✧ ˚ · modern lover

❝ arabella's got a SEVENTIES head but she's a MODERN lover, it's an EXPLORATION, she's made of OUTER space. and her lips are like the GALAXY'S edge. and her KISS the colour of a CONSTELLATION falling into place. ❞

[giannajpg]

&&. CHRISTIAN

Christian still wasn’t near drunk enough to completely lose himself on the dance floor, but the secret was that Gianna never had to push too hard to get what she wanted from him. She really was one of his very best friends…but that didn’t mean Christian didn’t have a reputation to uphold. “Uuuuugh,” he groaned for the sake of complaining, then threw back the remainder of his drink. He dropped it on the bar with a loud clink and grumbled, “The things I do for you,” all the while following her out onto the dance floor.

Gianna couldn’t help but smile as Christian gave into her desire to dance. She watched as he threw back the rest of his drink and quickly did the same with hers before leading him to the dance floor. “Even if you don’t show it, I know you want to dance with me,” she teased before hearing the song being changed. At the sound of Cascada’s voice singing Everytime We Touch, Gianna couldn’t help the loud squeal that escaped her lips as she bounced excitedly. “X, they’re playing our song!” she said, shaking his shoulders. The brunette began to dance to the music, singing the lyrics as she did so. She dances around Christian in a circle, encouraging him to dance with her. “If you don’t dance to our song, I will never speak to you ever again.”

[giannajpg]

&&. STELLA

stella was a little biased when it came to pizza. she was from new york for crying out loud but she was open to trying different kinds. the place that gianna had chosen was far worse than anything she could imagine but she was trying to be nice for her friend. the look on her face as she finished the current piece in her mouth wasn’t a pleasant one. she half smiled at gianna, shrugging a bit. “i mean, you tried your best to find a good place. that’s what matters, right?” she laughed, lifting her drink for a sip. “no, it’s pretty gross. you’re right. maybe we should have gone somewhere a bit nicer. you know like one of the chain pizza places around.” it wasn’t a big deal. she wasn’t even that hungry anyways. “we could just order drinks. that makes up for the shitty food most of the time.” 

gianna always enjoyed spending time with stella, even if it was over horrible food. if she had to eat another 5 slices of this pizza to be in her company, she'd do it. with pleasure. “i mean i tried to ball on a budget, but it just didn’t work out in my favour this time,” gianna laughed before nodding her head. “i’m glad we agree because this has to be the worst pizza i’ve ever eaten,” she said, pushing the pizza slice into the center of the table. “we could do that.. or we could go to a bar for some actual drinks, on me of course, to make up for the horrible pizza?” gianna suggested with a smile, arching a brow at stella.

[giannajpg]

&&. JABARI

jabari flexed his toes, tightening and releasing the muscles in his feet before pushing from tree pose into dancer pose. his arm sliding down his leg, gripping his bent foot and pulling it back so the sole of his foot touched the back of his head. “I keep tellin’ ya’ll it’s all about meditation and positive energies” he pushed his leg back so both were touching the ground, reaching up toward the sky and closing his eyes to recenter his chakra. completing his morning meditation, he crossed his arms and turned to talk to her face to face.”also weed helps” he winked and brushed past her as he reached to grab a cup for some water. “Hmmm..they’re probably made with coconut products instead of all that bleached flour but! I don’t mind stoppin at a normal bakery if ya want. my treat! ”  

gianna stared at jabari in awe as she took another gulp of her morning coffee. her brows arched at the sight of him pulling his foot to the back of his head. “if meditation means potentially breaking my leg in an attempt to relax, i’ll pass,” she smiled before seeing him walk past her. “weed? now you’re speaking my language. my stress is about to peak after being around this group for what feels like forever,” gianna grinned. “i don’t mind trying vegan ones, you know? maybe they’re better than the normal ones.”she shrugged. “pastries and weed as a treat from you sounds pretty amazing to me,” the brunette smirked as she finished her cup of coffee.

[giannajpg]

&&. CHRISTIAN

“Oh, yeah, I have no worries about tonight. I am a little worried about spending my last summer ever with everyone else,” he said, the familiar dread as he thought to the future slipping out. He took a deep chug from his drink, desperate to keep the demons at bay. Not here, not tonight, and not with Gianna. Luckily it was always easy to have a good time when they were together; she was one of the most fun and carefree people he knew. “Don’t test me, G, you know I’m only going to resist harder if you tease me,” he warned her before gulping down the shot she handed him as well. He could see exactly what she was doing, but with her he didn’t care; if there was one person in the world who could see him make a fool of himself on the dance floor, it was Gianna Cruz. Over his drink and the next round, he swept a glance over their surroundings. “They really got the disco thing down, I can’t tell if I’m impressed, or I hate it. All we need are some roller skates.”

