#NY Times Bestselling Author

[danielleurbansblog]

Meet This Author: Michael Hingson

Q: What gave you the inspiration for the Running with Roselle? [‘[[[ Michael Hingson]]]] After writing and seeing published my #1 NY Times Bestselling book, “Thunder Dog: the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the power of Trust”, I wanted to create something that would inspire children and youth. Thunder Dog told adults my story and discussed many aspects of the true nature and realities…

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#Amazon #author #Author Interview #book review #Creative Edge Publicity #entertaining #Goodreads #Meet This Author #Michael Hingson #must read #new #New Release #NY Times Bestselling Author #Q&A #recommended #Running with Roselle #Thunder Dog

[scottprattfiction]

Get the New York Times Best Selling Books by Scott Pratt Fiction

Scott Pratt is an author who has sold more than ten million copies of his novels. The two percent of people who are left in the world who want to know more about his books can discover that these best selling books are on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This will help you buy the new books and why this writer's work is so important for readers.

You can check out the Book Series of New York Times best selling books by Scott Pratt. So, Visit our website for more details.  

#new york times best selling books #ny times best sellers fiction #nyt best sellers fiction #new york times best sellers fiction #new york times bestseller #best selling fiction series #best selling book series for adults #scott pratt author

[cassandraclare]

New publishing announcement!

Hi guys!

I know it’s been a long time since there’s been news about The Wicked Powers. I’ve actually been sitting on information for a long time because I was not allowed to talk about it. It was making me pull out all my hair, so I am super glad to be able to share the following announcement with you: The Wicked Powers is scheduled for publication, and will be published by Walker Books in the UK and Random House in the US.

There’s a bunch more about this announcement, including the announcement of a brand-new YA romantasy series I’ll be doing called In Fire Foretold. That will be published by Pan Macmillan in the UK (same people who published Sword Catcher) and by Random House in the US.

I know there will be a lot of questions about what my schedule is, why things are coming out when they are, whether I have anything coming out next year (Yes, The Ragpicker King, the sequel to Sword Catcher, and also for those who participated in the Kickstarter, those four books) and the overall future of everything Shadowhunter-related. So I will be doing followup announcements to address all that stuff, but first, here are both press release from my publishers in the US and then in the UK with all the info!

GLOBALLY BESTSELLING FANTASY PHENOMENON CASSANDRA CLARE TO PUBLISH  FINAL TRILOGY IN THE ‘SHADOWHUNTER CHRONICLES’  AND NEW DUOLOGY WITH ALFRED A. KNOPF BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS  First book in THE WICKED POWERS to release in Spring 2026

(New York, NY, April 5, 2024)—Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, will publish five new books from #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Clare, whose novels have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, been translated into 43 languages, and published in more than 60 countries. The new publications will begin in Spring 2026 with the first book in THE WICKED POWERS trilogy, the sixth and final series in Clare’s 23-book, young adult fantasy franchise The Shadowhunter Chronicles. Also slated for publication with Knopf is a brand-new YA romantasy duology, IN FIRE FORETOLD. The news was announced today by Melanie Nolan, VP and Publisher, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, who acquired North American rights from Suzie Townsend and Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary & Media in a highly competitive auction. Michelle Frey, Senior Executive Editor, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, will edit both series. 

Cassandra Clare mesmerized readers across the globe with the publication of City of Bones (2007), the first book in the Mortal Instruments series, and was quickly dubbed the “New Queen of Fantasy” by the Wall Street Journal. The Mortal Instruments became the basis for the far-reaching Shadowhunter Chronicles, an intricately drawn world that has seen global success and has been adapted into both a feature film and television show. The books follow the Shadowhunters, a secretive race of humans born with angel blood, whose mission is to eliminate the demons that plague the Earth. Knopf’s first publishing collaboration with Clare, THE WICKED POWERS (Spring 2026), will follow Kit Herondale, Ty Blackthorn, and Drusilla Blackthorn from The Dark Artifices series as they are drawn into the final massive conflict between the demons and the angels. 

IN FIRE FORETOLD is a pulse-pounding YA romantasy duology set in a new world with entirely new characters. The story centers a young woman who must learn to control her dangerous magical abilities in order to save her kingdom, all while finding herself torn between two brothers—the kingdom's princes, born to a cursed royal bloodline. The publication date for IN FIRE FORETOLD, as well as news of additional books to come from Cassandra Clare and Knopf, will be announced. 

Says Cassandra Clare: "I am delighted to have Knopf and Penguin Random House as my publishers for this last trilogy in the Shadowhunters world. They truly understand what it means—both for the story and for my readers—to wrap up such an epic tale that has been told over so many years. I'm also excited to be launching my next YA series — a kickass portal fantasy that contains a ton of things I love, from a bold and reckless heroine to a magical wasteland filled with terrifying monsters that must be fought, to a love triangle with two very unusual cursed princes. I can't wait for us to bring these stories to the world."

Says Michelle Frey: “Cassandra Clare is a beloved author whose work has a massive following for good reason: she sucks you into a fully imagined world and never lets go until the last, satisfying page. I have long admired Cassie and am thrilled to be working with her on both the delectable final trilogy in the Shadowhunter Chronicles and the heart-stopping new love triangle she has dreamed up with IN FIRE FORETOLD.”

Random House Children’s Books (rhcbooks.com) is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and nonfiction, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

UK/AUS/NZ:

Walker Books will publish three new books, the final trilogy in Shadowhunter Chronicles, the first coming in Spring 2026.

Separately, First Ink will publish a brand new YA duology, introducing readers to a fantastical new world of Clare’s creation, filled with enticing new characters and heart-racing action. With sales figures for Cassandra’s novels exceeding 40 million copies worldwide, translated into 43 languages and published in more than 60 countries, these are exciting and major acquisitions for both publishing houses.

Walker will launch THE WICKED POWERS in Spring 2026 with the first book in the trilogy, The Last King of Faerie. THE WICKED POWERS is the final instalment of Clare’s 23-book, young adult fantasy series, Shadowhunter Chronicles.

THE WICKED POWERS (Spring 2026), will follow Kit Herondale, Ty Blackthorn, and Drusilla Blackthorn from The Dark Artifices series as they are drawn into the final massive conflict between the demons and the angels. The novel marks the beginning of the final trilogy in Clare’s globally beloved series.

Cassandra Clare Says about THE WICKED POWERS: "I’m thrilled to be taking this momentous step in the Shadowhunter chronicles with Walker! They published City of Bones in 2007 and now we will be bringing this huge epic to a close together. With their creativity and dedication, I know they’ll do it justice."

Denise Johnstone Burt says: “We at Walker are immensely proud to have been Cassie’s publishers from the very beginning, when City of Bones launched the Shadowhunters into the world. Since then Cassie has become one of the most beloved writers in YA fantasy all over the world, and with very good reason. Her world-building and character portrayal are absolutely second to none and her books never fail to mesmerise her fans. I am delighted that we will be returning to the world of Shadowhunters once again in THE WICKED POWERS, and know Cassie will bring the Chronicles to a conclusion with her trademark brilliance and consummate style.”

First Ink will publish IN FIRE FORETOLD, a pulse-pounding YA romantasy duology set to delight all fans of Cassie Clare. UK and Commonwealth rights were acquired by Samantha Smith, Publisher of First Ink and Macmillan Children’s Books’ Fiction, Non Fiction and Picture Book List, from Danny Baror and Heather Baror-Shapiro at Baror International.  The duology will be a super lead title for First Ink and will launch with a significant multi-channel communications campaign including national media, influencer and fan events [HBS1] and multimedia advertising.

IN FIRE FORETOLD sees the launch of a brand new world and set of entirely new characters for Clare. The story centres on a young woman who must learn to control her dangerous magical abilities in order to save her kingdom, all while finding herself torn between two brothers - the kingdom's princes - born to a cursed royal bloodline.

Cassandra Clare says about IN FIRE FORETOLD: “I’m so excited to be publishing IN FIRE FORETOLD with First Ink. This story contains so many things I love- it’s a portal fantasy that swings between worlds, where the gritty LA streets exist alongside a dangerous magical world filled with deadly monsters - and a uniquely tough heroine who’s ready to do battle on all sides. Not to mention some gorgeous princes with shady pasts. I know how much Pan Macmillan loves fantasy and how well they publish it so I’m thrilled for this partnership."

Samantha Smith, Publisher at First Ink, says: “Cassandra Clare is a phenomenon author who has delighted and surprised her millions of readers across the world for decades now. As a huge fan of both her YA Mortal Instruments series and latest adult fantasy Sword Catcher, I cannot wait for her to turn her formidable pen to a new, heart-stopping series in In the Fire Foretold and could not be more excited to welcome her onto the First Ink list”

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, Managing Director at Macmillan Children’s Books, says: “ Welcoming Cassandra Clare to First Ink with a brand new fantasy world is very exciting - both for us and her fans.  Her storytelling is second to none and her new duology on our list is the perfect partner series to her brilliant publishing that sits on our Tor list at Pan Macmillan.”

About Walker Books

Home to books for all ages, Walker Books publishes many award-winning authors, illustrators, and literary franchisesincluding Anthony Horowitz, Angie Thomas, Cassandra Clare, Lucy Cousins, Anthony Browne, Patrick Ness, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, and Where’s Wally? by Martin Handford. Walker Books is part of the vibrant international Walker Books Group that includes Walker Books Australia; Candlewick Press and Walker Books US in America and Walker Productions.

About Pan Macmillan

At Pan Macmillan we publish a broad and vibrant range of books for audiences of all ages, from dazzling bestsellers to influential prize-winners; books to inspire lifelong readers and listeners to enduring classics for generations to come. The fourth largest UK publisher, we pride ourselves on publishing successfully and sustainably and are committed to working together to positively impact culture and society at large.

#press releases #they're just written like that #shadowhunters #the wicked powers #the ragpicker king #cassandra clare #the last king of faerie #twp

[sourmiguel]

Until I Stayed Away Too Long by melofttroll (wc14847, explicit)

Summary: NY Times bestseller Derek Hale hates a lot of things about being a modern author. Like being recognized, like needing a social media presence, like not being able to buy his own boxed spaghetti noodles without being asked for a selfie. Facing writer's block, he escapes to his old hometown of Beacon Hills, at his sister's insistence, for some reprieve and hopefully motivation. It's there his attention is captured by a gangly, socially awkward teacher, and the tiny little toddler at his side who know him only as that one basketball player who fled town at fifteen after his girlfriend burnt his house down.

