day trip to the moon @lalekaplanbrody - Tumblr Blog

THE MYSTIC - Lale Kaplan-Brody

pinterest. playlist (tbd).

CHARACTER INSPO: Amy Dunne (gone girl), Bonnie Bennet (the vampire diaries), Love Quinn (you), Nina Sayers (the black swan), Sophia Beckett (bridgerton series) & Grace De Lomas (ready or not)

TRIGGER WARNINGS: parental death, parental abandonment, infidelity, teen pregnancy, toxic relationships (familial)

#hmbintro #parental death tw #parental abbadonment tw #toxic family relationships tw #teen pregancy tw #about

“I was a girl gulping at a womans grief”

-Melissa Febos

#musings #the most Lale thing i’ve ever read

Matty & Lale - Pasta Moon @foster-matty

She was a few days shy of being halfway through her second pregnancy. She was healthy, the baby was healthy all things were going well. She couldn't have asked for anything better. But in the moments when she was alone without distractions, Lale's mind ran wild with worry she didn't know how to voice. The last time she'd seen Matty was weeks ago. She'd been too ashamed to face him again to face the accusations he had for Evie and her husband. Something she'd still not addressed, nor did she know how to. Evie and Ben had always been close. Maybe closer than they should have been- Lale had her suspicions early on, buried deep with all the other things she never said aloud.

Seeing Matty now, she had a distinct longing for his company and asked him for dinner; sitting in the back booth, she nudged his leg under the table, "I've written some new songs." She admitted to breaking the silence to greet him. "I recorded them - I have a few artists interested in purchasing them."

#pregnancy mention tw #chat. matty

Ben & Lale - their home. @bennettjrbrody

They'd left the anatomy scan a few hours ago. On impulse, Lale had kept the gender a secret wanting to find out just the two of them when they were home. Some impulsive need to create memories inside these walls that belonged only to them. She was desperate for it more than she could admit aloud. Tapping the envelope on the table, Lale smiled warmly up at her husband. Sometimes she could burry her doubts, her worries, and insecurities under the fluttering warmth and love she felt for the man she'd built a family with- those moments were her favorite, "I know it's a bit antiquated to be excited to learn the sex of a baby but I am." She admitted, her fingers brushing the envelope. "Boy or girl, I don't mind either way, but I like learning about out baby." She said, sliding it over towards him, "You open it. You should be the first to know."

#chat. ben #pregnancy tw

camila-alvarez

Camila's eyes feel to the bump that the women was currently touching and she couldn't help smile "Oh trust me I remember those days." She nodded, feeling bad for the women. While she was pregnant with Elijah she had the worst cravings. Most of them Moon Bay specific that she couldn't get because she wasn't local at the time. "We can do that." She nodded grabbing a pen and pad of paper to jot down the order "I mean I wont be able to make it for you tonight but I should hopefully get the stuff in to make it by the end of the week?" She offered hoping that the women would be able to hold out for her craving until then. "Do you want it with or without apple chunks and with just the powdered sugar on top or would you like the caramel icing?" She questioned not sure which version of the cake the women was remembering from childhood.

lalekaplanbrody

Lale laughed, maybe to keep from crying, maybe to stop the creep of embarrassment as she was so viscerally emotional over a dessert. "I feel insane." She admitted a quiet whisper that she smothered with a smile. "The end of the week is better than never. Fingers crossed the little fetus doesn't change it's mind and suddenly want my dads baklava." Lale said it and it made her stomach flutter, she made a mental note to attempt the recipe herself. " Oh apple chunks, but the small ones." She gestured with her fingers. "Carmel crumble on top. I don't remember what the crumble was made of tho. I'm sorry. It's one of those vague things I just know I want it."

#chat. camila

just-foster

She's my friend. There was something about that statement that tore right into his chest like it was nothing more than a fragile, paper cavity. She — like it was the other woman's choice; like Ben was absolved of responsibility. He wondered if Lale even knew all the allowances she gave her husband, the excuses she made up on his behalf without him even asking. He wondered if she was aware of the way she twisted herself into knots, and if she'd even recognize this part of herself if she could see it clearly... "He's your husband," he replied, gentle but firm, the subtext obvious: she should be able to rely on more than just a label. Lale might not know why, but Foster was more aware than anyone that just because someone occupied a title, that didn't mean they fulfilled the role. A father didn't have be a father, and a loyal husband didn't have to be faithful...

