Candice Riley

Candice Joanna Riley | She, Her | 33 | Nurse | Mother of Ayden Morrissey

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

candicejriley​:

Candice wiped at her eyes and sniffed rolling her shoulders and regaining her easy and sunny disposition. “Thank you. That means a lot.” she smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure that Ayden would love to come to your house. I’ll look at our schedules and give you a choice of some days.” she nodded. She was glad that she could help her friend out. She stood up as Ellie did and nodded. “No worries. I completely understand. I would not want to come home to a grumpy cat at all.” she chuckled softly. She nodded as she took the piece of paper with Ellie’s phone number. “Sounds great. I know Ayden’s going to be upset that I saw you without him, but I will tell him that we’ll call you later.” she smiled. She leaned over and hugged Ellie tight before letting go. “I hope you arrive to the right decision for you. You first. That’s very important to remember.” she smiled softly.

Ellie nodded. “I’ll remember, me first, always.” Her mother would have told her the same if she had been there. She could worry about Derek and Cason all she wanted but she came first and last. “Give me a call when you have decided or you can come by the shop. I’m always there from eleven in the morning.” Ellie took her bag and stood up from the chair before drinking the last of her limonade. “And you’ll have to give me the recipe for that. We can trade, recipe for recipe, don’t you think?” she smiled. It was going to be nice to have people at her house, she wasn’t one to leave it unless she had something important to do. “Part of being a Cancer, I suppose,” Ellie thought with a silly smile. Their home was their castle and she was glad to have some company once in a while. “I’ll wait for your call,” she then hugged Candice. “That you for everything, my dear.” 

END THREAD

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“Well, Ayden is lucky to have such a wonderful mom,” Ellie said to Candice with a smile. “And my invitation is open to you two, just give me a call and we’ll plan a date.” It was going to be nice to have company besides Derek. She had never invited him to her home because she never got the chance but it was going to be a change of pace, something to look forward to besides going to the shop every day. Talking to Candice was good and helped her to get rid of things that were tormenting her but she still had much to do. Like she said, she could send Cason’s hoodie and pay to a company, but it was something she needed to do on her own or she was going to be regreting it forever. 

“I don’t want to take more of your time, love.” Ellie said standing up from the chair. “I have to go back home and feed Merlin. God knows that cat gets really grumpy when he doesn’t get his food in time,” she rolled her eyes, taking her bag. “This is my phone number,” she gave her a piece of paper with her handwriting. “Give me a call and I’ll make sure to have all the ingredients to teach you how to make lemon pie,” Ellie smiled.” 

Candice wiped at her eyes and sniffed rolling her shoulders and regaining her easy and sunny disposition. “Thank you. That means a lot.” she smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure that Ayden would love to come to your house. I’ll look at our schedules and give you a choice of some days.” she nodded. She was glad that she could help her friend out. She stood up as Ellie did and nodded. “No worries. I completely understand. I would not want to come home to a grumpy cat at all.” she chuckled softly. She nodded as she took the piece of paper with Ellie’s phone number. “Sounds great. I know Ayden’s going to be upset that I saw you without him, but I will tell him that we’ll call you later.” she smiled. She leaned over and hugged Ellie tight before letting go. “I hope you arrive to the right decision for you. You first. That’s very important to remember.” she smiled softly.

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“I miss them so much. Itihnk I’m still home sick and with what happened, I just wish my mom could be here to give her a big hug,” Ellie said. “In times like these, your mom telling you that everything is going to be alright, it’s all you need.” She called them every day and made sure they were fine. It had not been easy for her mom to let her baby go, still worried about all that could happen to her in a new and strange city. “I’m an only child you know? So she worries as well that nothing can hurt her baby,” she giggled. “I had a brother, too. You see, my mom gave birth to twins, but my brother died a few days after he was born. He wasn’t strong enought so that left me.”

Sometimes she wondered how it could have been to have an older brother. She would have teased him for sure. Ellie often went with her mom to the cemetery to leave some flowers on his grave. “Edward, that’s the name my mom gave him. Edward Thompson, sounds so posh, don´t you think? My aunts always teaser her about it, but she liked that name so…” She giggled and it felt good to be able to laugh again. Whtever magic Candice was performing, it was working and suddenly she did not felt that depressed anymore. “Do you have sisters or brothers?” she asked, curious to know about her friend. 