Okay I'm a sucker for single dad!Stiles, and also teacher!Stiles. I also love Derek as a writer. This is such a great read, you should go read it right now.

#fic rec #sterek #sterek au

[azrielgreen]

Hi, I hope you don't mind my asking you this but why don't you like people reviewing your work on Goodreads? a lot of other authors are proud to have their work reviewed there and it makes fics more accessible so I don't really know why you'd ask people not to? Please don't think this is a criticism at all. I'm genuinely curious and absolutely love all your work!!!

Hi, that's absolutely fine. I'm always happy to talk about it and I know it can be a little divisive because people like to bookmark/review what they're reading and that mostly does come from a place of good intentions.

Firstly, I would never want my fics to be accessible or mainstream. It was always surprising to me that YD was read by so many. I write for myself for fun, and the only people I want to read it are the people who actually want to read it, who went looking for it using tags or read the blurb and thought, 'yes, definitely for me!' - usually a small audience, which makes me very happy!

It's no secret that I absolute despise rating systems for fanfiction and what that leads to - the mainstreaming of fanfiction in general. Fanfiction is written by people who just want to share their work, not to compete with others and get on the NY Times Bestseller list.

There is NO NEED WHATSOEVER in my opinion to rate fanfiction based on personal preference/enjoyment/critique. Goodreads is first and foremost a rating system for reviewing books. I actually disagree with rating art in any way whatsoever, including published works, movies, music etc... I believe that a rating system should, at best, be used to provide feedback about the functionality of a service/object. Art is subjective, it's there to elicit emotions and feelings and IMO should not be rated in such a way. One person's 1/5 review is useless to someone else because everyone is different and exploration is discouraged when the rating is low, but I'm getting wildly off track here.

Fanfiction is not intended, IMO, for wide mainstream consumption. The casual normalisation of rating fanfics on GR & TikTok has become a plague of misery for many writers and a lazy haven for mean-spirited book critic wannabes. To be very clear, I'm talking about RATING them. Giving them a score out of 10 or 5. Picking them apart in a negative & critical way, often on the immediate basis of them not being "canon compliant". Only today, I saw a TikTok of someone slamming a fic for being "different than the book".

To me, fanfiction is so special and beautiful and rare. I'd be lost without it and I read it daily. There are stories that have legitimately saved me. Fanfiction can be anything, written by anyone at any level. No one is obligated to read it, therefore any criticism, you keep to yourself. Rating it on Goodreads alongside published works is, in my humble opinion, fucking gross unless the author has specifically added it themselves.

This includes rating the fic in bookmarks, which is rampant. High rating or not, it's not a nice feeling and a little fandom etiquette goes a long way.

💜💜💜

[syntax6]

Some Truest Truths about Publishing

Being a published author is a lifelong dream of mine, and many aspects of it are indeed awesome. I love telling stories and sharing them with the world. Seeing my books in a bookstore or a library will always be thrilling! Meeting new readers from all over the globe is huge fun. But there have been a bunch of “being a published author is bad for your mental health” threads lately, and I think part of why this is true is that people don’t understand how the industry works before they get into it. So, here are some things about how publishing functions that I did not know before I became part of the machine:

1. You can know your book’s likely trajectory at the time you sign the contract. The publisher decides how well your book will sell. Large publishers sell more books than mid-sized publishers, which sell more books than small- or micro-publishers. A large publisher doing minimal publicity for your book will probably still sell more copies of it than a small publisher, simply because they already have the machinery in place. But, if your large publisher does not offer you a large advance at the time of signing, they are not going to do much more than their basic-level publicity for your book. They are going to focus their efforts on books they paid a lot of money to acquire because they want to get that money back. So, if your large publisher is not offering you at least a quarter of a million dollars to acquire your book, they aren’t going to be gunning to make it a NY Times Bestseller.

2. Books are a hit-driven industry. Most books lose money so everyone is counting on the few bestsellers to finance the whole industry. This is why big names like Stephen King or Danielle Steele suck up huge amounts of the publicity budget. Publishers need their books to sell sell sell, which means reaching fans who only buy Stephen King and Danielle Steele books. These fans aren’t paying a lot of attention, so publishers need to get that “GO BUY NOW” bat signal into the sky to wake up these fans. They pull out all the advertising stops. This is why big-name authors eat up so much of the publicity budget despite being household names. Publishers need to reach those fans for each new book to ensure the book makes the $$$$ that the publishers are counting on.

3. Everyone who is in the industry is riding the same train. So when the large publishers decide which books to push (because they have paid a lot to acquire them and/or the author is already a household name), booksellers and librarians have to get on board too. Yes, librarians and independent booksellers can also promote smaller titles that they really love, and that’s GREAT, but they mostly have to march to the tune set by the large publishers. Bookstores are usually operating at razor-thin margins. They need to sell the books that people want to read. Which books do people want to read? The ones they have heard of! How did they hear about them? The big publishers spent the $ to advertise! See how it’s all connected? Libraries, too. They need to stock the titles that will rotate well; books people want to check out and read. Which ones will they stock? The ones that the large publishers are pushing, because these are the titles that people will ask for.

4. Almost nothing good happens to your book without your publisher paying for it. Often, even things that look like awards or editorial decisions involve money changing hands.

5. Because of points 1-4, the author can do very little to influence the sale of their book. Giants like Amazon or Barnes and Noble already know which books are going to be the lead titles because the publishers told them so. Outlets like the NYT know too. Libraries, indie bookstores...they all know the signs of big publisher investment. For example, if the publisher says they are going to print 250,000 copies of your book, then everyone knows the title is going to be pushed HARD. If they say they are publishing 10,000 copies, then the author has no hope of competing with the lead title. So, the author can’t, on their own, do anything to change the fate of their book. However, the author is held accountable when their book doesn’t sell, despite the fact that everyone in the industry does understand that publishers sell books, not authors.

6. Because of points 1-4, how well a book is written or how talented the author is has not much to do with how many copies the book sells. Often bestsellers are really great and the authors are extremely hardworking...but not always. And there are zillions of hugely talented, diligent authors whose books don’t sell well at all because a large publisher has never shone that kind of spotlight on them. To exist in an industry where talent and hard work don’t influence the results is maddening, and a big part of why authors go a little insane.

#being published is still mostly awesome #but also emotionally exhausting #little newbie me once went around to bookstores thanking them for an award they gave me #the booksellers acted like I was crazy #I couldn't understand why they were so rude if they supposedly liked my book #turns out my publisher paid for it #the gaslighting is real #all you can do is write the best book you can

[emmalostinwonderland]

Judged By The Cover - A Stucky AU

Bucky frowns deeply, clicking open the NYT best sellers list.

#2.

He’s number two. 

His new book, which he poured heart and soul, blood, sweat, and so many tears into, is number two. On the NYT best seller’s list.

He rolls over and closes his eyes, hoping it was all just a bad dream and that he’ll wake up soon…

Because the name on top of the New York Times Best Sellers List in the romance genre seemed to be none other than Steven G Rogers.

// Bucky Barnes, award-winning romance novelist, is dismayed to learn that his publisher is sending him on a book tour with Steve Rogers, a fantasy author who recently topped the NY Times Bestseller list for his first and only romance novel and Bucky’s personal authorial adversary. As they’re sent off to spend several months touring 50 US cities together, they’ll attempt to overcome their differences and leave the past behind them… maybe they’ll even find love.

Co-authored by me and @louikazooie Rated E (sexual content in later chapters) Final Word Count: 30k+ Click here for chapter 1 on Ao3

#stucky #stevebucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #captain america #mcu fanfiction #fanfiction #mcu fanart #fanart #ao3

[luhafraser]

OK. Patterns!

So KE ... who appears to live in "A Quiet Place" ...

... followed the profile of a tennis player, who posted a stories with her on a flight (to Glasgow?!?). Of course, the monitors on Sam's list of women "found" this IG story. And this is the big issue of the moment on the Anti side (KE supposedly in Glasgow).

Coincidence or not? What a moment to sell a "relationship"... Promo time! 🎉🎉🎉 3x NY Times Bestselling Author/Waypoints Book and Love Again movie...

Which brings attention to the most talked about subject in the book... Sam's problem with trust and maintaining his relationships, allegedly related to his father's abandonment.

"Is he now in a more serious relationship? Is he really with her?" Some questions that are already emerging... ("Some people" swore that he was already engaged or married, a while ago 🤣🤣🤣) This moves the Anti side and consequently all sides. I'm here talking about it, no?!

Sorry but I think a lot there, in the book, about him not being able to take his relationships forward was a bit of an exaggeration, but a better excuse for "I spend 10 months working in Scotland "...

What I think? Well, he had no problem giving a stranger a bear hug who was auditioning with him. As he also had no problem going for a walk in Hyde Park with this stranger and exchanging vows to protect each other. It doesn't strike me as the behavior of someone with trust and relationship issues.

But about KE... Maybe she will show up in Glasgow, maybe not... Maybe, and I think this matches the pattern in promo time, a fan will luckily find Sam somewhere in Glasgow or a restaurant attendant will post a photo, and in the comments he/she will say that Sam was with his girlfriend there. But who knows... 🤷🏻‍♀️

And just because I don't want to miss the joke... (the anons I received inbox, I won't exactly answer your questions)... Maybe Sam is upset that his ex-girlfriends are getting married (even the girl who just wanted to have fun and not having anything serious... Right, fandom?! 😜🤣).

I LOVE THIS SHIT SHOW 🥰🤣

#sam heughan #outlander #caitriona balfe #fake life #waypoints #sam and caitriona #coincidences #shit show

[iwilltrytobereasonable]

An award he was given for science education from the Starmus Festival, much to the delight of that guy behind him. (Brian May)

And from the Starmus website:

“Buzz is the author of 9 books, most recently his children’s book, Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet and his newest NY Times and Washington Post Bestseller, “No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons from a Man Who Walked on the Moon”. Both published by National Geographic.

In October of 2014 he revamped his ShareSpace Foundation to be focused on STEAM Education - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math to ignite the spark and fuel excitement for space in kids –Specifically for K-8. In August of 2015 he launched the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute at Florida Tech to promote and develop his vision of a permanent human settlement on the planet Mars.”

@nsomniacsdream

[elennemigo]

14th

✦ Benedict reading American author Andrew Forrester's highly important open letter to People Who Don’t Make Every Conceivable Effort to Ensure that the Bathroom Door is Locked.

