we all dream with our eyes closed

rp blog.

[forthexgirl]

Bad day? Not even close. Adele had a relatively good day. After an interesting and “casual” day of work, she’d gone home and discovered her step-son. The two searched the home for snacks and threw things together, talking and bonding, before realizing dinner wasn’t made. Adele insisted on going alone, but the boy encouraged her to take him as well. So, Adele would call this a good day, technically. Up until now. Still, to avoid causing a problem, she peered up at the other woman and lied. “One would say that…” She lingered, continuing to pick up the boxes of crackers and put them on the display. When an employee came over, Adele stood quickly, apologized, and then turned toward Delaney. “I… Should go, I’m so embarrassing. How-how are you though? Is everything going okay?”

[outofsightx]

It was funny how things changed. Once they’d known for certain the two of them standing in front of each other didn’t have the same feel. Delaney still hooked herself on the other woman’s every word, she was still mesmerized simply by Adele’s existence, yet there was a strange, saddened attachment to everything that was happening. The both knew, yet what were they to do? Delaney tugged her sleeve down as she stood up in sync with the other woman, placing one last box back on the display. She nodded quickly as the other spoke. “Wonderful, thank you.” Placing her hand back on her cart, she kept it short and sweet. “In all fairness, they did place that on a rather sharp turn. But, yes. You, um, wouldn't want your frozen things to melt.” Motioning to her cart, Delaney didn’t quite know what to say or do next. Should she just leave? A part of her wanted to, but mostly she didn’t.

[forthexgirl]

“Oh, I have very much earned everything I have in my life. My knowledge, my degree, the internship at KFMB, all of that. But you? Well, I don’t care what you say. I don’t deserve you. And I don’t say that in a pity-me sort of way, because- well- look at me. I’m really attractive and very intelligent. I’m a great cook and I happen to be into both giving and receiving. I am the perfect person to be attracted to. And still, I look at you and sometimes wonder… I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore, but you know what I mean. I would be completely lost without you, Aaron.”

[outofsightx]

“See, this is what I meant earlier. You’re not always romantic, but when you are it’s sickly so. Godamnit, Cory. I’m so-- I don't even know. I can’t even think of words to describe anything currently. I love you. You’ve been such a huge, important part of my life and I’m not even sure how any of this happened but I just... ah. My brain is malfunctioning and I feel extremely inclined to take off my clothes and get on top of you right now. Just saying.”

[forthexgirl]

Grin & Bare It // Austin + Harley

[forthexgirl]

It was tragic; she was tragic. A slow moving punchbuggy running through a stop sign, moments before meeting impact with a truck, that’s what they were. She was an accident waiting to happen. She was a misstep Austin was supposed to take. Inevitable. Unfortunate. What was he to do when all he’d wanted was something like a misstep; something similar to an accident. At any moment, she would tell him that she never saw him coming. It would be his fault for being there, and not hers. Either way, she would walk away with no wounds; no remorse. Austin would hardly be standing, not even remotely able to move. Was this his fault? Was the impact something that could have been avoided? Was this coincidence, or was this Fate?

Austin no longer felt sure of him; he no longer felt sure of anything. Why did Harley have to make everything so… casual? Reassuring of nothing he cared about, apologizing for things he knew she did not really regret, discussing matters of familial relationships. Who cared about any of that? Austin did not. Austin could not have cared less. With furrow eyebrows, and a tilted head, he just stood there staring in awe of Harley. “I’m convinced you hate me.” An accidental slip of the emotion. Dammit. Her eyes couldn’t see the emotion on his face, and that pissed off Austin in this moment. Usually, he hadn’t a cared about what she could see and not see. But this time, it felt different. She was using the lack of visual contact to compensate. He could tell.

“This is ridiculous… I mean, look at me, trying to be truthful and honest and open with you? And you… You tell me ‘good talk’?” Of course, Austin needed to take Harley’s lack of experience into mind, but that was hard to do when she refused to take their situation seriously. Austin moved toward her, bringing himself back down to his knees in front of Harley. Placing her hands into his own, he breathed heavily- nervously- during a long pause, trying to find the right words to say. “Are you really sorry for kissing me? Are you really sorry for anything you do? Because it won’t be fair to keep pretending it means nothing to me… It’s not fair. I hope you know that.” He had to admit she had more guts than him. It wasn’t like Austin made moves himself.