Candice smiled softly as Ellie spoke of her family and how much she missed them. She completely understood what she meant. She missed her family a lot too, but she knew she couldn’t contact them. It just wouldn’t work. They would be ashamed. The part about needing your mom to tell you everything was going to be okay was something that hit Candice’s chest like a ton of bricks. She needed to hear that from her mom so many times since she had run away. She could still see her mom’s smile even though parts of her face were fading. It had been so long since she had seen her or any of her family. “Mom’s are very special.” she said softly as she ate more pie. She stopped mid chew as Ellie spoke about her twin and how he had been lost to them. “I’m so sorry, Ell. That must have been extremely hard for your mom. I couldn’t even imagine. I would be inconsolable if anything ever happened to Ayden.”

She smiled softly and nodded. “He does. Very fancy. Sounds like he could’ve been a lawyer or CEO of some billion dollar company. You can’t deny it’s a good name. Strong.” she nodded. “Ayden is named after my dad. Spelled differently, but sounds the same.” she admitted softly. She laughed lightly as Ellie did. She was happy that her friend could laugh again. Her breath caught softly as she asked about her siblings. Another blow. She hadn’t let friends in this close before to ask about them. She took a few breaths blinking back tears so they would not fall. “Ummm...yeah. A sister and a brother. Both older.” she nodded with the hint of a smile. “I was adopted by their parents.”

[candicejriley]

cliodhnamcgrath​:

looking down at the bottle in your hand and then back to candice, you feel your shoulders relax and a laugh begin to scratch at the back of your throat. that was one way to get out of it, “thank god,” you start, moving more into her place, beginning to remove your jacket. you were comfortable enough around her now to do it on your own, “because this is definitely preferable.” hanging it up, you roll up your sleeves and listen to her chat, head nodding at the commentary on traffic. that was one thing about america you’d noticed. or well - monleon. the traffic? it never liked to work in your favour. “must be nice. not having to work late tonight? do you often get the night shifts.. was i lucky enough to catch you at a time where you don’t?” you couldn’t imagine it. night shifts. bar work had been your only experience, and even then, it was nothing to that of the life of a nurse. candice had actual lives in her hands. you had two twenty euros and too many people crowded around you. “i’m hoping so,” you pause, “oh. i’m sorry. i must have given the wrong impression. i’ve been here a while. longer than i thought i would be. but i don’t know.. this past month or so - i just have felt like, finally, i’m beginning to fit in. bit sad, right?”

Candice couldn’t help but smile as she saw Cliodhna seem to relax. “Oh girl. You didn’t think I was going to shove Irish coffees down your throat did you? I’m not like that. Drink what you want. I’ll just have two Irish coffees today and hopefully enough time to sleep them off by the time that I have to go pick up my son.” she grinned. Her home was beach themed since she loved the beach. It was her favorite place so Candice was glad that this latest move brought them close to it. She had various pictures of her and her son around with a picture of her, Ayden, and Ryan in the middle of the mantle. Of course, Ayden was a baby when it was taken. There was a growing mural on the wall outside the kitchen that had various things she and Ayden had found washed up on the sand that they thought were cool or interesting. It was only half full, but they were still making it unsure of when it would end. The kitchen was brightly lit as Candice had pulled the curtains back and cracked a window to hear the waves. “Yeah, it’s actually day 2 of three that I have off before I have to pull some more night shifts honestly. I don’t so much mind the night shifts. I feel like I’m actually better during those shifts, but breaks are always good. Then I can socialize with people older than four and who are not in pain and calling me some kind of expletive.” she chuckled softly as she got a wine glass down from the cabinet and slid it over to Cliodhna before pulling both Irish coffees on her side of the table.

“Oh damn. I’m sorry. I always feel like if I haven’t seen you around or in the hospital that you must be new to town. My fault.” she said shaking her head before adding a little more Bailey’s to her coffee before sipping it. “No not at all. It takes people all different kinds of time and ways to feel like they fit in. I’m glad that you’re starting to feel yourself and comfortable around here. It took me awhile as well. I mean, I still don’t know a lot of people, but I have a few close friends that are very dear to me. Do you have some people you’re close to here?” she asked taking a sandwich and biting into it and chewing.

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“Actually it’s my mom’s recipe,” Ellie said with a smile. “It’s the first thing she taught me how to cook.” She had been around ten or so when her mom decided she wanted to make a lemon pie, just to have something sweet to eat. Ellie asked her if she could help her and she ened up making the pie all by herself with her mom watching and smiling at her, encouraging her. From there, she always helped in the kitchen when she had time and sometimes at the cafe where her aunts dealed with the customers. She remembered going there after school to be close to them and go to a small office so she could do her homework with the smell of baked goods and coffee in the air. 

