charlotte gave a small smile at the nora ephron comment â but still she really wanted hazel to get what she wanted instead of just waiting for something to happen. for all of the times that the two had gushed about wanting to fall in love and get married, charlotte was the only one of the pair who pursued it. and yeah, sometimes it hurt and sometimes it ended badly. but god, she wanted hazel to experience love so badly. all of the highs and lows, all of the fights and making up, itâs what she deserved. âokay, tinder isnât always the best option but itâs still important to put yourself out there. and plus, even if you donât need the one, thereâs no shame in dating for fun, right?â
âiâve been on dates,â she insisted in her own defense, which was technically the truth... but of course she had been on exactly one date b.i. (before ivan) and one after. the first one was best described as disastrous all around and even though sheâd thought the other one had actually gone pretty well, hazel was eventually ghosted. that one still kind of hurt. hazel groaned at charlotteâs insistence, âi guess... but everyone says they just get unsolicited dick pics all the time. thatâs not very nora ephron or cinderella.â she scrunched up her nose at the idea... cindy had shown her more than enough of her collection. âmy mom keeps trying to get me on christian mingle or whatever, and i honestly donât know what sounds less appealing at this point.â
Riley swayed from side to side, growing a little impatient. Heâd agreed to meet Hazel at the entrance of the building but heâd been waiting a while with no sign of the girl. Pulling out his phone, he frowned at the lack of response. When heâd given up spamming her, heâd called and it immediately went to voicemail. Okay wow so she was really gonna play him like this. Pocketing the device, he started to wonder if sheâd forgotten or heâd been stood up. Well, at least he was inside or heâd be infinitely more irritated. Not that she wouldnât be hearing about it when he did eventually find her. And he would find her.Â
Riley was really about to give up when Hazel entered the building, âWell, about damn time!â Riley yelled back, throwing his arms dramatically, âWhat do you mean what am I doing in here? I was waiting for you. If you answered your phone youâd know that. Like damn really made me wait 20 minutes.â Looking around at his surroundings Riley returned his gaze to Hazel and crossed his arms, â⌠Uh no duh? This is the entrance? There is literally only one door into this building what are you even saying right now.âÂ
Hazel also threw her arms out in sheer disbelief that he was actually giving her that attitude. âI was waiting for you!â she rebutted, entirely convinced that she was in the right. She was always on time, always. Besides, as much as she absolutely adored Riley, she wasnât sure sheâd put it past him to forget about their plans and then try to pin it on her. âAnd I totally tried to call you but my phone is dead,â she told him, fishing it out of her pocket to demonstrate that it was in fact completely unresponsive... not that she was expecting him not to believe her. If anyone knew how poorly she managed her phone, it was definitely him.
It should have been incredible that they were actually debating what âwaiting by the entranceâ meant but with her and Riley? It honestly wasnât. âUm, no,â she told him, staring at him like he was some kind of alien. "This is the foyer entrance. The actual entrance obviously refers to the vestibule, which I just had to walk all the way through before I found you.â
âone time, my dad asked if i wanted to go backstage to meet the jonas brothers and i was so scared that ryder was going to embarrass me in front of joe that i faked being sick.â aylie recalled as she shoved a piece of fruit into her mouth while sitting on the couch of their suite at the ritz carlton in denver. âand i feel like iâve let it ruin my chance at ever becoming a jonas sister so i will never forgive him. i could have been in all of their new music videos.â she looked over at the blonde who was entertaining aylie by listening to her rant - definitely an outcome of being in the car for a few hours. âbut that is neither here nor there, are you excited for our annual pre-valentineâs day ayzel extravaganza?â she asked excitedly, spreading her arms wide as she showed off the suite with a bright smile.
