seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from Poland
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Latvia
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from Brazil
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seen from Malaysia
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hiii for the wip guessing game!!! "sweetheart"
Evaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa <3 sadly this is not as interesting as I would like it to be this has really shown me that I need to write more merlin and marvel I'm lacking even in WIP content it's embarrassing
“Yeah, alright, sweetheart,” he says, the sea foam finally bubbling past his lips. “Whatever you say.”
Waves: Quarantine
A/N: It's been way too long since I've done something for the Wavesverse, and I apologize deeply. I have a few requests related to this series to complete, but I couldn't knock this idea.
Words: 4K
Warnings: None
Tags: @babe-im-bi @notacamelthatsmywife @missyperle @queenoftheworldisdead @tashawar @valkryienymph @letsshamelessqueen-m @hello-therree @mani-lifes @liquorlaughslove @toni9 @koko-michelle @theequeenofcurses @taylortheeshowpony
Waves
Summer placed her phone inside of the mount and made sure that it was secured before she sat back in her bed, getting comfortable with the mass of pillows supporting her back, and smiling tentatively. “Hi, guys.”
Summer!
Someone tell me this isn’t a joke???? Please???
She lives!
Sis, blink twice if you need help.
Summer rolled her eyes. “Ya’ll better stop. I know it’s been a minute since I’ve hopped on live, but it hasn’t been that damn long.”
Summer continued to read the comments where more than a few people pointed out she hadn’t gone live on Instagram in over three months. Her mouth dropped. “Ya’ll lying. It has not been almost six months, has it?” She placed her hand over her mouth when people started dropping dates in the comments. “Okay, I stand corrected. Damn, I’m sorry, guys.”
Don’t be sorry, bestie. Do better!
Damn, ya’ll are so entitled. Celebrities have lives too.
What life? We all been in quarantine.
Rich people quarantine be different from us poor folks, I guess.
“So that’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk about.” Summer cleared her throat. “And I’m going to try really hard to make sure I word what I want to say as clear and as effective as I can, but I know this is still going to end up as a salacious headline. So, it is what it is.”
Oooh, Summer about to drop some tea.
I don’t see her wedding ring, ya’ll…..
I’m scared omg.
Watch this be nothing but a role announcement.
She shrugged and took a deep breath. “Okay, so a few days ago, I did the Buss It challenge, after being harassed by Sanda. And can I just say that filming was a challenge in and of itself? Not necessarily the movements but preparing? I’ve got two kids, twins, who are like the Tasmanian devil. I was literally up at 3 something in the morning trying to record it because my wild children won’t let me be great.” She chuckled. “Kids are something else.”
Summer truly jumped through hoops and was a damn near acrobat trying to figure out when she could not only get herself done up but actually record the challenge. Being the perfectionist that she was didn’t help, but the fact that she couldn’t recall the last time she’d put on makeup and dressed up was a whole other fiasco.
Quarantine definitely brought out her bum side.
“All of that aside, I truly was satisfied and happy with the final product when I posted it. In hindsight, I should have just left it that, but I wake up every day and choose chaos, so I decided to read the comments.” She blew out a breath. “One of the most frequent comments and really, insults, I’ve received my whole career. Primarily, since I was cast as Storm, revolves around how I look. I.e., my weight. I’ve been called fat, obese, out of shape, and so many other things.”
It was 100% true. The minute Marvel announced that she’d been chosen to play Storm, the racists came all out of the woodworks. She was too short, too chubby, too dark, too black. And Summer didn’t care, not a bit.
“Even,—and I’ll tell you guys this, when I first started my SS training, that’s what I call it, SS for Storm Shape, there was a—person who worked for Marvel at the time who came to visit me while I was training.” She smiled thinking back on that day. She could still recall it so clearly. “He basically was pissed because to him, I still looked the same, fat and out of shape.” She adjusted her top and shifted in her bed. “That same day, I deadlifted and bench-pressed over 200lbs” She paused for effect. “What I need for people to stop doing is stop fucking projecting—and I’m going to cuss in this, so if you don’t like it, oh well. I work for Disney, but I’m a grown ass woman, and I’m going to say what I want.”
I am screaming. Summer said we getting alll the tea today!
So, it’s wrong to point out that someone is physically unhealthy now, cool?
The problem is that no one wants to see a fat superhero. It’s not realistic.
^^^^ Tell me you have a small dick without actually telling me you have a small dick.
“I saw Lizzo, whom I adore, post a Tik Tok where she basically said that she workouts to have the body she wants not what ya’ll want, and honestly? Same. She said that her body type is no one’s fucking business, and that’s so true. Ya’ll love to hop on this internet and pick apart people you don’t even know and criticize bodies you don’t even have to live in and move around with. And for what?” She shook her head, slamming her fist into her open palm as she spoke. She was fully invested now. “I know we in quarantine, but damn, pick another hobby cause being a bully is not it, sweetie.”
I really needed to hear this today.
Using Lizzo as a point of reference makes everything you’re saying null and void. Lizzo is clearly overweight and at risk for diabetes, heart disease, just to name a few…..
I been saying this! You can’t look at a person and say they’re unhealthy.
Bodies come in so many forms, and all are beautiful.
“Now, I bring all this up because a lot of people were commenting on my Buss It challenge and pointing out the fact that I’ve gained weight, and guess fucking what? I have, and you know what else?” She leaned over to whisper while covering her mouth with her hands for focused effect. “I don’t care.”
Summer laughed and shook her head. “As others have pointed out as well, yes, we have a gym in our house. I 1000% acknowledge the fact that having the resources that I do as a celebrity and someone who has money puts me in a different category. Hell, my husband has a whole fitness app. I recognize that. If I wanted to keep up with my workouts, emphasis on wanted, I could have. I own up to that, but I just didn’t feel like it, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is to send and leave mean messages calling me all kinds of names.”
Summer had thick skin. She always had. Growing up with her family, who always ensured to feed her self esteem and make sure she knew that she was beautiful, definitely paid off. It was just a combination of quarantine and not having a lot of opportunities to keep herself busy with work that had her feeling some type of way.
“And that’s something else I wanted to bring up.” She blew out another breath and tried to gather her emotions. This was the subject she was almost certain she’d grow teary eyed discussing. “I love my husband to death. My children are everything. Christopher’s family is like my own, but— I haven’t seen my family, like my mom, grandma, brothers, etc in almost a year.” She paused, dwelling on that. Almost an entire year since she’d been able to physically hug and interact with the people who made her who she was. “And I’ve always made it clear how much I fucking love my family. I live in Australia. I can’t do a drive by with grandma so I and my kids can at least see her on the doorstep.” She quieted again, eyes darting off as she quietly cursed. “I’m trying really hard not to cry right now.”
Please don’t cry, bestie.
This is the side of quarantine that people don’t talk about enough.
Has this woman never heard of FaceTime????
I feel her pain. I live in Europe, and my family is in the states. This quarantine has been brutal.
My grandma died from COVID, and I couldn’t even go to the funeral. Summer is bringing up a good point.
“Damn,” Summer chuckled bitterly and wiped at the tears that fell. “I’m okay, I promise. I just bring this up because quarantine has also been very hard for me in that aspect. At certain points, I’ve been down, I’ve been in my head a lot, and I just was not, for the most part, in a space where I felt like I had to keep up my fitness regimen. And that’s okay. I put my mental wellbeing ahead of making sure my body is socially acceptable. Sue me.”
I really appreciate her honesty.
Summer never goes beyond surface level in interviews, so seeing her this vulnerable is really surprising.
Are we supposed to feel bad for her? She’s rich. She can afford whatever help she needed.
These comments are not passing the vibe check.
Ya’ll are all mental health advocates, but when a black woman is opening up about her struggle, it’s discarded?
“And let me make this clear too, I have an amazing husband who is so patient and so kind. He’s one of the best people I can go to when my anxiety hits, so I don’t want this to come across as me complaining that I’ve been alone. I have him and our children. I just miss the rest of my family. That’s all.” She dried her eyes and started to read the comments, unsurprised by the mixed reaction. She expected as such and was unaffected. At least until she saw one comment.
@ChrisEvans: ❤️❤️❤️
“Evans!” Summer wasn’t expecting to see his name pop up. It’d been such a task convincing him to join IG, let alone teaching him how to operate it. “Let’s go live.”
Not my husband and wife in my head about to go live!!!!
Imagine being able to call Chris Evans your best friend
I still say they smashed idc
It’s Christopher Jamal Evans hopping on this live for me.
^^^ I’m so sick of y’all with that shit.
“Let me try to add him,” Summer spoke to herself, scrolling through the comments to find his so she could request him. “Alright, I requested him. Let’s see if he answers.”
She wondered if she should have sent him a text asking if he was available when he appeared on her screen, effectively splitting it with her on the top and him on the bottom.
“Punk.”
“Kid.”
Summer smiled and greeted, “Hi, best friend.”
He chuckled. “How you doing, Summer?”
“Clearly not as good as the people watching,” she chimed. Summer saw nothing but heart eyes and hearts in the comments. “These people really love you. You truly are a manipulative bastard. He’s an asshole, guys.”
“Don’t be jealous, Summer. It’s so unbecoming of you.”
“You can go to hell.”
“Language,” he playfully reprimanded. “Where are the kids?”
“At preschool. Things are finally starting to open back up over here. Thank God.” She clasped her hands together. “Y’all, please wear masks. Don’t be Karen’s.”