“Tell you what? How about I come by when you have time, or you and Ayden can come to my place and we’ll make one from scratch? I think he would like that and I would enjoy the company,” she smiled. “He can even meet Merlin, if he’s into animals,” Ellie added. The cat was still living outside but she got a nice house for him because she did not want him out in the open if another cat came in. It happened a few times when a ginger cat would come sniffing around probably attracted by the smell of food and Merlin would hiss and growl at the other feline but he was a sweetie, with her, at least. “I would be nice to have guests and you would be the first.” Her friend was right, she could not run away from her problems and besides, poor little Ayden would be too sad and the last thing she waned to do was to make a child cry. 

“Oh my goodness, it’s delicious! Like I may actually lick the plate.” Candice said as she ate another piece of her pie. “The first thing that my mom taught me to cook was spaghetti and meat sauce. So I could cook for my brother and I while she was pulling a shift at the hospital. My mom was a nurse as well.” she smiled softly. It felt good to talk about her family even though she hadn’t seen them in over a decade. “Your mom did a great job. She must have been a phenomenal cook growing up. You probably had the best dinners.”

Candice smiled. “I like us coming to your house. We don’t get out of here enough so it would be doing both Ayden and I a favor.” She knew that Ayden would be more than excited to go to Ellie’s house and do anything with her. He really took a strong liking to her. “Oh he is. We...we had a dog, but we had to give it away when we moved. He went to this really nice family that had a son older than Ayden at the time and he was just obsessed with Peppermint.” It had hurt to give Peppermint away. He was one of the last things that Ryan had given to her. She was a few months pregnant when he brought the little ball of fluff to her with a bow around his neck. He had purchased the dog before they knew she was pregnant, but Ryan couldn’t bear to give him to someone else. She loved him and took care of him all throughout her pregnancy. She knew it was another ploy by Ryan to get her to not take as many hospital shifts and come home at a decent time. “Well, I do love being the first so it’s definitely going to happen.” she nodded. “Do you talk to your family much? I know you’re far away from them. You must miss them.” she asked softly.

[candicejriley]

ofbecketts​:

“Geez, I’ve never had status before,” Beck said with a huff of laughter. He was used to being the kid that people ignored, the guy that people tried not to look at on the street, the ghost who passed through town before anyone had a chance to get to know him, and for a long time, that had suited him just fine. But now, things were different, and he was starting to feel the restlessness that had made up his 20s starting to settle down somewhere deep in his chest, and it was enough to make him want to stay in Monleon, if only for just a little while longer. “You’ve got that right,” he replied. “Usually, I can get a pretty good look at the moon from my bedroom at home, but that’s only when the sky is clear and the moon is full. It’s a lot easier to look at it out and about here.” Beck wrinkled his nose lightly before shaking his head. “Just gets me keyed up,” he replied. “No pun intended.” He paused. “I don’t know, I guess it’s a question of settling my mind. Moving around usually helps with that.” 

“Well, you’re a very important member of the club and you should be treated as such.” Candice chuckled softly and nodded. She liked how easy to talk to Beck was. He always seemed like a gentle soul and Candice appreciated that in people. She had been an outcast for awhile. Very quiet and to herself. She always came alive around her family because there was no judgements at home. After cheerleading came into her life, she was better around her peers and made friends quickly. After she left, it was more difficult, but she was getting more comfortable in Monleon which she wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing considering she would have to vanish into thin air if the families found her. Candice nodded as he spoke about the moon. He seemed to really enjoy it. “I leave the windows open in bedroom so I can hear the ocean waves. That usually lulls me to sleep and keeps me there, but it didn’t work tonight.” she shrugged softly. She chuckled at his joke. “That’s a good one. So does that moving around include places too? Have you traveled around a lot?”

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“Yeah, I’m feeling more relaxed, actually”, Ellie said. “Like someone lifted a stone out of my chest. I still don’t feel like 100% fine but I’m better than the night of the event.” When she left the Gala, she arrived home and took of her clothes, throwing the beautiful dress and jewelry to a corner before hding under the covers of her bed. She spent most of her night crying, cursing Cason and not answering Derek’s calls. It had been a nightmare and only when the sun began to come out she ended up falling asleep to then wake up at middday and give a call to her mom and let her know what happened. Ellie tried to act as normal as she could, but her aunts saw right through it and told her to cut the bullshit and tell them what was goin on. Then she had decided to take a walk and come back to a hot bath. Derek called again but she ignored it, not ready to face him yet. 