[outofsightx]

They were now edging into territory that Harley had refused to enter for so long. The brunette had mastered brushing things off, but Austin, he couldn’t. It had to be evident to the other that she was way out of her element, but the boy continued to back her into a corner. Talking about her feelings was never something Harley excelled at, and talking about feelings that weren’t very precise was seemingly even more difficult, but she couldn’t just up and leave simply because she just didn’t want to deal with it. Everything she was avoiding would catch up with her eventually, and it had.

“You’re convinced I hate you?” A frown formed on her face. “That’s utter bullshit. You know for a fact that I don’t hate you, Austin.” The fact that he even had that idea in his head upset her. Hate was the very opposite of things she felt for him, that was part of the problem. She wouldn’t still be standing here if she hated him. “You’re trying to make me feel bad. Like, I’m some insensitive bitch, and that’s not at all true.”

Hands grabbed hers and Austin practically slid down into a plea. She didn’t like it. This whole situation was just one big mess and she was feeling guilty. This was exactly what she didn’t want-- to feel bad for any of this. Intent was harmless when she kissed him. She’d caved into desire and the whole world needed to keep reminding her that it was wrong. Standing in silence for a moment, the girl chewed on her lip, still allowing her hands to remain in the boy’s clammy palms. “Life’s not fair,” she whispered, using his hands to carefully sit herself down in front of him, joining him on the floor. Small, thin fingers gently brushed themselves against the boy’s much bigger hand. “I’m not... intentionally trying to complicate things. I just.. I don’t know what to say. It’s not as simple as a yes or no. I’m sorry but I’m not. I wanted to kiss you, I guess..” she paused to huff out a small sigh, finally admitting something. “...and I’m not sorry for that, but.. I am sorry because it’s clear that I shouldn’t have done it. It trips you up. I.. I obviously crossed a line, and like, I think the world or whatever is giving us signs that it’s gross and needs to be stopped.” A dull smile pulled at one corner of her mouth. “I bet we look really lame right now, too. We should get up off the floor.”

[forthexgirl]

“I… I don’t deserve any of the advice and love you have for me. You’re too good for me and sometimes I wonder if you’re just the epitome of what I need or actually what I have. If we were a sitcom television show, I would be the dufus husband that gets the family in trouble and you would be the wonderwoman of a wife that saves us all.”

[outofsightx]

“Where do you even get that idea? You’re not some horrible person. What I have to give you is the very minimal of what you deserve. You’re a doofus sometimes, yeah, I’m not even going to argue that, but those television couples never work well one without the other. I think.. we are very much in each others lives for a reason. We work well together. We balance each other out. We’re exactly what the other needs. You have a lot of good things in your life, and you wouldn’t have any of it if you didn’t deserve it. Ease up on yourself, babe.”

[forthexgirl]

The idea of others finding their soulmates seemed to never feel like a big deal to Adele. For someone that always felt on the outside, it always felt as if she’d been the only one without hers. Her husband found his in the woman he’d left before, in The Valley, but Adele? Well, in her early forties, the idea of coming across her own seemed unnecessary. She’d convinced her husband that soulmates were a ludicrous concept- to have person ideally suited for you? If that were the case, her husband and that skank would have a relationship built solely on sex.

And yet, even more ludicrous idea, was finding a soulamte after one conversation. All the signs were they, and Adele ignored them. Her wrist had itched ferociously during the entire time Delaney’s name was etching itself onto her skin. Not to mention that, for once, in her life, she didn’t feel so out of place. Adele didn’t not believe in soulmates; she just didn’t believe in the process of it. Was your soulmate the only person you needed? That, despite being married with children, your soulmate couldn’t even be the person you’ve loved for years?

Preposterous.

It’d been nearly a month since Adele had last seen Delaney. Adele bought a new, thick, watch to cover the woman’s long, and scratched the idea from her mind. But as fate would have it, as fate would need it, Adele simply left the house to go grocery shopping. And low and behold, who was in the store as well? Well, Delaney herself. Adele closed her eyes tightly, almost praying herself out of existence. Please don’t see me, please don’t see me, please don’t see me. She continued to leave the last aisle behind her, turning quickly to head into the next one, where she accidentally runs her shopping cart into a saltine cracker display.

