sink or swim

Paityn Jacqueline Sinclair. Twenty-Three. Model. What is it about them?I must be missing somethingThey just keep doing nothingToo intoxicated to be scaredBetter off without themThey're nothing but unstableBring ashtrays to the tableAnd that's about the only thing they share

[paitynsinclair]

Personal: @merlynwrites

Discord: merlynzb#1330

[hoppersteve]

she says, ‘babe, you look so cool’

[lucacostello-archive]

@paitynsinclair

[paitynsinclair]

Paityn left the club with every intention of returning to her apartment; she doubted she’d come across a better offer. Keeping up a facade of being single in the limelight, especially with her return in front of the camera, was exhausting. It wasn’t just the public she had to fool; her family needed to believe the lie, as well. She used to lose herself in crowds with liquor flowing through her veins but now it just felt empty. She could escape despite how much she had to pretend.

Lighting a cigarette with the cold December air chilling her bare legs, Paityn took two steps before she spotted a familiar face across the road. She took a drag from her smoke before she asked, “just in the neighborhood or did you come for the party?” Paityn could still hear the music coming from the bar and smell the expensive booze spilled on the floor.

[lucacostello-archive]

paitynsinclair‌:

Paityn exhaled and stepped closer, giving Luca a soft, somber smile. She rested her hand on his arm, fingers gently squeezing his bicep. When he stepped aside to let her in, Paityn walked through the threshold, feeling a bit lighter knowing at least momentarily, things between them were stable. 

When Luca mentioned bribing Tristan to keep quiet, she shook her head. “Tristan is the least of our problems,” Paityn stated. She could handle Tristan, and if he needed to be paid off to keep quiet, Paityn had a full trust fund of daddy’s money set aside to use. The lawyers fought hard to keep it from being seized, despite the fact that she never touched the account. If need be, Paityn would use her father’s dirty money to help keep her dirty little secret.

“I’m more worried about Julius,” she said. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep this from him.” Not that she wanted her assigned security to know; he was close with her mother. He’d tell her as soon as he found out, Paityn was sure. “He’s good at his job. I can only sneak away so much.” 

‘Tristan is the least of our problems.’

Luca prepared himself to argue that. Just looking at the guy, Luca could tell he probably had a big mouth – which was clearly saying something, considering Luca himself wasn’t the best at keeping secrets. But he could keep a secret like this.

Only, right as Luca was about to open his mouth, Paityn mentioned Julius, and Luca’s stomach twisted. He stood by the door, hand still on the door knob, as his drunken mind tried to process some sort of plan for dealing with Julius. 

“Well.” Luca said, with a pathetic shrug. “We can pay him off, too. No? I’ve got money. He has to understand.” There was no other option – breaking up with Paityn wasn’t even something he wanted to entertain. He grabbed a hold of Paityn’s arm, gently guided her down the hall, towards his living room. He sat her down on the couch, planted himself right beside her. “We just need to make him understand. And even if he doesn’t – well, his job’s to keep you safe, right? Not worry about who you’re in a relationship with.” 

[paitynsinclair]

Money wouldn’t fix this. Paityn thought about the man she’s gotten to know over this past year and couldn’t imagine that money was much of a motivator for Julius Heller. Though, Paityn had a naive way of seeing the best in people. Luca was right, however, that it was his job to keep her safe. She’d just have to find a way to convince him that keeping this secret would be the safest thing for everyone involved.

When Luca led her to the couch, him sitting down next to her, Paityn let herself relax. If only slightly. The time the two had together as limited; she didn’t want to waste time wallowing in ‘what if’s.’ She nodded, trusting the words he spoke and brought a hand to his face. Paityn’s ginger gently stroked his skin before she touched her lips gently on his. She pulled back and looked into Luca’s eyes. “I’m not going to let anyone screw this up,” she whispered. “Not Tristan, not Julius...” Paityn paused for a moment, teeth starting to knaw on the flesh inside her cheek. Anxiety bubbled within, as it typically did, though the rapid beat of her heart broke the facade of confidence behind her words. She couldn’t lose any more people she cared about, but she knew just how inevitable it was; all Paityn could do was believe in the fantasy that everything would be okay. Otherwise, she’d probably break.