This woman — Ben's coworker, Lale's friend... Ben worked with her, had a history with her — all of which he hadn't even needed to engage in an affair the first time. What would it take to push him over the edge now? A stressful day? A missed deadline? If nothing else, Ben was failing because it was his job to repair the trust that he'd broken, his job to make sure the thought never even crossed Lale's mind.

Foster wanted nothing more than for both of them to be wrong, but the fact that they were even having this conversation had to mean something. "It shouldn't have happened even once," he continued, a sentiment he'd shared time and time again. "That it did— you'll never be wrong for expressing your doubts." It was a sad fact that if it happened once, it could always happen again; it was a specter that would loom over their relationship forever. Foster would never fault Lale for forgiving her husband, for doing what she needed to keep her family in tact. He just didn't think he'd be capable of making the same decision were he ever in her shoes. "You have to talk to him. Whether you like it or not, the thought is in there. Ignoring it isn't going to make it go away. This baby will be great, but you can't let it just fix everything."

lalekaplanbrody

Lale stiffened her spine. "That's not what I meant, Matty." She struggled to remain level and took a few deep breaths. "I only mean that she is my friend and I don't believe she would do that to me or that Ben would- not with someone like that." She attempted to rationalize it, to make it make sense. She frowned and felt a lump of emotion tangle at the base of her throat. It took several slow ticking moments for Lale to feel she could speak again without her voice cracking. "I'm not making an excuse for what he did with Devon. It was awful. Terrible." She added, recalling the very day he told her, the shame and guilt- "It wasn't romantic. It wasn't emotional. It was just....what it was. If he did anything with Evie, with our friend, it would be different. Wouldn't it be?" She questioned more for herself than him.

Ben and Evie had always been close. Closer to one another than she was to Evie. Sometimes it felt as if she were looking in on something she shouldn't- like at the adoption event the past valentines or the tension that passed between them in her kitchen. She wasn't blind to it, this intense closeness between Ben and Evie, but they were just friends. It's what she had told herself more than once. She refused to fall into that old tired sexist idea that women and men couldn't be friends without wanting to fuck. She cast a fleeting look up, her attention sweeping momentarily across his face; just friends, it's possible. Lale told herself once more.

She nodded, "I know. I've forgiven him for it, but I can't forget it. I want to, but she lives here, and we're here and-" She shook her head, "It's not the girl's fault. She apparently didn't know he was married." Lale didn't believe it was that easy. She had always been around, at games, picking him up from PT and the such. It wasn't a secret. She figured it was more that Devon didn't want to know, so she stayed blissfully ignorant. She'd not pick it apart, let it lie and keep moving forward one step at a time. She shot a harsh look up at Matty, "Don't." She warned quietly, on the verge of hot tears. "This baby is not a bandaid for some issues. We were doing great. Better than we had in years when we started trying for this baby. The tension, the clear issues with he and Evie, happened after this happened. And maybe that's part of why I'd kept it to myself for so long. Waiting for some revelation as to what is going on with my husband and Evangeline... but it's not come and all I have is wild speculations and a growing womb that I can't hide under sun dresses forever. But don't think for a second I wanted this baby to fix something broken, Matty." She exhaled and placed her hands gently over the small swell, "I will talk to him. Sometimes it's easier not to. Easier to talk to someone else." You. She didn't need to say the look she volleyed up at him said it all.

#chat. matty #cheating tw #pregnancy tw

camila-alvarez

Camila wasn't usually one to get annoyed by the occasional late customer. Anything that wasn't sold from the bakery the day before was simply sold in the café the following day at a reduced price so in the end it worked out perfectly. However when the women came in claiming that she would take her apple cake and be gone Cami couldn't help but frown. "Apple cake... I'm pretty sure that's an Autumn special." She spoke browsing the display case "Pretty sure we stopped making them in late November." She spoke. She hadn't been here at that time but she remembered the delicious little cakes in question from when she would accompany her grandmother to the bakery when she was younger. "I think we still have an apple turnover or two in the back." She offered although the only thing similar between the two treats was that they both contained apple but that's where their similarities stopped.

lalekaplanbrody

Lale's smile dropped, a deep frown as she knew none of the delicious alternatives would ease the craving that had taken root. "The offer is lovely, and I'm sure those things are delicious but if I'm being honest none of that is the same." She brushed her hands over the swell of her small bump, "I used to get it all the time when I was a girl with my dad-" She felt herself getting choked up, the strain in her voice and she wanted to curse. Clearing her throat, she shifted her weight. "Is there anyway I could order a custom cake that is that specific cake? Not to be dramatic or anything but I need that cake more than anything else in the world." She said stepping back from the counter, "I didn't have cravings with the first but-" She dropped her gaze, "This one is making up for it with horrendous timing."