“I need time to myself, Candice. I need to analyze all that’s happened and how to move on ,but first I think I need to talk to Darek…and Cason. It’s the only way I’ll have some closure and my wounds can finally heal. There will be a scar, for sure, but it’s bette that than an open wound,” she said and then smiled. “Ayden can record as many videos as he wants but I only want him telling me how awesome he is,” Ellie smiled. “I bet he has showed his bracelet to the other kids, am I right?” When a custumer came to her shop with a child, they would stare with an open mouth and try to touch the crystals. She would allow them, of course, there was nothing wrong with that. They were curious and the colors attracted them. 

“Good. Relaxed gives you more time to think and make good decisions.” Candice nodded as she finished her lemonade off. “That’s okay, Ell. You need time to heal before you’re one hundred percent again. As long as I can help you get back to your hundred percent self, then my work as your friend is good as done.” she smiled. 

She nodded understanding where Ellie was coming from. She had her own ways of analyzing and thinking. It was usually through running. She would run around her neighborhood wherever she ended up and once she got more comfortable around the city she was in. It gave her clarity to make better decisions. “I like your plan, Ell. And your scars are what make you beautiful so don’t feel bad about them. You’re absolutely right. A scar is better than an open wound.” she winked before going to get the lemon pie that Ellie had made and cutting a slice for herself and Ellie. She chuckled softly. “Well, that he can do easily. He already has a big head and you’re just making it bigger. Oh my God, yes. He’s showed it to everyone in his class because he tells me they’re all his best friend so everyone had to see it. Have you been getting a lot of young customers? He’s been saying he got it from his Aunt Ellie’s shop and she has crystals and cards and she’s super nice.” she smiled starting to eat her slice of pie. “Damn Ell, this is phenomenal! You have to give me the recipe.”

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“Do you know the feeling when you know it’s wrong but you’re going to do it anyway,?” Ellie stared at Candice. “That’s what one of my friends told me when Cason started to pay more attention to his books than to me,” she sighed. “I tried to understand, I really did. Was I asking too much?” she asked her. “No, I don’t think so, right? I mean, I helped him with his characters, gave him the support he needed when he was struggling with it and all but I guess he just got a taste of money or being famous.”  

After Cason broke up with her, Ellie thought that her mother and aunts were going to turn their back on her. She was not raised as a cheater, she had no reason to be. What happened to her mom was horrible, being left alone by the person who love, so she had the experience of watching suffer someone she cared about, but when it happened, she was there for her. Her mom never asked question, she just hugged her and comforted her when she needed her the most, the same way Candice was doing it now. “Yeah, I feel better,” she nodded. “I just need to pull myself together. It’s not going to be easy, but I’ll have to, if I want to leave this dark whole I’m in. Thank you,” she went for a hug. 

Candice chuckled softly and nodded. “Do I? I practically lived it from my late teens into my twenties. There are plenty of times that my feelings won out over my logic. I’ve made tons of mistakes. Tons, Ell. But I’ve also learned from them and been the better for it. I used to beat myself up all the time over the mistakes I’ve made. Ryan helped me learn that it wasn’t okay. That I had to give myself a break. He would tell me you can’t talk about the woman I love like that. It was the way that he told me he loved me for the first time.” she admitted with a soft smile before looking down at her lemonade glass before taking a long drink. It was those special moments that had defined their relationship. She always cherished them and she knew she would forever.

“No, Ellie. You weren’t asking too much. You probably should’ve just communicated your feelings to him. If he didn’t respond positively to it, then you kind of would have known where you stood and then you could’ve probably made a better decision from there. But that’s all hindsight, Ell. You can’t keep thinking about that. I think both of you should’ve done some talking based on what you’re telling me.” she shrugged softly. Candice smiled and hugged her back eagerly giving her a tight squeeze before letting her go. “I’m glad I could help you out. So, are you still thinking of moving? Because like I said before, I’ll put out the big guns and get Ayden to record a very sad video of how much he’s going to miss his Auntie Ellie.”

[candicejriley]

zakicarter​:

CANDICE RILEY;

Only a few short months ago, Zak was still sleeping on a hard cot, and eating rather questionable food. Truth was, it had been a rather difficult, while grateful, change for him since being released. He was rather grateful to Candice for allowing him to stay with her for the time being. He hadn’t wanted to put her out, but at this time, he had very little option left. He found sleeping through the night as hard as it had ever been. Therefore, he had been up rather early. Instead of continuing to toss and turn, the blonde would decide to take some of his frustration out at the local gym. He left the house rather early, and as quiet as possible, in order to not wake Candice or Ayden. Sweaty, and finally rather exhausted, the male entered his friend’s home. The sound of breakfast immediately hitting him the face. A much welcomed aroma. 

