𝙿𝚞𝚗𝚔& 𝙳𝙸𝚂𝙾𝚁𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙻𝚈

❝ When you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it’s only in the black of night you see the stars. And those stars will lead you back home ❞

[somedayistodayoth]

"Something about a turkey being overdone," There was a touch of laughter in his tone depicting the playfulness. He'd eat whatever she dared put in front of him. Wasn't that one of the numerous tasks of a husband? To make sure their wife was happy about her cooking? At least he thought so and in all honesty, he loved her cooking. Always had since childhood. "Which won't happen because you're you," A perfectionist, he added silently against her skin. A year ago if you'd mentioned that he'd be married to his childhood crush he would've laughed until tears came to his eyes. She'd been away without much contact. Leaving him behind for pure ambition. Then he'd hated her for it but now he understood. Without those decisions being made they wouldn't have ended here. Curling his arm around her, he pulled the warmth of her frame closer while the tip of his nose gently scraped against her cheekbone. Up and down. Up and down. There they sat in front of the oven watching meat cook. Yet it was one of the most peaceful moments he could recall. "And you're way better at cooking than most people I know."

Pulling away a fraction, he used his free hand to tilt her face up towards his. They were mere millimeters apart. "Have I ever told you, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen?" Even now, with a dash of flour dusting her nose and her hair up in a messy bun at the top of her head - she was still jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

[stoplightsandravens]

The affection her husband always seemed to spare in spades and abundance wasn't anything Madison was unfamiliar with. Especially after knowing him for most of her life; he’d been her friend, her confidant, her crush, her heartache and now simply hers. And she drank in every sliver of bespoken adoration like a woman inexorably parched, his love her oasis. "Hey!" she scoffed at his cheeky remark, equal parts amused and playfully reproachful, "Don't even speak that into existence". It became apparent almost immediately that there was no sincere scorn in her warning, evidenced by the way she seamlessly crawled into his lap, as if even the slight distance separating flesh from flesh was too vast to bear. She'd only feel whole when they were close enough that her heart could sing to his.

Her arms laced snug around his shoulders, and her heart swelled behind her ribcage as she beheld that smitten gleam in his steady gaze - one she was certain reflected her own. "You have, at least twenty times a day," she reminded him in a soft hum, accepting the stamps of love he imprinted with his tender touch and sweeping stare, returning to sender with a tickling brush of lips against his jawline. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing it though" her contented retort murmured into the his cheek as her lips traveled a outline of his features. "Have I ever told you, you are the love of my life?"

[somedayistodayoth]

Chuck was silent for a long time. Simply watching her. He'd lingered back against the archway with a slight upturn of lips gazing at every move she made. She'd swept around the kitchen all day eagerly, wanting everything to be perfect. Her sheer determination made him giddy like a lovesick teenager. Because she was trying to make their first Christmas together magical. What she didn't know was every single second he spent with her was better than the sweetest of drugs. They could've had a Marie Calendar dinner and watched a sappy Christmas flick and it still would've been the best day of his life.

"I would never laugh," he exclaimed incredulous, his tall frame pushing away from the wall to take a seat beside her in front of the oven. There they sat. Her with the turkey baster; him with his ocean blue eyes cradling her earnest expression. They'd tagged team today. Of course, Chuck couldn't allow her to shoulder an entire dinner party alone. So he'd volunteered for duty as any husband would. Offering his hands for prepping side dishes and dressing the table in the backyard. Bumping her arm playfully, his head fell onto her shoulder blade with a gentle thud. Even with the aroma of spices and herbs, he still smelt her innate scent. Home. That's what her scent was to him. Burying his face into the junction of her neck, he hummed lightly. "And if Christmas gets cancelled," he began his voice muffled by the warmth of her skin. "Then I could just eat you instead." Opening his mouth, his sank his teeth into the soft flesh and he began to suck.

