you've won because he's sitting out there wanting to talk to you? Sweetie, he walked out on you once, what makes you think he won't do it again?" She smiles. "If I were you, I'd be so insecure because I'm not giving up my man." She spits, walking out of the bathroom. 
Fuck your makeup, you storm right out of the bathroom and head for the table you share with Kai. "Are you done with her?" You ask, slamming your hands on the table. 
"W-what?" He asks. "Yes, I don't want her." 
"Then you should probably let her know because she just told me in the bathroom that she's not giving you up." You tell him. 
Kai stands up, looking around the restaurant. "Hwasa." He calls out. 
She smiles widely as she walks towards the table. "Hi, baby." She purrs, sliding her arm onto his shoulder. 
Kai pushes her off. "Look, I told you yesterday over coffee, I'm done. I don't want you." Kai growls. 
"Are you forgetting our little arrangement?" Hwasa scoffs. "I can pull out my money and you'll be ruined." She threatens. 
"You'll have your money back tomorrow, first thing. You're not hanging this over my head anymore, Hwasa." Kai spits, pointing to her face. "Get it through your thick skull, it's always been her." He finishes, walking towards you, taking  your hand and pulling you from the restaurant, leaving Hwasa standing there, looking like a fool. 
** 
It had now been a year of you and Kai being back together and they have been the best year of your life. After that night at the restaurant, you and Kai sat down and had a very long talk about everything, clearing the air, no more secrets. Slowly as the days went on, you began to trust him more and more, which led to you slowly dating again. 
After a few months you didn't want to do the slow thing anymore. You wanted him fully. You had no doubts about your relationship, and you didn't want to wait to give yourself fully to him. Kai had your heart in his hands, and you knew he would never do anything to break it again. 
** 
"You're lying." Kai whispers, staring at Hwasa with wide eyes. "You can't.. it's not mine." Kai says. 
"The Night of the hotel with the papers. That wasn't Ayn you were with. It was me." She tells you. 
Kai closes his eyes, flashing back to that night four months ago. 
"I miss you." You pout into the phone, making Kai chuckle on the other end. 
"I miss you too, baby." He groans. "I'm going to kill Baekhyun for this." 
"You can't kill him. He needs his best friend. Make sure you're safe tonight. I have something exciting to tell you when you get home in the morning." You smile, looking over at the positive pregnancy test sitting on the kitchen table. 
"Okay baby, they're calling me, so I will see you in the morning. I love you." He sighs. 
"I love you more." You whisper before hanging up the phone. 
**
"Sorry about that." Kai says, putting his phone in his pocket. 
"No worries." Hwasa answers, sliding papers towards him. "These are the transfer of ownership papers." She says, pouring a glass on whiskey for Kai. 
"This is all you called me here for? To give me papers?" He asks. 
"Yes." Hwasa answers. "Actually, I do have a question." She says.
Kai takes the glass drinking the shot before Hwasa fills it up again. 
"Why Ayn?" She asks. "What is so special about her?" 
Kai chuckles as he drinks another shot, and another one. "She was the first one to think of me as more than just a dick." Kai answers. "She saw i was worth more than being just a good fuck." 
Hwasa nods her head as she pours Kai another shot, his body beginning to feel warm. 
"I think you're more than just your dick." Hwasa whispers, pushing the shit towards him, leaning in closely to Kai. 
He takes a breath, smelling the air. It smells like you, he can smell your perfume. "Ayn." He smiles. His world spins slightly as he takes the shot. He looks up and he swears he sees you sitting across from him. 
"Lets go to bed." He hears. A woman helps him up, taking him up to a hotel room and laying him in the bed. 
"Ayn, my sweet baby. I like your dress." He smiles as he squints his eyes, watching the dress fall to the floor. 
"I want you." He hears a whisper, making him groan. 
"Oh baby, I want you too." Kai groans, unblocking his belt. 
He watches as his cock is pulled out. He closes his eyes as a mouth wraps around his tip, teasing him with a tongue before sucking hard, bobbing up and down as his cock gets sucked. 
"Fuck." He huffs, his hands reaching up and grabbing a chunk of hair, holding the head steady as he thrusts himself up, his cock sliding down the throat. 
"Ride my cock." He whimpers. 
His eyes are still closed as he feels a body climb up the bed, hovering over him before sitting on his cock. "Oh god." He hears moaned from above. He places his hands on hips, helping rock back and forth. 
"You always feel so good around my cock." He whines, his fingertips digging into the thighs on top of him. 
"Cum." He demands, his teeth clenched together. He listens to the sweet sound of moans from above him, as fingertips dig into his chest. 
It doesn't take long for Kai to cum, filling up the warm pussy that surrounds his cock. 
"Fuck, I love you." He sighs before falling asleep. 
In the morning Kai wakes up startled and confused. He remembers drinking with Hwasa, but he must have drank too much. He looks over and sees Hwasa sleeping in the other bed in the room, both of them still fully clothed. He went home that morning and told you about the wild sex dream he had about you, and you told him you were pregnant. 
** 
Kai walks in the door of your shared apartment and sees you standing there, with two tiny baby onesies, one with blue writing and one with pink. 
"It's twins babe." You cry. "A boy and a girl!" 
Kai walks towards you, dropping to his knees, sobbing with his head down.
"I'm so sorry Ayn, I fucked up." He whispers. "Hwasa's pregnant and it's mine." 
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foster-the-world · 2 years
Text
11 out of 11 done. 45 out of 45 again. Piggy back ride scandals?
I passed my head to toe health assessment oral exam. I put in about 35 hours of studying over 2.5 days. Including staying up until 2am the night before and getting back at it at 7am. I went to practice with my partner a few hours before and was messing everything up. I was sure I’d fail and have to take the redo. Once I went into the room I did fine. It was all in my head I just needed to calm down so I’d get it out.
Now I’ll be up until 2/3am again studying the meds. In theory, I memorized them last week but they did not reappear when I started studying again this morning. I don’t think I was studying correctly at first so I wasted a lot of time. Hopefully, it will all come together when I’m in front of the Professor.
These are the only two exams I can’t fuck up. I still have four written final exams and a lot of studying to do. Next week is two standardized exams. I don’t even know if I’m going to study. They are 10% of the grade. 2% is the practice exam that I need to do by Sunday night. If you “pass” the real exam the first time you get the additional 8%. If you don’t you have to do X amount of remediation hours before the final is over and you can get back 6% of your grade. I think I’d rather spend time with my children this weekend and do the remediation later.
I told the girl’s I’d take each one of them Upstate for a mom/daughter sleepover. I want them to get a lot of attention since I haven’t been able to for a few weeks. I love listening to what they have to say but with three of them they are sometimes competing for attention. Bee asked if Rebel could go so she didn’t miss out on the fun. So sweet and somewhat surprising considering they fight nowadays. 
Tonight my husband took all three kids on a walk. Bee was giving Rebel a piggy back ride. Which I/we thought was harmless kid behavior. This women stopped my husband to tell them they should not be doing that. My husband told her thank you for your opinion but its harmless. She said “would you like it if Rebel (white) had to give Bee (black) a ride.” He pointed out Bee is a full foot taller so it would be more difficult. She wouldn’t let it drop. She flat out told him it was child abuse. He (a very non confrontational person) continued to be dismissive and to try to move the situation along. She told him if he allowed this in the street she can only imagine what he allows at home. She walked away and then came back to tell him again that he’s the father and needs to parent. She told him he was getting a F for fathering. An F! He said the kids luckily were too busy to notice. Is this a thing? Are piggy back rides bad? It never would have occurred to us.  
I am glad this women doesn’t see into our home because for a long while Rebel was very, very into horses. Their favorite game was pretending to be horses - on the ground on all fours - while the other one led them around - sometimes a leash was included. I didn’t allow that one outside because I was worried about the optics - even though it’s harmless kid behavior. I’m sure she would have really gone to town about that. 
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oosizins · 3 years
Text
Genre: fluff, but be careful Words: Prompt:"Hey everithing is gonna be fine, stay were yoy are, I'm comming over. Warning: self hate, in the fic Jeno's mom is really down to earth
AN:pls this is a deep subject (depends on the person) so please if you feel don't good with that kind of situation don't read and if you want or need to talk about something please I'm always here for you
This is a request by my teddy bear @neocuddlytechnology So here we go I hope you like it
Before we start I don't know if you're tall or small so (tall/small) you choose you and if there is [tall/small] you choose the other
Example I'm tall: you stood in front of her and suddenly she looked so [tall/small]
[01:35]
Like most of the Sunday morning Jeno was living the house to go to a ride with his friend Jaemin and you were now on the way to go help Jeno's mom, she was barely able to stand up so every Sunday you were doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning the floor and going to the supermarket.
Hello miss Lee you salute your mother in law
Ow hi Y/n how you are late and I got you a lot of things to do today, I have laundry in the corridor and if you can pass the vacuum cleaner in the kitchen I'll be thankful. She said and sit down in front of the TV and start reading her eternal journal.
For all the weeks that you have work for her you knew now that miss lee wasn't the kindest mom in the earth but it was ok, she was a great cook and if we talk about how much she cared about her son we can do it for hours, she always want the best for her son and make sure he'll have it.
//:✨after having cleaned the house✨://
Oof you took a deep breath. You had clean the house you had to go to the supermarket and now you just have to wait until the washing machine stop to go and hang out the laundry.
When you came to the living room you saw miss Lee with a book, a big red book and by the name you guessed it was an album, she invited you to sit next to her and she open the book and you saw lot of pictures of that little boy smiling, the same as now jeno's smile was the prettiest among all the person that you have met in the world, it was gentle and strong and you can't stop yourself from smiling with him. His mother was explaining where was taken the picture who are the person with him. (You got to see Jaemin baby pics too). Miss Lee turned the page and on one of the picture you saw Jeno hugging a girl, as you see they were in a park and the girl was [tall/short] next to jeno and you looked at you and everything your legs,your arms and you yourself was (long/small)
To be honest I don't really know why does Jeno choose you he always was into [tall/short] girls but you're lucky that you're kind cuz if not that he wouldn't have even pay attention to you. She shout out and get up to place the book back in his place
Why are you saying that ? You try to hide your sadness Cuz I want the best for my son and it's not what you are my Jeno deserve better than a housemaid she explained you wanted to respond but a call cut you out
Hey babe you heard from the other hand and you get out on the little balcony. ow hey Jeno... You said with a little voice Is there something wrong? Did something happen ? He asked, you hated how he absolutely knew everything about you. Ow no just watching pics of you when you were younger and we got to see you're ex's and ye there pretty... You said felling all the things that Miss lee told you maybe she was right and he did need someone who was pretty. But you know that I love you more right? He told you. You're mom told me that you deserve better than me so maybe you should search for someone else and you start crying I'm sure you hate me and you're with me only cuz you pity me. And you let it out. I don't hate you, God how I could he sighed and he said with a reassuring voice Hey everything's gonna be fine stay were you are I'm on my way. And he hang up.
Awn Jeno what brings you here my baby? The old woman said My future wife he replied with a strong voice oh Jeno I told you to don't call her like that you're gonna marry someone better look how (tall/short ) she is next to you it's ugly I don't even know where did you found her and she is so- the woman got cut by Jeno
She is perfect even if she is tall or short, flat or skinny she is the girl I want and if you don't respect her your not respecting me and is it what you want? No I don't think so goodbye shout Jeno and took you by the hand to walk to the car.
You were now home and you were silently eating when Jeno start speak I'm sorry that shouldn't have been like that. I knew she didn't really liked you and anyways I let you go help her,...Y/n I'm so sorry he said while playing with his food but you still love me? Or not? You asked and he replied by pulling you closer and look deep in the eyes and mumble of course I love you and kissed you
Now Jeno was always making sure to tell you how beautiful you are no matter what people think or say cuz there will always be someone who will do like they are better than you but you have to pass by and don't give a damn about them
And at that moment start the happy end
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atlafan · 4 years
Note
love take it slow, would you be willing to write something about you telling harry that you want him to meet your kid? and maybe the night ends with some smut🥺👀
a/n: this has been in my inbox for awhile, let’s see how this goes...Harry is 35 in this, and y/n is 32. This also turned into pure fluff, sorry no smut! 
The Kids Are Alright
You and Harry had been dating for a couple of months. It was nice having a man in your life again. Your divorce was ugly, to say the least. You had full custody of your kids, and it took over a year before you could make it so. You were finally in a place of stability that allowed you to start dating again.
