love is a polaroid

[ofliveliness-blog]

chris:

 “Yeah, like a date. A proper one.” The way she sat up, looking excited at   the prospect made Chris more willing to straight out admit what he wanted.   They both knew what a date would mean. It would be a secret from her   siblings and from his best friend. Whilst he didn’t want Josh to find out   and be angry at him, it was something more than that. It had developed   quickly, changing from friendship to something more and Chris didn’t want   to have to share that with anyone. At least not yet, not while it was new   and special.

  Each gentle touch sent a thrill down his spine. It was intimate and sweet   and he hoped she never stopped running her fingers across his jaw. The   words were confusing, not quite processing in his mind. How could he be   considered attractive when there she sat, beautiful radiating from her smile.  “Maybe I was waiting for the girl I wanted to notice me.” He murmured,   leaning up to kiss her once more, sweet and softly. 

   Even with the sneaking it would require, the prospect of a date, proper    one with Chris, made her feel giddy. With some first dates, there was the    worrying. ‘Will I actually like this person? Will I enjoy their company?’    There was none of that with him. She was sure, even if the date itself     turned into a disaster, they would still enjoy their time together. But, deep    down, she wanted the date to go well. She wanted it more than anything.

   Beth return the kiss, lips soft against his, her mind turning over his words    in her thoughts. His words, all of them, made her heart race, as if it hadn’t    been already. If it wasn’t for the kiss, her entire face would have been     warm with a blush. “If you keep saying those things,” she whispered against    his lips when she pulled away slightly, “I might fall for you.”

[morosedelaro]

~Sweeties~

[ofliveliness-blog]

chris:

 “I liked the way it sounded when you sung it.” The song was one he had   heard before, he had grown up hearing it but never had it sounded so sweet   until he had heard her singing it. The song had taken on new meaning. It   wasn’t just the song his mother liked, the lyrics had changed, morphing   into something else. It had become part of their private moment, making it   special and now, unforgettable. Something had changed between them   within the span of one song. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about the way   she had looked when they danced in slow circles.

 “Then you’ll have to show me.”  He immediately offered. It was an opportunity   to see her again. “Maybe we can go listen to it somewhere. Like a road trip or   out… somewhere.” Scrambling for quick ideas had never been Chris’s forte,   but he would find a way for them to have some time alone together. It wasn’t   that he didn’t love the Washington’s company. He had spent years of his life   in their home but he wanted Beth to himself. Without the distractions of brothers   or parents. What he wanted was to get to know her properly, without disruptions.

   “Like a date?” She piped up, still biting her lip. A date would be      something they had to do with semi-secrecy, least her siblings      find out. She had no idea how Josh would possibly react and,      frankly, she didn’t want to find out. They had make a quick      transition from ‘just friends’ to ‘something more’, meaning there      had always been something under the surface. The more she       looked at Chris, taking in his strong jaw and beautiful eyes from      close up, the more she knew she’d always felt strong feelings      for him. 

   Her fingers slipped from his hair, trailing down along his jaw. If     she could have more time like this with him, she’d take it in a      heartbeat. “You’re really gorgeous, Chris. I don’t know why you     haven’t found a girlfriend yet.” Leaning in, she pecked his lips     with a small kiss. “But that’s lucky for me.”

[witchdelilah]

— there is no absolution for the fallen, only the dying | p.d [insp.]

[queennymeria]

[noelyely-deactivated20200826]

Big brother.