Shoot.

[outofsightx]

From the time she was young, Delaney was told by her mother that soul mates were just myths. Like faeries, magic and mermaids, true-love was only to exist in fairytales. The idea that only one person could complete you was completely bogus. Delaney however, was hopeful. She held on to the idea that somebody would eventually be her saving grace. They’d whisk her away like a princess from her tower and they’d ride off into happily ever after. Sure, it sounded farfetched but not totally impossible.

However hopeful Delaney was, as years pegged on the idea of the whole thing being more than a fantasy was beginning to dwindle down. She had been with her husband for so long that she hadn’t even thought about the idea in nearly years. They didn’t have the picture perfect marriage. It wasn’t filled with love and support. Her husband had an enslavement to the drink. The woman wasn’t happy, but she stayed for her son. She stayed because that’s just what women in her family did. They stayed and kept their families together no matter how difficult that was. 

So, still, it came as a bit of a surprise when a name finally began to ink her skin. It was the name of a woman she’d found an instant connection. It was the name of someone she’d never expected; the woman was still only a neighbour, practically still a mere stranger. Despite only living across the street from one another, the two hadn’t seen much of each other since. Delaney would spend a lot of her time tracing over her new addition and wondering. Thinking of how, and why, and what next, what now? In the evenings it would be covered in spatters of paint, bangles and pearls. In the day time, many long sleeves. The woman wasn’t ashamed, it all just came as a mystery to her, and of course, her husband couldn’t see it.

The town that they lived in was fairly small so it hadn’t been much of a shock when the two ran into each other at the supermarket. Delaney was off to fetch refreshments for her Husband’s work baseball game when she spotted the curly haired women in the ahead of her in the aisle. She continued at her same pace, browsing the aisle for the goods she needed. She wasn’t going to rush over to say hello, but of course would be polite if they crossed paths. She looked rather busy anyway. Her cart continued to roll slowly until she heard a rather big crash as the other woman turned the corner. The cart began to move a little faster in that direction, stopping to see boxes of crackers strewn across the floor. “Oh dear,” Delaney announced at the mess before she parked her cart off to the side and immediately bent down and began helping Adele tidy it up. “Bad day?”

[forthexgirl]

Grin & Bare It // Austin + Harley

[forthexgirl]

The shortness in her responses made it easier for Austin to tell how this evening would play out. Luckily, Harley couldn’t see his face, so the boy frowned to himself in disappointment. It never failed that he was the one to make things awkward, to always have something come up when they got caught in the moment. That day in the fitting room was supposed to be an innocent moment. Austin just wanted to help his friend, and she unexpectedly kissed him. Well, reasonably, she always kissed him unexpectedly. So, he shouldn’t be beating himself about it. How could he not  though? Harley was a beautiful girl, and Austin couldn’t get his action together. Austin didn’t respond to her though. None of her small comments deserved an answer, or an attempt. He was just about to get up and walk away when he peered into the kitchen. Annie was side-glancing at him. She was half listening to Harley’s mom, and she made her wrist rotate- telling him to get on with this.

With a huff, Austin did stand, but not to walk away. Instead he took the book out of Harley’s hand and reached out for her other one. “Come with me, okay? We need to talk.” After lifting her out of the chair, the curly haired boy led the way to her front porch and closed the door behind him. Once Harley’s hand was placed on something sturdy, he left her there and sighed to himself. “I didn’t want to come because I was scared as heck about what would happen. I didn’t know if… You were gonna try again? Or completely pretend nothing happened, like you always do? Or if we were gonna be awkward? Like… The thought of not being able to talk to you on my own terms first freaked me out. I thought your dad would, like, sniff out my awkward and call me out on it.” Austin looked back at his friend, folding his arms to comfort himself. “But I don’t want you be, like, sorry that they invited me? Or anything… I like being here. I like coming here. I just… I like being around you.”