“We’re gonna be okay.”

[julius-heller]

@paitynsinclair​

Julius did not approve of Luca Costello. While he never expressed any distaste or his feelings to Paityn, which would have been inappropriate, not to mention would just drive her even more towards her dissolute Romeo, he had plenty of time to classify his feelings on the subject. Currently sitting in a car outside of Luca Costello’s apartment, which was a small word for the enormous fuckpalace that the boy maintained, with a book that he’d been attempting to read for the past three hours, Julius reviewed his opinions. 

1. Disappointment. He’d hoped Paityn had better taste. Given her fondness for party drugs and her barely hidden eating disorder, he was well-aware she wasn’t the best at making good choices, but of all the boys to use to stick it to her parents, he could have recommended any number of ones that would be less of a problem than Luca. 

2. Concern. Dating any Costello was potentially fatal currently. Really, it was potentially fatal at any time. At least if she was dating one of the employees for the Sinclair family, things could be public and Julius didn’t have to assume sole responsibility for keeping Paityn alive. It wasn’t that he resented that, he just worried he might not be enough.

3. Exhaustion. They were both just so young. He couldn’t remember being that young, but he was fairly certain he’d been recruited to the CIA and had been doing firearms training at the time. How anyone could think a 22 year old could be trusted with that kind of responsibility was absurd. And here was Paityn, unable to imagine a year in the future let alone the rest of her life. It made him feel old, and terribly fond of her, and more than a little afraid that she wouldn’t escape this relationship without serious trauma. She’d had more than enough of that. 

Watching her come out the front door and head towards the car, Julius hopped out to meet her, not willing to leave her exposed any more than necessary. “You all set?” It was all he was willing to say right now, but all the things he didn’t say seemed extra loud in his ears.

[paitynsinclair]

Leaving Luca’s apartment, Paityn was a bit of a mess. Her hair tangled and knotted with lipstick fading from her mouth. Walking through the front doors to see Julius approach set her on edge. The fear of what he would say to her mother constantly loomed over her. Paityn didn’t want anyone else getting hurt and the discovery of her relationship with a Costello would just cause misery and pain.

Paityn bit her lip at his question. “Yes,” she said, arms crossed over her chest. “Let’s go.”

She refused to acknowledge the disapproval in his tone. Sick of letting the opinions of others get in the way of what she wants, Paityn pretended as if she wasn’t betraying her family. Because Paityn knew keeping away from Luca would just be a betrayal to herself.

[alecblushed]

What is this, the last night of drama camp?

[abel-costello]

paitynsinclair‌:

Paityn felt cold with Abel close to her and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he was escorted away by an officer. Soon after, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see a face she recognized. Some cop on her father’s payroll. Paityn didn’t like how he gripped her arm.

“Your father wasn’t expecting visitors,” the guard said. “Especially not a visit from you.” His tone of voice made her uncomfortable; the way he spoke made it seem as if he knew Morgan better than his own daughter. 

“I’m sorry to inconvenience him,” she replied as they walked towards the same elevator Abel entered moments before. The guard smirked, like he expected her sarcasm.

Paityn could feel her heart pound as the elevator made it’s way to the visitation floor. The lights flickered and she could hear the coarse sounds of machinery, muffled by metal walls. She still didn’t know what she was going to say to her father and her thoughts kept twisting Abel’s presence into more and more of a threat. 

The elevator doors peered open and her eyes landed on Morgan instantly. Her stomach did a back flip. The guard led her to the table he sat at and pulled out the chair across from him. Paityn sat down and looked over her shoulder. Scanning the room quickly, she didn’t notice the Costello consigliere in the room, though, that didn’t mean he couldn’t see her…

“So,” her father’s voice pulled her back to the present moment. “Why are you here?”

Paityn was silent for a moment, her mouth open as she searched for words. 

“Happy Thanksgiving,” she said.