Making his way through the living-room, he’d enter the kitchen, a kind smile upon his features as blue hues fell upon Candice. “Uh, sorry – I was up early, and figured I’d get something productive done.” He stated, before then sitting the bag he carried, in which he used as a gym bag, down on the nearest chair. “Rough night, or morning, I guess you could say.” Turning towards her, his attention dropped to the food she was making. “Although, this scene has definitely made it a little better. If you didn’t make extra, I’ll make myself some, but if you did, you’ve just made an ex-con’s day, Riley.”

Candice would never allow Zak to go homeless while she had a perfectly good home for him to live in. She would never let him go without after everything he did for her and Ayden. Ryan would never forgive her if she did anyway. She had assumed he was still asleep because his door was closed so it shocked her as soon as she heard his voice almost missing the flipping pancake. “Oh! I thought you were still sleeping.” she chuckled softly starting to put pancakes on a warming plate. “Something productive? What did you do if you don’t mind me asking?” she smiled as she poured more pancake mix on the griddle in perfect circles.

She started making a plate for him with eggs, sausage, and freshly made pancakes. “Well, I do aim to please.” she grinned as she put the plate of food in front of him. “C’mon. Have we been apart that long? You know I love cooking for big groups of people. I’m just happy I’m cooking for more than me and Ayden. I’m glad I’m keeping up my charm of pleasing ex-cons. I hope you like the food. If not, I can cook something else.” she said getting utensils for him and syrup. “I have coffee brewing if you’re into that.” she nodded towards the coffee maker. “It seems like you and Ayden had a rough night. He woke me up with wide eyes and tears after having a bad dream. You want to talk about yours?” she asked going back to the griddle.

[candicejriley]

[candicejriley]

cliodhnamcgrath​:

candicejriley​:

Where: Candice’s House, The Palacio For: Cliodhna

you were glad of it. the amount of friends you were making in such a short was something to be admired for yourself. and you were positive tadgh would be shocked at how fast you seemed to be settling into a comfortable group. your mother too. maybe ireland had always been your downfall in that department. monleon seemed to be a place to watch your social life flourish. with a bottle of wine in your hand, you walked towards candice’s door and gently knocked. you had found yourself enjoying her company, reveling in the simple similarities you seemed to share with her. when she finally showed her face, you gave her a smile. though hesitating. looking down at the bottle and then back to your friend, you cleared your throat. honestly? you didn’t have the heart to tell her irish coffee just wasn’t something you were massively fond of. especially not since she always seemed to excited to share it with you. scratching the space between your upper lip and your nose, you nod with a smile, handing her over the bottle, “i would love that, thank you.”

stepping inside, you move to take off your jacket, adjusting the hat that was atop your head, “baileys is always preferable, thank you. i hope i’m not late..? travel was mental.”

Candice was glad that she had found a new friend in Cliodhna. They had many things in common and she loved getting to reconnect to her family through Cliodhna. It was the only way she could feel connected to her family especially now. She smiled as she saw the wine in her hands and ushered her in. “That wine is amazing. Listen, I know that I made the Irish coffees, but I honestly would not be offended if you would prefer the wine because that’s some good shit.” she grinned bringing her over to the kitchen table where she had set up some refreshments for them. She took the wine and added it to her table set up before pulling out her chair for her with a smile and then going to sit herself. Candice poured some Bailey’s into her own coffee before pouring some into Cliodhna’s as well as she shook her head. “Gosh no. You’re not late at all. Yeah, I should’ve thought of traffic when I told you this time. I’m usually asleep or preparing to go to work at this time because I work the night shift more often than not so there’s never much traffic when I go to work. I never think about the traffic patterns at other times. I’m sorry about that.” she said with a soft frown. “Hopefully drinks will help you unwind from the traffic. So how have you been? Settling into Monleon okay?”

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“I’m not a possesion, or a dog for Cason to come back to whenever he feels like it. I got feelings too,” Ellie said with a glare. “He has ro right to get jealous. We broke up and that’s the end of it. He can do whatever he wants and I can do the same.” But she had no idea how she would react if she saw him with someone else. A little bit of jealousy, she supposed, it was normal after what they had together, but she would never react in the same way he did at the event. He was a Leo and she remembered teasing him about it. “You only think about yourself and are the center of the universe,” Ellie said to him once. He laughed and denied it, not believing a thing about the horoscope and the planets. 