God, this was awkward. Austin, himself, was awkward all on his own. This situation, itself, was awkward all on its own. Harley never made it an easier either. Rather than helping him figure this stuff out, she would add to it and then pretend nothing happened. It was her way of protecting herself, sure, but it killed him. “You know, when I first met you, back when I was just pulled by the principle to escort you to your first class, I thought that was gonna be it. I thought I was going to just walk you there, and let someone else deal with you later on. But then we got into that little argument. I can’t even remember what it was about… But you just… To completely lighten up the situation, said, ‘Fine, I see your point.’ Even after I dropped you off, I was still laughing. And I guess… from that point… I kinda new that being with you wasn’t just some job, some generous task. Being around you was, like, a necessity. And… I don’t know… I’m sorry I’m so weird, I guess.”

[outofsightx]

“Excuse you,” the brunette grumbled as the book slipped out from her hand. The fact that he hadn’t even asked immediately made her want to protest. There was no need to talk about anything, she thought. There was nothing to talk about. Harley was never one for talking about her feelings and now was no exception. Reluctantly, she followed with him though, not wanting to cause a scene in front of their parents. The last thing she needed were parents poking and prodding into their business. This was complicated enough as it was.

She followed Austin all the way out to the porch with a knot in her face. She stood in silence as he talked, and remained silent even after the fact. This situation was difficult. It was obvious that Harley didn’t want to talk, but being sightless-- she didn’t have anywhere else to focus her attention. Her options were either to stand there in the awkward silence, simply because she didn’t want to talk, or suck it up and just talk to the boy, because clearly this was something weighing heavy on him.

Their runaround seemed to be endless, but truthfully, Harley was scared of what would happen if she opened her mouth.This could come to a conclusion that she wasn’t ready for. There were so many things that could go wrong, so many things to mess up. But putting her feelings aside for a moment, she shrugged simply before staring to speak. She didn’t exactly know what to say, but she did so anyway. “You’re not w-- Okay, well. Yeah, you are weird. But you’re not at the same time. Like, it’s not a bad weird. You’re just awkward as hell and that’s literally the only bad thing about you so shut up, you don’t get to apologize for that. I’m sorry about what happened at the mall, though. If that’s what made things weird? I’m not the best at reading situations, but whatever. My parents are nosy as fuck, but I wouldn’t have let my dad hound you, so...” The girl began to trail off, picking at her fingernails. “Good talk.”

[forthexgirl]

“Listen to me, okay? Because I’m only going to say this, like, once in our lives. And, you know, who knows if we’ll end up spending our lives together? Or just the summer together? There’s no telling where you and I can go because sometimes you sound like you hate me and sometimes I sound like I don’t love you, so– Be-Before you close that door hear me out, okay? Okay… I love you. I love you in the biggest, more grand, ways I can describe. If I could put myself on a Broadway stage and sing my heart out about you, I’d do it. In a heartbeat. But I’m not– I lack a lot of emotions. A lot. I have been abandoned by the one person who brought me into this world, and the other person who helped doesn’t even know I exist. Yes, I have great new parents who love and support me and you– there shouldn’t be any issues. I should be just fine. You know, look at my brothers, they’re just fine! But I– Hate everything. Aaron, I really do. I hate waking up in the morning. I hate listening to the morning radio. I hate listening to the morning traffic. I hate… being around people. I. Hate. Everything. Nothing in this world makes sense to me. Nothing makes me emotionally available. I want to be a journalist because I can tell other people’s stories. I can talk about other people and degrade them or make them look good. I am good at that. I am good at being a driving force… in other people’s lives. But I– I have no real grip on my own reality. I have no sense of appreciation and understanding and… loyalty. I have no loyalty.” Realizing how that sounded, Cory tripped over himself to reiterate. “I mean, I am loyal. I am very loyal to you. I would never cheat on you or hurt you but I have no loyalty at the same. I can’t connect my emotions. I cannot establish real feelings. I am either content or… content. I am a product of lifelong hurt. I am desensitized. I spent my life searching for a way to never get close to anyone, and I found it. Okay, look. See?” He then pulls out a note that was sent by his mother to both him and Cameron when they were just sixteen. It’s a heart wrenching, selfish, letter about how the woman has moved on with her life and now has a more stable family. Cory’s mother was just a fifteen year old Catholic girl when she hid away for nine months to have her twins. Now, she’s older, married, with new kids. In addition she wanted nothing to do with Cory nor Cameron. That letter was everything Cory needed to see in order to become the emotionless person he is today. “Before you, many years before you, I found it. And it’s mine, and I can’t– I can’t get rid of it. I can’t move past it. I can’t–” Stammering for a moment, he settled down, sighing as he scratched his head in frustration. His heart was racing, his head was scrambled, his thoughts were confusing. Looking at his now shaky hands, Cory blew out more, uneven, breaths and looked at his boyfriend. “Oh God, I really can’t breathe? Is this what having a heart attack feels like? …Fuck.”