“I want you to tell me that it was your idea to kill him,” Paityn added, her voice so low, she wasn’t sure Morgan could hear her. The scoff that came from his lips made it clear he had.Even as a prisoner, Morgan Sinclair exuded arrogance.

“Kill who? Marcel? Sorry, kiddo. Can’t do that,” he replied, arms crossed. “Ever since I’ve been locked up, I’ve been more in the dark than you.”

“You put yourself here,” she replied. Paityn looked at her father, fresh bruises marked his face. She wasn’t surprised. Morgan never could resist a fight. “Bash is lying to me and you’ve turned the rest of this family into criminals. Leaving mom, Priya and your sons to clean up the messes you’ve made.” Words fell out of her mouth before she thought about what she was saying and who she was speaking to. Tears brewed in her eyes.

“Paityn, enough–”

“No. You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.”

Her father clearly didn’t have answers to her questions and had no intention of showing any sort of remorse. Paityn shook her head and stood from her seat. 

“We’re done here.”

She said one last thing before she turned to walk away, “I hope you enjoy your time rotting alone behind bars.”

The elevator ride continued until they reached the roof deck and Abel was escorted out into the yard, an older man dressed in a business attire had his back facing the consigliere and didn’t even move when the blonde approached. 

“Vincenzo,” Abel greeted as he joined the other person on the bench. He took out a pack of cigarettes and offered it where the older associate silently accepted and waited for a light.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Abel,“ Vincenzo remarked. “Marcel was a good man, a strong leader and a visionary. I can only imagine how your father must feel losing his brother like that. Have you visited him yet?”

Visionary wasn’t something he’d use for his uncle; Marcel insisted on an alliance that would never work, but if it truly was the future then the negotiations were made too early. There was still too much bitterness and hostility from years of fighting to execute it at the pace that they did and now both families were in mourning.

He took his time in responding, and when Abel finally did it was not to answer Vincenzo’s question. “How the hell did you get caught, Vincenzo? You’re too old to go to jail.”

The old man’s laughter sounded more like a wheeze and he covered up his breathlessness with a drag of nicotine. “I can feel your grandfather cursing me all the way from Italy. I should have taken his offer and joined him back home but I wanted to be there until the end.” Vincenzo placed a hand on Abel’s back and gave it a pat. 

“Don’t worry your pretty head, bambino,” the older man teased, “I haven’t outgrown my usefulness yet. Morgan Sinclair is still waiting for his trial and I want to do something, even if it’s little– for Marcel and Gio.”

Keep reading

[paitynsinclair]

Paityn exhaled sharply and turned on her heels to avoid the eyes of her father. Her face felt hot as her heart rate increased. Her breathing started to falter, but she moved forward regardless. Paityn was used to her body and emotions playing tricks with her mind, teasing the anxiety that constantly lurked under her skin. In times such as these, where she feels bold enough to speak truth and feeling she kept bottled up inside, she couldn’t help but dread the consequences of her words.

Her father could be killed at any moment, murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Marcel Costello. Was it wise to leave without giving him a chance to redeem himself?

It was a thought only in her mind for a moment before she reminded herself the crimes her father committed. Not against society with his career, but the torture he inflicted on his children. Maybe time and torment twisted Paityn’s reality, but when she thought of her father all she could see was red. A sister killed as a pawn in his game, a love she has to keep secret out of fear of who would die because of it...her entire existence was a nightmare. All because of Morgan Sinclair.

Though, Paityn couldn’t dwell on her fractured family for long. A pistol to the temple and a fist in her hair took her attention soon enough. The blow to the head didn’t render her unconscious but the world was dizzy and words were meaningless, despite how loud the people around her were shouting.

She felt a cool touch on her cheek; the barrel of a gun. Paityn moved then, a fight or flight response ingrained in her reflexes. Despite the injury to her head, she tried to pull away. Though, the grip on her hair just became tighter and the man holding her hostage whipped her across the face once more.

This time, he knocked her out cold.