[stoplightsandravens]

Eyes seeping of an infallible endearment watched her husband approach, the theatrics of her internalized anxiety quickly became trivial against his affection. Despite her sudden and, frankly, uncharacteristic desire for everything to proceed flawlessly, there was no denying that the day had been nothing short of a dream. Every day with him was. The life they continued to build together was never something she had genuinely imagined for herself during all those lengthy years on the road, just her and her trusty buggy to keep her company from field to field. But when a man looked at you the way Chuck looked at her, and when he made you feel the way he made her feel - how could she resist the compelling need to have it all for herself? Anything he longed to give, everything she didn't know she even craved, as long as it was with him. Like...

Idyllic holiday mornings spent pottering around the kitchen, fretting over miniscule tasks and continuing to prove the allegations that they could never keep their hands off each other. It was bliss.

As soon as his lips brushed the sensitive seam between her throat and collarbone, the roasting turkey was virtually forgotten. Her nose wrinkled in adoration, even as her brow kinked up in feigned contemplation of the alternative plans he proposed. "Hmm, while that does sound very very tempting…" the levity in her tone giving way to muted sighs at the attention he was paying to his love bites. "….wait, what was I saying?" Hell, the turkey could manage without her complete focus for just a bit, couldn't it?

[stoplightsandravens]

❝ 𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 ❞

❝ 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙸 𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙸𝙳𝙰𝚈 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃 ❞ 𝚆𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙾𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙵𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙰𝙻

@theunkindnessofrxvens @somedayistodayoth

"Tada," Quinn's melodic trill was accompanied by lopsided grin as she shuffled through the slush of accumulated snow, a cup of cocoa from the nearby vendor balanced in either hand. "Fresh hot chocolate to stave off the hypothermia," she quipped; this was far from the warmer holiday climate she was promised when she hightailed it out of the big city to follow her brother and start anew ( again ). The chill swept through the tiny town seemingly overnight, her chic leather jacket and hoodie combination proving to be a feeble defense against the frigid temperatures. What a goddamn rip off.

"Oh wait, don't drink that one," Quinn swiftly exchanged the cups before they could take a sip from the one she had discreetly laced with a touch of something special from her flask. "That one…that one is for me."

[stoplightsandravens]

❝ 𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 ❞

❝ 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙸 𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙸𝙳𝙰𝚈 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃 ❞ 𝙲𝙷𝚄𝙲𝙺 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙼𝙰𝙳'𝚂 𝚇𝙼𝙰𝚂 𝙵𝙴𝙰𝚂𝚃

@theunkindnessofrxvens @somedayistodayoth

Madison was certain that the last thing any of her guests anticipated when they entered the kitchen was to discover her sitting cross-legged on the floor, engaged in an impassive staring contest with the oven. The turkey she had devoted the entire morning to prepping was cooking just behind the glass, and the hostess was willingly enduring heat exposure and back pain to make sure everything went smoothly.

She cast a brief glance to register their presence, "Don't you dare laugh at me, this is very serious," she cautioned. Despite this, it was impossible not to find the scene humorous: her features contorted by an expression of fierce determination, an oven mitt in one hand and a baster in the other. "If this turkey doesn't come out perfect, Christmas is cancelled."

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

Does mental ill count? Andrés doused out the callous thought adjusting his grip on his medicine bag. He had hoped that with her reclamation into Savannah society would have lowered the frequency of these calls, he had lowered his defenses. Prue Darling just never learned. "Never say never," the low baritone dripped off his words. Andrés regrettable knew how fragile life could be and how foolish people became when drunk off the infinite infallibility of wealth and excess.

"If this isn't a medical emergency, I'll take my leave. Mrs. Litrell's water is due to break any moment now and she plans in delivering in her living room. I'd like to be closer to city limits, Prue." Andrés paused for a moment before cocking his head to the side. "You must not know the story about the girl who cried wolf. The outcome isn't desirable."

[stoplightsandravens]

Prue swore she'd never had to bid this hard for another man's attention, or anyone's attention for that matter, in her life. It was as equally infuriating as it was stimulating, aand had it been anyone else offering such staunch opposition, they would have been snidely dismissed. The heiress was too intelligent to be delusional and too prideful to acknowledge rejection. She had gracefully come to terms with the reality that Andres would never return her coquetry a long while ago, but it was her rare spurts of immaturity and boredom that led her to explore the limits of their relationship for her own amusement. "Your bedside manner could use some improvement, I certainly hope you aren't this curt with your patients."