16th

✦ Benedict visited an Argentinian stakehouse while being in Budapest filming "Eric".

17th

✦ At the opera house in Budapest, Benedict watched Don Quixote and then went behind the scenes to congratulate the cast.

(My post - Videos 1 2)

✦ Benedict Cumberbatch (FINALLY!!) to Star in TV Adaptation of Matt Haig Bestseller ‘How to Stop Time’

24th

✦ Event announcement: Benedict & Nick Hackworth Live in Conversation. JW3London | 27 June.

27th

✦ See what Benedict, Ian McKellen, Fiona Shaw and Nathan Lane thought praising Dickie Beau´s Re-member me.

✦ Benedict and Sophie visited restaurante Babel Budapest, in Hungary.

29th

✦ "Eric" wrapped production in Budapest. Lucy Forbes, director of the series shared on her Instagram that now they´re moving to NY!

                     ⊱ ────── { FIN } ────── ⊰

#benedict cumberbatch #benedict monthly #april 2023 #letters live 2022 #hungarian state opera #how to stop time #re member me #dickie beau #nick hackworth #netflix eric #budapest #my post #news #hey! we got to see him this month!! #this is up to a good year...

[raggedyanndy]

Field Of Vision and BFI Doc Society present a Glimmer Films Production: YOUR FAT FRIEND - A film by Jeanie Finlay 2023

Your Fat Friend charts Aubrey Gordon's journey from anonymous blogger Yrfatfriend to NY Times bestselling author and podcast host (@maintenancephase ) and the complexities of making change. It’s a film about fatness, family and the deep, messy feelings all of us hold about our bodies.

content warning for fatphobia, diet talk, body negativity

#your fat friend #fat #fat activism #documentary #Youtube

[scottprattfiction]

#New York Times bestseller #Bestselling Fiction Book Series #best selling book series #NY Times best sellers in 2021 #wall street journal bestselling author

[rphelperblog]

Laini Taylor Quote RP Meme

ny times bestselling author most famous for the books daughter of smoke and bone and strange the dreamer- feel free to edit quotes or change pronouns for rp purposes

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.It did not end well.”

“Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?”

“If you're afraid of your own dreams, you're welcome here in mine.”

“She moved like a poem and smiled like a sphinx.”

Inessential penises? Is there any such thing as an essential one?'

“Love is a luxury."

“Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.”

“Be sorry, then. Just be sorry somewhere else.”

“It’s the mind. It’s the most complex and astonishing thing there is, that there’s a world inside each of us that no one else can ever know or see or visit.”

“Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is accord. Harmony.”

“You’re a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable. Something beautiful and full of monsters."

“It was interesting the way a small hate could grow inside a big hate and take it over.”

“I turned my nightmares into fireflies and caught them in a jar.”

“How much does your life have to suck to want the Apocalypse?”

“A dream dirty and bruised is better than no dream at all.”

“It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming.”

“I think you’re a fairy tale. I think you’re magical, and brave, and exquisite. And I hope you'll let me be in your story.”

“I am one of billions. I am stardust gathered fleetingly into form. I will be ungathered. The stardust will go on to be other things someday and I will be free.”

“With the infinite patience of one who has learned to live broken, he awaited her return.”

"Good people do all the things bad people do. It's just that when they do them, they call it justice.”

“Hey! My body may be small, but my soul is large. It’s why I wear platforms. So I can reach the top of my soul.”

“It is a condition of monsters that they do not perceive themselves as such. The dragon, you know, hunkered in the village devouring maidens, heard the townsfolk cry 'Monster!' and looked behind him.”

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”

“Once upon a time, an angel lay dying in the mist. And a devil knelt over him and smiled.”

“He read while he walked. He read while he ate. The other librarians suspected he somehow read while he slept, or perhaps didn't sleep at all.”

“The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around”

“Stop squandering yourself, child. Wait for love.”

“People with secrets shouldn’t make enemies.People with destinies shouldn’t make plans.”

“Your heart is not wrong. Your heart is your strength. You don't have to be ashamed.”

“Once upon a time there was a silence that dreamed of becoming a song, and then I found you, and now everything is music.”

“Dead souls dream only of death. Small dreams for small men. It is life that expands to fill worlds. Life is your master, or death is”

“Without his books, his room felt like a body with its hearts cut out.”

“It was brave, It was rare. It was love, and it was beautiful.”

“Wasn't that what religions did? Squint at one another and declare, 'My unprovable belief is better than your unprovable belief. Suck it.”

“And that's how you go on. You lay laughter over the dark parts. The more dark parts, the more you have to laugh. With defiance, with abandon, with hysteria, any way you can.”

“I know it's not easy for you, living this life, but try to remember, always try to remember, you're not the only one with troubles.”

“You are a conniving, deceitful hussy. I stand in awe."

“Like mold on books, grow myths on history.”

“Mercy, she had discovered, made mad alchemy: a drop of it could dilute a lake of hate.”

“Was there any fate more bitter than to get what you long for most, when it's too late?”

“I will give them nightmares to haunt their dreams long after I'm gone.”

“You were true to her, even if she was not to you. Never repent of your own goodness, child. To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of great strength.”

“I'm afraid they're in love,"

"No way. There will be tasks. Like in a fairy tale."

“Stars got tangled in her hair whenever she played in the sky.”

“Yearning for love made her feel like a cat that was always twining around ankles, meowing Pet me, pet me, look at me, love me.”

“Life won't just happen to you boy, he said. You have to happen to it.”

“Soldiers and children do as they're told. Children grow out of it, but soldiers just die.”

“Never repent of your own goodness, child. To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of strength.”

Your dream is my dream, and your name is true. You are all of our hope.”

“He believed in magic, like a child, and in ghosts, like a peasant.”

“Cake for later, cake as a way of life.”

“We haven't been introduced. Not really.”

“Wishes don’t just come true. They’re only the target you paint around what you want. You still have to hit the bull’s-eye yourself.”

“...something was starting to take shape, out of magic and will. Smoke and bone.”

“How could you tell if your instincts were just hope in disguise, and if your hope was really desperation parading as possibility?”

“Hot, perpetually pissed-off angel seeks living pincushion for scowl practice and general stabbiness. No kissing.”

“There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from the other. We live poised on that second as it's hurtling forward—toward what?”

“Better to be the cat gazing coolly down from a high wall, its expression inscrutable. The cat that shunned petting, that needed no one. Why couldn't she be that cat?”

“Life doesn't need magic to be magical.”

“There are other ways of showing someone you love them, such as fetching them out of Hell.”

“Anyone who would wear all white like that clearly had issues. Just looking at him made her wish she had a paintball gun, but hell, you couldn’t pack for every eventuality.”

“Be a Samurai. Because you just never know what's behind the freaking sky.”

“I love vengeance like normal people love sunsets and long walks on the beach. I eat vengeance with a spoon like it’s honey. In fact, I may not even be a real person, but just a vow of vengeance made flesh.”

“She tastes like nectar and salt. Nectar and salt and apples. Pollen and stars and hinges. She tastes like fairy tales. Swan maiden at midnight. Cream on the tip of a fox’s tongue. She tastes like hope.”

“He actually listened, rather than pretending to listen while waiting a suitable interval before it was his time to talk again...”

“By contrast, the grime of her journey, the outre inappropriateness of the state of her, it felt like armor.I earned this dirt.Respect. The dirt.”

“Scientist and smart fellow learner-of-stuff, want to do samurai-monster training with us? We intend to become dangerous.”

#open to all #open to anyone #open rp #ask meme #rp meme #open meme #open to anybody #roleplay meme #ask prompt #memes #laini taylor #strange the dreamer #book quote meme #booktube #ya books #book quotes #book #open starter

[holdmeclosertinytaron]

RHW: Chapter Seven

Story Page / Playlist / Wattpad / AO3

A/N: The chapter where things...take a turn, let's say. I genuinely think that this is my favourite chapter so far. It's so sweet and just ugh! @brayndilyn

Word Count: 11.2k (the longest one yet!!)

Warnings: Explicit language, mentions of childhood trauma, smut...

March 6th, 2022

The steam that filled Liliana’s bathroom allowed her to breathe for what felt like the first time since she’d left Taron’s hotel room in New York. After an almost eight hour plane ride where she hadn’t been able to sleep, a hot shower had been first on her to-do list when she finally fell through her door. A shower in her own bathroom. Something she hadn’t realised she would miss as much as she did. 

As soon as the first drops of hot water hit her skin, she sighed happily and let her head fall forward so that the water could trickle onto the back of her neck and down the length of her back. Goosebumps raced to the surface of her skin and she shivered involuntarily. Being away from home for almost a month had stressed her out more than she thought it would have, but that stress washed away instantly in the shower. 

Every few days on tour she had been in yet another unknown bed, having nobody to talk to once Evelyn and Jacob left her room to go to bed themselves or do some work that they’d put off during the day. When she’d been in Boston, she’d been able to text Taron but after everything that happened in New York, her texts went unanswered, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the incessant nagging feeling of wanting to be home. 

In the two weeks between leaving Taron’s hotel room and getting home and him being at the airport waiting for her, she could count on one hand the number of messages he’d replied to. Things had ended so badly in New York and it was all she could think of on the flight home. She thought about going to his flat to see him and talk to him. But she didn’t need to. 

When she saw him, she had to rub her eyes to make sure that she wasn’t seeing things. He was the last person she had expected to see when she got to the arrivals lounge at Heathrow. He’d made a sign reading ‘NY Bestselling Author Liliana Esme’ and held it in front of him with a grin just as cheesy as the sign. She ran into his arms and held him tight. 

He held her back just as tightly after he dropped the sign to the floor. When they finally pulled apart, Taron grabbed the handle of her suitcase while she bent down to get the sign. He looked at her curiously to which she’d told him that she wanted to keep it. 

Taron hadn’t mentioned anything about New York during their journey to her flat, or when they got back and she’d told him to make himself comfortable while she had a shower. Taron’s hoodie sat unfolded at the end of her bed from where she’d peeled it off before her shower. She’d lost count of how many times she’d worn it since that night in New York. 

Neither of them had uttered a word about that night and as much as Liliana wanted to ignore everything that had happened and just continue as they were before, she knew that it would be near impossible. They were so close to sharing their first kiss and then she’d just…walked out on him and then hadn’t spoken to him since. Not for lack of trying. 