[logicaltribbles]

[ofliveliness-blog]

In one of those stars I shall be living {When You Look At The Sky ¼}

For Beth Washington, whose love for family led to an untimely demise

Listen | Edit 

//1. Hold Back the River- James Bay //2. Be Still- The Fray //3. Welcome Home- Radical Face //4. In the Embers- Sleeping At Last //5. Wherever You Will Go- Charlene Soraia //6. In a Week- Hozier (ft. Karen Cowley) //7. Remember Me- Anadel //8. After the Storm- Mumford & Sons //9. Laura Palmer- Bastille //10. Bones- Ms Mr //11. Listen to the Rain- Amy Lee //12. Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking- Snow Patrol //13. Crosses-  José González

[ofliveliness-blog]

chris:

  Chris had laid out all his cards for Beth to see. There was no going back   and pretending that he hadn’t wanted her if it went badly. The brief moment   before she took his hand felt like it lasted a thousand years. Then he saw   her smile and it was infectious, spreading to his own lips. This was their all   in moment. Even if it was for a night, they had each other and they both   were going for it. Tomorrow would be a new day and he would have to deal   with betraying his best friend then. For that night, he only wanted to think   about Beth and no one else. His arm slipped around her waist as she moved   to his lap and he held her close, resting his chin upon her shoulder. 

  “Well I think you’d have to tell me about your music choices before I judge.   I know you enjoy Savage Garden but what else?” It was becoming abundantly   clear that despite all the time they had spent together over the years, he was   lacking knowledge in the things that Bethany liked. Now that he had the chance,   he wanted to learn all about them. 

  “So you liked it, then?” She asked, biting her lip gently. “The song I   sang to you?” It hadn’t meant as much at the time as it did now as   she looked back to the hours before. They had danced and stood   close together as she sang the romantic lyrics for his ears alone.   Things had changed between them, she could allow herself to act   on her schoolgirl crush in the privacy the night gave them. She could   forget about the shyness and the awkwardness and act as if they   were dating, as if she didn’t need to overthink their conversations    or her choice of words or how close they were to each other.

  “I can’t just tell you what music I like, I should show you. But maybe   another time? I don’t want to wake anyone.” The question in her    voice wasn’t from the actual question, but another one, one that was   more important; would he want to see her again, in this capacity? If   they could, she wanted to go on a date with him, enjoy more private   time with him. They hardly had that, and they clearly needed it. Beth   had known him for years, but only as Chris, her brother’s best friend.   What she knew about him didn’t go far past what she saw on the nights   he stayed over. 

[ofliveliness-blog]

hannah:

  Hannah watched from just beyond the door with bated breath, waiting   to see how it would all unfold. The quick fumble and mumbled apologies   were believable. What wasn’t, was her father’s reaction. If it had been   her that dropped the award, she would have been grounded or kicked out   of the house but Beth got away with a sigh and a warning? It was completely   unfair. With her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed.   “How the hell do you get away with it?”

  Her proud smile didn’t fail for a second. “I told you. You shoulda   just believed me.” Slipping passed her sister, Beth hopped down   the stairs. She’d done as Hannah had dared, now to bask in the   glory and confusion. 

[cxchise-blog]

  That had to be a good thing. It wasn’t just a one sided thing. She had kissed   him and he had kissed her back, and it hadn’t been bad. It was the best news   Chris could get. His smile was soft, admiring her cheeks turn from pink to red   and he just knew that his were the same shade of red. There was the niggling   reminder that Beth was his best friend’s sister and he shouldn’t feel this way,   his lips shouldn’t be tingling and he shouldn't’ have been hoping for another kiss,   even if it was brief. 

  All he could do was watch as she took a step back, his hand slipped from her   hair to her shoulder. Fingers slowly dragged down the bare skin of her arm and   caught her finger tips. “Please don’t go.” He whispered, his voice full of pleading.   This wasn’t how he wanted their first kiss to end. He didn’t it want it to be the last   kiss either. It was difficult to phrase any of his thoughts when his heart and mind   were racing a thousand miles a minute. It may have been presumptuous but he   couldn’t let it end there. It wasn’t just the remnants of alcohol that made him   want her to stay. He just couldn’t bear to let her go, he had just gotten her and he   was scared if he let her leave the moment would be gone forever. “We can talk   or watch a movie just… please don’t go yet.” 

