'ᴄʜʟᴏᴇ ɪɴɢʀᴀᴍ

' i don't want to wait anymore   I'm tired of looking for answers Take me some place where there's music and there's laughter I don't know if I'm scared of dying but I'm scared of living too fast, too s l o w Regret remorse

[ingrcms]

closed starter for @stjameshqs

        ‘   I COME BEARING GIFTS !  ’     chloe wore a smile as she looked down at the coffee cup that was still warm enough to be burning her hand,    she held it out to james.     ‘ i wish i could say that i bought this specifically for you,   but   i asked for decaf   &    they gave me  this.  ’    whilst she wasn’t caught up on all the coffee lingo these days she was damn sure it wasn’t decaf.   ‘ so here you go!      you can thank my new caffeine detox. ’

[ingrcms]

closed starter for @rileygrxy

‘ I DON’T THINK    think this was meant for me. ’     chloe stood by the girl,   staring down at the text she’d just received from riley’s uncle.    the bond they had was strong.    a circle of people looking out for each other.    still,     chloe had to raise an eyebrow when she noticed the odd message that flashed up on her screen.    ‘   hi  sweetie,     don’t forget to hydrate   &   wear sunscreen today.    love you.   kiss kiss.  ’     

[ingrcms]

elenaazee

“truth time?  neither have i.  whenever my dad would watch the super bowl, i’d hide in the corner of the family room with, like, a script or a coloring book and just zone out.”  elena admitted, absently letting her fingers graze against chloe’s palm.  chloe was beautiful, and it kind of made elena sad to know that she didn’t know the whole story, didn’t know about the monsters that lingered.  but then again, she was more than willing to stick by chloe and fall head over heels for her (even if the latter happened further down the line).  

feeling her shoulders relax, elena turned to chloe and stopped abruptly so they were facing one another.  it was brave of her, she knew, but she found herself reaching for chloe’s other hand.  the eye contact was searing, and it made her insides quadruple flip. “i mean–we could very well yell at the kardashians.”  she murmured, her cheeks heating up.  she hoped she didn’t need to address the elephant in the room, which was basically just that their chemistry felt like it was bouncing off the walls.  elena wished silently that she wasn’t the only one who thought that.  “what’s the saying, though?  your house, your rules?”  she added, biting gently at her lower lip.

          ‘  OH THANK GOD!      i was getting worried that i’d have to pretend to be interested in sports.   i became a lesbian to avoid that.  ’      she teased,     a smile from ear to ear as the other played with her hand.    chloe had this inhuman ability to make flirtatious wisecracks,  even when inside she was deadly nervous.  maybe it was a coping mechanism she’d developed over the years.   she’d had to develop a few of those.   appearing calm when she was nervous,    appearing sober when she was drunk.     she was a pro.

in that moment she was VERY nervous.    not only did she have a pretty girl in her apartment  but also a bottle of tequila.    still,  she appeared relaxed as elena held on to both hands,   ‘ that sounds fun.  ’     although chloe wasn’t a huge fan of reality tv,  it was  probably better than going through her dvr and discovering all the superhuman episodes she’d taped.   deep down she was a fangirl,   what could she say?   ‘  technically i’m renting it   &   it’s an apartment. ’   she shrugged,   once again appearing nonchalant as she looked around the room,   ‘ but y’know,    mi casa es su casa . ’   she smiled at elena once again,   blinking a few times before deciding to for the jugular.    in one quick motion she leaned in,   placing her lips on elena’s lightly as her hands held on to hers.  no retreat,   no surrender.    ‘ sorry,   i just really needed to do that.  ’

[ingrcms]

elenaazee

“well–yeah, i suppose it’s probably awkward.”  elena nodded sympathetically, stepping forward.  ever so slowly, she reached out and took chloe’s hand.  “i promise, if at any point you’re not comfortable with any of this, say the word and i’ll back off.”  her big, chocolate brown eyes peered curiously into chloe’s own eyes, trying to gauge some type of reaction.  “but for right now…” elena paused, as if to pretend to mull over chloe’s invitation (really, though, she was ready to accept before the whole sentence got out) before giving chloe’s hand a light squeeze.  “yeah.  if you don’t mind.”

when it finally registered that the feelings were mutual, although it was a bit delayed, elena felt her heart leap right up from her chest to her throat.  “i’m kind of–a compulsive apologizer.  in case that wasn’t obvious.”  she blushed, subconsciously reaching up to tug the elastic out of her hair.  her fingers wove through her dark locks gently, allowing the waves to settle.  “do you prefer sports or yelling at bad television?”  she wondered, a genuine smile dressing her lips.  “i mean, if we’re gonna be spending more time together, i assume there’s gonna be a common interest, right?”

