devon--reynolds:
“Yeah she definitely needs help but we both know she’s not gonna get it.” It seemed like a pessimistic thought but Devon had known Kalani long enough to know the truth. He loved Kal, always would, always would care for her and hoped for the best. But he knew that she didn’t feel the same about him. She loved him, yes, but it was a sick and twisted kind of love, the kind that only wanted him to be hers or in her orbit, which usually meant him being at his worst. She didn’t care about his addiction, she only cared that he fit into her world which would always include alcohol and drugs and the type of bad company that had landed him in prison in the first place. But he was grateful for the kiss, the chance to forget it all and just stay in this little world with her for a little longer. “Hey I’m just glad you asked for my help. You know me, I like to be as useful as possible. It’s gonna be amazing, Mel, and everyone who comes through here, near and far, will feel all the love and warmth in this place. We’re gonna have the best grand opening.” He leaned in to kiss her again before peppering a few kisses along her jaw. “Thank you for giving me a chance,” he added, knowing that since he had gotten out he hadn’t been able to find anything nearly as stable as this job or as well paying, definitely not anything that would have enabled him to move as soon as he did. “You really saved my life here, changed it. You always have a knack for doing that.”
An easy smile came to Melody’s face as she listened to him, something that seemed to happen all too often when she was around Devon. It had always been that way and it was both strange and wonderful how they had been able to fall back into things so naturally over 20 years after they had last seen each other. “You don’t need to thank me, Devon. I trust you, you know that, and if I was going to have anybody build this thing up with me, it would be you. Besides, someone needed to give you a second chance. I know it’s been hard to get your life situated again after everything... Just know that you could work here long-term, if you wanted. You could work maintenance. Be the on-staff handyman. You’d be paid well, but you already know that,” she offered with a smile. “You can think about it, but let me know, okay? I’d love to have you here with me full-time.”