You had met Harry completely by accident. He saw you struggling one morning on your walk to work. It had started pouring out of nowhere, and you had no umbrella. After just about everything fell out of your purse, he rushed over to you, holding his umbrella above the both of you and helped you with your things. He gave you his umbrella. He said you were dressed much nicer than he was, and you needed it more. You exchanged information after you insisted you get it back to him. The rest progressed from there. You hadn’t told Harry about your ex-husband or your two children. Although, he had his suspicions. You could only go out with him on Friday and Saturday nights, and you never stayed over at his place. 
You needed to make sure you could trust him before even thinking of telling him you had two kids, before you could even think about bringing him around to meet them. Harry just figured you were really busy, or that you had needy clients since you were a therapist. He was busy in his own right since he was an oral surgeon. 
Saturday night had become a regular date night for the two of you, and your kids were happy to see you so happy. They didn’t much care for their father, for good reason. 
“So, when do we get to have date night with this guy?” Your ten year old daughter asks you as she watches you put your jewelry on. 
“I’ve only been seeing him for a couple of months, Candace. It’s too soon for him to meet you and Ben.” You sigh and look at her. “In fact, tonight I’m finally telling him that I have kids.”
“Wait, you never told him about us?”
“No...I didn’t know if he’d run for the hills. I mean, he’s thirty-five, never been married and doesn’t have kids of his own. What if he doesn’t want that for himself?”
“How do you know he doesn’t have kids, he could be lying just like you.” She crosses her arms.
“I haven’t been lying...it just hasn’t come up. You’ll understand some day when you’re older.”
“That’s been your answer for a lot of things over the last couple of years.” She huffs and follows you out of the bedroom. 
The babysitter was already there, sitting downstairs with Ben. He had just turned eight a month or so ago. 
“Alright Rita, I should be home around eleven like usual.”
“Okay, have a great time!” 
You give both of your kids a hug and kiss, and out the door you go. You were meeting Harry at a nice Italian place. He was always taking you to nice places, but you didn’t mind. After having such a shit marriage, and a shit husband, you were happy to be pampered a bit. You meet him in the lobby of the restaurant and he greets you with a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi, gorgeous.” He gets a good look at you. “How was your day?”
“Good! Ran some errands, you know how Saturdays go.” You smile.
You both are seated and Harry orders a bottle of wine for the table. He looked tired. 
“Long week?”
“Sort of...took out four impacted wisdom teeth yesterday. Poor kid’s gonna be sore for a bit. It was a longer surgery than usual.” He shrugs. “But she’ll be alright. How was your week?”
“Long, had all my usual people, and a couple of newbies. All in all, good sessions. Only went through two boxes of tissues, don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
You both laugh. The wine is brought over for you both, and it’s poured into your glasses. You both order your dinners, and an appetizer. 
“Harry...I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you these last couple of months.”
“Same here, Y/N.” 
“I feel sort of childish asking this, but would you say I’m your girlfriend?” At the ripe age of 32, and having been someone’s wife, the word girlfriend sounded incredibly stupid to you, but here you were. 
“I would.” He smiles. “That’s what I’ve been telling people anyways.”
“Aw, you tell people about me.” 
“Hard not to when you go into work with a hickey on your neck.”
“Oh my god.” You blush. “That one from a couple weeks ago? I’m sorry, I can’t even remember the last time I did that to someone, and-”
“Relax, babe, I’m only teasing.” He places his hand over yours. “Suppose I was goin’ to ask about our status soon too. Nice to know we’re on the same page.” You nod at him. 
Your food is brought over, and it’s delicious. You both enjoy more pleasant conversation. It was nice not having to talk about homework, or whatever else you would talk with other parents about. Although, now that your kids were a little older, you enjoyed the conversations you’d have with them regularly. 
“Care to come back to my place for a bit after dinner? I picked up that cheesecake you like so much for dessert.”
“I’d love that! I’ll follow you there.” 
You drive to Harry’s apartment. Sometimes you wondered why he didn’t just buy a house, but you figured he didn’t need all that space. And he did work a lot, a house would be too much to care of by himself. The home you have now is one you bought only two years ago. You refused to stay in the home where everything went down with your husband. Harry’s place was nice, anyways. Two bedroom, two bath, and plenty of space to spread out. 
You sit down on his couch while he brings more wine over, and a plate with a piece of cheesecake to share. 
“Been looking forward to seein’ yeh all week, you know?”
“That’s sweet of you to say.” You kiss his cheek and take a sip of wine. 
“Would you like to spend the night tonight? I like what we do when we’re doin’ it, but it would also just be nice to have you here to hold onto all night.”
“I can’t do that, I’m sorry.” You sigh and take your phone out. “It’s not that I don’t want to spend the full night with you...”
“So then why do you always leave? Are you allergic to Sunday brunch?” You can’t help but laugh. “I’ve never been able to make you my pancakes. I make really good pancakes.”
“God, my kids love pancakes.” Both of your eyes grow wide when you look at each other.
“Kids?”
“Yes...” You show him a picture of the three of you on your phone. “That’s my daughter, Candace, she’s ten, and that’s Ben, he just turned eight.”
“Ah, so that was the birthday party you had to go to last month.”
“Mhm.” He looks at you.
“Well, they’re really cute.” He chuckles. “A little older than I would’ve expected. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I don’t know, this is all so new. I mean, I’ve been a single mom for nearly four years, you’re the first guy I’ve dated in a long time. And you’re...I mean...do you have secret kids?”
“No.” He laughs. “Never been married either. I’m assuming you have?”
“Yeah...we separated and then divorced. Like I said it was four years ago, and I just only got full custody over my kids a year ago. Their father is a shithead, they didn’t want to be near him. They dreaded every weekend they had to spend with him, and I hated sending him, but legally there wasn’t much I could do. I swear he only fought me on the custody just to spite me. Obviously we were sort of young when I got pregnant with Candace. Everything has worked out, thank god. Luckily I’m good at my job so I keep us afloat. The reason I don’t stay over is because I couldn’t very well ask the sixteen year old girl who babysits for me to watch them all night.” 
“No, I suppose that would be a bit weird.” He smirks. “Got any family nearby? They could always watch ‘em right?”
“Harry.” You roll your eyes and swat a hand at him. “So...it doesn’t freak you out that I’m a mom?”
“Not at all! So, your ex is completely out of the picture?” 
“Completely. He moved across the country, nothing to keep him here now. He sends the kids birthday and holiday cards, that’s about the only contact I allow him to have with them. And to answer your question, my parents only live an hour or so away, and they do visit a good chunk. But I certainly couldn’t ask them to take them for a weekend for the sole reason of staying over at my boyfriend’s house.” 
“No, I guess you’d need a better excuse than that.” He laughs. 
“So how come you’re thirty-five and you never settled down?”
“I put school and work above a lot of things. Think my last serious relationship was nearly three years ago, and she got sick of waitin’ f’me.” He shrugs. “Dated here and there, but I haven’t been anyone’s boyfriend in awhile.”
“But you’d like to be mine?”
“Yeah, I like you a lot.” He smiles. 
“Good, because I like you a lot too.” He cups your cheek in his hand.
“Well, if you’re not spendin’ the night, can I take yeh to the bedroom now so I can at least have some time to just lay with you after.”
“I’d like that.” 
You were piss drunk the first time you had sex with Harry. You couldn’t help it. You hadn’t had sex in a very long time, well other than with your dildo, but that’s besides the point. You weren’t sure if you would feel tight for him, but after about the third time he said it to you, you had to believe him that you were, in fact, plenty tight. 
Sex with him not was a lot less scary. You enjoyed it very much, and so did he. Your bodies just had a way of connecting. It was something you hadn’t had in a very long time.
//
“How was your date Mrs. Y/L/N?”
“Honey, I’ve told you it’s Miss, I’m not a Mrs.”
“Sorry.” 
“It’s alright. And it was good, he’s a good man.” You give her fifty dollars and out she goes. 
The next morning you make pancakes for your kids and they’re far too excited about it. 
“Mum, you haven’t made pancakes in forever, what’s the occasion?” Candace asks, dumping a ton of syrup over them.
“Easy with that! Save some for your brother. And there’s no occasion, I just remembered how much you both like pancakes.” You shrug and sit down between them. 
“Mmm, these are so good mumma, thanks.” Ben says. You loved that he still called you mumma. He was such a love-bug. 
“So, how was your date with the oral surgeon?”
“It was good, honey. He’s actually my boyfriend now.”
“Oh, you’ve made it official?!”
“Mhm.” You smile as you take a bite of your food. “And he didn’t wanna run away when I told him about the two of you.”
“When can we meet him?” Ben asks. 
“I’m not sure...even though I’m his girlfriend now I’d like to wait on that I think. I’d hate to bring someone into your lives and then have it not work out.” 
“Did he say if he had kids or was ever married?” Candace asks.
“He’s never been married, and doesn’t have kids of his own. But he really didn’t seem freaked out about you two. He was more so surprised that you weren’t younger. Suppose it would’ve been harder to keep two toddlers a secret.” You laugh. 
“You always tell us never to keep secrets.” Ben says. “How come you get to?”
“Because sometimes when you’re adult, you need to withhold certain things from other adults. You’ll understand when-”
“When we’re older, Jesus Christ.”
“Candace! We don’t speak like that at the table.”
“What? It’s not like I said the f-word.”
“God, help me.” You sigh. 
//
A few more months pass, and you’re feeling really good about things with Harry. You even manage to spend a couple nights with him on the various weekends the kids are with your parents. You two were snuggled up on his couch watching a movie when he paused it.
“I’ve never been to your place, never even picked you up for a date.”
“I know.”
“Well? How ‘bout we start doin’ that. I hate how after dinner we never get to drive together.”
“It’s just...the kids would see you picking me up.”
“And?” He sighs. “Listen, I’ve been thinking...what if it was time I met them? We’ve been together for like six months, I think it makes sense.” 
“You really want to?”
“Yeah, I mean, you’re a part of my life now, and they’re a part of yours.” 
“Sure...I know they wanna meet you. Guess I’ve been the one holding it up.”
“They’ve been okay with you dating?”
“I think if they loved their father they’d act like most kids and hate to see me move on, but they can’t stand him, so they’re happy for me.”
“It’s none of my business, but-”
“He used to beat on us, all of us. I’d get in the way to spare them, but it was no use if they got home before I did. It was awful, I did everything I could to get out of there, and eventually I did.”
“Oh, Y/N, I’m so sorry.” He caresses your cheek and you lean into his touch.
“It was a long time ago.” You feel tears prick at your cheeks. “I’ll never be able to understand how someone could their babies, or how the courts didn’t give me full custody right away. He’d only beat on us when he was drunk, and he did stop drinking, but I still didn’t trust him. He tried to prove he was a good father, but it was all rubbish.” You sigh. “It’s all in the past now.” You give him a reassuring smile. “I’ll talk to them, maybe we could have you over for a little lunch in the backyard. The kids love when I fire up the grill.”
“That sounds great! What are they into? Like, what are their hobbies?” 
“Well, Candace is a mix. She loves theater and singing, but she also loves soccer, and getting her hands dirty. Ben loves to paint. He absolutely loves his crafts. He likes to play outside, but he couldn’t be bothered with sports. Used to go right up his father’s ass. Candace plays softball too. I feel terrible, I haven’t had much time to play catch with her lately. Luckily, it’s soccer season right now, so she’s not too mad at me about it. Ben plays goalie for her in the backyard, and it works for them.”
“They’re close?”
“They weren’t when they were younger, but they stood by each other when we were going through everything. They’re not best friends, but you can really see the love between them. It’s wonderful.” 
“I like the theater too, actually. I enjoy a good show once in a while.”
“Really?”
“Oh, sure. I acted a bit in school.” 
You could see the wheels turning in Harry’s head.
“Please don’t feel like you need to do anything to impress them. Just be yourself. They were already so amazed that a man gave me his umbrella.” You chuckle.
“I’m nothing if not a gentleman.” He winks at you. “Well, only in the streets.”
He lifts you up of the couch, and you squeal as he takes you to his bedroom.
//
“How was your weekend with Gram and Pop?” You ask the kids as you drive them back home.
“It was so much fun, Gram got us that cereal that you don’t let us have.” Ben says.
“Oh, that one loaded with sugar that you don’t need first thing in morning? That’s spectacular.” You roll your eyes. 
“Did you see Mr. Styles while we were gone?” Candace asks. 
“I did.” The two look at each other. “He asked me if he could meet the two of you soon.”
“He did?!” 
“Mhm, so I told him I would ask the two of you.”
“Well, you know we wanna meet him mumma.” Ben says. 
“Yeah, bring him over.” 
“Alright, I told him we could do a little lunch out back, do a little grilling. Would you both like that?”
“Yes!” They say in unison. 
//
On Saturday around noon, Harry arrives at your house. He thought it was lovely. You gave him instructions to go right around back, so he does so.