Prue's eyes vanished beneath the defined edge of her mascara as she rolled them back. "Fables and fairytales are for the impoverished," she remarked, her lip curling in enmity. Herr vernacular categorically harsh on average, but infinitely more so whenever she felt he was implying she was acting childish. "Sit down, keep me company until I finish my drink and then I'll let you get back to your mommie to be"

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

You never know what you had until it's gone or until you fuck it up. The notion often plagued his overloaded mind whenever he allowed himself to dwell on how he fumbled the bag. Barbara Owens swept into his life like a falling star. With the same blinding ferocity and wonder that burned holes into his retina and marked him for life. What he didn't know then was how hard it would be to to quit the wantoning needs to behold her in all of her forms. A foolish college student who shied away from the deep connection that tethered them together. Had Griffin knew how lonely it would be watching her love being abused from the sidelines, he would have claim her love for his own when she offered it to him. Now, he chased her light like some specter in search for a the comforts of eternal damnation burning to a crisp. His scowl deepened at the slow rolling reports that ebbed in from his assistant. The restaurant seemed to grow more empty as the clock ticked closer to midnight. He couldn't bare to restrain himself for a moment longer before abandoning the chilled tumbler of whiskey on his desk to order his driver to bring him to her.

Drawing through the well dressed entrance, Griffin tipped his head towards the maître d'hôtel who quickly ushered him towards the blonde angel who traipsed through his every thought. A smile drew upon his lips at the billowing steam of her foodie weakness; Barbara loved her comfort staple in any form. Even the putrid imitation that came in a can. "...I did," he offered with such softness. Griffin opened the lower button on his suit jacket before sliding into the seat opposite her. "Can we get her another glass and bring out the wine I suggested. I'll take a whiskey neat." Griffin turned his gaze back to her. "You look beautiful, cheeks. Eat up, it'll get cold."

[stoplightsandravens]

His distinctive pitch captured her focus like the first light of dawn breaking over a gloomy horizon, her eyes exploring his features with affection and her own beaming with glee. So, it wasn't the divine intervention she had prayed for that orchestrated her deliverance, but something far grander. While she was pleasantly taken aback by his arrival, and despite her occasional lack of perception on her best days, it didn't take a scholar to understand this wasn't by chance. He was coming to her rescue, and Barbara pondered whether she had failed to mask her plight in their messages or if he had just intuitively sensed that she needed him. "Griffin," she welcomed, the syllables of his name flowing effortlessly from her lips, imbued with a clear affection—no hint of surprise in her tone, only an impression of relief as if to say, of course you're here. The heft of disgrace stacked like blocks of cinder, crumbled away, making room for a lighter milieu to emerge. Evident in the way she'd perked up considerably.

A soft smile now graced her lips as she squandered no further time unrolling the silverware and daintily placing the cloth napkin on her lap. "I definitely don't recall bolognaise being listed on the menu; it must be one of those secret dishes, hmm?" The subtle tilt of her head as she gently pierced the heap of noodles with her fork was all the confirmation Griffin needed to realize she was aware he'd cashed in one of his infamous favors just for her. "You don't plan on just having whiskey for dinner do you?" she chided affectionately.

[stoplightsandravens]

❝ 𝙲𝙻𝙾𝚂𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝚁 ❞ 𝙶𝚁𝙸𝙵𝙵𝙸𝙽

❝ 𝙱𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙾 𝚂𝚀𝚄𝙰𝚁𝙴 ❞ 𝙸 𝚂𝙴𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚈 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝚃𝚆𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝙰𝚃 𝙴𝙰𝙲𝙷 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁

@theunkindnessofrxvens

The word despondent seemed too tame to describe the sinking sensation that was building in her gut as the minutes ticked by. With each flutter of her eyelashes, Barbara could still make out a vague outline of the hexagonal pattern that adorned the intimately placed tabletop she'd been staring at for the past hour and a half; yet, this was an improvement over the pitying looks that beheld her. She could only hope the dim lighting hid the glow of embarrassment tinting her cheeks. The air was dense with the rich aroma of seafood-infused dishes being served, and Babs struggled to suppress her gag reflex as it enveloped her senses. She had never been fond of seafood, but she knew how much Stuart adored the establishment's paella, and catering to her boyfriend's every whim had become second nature.