The shower had been so hot that as she stepped out, the room was filled with a humid mist. She cleared the bathroom mirror with the corner of her towel and took a minute to really look at herself. Her skin was dull and her under eyes were such a deep purple that it looked like she’d been in a boxing ring with Mike Tyson. She tugged and pulled at her face, inspecting it close up. She let out a frustrated sigh and let her hands drop to her sides. It would take some serious skin care to make her feel better. 

The moisturiser she used everyday was still at the bottom of her suitcase and she didn’t want to mess around trying to find it so she grabbed the expensive one that she kept for special occasions from the drawers next to the sink. She massaged it into her face and let her eyes fall closed. With the steam in the room, the feeling of exceptionally clean skin, and the smell of her moisturiser, she could close her eyes and pretend that she was at a spa being treated to the good stuff. 

Even just a tiny bit of moisturiser was enough for her to feel a little better but the tips of her fingers were tingling from the dryness of her skin. She made a mental note to give herself a full at home facial the following day. Maybe she would ask Evelyn to join and they could make a girls’ night out of it. 

Her hair dripped water onto the tiled floor as she padded through to the bedroom to get changed. The sun had started to set over the London horizon– not that she could see it fully from her flat– and a beautiful golden stream of light flooded the floor, warming her feet as she scrunched her toes into the carpet, one of her favourite feelings. 

‘Taron,’ she called through the flat from the bottom of the stairs that led to the other rooms, ‘I’m just going to get changed so please don’t leave whatever room you’re in for a couple of minutes.’ 

‘Okay,’ he responded from the kitchen. She could hear the soft chuckle that laced his words and the corners of her lips twitched into a soft smile. ‘Where the fuck do you keep your mugs, by the way? This kitchen might be tiny but it’s like a maze!’ 

‘Cupboard behind the door,’ she laughed, holding the towel a little tighter around herself. ‘Why?’ 

‘Because unless you want a cuppa tea in a pan big enough to share with the entire population of London, I need to find a mug for you.’ 

‘Tea?’ She asked happily, her eyes glazing over at the thought of a proper cuppa. ‘A pan of tea sounds heavenly right now. Do you know how much I paid for a pack of twenty tea bags in New York? Eight freaking dollars! Nearly seven quid for tea bags!’ 

‘Daylight robbery if you ask me,’ Taron joked happily. Liliana smiled, happy that they were able to ignore what had happened for a little while and just be again. ‘Right, I know you’re a weirdo who has a specific mug that you like for tea and I can guarantee that it isn’t this aztec one at the front of the cupboard, so which mug do you want?’ 

Liliana’s heart soared at Taron and she took a deep breath to stop herself from doing anything rash. ‘I’ll have that one.’ 

‘Lil, which mug do you want? I know you enough to know that this is the one you absolutely do not want to use.’ 

‘You’re going to think I’m weird though.’ 

‘Too late for that,’ he laughed. ‘Which mug?’ 

Okay so put your hand on the purple heart mug, then move it back two and to the right once. You should land on a black mug that has a little patch of weird looking sunflowers on it. It’s my colour changing one. The mug behind that one should be a blue Cath Kidston one with clocks all over it. I’ll have that one please.’ 

She could picture Taron shaking his head as he blindly followed her instructions, and she winced when she heard a few of her mugs move and clash against one another in the cupboard. It took a lot for her to not run into the kitchen and do it herself, but she knew that she could trust Taron to get one. And he was being nice enough to make her a cuppa. The worst case was that she had to reorganise the cupboard when he was gone. 

‘You truly are the weirdest person I know,’ he sighed. ‘Who remembers exactly where each mug is in their cupboard? To the point that even after being away for a few weeks, they still know? Oh I know, that would be Liliana Esme.’ 

‘I like specific mugs and if people use my favourite ones I get really antsy and can’t deal with it.’ Her toes curled at the thought of someone using her best mugs. She shook her body to rid herself of the uncomfortable feeling. ‘But shut up and let me get dressed, please.’ 

‘One last question. What mug can I use?’ 

‘Whichever one you want to.’ 

‘But you just said-’ 

‘Use whichever you want. I need to get dressed.’ 

The sound of the kettle boiling motivated Liliana to get dressed a little quicker. A proper brew was all she needed to feel better. A hot mug filled with steamy tea sweetened with two small spoonfuls of sugar. She could taste it already. 

‘Lil, you have no milk!’ 

‘Oh for fuck’s sake. It’s fine, I’ll have it black please. But I’ll have an extra sugar.’ 

‘It’s fine, I’ll run to the shop quickly. What milk do you have?’ 

‘Taron, it’s fine,’ she called as she pulled her cycling shorts up her legs, jumping on the spot to get them to where she wanted them to sit on her waist. ‘I’ll have a black tea tonight and then I’ll go to the shop tomorrow morning. It’s all good, I promise.’ 

She quickly threw on an oversized t-shirt and slid her feet into the slippers at the top of the stairs. Taron fumbled around the kitchen, not sure where anything he needed was. Even though he’d been to the flat a number of times since Christmas, he hadn’t been the one to make drinks. 

‘I can nip to the shop. It’s two seconds down the road and you’ve been away and need a proper brew.’ 

‘Taron,’ Liliana whispered as she got to the kitchen. He hadn’t been looking at the doorway as he spoke so he’d missed the way she smiled fondly at him, and the way that she’d taken a long, deep breath. ‘About New York.’ 

It was a drastic change of subject but Liliana knew that if she didn’t talk to him about it then, she wouldn’t have talked about it at all. And they’d both avoided the conversation for way too long. 

‘It’s alright,’ he said quickly, turning around so that he could look at her. He let out a breathy laugh when he saw her hair in the towel at the top of her head but turned serious instantly when he saw how serious she was. ‘You were vulnerable, and I overstepped the mark completely. We don’t have to have this conversation right now. Or ever. I shouldn’t have done what I did. It was stupid and-’ 

‘You didn’t do anything wrong,’ Liliana whispered. She bit her top lip into her mouth and let it go slowly before she continued. ‘You were so sweet and caring and I just…shut you down. It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve never been good at the whole feelings thing. Even when I was younger.’ 

‘I did do something wrong,’ he insisted, stepping closer to her, wanting to be as close as he could without making her feel uncomfortable. ‘You had just told me everything I wanted to know, you let me understand you fully and then I went to try and kiss you? That’s not a good thing, Liliana. I would have been taking advantage of you. You told me in New York that you always felt safe at my house growing up?’ 

‘I did,’ she responded, resting her body against the doorframe. She pulled the towel away from her hair and threw it at the washing machine in the corner of the room. A few stray drops of water fell onto her back as she brushed through her hair with her fingers so that it looked a little less dishevelled. ‘I still do. At Christmas when I walked into your mum’s house, something happened and I don’t know how to even begin explaining it. I haven’t felt that safe for so long. And then you walked in with the girls and I just…’ 

Liliana trailed off and ran her hands down the length of her face with a sigh. She didn’t know how to articulate the feelings that ran rampant through her. There wasn’t one specific emotion that she felt, it was more like a hurricane of different ones blowing around her head at such a speed it made her dizzy. 

‘Pictured a life where you had a family coming home to you and you got scared because you worry that any relationship you ever have is going to end like your mum and dad’s did?’ Taron finished for her. 

Liliana nodded solemnly with a small hum.‘I can’t put kids through the shit I went through. It wouldn’t be fair to them. For them to get to my age and still have nightmares about the things that they heard. To be so scared to fall in love because the worry of things ending badly outweighs every positive that could possibly happen. Even when the guy they love is the most amazing person they’ve ever met, who knows how weird they are and that they like to use a specific mug for their tea; who will laugh at them singing in the street rather than telling them to shut up; who will surprise them in New York just so they could spend time together. How did you know? That I felt like that?’ 

‘Because walking into the house that day felt more like walking into a home than it has since I was a teenager. Since you were there,’ Taron said softly, reaching forward to grab Liliana’s hands. She let his fingers graze hers before she pulled back slowly. Taron didn’t flinch. He let her pull away despite wanting to wrap her in a bone crushing hug. ‘When you told me that you were leaving and going to Edinburgh for uni, I felt physically sick for days. I thought that I was going to lose you. I guess in the end, I did. But I’ve been here this entire time. Right here, waiting. And I don’t want to wait for you anymore.

‘I don’t want to think about all the what ifs that have been running around in my head for all these years. What if I’d told you how I really felt? What if I ran away to Edinburgh with you? What if I’d tried harder? I want to try now. I want to be everything you’ve ever wanted, and all you’ll ever need. I know that you’re scared, and you have every right to be scared with everything that you’ve gone through, but I love you. 

‘I am in love with you, Liliana Esme. Whole, painful, true love. It’s like I have fireworks going off in my body continuously when you’re around, my love for you burns so intensely that I can feel it in my fingertips. I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you. Lil, you must know that after everything you’ve ever told me, I will always be in your corner. As your friend or as your partner. I want this. I want you. I already know that if you feel the same way that it’ll be hard for you to fully let yourself feel and be happy, but I am so in love with you that I’ll go at whatever pace you feel comfortable with. Even if it takes years, I’ll be here.’

Liliana could do nothing but stare at him. Out of all the possible scenarios that she’d imagined when she thought about the conversation they would have about New York, standing in her kitchen doorway with wet hair dripping down her back, Taron leaning against the worktop with two mugs behind him, his hands at either side of his body holding him up and his eyes growing red with tears wasn’t one of them. 

‘Okay maybe I hadn’t overstepped in New York. But I definitely have now.’ Taron pushed himself forward and towards the door. ‘I’ll just g-’ 

‘I haven’t slept in days,’ Liliana confessed, blocking him in the kitchen so that he couldn’t leave. ‘Because all I can think about is you.’ 

Taron stepped back into the kitchen and sniffed quietly as he looked at Liliana. He didn’t say anything else. Partly because he knew that she hadn’t finished talking, but partly because he didn’t know what to say. He’d poured the most vulnerable part of himself out to her and now the ball was in her court. 

‘When I left your room in New York, I cried myself to sleep hugging your hoodie. I thought I’d ruined everything. It was like I’d just gotten you back and my life was starting to feel like mine again, and then I left you and I just thought that I’d lost you again. I didn’t know how I was going to survive losing you a second time when I was barely hanging on the first time.’ 

‘Lil,’ Taron started, but Liliana cut him off with a soft shake of her head. 