[ofliveliness-blog]

 Her heart skipped a beat as his hand slipped into hers, keeping her  from moving far away. She didn’t want to go anywhere at all, preferring  to be right there. Hearing him as for that? It barely took a second for  a smile to cross her lips. Her step closer was practically a skip, fingers  slipping between his. If they were going to do this, seeing each other  behind Josh’s back for this one night, she was going to milk it for all  it had.

 Gently, she settled herself across his lap, free hand resting on his  shoulder at first before tiptoeing up his neck to run through his hair.  “Well, what are we going to talk about, then? And it better not be any  mean comments about my choices in music, I won’t have any of that.”

[twatnisseverdeen]

[ofliveliness-blog]

chris:

  It was still difficult for him to believe it was happening. Beth Washington   was in the bed beside him, making the first move and kissing him. He was   careful, opening his mouth wider to brush his tongue against hers. The   kiss was soft and gentle and everything he had hoped for before they had   been interrupted. Kissing her could be addictive, the sweetness of her lips   was overwhelming even through the faint taste of beer on her tongue. 

  Even as she broke away, his fingers stayed tangled in her hair, unwilling   to let her slip away. They stayed close together and it tempted him to close   the gap between their lips again. The words were surprising and he stammered,   trying to find a response of his own. “I - um… I’m glad I could help. I mean,   that I could give you what you want.” Her lips were red and swollen, even in   the dim light. Brushing his thumb along her bottom lip, he met her eyes. “I   hope it was… what you were hoping for.” 

  “It was.” Her voice grew much quieter than she would have liked,   but she had to remind herself that Chris had kissed her back. He   hadn’t pushed her away, it wasn’t just something she had wanted.    Her face turned a beet red and she planned to rush back to her   room and hide under her blankets, but she couldn’t. Being this    close to him, she didn’t want to move even an inch away. 

  Opposite to her bravery moments before, Beth was overwhelmed   by the shyness she felt now, eyes dropping as she was unable to   meet his gaze. She had kissed him, kissed her brother’s best bud,   out of the blue. Things were bound to get awkward now, weren’t   they? “I - I should probably go.” She managed a hesitant step back,   eyes on him. Her heart was beating heart in her chest, she was    sure he could hear it. Before she could get frozen in another burst   of shyness, she turned for the door.

[ofliveliness-blog]

joshy:

[ text ; bethy-boo ] come home, grab my meds, change clothes. [ text ; bethy-boo ] go out for the night

see also;  get drunk and or high and sleep with at least one stranger.

[ text ; bethy-boo ] y’know. bro stuff.

[ text: joshy-washy ] so obviously this is just your message so that someone knows where you are [ text: joshy-washy ] are you gonna need me to pick you up at some point, big brother?

[ofliveliness-blog]

chris:

  Silence settled over the room again and although Chris was itching to ask   questions or pull Beth closer, he waited for her to speak first. It was probably   cowardice but he told himself that he wanted to make sure she was comfortable.   In the dark, with alcohol clouding his mind, it was hard to tell what was true.   When she spoke, he nodded in the darkness. “Ditto.” He shook his head, trying   to chase away the comment. He hadn’t meant for it to sound like he was   disregarding her. “I mean, it was nice to dance. With you.” 

  He glanced up, head cocked to the side as he tried to decipher what she meant.   Then she was there, moving across the room and her hands on his cheeks set   his skin alight. It tingled like an electric current as her lips met his, his entire body   felt like it was buzzing with such a sweet kiss. It was exactly what he had wanted   to do and he was so grateful that Beth was braver. Fingers tangled in the hair at   her nape, holding her close as his tongue brushed along her bottom lip. 

  Her lips parted at the touch of his tongue, her own poking out to meet it.   It had only taken a few second but she was already weak under his touch,   hands moving to his shoulder when she knew he wasn’t pulling away.   What was meant to be a quick kiss so she could know what it felt like was   quickly growing into something more than that. Her plan had been to kiss   him and leave, but every second their lips remained connected, the less   she felt she’d be able to leave. 