Gianna rolled her eyes at Christian’s comment as she took a sip of her drink. She wasn’t going to deal with his pessimistic thoughts tonight, not while they were trying to have a good time. It was never hard to have fun with Christian anyways. “Your resistance is never any match to my methods and you know that,” she smirked before taking another shot. The girl knew that Christian would eventually give in and go dance with her, but not without a fight. “You love it, don’t lie. Who doesn’t love disco?” the girl smiled before tilting her head at him. “Maybe we should give you an afro to help you live the full disco experience,” she laughed as she ruffled his hair with her hands. “I don’t think roller skates and alcohol are a good combination. Heels are bad enough.” The beat of the music caused Gianna to glance back at the dance floor and then back at Christian. She wrapped her hands around both his wrists and gently tugged at him. “Let’s go dance, X, pleaseeee,” Gianna whined, her lips sticking out in a pout.

[giannajpg]

Gianna grimaced at the bite of her pizza. So much for the Chicago deep dish pizza hype. Maybe she could’ve decided on somewhere nicer, considering that this location never looked promising in the first place. After taking a large gulp of her drink to try get rid of that lingering taste of stale pizza from her mouth, the girl glanced over at the individual sitting across from her. “Okay so, I probably could’ve picked a nicer place but I wanted to give it a chance to prove itself and I can positively confirm that it didn’t,” she chuckled as she wiped her greasy fingers down with the tissue in front of her. “Anyways, what do you think about the pizza? Maybe my taste buds are just broken..” Gianna said, realizing she never waited to hear the other’s opinion. “Should we try somewhere else or are you happy enough to stay here and talk?” 

[giannajpg]

&&. JABARI

“ I have all that I need to make today a great day ”the sounds of the youtube video echoed around the shared living area. “I am a powerful creator. I create the life I want and enjoy it.” jabari took a deep breath as he shifted his body from the lunge twist into an open hip downward facing dog. he twisted his ankle in the air, letting out a breath as he pushed his body into scorpion. his feet pointed downward as his body bent in a c-form. “I choose to think positively and create a wonderful and successful life for myself.” jabari repeated the mantra as he slowly flipped himself over to a standing position. finishing his morning yoga routine in a simple tree II pose. he took a deep breath, smiling and completing his mantra “I am valuable and will make powerful contributions to the world today.” jabari took a deep breath a closed his eyes, centering his chakra flow to his stomach, visualizing it slowly pushing through his pressure points and giving his body strength. not thinking about how weird it was for someone to be doing yoga in the middle of a living room – while alexa played ocean atmospheric sounds and an iphone propped up on a plant playing a positive mantra. jabari felt another presence in the room so he smiled brightly and turned “morning!! I heard this lil’place in chicago sells real good bavarian rye sunflower bread if ya’ wanna join me”  

gianna stood in the living room door, coffee cup in hand as her eyes fell onto jabari doing yoga. she tilted her head as he moved into his various poses and cringed slightly at the thought of her even attempting to do them. the brunette finally walked into the room when alexa started playing those ocean noises. she returned the bright smile at jabari as he greeted her. “good morning! i can’t even imagine being as relaxed as you all the time,” she grinned before furrowing her brows at the name of what the boy wanted to buy. “i’m sorry bavarian what bread?” she asked before shrugging her shoulders. “but i mean, if they sell cinnamon buns as well as that sunflower seed bread thing, count me in.”

[giannajpg]

&&. CHRISTIAN

“What did we get ourselves into?” Christian asked, though his mood lifted considerably as they made their way for the bar. Even before they got started, the club’s environment and the anticipation of release was enough to boost his mood. Once they reached the bar, he pushed his way to the counter, his hand in Gianna’s to make sure she didn’t stray too far. They found the front, and he led her by the waist to plant her safely in front of him while he caught the bartender’s attention, then gestured for Gianna to order what she wanted. Once they finally had their drinks in hand, he replied, “We’ll see about that, G. If you think you’re gonna get me to dance without getting a lot more drinks in me, you’re lying to yourself, too.”

