ｃａｓｅｙ ｃａｓｅ

[caseyninghuang]

dombaccari​:

.

Maybe he was a sociopath.

Or maybe there was no maybe about it.

Dominic was fairly certain that any normal person might feel bad for their behavior, for watching the almost childlike light in her eyes dim as he’d snapped at her. As it was, he couldn’t find a single shred of regret within him. These days, he almost counted on the world to hide their faces behind the screens of their little phones. Maybe they were feeding their souls and few remaining braincells to the devil, but at least they were leaving him the fuck alone.

The line moved around him, awkward shuffling as the few people in the shop gave him a wide berth. He stepped out of line to collect himself because while remorseful he was not, he still knew when his clawing temper was close to boiling over. And he knew when it was entirely undeserved.

He watched the woman from earlier make her purchase, watched her make her way towards the door, and tightened his folded arms across his chest as his eyes slid back to the counter, and then the floor where it looked like her wallet had fallen. He glanced around, bored, while he waited for someone– anyone– else to notice before he sighed and squared his jaw. 

Swiping the wallet from the floor, he headed towards the door, flipping it open only long enough to glance at the name. Bennett. It didn’t ring any bells, so that was good, anyway. At least it wasn’t Hawthorne. Or Crane.

“Hey,” he called to the retreating figure, faltering her steps long enough for his long strides to close the distance. He said nothing as he held out the wallet, his face still a mask of boredom. 

As he handed it over, he said, “A lot of things.” A barely there twitch in his lips as the confusion seemed to settle between them. He nodded his head back towards the shop. “I heard you wondering what the fucking my problem was. Figured I’d give you an answer.”

.

Casey had a way of internalizing every negative interaction. If someone didn’t like her, she would go into an endless mental tunnel, beating herself up about it and wondering why exactly she was so unlikable to that individual in particular. What had she done to deserve Dom reacting to her in such a manner? Maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut and she wouldn’t have ruined his day and made him immeasurably disappointed. That was a problem she would never have again though, as she had no plans of interacting with the strange man anytime soon.

However, plans always had the possibility of changing. What she hadn’t expected was for her wallet to be in his hands, it was definitely the last thing she wanted. He wasn’t nice by any means of the word and if she could avoid even breathing in his direction, she would love that. 

The discomfort showed in her face as he approached her, but she reached out and took the wallet back with a slow nod, a crooked and awkward smile following soon after. “Thanks..” she opted not to comment on anything else because quite frankly, she was horrified to say anything else to him. “Sorry..” she peeped out and cleared her throat, quickly turning away from him.

[caseyninghuang]

freddiefkncrane​:

“Dinner, it is.” Freddie confirmed, pleased that Casey was so easily won. He’d hardly said two words to her and here she was accepting a dinner invitation from a stranger. He noticed her trying to conceal a smile from him. She seemed just as pleased with herself for catching his attention. “Ah..” Freddie inspected the business card when the young woman handed it to him. “Interior design work.. you’re my girl. I like the sound of that.” He nodded and tucked the card away into the pocket in his shirt. “How does tonight work for you?”

x

This man was not only incredibly abrupt, but he seemed to know what he wanted. Still unsure of whether or not she found that attractive, she pocketed that to mull over by herself later on. For now, she had a date to go on and she was more than happy to oblige. “Ah... sounds good.” it was clear she was still a little shocked by how soon he wanted to see her in her voice. After clearing her throat, she pointed to the card she’d given him and chuckled through her nostrils. “Just uh.. text me and I’ll respond with the address?” she was definitely not letting him pick her up from home, she watched far too much Lifetime for that. Instead, she would choose a friend’s house.

[caseyninghuang]

dylan-westwick​:

-

She figured that James must’ve not told Casey about what was going on in her personal life, which she appreciated. The less people who knew, the less people who would come up to her and share their condolences. She was all ‘I’m sorry for you loss’-ed out for the time being. Not that it was anyone’s fault, they were just trying to give her the respect that she deserved and Dylan knew that. She only half listened to what the other woman had said and so she just nodded since that felt like a safe response. “Yeah, definitely.” Her attention span was starting to waiver more and more as her mind drifted. She figured it was probably about time for her to find Atlas to see if he might be able to take her home.

x

While Casey and James often spoke about Dylan, recently they’d barely had time to bond with one another. Her schedule kept her incredibly busy, so it was possible James mentioned it to her, but in the midst of all she hadn’t fully heard the discussion. “Well... if you need anything, let me know, okay?” she didn’t want to pry about what was making her aloof, she figured she could ask James about it later. In the meantime, she gave Dylan one more little squeeze of a hug and stepped over to grab herself another glass of wine.