“Hello?” He says as he opens the gate. 
“Harry!” You say walking up to him. “Find it okay?” You both kiss quick, and you walk him further into the yard.
“Yeah, it was a really easy drive.” 
He looks around and sees a swing-set, a little net to play soccer with, and a patio with a lovely glass table and chairs. You see he has a couple of bags with him.
“I brought some soda...do you give them soda? I suppose I should’ve asked first.”
“I give it to them on special occasions, suppose this is one of them.” You smile and take it from him, setting it on the table. “I just sent them in to wash up. They were rolling around in the dirt.” 
Candace and Ben walk outside and are stunned when they see Harry. Candace noticed his curls, and quite liked the style of glasses he was wearing. Ben was mesmerized by the tattoos that littered his arms. He wasn’t at all like they pictures, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Tattoos didn’t automatically mean bad. Their father was a bad person and didn’t have a single tattoo. 
“Kids, come say hello, don’t just stand there like statues.” You laugh. Candace extends her arm to shake his hand.
“Hi Mr. Styles, it’s nice to meet you.” 
“How polite.” He smiles and takes her hand. “Feel free to call me Harry if you feel comfortable with that.” 
“Hello.” Ben shakes his hand next. 
“It’s great to meet yeh both. Your mum has told me so much about you. All good things I promise.” The two giggle. “Um...I brought some things for the two of you.”
“Oh, Harry, you didn’t have to...”
“I know.” He reaches into the bag and crouches to Ben’s level. “Mum told me you liked to paint and do crafts, so I got you one of these water color sets. They’re really cool. My niece likes ‘em a lot, thought you might too.” He looks up at you. “And they don’t make a mess.” 
Ben takes it from him, amazed that an adult man was being nice about his hobbies. 
“What do we say, Ben?” 
“Thank you very much.” He beams at Harry. “Mumma, can I open it now?” 
“Sure.” You shrug. “Let me just fill a glass of water for you, you can sit at the patio table.” You get him set up while Harry speaks to Candace. 
“Now, your mum told me you have a ton of hobbies, but mostly you haven’t had someone to play catch with, so I dug up my old mit.” He takes it out of the bag. “It’s for baseball, but figured it could still do the trick.” He takes a brand new softball out of the bag. “What do yeh say? We could toss it around while your mum gets lunch together.”
“I’d love to!” She snatches the ball from him. “Thanks, this is like the best brand out there.” She looks at you and gives you a thumbs up. You laugh as you fire up the grill. 
You smile as you watch Ben use his new water color set, and smile even more while you watch Candace toss the ball with Harry. 
“You know, if you step into it a bit more...” He puts a hand on his hip. “And if you, like, do you mind if I show you?”
“Okay.” 
He jobs over to her. 
“So...you wanna look where you’re throwing, right? And you’re doin’ that, but you’re releasing it back here, it should be when you get here. And if you step and throw, you could really get a more precise thing goin’.”
“I’ve only played one season, and the coach never showed us stuff like this, thanks!”
Harry jogs back to his spot, and Candace does exactly what he said, throwing it to him perfectly. 
“Amazing! You’re a fast learner, Candace.” 
“Way to go honey! She likes playing second base, any tips on that?”
“Oh, tons.”
“I’m not too good at batting either.”
“Well good thing we’ve got plenty of time to get you ready for the season. By the time I’m done with yeh the coach’ll be puttin’ yeh in first every game.” 
“Candace, go wash your hands again, it’s time for lunch.”
“But we’re having so much fun.” She whines.
“You can play more after. Come on, we all need to go wash up.” 
You take Harry inside, and show him to the kitchen where he can wash his hands. You tell him you’ll give him the full tour later. Lunch goes really well. The kids tell Harry all about school. He was so natural with them, it put you at ease. After lunch, Harry continued to help Candace with her softball skills. At a certain point you told her that was enough, and that she should play with her brother. You and Harry sit as the two of them played on the swing-set. 
“This has been a lot of fun, Y/N.”
“Really? Oh, I’m so glad. I think they really like you.”
“I like them too.”
//
Harry started coming over for dinner when he could. The kids really liked having him around. When it had been about a year of the two of you dating, you and the kids asked Harry to move in with you. He liked your home quite a bit, so it didn’t take much for him to agree. 
“Can I ask you something?” He says as you’re both settling into bed. 
“Of course.” 
“Ben asked me to come to his career day...are you alright with that?”
“Yeah! I think he wants us to go together. It’s been on my calendar for a while.”
“I told him I’d make it work, but...what’s he supposed to call me? S’not like I’m his dad...or his step-dad...”
“Your his Harry.” You smile. 
“Do you think you’d ever want to be married again?”
“Maybe, if the right guy came along.” You nudge him. 
“Very funny.” He rolls his eyes. “M’serious, I mean we’ve been together over a year, and we haven’t really talked about it. I live here now, I’m in their lives...”
“I don’t want you to feel like you need to marry me to seal the deal.”
“I don’t feel that way. I want to marry you because I love you.” 
“And I love you.” 
“Alright, so maybe I’ll ask you soon.” He grins, and now you’re the one to roll your eyes. “I have another question...so I love bein’ an uncle, and I’ve loved steppin’ into this fatherly role with Candace and Ben. It’s honestly something I never saw for myself. Do you think you’d ever want more?” Your face falls.
“I physically can’t have more...I had to have a hysterectomy a few years back.”
“Ah.”
“Is that okay? I mean did you want your own kids?”
“Don’t phrase it like. I do have my own kids...and no, I don’t really want, like, a baby. I honestly don’t think I’d have the time to care for an infant.” 
“Me neither. I’m sort of relieved you’re okay with it. I know I’m still young enough to have a baby, I feel like I finally have my life back. Babies are cute and wonderful, and I enjoyed that time with them so much, but I’m over that time in my life. I can actually have real conversations with them now, you know?” 
“I’m really glad we’re on the same page.” 
“Me too.” 
//
About six months later, Harry proposed and you accepted. You both wanted a small wedding. You had a very simple ceremony in your back yard with only close friends and family. The kids had gotten into the habit of calling Harry, Dad. Sometimes they would switch on and off, but Dad mostly stuck. He liked the sound of it a lot. 
You had made sure to sign every form you could to Harry had permissions at school to pick the kids up and drop them off. All their teachers knew Candace and Ben had a step-father. 
Harry was full engrossed in the kids lives. He became Candace’s softball coach, and all the kids loved him. You had never seen Candace play so well. He also made sure to support all of Ben’s school art shows. For a guy that didn’t want to be a father, he was kicking butt at being a good one. 
Around Candace’s twelfth birthday, you and Harry had decided on something very important, and it was time to share it with the two of them.
“We never have family meetings, this is weird.” Candace says as her and Ben sit on the couch. 
“Well, that’s because there’s something mum and I want to tell you.” He clears his throat. “So...even though we’re married, and that makes me your step-father, legally that really doesn’t mean much. I’m not considered a true guardian. And even though the school knows I’m your step-dad, I’ve still run into some issues here and there. Your mum and I work a lot, and we each need to be able to dismiss you easily or whatever it is.” He takes a packet of paper out of his back pocket. “Also...I’ve been in your lives for nearly three years...and I consider myself to be more than just your step-dad, wouldn’t you both agree?”
“Yeah, obviously. We call you dad all the time. Whenever someone asks who you are I just say you’re my dad.”
“I do the same thing.” Ben says. 
“Right, so...we thought we’d make that official.” He hands Candace the papers. 
“Certificate of Adoption?” She looks up at the two of you. 
“It’s taken us some time to get this all together, but it’s legal now.” You explain. 
“I’ve adopted the two of you, hope that’s okay.” 
They both stand and hug Harry immediately. If something were to ever happen to you, you’d want them with Harry. Your parents were great and all, but you wouldn’t want them ripped away from their father. 
“Are you serious?” Candace asks teary eyed. “You really love us that much?”
“I love you both more than anything. You two are my kids, and I won’t have someone tellin’ me you’re not.” 
The truth was, there were a ton of parents who liked to gossip about the two of you. Ever since Harry came into your life and things got more serious. You wouldn’t look at him and know he was such one of the most sought after oral surgeons in the area. When he started coaching Candace’s softball team, that was when the gossip got even worse. The two of you couldn’t stand it any longer. It also warmed your heart that Harry truly thought of Candace and Ben as his own. Because of Harry you were able to give them a normal life again. 
“So now that his is official, I have a question.” Ben says. “If we’re your kids does that mean our last names can be Styles now too? I mean, mum’s is.” 
It was true, you had heightened your last name. You didn’t even do that with your last husband. You were a doctor and you earned that title, why should his name be attached to that? But with Harry, well, you just like the way that sounded.
“You both want my last name?”
“Yes.” They say at the same time. He looks at you. 
“I think we can make that work. It really doesn’t make sense for you to have his last name anymore, does it?” They both shake their heads no. “We really should all have the same last name.”
“I agree.” 
The two of them high five each other. 
“Now then.” You wipe a couple of tears away. “Go put on some nice clothes, we’re going out to eat tonight to celebrate.” 
The two race upstairs while Harry wraps his arms around you. 
“So, Mrs. Y/L/N-Styles, I’d say that went pretty well.”
“Mhm, can you believe they want to be Styles’ too?”
“How could they not? S’a pretty cool name.” 
You kiss each other and wait for them to come back down. You never in your wildest dreams would’ve thought you’d get a second chance at a happy life. Harry was everything you needed and more. You were incredibly grateful and lucky. And to think, if you had simply had your umbrella that day on the street, none of this would be yours. 
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ms-m-astrologer · 2 years
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The Week Ahead: November 1-7, 2021
Void of Course Moon
Monday, November 1, 17:00 UT (Virgo) - 23:11 UT (Libra)
Tuesday, November 3, 22:32 UT (Libra) - Wednesday, November 4, 00:52 UT (Scorpio)
Friday, November 5, 16:10 UT (Scorpio) - Saturday, November 6, 00:52 UT (Sagittarius)
Sunday, November 7, 12:44 UT (Sagittarius) - Monday, November 8, 00:03 UT (Capricorn)
Lunar Phases
Monday, November 1, 13:28 UT - Balsamic Moon, 24:20 Virgo
The key phrases for the Balsamic lunar phase are to "let go of the past" and "envision the future." Remember how the previous lunar phase, the Last Quarter, was all about The Cosmos telling us "NO" in no uncertain terms? This chart shows us at a crossroads. We're still plenty pissed off about it; the crossroads part is choosing what to do next. Are we going to forge ahead regardless, or are we going to shuck it all off and move on? Neither of those options is particularly pain-free, which just makes it all worse. Better to use our imagination and intuition to figure out where exactly The Cosmos wants us to go.
Thursday, November 4, 21:15 UT - New Moon, 12:40 Scorpio
The key phrase for the New lunar phase is to "set a new intention for the month." Ordinarily I caution people to pick something they think they have a good chance of pulling off, in one month's time; this time, I think we all need to think bigger. How well are we all equipped to handle sudden, drastic changes? Or hardship? I don't mean "oh noes, woe is me, my Amazon order got lost;" I mean, "where's my next meal coming from" - basic life and death issues, the kinds of things we in the "first world" don't usually worry our pretty little heads about. In short, find yourself a basic survival skill, and start honing it.
Retrograde / Direct / Etc.
Pre-retrograde shadow: nothing right now
Retrograde: Ceres/Gemini, Pallas Athene/Pisces, Chiron/Aries, Uranus/Taurus, Neptune/Pisces, Eris/Aries
Post-retrograde shadow: Mercury/Libra (until Wednesday), Jupiter/Aquarius, Saturn/Aquarius
Transiting Mercury exits its post-retrograde shadow on Wednesday, November 3. It's going out with a bang, too, as it makes its third and final opposition to Eris and square to Pluto. If there was some awful issue you just couldn't wrap your head around, this is probably where you have no choice but to wrap.
Ingresses
Friday, November 5, 10:44 UT - transiting Venus enters Capricorn
Venus will remain in Capricorn until March 7, 2022. That means, we all know, that Venus is due for another Retrograde Zone. It begins on Wednesday, November 17, when Venus enters her pre-retrograde shadow. What do we do until then? Well, we get a "feel" for what we're going to all be doing! There may be some small clues as we move toward the 17th; on the 15th, I think we'll get a really good idea about how to proceed.
Friday, November 5, 22:35 UT - transiting Mercury enters Scorpio
Mercury stays in Scorpio until Wednesday, November 24. We should find ourselves better able to focus - to cut through the bullshit and get to the heart of the matter. That could be good or horrid. If we are stubbornly hanging on to ideas that are holding us back, we're going to find out about it.