âaww, i love starstruck aylie the most,â she told her with a chuckle, âalso youâre a better sister than i am, if it was us, i would probably have told my dad that jacob or ben got sick. but itâs okay, maybe one day fate will set it all straight again.â what was ayzel time for if not to make up unrealistic scenarios for their future? their pre-valentineâs getaway was one of hazelâs favorite traditions of the entire year â and that was truly saying something, considering how hazel had something up her sleeve for even the minor holidays. âiâm pretty much as ready as i can be, unless we were supposed to get like, matching t-shirts or something,â she joked, throwing herself back on the couch. truly the life. âmaybe next year we can fly to london and i can charm everyone with my american accent... that works both ways, right?â
leo only shrugged in response. hey, it was still a plausible suggestion. but! even if garfield attempted to vore cal, he was still too fat to be eaten, so maybe it was not as plausible as he initially thought. âyeah, itâs in my room⌠why? what are you gonna do with it?â
âi just want to spy on them so we donât have to sit here and stare at them. like, maybe theyâre just shy,â she explained, getting back on her feet after sitting on the floor for far too long trying to shove the two animals together. â... or maybe theyâre just being stubborn because weâre here. my only dream is to give cal a little cowboy hat and ride into the sunset on garfieldâs back, but apparently that is too much to ask.â
âi kinda like his hair,â june admitted, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear sheepishly. unfortunately, she hasnât had enough experience to know what it felt like stealing your significant otherâs clothesâbut damn, wouldnât it be nice to have that someday. âwe need to print more photos. of paul and noel.âÂ
âiâm gonna print some at work,â she announced because what else was she supposed to do all day? the entire resort was already pretty much booked out, which meant it was busy basically everywhere other than reservations. she was already spending most of her work hours catching up on leoâs youtube videos. âmaybe our baking skills will improve.â okay, when she said their baking skills, she really meant juneâs but that wasnât very kind. âi mean like, if the godfather of baking is watching over us at all times... is that blasphemous?â
âi used to go to this bar back in new york all the time, and i always saw this guy in there drinking what looked like a super fruity drink.â vic said, prepping hazelâs usual drink, âand i finally watched the bartender make it once and it was literally just like, basically hi-c fruit punch. no booze.â she chuckled, passing hazelâs drink over and popping a lemon slice onto the top of the cup before shrugging. âitâs still early.â
âdid you ever talk to him? was he cute?â she asked as she reached for her cocktail, imagining who that guy had been. sometimes she truly felt like she was the only person in the world who didnât ever drink, even though she knew very well that it wasnât true. thank the lord. âi probably shouldnât be rooting for you to fight someone,â hazel said with a wry smile, âbut some of our guests really deserve it, and i canât really do it so somebody else has to step up.â
âokay, so youâre in charge of the actual noodles,â she told callie, not quite trusting her with the combination of knives and vegetables. hazel was feeling right at home, and it made sense. by her own estimate, she had been to the macdermotsâ house about a thousand times in her life. usually it was because their parents were getting together, but it had never been particularly difficult to drag hazel with them. this time it was just her and she was only there to hang out with callie... well, her and gunner but she had to love him at a greater distance. âoh also, i brought your son some treats so he wouldnât feel left out. i wasnât sure if he liked noodles.â
hazel has literally 30+ cousins so... decided to keep it to just the immediate family.
ft. @ayliemonroe + @surejo + @leotakanashiÂ
yâall made me feel like adding my notes for all the widdecombes so here they are
laura widdecombe (nĂŠe tulley), 48 years old, part-time receptionist, aries.
mrs. widdecombe is one of those women who are just born to be mothers and canât fathom how thatâs not someoneâs main goal in life. before she dedicated her entire life to motherhood, she was an interior designer and she always has some kind of project going on. every time you come to their house, something is a little bit different.Â
russell widdecombe, 48 years old, science teacher, libra.
kids from around big bear might know russell from their middle school science classes... or just from around town really, as he seems to be friends with just about everyone. heâs a little quirky but heâs extremely helpful and probably has the most well-stocked tool shed in the entire village due to the above-mentioned renovations.
benjamin widdecombe, 29 years old, real estate agent, pisces.
ben lives a few towns over but youâd almost think he never moved because heâs always in town to drop his kids off with their grandparents. growing up, he and jacob were pretty much inseparable. somehow they still seem to travel in a pack even though theyâve both moved away and donât even live that close.. hazel suffered in high school when all the girls in her year had a crush on ben.Â
jancey widdecombe (nÊe carr), 28 years old, dentist, sagittarius.
the target of a lot of teen resentment because she ended up marrying ben :/ sheâs one of those dentists who will shade you for not flossing as much as you should, even if youâre not one of her patients. other than that sheâs pretty nice, but aylie and hazel still talk shit about her a lot.