[paitynsinclair]

lucacostello‌:

‘I trust you. Do you trust me?’

Of course he did. But it was easy for him to jump to conclusions whenever he was like this. Luca was emotionally inexperienced, reeling from the first holiday without his father. His only real relationship was Juliet, and he’d ruined that. Then there was Paisley, which certainly didn’t count as much. It was arranged, fake, lacking real depth and emotion. That didn’t mean he didn’t care about her – but the relationship itself hadn’t taught him very much because it was so fabricated. And now there was Paityn, and this all felt so fragile, on the cusp of breaking if anyone found out. And that guy in her apartment knew about them. Or he must have had some sort of idea now. 

“I do trust you. My head’s just not where it should be,” Luca explained to the best of his ability. The alcohol was making the room spin rather rapidly, so he steadied himself on the door knob. “I don’t care if that dude stays with you. It just… didn’t look good. I freaked out. I’m still freaking out, honestly.”

Luca finally moved out of the way, letting Paityn inside. 

“That guy. Tristan. Am I gonna have to pay him off to keep his mouth shut?”

Paityn exhaled and stepped closer, giving Luca a soft, somber smile. She rested her hand on his arm, fingers gently squeezing his bicep. When he stepped aside to let her in, Paityn walked through the threshold, feeling a bit lighter knowing at least momentarily, things between them were stable. 

When Luca mentioned bribing Tristan to keep quiet, she shook her head. “Tristan is the least of our problems,” Paityn stated. She could handle Tristan, and if he needed to be paid off to keep quiet, Paityn had a full trust fund of daddy’s money set aside to use. The lawyers fought hard to keep it from being seized, despite the fact that she never touched the account. If need be, Paityn would use her father’s dirty money to help keep her dirty little secret.

“I’m more worried about Julius,” she said. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep this from him.” Not that she wanted her assigned security to know; he was close with her mother. He’d tell her as soon as he found out, Paityn was sure. “He’s good at his job. I can only sneak away so much.” 

[selinakylebat]

[renee--rapp]

[bob-belcher]

[paitynsinclair]

abel-costello‌:

He might as well have been the one who fucked up that bomb that almost killed her, if Paityn hadn’t survived the blast then the treaty wouldn’t have been attempted in the first place, so the unnecessary trauma that it brought his cousin was also on her. Even the death of her sister can be blamed on the girl. But she probably already knew that, with how Paityn Sinclair’s life had always been spinning out of control from what the reports have gathered. That and her arrogance to think that she was above all of it, the war, the bloodshed, her life compared to others, there were too many reasons for Abel to dislike her.

Her father made sure of that, another target on her back just for the special treatment.

Their eyes met, and he watched as the Sinclair girl tried to open mouth. He wasn’t sure what there was to say, an empty platitude over the death of his uncle or a warning, for him to fuck off and stay away while they were both there…

But there was nothing, and silence followed the pathetic utterance that escaped her and Abel knew then that she was hopeless. One of the cops approached Abel to escort him to the visitation room and just before he left for the elevator he was able to see who was to accompany Paityn– someone on their payroll –and the reckless thought clawed its way up once more. He could risk it if he was careful, and Abel continued to watch her as the elevator doors closed while he contemplated what to do with this opportunity.

Paityn felt cold with Abel close to her and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he was escorted away by an officer. Soon after, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see a face she recognized. Some cop on her father’s payroll. Paityn didn’t like how he gripped her arm.

“Your father wasn’t expecting visitors,” the guard said. “Especially not a visit from you.” His tone of voice made her uncomfortable; the way he spoke made it seem as if he knew Morgan better than his own daughter. 

“I’m sorry to inconvenience him,” she replied as they walked towards the same elevator Abel entered moments before. The guard smirked, like he expected her sarcasm.

Paityn could feel her heart pound as the elevator made it’s way to the visitation floor. The lights flickered and she could hear the coarse sounds of machinery, muffled by metal walls. She still didn’t know what she was going to say to her father and her thoughts kept twisting Abel’s presence into more and more of a threat. 