Et Cetera
There are three Opportunity Periods this week. (Before you get too excited - bear in mind that there are only six OPs in November.)
Wednesday, November 3, from 15:57 UT until 22:32 UT. "Use this excellent OP for finishing up projects during the Balsamic Moon." (Almost the whole time the Moon is in Libra, by the way - from 23:11 UT on Monday the 1st, until 22:32 UT on Wednesday the 3rd - is an excellent time for Venus-type activities.)
Friday, November 5, from 13:33 UT until 16:10 UT. "A few good hours to accomplish goals."
Sunday, November 7, 08:47 UT until Monday, November 8, 00:03 UT. "Sunday is yours to use for fun, adventure, mind expansion, or anything you choose." (Almost the whole time the Moon is in Sagittarius, from Saturday the 6th at 00:52 UT until Sunday the 7th at 12:44 UT, is an excellent time for Jupiter-type activities.)
The Scorpio Cross-Quarter Day is on Sunday, November 7, at 4:58 UT. Only three days after the intense Scorpio New Moon, but many many differences between the two charts. We need to be careful about what we focus on (mentally and physically), we need to be more community-minded, and we need to be a lot more canny.
So, this is not exactly the easiest week we'll ever have to get through. This is the soul-searching time of year, after all - when all of us introspective, introverted types are heard to mutter, "Now the rest of you know what it's like to be me!" It's going to be important to avoid being too down on ourselves - for one thing, the world is usually all too ready to perform that function for us - and for another thing, it isn't exactly productive behavior. Find a way to turn your negative qualities into diamonds.
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atlanticcanada · 2 years
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Feds formally advise against non-essential international travel amid COVID-19 case surge
The federal government is again advising against non-essential foreign travel as COVID-19 cases rise in Canada and the threat of the Omicron variant of concern mounts.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement Wednesday in a joint press conference with other ministers and public health officials.
“To those who are planning to travel, I say very clearly, now is not the time to travel. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant on a global scale makes us fear the worst for Canadians that may think of travelling,” he said.
Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox
Duclos said the travel measure will be in place for four weeks, at which point the government will reassess the epidemiological situation.
“We know that this may sound very drastic to many listening, but we must avoid overloading our hospital system and our health-care workers,” he said.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said on Monday there is community transmission of the Omicron variant in Canada and cases have the potential to “rapidly escalate.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) reported last Friday that should Omicron spread continue at its current rate, Canadians could expect to see 12,000 cases a day by mid-January.
“The epidemiological situation is changing rapidly; the information currently available suggests a significant resurgence of infections,” said Duclos.
TESTING
The government said they will continue increase testing capacity at the border, and will have more to say on that “soon.”
Currently, fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents returning home after short trips of 72 hours or less to the United States and abroad do not have to provide proof of a negative molecular test, such as a PCR test.
For longer trips, anyone coming into Canada from international locations is required to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their scheduled departure in order to board the aircraft and to avoid a potential 14-day quarantine when they arrive.
Duclos said that following a conversation Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had with premiers last night, more rapid tests are also being deployed to provinces and territories.
“Deliveries for December have already started…an additional 35 million tests are being delivered to provinces and territories, the majority of which have already been received,” the health minister said.
The government also pledged to allocate $1.7 billion to Health Canada and PHAC to help secure rapid tests and the supplies needed to administer them, as detailed in their economic and fiscal update Tuesday.
BOOSTER SHOTS
Duclos said 16 million COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are already available in Canada, with “many more” coming over the next few weeks.
“Our window of opportunity is small, but we have the power to change the course collectively and individually, we all have a role to play,” he said.
Provinces and territories are taking their own approaches to the administration of booster shots. Many are moving up timelines as Omicron continues to spread quickly.
In a year-end interview with CTV News’ Evan Solomon, airing in full on CTV’s Question Period this Sunday at 11 a.m. EST, Trudeau said the government has procured enough booster supply to inoculate all Canadians but offered no insight on a specific timeline for when the doses would arrive in Canada.
“There are commitments to have the boosters in Canada as soon as we need them. We have enough boosters for everyone,” he said, stipulating that if by tomorrow the entire eligible population requested a booster, “we wouldn’t be able to deliver them into 26 million arms.”
With a file from CTV News’ Mackenzie Gray.
from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/3ILcFBs
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lovesaadiqa · 3 years
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BBL Costs, Prep + Recovery
Im booked!!  I talked to a few friends who I know either got this surgery or is getting this done.  I wanted one since forever but I wanted my teeth done first.  The deciding factor came down to my birthday plans.  
Originally I was going to do a birthday tour.  First weekend of October in Miami for carnival, 2nd weekend in Atl for Freak Nik, 3rd weekend in Bahamas and finally Nola for the finale.  Well Nola was just hit with a storm so yeah that’s out. Once I totaled up the flights, hotels, food and spending money.. I was like hmm, I can get a fat ass and started this process.  Immediately looked into surgeon and Dr. Pena was my favorite, his bodies come out so mf snatched, he’s located in Columbia.  Columbian surgeons can take out way more fat than American doctors however, the fatality rate is stupid and ultimately the factor that made me choose an American doctor.  
The next step was choosing the surgeon for the body I have and the one I want.  I weigh 151 and im 5′6″ I’m considered a “skinny bbl”.  I started researching doctors in Atlanta (so I could recover at home) and Miami (like duh).  I chose to go with Dr. Desouza in Miami with CG Cosmetics for a few reasons.  First, I love the look of his skinny bbl’s on other women with the same body type, weight and height as me.  Secondly, he was having a special for the end of the year (lipo 360, bbl, jplasma for $6500 for the surgeon I wanted) this almost sold me but it was the surgery date!!  Jplasma is skin tightening procedure to help with loose skin, you can only get this with lipo.  When they perform lipo they created canals under your skin to remove the fat.. well those same canals are essential when getting Jplasma.
Ok so I decided on the surgeon, contacted the cosmetic group and had a consultation which is pretty much just front, side and back view pictures.. I think they use this to make sure you don’t need a tummy tuck prior to surgery.  They also asked me questions about previous surgeries and if i’ve ever had anesthesia.  The next step went pretty quickly, we talked about what would be lipo’d (abs, waist, back.. I wanted inner thighs, an additional 2k, but was advised to wait on my pre-op to decide), when I wanted to book and how I'd pay.  My consult was on August 30th.. I bitched up when she attempted to take my payment.  I am a money hoarder and spending that much money made me feel like I was being financially irresponsible.  I called one of my Aunt’s who I felt wouldn’t judge me and also give me sound advise.  We talked about my fears, why I was getting the procedure and of course money.  My Aunt gave me excellent advice, reassured me and is a professional CNA who offered to accompany me so yeah I dare not turn that down, lol.  August 31, 2021, I called my coordinator (the contact between me and my surgeon) and told her I wanted to book, she asked me when I’d be ready and I requested first available which was 9/20/21!! Excited is an understatement.. I'd be 24 days post op on my birthday.  After I calmed down I paid in full for multiple reasons:  had to in order to secure the date, all surgeries book in this year had to be paid in full, it was the only way to get the discount.. My coordinator gave me so much information I couldn’t see straight (I was also high as shit off life thinking about a fat ass and me in the same sentence).. she emailed + texted everything, congratulated me and we hung up.
I get the emails:  “raise you hemoglobin with these vitamins” I purchased vitamin C $2, folic acid $2, iron $3 and floradix $35 - amazon, I take them as directed on the bottle and start eating my ass off (just to give my surgeon more to work with, lol).  Talking to one of my gf’s I realize I have to be cleared for surgery?!?!  What?  I open my email and sure enough I have to have blood work done 15-20 prior to surgery, it was 9/3 and a Friday.. SHIT!! I fly over to an Piedmont Wellstreet urgent care facility as recommended by my friend (she started this process as well so I was crazy grateful for her experience and that she shared it with me).  Urgent care was full but opened the next day, my ass was in that line at 7:32 am, I was the 13th person in line and they opened at 8.  I get to the desk and my appointment is at 10:30 and I'd have to pay the office visit fee to be seen, it was $155.  I came back at my allotted time and was told how much all of my labs would be.. $302.  My labs were to be processed and faxed to my surgeon by 9/9 because Labor Day weekend so.. yeah.  
I discuss accommodations with my Aunt and realize it’s cheaper, safer and more beneficial for me to go to a recovery house.  I search high and low baby and most of them were booked.. found one regardless with lymphatic massages included called Flawless Recovery House.  This wasn’t my 1st-6th option but the one with availability on my surgery date so I paid a deposit to hold onto my spot.  Total was $1312 for 5 days with 5 massages, I paid a $200 deposit.  Next, I booked my flight, round trip $116 with Delta.  My surgery date is on a Monday, I have to have my pre-op done on the Saturday prior so I booked a hostel from the 18th-20th on booking.com for $66.  I know I could have gotten an airbnb or hotel room but I wanted this experience.  I want to go to Amsterdam and stay in a hostel so I need to know what to expect.  Also I cannot party, smoke, drink or eat before surgery so fuck it.. a hostel will do, lol. 
I smoke big fucking weed and watched someone else’s bbl journey today and realize if I fail the drug test, my surgery will be cancelled and it’ll cost me $1500 to reschedule.  Boy the shit sent me into panic mode like I've never experienced before, only to find out the weed isn’t the issue nicotine is, it slows down your heart rate.  I can smoke weed just not out of a wood or a rillo and nicotine takes 3-4 days to get out of your system so a bitch barely made it.  I just won't be smoking until I get back home lol.  Just to be super informative no alcohol, diabetic meds, cocaine, pcp or anything that will fool with your heart or makes your bleed.  Today is 9/11 and im one week out from my pre-op... my body is a joke cause I haven’t gained a single pound and normally it’s nothing for me to put on weight.  I took my acrylics off, when you’re put to sleep they monitor your oxygen levels with those clamps they put on your fingers and they aren't the most accurate when you have on dark polish or acrylics.  I also cannot wear lashes cause when they go to fill this ass in I'll be laying flat on my face.  I mean my hair didn’t have requirements but I figure since im naked I might as well be bald.. y'all should see me rn, I look very much like a young man but im hype.  I’ll be back later to tell y'all what I pack and purchase prior to my flight.  Imma put the dates at the end of each update.. today is 9/11/21
My surgery group send me list of supplies  that I would need and the cost came to roughly $1100.  Naive me was definitely going to purchase everything on the list from them until I saw Leslie’s (@prettyhaute - on ig) bbl vlog.  I went on amazon and got away with murder.  Below I’ll list what I purchased and the price I paid versus what the surgery center was quoting me.