#chat. camila #pregnancy tw

leykaplan

Closed: @lalekaplanbrody

Concept: Watching her nephew's baseball game.

“Thanks for inviting me out today,” she smiled over at her sister. It was still so weird to say and think about it. Of course she remembered them. The only thing she had of them left was a few photos she secretly hid from her aunt after she was placed in their custody. Even though she’s reconnected with them the last few years, it was so surreal that they were all in the same place again. Not miles or being on the other side of the coast separating them any further. “How’s the season been going?” Leyla beamed as she watched her nephew. Crazy that she was an aunt as well. She remembered in parts her sister being there one day with Ben, then gone the next. At least it was a beautiful blessing, despite the chaos that had ensued within their family.

“How are you doing by the way?” she bumped their shoulder. “How’s the house?” Leyla had not stepped foot back in that place since she left for college. It was a shell of a place and at one point held great memories, the latter parts of her life there were dark and decrepit. It would take a lot for Lale to flip it around in her opinion.

lalekaplanbrody

Lale felt a sense of guilt whenever she spent time with her youngest sister. Life had moved so fast for she and Lena, older when their father passed and mother left them and moved out creating lives, making babies before Leyla was even old enough to really understand any of it. Part of her had wanted to take her with when she and Ben left for Standfford. But she was a minor and Lale knew no court would have allowed it. So they were both saddled with the reconciliation, always in the state of learning who the other was. They were sisters bound by their losses, their DNA but Lale wanted there to be more. She nodded, "Of course. Bear should know all his aunts." She said her eyes not leaving the field as her son played. "It's been good. A few scouts have been peaking around. But they can't talk to them for a good few more years... I think Berkan has a shot at professional teams." She said, her son was named for their late father, and had surpassed every expectation Lale had ever had.

"I'm...exhausted." She answered honestly, "But the house- I'm wanting to gut most of it." She admitted, "I've left baba's office mostly alone. I use it to write and record." Lale answered, "You should come over when it's all done. I hope to make it a home again. For all of us."

#chat. leyla #parental loss tw

elspethsalazar

maybe there were good people out there, people who could love and be loved. elspeth wasn’t sure any of that was written in the stars for them. they had never quite healed after losing their sister—how were they ever meant to love another, when they couldn’t love themself? with stori and jackson providing a not-so-fairytale blueprint of romance, perhaps it was easier to swear off of it entirely. she had more important things to focus on, like the band and getting signed. surely a gorgeous man, or a beautiful lady, would only serve to stand in the way and prove yet another roadblock between hearthead suzy and success. “well, i’m happy for you,” and the smile that followed was a genuine one. there was no contempt, no jealousy, only a slight twinge in her gut at the realisation that, perhaps, happiness wasn’t for her. “well, if there’s anyone out there that you think might cure my drought, please let me know. it’s getting a little dire over here,” how many songs could elspeth pen about relationships that weren’t hers, about those she read about or watched? those she observed out of coffee shop windows? “maybe i should start making flyers. wanted—alternative soul who loves music, reading, and comfortable silences.” surely there had to be a few of them out there in half moon bay. did they really want to wait until they were signed, until they were batting away groupies to hand over their heart for the care of another? “look, you may be a mom, but you’re also you’re own person and you deserve to take care of yourself. you can’t love if you have nothing left inside.” her words unfolded as poetry; sometimes it was easier to speak in lyricism. when times were hard, music was easier to understand than the tangles of the human mind.

lalekaplanbrody

"Do you ever wonder what drives us to not want to be alone?" Lale asked rather seamlessly. "I've wondered for as long as I can remember. How is it that people can both disappoint us, let us down and break our hearts and still we seek them out. Hunt down the feeling of love and whatever that means. Be it comfortable silences or someone who is okay with the fact that you sometimes steal your neighbors limes." Lale smiled warmly, "I think you'll find whatever its your looking for- not because I believe in fate or anything, but because you're kind and I can't believe that good people end up without someone who feels that way a soulmate should." Lale was half tempted to set Elspeth up with Matty, the thought circled her mind and a small but loud part of her selfishly shot it down each time she got close to mentioning him.