‘They talk about falling in love like it’s this big, sudden feeling that you only know when you know. Love is described as this thing that you fall into, like a door opens and you realise that you’re somewhere new, and that you love the person in front of you. You go from feeling a kind of adoration for them to being in love with them. But nobody talks about falling in love slowly, over time, to the point where you don’t even realise that you’ve fallen in love until you’re watching them read your little sister a story before bed on Christmas Eve.’ 

They both stood in silence for a few seconds, Taron looking at Liliana and Liliana looking at the floor. Her eyes were damp and she couldn’t contain the tears that were starting to fall down her cheeks, no matter how hard she tried. When she finally looked back to Taron, his expression mirrored hers, tears falling and a grin plastered on his face. 

‘I am in love with you, Taron. That feel-so-much-you-get-scared kind of love. The kind of love that terrifies you because you’ve never felt that way before. The kind of love that makes you my every thought, and the only person I ever want to think about. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’d lay in bed trying to sleep and wondered what would have happened if I had told you sooner. Before I left for Edinburgh. Because I have loved you for longer than that. I’ve loved you since that day we got caught in a rainstorm at the top of the hill.’ 

Taron reached forward for her once more and she didn’t pull away. She let herself fall into him, and he caught her. He caught her and held her so tightly that she knew that she was safe. That she would always be safe as long as he was around. 

‘Fall,’ he said firmly. ‘And I’ll catch you. I’ll always catch you.’ 

It took milliseconds for tears to fall down Liliana’s cheeks, but Taron wiped them away with his thumb the second he saw them. He let his eyes close as he held her close to his front again where he rocked her gently and kissed the top of her head so softly she could have mistaken it for a light breeze brushing around her. 

‘I won’t let you go like I did before. I won’t let you leave thinking that you weren’t loved. Because as long as I’m around, you’re always going to be loved.’ 

‘Taron.’ She pulled out of his embrace just enough to look at him fully, a small smile tugging at her lips when she found him already looking at her. ‘I love you.’ 

Taron caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, letting the heat from her skin erupt volcanoes in his stomach. He could smell her shampoo and her shower gel and it was all too much and not enough of her. For so long he’d wondered what it would feel like to have her in his arms, to know that they both felt the same. 

Liliana looked up at him gently as she fisted his t-shirt to keep him as close to her as she could. It had taken her too long to open up to him about how she felt towards him to let him go now. He was already watching her when her eyes met his again. She took a deep breath and her chest pushed against his more. 

A noise halfway between a gasp and a moan escaped her and her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. Taron laughed softly and hooked his fingers under her chin to pull her face up to him. Her breath jittered a tiny bit at the way he looked at her, his eyes a shade brighter than she’d ever known with the most beautiful twinkle. Liliana would never look at a star the same way again. Not after she’d seen them in Taron’s eyes. 

His eyes flicked from hers down to her lips before shifting back up to her eyes again. He wet his lips as Liliana sighed softly at him. 

‘Lil,’ he whispered as he caressed her cheek once more, tiny fires igniting under her skin with each pass of his fingers, ‘I’ve wanted to kiss you every day since we were eighteen years old on top of that god forsaken hill getting caught in the rain.’ 

Taron’s confession had both of their hearts beating faster. Liliana bit her bottom lip into her mouth as she stared at him. She couldn’t look away. He was intoxicating, her favourite bottle of wine that she simply couldn’t have one sip of. She had to have it all. She wanted to have all of him, whatever the consequences. 

‘I’ve wanted to kiss you forever, Lil. I wanted to kiss you on your happiest days. I wanted to kiss you on your hardest days. I wanted to kiss you even when we weren’t together all those years. You are… God you are perfect, and I really, really, really want to kiss you.’ 

‘Then kiss me.’

Taron let his free hand find purchase at her waist as he watched her intently. He watched the way her tongue wet her lips softly…slowly, taunting him in the best way; the way she blinked up at him innocently, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks; the way that her chest rose closer to his with each breath.

Her hands found their way to his waist where she held him tightly against her, unwilling to let him go now that she had him. 

Time stopped as his breath fanned over her lips and goosebumps rose across her legs. Her breathing was shaky as she took a peek at him. Words failed them both, but their looks spoke volumes. Taron’s eyes told her that she was safe and that he wouldn’t do anything she wasn’t comfortable with, while Liliana’s told Taron that she was all in. 

They looked at each other through wet eyelashes, their cheeks stained from fallen tears, and their hearts were both full and heavy from their own confessions. Liliana, for the first time in her life, didn’t want to run away from love. 

All the feelings she’d had when previous boyfriends had told her they loved her weren’t there. She didn’t want to pack a bag and leave in the middle of the night like she’d done before, sending nothing but a text in her wake. She wanted to run into it with open arms and embrace all things that come with being happily in love. 

Liliana had known Taron for as long as she could remember. He was the person who was with her when her parents split up and she lost the ability to believe in love. He was the person who dropped everything to be with her. He was who she wanted. 

Taron loved Liliana in a way that she knew if something was wrong or he fell out of love with her, he would tell her instead of sleeping with somebody else. She could trust him with every fibre in her being and it made falling for him that much easier. 

Liliana whimpered softly as Taron leaned down a little more. Their lips were so close that it would take one swift movement for them to be pressed together fully. Taron let his breath fan over Liliana’s top lips before he pressed against them so softly they could barely feel it. It was a tickle of a kiss, but a tickle that had a zap run the length of Liliana’s back.  

She leaned her head up the extra millimetre to allow her lips to press against Taron’s completely. In less than a second, her entire body relaxed and she sighed into him. Her eyes closed as she breathed him in. His lips were soft and she wondered why they’d never kissed before. It was magical, and all that other fairytale stuff that she’d stopped believing in years before. 

It was the right kiss. 

Taron pulled her into his body even more so that their chests were flush for a second. He pecked her lips three times before pulling away. Liliana’s eyes stayed closed for a little while, taking in the moment and committing it to memory to relive whenever she needed to. 

As her eyes blinked open and she looked at him, her lips pulled into a shy smile. Taron rubbed his nose against Liliana’s before pressing one last peck to her lips. He couldn’t get enough of her. The way she looked at him took his breath away, and he had to plant his feet firmly on the ground to stop himself from swaying. 

‘God, Lil,’ he breathed. ‘You are so…I’m so…Jesus, you’ve literally rendered me speechless.’ 

A blush rose to Liliana’s cheeks as she peered up at him, her lips pulling back to his. ‘Kiss me again,’ she just about managed to mumble. ‘Please.’ 

Taron cupped Liliana’s cheeks and planted his lips over hers completely. They slotted together perfectly, and as he traced her lower lips with his tongue, begging silently to give her more, she sighed into him happily and granted him the thing he wanted as though it was the only thing she wanted to do ever again. 

His tongue explored her mouth the same that hers did his, and Liliana let out a soft, almost inaudible moan when Taron nibbled on her lower lip slightly. Liliana’s hands grabbed whatever part of Taron she could just to try and remain upright. She gripped his waist, the hem of his t-shirt, his biceps, his cheeks, his neck, his hair, and everywhere else that she physically could. 

It was an impossible task for both of them to try and find just one place to keep their hands. They played Twister around one another’s body trying so desperately to find purchase for their hands. 

The kiss was passionate, sweet but messy as they almost knocked teeth a couple of times. They needed so badly to show one another how much they meant every word that had been shared between them that evening. 

Taron wanted to show Liliana that he was going to be there for her through everything, that he wanted her through better or for worse. Liliana wanted to show Taron that she trusted him wholly. That she wanted to surrender her heart to him because she truly believed that he would be the person to look after it, and her. 

They poured two decades worth of feelings into one kiss and they were lost in it. They wanted to stay there forever, in the moment that changed the entire trajectory of their lives. Where they’d both admitted their deepest secrets to one another and were met with nothing but requited love. 

Neither of them wanted to be the first to pull away from the kiss, even when they were struggling for breath. Taron, when he physically couldn’t breathe any longer, pulled away first, just enough that they could breathe easily but where they were still tangled together. He looked down at Liliana as her chest heaved while trying to catch her breath, and she mirrored the smile on his face. 

His hands, which had finally settled on the small of her back, rubbed Liliana’s skin softly as he looked at her, so in love that he couldn’t help but just stare at her. Liliana toyed with the material of his t-shirt, something she had come to realise calmed her and helped her to stay grounded and not float into the atmosphere. 

She looked at him with a gentle smile as she stepped onto her tiptoes to press one last peck to his lips. ‘I know you said that we could take this at my pace, and I appreciate you for that more than I will ever be able to put into words, but right now all I can think about is taking you to my bedroom and showing you just how much I love you.’ 

Liliana could see Taron’s breath hitch as he looked at her with wide eyes. He blinked at her rapidly as he licked his lips and took a deep, shaky breath. Liliana’s eyes never left his and she didn’t show an ounce of hesitation, something that Taron hadn’t quite been prepared for. 

‘Lil, I meant what I said. I’m happy to just take things slow so that you feel comfortable. I don’t want to push you into something that you might not be ready for. Please don’t be suggesting this for me, because as much as I would love to do that too, I am genuinely so prepared to wait as long as it takes, years, if that’s what you need. Forever and a day, as long as you are ready. I know how hard it is for you to open up and I don’t want you to go too far too fast and then regret it. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.’ 

‘Taron,’ she said as she cupped his cheek. She could feel the beginnings of stubble tickle her skin and she smiled to herself. ‘I want to. I want to show you how much I love you. How much I trust you. I want you to show me how much you love me. Please? If you have reservations then that’s totally fine but I’m ready if you are.’ 

Taron licked his lips with a small, knowing grin that inched into a smirk as he held Liliana’s waist tightly. ‘Take me to your bedroom, Lil.’ 

***

The second they got to Liliana’s bedroom, her nerves barrelled to the surface. Taron, able to read Liliana with just one look, could tell that she was nervous so kept his movements slow and light, giving Liliana the space to step away if she needed to. He could tell that Liliana was holding back from him.

‘Lil, we really don’t have to, you know.’ 

‘No, it’s not that I don’t want to. I really do. I’m just…scared? I guess. This is a big deal and I’m a little bit nervous, which seems so silly at my age but you’re you and you’re perfect and I’m-’ 

‘Perfect,’ Taron finished for her. He kissed her lips and she turned to putty in his arms. He chuckled at her and guided her hands to his t-shirt so that she could be the one to take it off, when she was ready. ‘One step at a time, yeah? We can stop whenever. It doesn’t bother me. Even if we’re in the throes.’ 