The elevator doors peered open and her eyes landed on Morgan instantly. Her stomach did a back flip. The guard led her to the table he sat at and pulled out the chair across from him. Paityn sat down and looked over her shoulder. Scanning the room quickly, she didn’t notice the Costello consigliere in the room, though, that didn’t mean he couldn’t see her...

“So,” her father’s voice pulled her back to the present moment. “Why are you here?”

Paityn was silent for a moment, her mouth open as she searched for words. 

“Happy Thanksgiving,” she said.

“I want you to tell me that it was your idea to kill him,” Paityn added, her voice so low, she wasn’t sure Morgan could hear her. The scoff that came from his lips made it clear he had.Even as a prisoner, Morgan Sinclair exuded arrogance.

“Kill who? Marcel? Sorry, kiddo. Can’t do that,” he replied, arms crossed. “Ever since I’ve been locked up, I’ve been more in the dark than you.”

“You put yourself here,” she replied. Paityn looked at her father, fresh bruises marked his face. She wasn’t surprised. Morgan never could resist a fight. “Bash is lying to me and you’ve turned the rest of this family into criminals. Leaving mom, Priya and your sons to clean up the messes you’ve made.” Words fell out of her mouth before she thought about what she was saying and who she was speaking to. Tears brewed in her eyes.

“Paityn, enough--”

“No. You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.”

Her father clearly didn’t have answers to her questions and had no intention of showing any sort of remorse. Paityn shook her head and stood from her seat. 

“We’re done here.”

She said one last thing before she turned to walk away, “I hope you enjoy your time rotting alone behind bars.”

[paitynsinclair]

lucacostello‌:

Luca had really only been in one serious relationship before, and that was with Juliet. And he’d fucked that up royally. Still, all of this felt so out of character for him – he wasn’t the type of person who blindly threw accusations at someone else, but his emotions were running high, and he was too confused to process any sort of logic. Besides – would Paityn even tell him the truth? Was she just sparing his feelings? 

Luca was breaking his own heart before she could. 

“He was sleeping on your couch. He was half naked, Pait.” 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could tell that he sounded ridiculous. He wished he could tell himself to stop, to simply go inside and go to bed, sleep it off, and have this discussion whenever he was sober.

He took a step toward her, nearly closing the gap between them. He searched for her eyes. 

“Nothing happened?” 

Paityn’s breath caught in her throat as he stepped closer. Still, her eyes never left his, despite the trembling she felt in her fingers. She feared what would happen if she told him the truth, though she knew the inevitability that lying wouldn’t work out in the end.

“He kissed me once,” she said. “At a party a few moths after...” she hesitated. “It was stupid. He kissed me and I laughed and it never happened again. He’s sleeping on my couch because he has no where else to go,” Paityn paused. Fuck, her head hurt. “If you want, I’ll tell him he has to leave.”

“If this is going to work we have to trust each other.” Paityn knew just how quickly gossip and lies could ruin a good thing. When no one could know they were together, the time they could spend with each other was limited. Paityn had to sleep alone at night, hoping Luca was doing the same. A feeling like that goes both ways. 

“I trust you,” she said. “Do you trust me?”

[paitynsinclair]

tristan-sullivan‌:

“Wine? For a party?” Tristan scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Paityn. I’m not a forty year old mother of three whose had a long, stressful day at work. I’m twenty-five. You don’t have anything we can mix with like, red bull or something?” Tristan asked, leaning back on the couch, eyes wandering back over to her kitchen, hoping somehow she’d have something else. “You’re too young for ‘wine drunk.’ You need to be taking like, Vegas bombs and shots with Jolly Ranchers in it or some shit.”

He reached for the weed again, lighting it once more for a major bong rip. Even if all she had was wine, at least he’d be high as fuck for it.

He exhaled, placed the bong down on the table in front of them. He reached for the remote, scrolled through a few Disney movies, before settling on Lilo and Stitch. He’d mentioned Tarzan and Hercules before, but Tarzan was pretty depressing. He wasn’t in the mood for Hercules. Lilo and Stitch seemed like the perfect entertainment for being high. That weird little alien was pretty cool. Tristan used to do a semi-impressive impersonation whenever he was nine. 