[caseyninghuang]

draslihanxfahri-bailey​:

Giggling, she looked away for a moment. Her eyes landing on Ray and watching him for a moment. Her smile never faltered, yet it grew. Her eyes soft as she felt her heart beat happily. “I never believed in that sort of thing before him,” she admitted bashfully. She glanced back to her friend and her smile grew sheepish. “I mean… All my life, I thought of logistics and realistic views. The concept of soulmates and fate and guardian angels… I never really believed in all of that. Yet Ray… Ray helped me to become a believer. The moment I realized he was my best friend was the moment I realized he was my soulmate. I just wish I realized my feelings for him sooner and hadn’t waited. But… that doesn’t matter anyways now. I mean, he’s my husband.” Pausing, the anthropologist laughed happily and squealed a little. “God, I love getting to call him that! He’s my husband… He’s my husband!” Full of giggles, she hugged Casey back. “I love him. I love him so much, Case.”

x

Two people who were absolutely in love, sharing lifelong promises, vows that they truly meant. Sure, it was an inconvenience that she needed to fix her makeup after quietly sobbing at how beautiful the wedding was, but that meant nothing because the truth was, she was so happy for them. Having dealt with various types of brides, she knew Asli was truly in love. This wasn’t for show, it was so real. “I’m so happy you found him. Look at the way he looks at you..” finding herself nearly tearing up again, she tilted her head back and dabbed at it with her finger quickly before finally looking to her friend again. “And he clearly loves you, too. I’m totally gifting you two a luxury couple’s spa day. I get discounts as a wedding planner.”

[caseyninghuang]

freddiefkncrane​:

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Casey,” Freddie smiled charmingly at the young woman, seeing potential when he looked at her. He followed her example and introduced himself as well. “I’m Freddie.” He folded the memberships forms in his hand in half and tucked them into his back pocket. “Tell me if I’m being too forward, Casey but.. would you consider humoring a non-yoga instructor with some of your time? I’d love to treat you to a coffee for your kindness.” He wet his lips then added to his invitation. “Or dinner.. if that’s more your taste.” @caseybennett​

x

Often times when the youngest Bennett met someone she’d never come across before in town, she would repeat their name in her head to see if they’d never been mentioned to her before. Freddie didn’t ring a bell, so she thought nothing of it. “I would love that.. dinner sounds good.” The smile that crept on her face was something she tried to hide for a moment because it was incredibly dorky and she did not want to come off too excited to go on a date. Reaching into her yoga bag, she pulled out one of her business cards and handed it over to him. “Best way to get in touch with me... also if you know anyone who needs a wedding planned or a little interior design work, I’m your gal.”

[caseyninghuang]

dylan-westwick​:

-

Dylan was checking her phone for the umpteenth time to see if her mom or sisters had reached out to her. Things were pretty much in order when she had left to come back, but she was still constantly worried and feeling guilt among other things. She tensed up a bit at the hug, not knowing who it was at first, but then she heard Casey and still felt odd when the younger woman called her a nickname for sister. Casey reminded her a lot of June when she was younger, but also she was a lot like her brother. Usually the energy was something she found endearing, but right now it was a bit overwhelming. “Hey, no I think I lost him too, he’s probably on out there dancin’,” she nodded towards the group of people enjoying the music. “I think you’re in the clear for whatever it was you were doin’ that he’d get all grumpy about.” 

-

Casey almost immediately noticed that the energy was off when she went to greet Dylan. The two of them were close because of her brother, but not close enough for her to start digging and prying with questions to make sure she was alright. Instead, she kept the same smile she had on when she came over in the first place and tilted her head to one side. “Well, thank God he can’t see me collecting numbers. I’m going to leave here with a future husband.” She joked and looked off to the side before checking her own phone to see if she’d gotten any texts from the man she met at the yoga studio earlier in the week. He seemed like a nice guy overall and she simply loved the idea of being adored by a man.