"I have a couple sisters who are whirlwinds. I love them tho and a few single friends who might not kill me if I set them up." Lale laughed quietly at the thought of setting anyone she knew up on a blind date. "That begs the question...where does love come from?" Lale shifted to grab something off the shelf to add to her growing pile of things to buy. "I've been pretty hollowed out before. Giving childbirth it took more than I imagined but then seeing my son, holding him for the first time. It was like for a moment I existed between two worlds.

A place of complete hollowness. Literally after having a human inside me for close to ten months it was like a part of me was gone and the brutal nature of birth-" Lale swallowed away the thought- she'd cried for her mother when she was in birth with her son, wailed and begged any Gods who'd listen to bring her mother to her. It went unanswered, she was a seventeen-year-old girl clueless, motherless- parentless for that matter becoming torn as she became the version of parents she'd always hoped for- alive and present. "but once he was in my arms I had no energy left in me but I was holding all the love of the world in my arms. Sometimes it still feels like that. Being a mother and having all my love outside of me. Walking around and eating up all the snacks I bought." She half-joked to loosen the tightness in her chest. "I know what you mean. Love yourself otherwise, there is no way you can love others as the best version of you."

#chat. elspeth #pregnancy tw #birth tw #teen pregnancy tw #parental death tw #parental abbadonment tw

bennettjrbrody

It was a relatively early day coming home from his current worksite. Those had been a little spotty at this point in the project, so he sorta savored the opportunity to go home. Lale had been extra emotional of late, about a few things, and he didn’t mind putting in the quality time with her to sort it out. It actually also kept him feeling more settled to stay actively engaged, and in spite of the rough start when they’d first moved back to Half Moon Bay, things were going pretty well.

As long as he kept moving and didn’t let all the past feelings, confusions, and heartbreaks catch up to him.

Today, they were mostly nowhere in site. He’d thought about texting Evie some taunt about playing “hookie” though he hadn’t left for the long drive until just after three pm. But he put his phone down, his heart aching a little as he did. They hadn’t been like that, or even really talking, in a while. And he wasn’t going to be the first to break. It was better, right? They could both just move on.

By the time he got home, he was utterly and very carefully focused on the sounds, sights, and smells around him. Even with just Lale at home, it was loud and warm and welcoming. She made it that way. By the time he found her, which wasn’t difficult, he was actually smiling and didn’t even know it.

His arms immediately and reflexively went around her as she tousled his hair. He loved that, she knew, and the warmth of it went right through him like always. Even after they’d been married this long, coming up on their fourteenth anniversary, the feeling of seeing her for the first time in a day, or after time apart, did something to him. When all else was stable, these moments had a way of reorienting all his choices and focusing them on her.

He laughed. “I knew he’d find somewhere to go if I didn’t take him with me today,” he quipped. Their son was increasingly social as he got older and Ben knew, in some ways, the homeschooling thing was hard on the kid. But Berkan was utterly dedicated to baseball, and the flexibility of it really was what they all needed as they transitioned to going all in and tried to set him up for the singular focus of sport success. They talked about it a lot, he and Bear, as Ben tried to strike a balance between what Bear needed and wanted. For now, they were doing okay, but the chances to go with baseball friends would never be missed ones. Which meant good things for Ben and Lale, so Ben wasn’t complaining.

She asked if he was hungry and his mood was light enough he arched his eyebrow, no less than three dirty comments ready to leave his mouth if his brain gave the signal. Instead, he said, “Yes. But hold on.” He followed it up by pressing his mouth to hers and kissing the hell out of her, holding her close while he did, savoring the chance to not hear a scoff and comment about how gross they were.

He wasn’t actually done kissing her or touching her, but he pulled back just enough. She’d been cooking basically all afternoon, so he wasn’t just going to ignore that effort in favor of getting them both worked up. He lowkey knew she had something to tell him, so he would at least let her do it however she wanted. He really liked today.