“We have gotten ourselves into what is to be one of the most fun nights on this road trip,” Gianna smiled as the atmosphere of the bar and the beat of the music excited her for the night ahead. After being led by Christian to the bar, the brunette ordered her drink and took a generous sip as she laughed at the boy’s comment. “Is that a challenge, X ? You know I love a good challenge, especially when it comes to you,” she smirked before turning to the bartender and ordering a round of shots. Gianna set her other drink down on the counter before seeing the shots placed in front of them. She handed one to Christian before taking one for herself. “To seeing Tanaka unleash his inner Beyoncé,” Gianna grinned as she raised the shot slightly in the air before tapping it on the counter and downing it quickly. Her face scrunched up for a moment before she shook her head and looked at Christian as she felt herself began to move to the beat of the music. “I won’t stop till you’re dancing,” she said loudly over the music as she picked up her drink and took another gulp of it.

[giannajpg]

spenceco·:

( * / @giannajpg ! ) while everyone else scurried out to see the sights, spencer took the opportunity to nap off his hangover while there was still some peace and quiet at the airbnb. the bonfire was definitely a night to remember, despite doing some things he’d probably rather forget. either way, sleep found him easily, and he welcomed it to take away what felt like a war going on in his head. a few hours passed and he finally rose from his slumber, hearing someone flush a toilet. peaking his head around the corner, he saw gianna standing at the sink, washing her hands. he snuck up behind her and leaned against the door frame, not bothering to throw a shirt on. “ you been here the whole time? ” he questioned, one eyebrow raised above the other.

after spending hours partying at a club she can’t recall the name of, gianna had come back to the airbnb early in the morning, hence her waking up this late in the day. when she woke up, she found herself in dire need of the bathroom. now she was standing in the mirror washing her hands as she scanned her appearance. tangled hair and raccoon eyes weren’t a good look and whoever’s t-shirt she was wearing barely reached her mid-thigh. she groaned at her post-party look, hoping no one would catch her in this state as she dried her hands. all hopes of not being seen were gone the second she felt a familiar presence and heard the voice of someone she knew all too well. gianna looked up at the mirror and locked eyes with spencer, quickly scanning his naked torso up and down before speaking, “i got in a couple of hours ago. i just got up, i’m sorry if i woke you,” she said in a groggy voice before turning around to face him, seeing him lean against the door frame. “also, why are you talking so loudly? i’m right in front of you, spence.” the alcohol from the night before clearly hadn’t worn off. “are you gonna let me get past you or do i have to throw hands?”

[ameliearquette-blog]

“Listen, I’m not gonna fuck around.” Slouched at the AirBnB table, brown eyes shielded by dark sunglasses, she turns a lazy gaze on her breakfast companion. “I’m not feeling a shit ton of activity today.” Sniffing, and with a single, dismissive wave of her hand, she dares the other to disagree. The weight of the previous night pins her to the chair, dark curls swept back in a messy bun and kept in place with a knotted handkerchief. Nestled in an old sweatshirt — her high school boyfriend’s, maybe, or her dad’s, — she can pretend she feels comfortable, soothed by the familiar fabric, but really her head pounds and her patience frays. She has to wait for a yawn to pass before she can share the definitive schedule she’s created on the spot. “I want a big brunch with mimosas. And then the art museum. Then a nap. Then more drinks. That’s the plan.” 

[giannajpg]

The brunette took a bite out of her toast as she sat across from Amelie. Clearly last night was weighing more on her than it was on Gianna. The sight of the girl only reminded her of the aftermaths of all their previous nights out. She had taken it easy last night to keep an eye on Dillon, who decided to go all out. Her eyebrow raised at Amelie’s plan for the day. “I agree to brunch, mimosas and more drinks but, an art museum? Seriously, Amelie? How old do you think we are, 80?” she says, cringing slightly at the mention of the museum. “We should be doing things we shouldn’t or at least things that are more interesting than a few splatters of paint on a canvas.” Her lips curve into a smile as she comes up with a revised plan. ”How about we do your big brunch with mimosas, get on some rides at the pier, nap, then get more drinks at a bar where we can dance and wake up the next morning regretting it? We both know you want toooo,” she said, poking at Amelie’s side gently. “Come on, it’ll be fun, I promise.”

[tanakafm]

( @giannajpg ) “I really needed this,” Christian said to Gianna as they waited in the line to get into a bar. Rumor had it there was a disco on one of the seven floors, which wasn’t quite Christian’s speed, but he’d do anything to spend time with Gianna at this point. “Everyone else has been driving me fucking crazy, and it’s only the second week.”