Chris laughed, grabbing his chest. “We’re getting there, Summer.”
“The lies you tell,” she countered. “Don’t A Starting Point, me. Ya’ll are far from getting there, and I’m tired of it. I wanna see my family.”
He sighed. “I know, but how are you feeling today?”
“I got rid of the kids, so that’s definitely a weight lifted,” she answered honestly, laughing when she saw judgmental comments in the chat. “Listen, if you’re a parent, you know where I’m coming from. You love your kids, but my god, sometimes you just need some space.”
“As soon as this all blows over, I told you to send em’ by me for a couple of weeks.”
“Best friend, I already purchased their tickets.” He laughed. “As soon as I get the green light, they are all yours. Feel free to keep them.”
“You guys see how she is?” He pointed to Summer, leaning and squinting to read what was being said. “I do love kids, especially the twins, they’re amazing.”
“He is really really great with them, guys,” Summer added. “One thing about Evans, he’s patient as hell and really, just a big kid. Why do you think him and Christopher get along so well? 40 going on 4.”
“I resent that.”
“Is it a lie though?”
He hesitated. “No.” They both laughed.
I’m loving the dynamic between these two so much.
Is it just me or are they flirting with each other…..
Ain’t nothing inappropriate about this conversation. Ya’ll are reaching…
Ya’ll remember that blind item that came out years ago alleging Chris (Evans) was the biological father of the twins? Hmm…..
^^^^^This kind of bullshit is the reason we’re in a global pandemic.
As always, Summer and Evans ignored any foolery that was being dropped in the comments when she caught a comment that didn’t contain some ridiculous rumor.
“Yes, it is true that Evans and Christopher weren’t allowed to do press together anymore. Ya’ll, they literally could not stay serious for more than a minute. I felt so bad for the poor interviewers.”
“Hey, we were not that bad,” Evans protested, his Boston accent more prominent.
She gasped. “You guys were terrible, Evans, and you know it. I was so mad when they put me with ya’ll those few times. I could barely hear the interviewers over your laughing and stupid commentary that literally no one asked for.”
“We did not.”
“There’s deadass video proof, Evans.”
“Fake news.”
She opened her mouth but caught herself. “I was about to say something.”
He laughed and asked, “Do you remember how we all got drunk before the Infinity War premiere?”
“No, ya’ll got drunk. I was big and pregnant, remember?”
“No,” he dismissed. “You were drinking with us.”
“Evans, how was I drinking when I was pregnant?” She challenged and reminded. “I got drunk with ya’ll for the Endgame premiere, not Infinity War.”
“That’s right,” he remembered and chuckled. “You think we’ll get in trouble for saying this?”
She shrugged with one shoulder. “You’re dead, Christopher never gets in trouble for anything, and I do what I want. I think we’re good.”
Kevin Feige watching this live right now like 🥴🥴🥴🥴
I never realized how arrogant she is……
LMAO. Not the whole cast showing up drunk to the biggest premiere of their lives.
Chris Evans is too damn fine to be approaching 40 and still single.
Their friendship is so goals omg
@ChrisHemsworth: Snitches
Summer’s jaw dropped as she caught the last comment, swiping up to click the name and make sure that she was reading correctly. “Christopher, what the hell are you doing on my live?”
Evans brows furrowed. “Hemmy is here? Shouldn’t he be working?”
“That’s what I want to know,” Summer supplied. “And how long have you been watching?”
@ChrisHemsworth: Long enough.
She smiled nervously and looked off to the side. “I feel weird now. I don’t like when he watches my lives.”
“Aren’t you guys married?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be shutting the fuck up?”
Evans lifted his hands in a defensive manner. “Touchy subject, I see.” They shared another laugh as he cleared his throat. “Why don’t you add him now? I’m supposed to be helping Scott cook.”
“My favorite Evans,” she gushed and furrowed her brows. “You, cooking? Since when?”
“Get out of here.” He waved her off and reminded. “I’m not the one who constantly causes near fires when in the kitchen.”
“So, you really just putting all my business out there like that?”
“Summer, it’s not secret to anyone that you can’t cook for shit.”
“Wow, it really be your own best friends.”
He chuckled. “Love you, kid.”
“Love you too, punk,” she blew a kiss. “I’ll text ya’ later.”
“Alright.” He smiled for the camera. “Thanks for having me everyone.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said jokingly. Evans and Summer said goodbye one last time before he left the live. She blew out a breath and ran her hand through her hair. “Baby, comment something so I can add you. It’s too many comments to wade through.”
Summer adjusted her phone and checked the time on the clock on the wall. It’d been a while since the kids were away at school, and she didn’t want to get so caught up that she was late picking them up.
@ChrisHemsworth: I can’t. I’m too drunk.
Summer released a mixture of a laugh and a snort reading his comment. “You are so damn petty.” She clicked his name and adjusted her outfit while waiting for him to answer. She almost cursed when it seemed like he wasn’t going to join, only for her to smile when his face appeared on her screen.
“Hi,” she greeted in a soft voice with a small smile.
“Hello, Sandcastle.”
“Did you just—I swear to god, it’s always something with you.” Summer rubbed her temples and shook her head. Christopher smiled in response. “Why aren’t you working?”
“I am.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re working, how are you talking to me?” She asked, sassily.
“Umm, a little thing called multitasking, ever heard of it?”
“Wow. You are an asshole.”
“That’s mean.”
“You’re mean.”
“Christopher, you are literally a child.”
“Does a child have muscles like this?” He flexed, and Summer stilled. Christopher stayed in ridiculous shape, but this was another level. He’d never been this massive, and she wasn’t too proud to admit that. Just not aloud.
She faked a yawn. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”
They really just be roasting each other all the time, and I’m here for it.
Summer must be legally blind because this man is stupid fine tf
It’s gotta be steroids. That’s not natural.
^^^^^He’s the god of thunder.
Summer rolled her eyes at the typical nature of the comments. These were the reasons she limited her time on social media and especially stayed away from reading the comments. Her attention was redirected to the top of her phone. It was a text from Christopher asking her to call him.
“But we’re—oh, I get it.” She realized he wanted to talk to her, not her and her tens of millions of followers. “Alright, guys, I’m gonna get off here so I can talk to my husband, alone.”
“She just doesn’t want to share me with you all, that’s all.”
“Don’t even start, Christopher,” she lectured while he laughed and got serious, for a minute tops.
“Hope you all are taking care and staying safe,” he spoke honestly. “And we’ll talk to you soon.”
Summer waved and smile. “Bye, guys. Remember to be kind.” Summer offered a final smile before ending the live. Closing up the app, she moved to open FaceTime and called up Christopher. He answered almost immediately. “You know I hate when you watch my Lives. Now, how much did you see?”
“Enough to know you’re coming to see me tonight.”
She laughed aloud. “Funny.”
“I’m serious, Summer.” Focusing on him, she realized that there was no humor in his voice nor his expression. Summer also noticed that he didn’t have the Thor wig on yet, which was probably why he was able to go live with her. He was waiting to get into hair and makeup. “Leave the kids with Liam. It’s not like he’s doing anything.”
“Christopher!”
“What? Is he not a professional unemployed bastard.”
Summer’s smile remained as she shook her head. “You are so mean.”
“I’ll handle the flight arrangements. You, my beautiful wife, just make sure you get on the jet so I can handle you.”
“Christopher, you’re working. People with everyday jobs don’t just up and show up to their spouses workplace because they miss them or need a break from the kids. That’s how folks get fired.”
Christopher started to move around, walking somewhere, she realized. “What are you doing?”
“Hey, Tike.”
Summer’s eyes widened slightly. “Christoper!”
“Sup, man?” Taika asked casually, as Summer laughed again. Taika Waititi was such a character.
“You mind if Summer comes up for a few days?”
“Sure, man,” he replied almost right away. “Bring the kids and chickens too.”
“I am not bringing those damn chickens,” she immediately protested.
Christopher made a sound. “Ha, so you are coming!”
“I didn’t say that.”
Taika joined Christopher so that he was in camera. “Hey, Summer, why don’t you come on join? You can have a cameo. Chickens, too.”
She rubbed her temples. Taika’s and Chris’s friendship would never not make sense to her. They were cut from the same cloth. “One, hey. Two, I was already in Ragnarok. I’m good on the cameos. Three, what is with ya’ll and those creepy looking chickens?”
“Whoa, creepy? What did the chickens ever do?”
“Exist,” Summer answered dryly. She still hadn’t forgiven Evans and Christopher for convincing her to let the kids keep those damn things. Her home was becoming more and more of a farm with each animal that joined the household.
“Tough crowd, that one, ehh?”
“Always,” Christopher agreed.
“I can hear you both,” she reminded and groaned loudly. Summer would love to spend a few days away from the kids. Chris would be working, yes, but she’d at least get some time for herself. Even better, alone adult time with her husband. That had also been a bit tricky during quarantine because of her rambunctious twins. Still, she disliked using her status as a celebrity to gain things, and this would definitely be a case of using status for pull. “I don’t know….”
Deep in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized that Chris had walked away and returned to wherever he was prior to finding Taika, most likely his trailer.
“What if you only stayed a night?” Chris tried to bargain. “The flight is only an hour and a half. That will give you more than enough time to come here, let me fix you dinner, run you a nice bath, maybe get in the good ole’ horizontal tango—”
“You know I hate when you call it that,” she reminded quietly, admitting. “That does sound nice, though.”
