blow a kiss; fire a gun.

james starling. 29. writer. I can't find your silver lining, I don't mean to judge. but when you read your speech, it's tiring - enough is enough. i'm covering my ears like a kid; when your words mean nothing, i go la la la. i'm turning up the volume when you speak. 'cause if my heart can't stop it, i find a way to block it.

[jamesstarling-blog]

halebarrett‌.

lylamarno‌.

“ HEY! that wasn’t very nice.”  arm nudges into him. a lilting songbird for her tone, but they know her well enough to know a warning shot when they hear it. “ say sorry.” or else. the command shouldn’t fall on deaf ears. there will be consequences. she pulls them closer to her on each arm, a contented smile on her lips. “ i can’t wait for glasto, have you two decided what to pack already? have the others sent their itineraries? it’s going to be so fetch this year. and no, i got an airbnb in east village. can’t intrude on your little bachelor pads. ” she gives an exaggerated wink, before hastily extricating herself from their linked arms and springing into their path. “ okay, but i have big news!! ” left hand is held up with a grin, a shiny something glinting on her finger.  @halebarrett​

“  they haven’t sent me anything yet i expect they will. and ask him if he’s packed, i’m organised.  ”  at her chide, a shit-eating grin is cast at his friend with zero remorse whatsoever.  “  go on mate, make it a good one so we can all hear you.  ”  he earns a harsh dig into his ribs for that and doubles over in genuine pain.  “  ow !!  what did i do ?!  ”  he’s still nursing the area when she leaps forward, the residue of a grimace still on his features while he stares bewildered at her.  “ .  .  .  what  —  what are we supposed to be looking at, your manicure ?  ”  eyes narrow into a squint, neck craning forward.  “  you haven’t even got one what’re you on about ?  ”   //.  @jamesstarling​

“    i’m packed...     you know ---- mostly.    i’ve got all the important stuff.        ”    what begins as a wounded declaration dissipates quickly into a mumbling mess of uncertainty,   which after a stretched out pause he ends with a breathy:      “      i’ll pack tonight.       ”         he’s hoping it’s inaudible enough so he can get away with ‘but i did told you’ later   ------ yet whatever sign there was of shame is wiped clean by that (rightfully earned) strike    &     replaced by a victorious ,  taunting smile.    “    tough it up,  champ.    ”       he slams his arm roughly against hale’s spine,    leaning into him to peer closely into her hand.    “     um .     i---  ”          what’s he supposed to do here?    he gives the tip of her finger a small peck   &    recoils ,    eyes scanning for a reaction to further instruct.      “    love ya?        ”          @lylamarno​

[jamesstarling-blog]

kendramckittrick‌.

He has a sweet smile. Kendra doesn’t know why she hadn’t noticed how sweet it was before. Maybe it was in the eyes. “Oh, darling. You’ve figured out my secret! One that it seems we share.” She chuckled, taking another sip of her tea. “How does Hale feel that a female rabbit shares his little name?”

“    surprisingly?   not thrilled.     i don’t get it    ---- i’d love to have anything named after me...      ”        delving deeper and deeper thought,  when he doesn’t say anything momentarily she can probably guess his mind’s conjuring images of statues and monuments build on his honor.     he’d make a damn fine statue.    “      i know!      ”      he’s on the verge of something brilliant - listen up !     “      i could bake him tiny cookies in the shape of bunnies...      say...   kendra     --- how do you feel about flour?      ” 

[jamesstarling-blog]

lancaster-sheridan‌.

“Lemme take a look,” said Sheridan, gesturing for the notepad, “I’ve taught high school English for years.”

“   oh     ----- i see.     so you want me to willingly participate in my worst nightmare?     ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

catrine-guangco‌.

Going over the script for something to do, the brunette overheard someone speak, looking over at the man with a rabbit. “You wrote a poem about carrots? Please let me read it.”

“   what ?   no ----- no .    why    ----- why would you wanna do that ?   ”        it suddenly occurs to him he’s crushed the paper so tight while stuttering,  that might be a little too late to play confident.      “    i mean um ...    it’s a rough...   rough draft right now.     and my rabbit might’ve... eaten some of it.     ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

halebarrett‌.

lylamarno‌.