[caseyninghuang]

draslihanxfahri-bailey​:

Her smile grew the moment she saw Casey. However, she blushed the moment she complimented her. Even on her wedding day, she was incredibly awkward with compliments. “Trust me, you are a real life goddess, Case. Red is such a gorgeous colour on you.” She was more than ready to compliment the blonde before her. Receiving compliments was a different story. Yet she was happy to move on from either as Casey went into wedding planner mode. Giggling, the brunette shook her head before taking her hands to squeeze them gently. “I’m all good, I promise. I just want to make sure that you and everyone is having a wonderful time.” Especially Ray and Alex. Looking away from her friend, her eyes landed on her husband as she saw him talking with some friends. Her smile grew and there was a warm sparkle in her eyes as she watched him for a moment. “How did I get so lucky, Casey? He’s my soulmate, he truly is.” It was something she’s known ever since she first realized Ray was her best friend. For nearly two years now, she’s known that the man was a part of her in a way she couldn’t explain at first. He knew her better than she knew herself and now, they were going to have an entire future together. “God, I love him so much…”

x

There as something about seeing the absolute adoration and love in Asli’s eyes that made Casey smile. Having planned quite a few weddings at this point, nothing really hit home like seeing her own friend getting married to someone she loved so deeply and he clearly made her so incredibly happy. One day, she would be the one walking down the aisle, marrying that prince charming she kept watching in every Disney movie she binged as a child. Thankfully, she never felt any jealousy for her friends when they were having their princess moment and the same obviously reigned true for Asli and her day. “You know, sometimes I think that we’re all set with that one person by chance. Your angels were looking out for you the day the two of you met. They knew that y’all were meant for each other and now look at you..” the smile on her face showed no signs of leaving anytime soon, pulling her friend in for a quick hug.

[caseyninghuang]

Who: @dylan-westwick​ Where: The Jade Palace (Becker Wedding)

Casey had been making her rounds at the wedding, flirting here and there, snagging a few numbers along the way because, of course that was how she got down. During her little solo cha cha slide, she saw Dylan and immediately went over to wrap her arms around the other girl in a quick hug. “Hey sissy, how have you been?” she asked in a soft tone, immediately fixing Dylan’s hair up a bit and humming happily as she did so. “Have you seen James? I think I lost him... well I hope I did.” she joked and twisted her lips up as she pretended to look around for him in a feigned panicked manner. Obviously she absolutely adored any time she got to spend with her brother.

[caseyninghuang]

jjbennett​:

Who: @caseybennett​ Where: Jade Palace at Ray & Asli’s Wedding Reception

“What are you doing?”

James glared at his sister sinisterly. He saw what she had done and he was having none of it. The night was going well: Ray and Asli were married and happily swaying on the dance floor; he had officiated his first wedding without a hitch; and Dylan, despite being heartbroken, still willed herself to come here. So he wasn’t about to let Casey ruin everything.

He took a step forward, glanced at the table, and then returned his steely gaze at Casey. “Were you seriously about to take the last ham and cheese croissant when I was clearly going for it?” He pursed his lips. “You’re asking for trouble, Kiddo.”

x

Casey’s blue eyes slowly danced over to her brother who was speaking to her and in natural Casey fashion, she reached out and grabbed the croissant with a playful smile and tilt of her head. “Better luck next time, bobble head.” she chimed out with a soft laugh as she gazed around the room. People watching could be incredibly fun, especially when drinks and emotions were mixed in and none of it had to do with Casey herself.

“Didn’t Asli look absolutely stunning today? I really can’t wait for my own wedding day..” she trailed off in thought for a moment, thinking about any possibilities that came to mind but really she had none. After her last relationship she kind of took a romantic sabbatical. “Here.” she said as she broke the croissant in half over the plate and held one side of it out for him to take.

[caseyninghuang]

Instagram Post

@weddingsbycaseyb: congratulations to the amazingly beautiful bride and groom, love you, Asli babe! xoxo Amazing work done by the planner (not me!)