“Or, I can come to you—“
“Absolutely not. Christopher, you’re already doing so much back and forth as it is.” One of the good things to come out of quarantine, to Summer at least, was that it forced many people to take a much needed break. Her husband was one of those people. Christopher had been working nonstop since she met him. Project after project, film after film, many of them Marvel films, which put a whole other layer of difficulty what with the strenuous physical requirements. Even now as he shot Thor 4, he was in the best shape he’d ever been, muscles nearly tearing the cotton of his clothes. He looked amazing, but it was what they couldn’t see that she was starting to grow a little concerned over. Christopher wasn’t as young as he once was. He had to slow down, eventually.
Summer realized this would be a perfect chance to have a conversation about just that with him, which all but led her to her final decision.
“Alright,” she conceded, finger up as she made her demands. “Three days, and I stay at the house while you shoot. We may be returning to normal, but we’re still in a pandemic. I won’t go around anyone except you.”
“So I get you all to myself? Hardly consider that a stipulation.”
“And…we talk.”
“After the horizontal tango—“
“I swear to God, if you don’t stop calling it that—“
“What was that, sweetheart? I wasn’t listening.” She saw that he had paused the screen, causing Summer to remember that she hadn’t even consulted with the babysitter. “Making flight arrangements for you.”
“Shit, let me text Liam and make sure he’s available.”
“He gets reception in the box?”
“Christopher! For the last time, your brother is not living in a box.”
“Do you know that for certain?”
“Goodbye, Christopher,” she prepared to end the call before smiling softly. “I love you, Christopher, and thank you.”
He winked. “I’ll always do anything for you, Summer. Anything.” A beat. “Don’t forget to leave the clothes. You won’t need them.”
“Christopher!”
Waves: The Dinner
A/N: Not a single soul asked for this, but I couldn’t shake the idea, so here we are. Let me know if you like Waves content where the twins are older or naw.
Words: 3.5K
Warnings: None
TAGS: @babe-im-bi @notacamelthatsmywife @missyperle @queenoftheworldisdead @tashawar @valkryienymph @letsshamelessqueen-m @liquorlaughslove @lettytheletdown @hello-therree @missdforever @mani-lifes @toni9 @koko-michelle
Waves
“You ask him.”
“Me?”
“No. Doggy. Yes, you, dummy.”
Elysha ignored the insult and settled for her initial follow-up question. “Why me?”
“Because he likes you better.”
“Bullshit,” she scoffed, reaching to steal one of Emmett’s pretzels. She scowled, however, when he snatched it from her and swallowed it whole. “Creep.”
“Lee, you know the rules.” The twins neglected to hide their surprise when Christopher sauntered into the kitchen, a faux stern expression on his face. “No bullying each other when the other person can hear it.”
While Elysha smirked, Emmett rolled his eyes and muttered, “told you.”
Christopher chuckled and walked to the fridge, leaning over to pull out the pack of meat he’d pulled from the freezer the night before. “So, I take it you don’t want us to go to the dealership this weekend, eh?”
As Emmett’s eyes lit up with excitement, Elysha groaned and crossed her arms. “Papa, that’s not fair. Why is it he gets a new car and I don’t?”
“Because your brother held up his end of the bargain, while you, my beautiful little girl, did not,” Christopher reminded, handing the meat to Emmett who placed it on the counter and waited for his dad to reach him the rest of the ingredients. He checked the time on his Apple watch and mentally cursed. Damn, it was already time for dinner.
Elysha was seconds away from pouting and stomping. “Papa, I saved up money, too.”
“Yes, you did,” Christopher agreed, closing the fridge with a bottle of beer in one hand. “And you spent it all on a pair of boots.”
“But they were Gucci!”
“Good luck driving Gucci to school next week.”
“Shut up, Emmett!”
“What did I just say about bullying?” Christopher lectured as he instructed Emmett to hand him the stainless steel skillet. “Not when the other person can hear it.” A beat. “And you’ll be driving your sister to school, mate, so don’t be too smug.”
Elysha rolled her eyes and caught the way Emmett nodded his head in their father’s direction, eyes widening to convey the unspoken but urgent message.
Do it now!
Clearing her throat, she sauntered over to the counter where her father was starting to prep, hopping up, and earning a sideway glance.
“You’re lucky your mom’s not here,” he murmured, failing to tell her to get down. “Alright, what is it and how much is it gonna cost me?”
She shrugged casually. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Christopher wasn’t even trying to hide his disbelief. “Elysha, do I need to call our lawyer?”
“Papa,” she interjected with the sweetest smile that she could muster. “Emmett and I were wondering, if, well-” She took a deep breath while playing with her fingers. “We want to invite two people over for dinner.”
Christopher looked over at the meat. “How much do you think they’ll eat?”
“Not tonight,” Emmett interjected. “Maybe this Friday?” He took a deep breath, scratching the back of his neck. “And it’s not just any two people, dad. It’s….the two people we’re talking to.”
Deep down, Christopher knew what his kids were trying to tell, err, ask him. However, if he wasn’t anything else, he was stubborn and could play the hell out of the obtuse role. “Jesus, all the people you have in my house for parties and you mean to tell me you two only talk to two of them?”
“No, papa, he means talking to, as if, ya know, dating.” A beat. “And mama said this is her house, you’re just a renter.”
“What? When did she say--never mind.” He could come back to that. One problem at a time. “So, why invite them over for dinner? Why not just throw another party you think your mother and me won’t find out about?”
Emmett ignored the sly remark about the parties. His dad was right. “Because we actually want you guys to meet them.”
Christopher carried the bowl over to the sink, turning on the faucet. “Is that so?” He saw the kids nod out the corner of his eye and asked, “have you asked your mother about this?”
“Not yet,” Elysha answered. “We figured we’d ask you first since you actually do all the cooking.”
“And because we were also hoping you could ask her for us.
“See, push long enough, and the truth always comes out from you two.” As the twins exchanged nonverbal communication, Christopher pondered their question. In the long line of expensive and wild things his kids had requested over the years, this was relatively tame, and it would cost nothing. Nothing monetary, at least. “Fine. Friday at 5. I’ll talk to your mother.”
“Seriously?” Elysha didn’t want to give him time to rethink his answer. Hopping off the counter, she gave him a tight side hug. “Thank you, papa. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled dismissively, seconds before Elysha buzzed out of the kitchen to call Jason and tell him that they were on.
“Thank you, dad.” Emmett kept it brief, squeezing his dad’s shoulders while sliding his phone out his pocket to see if Madi could Facetime when Christopher called out.
“Where are you going, mate? It’s your night to help me fix dinner.”
“But--”
“Unless you want to switch shifts with your sister, so you clean and she helps.”
He could have put up a fight, but considering Christopher had already agreed to both the dinner and talking to Summer for them, Emmett realized he had to pick his battles.
“What do you need me to do?”
------
“What are they even doing dating in the first place? They should be focused on school.”
“Babe, they’re straight A Honor Roll students.”
“Well, then, their sports.”
Summer sighed, securing the silk scarf around her edges. “Both are captains.”
“Work with me here, Elsa.”
She looked at him through her vanity mirror, eyebrow raised. “You want my help?” Standing up, she sauntered over to her husband, placing her arms around his waist. “Let it go, Kristoff.”
“Summer, our children are in the middle of a teenlife crisis. This is no time for games.”
She rolled her eyes and pushed him away, going to remove the decorative pillows from their bed. “Most parents would kill to have their kids let them know who they’re dating--”
“They’re not dating them. They’re talking.”
“--Our kids are inviting them over just so they can meet us, and you’re upset?” Hearing it aloud made her laugh. “Baby, people are dying. Find something else to grow gray hairs over.”
Christopher paused, watching her peel back her side of the blankets and climb in. “That’s low, swimming pool. Even for you.” A beat. “Maybe they’re being blackmailed.”
Summer sighed as he finally joined her in bed. She moved her body across the mattress, pressing herself into his side as he wrapped his arms around her. “You need a hobby.”
“How can I enjoy life when my children are suffering?”
“Oh my god.” Summer sat up in the bed and forced him on his back, climbing on top of him, hands restricting his wrist. “Christopher, the kids are alright. You, however, I am starting to worry about.” Any trace of humor depleted as she frowned while caressing his cheek, fingers playing with the hair of his beard. Scruffy Christopher was always her favorite. “Our babies are growing up, babe. We can’t stop it, no matter how much we may want to. We just have to be there for them, be supportive of them, so long as they’re not hurting themselves or anybody.” She moved her index finger to his mouth to silence him. “You will be fine, sir.”
He sighed, gently moving her hands up and down her sides. “How can you be so calm about this?”
“Oh, I’m imploding on the inside,” she admitted casually, lowering herself so her lips grazed his. “But, I’m also an EGOT winner, baby.” She moved her mouth to his ear, giving a slight tug with her teeth. “I can fake anything.”
Summer yelped when he switched so that his body was over his. “Not anything.”
------
“This is a bad idea. A terrible idea.”
Emmett looked over at Madi who was currently looking into her compact mirror, applying another unnecessary layer of mascara. She caught him looking and motioned to the road. “Focus.”
Emmett rolled his eyes and reached over, placing a hand on her lap. “Would you relax? They’re going to love you.”
“That’s easy for you to say. They’re your parents.” She leaned her head against the car window, mindful of her bun. It wasn’t easy fighting box braids in a bun, and she surely did not have time to do a redo. “You don’t get it. Your parents are….you freaking mom is….she’s my idol. She’s every little black girl’s idol, and now I’m just supposed to walk up to her, extend my hand, and say, ‘Hi, Mrs. Hemsworth. I worship you. Also, I’m dating your son.”