Faja - I paid $74.69 - Quoted $160.50 || BBL Pillow - $26.99 - Qouted $42.80 || Arnica pills - $8.95 - Quoted $37.45 || Compression socks - $13.99 for 3 - Quoted $10.70 for 1 || Foams - $17.99 for 3 - Quoted $64.20 for 3 || Scar Cream  $$29.82 - Quoted $80.25 || Arnica Gel - $7.92 - Quoted $21.40 || 
There a shit ton of items on the suggested list that I didn't purchase but way more items that wasn’t on the list I still need for instance:
Crocs, benadryll, robe, adult diapers, straws, earplugs, liquid iv, stool softener, antiseptic body wash, avocado float, back board, urinal, pineapple juice, throat calm, 3 moo-moo’s and a massage roller (the crocs are the only thing on this list that cost more than $20).  My flight is at 7:15a tomorrow and im so damn nervous but excited.  I will spend Saturday and Sunday gallivanting around Miami and then body , ody, ody, ody, ody, ody.  I still have to send my entire itinerary to my aunt but I think im all set.  9/17/21
Pre-op was packed but I went on Saturday and was in and out in an hour.  I was charged for a covid $80, 3 post-op massages $150 and a drug test $20.  I went over my clearance paper work with a medical assistant who also took 9 before pics of me.  Keep in mind, your surgery can be cancelled or reschedule if all of you labs aren’t at the surgery center on pre-op day.  I cannot stress how important it is to take your labs with you!!!  Mine were faxed over from urgent care but I was also provided copies which I took with me.  The photos were sent directly to my surgeon to analyze before surgery.  From my knowledge, I was also to be fitted for my faja but that never happened, do NOT leave pre-op without a faja!!! I paid for 3 massages from CG totaling $150 which I regret badly.  I do NOT recommend getting massages from the surgery center.  There are 4-5 different surgeons performing surgeries on any given day and they do at minimum 4 surgeries per day, that’s at least 15-20 different girls with the same surgery and post-op date.  CG had 2 massage therapists to drain 15-20 girls.  I was drained for 9 mins, your drain massages should last at least 45 mins for maximum drainage.  I only used 1 of the 3 massages I paid for and was denied a refund.  That is a huge downside to CG once they have your money good fucking luck getting it back! Ps. Ellie was a royal fucking cunt!!!!!  She told my medical assistant that I didn’t need a faja so I was never fitted for one and woke up out of surgery with a binder on versus a faja like I should have.  I wanted to slap the shit out of her and took the charge on the chin but I wanted my surgery so I refrained.. I was put on a 12 hour fast and contacted an hour after pre-op with my surgery address and time.  My fast started at 7pm the day before surgery and my surgery time wa at 6:30a, there was a $300 for showing up to surgery late.  All I could bring to surgery was compression socks and a faja (that I didn’t have), I was instructed to bathe with dial (the orange one) before surgery to make sure my incisions weren’t infected, no lotion, perfume, deodorant, makeup, nails, lashes, no jewelry/piercing or hair products and no personals ie, purse money, wallet also you will need a companion or surgery will be cancelled.  I’ll upload all my paperwork at the end.   Surgery day arrive at the surgery center at 6:15 am how about the entire fucking staff was late!  Bitch I was outside in Miami alone with compression socks on and a moo moo, LIVID.  No one arrived until 7:10 am, baby I wanted to kill everyone but fuck it, it was go time.  I’m escorted to a room, changed into a paper gown, piss tested, my labs were reviewed again and finally my surgeon comes in!  We were in the exam room alone which was weird cause I was asshole naked but he kept it 1000% professional, he asked me what I wanted and I say “the fattest ass” he looked me dead in my eyes without a single hesitation and said “it’ll heal like a diaper”  LMAO.  I showed him areas that I wanted lipo’d to death and he marked me up, I didn’t aka e picture of my mark ups but shit was rolling by then, he walked out I put my paper gown back on and the anesthesiologist walked in.  I expressed my biggest concerns to him, I didn’t want to die and I didn’t want to wake up during surgery.  He explain why the drug test was so important because certain street drugs will have adverse effect with the anesthesia.  My anesthesiologist walked me up to the surgery room and I hopped on the table, they put massage boots on both of my feet and inserted an iv, the mask was put on my face and my heart rate went to heaven, I wanted to shit myself bro.  The anesthesiologist told me to make a tight fist, I asked what time it was, 8:08am.. I woke up to a nurse helping me into a wheelchair with a binder around my waist and I was scream crying because my entire body ached, I didn't know where I was and the anesthesia is no hoe.  I was escorted to my recovery house’s transportation van and taken to my damn bed.  
I chose Flawlesss Recovery House with Ms. Opal.  I paid a $200 deposit before 2 weeks before surgery and the balance the day I left.  I opted for a 5 day stay.  I loved it there bro and couldn’t imagine trying to recover at a hotel or air bnb!  There were nurses there 24-7, I was roomed with one other girl but the house had a total of 4 bedrooms, one of which no one occupied and the door was always shut but my room was the only room with 2 beds, the others had 3 beds.  I had a call button, it was love, the nurses came expeditiously when I rang it.  They made 3 home cooked meals per day and I don’t eat meat, they accommodated me with no hesitation.  I loved it man.  So couple hours after surgery I attempted to use the bathroom on my own and blacked out, the anesthesia is really fucking strong and took an entire day to wear off (for me), the nurses helped me pee in a cup until then.  Post op day 9/21/21, I went in to make sure I looked good, got a faja finally and received that lousy as drain.  Back to the recovery house I was able to walk finally w/o passing out and in went my foams, I also could pee by myself with the use of a urinal.  I was constipated for 2 days, first bowel movement was on post op day 2. I paid for an independent massage therapist named Tatiana, she used a ultrasound machine to massage me so I cancelled her.  When I took my faja off for my massage it was washed and dried by the time I was done, I took a shower and put my faja on with my foams.  I cancelled Tatiana because don’t let nobody use no machine on you until you are at least 2 weeks post op, hand massages only.  All the girls were getting massaged by the literal best massage therapist (in my opinion) her name is Brittany, I could cry she was EVERYTHING, I was tender but she put the painful massage theory to bed!  She taught me how to drain myself and how to open my incisions without the q-tip looking thing.  In 45 mins she drained 5 of those doggy pad things worth of fluid off of me.  I received 4 massages in 5 days.  I left on Saturday 9/25/2021 on Sunday, back in Atlanta, I received my 5th massage and that when I was told I have not one but 2 seromas.  I swear on everything I love it was because everyone wakes up from surgery with a faja on but not me (Fuck you Ellie, lil bitch) I had on a binder (its what they use for tummy tucks).  The lady who did my 1st massage in Atlanta was Bri, not gone post her ig cause she did a damn good massage but when I asked her to syringe drain me the good sis stuck this long ass needle in my seroma but could get the fluid out, cancelled her too (the massage was good asf tho but nah).  Tired and tried I bit the bullet and booked a packed with Dream Body ($455 for 5 massage, I think, don’t quote me look it up on there site and follow them on ig)  because they are the biggest name in Atlanta, Jayda Wayda goes to them.  The  most painful massage yet, yes Michelle lil ass is so strong but she will get the fluid up off you.  She made me tear up bad and no matter how much I screamed or even tried to push her off of me she understood the assignment, Michelle helped me get back into my faja after my massage and told me my faja was too big and to have it altered.  She recommended a lady on ig @siri2sir but to know me is to know I altered my shit myself.  Allow me to tell y'all, I look good asf!!!!!!! 10/4/2021 
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chappedandfadedvds · 3 years
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Nov 1st, Sunday 18:35
„We should definitely meet up tuesday. Maybe Sander can take some shots of us for youtube.“ Robbe suggested exited, halfway into his coat as they stood gathered in the tiny hallway at the entrance ready to leave. His mother would be back at 8:30 and Jens needed to still clean up the mess they left. Dirty plates and cups and glasses strewn around the living room, they all had spent the whole afternoon in.
„Can I come too?“ 
„If you can convince mom or me to ditch piano class...“ Jens reminded his little sister, who currently stood next to Sander and Milan waiting on Robbe to be done. She looked at him through big eyes. Must have forgotten about it then, he figured, even though it was a weekly thing.
Jens opened the door, Sander and Robbe hugging his little sister tightly, promising to be back soon again. She laughed at something Sander whispered into her ear, making Jens very suspicious as to what this was about, but then he went on to take Robbe’s hand stepping outside.
„Eh, is Lucas not coming as well, he probably needs to get the bus too, right?“ Milan asked throwing a searching look over Jens, to see if he could spot the dutch boy still inside.
„He is getting his jeans, I think.“ Jens said unsure, as Lucas seemed to take his damn time at it. Milan in response only nodded unquestioning the odd reason provided, before he continued: „Well, we’ll go then. The bus should leave in six minutes and Zoë is waiting with dinner. I hope that’s cool with Lucas? Tell him sorry, okay?“
„Will do.“ Jens promised with a wave to send them off as they crossed the little front yard and vanished out of sight down the street. Turning around he found his sister running off towards the stairs, where Lucas came down to join her at it’s foot.
„You just missed them, if you run you can probably catch up.“ She explained pointing towards the door. Lucas instead smiled at her shaking his head.
„I’ll take the next one in 20 minutes. I really don’t want to run.“ He explained, glancing over to Jens as if he wanted to communicate more to him, than what he had said out loud. Jens didn’t get it really though. Was he missing something important?
The six of them had had a long breakfast and afterwards all of them had moved towards the sofa. Jens and Lucas taking the floor instead, sitting close together. Close enough that they could exchange the occasional touch of knees, or shoulders, or hands, or anything really. Ít didn’t quite matter in the end. They all joked and talked and watched cartoons, some skating videos on youtube thrown into the mix. Lotte and Sander had started drawing at one point, after him and Robbe had cuddled for hours it seemed. Keeping it child friendly though. Lucky for them, because Jens would have killed them, if they hadn’t. Not that he did assume they would forget about Lotte being around, but then it was Sander and Robbe.
„I’m gonna take the drawings to my room.“ Lotte announced loudly storming off to collect said papers from the living room floor, before she hurried up the stairs. Lucas meanwhile had went over towards the kitchen, opening up the dish washer.
„And what are you doing?“ Jens asked raising his brows amused as he leaned against the kitchen table, on top of it all the carved pumpkins staring at him. They had done a great job yesterday Jens thought.
„Eh. I don’t think it’s fair to leave you on your own to clean up. I’m really good at it. See!“ 
„I can indeed see that.“ Jens snorted, as Lucas proceeded to slowly but deliberatly put one plate after the other on the dish rack, looking up at Jens each time he did so. 
„Alright, I guess you proved to be useful to have around. I concede and instead go and collect the stuff from the living room.“ Hands up to signal his defeat he walked backwards, watching Lucas grin at him.
There it was again, the feeling of wanting to kiss the boy in front of him, so before it could grow further, Jens turned away, to keep his word and get everything to the kitchen.
They definitely forgot about Lucas having to catch the bus, so instead of the next one, it was decided to take the one after. The dishwasher nonetheless had been filled and turned on, all pillows collected and taken back to were they had come from. Lucas even had helped Jens with the matrasses in his room.
 And thus they now found themselves standing akward in the hallway of the entrance. Lucas already dressed in shoes and jacket, looking at Jens nervously.
 They still had three minutes left.
„Uhm, thank you again for the invitation.“ Lucas said smilingly brushing through his hair with one hand. „Also wanted to let you know that I’ll be visiting my friends in Utrecht next weekend. I’m leaving on friday already. Somehow thought you should know that.“
Jens appreciated that greatly, if it wasn’t for the fact that it meant they couldn’t meet up next weekend. Not that they had anything planned or talked about. He just had assumed Lucas would be here for his upcoming birthday. This reminded him.
„Fuck, unlucky timing, I guess. I’m turning eighteen on friday. So I guess I won’t be able to invite you for the little gathering at the flatshare.“
Lucas whole happy face fell at Jens’s words, almost in disbelief.
„You serious?“
„Yup.“ Jens said, popping the ‘p’ as he scratched his neck and tried for a reassuring smile. „Honestly, it’s cool. With everything going on, it is just the broerrrs and the guys from the flatshare. Nothing fancy, so it is not like you are missing out on a big celebration.“
„Still, I hate that I can’t be there.“ Lucas seemed to want to say something else, but reconsidered instead, pulling out his phone to check the time.
„You should go or you’ll miss this bus as well.“ Jens broke the silence, taking a step forward to open the door for Lucas as he had done before for the others.
Lucas nodded not quite leaving yet. Rather he took hold of Jens’s hand again, like he had this morning, looking at him all earnest with his smile back on his lips.
„We’ll celebrate once I’m back. Promise. Just the two of us. If you’d want that of course.“ If they wouldn’t stand as close as they did, Jens may have not been able to understand the whispered words at him. And god was he glad he did, because it send a happieness through his body, he hadn’t feld in ages.
„I’d really like that.“
„Great. See you tomorrow, then.“ Lucas said, letting go of Jens to catch his bus in time. He definitely had to hurry by now, so Jens didn’t hold him back, even though he wanted too. He really, really wanted to. But his mother was already on her way back home from her friend’s place, so this was probably for the best. 
Only when he couldn’t see the boy jog down the street any longer did he close the door. It was then that he realised that they sort of had a date the week after his birthday. Or maybe not.
No, he was pretty sure they agreed on a date.
It took him five minutes from his realisation to him actually moving again to get dinner ready.
A date.
With Lucas.
He was fucked.
__ __ __
Sooooooo... I completely forgot about fall break... oops. well sucks to be them not having off until christmas I guess. hahaha
and I don’t care if Jens birthday isn’t on friday, this is gonna happen 😅
i needed a short bit to send them off today it felt like, so I’ve written this an hour ago... 🙈 We gonna see them tomorrow in school, my story is already outlined completely since the start, and the next four days written, so that’s that
thank you all for reading this, I’m so happy people like this!
stay safe everyone
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junker-town · 3 years
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Josh Giddey is the NBA draft pick who almost slipped through the cracks
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How Josh Giddey went from being cut by his Australian state team to a potential NBA draft lottery pick.
Josh Giddey knew he was down to his last chance. As he arrived at a multi-day basketball jamboree known as the East Coast Challenge, Giddey was one of 60 youth players competing from the Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia hoping to be selected for the prestigious state team.
State basketball is the pathway to a brighter future in the game in Australia, but it had alluded Giddey to this point. Three times he had tried out for state-level basketball, and three times he had received an email at the end of the event telling him he’d been cut. Only 16 years old and already realizing he was at a crossroads in his career, Giddey was determined not to let it happen again.