 Liliana burst into a fit of giggles and let the hem of his t-shirt go so that she could balance herself against him. ‘Never, and I mean never, say ‘in the throes’ again. I’m begging,’ she laughed loudly. Taron laughed with her while nuzzling his nose into the top of her head. ‘I love you.’ 

The words came so effortlessly that they made Liliana stop for a second. She looked at Taron, who was already smiling down at her. Liliana was calm. She felt safe and steady rather than full of butterflies like she was used to. 

‘I love you,’ she repeated, the corners of her lips twitching up into a smile, her eyes sparkling. Taron looked at her with the same glint in his eyes. ‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’ 

‘I love you too, Lil. So fucking much. You have no idea.’ 

‘I think I do.’ 

Liliana grabbed the hem of Taron’s t-shirt once again and tugged it up over his body, throwing it to the bedroom floor before she pressed her lips back to Taron’s. She wouldn’t ever forget how perfect he was, or how right it felt to kiss him again and again, as though she’d never gone a day without kissing him before. 

Every kiss she’d had before Taron felt obligatory and as though it was just what was expected of her. And at the time, it felt right, and she’d liked it. But kissing Taron, and knowing that kissing someone could feel like absolutely everything, she knew that no other kiss had ever meant anything before. 

Running her hands over his abdomen, Liliana took a sharp intake of breath. After so many years of only being able to look, it was nice to be able to feel him. His stomach was soft and squeezable in areas but there were harder areas where his abs were starting to protrude against his skin. Liliana traced each one with a featherlight touch and he squirmed away from her. 

‘You’re ticklish?’ She giggled into his mouth, running her finger over his abdomen again to get the same reaction from him. ‘Oh my god, you are ticklish! How did I not know this? Have you always been ticklish?’ 

‘It’s mean to do that,’ he pouted against her when she did it a third time. 

Liliana caught his lip in her mouth and moaned into him when he held her firmly by the bum to crash her body into his once more. Their hips pressed together and Liliana could make out the hardness of him through his jeans. 

‘Can I take your top off?’ Taron asked sceptically, pulling a kiss from her lips before holding back to look at her fully. ‘You know, seeing as though you were mean and tickled me.’ 

Liliana nodded with one last giggle that turned into a gasp when Taron’s fingers trailed across the waistband of her shorts. He smirked to himself as he held his palms flat against her skin to push the clothing up her body while also tracing her skin at the same time. 

Her skin was soft under his slightly calloused hands and Liliana’s eyes closed at the feel of him. When he reached her breasts he paused. After her shower, Liliana hadn’t bothered to put a bra on, and Taron could tell that her nipples were getting hard from the friction of his hands and the anticipation of what was coming. 

‘Do you not have a bra on?’ He asked, though he already knew the answer. 

Liliana squirmed when he pulled her top off fully and eyed her breasts. He swallowed thickly, and even with the serious look, Liliana could still see the boyish glint in his eyes. ‘They’re uncomfortable so I just didn’t put one on after the shower.’ 

‘God, you are so beautiful,’ Taron whispered. 

With his hands on her shoulders, slowly massaging the muscles so well that her head started to fall forward, he pushed her away from him just enough that he could look at her properly. He wanted to take her in for the first time. 

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and swallowed thickly. Liliana saw the shift in his eyes. His pupils grew three times their normal size, hiding most of the green of his irises. When he let his lip go, she ran the pad of her thumb over it softly. Taron kissed it lightly. He continued to look at her bare for him, hardly able to believe that they were there. 

Liliana started to grow conscious of how bare she was and started to overthink how she looked so she lifted her hands to try to cover herself. Taron looked at her in disbelief and took her wrists in his hands to stop her from hiding. 

‘I don’t think so,’ he mumbled. He looked deeply into her eyes and leaned forward to suck another kiss from her already swollen lips. Liliana melted into him and let her arms go limp, no longer bothered about hiding herself from him. 

Taron, now knowing what it was like to kiss her, and to have her kiss him back with the same amount of passion and longing, never wanted to stop feeling that feeling. He wanted to feel that every day for the rest of his life. He’d waited every day for half of his life. 

‘You don’t ever have to hide your body from me, okay?’ He said while trailing his fingers up the length of her arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. ‘But if you feel like you want to stop then-’ 

Liliana crashed her lips to Taron’s to shut him up and pressed her front into him entirely. She could feel the firmness of his chest against her breaths. Taron stumbled back a tiny bit before he regained his balance and pulled her into him, lifting her feet off the ground as he did. 

When Liliana pulled away for air, Taron held her hand and spun her around once so that he could look at her fully. A blush rose to her cheeks but Taron whistled to himself. ‘You are perfect.’ 

He leaned in to peck her lips before he cupped her cheeks with his hands. ‘Absolutely perfect.’ 

His last admission was more for himself than Liliana, but she appreciated it nonetheless. Taron reattached their lips in a passionate kiss as he walked Liliana back slowly until the back of her knees hit the soft duvet of her bed. Liliana could feel her heart rate increase as Taron pushed her down slightly so she had no choice but to sit on the edge of her bed. 

She looked up at him and could so clearly see the hunger in his eyes that she grew wet with anticipation. After wetting her lips, which were swollen and three shades darker than normal, she gulped as Taron leaned down to plant more kisses to her lips. When he moved to kiss her neck, Liliana’s eyes fell closed. 

Taron’s lips erupted every single nerve ending underneath her skin and ignited them all in a frenzy of fireworks that made the blood rush to her core. Liliana could feel the trail of his kisses long after his lips had moved to caress another part of her skin, and she relished in the pleasure he gave her. 

He kept leaning forward until Liliana was laying on the bed, her legs dangling awkwardly over the edge. When he pulled away, Liliana scooted back up the bed to give Taron more space to get comfortable. She nervously pushed her shorts and underwear down her legs as she went, leaving herself completely exposed and vulnerable to Taron. Though she was safe in the knowledge that he loved her and that he would take care of her. 

Taron stripped his joggers and his own underwear before he joined her on the bed. Liliana tried to avert her eyes up to Taron’s face, but she caught a glimpse of all of him. She took note of how substantial he was and she felt her breath catch in her throat. He was more beautiful than she could ever have imagined and she felt so lucky that she got to see him like that, and that she got to share herself with him in such a way. 

A blush rose to her cheeks at the sight of him, but if Taron noticed he didn’t say anything. Instead he leaned down to plant more kisses to her bare skin, as though he didn’t want to leave a single part of her untouched by his lips. He was alive with passion and couldn’t help but land a small kiss to the swell of her breast on the way back to her lips. 

Liliana moaned at the contact, and saw Taron smirk to himself as he kissed her lips once again. He reached down to rest one hand on the outside of her thigh, and she inhaled sharply at his fingers dancing against her. She could feel herself getting more aroused but Taron didn’t move his hand.

He moved his lips to her neck, sucking gentle kisses and nipping at her skin with such a gentle pressure that she pressed her thighs together for any semblance of friction. She needed more so she guided Taron’s hand to her centre where he felt just how wet she was. 

Taron’s throat bobbed as he moved to look at her, the desire so evident in her eyes that he knew she wouldn’t change her mind. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. It was all he’d ever wanted. Liliana wordlessly took a hold of Taron and stroked him, sending a shiver down his back. 

His head fell into her shoulder where he kissed up her neck, over her ear and cheek and back down to her lips. His hips bucked into her hand as his fingers lifted her arousal from her entrance to her clit. He rubbed soft circles against her and Liliana moaned above him, arching her back off the bed. 

Taron kissed her before pulling away and moving her hand from his length. ‘As much as I love that, I’m going to need you to stop. Because if you don’t, I’m going to finish right here and that’s not how I want tonight to go.’

Liliana blushed a little and nodded with a nervous smile. ‘There’s a condom in the nightstand drawer.’ 

‘Expecting this, were you?’ Taron teased as he leaned over her to open the drawer and get the condom. 

‘As much as I’ve always hoped this would happen, not quite. Now isn’t the time for the story about why I have condoms in my bedside table though. I’ll tell you another time.’ 

Taron closed the drawer and ripped the foil packet open with his teeth. He rolled it onto himself and Liliana watched, licking her lips and reaching out to touch his torso. 

‘You’re so perfect,’ she told him, using his own words against him. He blushed softly as he leaned down to hover over her again. His breath caught in his throat as what was about to happen truly set in. 

Liliana cupped his cheeks and pressed their foreheads together. The simplicity of the move was slow and intimate, and they lay like that for a little while, looking at one another and taking everything in. It was more than either of them could have ever imagined and they didn’t want to take it for granted. 

Taron lined himself up at Liliana’s entrance when she nodded at him, and she breathed deeply. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ 

Liliana nodded at him. ‘I need to hear you say it. I need to hear you tell me that this is what you want, please.’ 

Taron’s voice caught in his throat on his last word, and Liliana ran her thumb over his lips as she took another deep breath, not trusting her voice to give in the same way Taron’s had. 

‘I want you, Taron,’ she managed to croak out. ‘I’ve wanted you for so long. Long before the book launch. Long before I left for Edinburgh. I cannot think of a time where I haven’t wanted you. Tonight is no different. I want this. So badly.’ 

They stare at one another as Taron pressed himself into Liliana, their lips parted at the feel of finally being connected in a way they’d never connected before. He pulled out a tiny bit before pushing in further with a little more momentum. 

Liliana’s legs wrapped around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck as he kissed her, continuing to press into her. His movements were slow and intense, and they looked at one another deeply, communicating without words. Liliana’s moans filled the small room, but Taron swallowed them as though they were his favourite meal. 

A decade’s worth of emotion was being poured onto them as they lay connected on Liliana’s bed, and as Taron looked at her and she told him that she loved him again, tears forced their way down his cheeks. Liliana immediately wiped them away as his movements halted. 

‘I’m sorry,’ he sniffled against her, his forehead pressed against hers and his chest lowered even more over her. His weight on top of her was all she ever wanted to feel again. ‘I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you before. I’m sorry that I didn’t text you when you went to Edinburgh. You said you needed to do it on your own and,’ he paused as a hiccup erupted from him. Liliana continued to wipe tears away as tears of her own started to trickle down her cheeks. 

‘I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving you be. But I shouldn’t have. I should have followed you to Scotland and made sure that you were okay. I should have followed you. I am so sorry, Lil.’ 