“Okay,” he agreed, the word coming out with a chuckle. “I guess I’m about to find out if peaches you paid for taste better or not quite as good as the ones you thief.” In as light and gentle of a way as he could manage, he tilted his head and gave her an opening, if she wanted it. The pressure was low, though, because if he knew one thing about his wife when things were this organized, it’s that she had a precise plan. Who was he to fuck up her plans more than he kind of already had in general? “Any reason in particular we get the legitimate peaches tonight?”

lalekaplanbrody

Sometimes things between them felt so good that Lale could pretend it came as easy as if felt in the moment. She could imagine that even before she and he were a them that her life was breezy and charmed and that his was just as well. She imagined that they came into one another lives whole people never damaged by their parents, the expectations they put on themselves or anything else. But then the logical part of her brain would kick in and make her wonder if they'd ever be like this now if it wasn't for all of that? Lale didn't believe in fate. She thought the entire notion a bit foolish. Life was not predestined for us. It was in our hands. She believed in choice. You had a choice in the family you make, in how you love, and maybe a bit in who you love as well. After all, she had chosen Ben. When she was young and getting to know him, she chose the reckless boy in more trouble than good because he was intelligent, made her laugh, and made her feel seen. She'd never felt so seen before. Maybe she attempted to shield more of herself now than before, but for all she did to protect her vulnerabilities, she still felt seen by him at least as much as she'd allow.

She chose this. She chose their family and him every day for going on fourteen years. She'd continue to do so. Continued to look forward to the way his arms felt while he encircled her waist and the way she could read his mind with a quirk of his brow. Lale's bottom lip tucked knowingly between her teeth, a bated breath as she waited almost excitedly for the dirty suggestion to leave his lips. I see you too, Bennet Brody, she thought, her train of thought abruptly scrambled when his lips met hers. Lale's back arched, pushing her closer to him to savor the moment that was over far too soon. Her cheeks flushed warm and the feeling bloomed low in the pit of her stomach. She for a moment, was breathless and considering abandoning her plan in favor of asking him to finish what he started.

She exhaled a chuckle giving her head a small shake to gather her thoughts. "I'm sure they don't but I did pay extra for organic." She placated and pulled out a spot for him at the table where all the peach-inspired foods sat. "Sorta." She replied coyly, almost shy as she poured a glass of peach lemonade for him. "I should have told you sooner if I'm being honest. But I wanted it to be - well there were a lot of reasons." Lale concluded with certainty and nodded for him to sit before standing before him her dress hanging loose over her abdomen as she stepped closer to him. "I'm nervous." She breathed a smile as she placed her hands on either side of his face. "Did you know a fetus is the size of a peach at about fourteen weeks?" She asked instead of just outright saying it. "I never knew. With Bear I'd been so focused on sewing stretchy bands into my Hollister jeans that I just I never knew." Lale pulled out the small ultrasound that she had tucked under her plate, her eyes gazing at the little black-and-white image for a moment. "What do you think if we planted our own peach tree?" She asked before flipping the photo over to reveal the first photo of the baby growing in her womb.

#chat. ben #pregnancy tw

drewhayes

andrew had tried to be strong but as soon as she had reached out and touched him he had lost it. his tears flowed freely now and his breathing had picked up much louder now. andrew had been trying his best to talk himself down from a panic attack he had felt coming on. something he hadn't had since his brother in law had passed away, back when recreational drugs had induced them. he did his breath to take long breaths and breath through the tightness in his chest. andrew wasnt sure how much longer he was going to be able to stand up in the pool as his legs were beginning to feel more and more weak as he stood there. andrew had felt more vulnerable over the last week or so than he had in his own life. aly leaving him had really broken something inside of him.

once her arms wrapped around him he no longer could hold back. thankfully the two were in the water so it had made the larger man a little more lighter for her petite body to hold up. though even through whatever break down this seem to be he did try his best to not do anything to put a strain on her to hurt the baby she was carrying. in any other situation the man would have laughed at her joke but he just couldnt. he couldnt do anything but cry. he had felt literally broken. "i see how people die from a broken heart." the man had confessed in a whisper as he hugged her, "because lale i don't think i can keep going on with the pain i am feeling." he pulled back to let her dry a few tears from his face. then he stumbled back to take a seat on the stairs and then he put his head in his hands.

"i don't know, a while ago?" andrew should have know the day, the time, the moment however it had all been a blur. "i dont even know what day it now." the man confessed. "it has been a week or two.. or three." he went on. "she has been gone for a while and i can't take it any more. i don't want to take it anymore, i don't want to feel this way and i don't want to be without her. she was my life." he said as he gasped for a deep breath of air before speaking again, "i have been with her over half of my life. there is no andrew without aly. i have no idea who i am and i am nothing without her, lale... nothing but a weak, pathetic excuse of a man." it was apparent just how disgusted with himself he currently was. "i just want my wife back."

lalekaplanbrody

Lale was not used to such a vulnerable show of emotion. The men in her life had not often been the sorts to bare their emotions so glaringly and for a stunned moment Lale did not know what to do for him or his tears. Her stomach lurched with painful empathy for his raw ache. She wanted to tell him it would be okay, he'd be okay. However, she didn't thinking platitudes did anyone any favors. Least of all someone she considered a friend. So she said nothing. Wordlessness spread between them and all Lale could do was offer a comforting touch as she did not have the words to soothe the chasm that had opened up inside of Drew.