       ‘  YOU HAVE NO IDEA.  ’     the countless times that chloe had brought up her sobriety to her past suitors   & then lost it shortly after plagued her.    she hated herself for being so incapable of handling relationships.   then again,   she was a lot farther into her sober life now.   maybe this could be different.    ‘ thank you.  ’    she spoke sincerely, as she let her fingers entangle themselves with elenas,   resisting the urge to kiss her right there and then.   ‘ i don’t mind.’  she shook her head,   a coy smile spread across her face.

she let go of the others fingers as she pushed open the door slightly,   and invitation for her to enter as they continued to speak in the doorway.   ‘  that’s okay.  i can think of worse character traits. ’    in fact,   listing those of her previous girlfriends would suffice.   as elena took her hair down,   chloe nervously fiddled with her own dark locks.   despite it being a cliche,  it was a nervous reaction.    why wouldn’t she be nervous?    elena was beautiful  &  talented.   out of her league.  ‘  yelling at the tv,   for sure.  ’   she smiled,   taking a step in to the apartment and gesturing for the other to follow,    ‘ i’ve never been that big a fan of sports.    i can  BARELY tell the difference between the superbowl  &  super mario. ’

[ingrcms]

bondjacksonbond

Juggling his keys as he tried to lock his car, at the same time Jackson tried to keep a handle on the hot coffee in his hand and the bag containing his morning bagel. Getting to the set on time had never been a problem before, but today he’d hit the snooze button once too many times. “Aw crap,” he muttered as the coffee cup hit the ground, spilling everywhere. “I hope that’s not a sign.”

      ‘ I’D SAY AT LEAST   you’ve got the five second rule,   but i don’t think that works with spilled coffee.’    chloe flashed the male an awkward yet sympathetic half-smile.  usually chloe’s bad days started in exactly the same way,   ‘ if it makes you feel better,   i once locked my keys & phone in my car. ’

[ingrcms]

E . Z

elena was nothing if not attentive.  she’d seen a few of her cousins inebriated at various quinceaneras over the years.  despite her attention to detail, she was also not one to judge.  still, her face fell the slightest bit as her brain rushed to form words.  “right–no.  yeah, i know, of course.  i just…didn’t want you to think i was being a dick or something.  because…i–i mean, we clicked, you know?  something…happened, and i don’t know where or when but–and i was just working so hard to impress you that i didn’t even consider…”  her hands flopped at her sides, as if to indicate that she was more exasperated with herself than anything.  chloe had to know by now that elena really did like her, and by no means was she one for mothering the crap out of people she cared about…but this felt different.

 “i never really got the whole ‘it’s five o’clock somewhere’ joke.  does that make me a square?”  she murmured, leaning against the doorframe.  all she wanted to do was just reach out and grab chloe, pull her close and keep her safe.  but elena couldn’t do that.  if there was a problem, it had to fall under chloe’s own recognizance. the latina let out a deep breath, eyes skimming over elena’s features.  “i–i did, though, because i wanted to see you again.  even if you decide you’re done with me.”

       LEANING AGAINST   the wooden door frame,   chloe let her face relax.   her hands slipped up from her sleeves as she folded her arms.   if only to allow the girl to think she was fine.   the idea of elena having this on her concious was ridiculous to chloe.   there was only one person to blame for her problems:   herself.   ‘  honestly,   i think that’s the only reason i was there --- you weren’t the only person trying to impress someone.  ’   she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  it had been so long since chloe had felt this way that her usual nervous ticks were out in full force.   ‘ it’s just ...  hello my name’s chloe & i’m an alcoholic    isn’t much of an icebreaker.  ’  truthfully she didn’t want to push the girl away.   