Liliana wiped more tears away from his cheeks and pressed her lips to his once, so softly he could have imagined it. She sniffled as Taron hiccuped again. 

‘Please don’t ever apologise for that,’ she begged. ‘I asked you not to follow me and I still think that it was for the best. It’s made getting to know you again so much more special and I don’t take a single day with you for granted anymore. Because I know how precious time with you is, and I don’t ever want to forget that. Being away from you made me realise how much I love you, Taron. How much I’ve always loved you.

‘I think I’ve loved you forever but I’ve been too scared to let myself open up to those feelings. You were there for me when nobody else was. I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to thank you enough for that.’ 

Taron kissed Liliana and thrust into her again slowly. A moan escaped her as her eyes rolled back a little. 

‘And besides,’ she continued through pleasure, ‘if you had followed me to Edinburgh, you’d never have gone to RADA and become this big shot, award winning movie star!’ 

Taron let out a chuckle as he thrust into her again, silently begging for her to come undone beneath him. 

‘Everything that happened led us to this very moment and I wouldn’t change a thing. Because this right here, what we’re doing now, connecting this way, it’s shifted something inside me that I can’t describe. I just know that I love you so much and this feels right. It feels so right, and so, so good.’ 

Taron kissed her deeply and sped up his movements, unable to form the words to converse with her. Liliana understood. She’d gone from not sharing any of her feelings to exploding all over him and he was a little overwhelmed. 

Liliana moved her hips in time with Taron’s and watched in amazement as his eyes rolled into the back of his head when she pushed her feet into his bum and pushed him to the hilt. 

‘God, fuck, Lil. Y’feel so good.’ 

He thrust into her over and over until he came undone above her, his damp forehead falling to her chest as he rode out his high. Liliana traced her fingers up and down the length of his back as she rocked with him. When he looked up at her and saw her smiling down at him, a warmth to her eyes he hadn’t seen before, he couldn’t help but kiss her lips. 

‘I love you,’ he said as he looked into her eyes. ‘Everything you said, it’s, this feels so right.’ 

‘Because it is right,’ Liliana responded. ‘This between us is special, and time is fleeting. I wish I could say I regret that we didn’t keep in touch but I’m not sure that we’d be where we are if we had. I missed you like crazy and there were days where I’d cry from the moment I woke up because I felt like I’d lost the best thing that had ever happened to me. But I think we would have been stuck in a rut if we’d spoken.’ 

‘How do you mean?’ Taron asked as he pulled out of Liliana, a realisation hitting him in the face. ‘Hold up, you didn’t finish.’ 

Liliana smiled up at him in a daze and brushed his hair away from his forehead before she kissed the tip of his nose. ‘I’m very satisfied, I promise.’ 

‘Yeah but-’ 

‘Taron, come cuddle me. Please? That’s all I want right now. I didn’t need to orgasm.’ 

‘Ew, you said orgasm,’ Taron teased with a huge grin. 

Liliana shoved him away with a guffaw, no longer caring that she was completely naked. Taron pulled the condom away and disposed of it in the bin in the bedroom while Liliana watched. 

‘Take a picture, it lasts longer.’ 

‘Oh my god,’ she laughed. ‘Do you always ruin a tender moment by being such a boy?’ 

‘Only with you. Because I love you. And you love me. You do still love me, right? I haven’t just given you the worst sex of your life have I? Oh god.’ 

Liliana grabbed Taron’s wrist and pulled him down onto the bed with her, kissing him deeply and wrapping her arms around him. 

‘I still love you. Nothing would make me fall out of love with you.’ 

Taron wrapped his arms around Liliana and held her close to his body, trailing kisses over her cheeks as she sighed happily. ‘And the sex? It wasn’t awful?’ 

‘God no,’ she breathed. ‘In fact, it was the best sex I’ve ever had.’ 

Liliana snuggled deeper into Taron’s chest as he pulled her in closer to him. She could feel the weight of her jet lag and lack of sleep finally hitting her. Her eyes felt heavy and she knew she would be asleep in minutes.

Before drifting off, she looked up and saw that Taron’s eyes were closed as well and he was already starting to snore lightly. 

Liliana planted a soft kiss on Taron’s chest and whispered ‘Goodnight T, I love you,’ against his skin, her fingers drawing delicate patterns against him.

He wasn’t completely asleep as Liliana had assumed, and he responded to her by gently kissing the top of her head. 

‘Sleep well. I love you more.’ 

March 7th, 2022 

Liliana was already two glasses of wine in by the time Evelyn arrived and buzzed the intercom to be let in. After a morning tangled in bed with Taron before he left for the theatre to rehearse, a mess of limbs playing a game of Twister on their own and lips locked over giggles and whispers of love, Liliana had poured a large glass of wine and sank into the bathtub to ease the soreness in her muscles. 

She only got out of the bath when the water was cool against her skin and Evelyn texted to see if she was up for a girls’ night, complete with face masks and a takeaway. Liliana had jumped at the offer, desperate to tell her best friend all about the night, and morning, she’d had with Taron. She poured herself another glass of wine and grabbed some clothes from her comfy drawer to wear for the evening. 

Evelyn, living up to the legend, arrived laden with more wine, her gel nail polish kit, and face masks. She took one look at Liliana and the smile crept onto her mouth quickly. ‘Go put the record on, I’ll pour the wine, then you will tell me everything that has happened since Christmas!’ 

‘I’ve seen you everyday for two months at this point, how is Christmas only just coming up?’ Liliana chuckled as she put a record on. ‘I swear we’ve spoken about this before, anyway.’ 

‘Not to the extent that we need to talk about it,’ Evelyn called from the kitchen. ‘Plus, that shit-eating grin you gave me when I walked through the door tells me that there are new things to tell so you’re going to spill it all.’ 

Liliana shook her head. Evelyn walked back through the living room and handed the glass of wine over. It was bigger than the two glasses she’d poured for herself and Liliana knew that she would be a little more than tipsy by the time she rolled into bed that night. 

Evelyn hopped onto the sofa and crossed her legs before she leaned forward eagerly and motioned for Liliana to spill everything she needed to spill. ‘Come on, out with it.’ 

‘What do you want to know?’ 

‘I want to know what happened on Christmas Eve. One minute you’re texting me to tell me that you’d had a shit evening with your mum, and then the next it’s Christmas Eve and Taron is reading a story to Matilda before bed? You left me hanging, girl!’ 

‘I’m sorry,’ Liliana said softly after she’d taken her seat next to Evelyn. She’d grabbed a bowl for the popcorn Evelyn had brought over and poured the sweet treat into it so they could snack. ‘Those few days were an emotional rollercoaster that I’ve tried so hard to forget. He came over on Christmas Eve to try to diffuse the tension between mum and me because it was bad, Ev. I’d not been home an hour before she started.’ 

‘Oh, Lili, we don’t have to talk about this if it’s too much.’ Evelyn put her hand on Liliana’s knee to comfort her and Liliana smiled sadly at her. ‘We don’t talk about your mum much and I can see that it’s already getting to you.’ 

‘No, it’s fine. He came over, Matilda loved him which I knew she would. Then Taron asked if Tilly had seen a film and she hadn’t so we watched that while mum and Hudson went out for the night. He stayed and read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and then he went home. I thought there was a moment where he was going to kiss me but he didn’t. I wish he’d kissed me then,’ she admitted before gulping down a large mouthful of wine. ‘I would have let him. He came the next day and I’d been having a shit morning. He bought me the most perfect present ever.’ 

Liliana untucked the necklace from her t-shirt to show Evelyn, and Evelyn raised her eyebrows in a knowing way. 

‘A necklace? The man’s got it bad, Lils. Did he kiss you then? Please tell me he kissed you!’

Liliana shook her head, a smile so small it could be seen as a twitch, flashing over her lips. ‘No, he didn’t. But like I said, I’d had the worst Christmas morning with my mum and I think he could just tell.’ 

Evelyn nodded but kept quiet while Liliana took a deep breath before she downed more of her drink. Her conversation with her mum that morning still ate at her and made her get emotional even though it wasn’t that big of a surprise to her when it happened. 

‘I could tell that he wanted to say something,’ she continued after a short pause, ‘but he knew it wasn’t the right time. I came home before I could see him again and say anything he wanted to. And we never mentioned it again until New York.’ 

As if cued up perfectly, Ever Since New York started playing on the record player, and Liliana chuckled softly. Evelyn could clearly see the pinkish blush that made its way to her best friend’s cheeks. 

‘You’re holding out on me, Lils. There’s something you aren’t telling me and it’s killing me, as your best friend, not knowing what you are thinking. This is the first time I haven’t been able to read your mind and I need you to tell me everything! What has happened since the book tour? The last I knew, you were sad after we left New York and you sulked the rest of the trip.’ 

Liliana took another large gulp of wine, finishing her glass completely. She poured herself and Evelyn another glass and looked through the nail colours to decide what she would get done. She wondered how Taron’s rehearsal had gone and wanted to text him, but it was her time with Evelyn. She would have to text him when she had five minutes to herself when Evelyn left. 

‘The day he surprised me in New York, thank you, by the way, for not telling me that he would be there.’ Evelyn winked with a smile. ‘We went back to the hotel after our day out and-’ 

‘Oh my god, you slept with him!’ 

‘No.’ Liliana crushed Evelyn’s dreams with one single word. ‘I told him about why I left Aber for uni, and why I struggle to go back. I opened up to him for the first time ever and it was both the most freeing and the most suffocating thing I’ve done. I’ve wanted to tell him everything for years but having him look at me with those sad, sympathetic eyes made me want to take it all back and bottle it back up. Then he tried to kiss me.’ 

Liliana bit her bottom lip hard, leaving teeth marks in the plush skin. The pain distracted her from the tears that threatened to spill. She hadn’t told Evelyn the whole truth about New York. 

‘Lili…’ 

‘I ran out of his room,’ Liliana said as she wiped under her eyes and stood up to change the record. ‘I went back to my room, I lay in bed all night barely getting any sleep and then I got radio silence from him for the rest of the trip. Until he picked me up from the airport yesterday.’ 

‘You’re welcome for that,’ Evelyn said. ‘He texted me and asked for our flight details but he wouldn’t tell me why he needed them. I gathered he wanted to do something special so I gave them to him. What happened after you both dropped Jacob and me off?’ 