Lale held him, craddled him close the way she would someone she loved a great deal, her fingers stroked through his hair and she let his cries fall between them with understanding silence. He said he knew how people could die of a broken heart. The words sent a small jolt through Lale, a memory of a doctor giving them medical jargon that essentially summed up to the fact that her father had died of a broken heart. "I know...shhh." She soothed, her face pressed against the top of his head as she spoke in quiet tones. Lale followed him to the steps, sitting beside him she couldn't bring herself to face him just yet. Het stomach lurched forward and the ache of his words opened a million things inside of her that she had worked to keep sealed shut.

"I don't have any words that can make you un-heartbroken." She said after a contemplative moment. "There is no magic answer. I wish there were. But all we have is the understanding that we all feel this raw heartbreak that threatens to turn us inside out and rob us of everything we've ever known to be true of ourselves. All we have is mutual understanding and fancy words that make us feel seen. Not even less alone. Just understood. It's a sick kind of satisfaction to know you're not alone in this awful feeling. To find fleeting solace in knowing others feel like their dying when they lose someone they love. Wishing no one and at the same time everyone would feel this way..."

Lale frowned hard, the lines in her face contorting as the illumination from the pool cast shadows on her face making her appear softer. "Drew that's so sad." She decided on a sigh shaking her head and laying her head on his shoulder a moment. "If you make someone your everything. All you are when they mess up, when they hurt you or leave it feels like dying." She wrapped her arm through his, she'd been with Ben coming up on fourteen years. Soon she would be with him longer than she was without and she wondered if she could ever leave him. Even after his affair she had stayed, he was her family. It was never the same again- she kept parts of herself hidden. Maybe it was self-preservation to prevent herself from ever becoming so twisted into him that she would be reduced to what Drew was should he leave her or cheat again. "Maybe it'll happen. Maybe it won't. Maybe Aly will never come back. You'll be sad for a long time, but you will not be this way forever." Lale set up and took his chin to gently guide him to look at her, "And you're not pathetic. Not for this."

#death tw #cheating tw

evangelinemorris

It would turn into an engineering pissing contest if Evie didn't rein it in. There was a difference between common sense and what the client wanted. Ben wasn't throwing around his weight, but it didn't mean she'd take it lying down.

"I never said I couldn't do it," she retorted. She shot him an icy glare and turned her attention back to Lale. The house did have excellent potential. With a little care, the restoration could be like something out of a magazine. Her expertise ended with the bare bones restoration; any painting or other cosmetics wasn't in her wheelhouse. "For the kitchen, checking the load-bearing walls and wiring shouldn't be too hard if I can get my hands on the blueprints. Do you guys have a contractor?"

As much as Evie wanted to hold her tongue and be civil, it didn't make it easy. Her jaw set a bit and she fought to rein in her irritated expression. "I'll talk to him, we'll see how our schedules can match," she answered.

@bennettjrbrody

bennettjrbrody

Ben met Evie's icy glare with a tense-jawed look of his own, but he didn't reply. He could've supplemented that she wasn't acting like she particularly wanted to, but he held his tongue. It wasn't even that difficult, really.

Not with Lale cutting in to soften the tension, to provide a warmer explanation. As always, to be the foil he needed before he did something stupid. He wasn't positive that was her intent, until her arm made its way around him and she squeezed briefly. It was a short-hand of support and the message was pretty clear. The problem was just he didn't want to talk about it, could never quite explain, and found it easier to just sit in his own lock-jawed misery than to seek help. As Lale started suggesting dates, which honestly he'd rather chew glass than attend, and offered drinks, his eyes fluttered closed. "I'm okay, thanks," he said, trying to do it with a gentler tone than one he felt on the inside.

Because even as he addressed his wife, Evie was talking about blueprints they didn't have and asking about people they hadn't employed. His frustration intensified under the weight of things still needing to be done.

"Not yet." It was something else he'd been thinking he'd ask her, but now, petulantly, he didn't want to. The grown up in him, who was way too far buried at this point, came up with the names and forced them out. "Have you ever worked with Matt Rowberry or Taylor Juarez? Those are the two who are taking residential projects right now."