“If wine’s all you got, that’s fine,” Tristan finally said, reassuring Paityn that he wouldn’t actually throw a fit over a drink. Tristan wasn’t picky. Besides – the end goal was to get crossfaded. At least, for him. 

“So. Are you under house arrest nowadays, or what? Haven’t seen you at any parties recently. At least, not any of the ones that I’ve been at, which could actually be on purpose…”

Paityn’s jaw dropped at Tristan’s audacity. Of course, she was amused by the accuracy of his comparisons, feeling like a Chicago Housewife more than her own person guzzling down liquor as she sat on her couch. 

“What the fuck is a Vegas bomb?” she asked, perplexed by his suggestion. Paityn rolled her eyes and pointed to the cabinet under her television. “My hard liquor’s in there,” she said. “It tastes like garbage but gets the job done.” Paityn shrugged, as she stood up, walking to her fridge to grab the bottle of flat champagne left over from the night before.

When Tristan asked her about being on house arrest Paityn couldn’t help the smile grow on her face. “I haven’t been avoiding you if that’s what you’re asking,” she teased, walking back to the couch. Bottle in hand and mind at ease, Paityn let herself feel at home while she was at home.

“I just don’t really feel like partying these days, I guess.”

[paitynsinclair]

abel-costello‌:

Abel carried no firearm for the visit, and the consigliere stood calmly as the guard on duty went through the security check of patting his entirety for anything illegal. When he was asked to turn around, his gaze landed on the familiar redhead.

His expression remained the same, neutral and indifferent though blue eyes now followed her every movement as Paityn approached. Abel hadn’t forgotten that she was the reason for the attempted peace talks, one that was bound to fail and have now ended in disaster; now with two deaths between both families, his disdain for the girl grew. 

With the security check concluded, Abel idly fixed his clothes before waiting on the other side of the reception area. He was unaccompanied, just as she was without her security detail and the consigliere toyed with the idea of making Paityn Sinclair aware of just how much he loathed her. 

As Paityn made her way through the line, she couldn’t help but feel Abel’s eyes burn in her skin. The woman behind the glass asked for her identification and the reason for her visit. “I’m here to see my dad,” she said, her voice cracking as she spoke. Paityn tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as the administrator clicked through her files.

“It seems Morgan Sinclair hasn’t approved any visitors,” the employee said. When she noticed the distressed look on Paityn’s face. she smiled, trying to reassure the young woman. “I’ll send a guard to him,” she said. “I’m sure he’ll want to see you knowing you came.”

All Paityn could do in response was smile and nod, following along politely to the whims of the people around her. “Take a seat and we’ll let you know when your father is ready for visitation.”

Paityn walked to the other end of the room. Police eyed her suspiciously, recognizing the family she came from. She felt out of place, in danger, threatened, by people meant to serve and protect. She leaned against the wall, a few feet from the consigliere who recently buried his uncle. She wondered if he felt pain as deeply as Luca or if he was as closed off as her brother had become.

“I-” 

Paityn started to speak, but the sentence went no where. She had no words to say to the man. She hated him but the feelings she had for Luca tamed her blood from boiling over. Though, she couldn’t bring herself to express sympathy for his loss.

She just bit her lip, as if she never planned on speaking at all.

[paitynsinclair]

where: Correctional Center when: november, thanksgiving weekend with: @abel-costello​

With the holidays approaching and the rift between Paityn and the rest of her family growing, the youngest Sinclair ached for some sort of relief. When she closes her eyes, she could feel the warmth of Luca’s arms around her and feel safe but she knew that not even their secret romance could fill the void of a dead sister and missing father. Paityn knew she couldn’t help Luca’s ache; the pain that resonated after Marcel’s murder. He’d have to find a way to deal with it just the same. 

Paityn had to stop running from the hurt. 

She sat in the backseat of the car, biting her nails. Paityn stared intently at the doors of the facility, knowing her father was just inside. 