oaklee widdecombe, 6 years old, 1st grade student, sagittarius.
thinks sheâs the smartest person in the entire world because she learned how to read at the age of 5, and her parents treated that as if it was a miracle. sheâs one of those kids who cannot stop talking because she just wants to share everything she knows, and sheâs currently obsessed with sharks.
tayden widdecombe, 3 years old, kindergarten student, aquarius.
catch jancey always talking about how all the girls at kindergarten are in love with tayden... sheâs that kind of mom tbh :/ he wants to be everyoneâs best friend but also doesnât like to share toys, so heâll try to play with you but then get upset when you do. also lowkey thinks heâs spider-man.
jacob widdecombe, 28 years old, paralegal, capricorn.
call him jake and you die. he also lives in a nearby town but in the opposite direction from ben. always said he was going to be a preacher when he grew up but when he got back from his mission trip that plan had been dropped. no one really knows what happened, most likely he just got tired of reading the same book to people every day.
naomi widdecombe (nÊe fielding), 26 years old, graphic designer, taurus.
is not actually a mormon shock horror but is from utah, so that balances it all out. sheâs hazelâs favorite sister-in-law because sheâs a lot more chill than jancey. she also makes her own books for seth because she is an absolute legend like that.
seth widdecombe, 1 year old, baby, virgo.
he is... a baby idt i have any personality headcanons for this 1 year old but he has a cthulhu plushie and we love that for him!
nora widdecombe, almost 5 years old, kindergarten student, pisces.
the youngest widdecombe was probably not planned, but sheâs lowkey hella spoiled. she is currently in a phase where sheâs obsessed with aylie and anything british (because of aylie), especially tea parties but only aylie is allowed to make the tea. no one has the heart to tell her sheâs not actually allowed to drink tea.
charlotte rolled her eyes, albeit a little playfully. she was trying to convince hazel to get tinder every other weekend it seemed like. the other was always fantasizing about falling in love, much like charlotte was doing often as well, but never actually put herself out there. she knew that hazel was a little more shy than she was, but she still thought that she should give it a shot. âcome on, haze, youâre never going to find your prince charming if you keep yourself locked away in a castle,â she mused. âyou have to go out and find him. and tinder is likeâŚthe rats! itâs like the rats from cinderella who will help you and lead you to prince charming.â charlotte smirked to herself a bit, i mean, who could argue with that logic?
the cinderella comparison made hazel laugh, it was such a charlotte thing to say. it almost made sense too, except that hazel wasnât sure sheâd trust rats to make her a dress either. âi think iâm more like, nora ephron than fairy tale,â she argued, although she knew very well that the other blonde was right. after all, did she know anyone who had just gotten married without dating around first? well okay, she actually did... but she knew those people from temple and their relationships all looked more like a chore. it wasnât exactly what she had envisioned for herself. maybe she was just more of a goldilocks than a cinderella. âalso honestly charlotte... has tinder actually worked for you? or like, anyone we know?â
leo watched the difficult interaction from afar, feeling slight pity for his pet rat. cal looked just as hesitant, mostly thinking that garfield was going to fucking eat him alive or whateverâah, if only he could speak rat. âmaybe if we leave them alone,â he suggested, trudging closer to the tiny playpen that he and hazel had built a week ago, âthey can, like, hang out or smoke weed together without us prying on them or something.â
âleo, weâre not playing good mom/bad mom right now,â she told him but she couldnât keep a straight face at the mental image of garfield and cal sharing a joint. for a moment she debated with herself whether leaving the two of them alone would make the situation better or worse. she was pretty sure they werenât going to eat each other but... could never be too sure. âhey, do you have your like, gopro or whatever?â
june enjoyed quiet nights with hazelâshe always looked forward to coming home after a long day and spending the rest of the evening hanging out in silence, so the sudden question threw her off. âis it the hair?â she mused, squinting at her roommate and her questionable taste. âi do think paul is rather dashing, though,â june said, emphasising the last word with an exaggerated british accent. âletâs make a hybrid shrine.â