At Candice’s question, Ellie sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. If I’m honest with you, I would love to have met Derek before I met Cason. Perhaps I wouldn’t be in this situation, but it wasn’t like that,” she sighed. “Derek is sweet and he deserves to be by his side someone who can love him and only him. Yes, I would be lucky to have him, but…it’s a two way thing, you know? He needs to love me to for the relationship to work and I can tell he does, just in a friendly way,” she said. “I’ve never asked about his love life and I’m not going to start now. I just want to have him in my life, even if it’s only as a friend.” 

“Of course you’re not a possession, Ell. And you’re right, he doesn’t have any right to be jealous, but that still doesn’t stop feelings. How many times have you known someone who knew they shouldn’t do something or be with someone, but they just felt it was right. It’s the constant debate between your head and your heart. Feelings and logic. It’s the war that will never be won.” she said with a small shrug. 

Candice nodded before sipping some lemonade. “You’re sweet too, Ell. You can’t sell yourself short. You deserve someone who will love you and only you too. Why should you have so little? Because you made a mistake? That’s just not being fair to yourself and that’s something I can’t allow you to do as your friend.” she told her shaking her head. “I say you keep being Derek’s friend for now and see what comes of it. The best partners are ones that start as friends first or at least that’s what I hear.” she shrugged. She really hadn’t been friends with any of her boyfriends or girlfriends, but she had heard that it was better to start out that way. “Do you feel better now? Since we kind of talked things out?”

[candicejriley]

Where: Candice’s House, The Palacio For: Cliodhna

Candice was glad she could entertain more people. She had always loved having people over to the beach house she shared with Ryan in California. They had a small group of friends, but she still liked entertaining them. Now that she was gaining more friends in Monleon, she had more opportunities to entertain which was a good and bad thing. Good because she loved having people around. Bad because she had to hold back from the majority of those people and she knew that at some point she was going to have to disappear with Ayden if people were sniffing too close to her. But she didn’t like to think about that. She preferred to think about the here and now. Here and now, she had invited Cliodhna over for Irish coffee and chit chat about Irish things. She had missed that so much. 

She had just sat down the tray with cups and sandwiches when she heard the door. She smiled and hopped over to the door opening it. “Hey, I’m glad you found my house alright.” She moved so the other woman could enter. “Irish coffee good for you? I didn’t put Bailey’s in because I wanted you to choose your own adventure for yours.” she grinned.

@cliodhnamcgrath​

[candicejriley]

Where: Candice’s House, The Palacio For: Zak

Candice hadn’t been used to another person being in her house besides Ayden, but when Zak needed a place to crash denying him never crossed her mind. He had been helping her for so long that it was the least she could do for him. Ayden had woken up in the middle of the night with a nightmare and held her tight until he fell asleep. He was still sleeping in the morning when Candice awoke to a small sliver of light peeking through her window shade. It was her first day of three days off from the hospital. She got up and brushed her teeth before washing her face and changing into comfy shorts and one of Ryan’s old t-shirts she liked to wear then made her way to the kitchen. 

Candice had always loved cooking. She was used to cooking for more people than just herself and Ayden and she was happy that she could do that now that Zak was staying for awhile. She quietly made her way into the living room not wanting to wake up her son or her friend that was sleeping in the guest bedroom. Taking out everything she needed, she brewed some coffee, scrambled some eggs, fried some sausage and then started on Ayden’s favorite chocolate chip pancakes. She hoped Zak would like them as well. She heard footsteps and assumed it was Ayden. “Hey Bud, be really quiet. Uncle Zak is still asleep. Are you ready for some chocolate chip pancakes and cartoons?” she smiled waiting to flip the pancake that was on the griddle.

@zakicarter​

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“I…I would like to have a relationship again, Candice. I’ts just…I’m not so sure I want it to be with Cason. It’s clear what he things of me. People say lots of things when they’re angry and most of them are truth so…” Ellie sighed. “I want to move on, I really want that. It’s just too hard, you know?” She wasn’t completely sure she wanted her ex back. She hurt him deeply and did the one thing she thought she never do. How could she cheat on him? There was the excuse, if you want to call it like that, that Cason was too preocupied with his book to give his girlfriend any attention, but instead of talking and working things out, she distanced herself from him to only end up in his best friend’s best. Maybe he was giving her a little bit of attention, but it was better than nothing, and Cason, at that time, was giving it more attention to his book than his own girlfriend. Both were to blame, but she was a cheater and no one could tell ehr otherwise, not even when Candice tried to help her. Yes, she would never do it again but the mistake was there.