“You don’t have to do this,” Julius said, looking at her through the rear view mirror. 

“Yes I do,” she replied, simply. Still, her legs didn’t move. “I just need a minute.”

Eventually she shook her head and exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Her foot tapped anxiously as she dug through her purse. Paityn fished for her prescription and popped a pill with a shaky hand. 

“Just wait here for me,” she said, opening the car door. “I’ll be fine.”

Though, it didn’t take long for Paityn’s breathing to falter once inside. The prison’s atmosphere wasn’t the cause, rather Abel Costello standing tall at the reception guarded by glass. Her first instinct, of course, was to run. Turn around and come back another day.

But, Paityn had to stop running. So, she got in line and waited her turn to register. Despite her family’s history, she’s never actually done something like this before. Her stomach turned and she prayed Abel wouldn’t see her.

[paitynsinclair]

lucacostello‌:

Maybe showing up at Paityn’s place without warning wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But he’d wanted to spend time with her after the holiday, to decompress and have a nice evening with his girlfriend. That felt like the normal thing to do. He’d left with a plateful of leftovers to share with her. Luca snuck into the building, hoodie up over his head to avoid being detected by anyone. It was reckless, to show up unannounced. What if her brothers were visiting? Her mother? It didn’t make a difference to Luca. He just wanted to be near her.

Luca walked up to her door, held the plate in one hand, knocked with the other. He was somewhat stoned already, though his high was fading. In his mind, Luca rehearsed a stupid pick up line, something cheesy to make her smile, whenever the door opened. There was a fucking giant on the other side. A shirtless giant, a puzzled look on his face. The man looked around, probably wondering if Luca had the right apartment. 

“Can I help ya?” He asked.

“Who the fuck are you?” Luca blurted out, heart sinking down to his stomach.

“Tristan. I’m a friend,” he simply said.

“What the fuck does that mean?” 

“Are you asking me about the origin of my name, or if I’m–” 

What a smug piece of shit. Luca didn’t bother waiting around to hear whatever he was going to say next. He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer, anyway. Tristan continued to speak, even as Luca walked away, but he couldn’t quite make it out. Luca clenched one fist and, as he passed by a trash can, he dumped the leftovers, not caring that it was a waste of good food. He was upset, his mind somersaulting to conclusions that he didn’t want to believe. His stomach sank, and instead of going home, Luca went elsewhere. A local dive bar a few blocks down from his place that was miraculously open.

It was stupid of him to make an assumption like that, but with the way that things had been going lately, Luca wouldn’t have been surprised if life threw another ‘fuck you’ in his face. What was that guy doing there, half naked, in Paityn’s apartment? Paityn wasn’t the type to fuck with him. Was she? The more he thought about it, the more upset that he got. Luca made it through a ridiculous amount of liquor before he was cut off. After that, he stumbled back to his place, eager to climb into bed and make a feeble attempt at forgetting what had just happened. The doorman greeted Luca a little strangely, but he was too drunk to really notice. Or care. 

By the time he made it up to his apartment, Luca nearly tripped over Paityn, who was comfortably asleep in the hallway. It took him a few moments to react, to process that she was down there. He worried for a second, wondering if she’d taken something. He knelt over, gently shook her awake. Within a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open, and once Luca saw that she wasn’t under the influence of anything, he stood back up – a little too quickly in his drunken state. He swayed for half a second, unable to form words right away. After a long pause, Luca finally opened his mouth.

“Can you go away? Like now. I’m too drunk for this.”

He moved around her, fumbled for his keys as he tried unlocking his door. 

When Luca shook her awake, the first thing Paityn felt was the ache in her head. Then, she heard him speak and remembered what happened. She stood up quickly. A mistake, given the fact she was somehow both hungover and still drunk at the same time. 

“Luca, just let me explain,” she said, trying to get her balance. “Tristan works for my family, he’s just sleeping on my couch.”

“I’m so sorry,” she claimed. “I get that it looks bad, but I promise nothing happened.”