[giannajpg]

It didn’t take much convincing to get Gianna to go out partying. After Christian had promised her dancing and a good time, she was already getting ready to go. Plus, Christian was good company after all. After a week of camping, time away from the group seemed like a dream. As they made their way up further in the line Gianna nodded at the boy with a small laugh, “Same here, I didn’t know how much longer I would be able to put up with everyone at once, especially without a drink.” When they finally got into the bar, Gianna smiled in excitement as she glanced over at Christian. “Lead the way, X. By the way, if you think you won’t be dancing with me tonight, you’re lying to yourself.”

[giannajpg]

&&. DILLON

Dillon dusted his hands off on his jeans and laughed along with Gianna. While Dillon normally would outright refuse any alcoholic beverage, this was the summer for habits to be broken. Dillon trusted Gianna to notdo anything too outrageous, and besides, how bad could alcohol REALLY be? “I guess, seeing as we are truly academic geniuses, maybe one victory drink won’t hurt…” Dillon hesitated as he spoke. He had heard so many horror stories involving alcohol, did he really want to take the risk? Dillon nodded his head, as if to re-iterate what he had said previously. “Let’s do it. What do we drink?” Dillon was completely new to this, he didn’t know what was good, or what was bad, Gianna was his guide.

After Dillon’s easy surrender to the alcohol, Gianna didn’t hold back. They went all out and in no time at all, they were both hammered. After every shot, everything seemed to get funnier. The two of them were in a fit of giggles when Gianna looked over at one of the poles behind Dillon. When she decided that the pole looked out of place, she groaned as she reached over and pushed it further into the tent. In doing that, the tent suddenly collapsed on top of the two of them. She couldn’t contain her laughter at what had just happened as she made her way out from underneath the now destroyed tent, holding her hand out for Dillon to do the same. “Sofia will not be happy when she comes back to find she has no tent to sleep in.”

[giannajpg]

&&. CHRISTIAN

“I make no promises, but don’t pretend like you’re not just waiting for an excuse to drown me every day anyway,” Christian said. He pulled a map from his backpack, quickly placing them on the page. “All right, looks like we’re going west.” He started in the other direction, then looked back at Gianna. “What’s the hold-up, G?”

“X, sometimes it makes me sad knowing how well you know me. I don’t think I can ever get away with anything around you anymore,” she smiled. Gianna watched as Christian pulled out the map and decided to go west. The girl wasn’t 100% sure that Christian was going in the right direction. “Are you sure it’s west? If you’re planning on killing me, taking me in the wrong direction for a start isn’t the right way to go about it,”

[giannajpg]

&&. DILLON

Dillon laughed at Gianna, and began feeding the pole through the tent, with her help. “What can I say, I’m an impressive guy!” He laughed again, just as they finished feeding through the first pole. “Honestly, if Sofia asks, we’re saying we were the fastest.” He looked around at the perfectly erected tents, shaking his head at how pathetic their crumpled tent looked compared to their friends. Dillon picked up the second pole that was on the floor. There was a fierce determination in his face as he began to work with the second pole. “This is OUR time to prove Sofia wrong. Lets build this tent!” Dillon finished his last expression with added enthusiasm, ready to take this challenge head on.

After another 20 minutes of trying to decipher pictures and translate French instructions, Gianna looked at their now built tent with pride. She let out an excited squeal and jumped up and down like a child for a minute before she laughed and looked over at Dillon. “Talk about easy work, am I right? They could’ve atleast made it a little challenging for people on our intellectual level,” she teased with a grin before sitting down on the floor in front of the tent. “I think we deserve a drink, or seven, after all that work,” she suggested, glancing over at Dillon with a suggestive look. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t agree to anything of the nature without a little lot of convincing. “C’mon, it’ll be fun and I know that deep, deep, deep down, you want to aswell.”

[giannajpg]

&&. ELODIE

Elodie’s hands fiddle behind her back, and she shifts from one foot to the other, pondering what else she could possibly say. It was embarrassing, especially with the assured smile that Gianna wore. She didn’t sit, preferring to maintain her distance and have an opportunity for a quick exit if need be. Preferably a quick exit off the wrong side of a cliff. “ I — I don’t care how I … did! ” She realises she’s speaking a little louder than intended, and her voice lowers. “ Look. I made a very big mistake. And I already feel … horrible about it, and I would appreciate it if you used — ” She can’t help it as her voice maintains a shakiness, and she digs a thumbnail into her palm to try and ground herself. Use your words, Elodie. “ Discretion. And just … didn’t mention any of it to anyone. Please. ”