[caseyninghuang]

draslihanxfahri-bailey​:

It finally happened. Holy fucking shit, it’s finally happened: they’re married! Her and Raymond were actually married. While the past month has been a crazy whirlwind, the past few days have been a hurricane. Asli had been trying to keep on her head as much as possible and fortunately, Ray brought clarity when everything else seemed crazy. It’s been a few hours since she and Ray were officially declared as husband and wife and the brunette couldn’t stop beaming. From spending time with Ray and Alex to also making sure to talk with everyone at least once, especially to thank them for coming to the wedding, she certainly was busy. Fortunately, she was on an adrenaline rush and was able to keep up. “Hey!” she greeted with a bright grin. “Thank you so much for being here. It means the world to Ray and I.”

OPEN STARTER: the beckers’ wedding reception at the jade palace (capping @ 5!!) // @providencepeakstarters​​

Casey was incredibly happy for Asli, this was every young woman’s dream and she couldn’t help but be brought to tears during the wedding. With a smile on her face, Casey reached out to place a hand on Asli’s shoulder and rubbed it with her thumb. “You look absolutely beautiful, Asli... and I’m so incredibly happy for you. I can’t get over how lovely you look, like a real princess..” Still tearing up some, she used her manicured fingers to dab at her tears not to mess up her makeup. “Do you need anything? Water, ice? Maybe a little more food?” she knew more than anyone how overwhelming being the bride on the actual day of their wedding.

[caseyninghuang]

freddiefkncrane​:

Freddie had no plans to follow through with filing membership forms and if he did, he wasn’t going to be taking any classes. But the ploy was enough to keep the attractive blonde on the hook, so he persisted. “Super zen? Sounds about right for a yoga studio,” he nodded, drinking in the woman’s pleasant demeanor. “Ah-ha. So, a man has to be a yoga instructor to grab your attention?” he teased, flashing a winning smile. “If only I’d known sooner..”    

.

Casey was typically used to men hitting on her, but not very often when she was wearing minimal makeup and her workout attire. So she went into observation mode, all the while keeping the smile plastered across her expression. He seemed older, surely he was married. He smelled pretty good, maybe it was an expensive cologne? She wasn’t completely sure, but it seemed like the man had money. Was he a control freak? Most of them were. Still, she smiled through all of her thoughts, even chuckled at his last comment. “Looks like you just missed the Casey Interest Train, better catch it next time.” she retorted before realizing she hadn’t told him her name. “I’m Casey, by the way.”

[caseyninghuang]

misstatumjames​:

“Go ahead and pick out whatever you want, baby,” Tatum said to her 5 year old son, Davis who was already drooling at the sight of all of the candy in the store. Chuckling to his face, she gave his hand a squeeze and looked around before meeting a woman’s excited eyes. “Heaven on Earth, huh? My son seems to think so too,” she said, motioning to her son who couldn’t look away from the candy. “I want it all mommy!” Davis said after a moment finally looking up at her and Tatum laughed.

Little Davis was probably the cutest kid she’d ever seen. With the brightest of smiles, Casey knelt down so she could be face to face with him, tilting her head to one side. “What’s your favorite? I bet your candy choices are way cooler than mine!” she teased with a soft laugh, reaching up to ruffle his hair lightly before fully standing to her feet once again. “I think we should get him all the candy, that’s the only choice.”

[caseyninghuang]

jjbennett​:

James was just getting out of the shower when he heard Casey call out to him from the kitchen. With a look of shock on his face, he turned the corner. “Did you really just say ‘beyond beef’?” he asked. “Kiddo, you know I don’t eat substitutes. Nothing but authenticity around here.” He dried his hair with a towel as he sat at the counter. 

“How’s the planning going? Did that bride finally get off your back?” he asked. He raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, Kiddo. Yoga just isn’t my thing. We can go on a hike though. Rey would love that, wouldn’t you?” The puppy, however, was too busy chewing her toy. 

Casey looked at him with a scrunched nose and arms folded over her chest. Her eyebrows raised for a few moments before she spoke. “Beyond meat literally tastes the same, James. It’s just healthier for you to have in the interim!” But alas, she wasn’t here to prove to her brother that alternating between real meat and beyond meat was healthier for him.