  Beth was practically ready to climb onto his lap and kiss him until her lips   were swollen and her lungs ached when she broke away. Her hands were   the only sign that she didn’t want to, her grip on his shoulders not faltering   for a second. “I - yeah, that’s what I wanted.”

[ofliveliness-blog]

joshy:

[ text ; bethy-boo ] may or may not have called a teacher a subservient pig to the hierarchy of the school system. [ text ; bethy-boo ] i don’t even want to go to college. i’m only going because mom and dad want me to. [ text ; bethy-boo ] why do you think i picked psych major? to piss them off.

[ text: joshy-washy ] you know, instead of getting suspended, you could withdraw? [ text: joshy-washy ] even if they deserved it, you shouldn’t say that stuff to people’s faces [ text: joshy-washy ] well [ text: joshy-washy ] what are you going to do now?

[ofliveliness-blog]

chris:

  “Oh.” The time for intelligible answers had passed at least three beers   ago and whilst he had stopped drinking, his mind was still slow from the   alcohol. Part of his brain still questioned if it was a dream but his dreams   would have moved quicker, he would have known the right things to say   to make her come closer. He would have gotten that kiss by now. It had   to be real because Beth was there and she looked as nervous as he did.   In the dark, and without his glasses, he could only see the outline of her   form and yet, he knew she must have looked beautiful standing there.   Such a beautiful girl wasn’t meant for him so what was the harm in   saying ‘yes’? 

  “Yeah, of course.” He said, sitting up and making room for her in the bed.    “I mean, it’s your house after all.” It was a bad attempt at humour but it was   what Chris was good at, it was familiar. Reaching blindly towards the   bedside table, he found his glasses and slipped them back on. If this was   real, if this was his one chance with Beth then he wanted to be able to see   it and commit it every sight to memory. 

  She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her but not going in   too far. She was too nervous to sit beside him and, if she did, she expected   to be too nervous to do it. Hands twisted her fingers, trying to relieve some   of the awkwardness she had caused. “I want to thank you, again, for dancing   with me.” True, but not the entire truth. “It was fun, it’s nice to have a dance   partner I’m not related to, for once.”

  Her eyes finally lifted to look at him, her eyes finally adjusted to the lack   of light enough for her to see him, not clearly but enough. Taking a deep   breath, she dug inside herself for the courage. “But I also wanted to do this.”   She found it. Crossing the room, her hands cupped his cheeks as she finally   closed the gap between them, lips pressing against his. With all the urgency,   it still managed to be soft and sweet and, now, she didn’t want to pull away.

[ofliveliness-blog]

chris:

  He wasn’t sure how long he had laid in bed, staring at the roof. His fingers   drifted across his bottom lip absently, thinking about the kiss that could have   been and almost was. He wanted to curse Josh out for interrupting them,   he’d kick his ass if he could. Instead, he let the buzz of alcohol cover his   emotions and tried to ignore the thudding of his heart that still raced when   he thought of the way Beth had felt in his arms as they danced. 

  The soft sound of her voice floated through the room in an almost dream like   quality. Maybe he had drifted off to sleep because she was there and that was   what he wanted. Rolling onto his side, he still believed that maybe it was all   part of a dream if she was there. “Beth?” His voice was loud in the quiet room,   almost echoing and he hurried to quiet himself. “What are you doing here?”

  What should she say? Beth already felt stupid even thinking about telling   him that she was still thinking about kissing him hours later. Her eyes fell   to the handle, her hand hovering there. “I wanted to see you.” She said    eventually, finger following the curve of the door handle. She didn’t just   want to see him now, she wanted to see him more, not just when he was   there for Josh, but she didn’t expect for him to ever think bout her in that   capacity. All she could ask for was the kiss they had not been able to have,   their one ‘almost’. 

  He had been drinking, they both had. This was not a situation she should   have been doing this but if not now, when? Probably never. She couldn’t   turn back now and go to her room, she had to kiss him, if only just once.         “Can I come in?”