âi mean the hair is... questionable yet somehow sexy. but i think itâs mostly just the shirts,â she pondered, backtracking just a little bit because june was looking at her funny. âlike, one of the biggest perks of dating someone is stealing their clothes, and heâs just all looks.â hazel was pretty sure that was the one of the strongest arguments she had ever made in her life. when june counter-suggested a hybrid shrine, hazel nodded emphatically, âoh we gotta. first thing tomorrow. we can start storing our bread on it in paulâs honor.â
âdo you think cal and garfield will ever actually want to be friends?â hazel asked leo, brows furrowed as she tried to steer the reluctant tortoise toward his would-be rat friend. forcing their pets to play together had proven to be easier said than done. she wasnât even sure what attempt they were on, but the determination was still strong. âtheyâre like, cousins. they could at least try to get along," she paused and grimaced at her own words, âi sound like my mom.â
âfor the last time iâm not getting tinder,â she told charlotte, not that it felt much more likely to stick than it had the first few dozen times. it had pretty much become a running gag between them, and hazel wasnât completely offended by the suggestion... only a little bit. maybe it made sense to some people that you could get pizza and dates following basically the same steps, but hazel found that entire concept mildly disturbing. âi need one of those âwow i canât believe they were in front of me the whole timeâ situations... or at least i can meet someone in the real world. iâm not telling my grandchildren that they exist because of an app.â
"hey bug, is it weird to have a crush on noel fielding?â she asked mostly rhetorically. after all sheâd already dated one flamboyant peacock of a man, so surely it wasnât that much of a leap. hazel was so many great british bake-off episodes deep that she had honestly lost count. the only things that existed in the universe were cakes and bright sweaters. âmaybe iâve been at this too long but i feel like we should frame a picture of him in the kitchen. or paul. or both.â
Okay, fine â maybe Riley had a point that she was too hard to get in touch with. Sheâd had plenty of time to think about that, having already spent 15 minutes waiting for him out in the cold with a dead phone battery. It was becoming increasingly obvious that she should have just popped into her office to charge it, but heâd for sure walk out to meet her as soon as she left her spot. That was the kind of luck that seemed to follow Hazel in that type of situation. She wasnât sure if she was more irritated that he was late, or that he was (intentionally or not) proving his point about her phone irresponsibility.
Finally she decided that he was not coming after all, and the right move was to head inside and revive her phone. If nothing else, itâd save her the hassle of driving to his place to yell at him. Of course she only just made it inside before she saw him. âWhat are you doing in here?â she asked loudly as she sped across the foyer to get to Riley, âI thought we were gonna meet at the entrance.â
â i love the sound of that. hazel gregison. it just kind of rolls off the tongue doesnât it ? â charlotte scrunched her nose as she smiled. she felt like she was floating on a cloud. she had been waiting so long for prince charming to come in and sweep her off her feet, meanwhile hazel had been there right in front of her the entire time. â charlotte widdecombe sounds perfect. â while her mother had never taken her fatherâs last name, because she thought it was a way the patriarchy was holding women back, charlotte always dreamed of meeting the one and taking their last name.Â
â well they always say save the best for last, right ? so gregison-widdecombes. â she felt hazelâs hand embrace hers and she would be remiss if she didnât notice how soft and safe the otherâs hand felt in hers. her feet left the ground so quickly, she felt like she was flying. she was out of breath by the time they reached their destination, wanting to get there as fast as possible. â you ready to do this, soon-to-be mrs. gregison-widdecombe ? â
âit does, doesnât it? iâd definitely want to send a wedding gift to hazel gregison,â she joked, beaming back at charlotte. was it a little odd how theyâd gone from completely platonic to actually getting married? sure, but somehow it just felt right. even if hazel suspected the butterflies in her stomach were more about the idea of the wedding rather than actually about charlotte... she was excited, and honestly she truly couldnât think of anyone sheâd rather tie the knot with. charlotte understood her. âcharlotte widdecombe also deserves presents. she sounds beautiful.â
âstop it, gregison is way more interesting. but iâm okay with having it first, people will say it more,â she agreed, happy with the way their completely different logics somehow meshed to create the same result. maybe charlotte really was her actual soulmate. âiâve never been more ready for anything ever,â she replied, completely truthfully, as she turned to look at her almost wife. âletâs spend our lives together.â