       ‘ no,  it makes you normal. ’   one thing chloe didn’t consider herself.   the fun little poke that elena had at the infamous remark make chloe feel awkward.   she was no stranger to such excuses.   at that moment as she stood just inches away from elena,   chloe wanted to hold her too.   she wanted to invite her inside.   to spend time with her.    ‘ i must’ve done something right then. ’    although she wasn’t sure when,   in between nervously flirting & freaking out,  that would’ve been.   ‘ ... did you want to come in?  ---  i mean,   you came all this way to apologise for something that wasn’t your fault so,   if you wanted to... ’  she trailed off,   looking back at the inside of her apartment nervously.

[ingrcms]

E . Z

[ @ingrcms ]

elena had rehearsed her apology countless times–but in her defense, she really hadn’t known much of chloe’s difficulty with alcohol addiction. the worst part was that she had even put it on the table, endangering the other woman’s sobriety.  she liked to think she was better than just a whirlwind of assumptions.  elena really liked chloe, and she hadn’t wanted her stupidity to mess up whatever was going on between them.  she wasn’t quite sure what they could even be defined as, and of course she was doing her best not to overstep, seeing as she already had done so. raising her hand th the door, elena knocked twice, shifting her weight between her feet.

her hair was tied back in a loose fishtail braid, although the los angeles heat had managed to make said braid look messy, her face aglow with the thinnest sheen of sweat–although, she might add, she actually didn’t smell terrible, managing to spritz on some perfume before dashing out of her car.  when the door swung open, elena’s breath hitched.  she very rarely got nervous, but there was a first time for everything, she supposed.  “i owe you an apology.”  she murmured, and it was then that her entire speech vanished from her brain. “i–i, um, i messed up.  and i know we never really talked about it? but i do feel bad about assuming and i hope…i really, really hope you know how sorry i am, and that i’d never judge you.”  her big brown eyes locked onto chloe’s, and suddenly, it was like elena forgot her words all over again.  “where are cue cards when you need ‘em, right?”  she joked, clearing her throat and trying to tear her gaze away.

IT WAS RIGHT THERE…  chloe’s  hands were covered by her sweater sleeves, long  & shredded from hours of chewing on the frail ends.  exactly what she was doing in that moment,  as she looked down at the sealed bottle of tequila.   her intentions had never been to buy it.  after the night out with elena though,  she found herself drawn to it.  she only went in the grocery store to get groceries.  or did she?   because she didn’t leave with anything other that the glass bottle in front of her. she reached forward placing her hands around the glass, nails tapping the surface. the sound of her nails then drowned out by a knocking.

‘ just a second! ’ she called out, frantically falling in to her old routine.  her hands grips the bottle,  her feet took her to the sink. she unscrewed the cap  & froze.  she couldn’t physically do it.  because what if she needed it later. a breath escaped her lips as she put her sweater sleeve to her mouth again.  then she placed the bottle by the side of the sink.  as she did,  a drop fell on her index finger. she held it to her lips before tensing her fist. once again,  she let out a breath,  shaky and panicked. before she knew it,  she was hiding the tequila bottle in between the sugar & coffee. old habits die hard.  ‘ coming. ’ she approached the door, swinging it open.   as their eyes met,  chloe couldn’t hide the small smile on her lips.  as quickly as it appeared,  it vanished.  despite elena’s words being rushed,  chloe listened closely to every single one of them.  ‘ thank you ... you didn’t need to come all this way though. ’   chloe appreciated the gesture though.  and she couldn’t deny that she liked the girl,   ‘ or defend yourself. you didn’t know.  you don’t need to feel guilty. ’

[ingrcms]

C . H

“I mean, as long as they’re harassing you, it should be their priority.” Or one among them. Did ‘protect’ only apply to some of the police force nowadays? “But, if they aren’t up for it, I can do the escorting you until you’re safely away from his sight. Strength in numbers, right?” At least, she thought it might work that way. She hadn’t been good at any of the things she’d just mentioned she would do for the songwriter