“She’s a a monster, she’s made major changed at least six times... this week alone.”  Her eyes rolled before checking her phone just in case, quickly locking it again and putting it into the pocket of her leggings. “Early morning hike with Rey, sounds good! Will Dylan be coming?” she liked Dylan a lot, she was a sweet girl. Any time she got to spend with her was a bonding experience she was looking forward to.

[caseyninghuang]

leilabarak​:

.

The huge bag of gummies was probably a bit extreme, but Leila liked to know that she had enough just in case. “Oh - no, it’s…I mean. It takes me awhile to get through a whole bag, I just like to be prepared,” Leila chuckled, brushing a hand along the back of her neck. It was definitely a lot of candy to be buying, but Leila liked what she liked and gummies were towards the top of that list. As the other woman lifted up her own bag to share what she was getting, Leila’s eyes widened a bit, mildly overwhelmed by the energy Casey had. “You uh…really like candy, huh?” Leila didn’t ever stray much outside of the one thing that she always got, content to stick to what she knew she liked. Her eyes blinked rapidly, brain processing all of the different thoughts Casey was bouncing between. “But, uh, mo. I don’t…think I’ve ever matched a lollipop to my clothes. I don’t…really eat lollipops much?” Outside of maybe the suckers you’d get after going to the doctor as a kid, Leila hadn’t ever eaten too many of them.

.

Almost immediately, her lips formed a small ‘o’ as she came to the realization that the woman hadn’t planned to eat it all in one seating. “Well, duh. That makes far more sense since you seem to have all of your teeth.” she teased, placing a few of her favorite chocolate into her bag as well, listening to the other woman’s question with a few blinks. Her blue eyes danced between the bag in her hand and the woman speaking to her quite a few times before giving a playfully nervous laugh. “Well you see... it’s my life source. If I don’t eat candy, I turn into a roblox character.” And she gave a firm nod with that statement as well. “You should do it... it’s especially fun when you do it for Holidays.”

[caseyninghuang]

freddiefkncrane​:

Freddie offered a charming smile as the woman acknowledged his request, doing so much as checking her bag to see if she had a pen to lend him. While she was distracted in that task, he had a moment to look her over. She was quite pretty. It wouldn’t be any kind of torture for him to pay her a little more attention. “Aw, well.. aren’t you sweet for trying to help me.” He showed the woman his incomplete membership forms. “I guess I’ll have to take these home with me if I want to join..  seems like you’re a member though. How do you like it here?”   

.

Casey’s kryptonite was one major thing.. good looking men. Freddie was just the type she would typically go for with his piercing blue eyes and carrying himself with such confidence. That didn’t mean she wasn’t being more careful after her ex though. “No problem!” she chimed, figuring she could head off to the room not but then she heard him continue to speak, so she decided to linger at the front desk for a little while longer. “Love it. It’s super zen... and the instructors are all really good looking.” the sweet smile she’d had since the beginning of their interaction was becoming more natural as time went on.

[caseyninghuang]

khalilhassan​:

***

Lips parted and a scoff fell flat on the tip of his tongue. It was hard to tell whether or not she was being serious, but he opted to not play into the joke one way or another. “Good to know that you know your limits. I just like to snack on something every now and then. You never know how much you need something sweet until it’s two in the morning and everything is closed.” It wasn’t unusual that it happened to him, seeing as his sleep schedule was entirely screwed, but with this little stop, it’d be the last time he didn’t have something to combat it with. He watched as she shifted around before rising up again, his dark hues falling on hers. An amused sound of laughter fell from the man’s mouth as he shook his head and tried to ignore the way his cheeks were heating up. “That might be the lamest thing I’ve ever had, but hey, major points for delivery,” he grinned, chin dipping low before he looked her way. “How long have you been waiting to use that one?”

Casey held a finger up to the much taller man with her eyebrows raised, tilting her head to one side and doing her best not to erupt into laughter before dealing her next line. “And by the way, I’ll have you know.. I’m every man’s dream. Not just a dentist.” Immediately, her lips curled over her teeth as she put her fist in front of her mouth. There was no way she could let herself laugh now, not after delivering such an iconic line. But she finally gave in and started laughing as she looked at him. “You know, I’m just on my journey to becoming a fuckboy and if you ask me, I’m doing pretty well... ‘lil mama.”