Emmett shrugged. “Sounds good to me.” Madi reached over and shrugged him when Emmett grabbed her hand and brought it to her mouth. “I promise it’s going to be fine.”
She sighed, leaning back and looking at him while she gently asked. “How do you do that?”
He chuckled. “Do what?”
“Make me feel better so easily.”
Emmett smiled and winked. “I got my daddy’s charm.”
Madi smirked and lowered the armrest. “You also have his car.”
Emmett sucked his teeth. “I’m getting mine soon.” She laughed. “I’m serious.”
“I’m sure you are, baby. I’m sure you are.”
------
“Are you insane, Elysha?”
She sighed, switching out her textbooks. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”
Jason’s eyes nearly doubled in size as he stared down at her. “Your dad is going to kill me. That’s the big deal.” Elysha laughed, checking the time on her watch. Being late for class was a pet peeve of hers. There was no excuse. “Oh, I’m glad you find my upcoming murder funny. Why don’t you just livestream it, too?”
“You are completely overreacting,” she sighed, shutting her locker and keeping her hand flat on the locker. “My dad isn’t like that. He’s super chill.”
“Chill?” He repeated her term while accepting the books she handed him so that she could adjust her uniform top. “I’m sorry, but have you seen your dad? He’s freaking huge.”
Sighing, she relieved him from the books after being satisfied with her tie. “Okay, and?”
As she began to walk, Jason kept the same pace with her, lowering his voice so that the other students couldn’t overhear. “Wait, are your uncles going to be there too? Fuck. I’m so screwed.”
While she understood his concern, she couldn’t help but find the whole thing humorous. Everyone seemed to believe her dad’s size meant he was a holy terror when it was the complete opposite. “Jason, my uncles are even more chill than my dad. Trust me.”
“On your mom’s side too?”
She laughed. “Oh no, they’re all crazy.” Elysha placed her arm around his waist when he moved his around her. “No, I promise my parents are going to love you, and that includes my dad.”
“I’m the first guy you’ve ever introduced to them, huh?” Her silence didn’t help. “Even better.”
She stopped walking, forcing him to do the same. Naturally, people walked around them, no one wanting to interrupt one of the “it” couples on campus. “Look, Jason, if you don’t want to do this, then you don’t have to. I just-I just wanted you to meet my parents, because I want them to know about you.”
“Stop,” he interrupted, shaking his head and cupping her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I just, I really like you, and I just-I want to make the best first impression that I can.” He dropped his hands, taking hers in his. “I want them to know how crazy I am about their daughter.”
She smiled, looking down to hide her bashfulness, only for him to bring his finger under her chin. He matched her smile. “What time do you want me to be there?”
------
“They’re here!”
Summer and Christopher shared a look, his sigh of exasperation forcing her to walk over to him, placing her hands on his chest. “Be nice.”
“I’m letting them in my house, aren’t I?” Summer slapped his arm, forcing him to relent. “Fine. I’ll be fair. For now.”
“There will be no embarrassing stories or threats of violence issued, do I make myself clear?” Summer wagged her finger and turned away, purposely switching her hips, hiding her smirk when her husband slapped her ass and whistled.
“Mama! Papa!”
“Coming,” Summer called out, speeding up her pace as she made her way out the study and down the hall, allowing a kind smile to grace her face as she was met with her children and their friends.
Elysha was the first to speak, clearing her throat. “Mama, this is--”
“Jason,” she guessed, withholding her laugh when Elysha seemed surprised, while Summer pointed to the tall young man with striking green eyes and dark brown hair that grazed past his ears. Strangely enough, he reminded her of Christopher in some of the family albums she’d been shown during one of the many family dinners with her in-laws.
“I told you I have eyes in the back of my head.” Jason gave a nervous laugh that prompted her to take it easy on him. He seemed terrified.
Finally, he spoke, giving a weak clearing of his throat.. “Yes ma’am. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Elysha cleared her throat, reminding him about the flowers in his hands. “I’m sorry. These are for you.”
“Thank you.” Her smile widened as she sniffed them. “Gardenias. One of my favorites.”
He seemed relieved by that information, prompting her to turn to the young wide eyed girl who also looked as though she was close to passing out.
Emmett took advantage of the opportunity to introduce Madi. Summer smirked when she saw he had his hand on the small of the young lady’s back. “And mama, this is-”
“Madi.” Again, Summer was correct and almost offended by the surprise on their faces. “Do ya’ll not believe me when I tell you that I know everything?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s so nice to meet you as well--”
“--Madi.”
“--I love you.”
They spoke at the same time. Summer laughed and placed her hand on Madi’s shoulder who was clearly mortified by her unintentional confession.
“I mean--I don’t--I mean, I do, but….” Madi shut her eyes and quietly murmured, “I’ll just shut up now.”
Summer shook her head, never once dropping her friendly smile.
“You both need to relax. I promise you have nothing to be nervous about.” She nodded in the direction of the dining room. “Come on.” Summer guided the four to the room, stepping aside to allow them to enter while she turned around to direct them to their seats when Christopher finally decided to make his presence known.
“Sorry about that.” He rubbed his hands on the towel in his hands before tossing it over his shoulder. He approached Madi first. “Madison?”
She was clearly awestruck, eventually shaking her head to accept her handshake. “Please, call me Madi, Mr. Hemsworth. It’s so nice to meet you.”
He waved her off and smiled. “Chris is fine.” That smile dimmed when his eyes landed on Jason. “Hello.”
Elysha grabbed his hand, giving a light squeeze. “Papa, this is Jason.”
“Nice to meet you, Jason,” Christopher forced, squeezing Jason’s hand tighter than necessary but just enough to get his message across. “You play any sports, mate?”
“No. I mean, yes--basketball.” He swallowed deeply, remembering something else. “I also surf as well, Chris.”
“Mr. Hemsworth will be fine,” he corrected.
Summer rolled her eyes and shoved him. “Pay him no mind. Ya’ll sit down and make yourselves comfortable.”
“I’m sure you already have, though.” Christopher joked, earning a glare from Summer. “Come on, babe. No one throws a party like the twins.” A beat. “Speaking of, I’d say we could give you a tour, but I’m sure you both already know your way around.”
“Ignore him,” Summer interjected, shooting him a glare. “He’s still upset that you kids are able to throw a party better than we ever could when we were your age.”
That seemed to alleviate more of Jason’s nerves. “You used to party, Mrs. Hemsworth?”
“Boy,” she laughed. “If you don’t call me Summer.” Elysha smiled up at him, giving him a slight squeeze of his hand. “And what do you mean used to?”
Madi was also fully invested in the conversation, her fangirling almost impossible to contain. “You really are even nicer in person.”
“Don’t be fooled. It’s all an act.” Christopher interjected, walking over to pull the chair out for her. He noticed how Jason did the same for Elysha, and of course, Emmett with Madi.
“Ignore him. He’s actually hired help.”
Summer and Christopher shared a look as he rolled his eyes while murmuring. “Cute.” Sitting in his own seat, he jumped into the questions. “So, kids, tell us about yourselves.”
Madi and Jason shared a look when he told her to go first. Again, something else Christopher noticed.
“Well, I’m a junior, an only child, and my dad is in the Navy--”
“So, your family is stationed here?” Summer surmised.
“Yes ma’am.” Christopher and Summer exchanged a look, but unlike the previous ones, this was not a warning from wife to husband. This one was of silent concern. Madi wasn’t an Australian native. She would eventually return to the states. Both mother and father quietly wondered if that was something Emmett was taking into consideration.
After briefly discussing the shared commonalities of having active duty family members, Christopher turned the question back to Jason. “And what about you, young man?”
Summer contained her sigh at the way his eyes widened before he tentatively spoke. “Well, sir--”
“Chris is fine.”
Both Summer and Elysha looked over at that last statement, Summer with a smirk and Elysha with a small smile. Chris looked at his daughter and shot her a wink.
Jason, to Summer’s happiness, seemed thrilled by the stripping of the formal address.
“I, well, my family is originally from Melbourne--”
“Melbourne native, eh?”
“Yes, sir. My, uh, dad got a job up here when I was eight, and we’ve been here ever since.”
“Any siblings?”
Jason chuckled. “Believe it or not, two. I’m the middle child.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” Christopher shrugged. “I’d say we’re the best.”
“Elysha and Madi.” Summer stood up and nodded to the kitchen. “Help me prepare the toss salad.”
“Yes ma’am.” Elysha also stood up and shot a reassuring look to Jason while Emmett gave one to Madi as well. As soon as the ladies were in the kitchen and the swinging doors shut, Summer released a sigh of relief. “Finally, that was too much testosterone.”
Madi laughed. “You and Mr--Chris are really nice, Summer.”
Elysha nodded and playfully bumped Madi with her hip. “Told you they were chill. Even my dad is being surprisingly nice to Jason.”
“Ladies, trust me, if Chris didn’t really like either of you, he would let you know. He’s just giving Jason a hard time because Elysha is his little girl. He’s always going to be protective.” She reached the bowl to Madi while speaking. “Just how I’m protective of my little boy.” Madi’s smile dimmed. “So you can imagine how proud I am to see his amazing taste in women.” She winked and laughed when Madi placed her hand over her chest.
She straightened up and spoke truthfully. “I really do like Emmett, Summer. He’s….he’s amazing.”