    ‘   I’D SAY     they’re more focused on the actors y’know --- protecting them from crazed stalkers & paparazzi.  ’     it was a life chloe definitely didn’t envy.     ‘  i appreciate the offer though.  ’    truthfully,   chloe didn’t think she needed protection,   in fact she was more agitated than she was scared.   most men did that to her though,  ‘  what a world we live in where girls can’t go anywhere without being verbally accosted.  ’

[ingrcms]

E . M

ellie smiled back, glad a familiar and friendly face greeted her. “much appreciated,” she said, crouching down to pull everything together again. “it wouldn’t be good if it got out that the assistant choreographer was actually a klutz in disguise.” plucking her earbud out of her ear and letting it dangle around her neck, ellie made sure everything was balanced in her arms again before standing up. “i was actually just listening to the demo song you sent kit,” she said, pretty sure it wasn’t the right time to be fangirling over the songwriter but proceeding nonetheless. “i think it’s definitely my favorite out of all the ones you’ve written so far.”

‘   PROBABLY NOT.  '  she smiled,   eliana’s clumsiness bringing a smile to her face. not because she found it funny,   but because it was adorable   &    incredibly relateable.    ‘ you still dance cirlces around the entire cast though.  ’   the young girl was the kind of talent that should’ve been on the show,   not behind the scenes of it.   then again,  someone had once told chloe the same thing  but  she was WAY too old to play a teenager.   ‘  which one?     i can barely remember what ones i sent him at the moment. ’   the fast production of treble makers meant chloe was continuously pumping out demos.  ‘ the speed they’re getting me to do these is seriously killing the creative flow.  ’

[ingrcms]

E . Z

“look, i’m totally fine.  i’ll take this over a sunburn, any day.”  elena wriggled her way back up, resting on her elbows.  “i’m sure you know that los angeles sunshine is literally the closest thing to satan’s asshole.”  the latina bit her lip, offering a shy half-smile towards the other woman.  “no, no–it’s all good.  i wish i was less clumsy.  although…you’re definitely way prettier than brian littrell, if i may be blunt.”

       ‘  WELL      i’m not   too   familiar with satan’s asshole but,   one can only assume.  ’    the woman was right,    fortunately chloe had lived in los angeles long enough to get used to sun,   didn’t mean she enjoyed the radiating heat though.   recieving the half smile,   chloe gave the girl one of her own.   a full one,  teeth included as she bit her lower lip.   a force of habit.   ‘  you may be blunt. ’     chloe accepted any compliment thrown her way,   ‘ possibly a little delusional --- i mean,   i don’t think i’d get girls swooning over me,   sadly.  ’ 

[ingrcms]

E . Z

“hi, so can you do me a favor?”  elena does her best not to completely divebomb onto the floor, but instead yelps when her head hits the other person’s lap.  “ow! okay, next time i try to be a badass and do arm, leg, and butt day at the gym all at once…please don’t let me.”  she pulls her best puppy dog pout, taking her sunglasses off her face and throwing them on any available surface.  “this is literally bringing me back to my backstreet boys concert of ‘01.” 

      IT WAS RARE      that chloe had women throwing themselves at her,   unfortunately.  so she couldn’t help but flash a quick smile before realising that the woman might’ve been hurt.   ‘ oh my god!   are you okay?  ’     she had to admit,   she was suppressing a laugh.  it wasn’t everyday she saw such acrobatics.   it had certainly livened up her lunch hour,   ‘ a dumb question  considering you literally just said ow,  ’   way to go chloe.   she shrugged,  ‘ i’m sorry i’m not the backstreet boys. ’

[ingrcms]

A . K

“i’ve literally just spent three hours watching makeup tutorials for looks that i’m never going to do in my life. what is wrong with me? see this is what happens when i don’t have work for a day.” she sighed heavily, fingers running through her hair. “i need to sort my life out and freshen up. do you fancy going for a walk or getting something to eat? i need to get out for a little while, stretch my legs.”