@lalekaplanbrody

lalekaplanbrody

Lale didn't miss the icy glare, she shot a look between them, her stomach tightening with the tension she could feel. Whatever it was she wished they'd stop it, especially when every look and tense word felt as if she were intruding on something she wasn't supposed to be a part of. It put Lale on edge, a quiet storm she smoothed with effortless smile and polite friendliness. Whatever it was between them surely it could be solved and if they were going to exchange sharp looks and words with more weight than they should rightfully have in front of her then she would involve herself. Play mediator for her husband, for their friend. In the end they were two people Lale loved dearly and she would do whatever she could to ensure this resolved and everything smoothed out. The sooner the better.

"Okay. More for us." Lale replied quietly and effortlessly despite the discomfort. She left Ben's side to pour herself an iced tea, leaving a glass for Evie full with a lemon wedge to take should she decide. She leaned against the breakfast nook, her eyes volleying between them, her expression neutral as she sipped her tea. Her mind was racing with scenarios and explanations. She wanted to ask them both out right what had happened- but Lale knew better than to meet this iciness with brut force and instead made plans of her own. Proximity had a way of making things come out. "I'm trusting Ben with contractors. I'll be good to tell them what to do, but getting blue prints shouldn't be too hard."

"We can all talk about it over dinner." Lale warmed, a softened expression tossed her husbands way. "Of course there is more we can discuss it's been so long." Lale smoothed, "Just let me know your schedule and I can make reservations for four?" Lale suggested flipping up the calendar she kept on the kitchen wall to check for dates.

@evangelinemorris

#chat. ben #chat. evie

Lale and Cami at the bakery before close

@camila-alvarez

Lale's first pregnancy came with less nausea, less cravings and a general feeling of well being. Blame it on age, stress, a cosmic joke or whatever this go around she was exhausted all the time, sleeping whenever she got a spare moment, still nauseous now, but less than in her first trimester. The cravings, however, are what did her in. Lale sometimes could crave something so powerfully she could almost taste it just thinking about it. So when she awoke from a nap that bled into the evening with a specific craving only one place in town could satisfy, she was out the door making it within just minutes of close.

Settling at the counter she smoothed tresses fallen around her face behind her ears, "I know you close soon, but I was hoping if I promise to get my apple cake and get out and tip well that I could trouble you." She smiled in greeting, still groggy voiced from her nap.

#chat. camila #pregnancy tw

mneverland

Ayça Ayşin Turan

via instagram

#visage. lale

lenakaplan

Ignorance had been bliss, left in a dark void without consequences from last night's actions and the hangover that waited for her, until the piercing alarm of a phone nearly had Lena's soul leap out of her bones. Being shook came with a yelp from both the noise and pounding of her head, immediately diving back under the covers in attempt to run from it all. Her eyes hadn't even adjusted to the natural light what with her head having been under the pillow like an ostrich. "Why do you haaaaaate me..." Lena demanded through muffled fabric, folding over the blankets with a soft thump, eyes remaining stubbornly closed. "Just let me die here. At least it's comfortable."

lalekaplanbrody

Lale pulled on the covers, close to her sister as she jostled her body, "Because you got boobs before me so I've held a grudge ever sense." Lale teased, "Come on you can die after breakfast. You'd be fantastic fertilizer for my flowers. Ben will be thrilled with the garden." Lale bounced until she felt a bit nauseous and pulled a mint from her pocket, "So breakfast, then you can perish. I don't care but I didn't make a breakfast spread like baba did just for you to stink up my guest room."

#chat. lena #death tw #dark humor tw #just incase

drewhayes

andrew was a hayes and he had to have the best of the best. even his pool had to be top notch or he didnt want it. sure he had made his own money now but ever since he was a small child he had grown up with more money than he had known what to do with it. the hayes name had been around for ages and everyone knew they had originally came from old money. he never denied that. "so you think because you can shake some pom poms that you can run faster than me.. need i remind you that you are running for two now. that has to slow you down." he said quietly knowing people werent around that could hear him. "asides i am not that drunk and even if i was that drunk i could still run faster." he said in a matter of fact tone with a laugh.

and just like that his whole attitude changed. the one thing he was trying to forget he was constantly getting asked about tonight. was there no andrew without aly? everywhere he went he was asked about her and just for one night he wanted- no he needed to not think about her. though it was clear that wasnt happening. every muscle in his body grew tense at her name and his stomach turned. the worse of it all was that his heart physically ached. andrew didn't even know it was possible to feel such a physical pain over losing someone you loved yet he hurt.