Ellie couldn’t help but laugh at Candice’s question about Derek. “He’s just a friend, nothing more!” she said shaking her head. “The only friend I have here in Monleon, besides yourself, of course,” she took a sip of her drink. “I was with him at the event when all went to shit. We were just dancing ,you know? Cason saw it and he came at us, all jealous,” she rolled her eyes. “He was the one to say that I was dead to him and that he was going to ignore me if I walked down the street with him, so why act like a fucking jerk?” Ellie was glad Ayden was not there to hear her talk like that. “Derek punched him,” she snorted. “It was amazing but I felt horrible and then he said those things about me,” she sighed. “I guess my ex showed his true colors then, unfortunately.” Ellie then blushed. “Anyone would be lucky to have Derek. He’s very sweet.” 

Candice nodded as she listened and then shook her head. “Ell, that’s not always true. People say a lot of things when they’re upset and it is heavily fueled by feelings, but it’s not always the truth. Or their truth. Sometimes, when people are angry, they say things that they know is going to hurt you because they’re hurt. Hurt people, hurt people.” she nodded softly. “I definitely know. You have to remember you’re talking to the woman that asked you to channel her dead fiancé’s spirit three years after he’s been gone from this planet. Moving on is the hardest thing in the world. Believe me.” Candice said taking another sip of lemonade. She sometimes let fiancé slip even though Ryan never got the chance to propose, but there was intent so she figured it was okay. “Moving on sucks so much ass, but it’s necessary. If you live in the past, you don’t grow. If you don’t grow, then you can’t be your best self. Don’t you want to be your best self, Ell?”

Candice excitedly gathered her legs in the chair under her as she sipped more lemonade while Ellie chuckled as she spoke about Derek. “That laugh, smile, and blush is telling a very different story. In that story, he is definitely not just a friend.” she grinned. She rose an eyebrow slightly at the story of the gala. “Well, Cason had to see something there if it got him that jealous that he threw a tantrum like a child.” Candice shook her head. “Ell, he saw that someone was taking what he still wanted. That’s why Cason got upset. There are still some big feelings there for him or he wouldn’t have given two shits.” She knew that Ayden would just giggle at Ellie’s cussing and point to the swear jar they had. In the past, it had been Ryan filling it up, but now Candice was adding to it daily. Her mouth dropped slightly as Ellie told her about Derek’s response. “Well, damn. Sounds like a man defending your honor. I knew I liked him for a reason.” she chuckled. “Just don’t talk to him while he’s cutting things. He tends to slice himself a lot. He’s a frequent flyer in the ER.” she smiled. “Anyone? I don’t care about anyone. I care about you. You would be lucky to have him, Ell. Do you want him though? That’s the most important question here.”

[candicejriley]

magic-ellie​:

“No!” Ellie practically yelled whe nCandince asked her if she would ever do something like that again. “No, I would never do it again. I would rather die than cheat on someone, even if that can never happen because, who would have to be with me after I cheated on someone before? Even I wouldn’t trust myself.” She never saw herself as the cheating kind, she was not raised like that. Her mother was abandoned by her sweetheart and anyone else would probably have refused to be in another lationship for fear of going through the same thing. It was the same with Ellie. If she opened herself to a man, he probably wouldn’t want to be with her. “Once a cheater, always a cheater, that’s what I say,” she heard one of Cason’s friends say to her when they saw her in the streets of Alaska a couple of days after all went to hell. 

Ellie hugged Candince and for a moment the woman reminded her of her mom. Her poor family was worried about her since she called them to let them know what was happening. Even if she had told them everything was great, they would have noticed that it was a lie, especially one of her aunts. She could look at you in the eyes and see that you were not telling the truth. The moment she saw her mom’s face through a video call, Ellie began to cry. “He’s here, mom. I can’t run from it,” she told her. She shook her head and calmed herself. “I really don’t want to leave Monleon, but what choice do I have? It’s going to be hard seeing Cason around and I can’t just avoid him forever,” she said. “Besides there’s you, Ayden…and Derek,” she gave her a small smile. “I don’t want to leave what I’ve accomplished in just a few weeks.”