“He’s a jerk.”
“Shut it, Elysha,” Summer warned with a small head shake. “You know, Madi, you should join Lee and me on one of our spa days.”
Her jaw dropped. “A-are you serious?” She looked at Elysha who seemed just as thrilled by the idea of a spa day with her mom and good friend.
“Of course, and Emmett told me you’re in theater with Lee, so if you ever need any advice or have any questions, I’m always available.”
“I’m going to pass out.”
Summer laughed and gave Madi a side hug. “Welcome to the family, Ms. Madi.”
Just as Elysha and Madi shared excited squeals, Emmett stuck his head in the door.
“Mama, ya’ll almost done?”
“Boy, don’t rush us.”
He lifted his hands in surrender. “Sorry, mama, it’s just that Uncle Liam is here--”
“What?” She interrupted, hand on her hip. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“I don’t know, but dad just asked Jason how he feels about weekly, random drug tests.”
“Christopher!”
Waves: Wild Hearts
A/N: This is sorta a follow up to Fighter that I’ve had on my computer for months. I have included the ending of that oneshot at the beginning of this one to help refresh memories, but if you want to read Fighter, you can do so here. Yes, there will be a part 2 to this one.
Warnings: Angst
Words: 2K
-GIF from Google-
TAGS: @babe-im-bi @notacamelthatsmywife @queenoftheworldisdead @tashawar @valkryienymph @letsshamelessqueen-m @lettytheletdown @hello-therree @toni9 @kpizzletrash @missdforever @missyperle @mani-lifes @koko-michelle @liquorlaughslove
-----
Previously on Waves
“Now back to the news that broke headlines just last night. Academy Award-Winning Actress Summer Hemsworth was allegedly attacked in her Georgia hotel room last night. Hemsworth suffered two gunshot wounds and reportedly collapsed in the lobby as horrified onlookers called 911 and attempted to stop the bleeding.”
“She was rushed to the local hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery, and as of now, we are hearing reports that she is in stable condition.”
“While details are still unclear, what we do know is that the attacker is now deceased, reportedly at the hands of Summer, who fought him off. In addition, the perpetrator has been identified as Myles Hampton, the same man who stalked and attacked Mrs. Hemsworth almost six years prior.”
“Hampton was sentenced and serving a 15-year sentence which has the world wondering. How did he get out? How was he able to re-traumatize his victim? How--”
“Mommy.”
His son’s voice ripped Christopher from his phone where he was watching the news for reasons even he couldn’t explain. Well, rather, didn’t want to explain.
Elysha glared at her brother, bringing her index finger to her mouth. “Shh. Papa said we gotta be quiet.”
Summer moaned, finally waking up from another nap. They had her on heavy painkillers that made her sleep, much to the chagrin of all four individuals occupying the private hospital room. For the twins, sleep meant she couldn’t talk to them. They needed to hear her voice to know that she was going to be okay.
For Christopher, well, even awake, he still worried.
And for Summer, she just hated to be unconscious as she recognized the concern that it caused her family.
“Did he now?” She whispered, blinking a couple times as she managed to lift her hand, bringing it to Emmett’s cheek. “Well, mama says you don’t have to.”
Both kids responded with a smile, quickly grabbing the sheets on either side of the bed, where they’d remained the entire time.
They wouldn’t leave her side.
“Look, mama,” Elysha chimed as they lifted the papers. “We drew you pictures. Mines is bestest.”
“Nu uh!”
“Uh huh!”
She smiled, ignoring the pain she was still experiencing. It mattered not though. She’d take the pain of survival over the finality of death any day.
“They’re both the bestest,” Summer shared, making both of them grin for a few seconds when she noticed Elysha drop her head. “What’s wrong, baby?”
Elysha took a few seconds, her voice barely above a whisper. “We’re glad you’re okay, mommy.”
“Yeah,” Emmett agreed. “Why’d that mean man try to hurt you, mama?”
Summer closed her eyes. Her pain was no longer a concern. Her priority was the hurt she saw and heard in her children, her beautiful babies prematurely forced to encounter the evils of this world.
“I-”
“Well, it’s about time you woke up, lil’ missy.” Helen spoke with a warm smile as she walked into the room.
Seeing their grandmother raised their spirits just enough to eat away some of Summer’s guilt. Helen walked over and gently felt her daughter’s head. “How you doing, baby?”
Summer, conscious of the watchful set of blue eyes on her, smartly replied. “I’m good, mama.”
Helen nodded. “I see you’re getting some of your color back. Good. You was getting a lil’ pale on me, lil girl.”
Elysha gasped. “Can I have some of mommy’s color, grandma!”
“Me too, grandma!”
The twin’s excitement and naivety made Summer smile. Their uplifted spirits nursed her soul.
“I don’t know about color, but how about you two come with grandma to the cafeteria, and we’ll see what kind of ice cream they have.”
The promise of their favorite dessert quickly dimmed when they realize it meant leaving their mom.
“But-”
“Ya’ll go. Mama has to talk to papa,” Summer referenced Christopher who’d sat silent while allowing the children time to bond with their mother. “Please?”
Emmett groaned but relented. “I’ll bring you ice cream back, mama.” He looked back at Christopher. “You too, papa!”
“I’ll bring you some too, papa!”
Careful kisses on either side of her cheeks preceded the kids finally walking out hand in hand with Helen.
The sound of tiny footsteps repeatedly diminished until they could be heard no more, replaced by heavy-footed strides and the creaking of a chair. Summer closed her eyes at his warm touch, his hand clasped over hers, the other going to her forehead.
He laid his head against her shoulder, Summer angling her own so that she could kiss the top of his head.
She gently tightened her grip on his head. “I’m fine, Christopher.”
“Don’t.” She licked her lips, concern shifting from her kids to her husband. “Don’t give me that shit, Summer. You are not fine.”
“I’m alive, Chris,” she croaked, wanting desperately to stress how grateful she was. “He shot me. Twice. And I’m alive.”
“This never should have fucking happened. If they’d been watching him, he would have never-”
“Hey,” she forced some bass into her voice. “We can’t do that. It happened, and it-it sucks, but-”
“How can you be so calm about this?” He forced out bitterly, finally lifting his head to reveal glazed eyes that burned with fear and rage. “After everything he did, what he tried-”
She attempted the comedic route, something that typically worked for them. “Well, it’s not like this is the first time I’ve almost died.” The dark joke fell through, possibly increasing his irritation. She swallowed. “I-I think-I still don’t know what to think, Chris. I-It’s a lot to process, but I can’t do that right now. Emmett and Elysha are watching us, watching me, and every time I look at them, look at you, I’m reminded of everything I stood to lose, and I’m just-I’m thankful. And the last thing that I want is to further worry the twins…or you.”
He lifted their conjoined hands and gently kissed her fingertips. Summer recognized the gesture as acknowledgment.
“I love you,” she breathed as he moved his mouth to kiss her inner forearm. “So much.”
He brought his hand to her cheek, their eyes meeting with a burning and moving meeting that conferred the ardent love between them but was now tinged with a new emotion.
Fear
Wild Hearts
“Just a few more seconds. Come on, Summer.”
Face scrunched up in discomfort, the actress swallowed her pain and scraped for every bit of resilience that she had left, successfully completing the set before relaxing as soon as her therapist gave her the okay.
Dropping onto the floor, Summer crossed her wrists and placed them over her head. Deep, relaxing breaths abated her nerves and aching muscles as Rene attempted to offer words of encouragement and praise that Summer was only halfheartedly listening to.
It wasn’t that Rene was bad at her job. No, far from it. She was a wonderful physical therapist who pushed Summer in ways that were both challenging while also welcoming. It was that Summer still hadn’t come to accept that she was back at square one. She felt like she was preparing to become Storm all over again. Relearning suddenly replaced years of maintenance. Her schedule had been disrupted, and it created cognitive dissonance.
Hand unconsciously falling onto her core, her fingers slid over the dark scar that still bled with remnants of trauma and regrets. One of two, it was the most prominent and noticeable. Folks rarely paid attention to feet, but the stomach, it was the area that generally garnered a decent amount attention based solely on the level of flatness.
Rene noticed the way Summer’s fingers stroked her slick skin and cleared her throat. “Why don’t we call it a day?”
“The day has been called, ma’am.”
The ginger grinned crookedly and complimented her client. “You did great today.”
Summer snorted, groaning quietly as she sat up and braced her palms against the mat. “Now you’re just kissing my ass.”
“While you do have quite the ass,” Summer rolled her eyes. “I’m not quite sure how my wife and your husband would feel about that.”
Summer rolled her eyes as Rene reached a hand to help her stand up. “Noted.” Rolling her shoulders, Summer walked over to grab her pink Blender Bottle, downing down the water mixed with lemons and limes. The typically acrid mixture was welcoming because of the addition of ice cubes that quenched her parched throat, assisting in the cooling down of her warm body.
“I think we could even maybe move down to twice a week instead of three.”
Swallowing a couple more ounces, Summer lowered her cup and wiped at her mouth. “Seriously?”
Rene nodded as she crossed her arms. “I meant it. You’re doing great.” A beat. “Physically.”
And just like that, Summer rolled her eyes and turned her body to start packing up her items. “Here we go again.”
Rene already knew that she was going to be met with apprehension, but that didn’t dissuade her. “I can only help you rehabilitate your body, Summer. But your mind—”
“—is fine.”