it was obvious at the name mention that everything in him shifted. his eyes burned as he now fought back tears. the alcohol in his system only intensified every emotion he was feeling and as much as he didn't want to cry it was that or let his anger take over. he had snapped enough at people tonight for asking about her. lale was always the one person he could be honest with he wasnt going to stop now. sure this was probably the most inconvenient place for him to break down but it hit him like a ton of bricks. when he has looked back up at her he couldn't speak and he felt like he couldn't breath. as he just stood, letting the tears now flow down his cheeks for a moment he finally spoke but his words were horsed and broken, "she's gone."

lalekaplanbrody

"Shaking pom poms, please- I could outrun you while pregnant and end with a backhand spring before you even catch up." Lale pointed assuredly, but even thinking about running now made her feel breathless in a moment quicker than she could count. The mood changed. She watched it wash over him, the tense shift of his body language, and Lale wished for nothing more than to take it all back. To never have asked in the first place. Lale softened in the fluttering beat of a heart and swam closer to Drew, "Hey-" She soothed, her hand reaching out to touch his arm. Concern washed over her features creating somber shadows reflecting from rippling water and dim pool lights.

Gone- she's gone. The words hit as hard as the sorrowful emotion that he expressed. Lale wondered if this is what vulnerability looked like when loving someone- distress in a pool half drunk on margaritas. If it had been anyone else maybe she wouldn't have cared as much, but it wasn't, it was Drew. Lale didn't hesitate in wrapping her arms around him in an effort to be soothing. She swayed a bit in the water, "I'll let you beat me in a race." Lale soothed gently, her fingers moving to dry tears across his face. "I'm sorry, Drew. I couldn't imagine." She replied in earnest. "I don't think I have anything to say that you want to or can hear right now. When did she leave? How long have you been carrying this alone?"

#chat. drew

devonaiello

This was unbearable. Devon could understand why Lale wanted to be here. If she was in the woman’s shoe and found out her partner had been cheating on them as well, Devon could only ponder how’d she react? Would she have remained even-keel? Would she have lost her damn mind and make them regret ever considering someone else for another moment in time? As the conversation with Lale continued, Devon finally found herself becoming sympathetic towards the other. She’d always had been, but seeing them initially had sent her guard up, unsure of what their goal was by showing up to the brewery. “Yes, I did see him. Came by for a work food order. We chatted for a few minutes and then he was on his way.” It wasn’t necessarily to provide Lale assurance of whatever Ben may have stated, but it was the honest truth. The camera would show such.

“Look,” she said, letting out a sigh. “Sometimes it’s far easier connecting with a complete and total stranger than it is talking with the people who are closest to you.” It’s why she loved her job. Being able to be a place for people. A reprieve from the standards of their day and the mutiny routine that life could sometimes be. “That’s all it really was at first, I swear.” There was no need to go into further details, but even Devon had found a reprieve in Ben and figured it was reciprocal considering the length of their time they did share together. “No, no. I get it now,” she nodded, dismissing Lale’s apology. “I have no intentions to impede on your space or your relationship. Not since that day,” she shared. Devon was irate that she was left in that predicament. Blindsided by someone she thought she trusted. “I really had wanted to reach out to you back then, but I figured it was just best to let things diffuse on its own.” So, she thought. “For now, are we okay?”

lalekaplanbrody

Lale took a long breath before nodding. She understood the sentiment in theory. On one hand she confided in those closest to her and in others she did so to strangers, her novel doing just that published under an alias to keep the secret. She could understand needing friends. She would never deny Ben that need in life. She knew he was close to others like Evie, maybe she was his best friend but Lale was his wife. They were the unit and when it came to battling life she needed them to battle it together. However, more often than not it felt as if they were battling alone, pushing against one another- less so as of late. Things were good even if Lale was full of doubt that stemmed from the uncertainty that came from more than just his indiscretion with Devon.

"We're fine. My issue isn't with you, Devon." She assured her with quiet contemplativeness that felt thick over her already muddled thoughts. "I don't know if it would have helped or made things worse. I almost left him." She admitted aloud for the first time to another person. If anyone, why not her. "I can't say for sure why I didn't. I'm sure a lot of different reasons that are more obvious. But people co-parent all the time, and things end, but I couldn't give up on him, and I couldn't let him give up on himself. I love him. I don't think many people would understand that."

#chat. devon #affair tw

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