the wave through glass they had gotten from her while she gathered her bags had been proper. she is cool now. posh title, dressed for first class. it won’t last when she walks through the gates, abandoning her useless ball and chains in favour of a wide girlish grin and a very messy run to leap with JOY into hale’s waiting arms, squeezing tight for all she’s worth while he spins her in a circle. no sooner have her feet touched the ground, she’s turning to grab james with an arm and hugs him with equal vigour and a childish squeal.  “ oh i couldn’t WAIT for that plane to land! i’m here!!! ” she’s like an excited pixie, bouncing on the tips of her toes, unable to contain herself, arms out with another impatient beam for a proper group hug. the three musketeers, together again. one would think they hadn’t seen each other in an eternity, but that’s what nine months felt like to her. she feels like she’s truly home now, with her two best.  “ sooo, what’s new with you two, tell me everything.” one arm slid into each of the nooks of their elbows. @halebarrett, @jamesstarling

his face splits into a wide grin as he watches her approach, and then excitedly break into a run. she’s running at both of them, he knows that, but he pushes james to the side anyway so he can get her first. a soft chuckle tumbles from her lips after he’s set her down, infected by her delight. it’s odd, the feeling of relief and safety he feels spreading through his chest now that she’s here. everytime they’re around her at least. “ i thought we’d only be seeing you at glasto!” a proud tradition he looks forward to every year, it’s only weeks away now. “ are you going to be staying in brooklyn, you didn’t answer us when i asked. blerb has room, don’t you blerb? or if you prefer tribeca i could take the couch?”     //.  @jamesstarling​

before he could sprint forth, a hand enters his peripheral and promptly shoves him off the race.   --- it’s his fault really,  for using those shoes that glide too easily across any surface that isn’t made of gravel; but still !     “    HALE!        ”    a shrill little scream protests from a distance with a wave of nostalgia while he helplessly watches hale latches himself into her arms.   he’s quick to recover and flatten his palm so it can hurt when he smacks it against the back of that cheater’s head before diving into the stolen embrace, nuzzling into crevice of her neck with an arm lacing hale’s shoulder closer.      “      if you both leave me i will burn that wretched place down.       ”         nevermind he’s a grown man   -- or that he left to begin with.  how dare they leave him to fend for himself in this dark, cruel world?  @lylamarno​

[howtodisappoint]

[jamesstarling-blog]

What is your favorite childhood memory?

give me attention !

“        so this one time i was watching mary poppins and i became convinced i could fly,  right?     so i stole my mom’s umbrella and i climbed to the roof while hale kept yelling at me i was gonna die   — except…     you know, everything was already set up.   i had a plan --- it was fine.     so when i jumped,   i actually started flying!    — well,  he says the umbrella actually got caught at the tip of the roof and i just…   wiggled my way down.      but i don’t believe him.      point is, i didn’t die and i got popsicle out of it      —– it was awesome.     and you know,   magic umbrellas really do make you wanna burst into song.     ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

xmargot‌.

 “ now i am properly burning. “ oh the heat. it was rising. margot muttered around the index finger that had dipped into her mouth. too much spice. her eyes widened stirring the white chicken chili around. - she thought it paired well with the outside weather. sniffling, she reached to turn the fan on above the stove. “ are you two having a relationship in there. “ she hated the way he was talking to her feline. “ Mr. …. “ a harsh gulp. “ pardon, …” the ladle stopped, “ whiskers?? he is a ‘sir,’ and whiskers…. foul. “ a pinch of salt. speaking of; “ you’ve brought enough personal salt along with that wrinkled shirt of yours. why would you leave your home in such a state? – does being disheveled make you write more creatively, james?” was he alright? margot needed to take a step back from her cynical self to notice the other. 

he’d be completely and utterly satisfied to claim that seat for a whole eternity, he fathoms;   toying with the idea of actually dozing off mid-conversation.    but though the weariness of his eyes pop with a dash of purple and red, before the world can dissipate into nothing and the sound of her voice fade back, a whiff of something steamy and piquant proves to be enough of a motivation to force those scrawny legs to abruptly leap off the couch ,    and a grouchy cat to whine in protest.    “    hey...     how am i supposed to know you’re into living with old men?        ”    hurried footsteps quickly lead him to creep behind her,   a head popping over her shoulders with a pair of blue eyes that curiously peer into the pot.       “      can i try it?       ”         poor him !  poor little starving boy !    the eagerness on his voice and shifting heels mimic that of an impatient child,  anxiously waiting for a go sign.

[jamesstarling-blog]

tell us about your rabbit

 give me attention !

“        what’d you wanna know?   i wanted a puppy, hale wouldn’t let me get one.    then he left me in the middle of the night like a five dollars hooker,   and i got involved with this really nice girl who also happened to be a total loon  &  she was really big on the whole “animal rights” thing.    she also made this really mean banana bread --- where was i?   right.      anyways,  long story short  --- we broke into this animal testing lab after one two many tequila shots and...   yeah.      lady hale has been with me ever since.     ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

what else do you demand, besides questions?

  give me attention !