Rene stilled, her green eyes softening. “You can say that until you’re blue in the face, but it makes no difference if you don’t really believe it, and I don’t think you do.”
Summer stilled, her back toward the tall woman. A part of her, a very small part of her, wanted to switch things up. She wanted to entertain the conversation, just to see how it would play out, but another part of her knew exactly how it would play out, so she did as she’d done a lot lately.
“So, same time next week?” She spun around, swinging her bag over her shoulder. Before the other woman could offer a response, Summer shot her a wink and walked past her. “Thank, Rene.”
As if on cue, Phillip’s large frame appeared in the doorway, and Summer’s grin fell.
Arms clasped in front of him, he nodded in acknowledgment. “Ready, Mrs. Hemsworth?”
An elongated sigh escaped as she approached him and managed to reignite her previous smile. “I told you, Summer is fine, but yeah, I’m ready.”
A grunted response that she couldn’t really make out proceeded him opening the door for her only to quickly move back in front of her so that he was blocking her view. For a man his size, he was impressively quick on his feet.
A few more doors, elevator ride down, and Summer was met with the blistering Australian heat as a firm hand moved to her backside and escorted her out the building. Out the corner of her eye, she spotted the photographers who snapped away, a few inching close to the star but not enough where they were in arms reach of Phillip.
They weren’t stupid.
Phillip had served as a bodyguard for some of the most important figures across the world, celebrities and royals included. His resume was impeccable, and he was damn good at his job, a job that, while she respected, Summer felt suffocated by at times.
The fact that she even had a full-time bodyguard was something that she still hadn’t swallowed. She’d always been vocal and open about the fact that she loathed the whole “barrier” between celebrities and “regular degular” people. Her occupation, in her option, shouldn’t place her on a pedestal.
Plus, she was far from hopeless, and so a bodyguard was something could never get with unless they were provided by the event she was attending.
But a certain husband of hers was absolutely adamant about hiring the 24/7 protection following the attack, and while Summer understood his reasoning, she still wasn’t in agreement.
Not that it mattered…
The drive was short as the outpatient treatment center was only about twenty minutes away from the Hemsworth residence. Once they reached the mansion, Summer relieved Phillip from his duties. She had no plans on going out again. Christopher was picking up the kids from school. She’d maybe take Doggy out for a walk on the beachfront, but that didn’t require the 6”3 giant’s presence.
Not even three seconds into the door, Christopher was in front of his wife, hands on her hips as he pecked her lips.
“Hey, honey.”
Summer faltered only for a second before chewing on her bottom lip. “Damn, waiting for someone?”
“Always.” He winked and smacked her ass, prompting her to try to push him away.
“I need to shower,” she protested with a small pout as he brushed her comment off and slyly lowered his mouth down to her ear.
“I’ll join you.”
Summer grinned, momentarily contemplating his offer. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”
“We are married, aren’t we?”
“I mean….” She laughed at his scowl and managed to pull away, walking past him to make her way up the steps. “Can you make us—”
Summer stopped and turned around on the second step only to see that was directly in front of her, on the first step.
She lifted a brow. “Sir?”
“What?”
She crossed her arms. “I’m pretty sure that I said n—Christopher!” She squealed as he silenced her by picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. “Put me down!”
“I am going to put you down,” he responded while continuing their track up the stairs. “On my dick.”
“Christopher!”
————
Summer rolled over on her side and ran her hand over her face, eyes shut as she struggled to catch her breath. Holding onto the pillow, she pulled the blanket up to her neck, depriving her nude body of the chilly air that the AC caused to consume their room.
She smiled softly as her husband kissed her temple. Feeling the bed creak, he peaked and saw him moving out the way as he started to pull on his clothes. Leaning on her back, she grabbed her phone off the nightstand and saw that it was time for him to leave to pick up the twins.
How long were we?
“Phillip will be here in a few minutes—”
Summer frowned. “What?” She sat up, not caring that the sheet fell down, exposing her breast. “Baby, I told him he could go home for the day.”
Christopher stood up, pulling his pants on. “Why would you do that?”
She looked from side to side. “Because I don’t need him? I didn’t plan on going out today.”
“But you knew that I had to go pick up the kids, so you’d be alone.”
Summer closed her eyes. “Christopher….”
The chime of his phone interrupted her as he glanced at the screen to see that Phillip had arrived and entered the house using the key that Chris thought was a good idea to provide him with. “He’s here. I have to get going.”
Summer frowned and leaned back against the headboard. “Okay.”
Looking back over to see that she was still dissatisfied, he walked over and sat on the bed, reaching out to cup her cheek. “Why don’t you come with me?”
Her brows furrowed. “Seriously? Christopher, you’ve already called the man over here.”
“And?” Chris didn’t see a problem. “He’s staying the night—”
“Again?” Summer was no longer so disappointed. She was irritated. “That’s the third damn time this week.”
“Okay?”
Summer scoffed and moved away from him, crossing her arms. “You know, I would appreciate it if you would actually, maybe, communicate with me before you make these decisions.”
“What is there to talk about, Summer?” He watched her move to the other side of the bed as she kicked the blanket off and scurried around to gather her clothes. “You need pro—”
“No, Christopher, what I need is for you to stop treating me like a child!” A beat. “I can take care of myself!”
“Like you did with Myles?”
Summer clutched the shirt in her hand at the same moment Chris closed his eyes. “Fuck, Summer—“
“You can go to hell,” she whispered, yanking her shirt over her head and marching past him, snatching her arm away from him when he reached for her. “Don’t—“ she stopped, eyes closing as she fought the sob in the back of her throat. “—touch me.”
Christopher recognized that tone. It was rare, but when present, he recognized that nothing he could say or do could penetrate the impenetrable exterior that was Summer’s wall.
The slamming of the bathroom door indicated what he already knew. Walking over to the door and placing his ear against it, welcoming it to the quiet sobs of his wife confirmed it.
He’d fucked up.
-----
A/N: So....whose side ya’ll on?
Waves: The Read
A/N: I am a shady bitch, and I regret nothing. Also, if ya’ll remember, Mercedes is Summer’s publicist/manager. I mentioned that in a few waves, so don’t get confused, friends!
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 2K
Masterlist
TAGS: @notacamelthatsmywife @babe-im-bi @liquorlaughslove @letsshamelessqueen-m @missyperle @valkryienymph @tashawar @mani-lifes @missdforever @hello-therree @toni9 @queenshikongo3
"How many solos has my sister had?"
The room grew quiet, all eyes on the speaker. They’d just finished a number, or rather, Finn and Rachel had just finished a number. The rest of the students served more as props than singers. Ad-libs only constituted so much.
Mr. Schue’s smile dimmed. Slightly. "W—what?"
Alexus shrugged, motioning around the room. "Or any of the kids whose names aren’t Flipper or Rachel?"
"It’s Finn."
"I don’t care," she dismissed, eyes still on the instructor. "I’ve been here a whole week, and not once have I seen someone other than Cher and Sonny score solos."
Mr. Schue scoffed, crossing his arms. "Now, hold on a second, I treat all my students fairly. Any student is allowed to audition for a solo—"
"And how many who have auditioned actually received one, other than your prized pupils?"
Mercedes stood up. "Alexus—"
"No." Alexus lifted her hand and looked over at her sister. "This isn’t right, and you’re too kind and understanding to say anything, so I will."
"You’re out of line, Alexus."
She laughed, looking back at him. "Out of line? I’m not one of your little students, and you’re not going to shut me down like you do them. I’m going to say what I want and need to say, and then I’ll leave, but you’re going to catch this read, first."
"And, cut!"
Summer broke from character and offered Matthew a fake smile before turning away and catching Amber’s gaze. They shared an unspoken exchange, one that caused Amber to laugh after Summer rolled her eyes.
Summer didn’t know why she was so weary about accepting this role. Only 10% of it was acting, the rest was her actually reading the problematic cast members, which was all but a handful. But, to fulfill her petty side and get paid?
It was a double win.
Summer noticed Ryan was speaking with Lea, which ignited another eye roll. She was the guest star, not that Barbara Streisand wannabe. Still, Summer counted her blessings, because she could only take Ryan in small doses. He wasn’t as bad as his prized actress, but it was the fact that he allowed her to treat everyone like shit that made her think less of him.
Perhaps she was spoiled in the sense that every other director she’d had the privilege of working for would never tolerate such behavior. She had to accept that Hollywood was a game, and the rules changed constantly.
"Someone was having fun," Mercedes, Summer’s assistant chimed, coming to walk beside her.
Summer feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
Mercedes smirked. "Yeah, right. You weren’t acting. You were giving them all a piece of your mind."
Summer retained her smile as they reached her trailer, Summer opening the door so Mercedes could enter first. "Are you trying to insinuate that I was using my job to tell these people how I really feel?"
"I surely was."
As soon as the door closed, Summer confessed. "You know me so well."
The two laughed. "Girl, you know Lea is probably complaining to Ryan right now."
Summer sucked her teeth. "You know she is." Walking over to the kitchenette area, she turned on the Keruig and opened the drawer to select a pod. Her hand ghosted between the caramel and the dark magic, before she settled for caramel. "That black bitch—"
Mercedes snickered. "You sound just like her."
Summer frowned as she insert the pod and selected 8oz. "God, you’re right. I have to have to get out of here."
Smiling, Mercedes swiped down to refresh her emails. "Hey, look at it this way, you keep up this level of performance, and you’re a shoe-in for that Primetime Emmy.