Taron had insisted that they drive Evelyn and Jacob back to their flats as it was getting late and they each had a large suitcase. He drove to three parts of the city to drop them all off and they’d thanked him profusely. Though Taron, being the gentleman that he was, told them that it wasn’t a bother and that he hoped to see them again soon. 

Liliana had spent most of the drive listening to her three best friends getting to know one another and chatting about work while she sat quietly. When it was just the two of them, Taron gushed about Evelyn and Jacob, expressing how much he liked them and how he could see why Liliana loved them so much. She wanted to ask him about New York but she didn’t. Not then. 

‘We got back here and he brought my suitcase up for me. I asked if he could stay for a bit so we could talk and he agreed. I had a shower and he made a cuppa.’ 

‘Liliana, you’re making this sound so boring, I want juicy details,’ Evelyn chuckled. 

Liliana brushed her off with a playful scowl. ‘I brought New York up and he apologised, then I apologised. He then confessed that he is in love with me, always has been.’ 

Evelyn’s eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. ‘Oh my god, Lili!’ 

‘Turns out, I feel the same way about him. We kissed right in the doorway to the kitchen, the cups of tea going cold by the second. I was freshly out of the shower, wet hair, no makeup, a pair of cycling shorts and a t-shirt but right then I felt like a million bucks. He made me feel that way just by one kiss. One thing led to another and…’ 

The second the cogs started to turn in Evelyn’s head, her eyes bulged from their sockets and she shifted position so that she was on her knees. 

Liliana’s cheeks were beetroot red by that point and were warm to the touch. But all she could feel was the burning in them from where she’d smiled so widely at Evelyn, who was so excited for her. 

She practically bounced up and down on the sofa and Liliana shook her head with a laugh. Evelyn was happy that Liliana had met someone and let some steam off. She’d been telling her for months that she needed to get laid, which is why she’d bought a box of condoms for her. 

It was even better that she’d found someone who looked at her like she hung the moon. Like she was the most expensive piece of art in the museum. Like she was everything they’d ever wanted, and all they would ever need. 

‘Lili, I am so happy for you. This is huge. How was it? Did he make you come? How many times? Was there a starter or was this a dessert first kinda meal? If there was a starter, was it reciprocated? I need details, woman!’ 

‘Evelyn!’ Liliana guffawed. ‘A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.’ 

‘You are no lady, Liliana Esme,’ Evelyn smirked. ‘You are a wild beast and I know you enjoy sharing details with me.’ 

‘You are absolutely unbelievable. There was dessert. The best dessert I’ve ever had, honestly. When he realised that I hadn’t finished, he tried multiple times to go back for starter, but all I wanted to do was snuggle and fall asleep in his arms. I was so satisfied that the fact I hadn’t finished didn’t bother me in the slightest.’ 

‘Wait, wait, so he came, but you didn’t?’ Evelyn asked, dumbfounded. 

Liliana nodded. ‘Yes, but like I said, I felt so satisfied that it didn’t matter. And he more than made up for it this morning.’ 

‘So you had sex, you didn’t finish but you snuggled until you went to sleep? Do you know how cheesy that sounds?’ Evelyn asked playfully. 

‘I do,’ Liliana responded with a small nod. ‘But there’s something about Taron that I just can’t get my head around. It’s like, I’m so safe around him, and that moment after sex, when we were in bed together just tangled up in one another, my head on his chest and his arms wrapped around me, I felt so safe. The safest I’ve felt in a long time. And I felt so loved, which after recent events was nice.’ 

‘You’re so in love. I love it! Wait, you said he made up for it this morning?’ Liliana nodded as she smiled at the memory of the previous night and that morning. Evelyn nudged her with a gasp. ‘What time did he leave the flat? Is he still here hiding in your bedroom?’ 

Liliana blushed. ‘He left a couple of hours before you got here. It’s been a…fun day.'

‘Yes girl, you get some! Ugh I feel like a proud big sister. Is he coming back here tonight? Are you waiting for me to leave so he can come back and rock your world in the bedroom?’ 

‘Evelyn!’ Liliana knew not to expect any less from her best friend, and secretly she loved how happy Evelyn was for her. ‘He’s at the theatre until late so we’re going to play it by ear. But he did suggest he goes home and you stay here for the night so you aren’t travelling back to your flat while you’re drunk and on your own in the dark. So I guess it’s up to you. If you want to stay the night, which I would love, then he’ll go home but if you wanted to go home, which is also okay, then chances are he’ll come here.’ 

Evelyn shook her head with a knowing grin. ‘I’ll go home. You get yourself laid…again.’ 

‘I still can’t believe he wants me after all these years,’ Liliana confessed at the end of her wine, tilting the glass up to get every last drop of the sweet white wine. 

They were officially out of alcohol and they had only been together for a little over an hour. Liliana debated ordering more online but thought better of it. She wanted to be coherent the next day at work. They were both happily merry, Liliana bordering on drunk but not quite there. 

‘Lili,’ Evelyn sighed in exasperation. Or maybe it wasn’t exasperation. Liliana couldn’t quite tell. ‘When are you going to realise that you are the total package and he’s been in love with you since you were teenagers? You were both just too stubborn to say anything. When he texted me about coming to New York, it was so obvious, but he made me promise not to say anything to you. And then the whole surprise at the airport and a necklace at Christmas? I wish I had a man pining after me to this extent!’ 

Liliana held the pendant of her necklace between her thumb and finger as she thought back to all of the times he’d looked like he wanted to tell her something, how she’d wondered if he was about to lean forward and kiss her. She realised that all of the time she had been pining about him behind closed doors, wishing that he would kiss her, he was trying to stop himself from doing it in case she didn’t want that. 

‘I’m just so happy that I have a chance to make up for lost time. I really love him, Ev. I’ve never loved anybody like this before and it’s so fucking scary.’ 

‘I can see how much you do,’ Evelyn smiled, finally pulling Liliana in for a hug. ‘I’m so happy for you both. You deserve all of this happiness after all of the dark days. I’ll have to nail down someone so we can double date!’ 

‘I’ll see what I can do for you. Maybe Taron has some single actor friends!’ 

‘That would a dream. Don’t forget…Richard Madden.’ 

For the rest of the evening, Evelyn and Liliana talked about work, the book tour, Harry Styles, and what Liliana’s plans were for the second book. They painted one another’s nails, Liliana opting for a pale lilac and Evelyn going for a bright yellow, two perfectly opposite best friends. 

Liliana and Taron texted multiple times, and when Liliana asked if he would stay the night because Evelyn was going home, he jumped at the opportunity and told her that he would drop Evelyn off at home so she didn’t have to take public transport. She would just have to wait until he was finished at the theatre.

Come scream at me :)

#rhw #right here waiting #lilianaesme #taron egerton smut #taron egerton writing #taron egerton drabble #taron egerton fanfic #taron egerton fanfiction #taron egerton blurb #taron egerton fluff #taron egerton #taron egerton fic #taron egerton imagine #taron egerton imagines #my writing

[justanothersterekficgirl]

Until I Stayed Away Too Long by melofttroll

Explicit | 14k | 4/4

NY Times bestseller Derek Hale hates a lot of things about being a modern author. Like being recognized, like needing a social media presence, like not being able to buy his own boxed spaghetti noodles without being asked for a selfie. Facing writer's block, he escapes to his old hometown of Beacon Hills, at his sister's insistence, for some reprieve and hopefully motivation. It's there his attention is captured by a gangly, socially awkward teacher, and the tiny little toddler at his side who know him only as that one basketball player who fled town at fifteen after his girlfriend burnt his house down.

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[bcacstuff]

After watching last night’s Waypoints launch in NY I understand why SH flew cross Atlantic for a 1hour presentation. This book is important to him. It was personal and in his own words. Once a book is published leaks are inevitable this was a way to get ahead of the conversation. I thought the venue, host and reading(an author reading his own words at a launch is pretty standard) went better than I expected. But as usual the bashing was fast and furious. After all these years he is still criticized about Wentworth. It was stressful and brutal to watch. Can you imagine filming 14h days essentially naked being beating and broken for ten days waiting for a director to yell cut. No way a mainstream actor with box office success would have gone through that. So yes in that way SH was green. Eight years later he is able to look back objectively both pre and post outlander. Book is a self deprecating look at his life as he remembers it. Let the fact checking begin. But as expected it became as much about his fans and this sort of codependent relationship with SH. Listen I can be a bit of a mean girl at times but today after reading some brutal comments in the fandom I see things differently. If women of a certain age can afford to travel, buy and support projects by an actor they…ahem..admire and happily posts pictures of themselves hoping to get noticed then more power to them. And some of the comments and emoji’s are funny many cross a line. Sure takes a lot of guts to be an anon. In the end this book will change no one’s mind or opinion but with two more events to go the fandom will live on this well after the holidays. Best seller anyone?

Hmm... it's your opinion, and you're entitled to it for sure. I'm not disagreeing, though on certain points not agreeing either.

I do still think that flying to NYC twice in almost a week is a bit overdone, and the way it all was organized, leaving fans that booked for the Uk events sort of disappointed. It doesn't really add anything, and I don't see it as a way to get ahead of the conversation. Now or next week doesn't really matter.

There are people bashing (I hope you don't mean I was), I did post several things I saw out there related to this event. Positive, negative, awkward, funny... I tried to be divers in my posts about it. Tried to give a more sided view on things.

Yes, I receive Anons, some very negative ones, that I'm not posting. I also think some people here (well Anons, apparently) read everything I post with a negative in mind. Like they want to read I'm a hater. I feel sorry for people that just are having one view on things. (not saying you are sop...)

About Wentworth, I can imagine that was a hard part to do. He's not blaming anyone though, tells it like it is. Most of the opinions I've read about watching that part, is that is hard to watch, but at the same time perhaps the most outstanding acting performance he achieved. And he should, is allowed, to feel honored by that all the way.

Fact checking everything in the book isn't giving any weight (positive or negative to it). In fact, I haven't seen or read the book yet, I haven't put any opinion upfront about it out here. I realize a good number of people did and do. I did gave some opinions about the event last night. That's not the same as already making up my mind about the book. I'm not even sure I will read it at this point.

Anyway, how important is it really to be a bestseller. I mean, anyone could write a book about his or her life, we all have stories to tell that forms us, that we think about from time to time and make us what we are. We just don't all have an audience or fanbase big enough to make a publisher gets interested in it. But we tell our stories to whom it matters, our children, our pupils, our friends... and listening to others might give you a deeper insight of the world around us and respect the things in it.

It's just not all black or white out there! (or here)