Another tap on her phone screen reinforced that her loving stream of messages were still unanswered.

Still, she attempted to keep her spirits up, her lips twisting into a strained smile as the waiter approached once more. A plate was placed on the table before her, drawing her gaze with an equal amount of interest and bewilderment; a beautifully arranged hill of pasta, lightly sauced with a touch less parsley than usual, accompanied by two large meatballs, each sliced in half. Precisely to her liking, yet she hadn't placed the order. "I'm so sorry, I didn't order this…"

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

"Either I've lost all concept of the profession or this is looking less and less like a house call than the last time."

[stoplightsandravens]

"I think what's equally as perplexing is the fact that you keep expecting it to be," as Prue gracefully stirred the contents of her afternoon cocktail with her straw, she slanted an capricious eyebrow at the doctor across from her to emphasize her counterargument. "I've never been ill or impaired a day in my life."

"I would have thought you'd caught on by now."

[somedayistodayoth]

The soft breathiness of her giggle skated over every inch of his skin, but he ignored it his automatic reaction. Like he ignored everything else in his life. Alex was in the mind-numbing phase, the phase where if he didn't acknowledge the prominence than it wasn't real. Grinding his teeth, he flicked on the indicator and made a right at the next stop sign. They were not going to the ice cream parlor. Not even as a after thought.

"They were suggestions," he corrected. "Especially when I'm the one driving." If she'd wanted ice cream and a heart to heart, she should've kidnapped him, tied him up and forced him to be apart of the moment. However, she'd given him freewill by allowing him to get behind the wheel. Shooting her a glare, he made another right. They were heading back to his place. He craved the heat of his shower head beating down around him. Maybe he'd cook tonight. There was a thought. "Woah, getting right to the point, are we?" he chided. Alex wasn't an idiot and he definitely wasn't about to unleash all his burdens and secrets onto Scar. Not when she was likely going to kick him in his balls for how depraved his actions were.

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about. I go to work, hang out with my girlfriend, you, the others and go to sleep. What could I possibly be hiding?" One of his thick eyebrows quirked upwards. "I'm the epitome of an open book."

[stoplightsandravens]

Scarlett had hoped to tackle the subject in a lighthearted manner, albeit with persistence, as it was certainly preferable to the possibility of inciting an argument. She didn't want to argue with him, they were both too sharp tongued and inclined for cheap jabs to do either of them any good when things got heated. Granted, no dispute that arose between them throughout the years hadn't been easily resolved with a genuine apology and a period of reflection. And especially nothing that would jeopardize their friendship, because no matter how intense some of their more impassioned conflicts had become, it all sprang from a place of compassion.

Remembering this, she loosened the tension in her smile and pivoted in her seat to give him an unimpressed look. "Yeah, getting right to the point because one of us has to."

His bid to detail his routine as evidence of his innocence was disregarded almost as soon as he uttered the words. "Stop bullshitting me," she pleaded, an accusatory tone underlying. "I know you already told Danny, so what? Am I not trustworthy enough to confide in all of a sudden? Is this a stupid bro code thing? Aren't I your best friend as well?" Her posture quickly grew defensive as she folded her arms beneath her chest with a scornful huff.

"Did you kill someone? Rob a bank? Commit fraud? You know I'm not going to drop it, so you might as well just tell me."