      ‘  BEEN THERE,   DONE THAT ---    although for me it’s usually make up tutorials & a  whole lot of    little lesliean to pass the time. ’    she smiled,    her inner fangirl just about containing itself.  she didn’t really feel shameful about it though.   watching countless hours of tv whilst bored was better than the alternative.  ‘ i’m due back at work in a few   but  i guess we can go for a walk to the food trucks outside.  ’

[dulciesgf]

[ingrcms]

V . G

“ oh! i’ve heard about that one–it’s really about time they make another series with all the singing and dancing. but maybe you just need some inspiration to get the juices flowing? i’m sure you just need to do something to get your muse back, ” valentina encouraged, knowing that some people need to be in a certain mindset to be able to write, just like in acting. she needed to internalize the character, to be in the character’s mindset to deliver a believable portrayal. when the woman said the she knew who she was though, her cheeks heated up a little as she smiled shyly. “ sorry–i’m just not used to people recognizing me, ” she admitted truthfully, as she took her hand to shake it. “ it’s a pleasure to meet you, chloe. i really hope that you get your muse back. ” if only she could do something to help her out with that. “ thirteen years in hollywood? wow–that’s a pretty long time. ”

        ‘  WELL I USED TO     have a way to get my muse back ---  doesn’t really work for me anymore. ’    because she was three years sober   &   could no longer rely on drunken emotions to fuel her creativity.  of course that didn’t mean the urges just disappeared.   it was all she’d thought about today ---   when she wasn’t thinking about deadlines and song lyrics anyway.   there was a lot of pressure being someone involved in the pre-production process.   you had to have things done by the time they film,  catering to the requests of the actors, producers & directors.  recording demos that only a selection of people would ever hear.  not that she was saying being an actor was the easy job,    it just seemed that way from the outside looking in.    ‘ perks of being on the other side of the camera . ’   she flashed val a smile before quickly shifting positions to stop herself from dropping everything    again.   ‘  almost half my life now.   which makes me feel VERY old.  ’

[ingrcms]

B . W

He nodded solemnly. “So how is your show going?” Whether a tech or actor or showrunner, there were a thousand better things to talk about instead. “We’ve been getting some pretty good ratings lately and I hope that trend will continue. A few different storylines are coming up that will ‘reach’ a bit more… hopefully not letting us fall flat on our faces.” 

          ‘   MY SHOW?     hardly.   i’m just a tiny cog in the wheel.  ’    she could tell the male was desperate to change the subject.   it wasn’t surprising.   talking to chloe about feminism and such topics required a lot of patience.   the girl had a LOT to say.   ‘ i gotta admit though --- i’ve never actually seen an episode of paloma general.     there,   i said it.  ’    after three detoxes she just hated the hospital setting.    ‘ sorry.  ’

[ingrcms]

N . W

Her height wasn’t the most ideal for someone to stand behind her, but she continued to stay still, allowing some coverage to the girl behind her. A laugh stifled between pink lips as she pretended to read through her texts. “Really, did he ask you to have his babies too?” she questioned, trying to glance inconspicuously towards him. “Also, could he have picked a more cliché outfit?”

      ‘   I THINK HE WAS   JUST     about to.    fortunately i managed to escape --- at least i thought i did.  ’     she ducked again.    whilst chloe wasn’t egotistical enough to assume he was stalking her     or     that she was worth stalking in any sense.    however her mind did go there.   ‘ i can deal with the outfit.   just about . ’   truthfully, she  was more offended by  everything else.  ‘ what i can’t deal with is the wolf whistling. ’    what a tool.

[ingrcms]

E. M

ellie jerked her shoulder up in an attempt to get the strap of her duffel further back, her arms already full with her binders of choreography and scripts. of course it didn’t work and her duffel came sliding down her arm, sending her off balance and almost tumbling to the ground. she regained her footing at the cost of her binders, which slid across the concrete until they came to a stop at someone’s feet. “sorry,” she called out, groaning quietly as she moved to pick the binders up. “just…pretend you didn’t see that.”

        THE IMAGE WAS ALL TOO FAMILIAR.   young girl  lumbered with paperwork and stumbling around everywhere.    it was like chloe was looking at her own reflection.    well,   she didn’t consider herself young,     that ship sailed post-twenty fifth birthday.    the image was still there though.   in fact it had been just days before when chloe had almost broken her guitar whilst trying to rescue countless sheets of song lyrics knocked all over the floor.   ‘ nothing to apologise for. ’  she approached ellie with a smile & a wink,   ‘ didn’t see a thing. ’