“        a new wife to begin with.     kendra and margot won’t let me live with them and hale refuses to move back in.          ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

what do you find most terrifying in this city?

   give me attention  !

 “        how you can’t nap outside and wake up with your shoes.          ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

give it to me.

[jamesstarling-blog]

kendramckittrick‌.

She laughs at his words. In a way, that was precisely what it was like. Mostly because her parents frequently “forgot” about her whereabouts, and she’d end up snuggling against one of the dogs, her bedroom scarcely entered. She couldn’t stop laughing, then, when he continued to speak. “You’re absolutely absurd, you know that? But it’s wonderfully charming, on you. How do you do that?”

OH, HE KNOWS.     absurdity and surreal is where he excels the most--- but that proclaimed charm?    he fathoms might by the mind’s fabrication;    we often see what we want to see.   what we find comfort in  --- what makes us feel most at ease.     “       oh,  people will let you get away with almost anything with hair like this.     ”    cheeky   but not quite   - eyes crinkle with childlike glee,  an ember that somehow seemed to have endured the harsh winters of adulthood.      “      ----- wait,  don’t you know that?     isn’t that why your hair’s always so fluffy?         ” 

[jamesstarling-blog]

halebarrett‌.

SHARP INHALE      causes a jabbing pain in his chest, squinting painfully at the glare in his eyes having grabbed the phone blindly from the side of his bed. the breathing is enough identification. only one person in his life behaves like an insufferable stalker.  “  the - f ? ”  sleep riddled brain convinces him stupidly to check his feet.  “ not the new timberlands — ”  he nearly falls over as he rolls out of the bed, torso hitting the floor as he checks the crate in which the box had been. they’re not there.  “ you right fuckin’ TWAT blerb, for fuck’s sake ! ”  free hand reaches to rub the sleep from his eyes.  “  alright i’m coming. don’t … do anything stupid. ”

there’s a loud  THUD  !   followed by a collection of grunting and thumping ------    how hard is it to get up under threat,   really ?          it’s all he can do not to picture hale trashing on the floor like a dead fish .   a chortle is stifled by heated porcelain, he’s got that rim of his mug obnoxiously placed against his lower lip in a way that allows for the tendrils of steam to warm his cheeks.  ”    you know, this sort of thing wouldn’t happen if you lived here to begin with---     ”  

[jamesstarling-blog]

athena-donovan‌.

“Your muse is a rabbit?” The redhead furrowed her brows in confusion. “Love, betrayal and denial…about a rabbit? I’m confused. I think if you gave me the details, I won’t be as confused. Please help me out here,” she smiled sweetly, not knowing what to actually think.

“    nah-ah      ”        he squints his eyes like a feline narrowing on its next prey,   lips sly and sealed tight with concealed amusement.    “      only if there’s a little quid pro quo here ------  or i’ll feel totally exposed.      ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

modelsebastian‌.

Sebastian yawns as he listens looking at the man, wondering why he had him up at this late slash early hour depending on how you saw it.  “Wait you woke me up at three am because you could not remember what your metaphor was to your poem about carrots?”

SILENCE   grows and swallows the room     ------ he just stares, bewildered - as if he’s waiting for the other to offer something that’d explain that grouchy tone.       “    ... we’re getting nowhere with you being this slow, --- i’m gonna go grab you some coffee.       ”

[jamesstarling-blog]

kendramckittrick‌.

“Well, there were a few German Shepards. They were spooky but loved me. But the bunnies were mostly nice! We had one vicious one… but we don’t really mention her.” She paused, hearing the name of the bunny, and the pronoun that followed. “H-Hale?” She burst out laughing. Hale Barrett, a sweet little bunny. This was too good. “Incredible.” She reaches forward, petting the little one. “You’re just a little sweetheart, Haley, aren’t you? Much nicer than your namesake!”

“     now   that    i can see .     you, falling asleep by a fireplace, surrounded by german shepards and a cult of bunnies    ----- it practically writers itself.         ”        he writes   &   rewrites her story in his mind.  his imagination has a life of its own,  much as a rabid animal who runs rampant in the night ,   it’s best kept leashed and subdued.      she laughs  &  he stifles a chortle with the back of his white knuckles,  o’ so proud the little ways he finds to prob those he cares enough about to put in the effort.     “      i know ---- such a cliché.    he was barely out the door and i’d already replaced him with a younger, cuter version...    what can i say?   men are incorrigible.          ”