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

The irregular synth beat crackled through the speakers overhead, a grainy mash of sound to the siren trill of some distant 80's video vixen he couldn't identify. Bryson squared shoulders pulled taut and the stress tangled in the bent crease of his elbows as he waited in the waiting room. He knew better than to cling to any measure of normalcy when Hurricane Brianna blew through the scraps of his life. He had spent the better half of the morning searching the city for the woman for her only to pick up by tenderly by Jamie Scott and Chuck Scolnik. Bryson didn't have the vocabulary to express how disappointed unfazed by the outcome. He chose not to ring Bells; this was last thing she needed to hear before going off about how right she was. He stared deeper into the chaotic waves of the cheap painting on the wall. The warm strokes of yellow meeting the calm blues strangely soothed him. Flashes of her auburn hair and aegean blue colored eyes lifted the weight off his shoulders before the squeak of rubber soles snapped him back to the gray bleakness of the chipping walls of his misfortune. "You ready and sober this time?" His words left his lips. His own stormy gaze softened at the woman he had misidentified.

"Harper." @stoplightsandravens

[stoplightsandravens]

Bleak and suffocating, the first two adjectives that always sprung to mind whenever she shuffled down these linoleum corridors, vision fixated desperately on her clumsily tied shoelaces and quick gait to keep from focusing on anything else. Like the chatter of the nurses station, or the cacophony of beeping monitors, the stench of antiseptic and despondency in the air. The skin around her nails had been picked to the pink meat, but with every purposeful step towards the exit, she felt the breath return to her lungs in prolonged exhales rather than short gasps.

There was no amount of therapy or favorable checkups that could prevent her from villainizing the institution. To diminish the bile of panic from rising in her throat while she waited for the results of her latest blood tests. She'd been a prisoner to her own deteriorating neurons and those narrow beds with their starched sheets, and she remained one so long after her discharge. But it was a necessary evil, one she chose to endure in solitude if only to spare her sister and loved ones the burden of worry.

She was fine. She was doing fine. A few errand migraines that lasted a touch longer for comfort and a few dizzy spells didn't mean anything. She'd be fine.

You ready and sober this time?

It could have almost been comical the way she skidded to the stop at the sound of his voice if it wasn't so embarrassing. "Oh, he- hi, what's up?" Her perplexity over his presence was set aside in favor of more essential matters, such as maintaining some sense of decorum. "Hello." But if Harper was anything it was useless in stressful situations, and she found her eyes couldn't find a reasonable place to land on Bryson's form without being reminded of the last time she'd seen him. "What are you um…I'm sorry, did you say sober?"

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

"You're not supposed to be here.." not while I am playing the doting daughter of the mayor. The blue chiffon dress looked more like a pillow case than anything "elegant"; sex positivity is not a staple of this campaign. "Let's just pretend you didn't see me, cool?"

[stoplightsandravens]

Slender fingers caged around the burning stem of her cigarette to keep the sudden breeze from extinguishing her quick fix, Quinn cast a sideways glance at the girl in silence - momentarily unsure if she was even addressing her. As it were, her mouth ticked up in a lopsided grin as she exhaled a plume of smoke. "Well considering I have no idea who you are…"

She slipped a palm over her eyes, her faint smile growing under the improvised veil. "Consider me momentarily vision impaired."

[somedayistodayoth]

Alex's lips curled at the soft cadence of her voice. Not an ounce of surprise on his features. He'd seen her from the first moment he'd stepped through the double doors to exit the building. Pursing his lips, he started undoing his tie - the expression on his face one of nonchalance. He had no idea why she'd decided to surprise him right after his shift but he was certain she'd reveal her reasoning. Closing the distance between them, he walked around to the passenger door and held it open in some sort of anticipation. Today had been an exhausting one, but for her he'd find some form of energy. He eyed her from head to toe as she got into the vehicle. No sounds emitting from him. Apart of him did this to keep her in suspense but the other knew she already had him mapped out from way before he'd set his eyes on her. A perk of knowing someone for almost two decades, he guessed.