He had the benefit of a recent growth spurt this time around that taken him up to 6’8 as a point guard. The added height only accentuated the gifts that always made him stand out: his passing and playmaking, and perhaps more importantly his ability to think one step ahead of the next defensive adjustment. After shining at the camp, the anxious hours waiting to hear if he was selected turned into a quiet confidence.
“I kept promising myself I wouldn’t get cut, I wouldn’t get cut, and the last opportunity I had to make the state team I didn’t get cut,” Giddey told SB Nation. “I finally got that one email I was waiting for.”
Giddey’s life has been in overdrive ever since. After shining at a subsequent national event, he was offered a scholarship by the NBA Global Academy at the Australian Institute of Sport. Giddey moved across the country to Canberra, where he would spend the next 18 months developing his game and his body while competing against peer-aged competition around the world. The accolades he earned at the academy eventually led Giddey to become the first Australian player to be tabbed for the Next Stars program in the country’s domestic professional league, the NBL.
After one season with the Adelaide 36ers, Giddey is now on his way to the 2021 NBA Draft. The same player who couldn’t separate himself from his peers in Victoria only two years ago is now projected as a likely lottery pick.
Giddey is at once on a meteoric rise and still just scratching the surface. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft and has a case as one of the most accomplished given his production in a pro league against seasoned adults. He is still growing into his body and refining his jump shot while already possessing the type of mental processing gifts that can’t be taught. It has been a wild ride to bring him to the precipice of his NBA dreams, but Giddey isn’t the type to get overwhelmed by the moment.
“It’s just good to see the work paying off,” he said.
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Photo by Kelly Barnes/Getty Images
Marty Clarke remembers the first time he identified Giddey as a future prospect to watch during his days as a college assistant coach at WCC power Saint Mary’s. A fellow Australian, Clarke was a former teammate of Josh’s dad, Warrick, who enjoyed a long professional career with the NBL’s Melbourne Tigers and had his No. 6 retired by the club. He saw the traits that could eventually make the young guard the type of player Saint Mary’s would one day want to target, but he knew it was going to be a while before they could do so. Giddey was only 12 years old.
“When I first went to St. Mary’s in 2013, I said coach (Randy) Bennett, there’s a kid I want to put on the board but it will be like seven years before we can get him,” Clarke recalls. “He can really pass with his weak hand. He can pass full court, off the dribble, or from penetration. He was kind of doing a lot of that stuff as a 12-14 year old. Now he’s a 6’8 person who can do that.”
Clarke would eventually get his chance to help develop Giddey in a way neither could have anticipated. When the NBA partnered with the Australian Institute of Sport and Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence in 2017 to launch the NBA Global Academy, Clarke left Saint Mary’s to take a job as its technical director. Clarke was the perfect candidate as someone who previously had experience as a coach at the Australian Institute of Sport, and now had familiarity with American college basketball.
The same place that had produced almost every Australian player to reach the NBA — Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Luc Longley, Aron Baynes, and Patty Mills among them — was now further investing in its connection to the league. Clarke would oversee all aspects of player development and coaching for the 12 high school-aged players who were offered a scholarship to the academy.
“We have a really good blue print,” Clarke said. “The Australian academy has been here for 40 years. This is what this place has always been doing, producing Olympians and future NBA players.”
The NBA launched academies in India, Senegal, Mexico, China over the last 10 years as a year-round development initiative for elite youth prospects. Australia’s Global Academy takes teenagers from around the world. In its partnership with the AIS, players with the Global Academy live in dorms and attend classes while preparing them for life as a professional athlete. Instead of trying to win as many games as possible and compete for championships like a college team, the main goal of the academy is individual development.
The players at the Global Academy go to school and training six days per week with only Sundays off. In a typical week, players will be put through regular full team practices, as well as smaller group sessions that focus on things like connecting the bigs to the smalls by drilling pick-and-rolls and post entries. There’s shooting and skill training every morning before school, as well as weight lifting three times per week, and mindfulness training. Spliced in with all of that is education on nutrition, physiology, and personal learning like financial literacy and social media courses.
“Our goal here is when they leave here, they have lots of options,” Clarke said. “We make sure they’re eligible for universities. We want to make sure every door is open when they leave.”
The Global Academy also plays games against peer-aged teams, and that’s where Giddey continued to raise his profile. Giddey would lead the academy to the championship at the prestigious Torneo Junior Ciutat de L’Hospitalet tournament in Spain and was named MVP of the event. He followed it up with a strong showing at Basketball Without Borders during All-Star Weekend last year in Chicago.
“His development since he got here has been off the charts,” Clarke said. “Because he missed that state-level development, he skipped up to another level and had a lot to learn. He jumped a stage, really.”
Giddey’s time at the academy had given him multiple avenues to explore on what he should do next. That’s when he faced the next flashpoint decision in his burgeoning young career: Was he better off going to college in America or staying home to play in Australia?
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Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Giddey had a long list of American college basketball programs who wanted him. He had standing scholarship offers from Arizona, Colorado, Rutgers, St. John’s, and more. After one college visit in particular, Giddey felt like he was ready to commit.
“I was 99 percent set on college,” Giddey said. “I took a visit to Colorado sometime in 2020, when I left there after my two-day visit, I was ready to commit there. I was about to commit there but my parents said just wait to we get home and we’ll talk about it.
“So I went home and we started talking to some people and they started talking about the NBL Next Star pathway. I met with Jeremy Loeliger, who is the CEO of the NBL, and they really sold it to me. The way they take care of their kids, the opportunity you’ll get to play against grown men at such a young age, I thought that was better for me personally than going to college to play against other kids.”
On April 16, 2020, at just 17 years old, Giddey signed with the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL. He had become the first Australian to take advantage of the league’s ‘Next Stars’ program, which was originally intended to lure top American prospects who didn’t want to play college basketball. Former McDonald’s All-Americans Terrance Ferguson and Brian Bowen were two of the first signees of the program, but it was a decision by LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton to sign in Australia that helped convince Giddey it was the best path for him.
“They surprised everyone with how good they were, especially LaMelo,” said Giddey. “It was good to see because it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to be an NBL player and eventually an NBA player. To see those guys come through gave me the confidence to think I could hopefully do something similar.”
Going from youth tournaments against peer-aged competition to playing against grown men was an enormous adjustment. Giddey struggled with it at first. The ambitious passes that defined his time at the youth level were often becoming turnovers in more meaningful games. He was ice cold as a shooter to start the year, hitting just 2-of-20 shots from three-point range over his first seven games. The biggest issue was playing through contact on both ends of the floor.
“I was struggling with the physicality of the league,” Giddey said of the start to his time in the NBL. “You don’t realize how physical the league is until you actually play against guys that are 35 years old and strong, athletic, and quick. It was just a completely different level to junior basketball. I was playing at a fast pace the whole time. I was rushed, I was nervous.”
He points to his second game as his initial breakthrough, when he finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists against South East Melbourne, and was trusted to take the final shot in regulation. Even though he missed, the 36ers would win in overtime, and Giddey started every game the rest of the season.
Giddey was masterful at times as a facilitator, firing passes to open shooters in the corner with either hand and finding unique angles to get the ball to the big man near the basket. Starting center Daniel Johnson had one of the best seasons of his career at age-33 with Giddey at the controls, and fellow teammate (and former Kentucky big man) Isaac Humphries turned into a dependable scorer, as well. Giddey’s three-point shot also started to come around eventually, hitting 36.7 percent of his shots from deep those first 20 attempts.
“The big thing for me early in the year was I was so down on confidence,” Giddey said. “I was so worried if I missed what people were going to say, what scouts were going to think. There was a point where I spoke to one of my teammates and he told me all of this doesn’t matter. Just shoot every shot like you think you’re going to make it. That was when it switched for me.”
Before season’s end, Giddey had run off three triple-doubles over a four-game stretch and had firmly established himself as a first round NBA draft pick. Given his age and the level of competition, Giddey was remarkably productive: he averaged 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and a league-leading 7.5 assists per game on 51 percent true shooting.
Those numbers stack up reasonably well to what Ball did in the same league a year earlier as 6’8 playmaking guard at 18 years old. Ball scored more, but slightly less efficiently (47.9 true shooting) while their rebound, assist, and steal numbers were similar. It is worth noting that while Ball was often deemed reckless as a lead decision-maker, Giddey’s turnover rate was significantly highly at 23.7 vs. Ball’s 12.4.
Giddey isn’t as flexible and shifty as a ball handler as LaMelo, but the baseline similarities and statistical profiles in the same league, at the same age will be tempting for teams, especially following Ball’s run to Rookie of the Year after being the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
“To see how (Ball’s) game translated to the NBA, it’s made me feel even better about my decision,” Giddey said.
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The appeal of Giddey for NBA teams starts with his intersection of size and passing. Giddey is an impressive facilitator off a live dribble who will fire passes with either hand while on the move. Against a set defense, Giddey is able to make quick decisions with the ball, and loves to zip a two-handed, overhead pass to his big man in the paint. His interior passing is particularly impressive thanks in part to his ability to leverage his length to find creative angles in tight spaces. The big question for his offensive game will be if he can make opposing defenses respect him enough as a scoring threat to fully unlock his playmaking gifts.
There will be serious questions about Giddey’s athleticism and strength, particularly if he has enough standstill burst to beat his man and force the opposing defense into rotation. Even if Giddey can’t put enough pressure on the rim to be a primary creator, he should be custom-made as a ‘connecting’ piece who can be a secondary facilitator and floor spacer as his jump shot comes around. In Clarke’s eyes, it’s Giddey’s overarching feel for the game that will help him overcome the challenges he sees at the next level.
“He’ll often have quiet first quarters or first halves, and then he’ll have monster second halves,” Clarke said. “He can figure things out on the run, and that’s a skill a lot of players don’t have. He can fix things in game.
“It’s not just feel for the game, it’s feel for the opposition and what they’re trying to do to you. A lot of people have feel for the game when the game is mundane and vanilla. He has feel for the game when it’s chaos going on. He can figure things really quickly.”
As the NBA moves into the pre-draft process, Giddey is widely projected to be taken in the lottery. We had Giddey going No. 14 overall to the Golden State Warriors in our mock draft, while ESPN has him going No. 10 overall to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Giddey’s entrance into the league is also an achievement for the academies the NBA invested in around the world. He’ll be the first male athlete to be drafted into the league after being a full-time academy student. Clarke sees Giddey as the type of player the Australian Institute always dreamed about developing.
“He’s kind of the guy we thought of 30 years ago when we started the program,” said Clarke. “Imagine if we had a whole team of 6’8 guys who are multi-dimensional and can pass, dribble, and shoot, defend multiple positions. We’ll stick one big guy in the middle with four guys like that. Josh is kind of exactly that.
“Coaches always ponder what the future is going to be. I think Josh is what we thought about when I first came here 25 years ago.”
If Giddey embodies the dream of what the AIS always hoped to produce, he also came dangerously close to slipping through the cracks. In the course of just over two years, he has gone from a player who couldn’t make it out of his home state to a possible top-10 NBA draft pick. For a player on such a rapid rise, the next question is the most exciting: how much room to Giddey have to grow from here?
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emy-loves-you · 4 years
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Sanders Sides AU-gust Day 20: Single Parent
Logan needs a nanny to watch his 3 sons. Patton wants to take care of kids. Sparks fly and chaos ensues. Patton POV, logicality with creativitwins, familial Intruprinxiety and dad!Logan Ages: Logan(37), Patton(35), Remus and Roman(7), Virgil(10)
Day 19 | Masterlist | Day 21
Patton smiled at the cheery tune the chimes played as he stepped into the cafe. He checked his phone again to reread the email he had been given just a few minutes ago. He said he was sitting at one of the tables wearing a black polo, blue tie, and glasses. Patton fought back a giggle as he scanned the tables. This reminds me more of a blind date than a job interview- there he is! Patton quickly made his way over to the small table in the back of the cafe. His potential employer was hunched over his phone, reading an article of some sort. Patton stopped when he was a foot away from the table and spoke up. “Mr. Sanders?” The man’s head shot up, and Patton fought down a blush. He had assumed that Mr. Sanders would be an older man, in his late 40s or early 50s. He didn’t look a day over 30. No time for gay panicking! Patton fiddled with the sleeves of his cardigan. “I’m Patton Hart. The one applying for the nanny position?”
Mr. Sanders nodded. “Of course. Take a seat.” He gestured to the seat across from him and Patton sat down eagerly, trying not to let his nervousness show. As far as Patton was aware, he basically already had the job, and this was just a customary interview to make sure that Patton didn’t lie about anything in his application. Still, Patton couldn’t help but fear nervous. Patton tried to ignore his anxiety and focus on what Mr. Sanders was saying. “So, Mr. Hart-”
“Please, Mr. Hart’s my father. Call me Patton, please.” If Mr. Sanders noticed the was that Patton nervously tugged on his cardigan sleeves, he didn’t say anything.