Candice’s eyes flew open at Ellie as she firmly told her that she would never cheat again. “Okay, let’s not sign our death certificate because of one mistake. Obviously, you learned your lesson which is a good thing, Sweetie.” she said softly rubbing her back. Candice sighed as Ellie told her who would want a cheater. “Alright, someone is going to want to be with you, Ellie. You’re beautiful, sweet, kind, compassionate, honest. You’re amazing and another man will find you amazing as well. Look, as a person that was cheated on a lot in the past, I can say that it sucks. It fucking sucks and it messes with your self esteem, but if I had closed myself off from relationships because of that, I would’ve never met Ryan and had an amazing relationship and an amazing son. My life would be very different. I probably wouldn’t even be a nurse.” she sighed remembering the early morning talks with Ryan where he constantly tried to convince her to go to college for nursing and stop the stripping that she had become very accustomed to. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you’ll have a very sad depressing life if you start closing people off and shutting them out and you’re too great of a person to have a life like that.”

Candice held Ellie for awhile glad that she could comfort her friend for awhile before listening as Ellie spoke. “Ell, you always have a choice. Your only choice isn’t to run away. You can stay and fight for what you want. I just don’t know if you’ve decided what that is and maybe that’s why you feel like you want to run. Do you want Cason back? Like relationship back?” she asked softly. She knew that relationships could be tricky and break ups when you were both in the same city were like daily landmines, but continuing to run wasn’t the best solution either. Candice smiled as she mentioned the people that she wanted to stay for. “Ahhhh, so now we really get to the girl talk part of this. What’s up with you and Derek? I want all the details. Don’t skip a thing!” she said hopping off the arm of Ellie’s chair and going back to her own pouring them both some more lemonade before starting to sip on hers as she looked at Ellie intently.

[candicejriley]

elenacordcva​:

𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄, 𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 — with @candicejriley.

The shopping centre in Hyde Park was a veritable zoo, as far as the volume and quality of people contained within its bounds, which was precisely why Eléna had taken refuge in the fitting rooms of one of the new boutiques that had recently opened. Shopping was one of the few things in life that gave her an instant boost of endorphins, and now that her husband had returned to Monleon from New York, she needed all of the happy chemicals she could possibly glean from a little bit of retail therapy. With the gala over, and nothing immediate on her slate of projects to distract herself with, she had taken to picking fights with Theo and anyone else who veered into her path to cure her boredom — and unhealthy coping mechanism for managing her restlessness, but one of the lesser evils in her arsenal. 

Emerging from her curtained-off dressing area, Eléna crossed the room to the three-paneled mirror in the corner to get a better glimpse at the fitted ivory gown she’d selected on a whim. She wasn’t necessarily sold on the style of the piece, the silver bead embellishments at the hem of the gown decidedly too bridal, but she appreciated the way it hugged her figure. With a scrutinizing eye, she smoothed down the fabric and gave the garment a once-over, then turned around to see how it looked from the back. A flicker of movement behind her caught her eye; she addressed the individual who’d walked into the room — likely the staffer she’d sent off in search of a two-tone silk midi dress in her size — without tearing her eyes from her own reflection. “I don’t think I like this one. It looks amazing on me, but it’s not working. It’s too… Kleinfeld-adjacent.” Twirling back to face her company, Eléna paused, realizing the individual wasn’t who she’d assumed. “Oh. I thought you were the saleswomen who’s been helping me. She’s been up my ass since I walked through the door. I think they make commission here — it definitely shows. Have you been here before?”

Candice was not one to frequent these types of stores. Her wardrobe consisted of scrubs, jeans, and t-shirts with the occasional dress thrown in there that she got to wear from time to time. But she needed a dress. A nice dress. It seemed that Ayden’s preschool was having a dress up day where the kids got to wear really nice clothes to school and parents were invited as well as long as they were dressed up as well. She had some extra money after paying the various bills she had so she figured she would buy a dress and surprise Ayden by wearing something he’s never seen her in before. 

Everything was really fancy here so she was looking around before she heard someone speaking to her. She turned to the woman with her eyebrows raised. “I mean, I agree. You do look very beautiful in it.” she smiled softly before the woman realized she wasn’t an employee. “No problem unless you want to know the price or location of a special dress in this store. I couldn’t help you with that unfortunately.” she chuckled. She nodded softly as the woman spoke. She could relate to making commission. You had to be persistent and driven in that kind of business. Candice was glad she had left it behind. “More than likely the employee is making commission. It’s not an easy road with a job like that. Ummm...does being here before include walking by and window shopping frequently? Because if that’s the case, then yes. I’m a frequent flyer a this boutique.” she smiled. “Are you buying a dress for a special occasion?”