The idea of adding another award to her resume was more than enough to keep Summer focused and dedicated. As a dark skinned black woman, she had to work ten times harder just to remain 20 steps behind. Anything she could do to push herself, she cherished.
Summer added creamer and sugar to her coffee, blowing before taking a sip. "After this, I need a quick break."
Mercedes hummed. "Umm, about that—"
"No."
"Summer—"
"No, Cedes, I’ve been working back to back since I scored 4AM, I think I’ve earned a little vacation time."
"I don’t disagree." Mercedes raised her hands in surrender.
"Thank you," Summer nodded, taking another sip of her coffee.
"But—"
"Here you go."
"I’m just saying, I’m hearing rumors about a potential role that’s gonna start casting in a couple of months."
Summer rolled her eyes and brought the mug to her mouth. "And?"
"And." Mercedes also rolled her eyes. "It’d be perfect for you."
"Mmmhmm."
"Summer," Mercedes lowered her voice. "It’s Storm."
Summer narrowed her eyes. "Storm?" Mercedes nodded. "You don’t mean—"
"X-Men Storm? I surely do."
Summer gasped and covered her mouth. "Bitch!"
"I know!" Mercedes giggled, shushing her client. "So do you see why I want you to keep your options open?"
Summer downed the remainder of her coffee and washed her mug in the sink all the while still stuck on the information she’d been told. "Do you really think I could be Storm?"
"Summer, please, you won an Oscar for your first Hollywood role. You’re a shoe-in."
"What about Shipp?"
"Shipp can skip her ass off somewhere."
The two women laughed when a knock on the trailer door prompted Summer to walk over, opening and smiling when she saw Amber. "Hey girl, come on in."
"I wish." Amber rolled her eyes. "Lea’s ready to start filming again. I mean, Ryan is ready to start filming again."
"You’ve got to be kidding me." Summer checked the watch on her wrist. "It hasn’t even been twenty minutes."
Amber sighed. "You know the saying. She says jump. We say—"
"Trip, bitch."
Amber laughed, as Summer looked back at Mercedes, pointing a finger. "This conversation isn’t over."
Mercedes winked at Summer, the two actresses sauntering back onto set.
Summer wondered if Lea had been listening outside her trailer, because it seemed as if Ms. Michele was purposely antagonizing Summer. Any scenes they had together, Lea would abruptly call cut and give Summer "pointers," all the while Ryan sat in his chair and said nothing.
Summer, forever the professional, managed to keep her composure, but there was only so much she could take.
Finally, when it came time for Summer to film her final scene, she saw an opportunity.
"Alright, and action!"
"I just want you to know that despite your distasteful behavior toward me, I hold no animosity and hope that one day you can release your unwarranted rage, and we can be cordial once I’m on Broadway."
Alexus turned to Rachel and tilted her head, crossing her arms. "I don’t like you. Never have, never will."
Rachel’s smile faltered. "Well, I-I’m sorry you feel that way, but--."
"Let me explain something to you, Berry. This is Lima, Ohio. The biggest thing we have going for us here is Breadstix, a restaurant chain that’s been on it’s last leg since that lawsuit filed by the kid who got two breadsticks stuck up her nostrils."
"I’m much better now."
Alexus ignored Britany and continued. "So, I’ll give you this, this small town notoriety and fame, because I know and you know, that once you actually make it out into the real world, reality is going to slap you so hard, you won’t need to have a nose job."
"Alexus—"
"Your stardom is limited to this pathetic town and its almost entirely pathetic population. And don’t get me wrong, you’re very good at manipulating and controlling individuals, because you can. For now. But, let’s be real, your voice isn’t anything I haven’t heard coming from street singers in NYC. Face it, you don’t have the talent nor the looks to make it into this big star you think you’re going to be. NYADA?" Alexus laughed. "Maybe you’ll make it, I doubt it, and even if you do, once you realize how utterly mediocre your narcissistic ass truly is compared to real talent, you’ll come crying back to Lima and spend the rest of your life working nights at Breadstix while watching reruns of Funny Girl on a goodwill VHS player." A beat. "Now, how’s that for raining on your parade?"
"And, cut!"
——
PRESENT TIME
"Christopher, stop!" Summer laughed as Chris came from behind and lifted her up against his solid frame. "I’m trying to do my makeup."
"You don’t need it," he murmured into her neck. "It’s going to end up all over the pillows anyw—"
"Sir!"
"Autumn."
"Would you please leave me alone?" Summer managed to wiggle herself free from her husband, flipping him off when he slapped her ass. "I am a human being."
"Allegedly."
"Alleged—lemme stop before I end up going to jail." She leaned over and examined her skin, feeling for the tackiness to see if her primer had settled. "This is why I can never do my makeup right. If it’s not him, it’s the twins."
We wanna see the babies!
I don’t get it. Why is she always so mean to him???
^^^^You must be new around here…
What makeup do you use?
Summer caught the last comment and grabbed her foundation and concealer, flashing them on the camera. "You know I have to support my girl, Ri. It’s Fenty Beauty all day everyday over here, ya’ll."
More comments came rolling in, Summer partially paying attention while she tried to do her makeup. Chris was taking her out on a date, the first they’d been on since the birth of the twins.
Summer was actually excited. She was in much need of alone time with her husband.
She grabbed the Snap shadow and blending brush when she noticed majority of the comments kept mentioning Lea Michele.
She didn’t even attempt to hide her distaste. "Why are ya’ll asking me about that girl? Did something happen?" Different stories were coming in prompting Summer to do her own research. "Baby, can I see your phone?"
Without hesitation, Christopher jogged into the bathroom, grabbing onto Summer’s hips while she typed Lea’s name into google.
Five minutes into reading, Summer slammed his phone onto the counter.
"Finally!"
"You’re paying for that," Chris muttered, grabbing his phone, thankful that it wasn’t cracked.
"Sorry, baby." She leaned up and kissed his cheek before looking into her phone. "Ya’ll, okay, most of you should remember I played Mercedes sister, Alexus, on Glee, right?" A wave of "yes" rolled in. "So, I’ve worked with the bitch, and I am not exaggerating when I say bitch. That heifer is literally the worst person I have ever had the displeasure of working with."
Summer pushed Christopher out the bathroom, in case her adding onto the Lea Michele drag train somehow ended up bad. "Now, I’d heard she was a nightmare, but I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt."
"But, literally the first time I walked onto set and introduced myself to her, she looked me up and down, turned up her nose, and walked away." Summer clapped and covered her mouth. "It took everything in me not to call her ass out, but it was my first day, and I didn’t want to cause a scene."
"Obviously, I was a recurring star on the show so I would make appearances throughout the series, and each time I was there, she treated me, and everyone around her, like trash."
"Okay, but here’s the real tea, you know that read Alexus gave Rachel in season 3? That wasn’t in the script." Summer laughed at the comments. Her fans were freaking out. "My line ended when I told her I didn’t like her or something, but it was my last day of filming, and I’d literally had enough of her."
Even more comments came rolling in of laughing, frog, and tea emojis. Summer sucked her teeth and placed her hand on her hip. "Ya’ll, her white ass thought she was gone’ be a thirty something Maria from West Side Story on broadway." A beat. "Somebody had to let her know!"
Waves: Summertime [3]
A/N: Welp. It’s been about six years, but here is the final, concluding part of Summertime! I hope it’s not disappointing to anyone who’s been waiting for it. If anyone even still cares.
GIF from Google.
Weakly proofread****
TAGS: @letsshamelessqueen-m @amethyst-dreams-and-candy-canes @valkryienymph @kpizzletrash @chaneajoyyy @hello-therree @brittyevans @90sinspiredgirl @periodtcevans @tashawar @mani-lifes @missdforever @missyperle @incognegra5151
“Where is she?”
Christopher’s voice rang throughout the halls of the house and followed the slamming of the front door, the intensity of which caused several nearby framed photographs to tremble.
“Slam my door again.” Grams didn’t need to wait for her grandson-in-law to round the corner and enter the living room for her to issue her warning.
“Sorry,” he said. Grams huffed. It was offered out of obligation, not sincerity, but that wasn’t much of a priority in that moment. “Have you heard from her?”
Leena shook her head and lifted her phone up. “Still going to voicemail.”
Christopher retained the profanity that sat eagerly on the tip of his tongue.
“What about Find my iPhone?”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Her phone is off, dumbass. That won’t work.”
“Even if it did, we have separate Apple ID’s.”
“You don’t know her login?”
Christopher paused. “I think.”
“You don’t know? What kind of white people relationship—”
“He is White.”
“Can we please stay focused?”
The Aussie native tuned out sidebar conversation as he focused on the man who’d been silent since his arrival.
“What the hell did you say to her?”
Isaiah looked up from his position on the sofa. “Excuse me?”
Leena looked between her husband and brother-in-law, hand on his lap, fingers lightly closing on his thighs. “What do you mean, what did I say to her?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“Hold on a minute, now.”
“Isaiah—”
He shrugged off Leena’s hand, standing up and crossing his arms, ambling his way across the Persian rug, legs planted wide.
“What did I say to my sister?”
“What did you say to my wife?”
“She was my sister long before she became your wife, chief.”
“You think I give a shit about any of that—”
Isaiah jabbed his finger in Christopher’s space, mere centimeters away from his chest. “Watch your mouth—”
“Like you did with Summer?”
Before Isaiah could make the first of what would trigger a physical altercation, Helen stood up from her seat, hands planted on her hips.