[outofsightx]

Aaron stopped dead in his tracks and just listened to Cory speak. Eyes scanned the letter and through furrowed brows and teary eyes, he looked back at the other who had began to panic. “You’re.. you’re okay, Cory. Everything’s okay. Focus your attention on deep breaths. Count them.” Not even caring that he wasn’t one for hugs, Aaron wrapped his arms around his boyfriend in efforts to calm him down. One palm rubbed his back. “You’re not having a heart attack. Maybe a panic attack, but you’ll be fine. You’re just upset. Here, sit. We’ll sit.” Taking his boyfriend’s hand, they both sat down. “First of all-- I don’t hate you, and I never will. Not even sometimes. I couldn’t. And I do know you love me a lot. Do you know how I know? Because you’ve trusted me. You’ve let me in and literally given me power to hurt you. That’s the biggest most grand I love you there is. As nice as the overt expressions of affection are, they’re not needed constantly. You’re affectionate sometimes without it being over done. It’s nice. We’re good. I’m not going to take any of that for granted. We’ll last. Don’t worry about us. I’m not going anywhere, and you’re not either-- even if you were, I’d follow. We’re solid.” Fingertips stroked the other’s hand affectionately. “Thank you for sharing that. It’s-that’s--” he broke to blow out a rather large sigh. “It’s tough. That letter is horrible, Cory. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, and I can’t even begin to imagine-- I can’t even try to place myself in your shoes, but it’s not-- I mean, it’s always something you’re going to have experienced and lived through but it is something you can move on from. I think. You are not the worst thing that’s ever happened to you. I-I’m not a psychologist or anything but I think the reason you feel like you’re always stuck on what this person did to you and how they made you feel is because you bury it. Someone hurt you so insanely much, and you didn’t like the way it felt. Nobody likes being hurt, so you just don’t deal with it or place yourself in the position to get hurt again. It’s understandable, but at the same time you walk around with this big, heavy, horrible, hurtful thing weighing on you, and that’s not good. You don’t lack emotion or feelings. It’s there, you just don’t know quite what to do with it like other people do, which is no fault of yours. It’s okay not to feel or act in the same manner as your brothers. I just..--” Another sigh slipped out of the boy’s mouth. “You have the potential to be happy. I’d really like that for you, Cory. To be happy and genuinely happy. Not just content. There are so many amazing things in life and so many things to enjoy and be happy about, but you walk around looking at mostly everything in such a bitter and negative way because of what this one person has done to you, because you have all of this hurt and anger bottled up inside of you and that’s not fair.”

[forthexgirl]

Grin & Bare It // Austin + Harley

Clammy hands. Beads of sweat on his forehead. Knots in his stomach. Austin didn’t know why he felt so nervous. Going to Harley’s home was a common thing for him. When he wasn’t escorting her back to the dorms, he was catching bus rides across town to get her home to her parents safely. With being so close to her, with being her seeing person, her parents were kind to him. Offered dinnered, gifts, and sweet nothings. Austin thought her family was cool- he genuinely liked them. Small little moments of bonding for the last two years, in college, came with introductions. Like they knew him, they knew his mother and father. Well, technically they knew Annie better than Ross. Annie was a kind woman, just like Harley’s mom, and two got along like best friends whenever Annie was in town. So, what Austin shouldn’t have done was claim he was going to hanging out with mother instead of Harley’s parents. This is what happened, and it wasn’t that hard to figure out. At least not for Annie.