Settling into the drivers seat, he put his briefcase in the back and returned to removing his tie and popping a few buttons open of his collared shirt. "We can only do one of the two things you suggested," he finally said while starting the ignition. "Either we get ice cream or we have a chat. I can't do both." He didn't glance at her as he reversed the car. "So you have to pick one." He threw another sideways look her way before stopping at the stop sign. "Serious talk...or ice cream." Even the ice cream was debatable and probably a stretch with the way he felt. But, for her, he'd find the energy.

[stoplightsandravens]

With a spring in her step and a satisfied grin, she hopped from the hood of his car and slid into the passenger seat, seemingly unfazed by his apparent lack of resistance to her unforeseen invasion. She even winked at him as she passed. Even if Alex had chosen to protest, Scarlett would not have been the least bit discouraged. If Courtney had been in control of the confrontation, she would have taken a considerably more delicate approach, but that just wasn't Scarlett's style. Part of her charisma was her tenacity and candor, qualities that Alex had likely grown accustomed to over two decades of friendship; when she was truly concerned, these qualities amplified. And he had been worrying her.

As she had done countless times before, Scarlett curled into the seat and was momentarily whisked back to the fond memories of all the impulsive road trips they had taken in the past. Wind whipping through her hair through the open window, feet resting comfortably in his lap over the gears while she argued with him over the AUX - she obviously wanted to play the Taylor album again. Times that felt both simpler and heavy with sentiment that never got resolved.

The car echoed with her gentle giggle as she cocked her head at him. Her counter, "I'm sorry, neither of those were suggestions," said with a playful tone to underscore her point. "But we can save the ice cream for after, as a sweet reward for our excellent communication skills and leveled heads." Disinclined to give in, she paused to collect her thoughts. "You are hiding something from me and I want to know what it is."

[stoplightsandravens]

❝ 𝙲𝙻𝙾𝚂𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝚁 ❞ 𝙰𝙻𝙴𝚇

"Surprise, bitch."

As the words escaped her pink lips, Scarlett understood that although her sudden appearance may have been unexpected, the likelihood of it couldn't have been. Nor the method in which she decided to ambush him. The blonde rose from the reclined position she'd been relaxing in, utilizing the hood of his car as a makeshift tanning bed as she waited for him to finish work. A sickly sweet grin curled beneath her sunglasses just as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I told you to keep your gorgeous curly head on a swivel," she reminded him, sunglasses pushed up the bridge of her nose and into the bangs. "Let's go get ice cream, I just ran here and I deserve a treat. Plus, we need to have a chat." Scarlett was certain Alex wouldn't be able to evade her face to face, even if she had to shadow him around the rest of the day.

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

"Don't give me that look, Prue." He grumbled from beneath the rim of his glass. "I've got this under control." @stoplightsandravens

[stoplightsandravens]

"I think your interpretation of having things under control has been severely skewed." She pointedly angled every inch of dispassionate judgment marring her pristine features in his direction to underscore her accusation. She thought she was done enduring these odd phases of his, having already impatiently tolerated him pining after the Scott girl - or what she referred to as a complete lapse in his usual staunch sanity. Two years later, she was still trying to persuade him to get rid of the unsightly couch.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Barbara isn't the most intuitive crayon in the box, you're not going to get anywhere unless you're direct," one of the more benign allusions from the usual sharp-tongued heiress, implying that her contempt for the blonde had substantially reduced. "….because this, is just pathetic."

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

"So you're telling me that he hasn't called you since Daddy Warbucks brought you back to Tree Hill?" Strange. Emilia continues to fluff the beautifully cut flowers Barbara graciously brought with her. "Are you sure I can't talk to him one to one?" More like fist to teeth.

@stoplightsandravens

[stoplightsandravens]

The knot of unease that was growing in Barbara's gut did not prevent her from chuckling slightly at the blonde's recurrent use of the epithet. However, the smile swiftly diminished to slightly puckered lips as she inspected her messages once more. The rationale she ultimately muttered was, "He's probably just too busy to check in." The cogs in her brain already churning to convince herself of the narrative instead of worrying about his well being.