Gianna arched her brow at Elodie’s decision not to sit down. She bit down on her bottom lip to prevent herself from smiling so that Elodie didn’t think she wasn’t taking her seriously. “Just incase you really do care, your technique was exemplary,” she said, failing to hold back her grin. The volume in the girls voice surprised her slightly but also proved how serious she was being about the situation. Gianna nodded her head at Elodie, as she encouraged her to finish her sentence before she decided to say anything in response.”You know, it’d be nice if you talked to me and not at me,” she says before tapping the seat next to her again. “Elodie, it was just a kiss. I’m not gonna go tell everyone that it happened, don’t worry. I’m not that type of person,” she assured her, smiling sincerely. “You’re clearly confused right now and there’s nothing wrong with that, we've all been there." Gianna took another sip of her water before she shrugged her shoulders and smirked at the other girl, "I mean hey, I’m all up for being your dirty little secret. It sounds kinda hot, right?”

[giannajpg]

&&. CHRISTIAN

“I never doubt you, my dear, sweet Gianna,” Christian said and flashed her with his most charming smile while slouching even further into the passenger seat. “That’s why I need you if I ever have to bury a body. Maybe I could do it with someone else, but it just wouldn’t be the same without–” the GPS cut off his fawning with a delightfully monotone, “You’ve arrived.” Christian just barely trumped it in excitement with a clipped, “Hell yeah,” as he hurled himself out the passenger door before the van even came to a full stop.

After a quick stretch, he looked back at Gianna and asked, “Are we swimming now or what?”

Christian’s comments made Gianna laugh and she couldn’t but smile at him. When she opened her mouth to cut Christian off, she heard the GPS sound. The girl released a sigh of relief at the fact that they actually made it and that she hadn’t crashed the van. After bringing the van to a full stop, Gianna got out and closed the door behind her. As she walked towards Christian, she smirked at his request, “Only if you promise not to do anything that will make me have to drown you.”

[giannajpg]

&&. SOFIA

with laila in her hands, sofia quickly got herself up to look at the figure. “uh-..” she stood there for a moment not, expecting that person to be none other than gianna cruz. things were extremely awkward between the two of them ever since that night sofia turned her down after gianna confessed her feelings. she wasn’t into girls at all or, atleast.. that’s what she thought at the time. “of course you’re not!! she just really likes you, i guess.” sofia returned the girls smile, attempting to move past the tension between the two. it seemed as if gia was almost trying to do the same. “she slept for most of it– you know laila.. she just loves her sleep.” sofia scratched the dog behind her ear before speaking again. “buut, as for me – im settling in pretty well. im just so excited to record this entire journey.. my head is literally buzzing with so many ideas!!”

seeing sofia in front of her brought back many emotions to gianna. admitting to someone that you like them is hard enough and when the worst case scenario is the result that you get, it leads to a long night of trying to forget it ever happened in multiple ways. “at least she really likes me,” she smiled, the smile not reaching her eyes as she ran her hand through the dog’s fur. maybe it wasn’t the best thing in front her but clearly she was still a lil hurt. gianna nodded at her response to her question before looking up at sofia. “it’s gonna be pretty amazing. if you plan on recording me for your channel make sure to leave my socials in the description or something, i could do with some of those followers of yours,” the girl laughed. “so, what are you looking forward to the most on the trip?”

[giannajpg]

&&. SPENCER

he couldn’t help the small smile that grew from her compliment. he knew it was all in good fun, just like his was, but it was still a nice sentiment. soon after her agreement he took it upon himself to reach over and pull the cooler in front of him, using its lid as a place to dispense the baggy’s contents. as he got to work, spencer was all too aware of gianna’s knee pressed against his, and the longer he sat there, the more he picked up on the lingering smell of her perfume mixed with a little sweat. he recognized that smell almost as much as the weed. “tell you what, gi,” he said, looking at her as he licked the rolling paper. “as soon as i’m done with my makeshift table here, i’ll open it up and present you with the coldest beer i can find.”

anytime she was around spencer, gianna’s mood was instantly lifted. she wouldn’t admit that to him though, it’d make her look soft and he’d probably tease her for it. the brunette watched as spencer did his thing and tilted her head at him with a wide smile when he began to speak. “i’m listening, spence.” her eyes instantly went to his tongue licking the rolling paper and she felt her cheeks heat up. could she get her head out of the gutter for two minutes? with that, her eyes went back to his as she heard him continue on. “what?” the girl said, clearly distracted. “oh, the coldest beer, right.” she said, finally realizing what he had said. “sounds good to me but you’re gonna have to let me play catch up to you,” she smirked before picking up one of the rolled joints and putting it between her lips, “light?”