She parked her Lexus at the curb of the Powell home, and relaxed into her seat. “Alright, so… What’s the story here? What’re we going with?” The mother asked swiftly. Annie knew her son all too well, and knew he never lied to most people… Not unless he was uncomfortable. And Austin, well, he knew he couldn’t lie to his mother, of all people. “Things are kinda weird between me and Harley… I didn’t wanna come because I didn’t want her parents to see it all over my face. Harley can’t, obviously, but her parents are bulldogs. They’re gonna attack me with questions.” Austin answered honestly, a small whine in his voice as he explained. “I thought not seeing them would be okay, but then her mom called you and… now we’re here.” Annie nodded along as her son’s explanation, even frowning as a sign of sympathy. “You don’t think Harley would’ve noticed you rejecting her? Turning down an opportunity to see her?” Austin didn’t reply. Annie then reached over to touch his hair, sighing some.

“You know, when I first met your father… I wasn’t exactly a big fan of his. We lived in the same commune, had the same friends… but I never really enjoyed his company.” Annie smiled at the thought, laughing even as she reminisced. “He did everything he could to get my attention. Left me his sketches, left me poems, had his mother knit me a scarf. Sweet man but… You want to know the one thing really got my attention?” She asked rhetorically, waited for Austin to look her way, and then continued. “My boyfriend at the time didn’t treat me so well. There was a bonfire, and I invited him. Long story, he got a little too drunk and out of control. I tried getting him back to my tent before anyone could see him, but I guess all that pushing made him snap. …It was the first, and last, time anyway hit me. But your father, he was the one who made sure of that. He saw everything, got my boyfriend into my tent, but stayed with me until he left.”

Annie chewed at her lip, breaking the eye contact with her son for just a moment to recollect. “Don’t let yourself only notice what you want to see, Austin. Whatever you have going on with Harley, it’ll work itself out… I know her relationship with her parents is… not as simple… And I know her life isn’t that simple either. But don’t over-complicate things. Don’t push her away. I’d like to think you’re my saving grace,” Annie smiled a little wider. “Your brothers don’t get intimacy and emotions and sensitivity. You’ve always been different, you’ve always been better.” She ran her hands through Austin’s curly locks, eventually digressing with another sigh. “I’ll do my best to keep her parents occupied before dinner. I’ll keep them updated and entertained. But Harley, please don’t avoid her. Talk to her, Austin. I’ve raised you to be kind and honest.” Chuckling, she continued. “And if you ever add me to one of your lies again, I’ll disown you.”

Austin laughed with his mother for only a moment, before she turned off the car and got out. It took him another minute or two before actually getting out, but  eventually did so. He brought the cake his mother purchased along with him, and headed to the front door. Annie knocked on the door, and was quickly greeted by Harley’s mom. A hugging session ensued, and before they knew it, they were finally inside and heading toward the kitchen. There, he found Harley sitting down. Austin put the cake down beside her, and knelt down. “Hey, it’s me. I’m here.” He told her gently, holding back his grin. “You just had to tell your mom mine was in town, huh?” The guy laughed lightly, just between them, so no one else would hear them. “You know they’re like best friends.”

[outofsightx]

Harley was less than thrilled that her parents had invited Austin over. Normally, she wouldn’t have minded so much. The boy had been over numerous times, on multiple occasions both with and without her parents there. They also very much liked the boy, probably too much, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that things lately had been weird between the two of them. hey hadn’t even really been talking to each other and Harley’s parents were overly protective, too nosy and tried to be way to involved. Despite her protest and argument that Austin was busy, it was still happening. Of course, it didn’t help that Austin’s excuse had given her mother more incentive. 

"I don't see why you had to invite them over in the first place," Harley sighed as she helped her mother prepare the food. The girl couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the dressing room with Austin and how she had over stepped boundaries. She felt bad for touching him at all, for wanting to touch him, and truthfully, she didn't want to face him yet. She especially didn't want to have to face him for the first time since in front of their parents. What would she do if he brought it up? Did his mother know?

"I didn't have to, Harley. Your sister isn't going to be here tonight so we have the extra room. Austin hasn't been over lately and I haven't seen Annie in-- oh gosh, how long? I thought it would be nice. Like, a double friend date! Your father is the fifth wheel." Both of her parents laughed at the obnoxious attempt to be.. funny? Harley on the other hand didn’t find amusement in the situation. “Yeah, nice.. It will be.” she repeated. “This is done so I’m going to go back to studying before they get here.” She put her knife down on the counter and walked off to sit in the dinning area just off the kitchen and read her text book, leaving her parents to finish the dinner. Cross legged with a rather large binder in her lap was and where she remained until Austin and his mother arrived.