It was one of the things that Barbara had to adjust to when she and Beck began dating, as a woman whose love language has always encompassed subtleties like quality time and acts of service. It may have been instinctual for her to want to check in with him, to have some form of communication while they were apart however briefly, but she had to remind herself that not everyone's sentiments were hardwired in the same fashion as her own. It didn't imply that he didn't care.

"Be nice," she reprimanded with tenderness, grasping exactly what Emilia was suggesting. "I told you, he's a good man and he's good to me. No need to be so protective." Though Emilia's ardent allegiance warmed her heart. "You'll see when you eventually meet him."

[cwladiesdaily]

Sophia Bush & Hilarie Burton Morgan recreate the iconic Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer door scene from One Tree Hill 3x22

[theunkindnessofrxvens]

Hey Em, don't be alarmed but I think you should make your way back to the restaurant. No one was hurt but things got intense and Noah's... Lou's usually chipper tone had been muted in waves of concern. The soft static crackled on the other line spurred her feet forward and out of her apartment. Her fluffy white slippers didn't exactly pair well with the pearlescent slip dress she had swayed in the foyer waiting for their usual date night to begin. Tonight, unlike most, they were going to celebrate their two year anniversary of their chance encounter. She wasn't the type who had cared about the triviality of anniversaries because the love they shared shouldn't be pinned to one day a year. Yet, she felt that the day her life changed truly for the better deserved a little more pizazz. Emilia knew it was best not to run in guns a blazing; it would only further burden the pressures that his anxiety built up in the synapses of his beautiful mind. It wasn't his fault and he had grown so much in the last two years. Noah, her valiant protector, had finally lowered his shield and sword in exchange for the outstretched hands of the community that loved him. She counted down the remaining seconds before exiting her car and slipping through the staff entrance. The shift in energy was palpable but she fully embraced whatever he needed in this moment. "I know," she offered with a lopsided grin. She didn't need to know what drive him to this point but that he was unharmed. Not just in the physical sense but in the emotional one.

Emilia naturally stepped into his orbit, unafraid of the potential distance he may wish to place between them. Her fingers connected softly along his forearm and snaked around his wrist before anchoring between his slotted fingers. She lowered their joined hands away from his face to get a good look into those baby blues that memorized her that first night. "Fucking tourist ruin everything with their stupid fanny packs, grease hair, and ugly ass wardrobe." Emilia cooed with a smoldering mirth. "Phyllis is one delicious looking woman but boundaries are important. You defended her boundary," she reminded. She pressed a kiss into the palm of the very hands that he feared. "Why don't we let the boys carry the rest of the dinner rush? Mmh? We'll go home and get into the bath. This heat has melted away my desire to go out."

[stoplightsandravens]

"My head's on straight." An expression that had been informally coined between the pair to convey his equilibrium was now recovered. The erroneous tempest of spiked laced thoughts grated softer with her closeness to anchor him, the silky lull of her quips and the familiar intervals between her fingers where his calloused ones fit snugly. As soon as her tender touch infused his flesh, he no longer forced the muted, sputtered gasps that had been plaguing him; instead, he felt the breath collected in his lungs loosen and pass through his lips with greater ease. Replaced by a brusque but genuine noise of amusement.

"Hawaiian shirts and all, in a fucking port city, you would have hated it," the heavy lidded gaze of stormy cerulean softened into two placid pools, embossed with all the affection he couldn't always provide through more commonplace methods, like speech. But he knew Emilia would read the adoration etched in that glance, which lingered as he moved his focus down the length of her torso.

"I like your dress," the material he knew she'd taken careful consideration in selecting for the evening hugged the curves he'd come to worship delicately. It felt like a shame to let it go to waste, but the substitute plan of celebrating privately in their own home sounded far more tempting. Still, he didn't want to dampen the zest of a treasured date. 

Unbeknownst to her, Dante had already planned on cutting out early for their special day after Lou had very pointedly assured him he could handle the rush with ease, so there would be no protest from him. "You'll keep it on for me? I'll feed ya something good, and then we can soak in the tub as long as you want. Until we prune, as long as I get to hold you."