“Patton, then.” Patton smiled appreciatively. “Would you like to order a beverage before we begin?” Mr. Sanders used his coffee cup to gesture towards the front of the cafe.
Patton blushed. “No thank you. I tend to talk more with my hands when I’m excited or nervous. I’ve learned from past experience to not have hot drinks around when that happens” Patton used his head to gesture towards his hands as he spoke, which were gesturing as he spoke.
Mr. Sanders gave him a look before continuing. “Alright. I will go over your application and ask a series of questions. If you feel as if a question is too invasive, please let me know.” Patton nodded, and with that, the interview began. “Patton Sanders, 35 years old. Raised in North Carolina. According to your previous employers, you’ve done extremely well with children in the past. You’ve dealt with kids at almost every age. You’ve been shown to successfully perform both the Heimlich Maneuver and CPR. You have also been employed as a tutor and have multiple years of volunteer work at shelters and public schools. It says here that you recently moved here a few weeks ago. Are you intending on pursuing any other job while employed as a caretaker?”
Patton shook his head. “The original offer you gave should be enough for me to afford my apartment.”
Mr. Sanders blinked, and Patton suddenly felt like he’d done something wrong. “I’m afraid there was a communication error somewhere. Allow me to clarify: you would be staying in my house while working for me.”
Now it was Patton’s turn to blink. “What?”
Mr. Sanders frowned, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. “I am very dedicated to my job, Patton. Sadly, my job requires me to have extremely flexible hours. It would be incredibly redundant to have you stay from 8 AM to 5 PM, then have to hire a sitter from 5 PM to 11 PM. There would also be several benefits on your end. Unless you started using an excessive amount of food or utilities, you would not have to pay for food or housing. You would be staying in the guest bedroom, and you would have every Sunday off, which is my day off as well.”
Patton rubbed the back of the neck sheepishly. “I think I remember reading that in the advertisement, but I assumed it was less of a requirement and more of an option.”
Mr. Sanders steepled his fingers as he stared at Patton. “I apologize, but it would be necessary for you to stay in the guest bedroom in order to ensure that my children have constant adult supervision. If you do not wish to be employed, I completely understand-”
“No!” Both men were surprised by Patton’s shouting. Patton blushed as he continued. “I still want the job, I just didn’t want to waste your living space if it was optional. If it’s mandatory then I’ll take the room. I’ll just have to wait for my lease to end in a few weeks.”
Mr. Sanders nodded. “Alright. Next question: why do you wear your cardigan around your neck?”
Patton smiled. “I don’t get cold very easily, but I always have my cardigan on me just in case. Besides, it makes me look more friendly and fun. Kids like to call it my superhero cape!” He struck a dramatic pose, and he felt a surge of triumph when Mr. Sanders' mouth quirked up slightly.
They went through several more questions before Mr. Sanders smiled, holding out his hand. “I believe you would get along well with my children. I understand that you would like to wait until your lease ends to move in, but I would appreciate it if you start a daily shift on Sunday. I will be there to make sure that you interact well with them. Does that sound satisfactory?”
Patton nodded, shaking Mr. Sanders' hand. “Sound’s like a plan, Mr. Sanders!”
“Please, call me Logan.” Patton smiled as he heard the name. Logan. It’s fitting.
“Well, Logan, what are your kids like? I was given general ages and names, but nothing else. What are their favorite colors and activities? Any allergies or disliked food? Any mental illnesses, disorders, or sensitive topics that I should know about?”
Logan took out his phone and showed Patton the lock screen. It was a photo of Logan with three children. Two identical twins posed in red and green respectively, while the third child looked slightly older with a baggy purple hoodie. “The twins are Roman and Remus, 7 years old. Roman always dresses in red, while Remus dresses in green. They both have extremely vivid imaginations, and they get upset when you don’t participate. Roman has some confidence issues, while Remus suffers from intrusive thoughts from time-to-time. Virgil is 10. He’s almost always wearing that hoodie. He says that his favorite color is black, but it’s actually dark purple. He has been known to suffer through anxiety attacks, and he tends to have trust issues towards strangers. Virgil prefers to be left to his own devices, and music tends to help when he’s stressed. The twins tend to find amusement in pulling pranks on Virgil, though he does not appreciate the sentiment. They all enjoy watching Disney movies and all have artistic talent. There are no food allergies to speak of. All of them were closed adoptions, so I would appreciate it if you don’t bring up their birth parents. That is all you should need to know before you meet them.”
Patton smiled as he listened to Logan describing his kids. It was clear from the tone of his voice that he deeply cared about his kids. “I’m sure they’re lovely. I can’t wait to meet them!”
Logan nodded, moving to stand up. “I assure you they’re just as excited to meet you. I’ll email you my address.”
“Oh, wait!” Patton reached into his pocket and pulled out an ink pen. He then grabbed a clean napkin from the table and scribbled his number onto it. He handed the napkin to Logan. “Here’s my phone number. It would be best if we have each other’s numbers in case of an emergency.”
Logan took the napkin, and Patton suppressed the shiver he felt from where their fingers met. “I’ll be sure to contact you with my address as soon as I get home.”
Patton blushed, moving to leave. “Alrighty then. See you on Sunday!”
Logan nodded. “Farewell.”
Patton smiled before hurrying out of the cafe. He quickly drove to his apartment, not stopping until he was inside of his (soon to not be) home. He gently caressed his own fingers, blushing as he remembered the electricity he’d felt from their fingers touching.
Patton shook his head, but the grin and blush he had never faded. “Logan Sanders.” He whispered to himself. Patton then tilted his head curiously. Logan Sanders…where have I heard of that name before?
Patton went over to his bed and pulled out his laptop. Search: Logan Sanders. Patton flipped through several websites until he saw Logan’s face. He quickly clicked on the article and gasped.
Logan Sanders, 37 years old, was just appointed as the CEO of Logic Tech two months ago. That’s where I recognize his name! I can’t believe he works for Logic Tech. Isn’t that the same company that he used to work for?
Bzzz.
Patton slammed his laptop shut, suddenly feeling like he’d done something wrong. Was this technically invading Logan’s privacy? It was an article that Patton could easily access at any time (he was pretty sure he’d read it before), but did that mean it was okay? Was Patton in the wrong for searching for Logan’s name?
Patton’s phone buzzed again and he nearly threw his laptop. He tried to calm his racing heartbeat as he checked his phone.
?- (4:13 PM) Salutations. This is Logan Sanders.
?- (4:14 PM) Is this the correct number?
P- (4:14 PM) Patton Hart here! You have the right number
L- (4:14 PM) That is good
Patton was then sent an address.
P- (4:15 PM) You want me to start on Sunday, right? What time?
L- (4:15 PM) 3:00 sounds amenable. Since it is my day off, you won’t need to be there in the morning.
P- (4:16 PM) Alrighty then! I’ll see you on Sunday!
Patton smiled as he turned off his phone. He was going to meet the children on Sunday! And seeing Logan again would be a nice bonus.
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choices-and-voices · 3 years
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hi sorry if this has already been asked somewhere but im was wondering if you had any tips on how to get the best experience without having to pay ?
Hi there! Don’t worry, this question hasn’t been asked before, and I am honestly super flattered that you value my opinion enough to ask it ☺️ I’m not sure how helpful my tips will be because I don’t exactly consider myself an expert in this, but here are some things that came to mind! I’ve gone into quite a bit of detail, but if you want a quicker overview, just stick to the bold headings. Also, if any of the people reading this have good tips of their own, please lmk! I’m always learning new things about how to do this too 💕
1. This one’s a bit obvious, but still – take the opportunities that the game gives you to earn free diamonds. That means watching the bonus ads every day (5 diamonds/day), playing through chapters as often as you can (including replaying old books if there are no new releases – 2 diamonds/chapter), and watching ads at the end of book chapters for an extra diamond. Obviously, all this is a bit of a balancing act – you want to be playing Choices often enough to build up your diamonds, but not so often that it takes over your life and makes you feel frustrated, because what’s the point of it if it’s not fun anymore, y’know? So I’ve always been careful not to overdo it. Even if all you do is watch the bonus ads every day, that’s 35 diamonds/week – basically, one big diamond scene a week – which is honestly not too shabby.
2. At any one time, only play 1-2 books that you’re really invested in, and try to supplement that with another 2-3 books that you’re not really invested in or are replaying just for diamonds. As tempting as it can be to rush through every good-looking book in the app all at once, that just leads to a situation where a) you’re trying to divide your free keys between waaay too many releases, and b) there are so many demands on you for diamonds, you never get to consistently spend them on anything. So I personally think it’s best to only read a couple of good books at once, and instead of marathoning them, break them up with chapters from less-good books – this builds up your diamond stash for spending on the good books. Which leads into my next point:
3. Don’t zip through books too fast – even if most of the chapters are already released, spreading them out helps you earn more diamonds for them in the meantime. I’m really lucky to have been playing Choices for so long that almost all the books were presented to me in weekly release format – if I downloaded the app for the first time today, and saw all the fully-released books on there, I feel like I would be way too overwhelmed to play. So I reckon that, even if a book isn’t technically a weekly release for you, make it a weekly release! You might decide to play all the books you’re really invested in on a particular day when you have more free time – say, a Sunday. Then, you have Monday-Saturday every week to earn diamonds for those books, and something to look forward to at the end of it all. As for what you do with those diamonds:
4. Be smart about what you spend diamonds on. There are a couple of different components to this tip – it involves things like a) figuring out which types of purchases are worth diamonds in general, b) figuring out which types of purchases you want to prioritise in certain books, and c) planning ahead before you start playing a book chapter about where you might want to spend diamonds. To address each of those things one-by-one:
a) Figure out which types of purchases are worth diamonds in general. Off the top of my head, there are 6 main types of diamond purchases in Choices: ‘friendly’ scenes with LIs (12-25 diamonds), ‘steamy’ scenes with LIs (25-30 diamonds), scenes with your whole friendship group, collectible items (e.g. the tapestry pieces in Bloodbound, the clues in Veil of Secrets, etc.), outfits, and pets. Your mileage may vary a lot on which of these are most important to you, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. But my general advice would be to i) prioritise group scenes above LI scenes, ii) prioritise ‘friendly’ LI scenes above ‘steamy’ LI scenes, iii) avoid collectibles, and iv) go for outfits and pets only if you really like the look of them. This advice is based on the fact that, firstly, I think you get a better experience of immersion in a book if you know a bit about all the characters around MC, rather than just about one LI; secondly, ‘friendly’ LI scenes tend to tell you more about the LI than ‘steamy’ scenes, which are often 80-90% copied-and-pasted erotica despite being more expensive; thirdly, collectibles are a massive drain on diamond stores, and almost always unlock quite short, generic scenes that it’s easy to find on Tumblr or YouTube; and fourthly, both outfits and pets don’t do much except appear in the story at key moments, which can be a really nice touch but is still only needed in moderation. Of course, there are exceptions to these rules, and you might find that those exceptions are sometimes book-specific. Which leads me to Part B of this point:
b) Figure out which types of purchases you want to prioritise in certain books. It’s all well and good for me to say that group scenes are usually better than LI scenes, but when I’m playing a book with an amazing LI but a pretty meh supporting cast (*cough cough* Myra Dixon carries Baby Bump on her shoulders *cough cough*), I obviously may need to adjust my spending habits slightly. Moreover, by focusing all your diamond spending on just one main thing per book – like Myra’s romance in Baby Bump, or the party’s side-quests in Blades of Light and Shadow, or the posse in Queen B – I think you end up with a much better playing experience, because you feel like you’re seeing at least one facet of the story in-depth instead of getting a patchy surface view of lots of different facets. For the most part, the purchases you prioritise in a book can mostly depend on personal taste, but there are a few books where some background knowledge might be helpful in the decision. Four things that I think are worth flagging are that i) the ‘competition books’ (America’s Most Eligible, Queen B, Hot Couture) do require regular outfit purchases to win, although winning isn’t that much better an experience than being runner-up; ii) Veil of Secrets and Nightbound are two books where it’s worth saving 30-35 diamonds for the final chapter, because your MC is forced to leave the small-town setting if you don’t; iii) Across the Void is a book that frequently invites you to spend diamonds to save characters’ lives, but their death arcs are honestly much better-written and more sensible than their survival arcs; and iv) the It Lives series is the only one where characters can die due to an accumulation of choices you make throughout the story, so maybe it’s worth keeping some diamonds in reserve for that one. Which just leaves us with one more sub-point:
c) Plan ahead before you start playing a book chapter about where you might want to spend diamonds. I want to take this opportunity to thank whichever people in the fandom maintain the Choices wiki, because oh my gosh, they are lifesavers. For the last year or so, my response whenever a new Choices chapter is released has been to wait a few hours, Google ‘[book name] choices’, open the wiki result, and skim through to check how many diamond choices are available & how much they cost. Because all the wiki includes are the possible responses to every choice presented – it doesn’t even state the wording of the choice itself – this is a relatively spoiler-free technique that helps a lot with big picture planning. For example, you might decide not to buy an early group scene because there’s a nicer-sounding LI scene later on, and come to think of it, you should replay a few more chapters of another book first to save up the diamonds for that scene. If you don’t mind encountering just a few more spoilers before you play the chapter, you can also scout out its diamond scenes in more detail by searching the relevant book or character tags on Tumblr, or by looking for a chapter stream on YouTube. You may decide that you don’t need to buy a diamond scene if you’ve already seen it played through by someone else, or alternatively, you may decide whether or not to buy a diamond scene based on how good it looks in an existing playthrough – in either case, these techniques can help you thoughtfully ration out the diamonds you have, instead of being caught off-guard whenever a diamond choice comes up.