The second she heard feet shuffle toward her on the floor, she knew exactly who it was. The girl chewed on her bottom lip some as her fingers traced over the braille in her book. “Hi,” she replied in short, only pausing her reading to do so before continuing on. Her finger traced over the rest of the sentence before she spoke to him again. Her voice remained fairly quiet despite that their parents were talking fairly loudly in the kitchen. “I only told my mom exactly what you told me to tell her. It would make life much easier if they didn’t get along, yeah.” She smiled lightly and closed her book before her mother could come around the corner and tell her that she was being rude by having it open. “Sorry you had to come over.”

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉︎ AUSTINHARLEY

Austin: I did forget.. But I also wanted to make sure I knew when. So yeah, my mom is here tonight. Just tell your folks I said hi.

Harley: Will do. Enjoy cramming with your mom?

Harley: That sounds kind of nasty but you know what I mean.

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉️ CORYAARON

Cory: Talk to you like what?

Aaron: Vulgar like that. I try and be flirty and romantic, and I understand that you're not one to reciprocate that all of the time. I don't expect that from you but you're talking about shoving your dick down my throat and "tearing my head into pieces"?

Aaron: It's disgusting. I don't like being spoken to like that. It makes me feel gross about being intimate with you, like I'm some whore or something and If I wanted to feel like that, I'd be off fucking around with random people.

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉️ CORYAARON

Aaron: All of that was utterly disgusting. I'm done talking to you. Have fun with moving.

Cory: So sensitive.

Aaron: Why do you talk to me like that?

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉︎ AUSTINHARLEY

Austin: Tell them I'm having dinner with my mom... Whenever the day of it is.

Austin: she's in town.

Harley: I just told you that it was tonight. You suck so hard at lying.

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉︎ AUSTINHARLEY

Austin: Yeah. I'm gonna hard pass... Tell them I'm cramming for finals and stuff.

Harley: I tried to tell them you'd be busy. As much as I love when you come over for awkward family dinners, I don't.

Harley: She says you have to break to eat sometime so it might as well be here at 6:30. I'm pretty sure my parents like you more than they like me.

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉️ CORYAARON

Cory: Only... You better shut your mouth or I'm gonna fuck it.

Cory: Oh yes, I remember... You almost yanked it off Hulk Hogan style and I nearly tore your head into pieces. It's a nice shirt. Wear it and let no one tear it apart.

Cory: Crazy in a not good way, you kept my shirt and wore it without permission. That's some stage five clinger motive... You're not going to take a sledge hammer to my ankles one of these days are you?

Aaron: All of that was utterly disgusting. I'm done talking to you. Have fun with moving.

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉︎ AUSTINHARLEY

Harley: So, hi. My mom is making me ask you if you want to come over for dinner tonight? She's concerned that you don't get enough proper meals, and unfortunately my dad is backing her up. If you could politely decline that'd be great.

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉️ CORYAARON

Cory: My clothes are only color coordinated and organized by reason for wearing. Don't be dramatic.

Cory: I left it because you liked the shirt. It looks better on you than it does on me.

Cory: For the record, you are the crazy one.

Aaron: Only.. you're not far off of a number system.

Aaron: I do like it. It's not even anything spectacular, it's just a piece of fabric but you were wearing it when I realized I was in love with you. On that road trip, remember? That's why I like it.

Aaron: Crazy in a good way, I hope. Also, yeah. You look better without the shirt.

[outofsightx]

TEXT ✉️ CORYAARON

Cory: My quarrel would not be with the mustard.

Cory: All my clothes should, I hate messes and disorganization. You know that.

Cory: I'll fess up... I left it on purpose.

Aaron: I figured you'd have like, a tagging system for it. Like you'd look in your closet and go "Where's #48? Oh #48 is missing" and then you'd search the entirety of your apartment looking for your T-shirt #48, worried that you'd leave it behind or lost it.

Aaron: But you left it behind on purpose.. Purposely so I'd put it on and look like the crazy one in the relationship who actually wears his boyfriends clothes, or on purpose so when I found it I'd have to return it and you'd have reason to see me?

Aaron: Because you don't need reasons to see me and either way, I kept it safe. It didn't become a casualty to food stains.