5. On the subject of the Choices wiki, it’s also a great way to maximise your success in books without using diamonds. Whenever there’s a ‘right’ option to a choice that gives you a better outcome later in the chapter, that’s indicated in the wiki. So with a bit of pre-reading of the wiki before you play the chapter, and/or with the wiki open on a separate screen as you play, you can get the best outcome without having to buy that outfit or bonus scene that promised you ‘an advantage.’ Obviously, your mileage may vary on whether this method is actually worth it, or whether it takes all the fun out of Choices by ‘cheating’ at the gaming aspect. I personally view Choices as more of an interactive story app than a game I’m trying to beat, so I have no issue with this method, but opinions may differ and that’s okay.
6. If you’re really feeling like a lack of diamonds is limiting your playing experience, it may be best to start out with ‘cheaper’ books until you have more diamonds stored up. In this case, I’m using ‘cheaper’ to mean books where there are fewer diamond scenes, where diamond scenes are less expensive, and/or where diamond scenes don’t play as big a role in the plot. It can be hard to identify which books fit this bill, but as a general rule, it’s more likely to be the earlier-released ones or less-popular ones. Some which I’d recommend are the first few books of the Freshman series, the #LoveHacks series, the High School Story series, the Perfect Match series, Most Wanted, The Heist: Monaco, Wishful Thinking, Bachelorette Party, and The Royal Masquerade.
7. Finally, a really quick tip for making the most out of free keys – keys are used up as soon as you start a book chapter, and refresh ~every 3 hours. This means that, even if you don’t have time to play chapters every 3 hours, you should try to open the app roughly that often and just click to unlock a chapter. When you finally have time to play, you’ll have a whole lot of chapters ready to go plus another two refreshed keys, and you can power through them at whatever speed you need to fit in them into your break time or to earn diamonds for an upcoming release. Once again, this is a tip that may need to be practised in moderation, because you don’t want to be constantly interrupting your life to load up an app on your phone. But even if you just log in and unlock chapters every 6 hours, or every 12 hours, that’s still 2-4 extra chapters ready for you at the end of the day plus your two free keys.
I think that’s about all for my tips! Thanks for reading, and I hope it helped at least a bit ❤️
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mi6-cafe · 4 years
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THE LDWS ENTRIES FOR WEEK 1 ARE IN!
Now it’s your turn to READ&VOTE!
Let’s refresh your memory first.
This week the word count was 100 words and this was the prompt:
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[drabbles below the line]
HOW DO YOU VOTE?
Read all the drabbles.
Choose three that you like the most.
Fill out this VOTING FORM, telling us your favourites. (You can even leave anonymous feedback for the author).
NOTE: If you are a competitor, you CANNOT vote for your own fic. But please, do vote. :)
The voting period ends at 11:59 PM EST on Sunday night. Results will be posted and anonymous feedback will be emailed on Monday.
#1
Title: 100 Seconds Author: sorion          Warnings: implied canon-typical violence         Summary: Seconds counting down to words that count.
"One hundred seconds, 007," Q says.
Bond knows. His reliable inner countdown always lets him know how close death is. Eighty seconds until he has to be off the empty German plane.
Sixty-eight seconds to not only outwit his personal death, but the death of everyone the crashing plane will kill in London.
Forty-seven to break the auto pilot, divert destiny from its path and the plane into the channel.
Thirty to grab a parachute, listen to the increasingly panicky voice in his ear.
"James! Fifteen seconds!"
Thirteen seconds for a jump and three words.
"I'm coming home."
Two.
One.
#2
Title: Delayed Author: Ksania/Starrboned Warnings: None Summary: It wasn't flying that scared Q the most.
The stuttering departure board snaps into place, merciless and cold.
Delayed.
Impatient, Q taps his fingers against his thigh.
It wasn't flying that scared Q. He knew better than most how safe planes were, the intricate mechanisms that kept them afloat.
They didn't always land; Q waits for the inevitable to happen.
His eyes blink with the board: one, two, ten thousand - the seconds melt into months. Q stands still while the airport is buzzing around him.
"Q?" James's voice cuts like lightning through fog. "Have you been waiting for long?"
Q shakes his head, smiling thinly.
"Not at all."
#3
Title: Flight Plan Author: Anyawen Warnings: None Summary: A chance sighting requires changes on the fly.
Be a dear and change my flight, won't you?
You'll survive 3 hours in economy class.
FIN2424 to Valencia. Leaves in 35 min.
I'm not a bloody travel agent. Book your own holiday.
I had been hoping to get back to London. Spend some time spoiling your cats. And you. Unfortunately ... <image0805202013.jpg>
…  That's Nīkau Tama.
Indeed. They're announcing last call for boarding.
Keep your pants on.
Where's the fun in that?
Ticket confirmation is in your email.
Thank you, darling.
Just catch the bastard and come home, then you can thank me properly.
I prefer 'improperly'.
...
So do I.
#4
Title: Seatmates Author: IrishWitch58 Warnings: None Summary: Departure lounges are lonely, until they're not.
Airport departure boards were depressing if you rarely had the chance to decide your destination yourself. Bond watched the crowds as he waited for his flight to be posted. He was supposed to be accompanied by a Q branch expert but they were late. He'd kissed Q goodbye early this morning, holding him close in the grey dawn light. Saying goodbye was getting harder lately. Someone moved up next to him and he blinked. “Q? But you hate flying.”
“Overstated,” Q responded succinctly. “Valencia is warmer than London and I hate cold worse. There are perks. We're going first class.”
#5
Title: Boarding Author: SouffleGirl91 Warnings: None Summary: He waits to board the plane.
“Flight BA25007 to Kingston is now boarding.”
Heaving a sigh, he stood, clutching his ticket. Was he really doing this? Boarding a plane to Jamaica on the trail of a washed-up double-oh, just to tell him- no. No thinking about that right now. That could wait. It was a long flight. Plenty of time to decide how to tell him.
Shuffling into line, he fingered his passport. He missed having the power to skip the rigmarole and just board. But this wasn’t a sanctioned mission.
The new Quartermaster had better things to do.
This was personal. Bond had to know.
#6
Title:  Homeward Bound Author: Iambid/Flantastic Warnings: None Summary: It’s late, Q’s tired and James’s flight is due.
Heathrow is deserted.
Q is alone in the waiting area except for a lone family, waiting for a loved one.  He’s waiting for James.  He’s not sure if James ever thought of him as a loved one, not since Madeleine…
The arrivals board clatters, the quaintly old-fashioned sound waking him from his doze. He’s so tired, should have been in bed hours ago, but James asked him to be there and even after everything, he can’t say no to him.
He thinks to himself that maybe James is the loved one as he stands stiffly and waits for his agent.
#7
Title: Vision Author: sunaddicted Warnings: none Summary: some dreams are bound to never become real
"I had a dream" Raoul stretched amidst the rumpled sheets, reaching out to land a hand on James' belly "A nice one?" "I was at an airport" "Why?" "Leaving" "For?" "I'm not sure, the flight details kept blurring and changing on the board" James looked down at Raoul, as if the key to his dream lay amidst those distorted features "I was leaving London. Permanently. It felt better than I always thought it would" shame burned on his tongue. Raoul hummed, thumb tracing the pucker of a scar "It was just a dream" and like one, they had no future.
#8
Title: Fight and Flight Author: stormofsharpthings Warnings: no Archive warnings apply Summary: All the comforts of the first-class lounge
It hadn’t been his finest moment, Bond admitted as he prowled through BritishAir’s first-class lounge. He’d had a monumentally stupid fight with Q and stormed out, demanding to take the next mission available.
The departure board flickered. His flight was delayed again and Bond groaned — more hours of inaction to brood over his poor behaviour.
He paced until the board flickered again, showing a further delay, and he slumped, defeated.
After a while, he rubbed his face and looked up glumly.
COME HOME, it flickered.
Bond sighed, a rueful smile emerging, wondering if make up sex was an option.
#9
Title: Time and Place Author: Venstar Warnings: none Summary: Travel
It was a simple process. Approach the board and wait.
“Time Agent 007.”
The only acknowledgment of his name spoken softly through his earpiece was the slight turn of his head.
“Your countdown. 5,4,3,2,1…” The voice trailed off as the board flickered before 007’s eyes divulging his next destination. “You will have seventy-two hours to complete your mission. Good luck in 2424.”
“And when I’m done? How about dinner, Q?”
If a snort could sound posh, leave it to Q to figure that trick out.
Q countered his offer. “How about you return my equipment in one piece?”
“With pleasure.”
#10
Title: The Destination Board Author: ladymars Warnings: No Warnings Apply (Canon Character Death?) Summary: M remains vigilant, even after everything.
She finds the oddest device when she first arrives. A departure board flickering with the destinations of the colleagues she had left behind. M does remember that 008 was to be deployed to Havana and that R had a conference at Frankfurt. Her new friends here tell her there's much more to explore and enjoy, now that she has time to repose, but she decides to linger. No rest for the wicked, of course. She catches an expected arrival at Altaussee, Austria followed by an unexpected one. Huh. She should have suspected he would have boarded a plane for him.
#11
Title: Trinity Author: sparklycitrus Warnings: None Summary: An unholy alliance.
When the airport bulletins all over Europe began to glitch, Q was at home, packing. He’d already given away his cats, and the only things he was taking consisted of a single suitcase and his laptop. The train ticket Bond had sourced him sat securely in his pocket. He was cutting it a bit close, but there should still be time left before everything crashed. Literally.
In a remote part of Russia, Raoul Silva turned from the camera feeds to the man next to him. “Clever boy,” he commented, to which Bond merely smiled, as they watched the chaos unfold.
#12
Title: Buggering Off Author: AtoTheBean Warnings: None Summary: He shouldn’t hope...
JB: Where are you? Oh, for fuck’s sake.   NLQ: How did you get this number? JB: That doesn’t answer my question, Q. NLQ: No longer Q, actually.  You’re not the only one who gets to retire and bugger off. JB: I came back. NLQ: Then you can carry on destroying someone else’s tech. JB: ... JB: Please. I need to talk with you.  Just give me a hint. He shouldn’t hope… shouldn’t invite this man into his fresh start.  His thumb hovers above the screen. He snaps a picture of the split-flap departures board, hits “send,” and runs for the gate.
#13
Title: (dis)quiet Author: azure3795 Warnings: none Summary: Waiting for an arrival.
Slots on the display board are flipping, a monotonous voice from the PSA intercom ever drowned out by the bustling of people arriving and departing drones on, and he waits.
He cradles a travel cup in his hands, the half drained beverage inside long since gone cold and sloshes around with dead weight. Logically, he knows it no longer provides the spot of warmth he seeks.
No matter.
“Q?”
He nearly jumps, but uses the momentum to plaster on a smile that doesn’t resemble a grimace. Good enough.
“Bond,” Q greets and thinks not of the Walther in his bag.
#14
Title: A Grand Romantic Gesture Author: scarytheory Warnings: none Summary: Q is waiting for his flight to Berlin.
He was drinking his second coffee when Bond came.
“What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're trying to stop me in some grand romantic gesture?” he was joking, but his smile faded when he saw Bond's reaction.
“Oh, God. You are, aren't you?”
Bond sighed: “I'm bad at this. I should have prepared a speech. Or should I sing?”
“Please don't.”
“Just… Can you please stay? For me.”
For a moment Q wished he could do that. But nothing would change, he knew that, and deep down, even Bond knew it.
“Goodbye, James.”
The plane was leaving soon.
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