“Now that is enough.” With one hand planted on either of their shoulders, she applied just enough pressure to force them back. “Woman you both love is missing, and you two playing Quién es más macho.”
Just then, the front door opened as Shea and Terry entered the home, car keys in Shea’s hands.
Helen turned around, eyebrows lifting. “Anything?”
Terry shook his head. “We drove around everywhere.”
“So none of you know where she could be?”
“Thought she was your wife,” Isaiah muttered. Leena shot him a look. Helen was right. This was not the time to drop your pants and see who had the biggest dick.
“Come on, ya’ll. Stop it. This isn’t helping,” Shea reminded. “Knowing Summer, she didn’t go too far.”
“You sure about that?” Jade questioned with her arms crossed. “She feels like all of this is her fault.”
“Isn’t it?”
At that, almost everyone turned to the eldest Jones boy. “She was the one who made the tape. No one held a gun to her head.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Christopher questioned. “She’s your sister.”
“My sister would have never put herself in this position.”
“She was a kid,” Leena stressed. “She didn’t know any better.”
“She knew how to spread her legs, didn’t she?”
“Fuck you, Isaiah.”
“That is enough.”
The tension was palpable, the animosity overwhelming. It was a situation that no one imagined transpiring between the lovable family. Lighthearted bickering was vastly different from the pending fist fight between two headstrong men.
“Now, ya’ll all just need to sit your hard headed asses down and think,” Grandma declared, waiting for both Chris and Isaiah to stand down. Neither did. “Out of all the people in this room, ya’ll mean to tell me no one can figure out where she is?” Silence befell the room. “Maybe none of ya’ll know her as well as you think.”
The challenge both incensed and enlightened Isaiah.
“Look, grandma--” He paused, eyes focusing on the wall adjacent to her as he shook his head. “I know where she is.”
The car ride, unlike the conversations that followed the drive, was silent. Eyes focused on the scenery, Chris could only think about what he would do if Summer wasn’t there. He knew her to isolate herself when she needed to think, but not like this, and certainly not for this long. He was starting to grow concerned, even if he refused to show it.
Isaiah, meanwhile, retained a firm grip on the steering wheel while focusing on the road in front of him instead of the man beside him. He would also never admit it, but he too was growing slightly concerned. Similar to Chris, he knew Summer would never go this long without reaching out to at least let everyone know that she was okay.
Then again, she’d never been in a situation such as this.
None of them had.
“What the fuck?” Chris murmured as Isaiah pulled into a vacant parking lot. “What are we doing here?”
Isaiah took a deep breath as he pulled into the spot. “This is where she is.”
Chris gave his brother-in-law a double take. “You shitting me?”
Rolling his eyes, Isaiah shut off the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Give me a few minutes.”
Chris scoffed. “Because you did such a good job last fucking time.”
Isaiah blew out a breath and clenched the steering wheel. “Look, I fucked up. Okay. I acknowledge that. I’m asking you to give me a chance to fix it.”
Christopher looked away. The only thing he wanted to give Isaiah was a swift kick in the ass, or maybe not so swift. This was all his fault, anyway. Chris still didn’t know what exactly was said to his wife, but he knew enough to know it was nothing good. Summer was one of the strongest women he knew. It took a lot to get to her.
A lot.
Chris kept his focus on the vacant lot, searching for any other cars. “You’ve got ten minutes.”
Isaiah nodded and moved to exit the car, but not before saying, “thank you.”
“Nine.”
Isaiah rolled his eyes and shut the door, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he made his way into the abandoned building.
Stepping into the once popular establishment, torn down walls and vacant rooms were filled with rambunctious laughter and copious happiness as he was returned to his childhood. Well, before that.
“How did you find me?”
Isaiah looked across the building and squinted to see her sitting in the last remaining booth. How and why it’s still there, he hasn’t a clue. He’s also confounded by the fact that his germaphobe of a sister was sitting on such a dirty thing, but he retained his provoking questions. He’d done enough damage for one day.
“Took us long enough, don’t you think?”
He sat down, ignoring the punch in his gut when she wiped at her eyes and turned her head. Summer never cried, and here she was, inconsolable, and it was all his fault. “Summer-”
“I want to be alone.”
“No, you don’t.”
She took a shaky breath as he slid in the booth, sitting across from her. “Zay—”
“Why’d you come here, Summer?” When she said nothing, continuing to avoid his purposeful gaze, he continued. “I know why.”
“Of course,” she scoffed bitterly and wiped at her eyes. “You just know everything, don’t you?”
He ignored her and proceeded with his statement. “You came here because this is where it all started.”
He was prepared to continue his spiel when she spoke. “When what started?”
Isaiah’s reply was instantaneous. “Your fear of abandonment.”
That caught her attention. Summer finally turned her head and met his eyes. She glared. “What the fuck is this? You psychoanalyzing me or some shit?”
Isaiah stared down at the table, lips pressed together as he contained his emotions. “You used to come here all the time. Almost time for mama and grandma to come home, and Shea and them panicking not knowing where you were. But, I did. You—”
“I was waiting for him.” Her voice broke and her head dropped. “I-I was waiting for him to come back.” She licked her lips and shook her head. “Because he promised he would.”
There was no need for them to give a name to the man they both spoke of. He wasn’t even worth having his name leave their mouths.
“He lied, Summer. He was nothing but a lying no good excuse of a nigga, and he still ain’t.” Isaiah spoke with the pain and anger of a young boy forced to be a man far before his time, a boy who took on the role of father instead of a brother when he was still in need of guidance, himself. “Summer, I always promised myself I would never allow another man to hurt you. That’s why I’ve always been so hard on you and so protective,” he finally confessed. “So when I found out about you and Alejandro….I lost it. I took my anger out on you, and that shit was wrong. I’m not mad at you, Summer. I’m mad at myself.”
“Why? It’s not your pierced pussy that’s all over the internet.”
“Jesus, Summer!” Isaiah frowned with utter disgust before shock set in. “Did you just say pierced?”
“I’m kidding,” she finally gave a small smile, the first he’d seen in two days. “I’m an actress, you know.”
Isaiah chuckled quietly and placed his hand atop hers. “I don’t care what they call you. You’ll always be my baby sister—”
“Not the slut?” She teased, and he winced. “I’m never going to let you live that down, you know that, right?”
“You wouldn’t be you if you did.” A beat. “Now can we get out of here, please? I’m really not trying to get shot. Chris can only distract them for so long with his whiteness.”
Her eyes widened slightly as they both stood up. “Christopher is here?”
He nodded. “I’m surprised he ain’t came in kicking shit down yet. I’m not exactly his favorite person right now.” The fear on her face and in her eyes prompted him to clarify. “With me, sis. With me. Chris…..Chris is a good dude. He’s not upset with you at all. He’s just worried sick. Shit, we all were.”
Isaiah could tell that she was still hesitant so he reached over and placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. “Come on.”
He could feel her resistance, but he persisted, eventually getting her to walk with him. She shielded her eyes from the blinding sun, squinting and relaxing her eye muscles when she spotted him leaning against the car.
He was looking down at the ground, ironically, the same place Summer’s heart landed when Isaiah dropped her hand. She looked up at him. He nodded in Chris’s direction. “Go on.”
“Zay—”
“I’ll wait here.” He gently shoved her in his direction, forcing Summer to blow out a heavy breath. Each footstep felt as though there were ten pound weights on top her feet and another set tied to her ankles. The lump in the back of her throat was thick with anxiety, and her heartbeat was surely off the charts. She just wanted to turn around, to continue to hide into the place where her trust was shattered.
“Summer.” Before she could turn around or even process what he was doing, he’d pulled her into his chest. “Jesus Christ, Summer, you had me worried.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured into his chest, closing her eyes and appreciating being in his arms. Christopher always gave the best hugs. He pulled away and caught her worried gaze. “I know I keep fucking up, or in this case, literally fucking—” She stopped when she caught the faintest hint of a smile. “I’m just—I’m really sorry, Christopher. I never meant to hurt you or to make you angry with me or—.”
“Hurt me? Summer, what the bloody hell are you talking about? You didn’t hurt me, and I’m not upset. Not with you. I could kill him. Him too,” he gestured to Isaiah, who, as promised, was allowing the husband and wife much needed alone time to talk. “But you, fuck, Summer, you were violated and exposed and hell, if anyone should be hurt, it’s you.”
She sniffled as he wiped at the tears that leaked from her eyes. “So, you don’t hate me?”
“Of course, not. I love you, Summer,” he spoke softly and kissed her forehead, her eyes shutting when his lips lingered on her smooth skin. “But if I had known you were into making movies after hours, I would have purchased a nice camera a long time ago.”
“Christopher!”
☐☐☐☐☐☐☐
“Ya’ll better stop running in my house!”
Grandma called from her spot on the sofa, the white claw in her hand nearly empty, even though she’d only opened it less than ten minutes ago. Another sat on her side.
Helen walked in with Braxton right beside her, their arms linked.
Summer smiled from where she sat on the sofa, comfortable in her husband’s lap, while he worked on his own beverage.
Meanwhile, Leena and Jade finished a very interesting rendition of Whatta Man by Salt N’ Pepa. They turned their sights on Summer.
“Come on, girl, you gotta do it one time for the one time.”
Leena agreed, arm on Jade’s shoulder. “It’s tradition.”
“She ain’t lying,” Keith chimed, Shea soon joining in, whooping and hollering. The typical Jones’ foolery.
“If ya’ll don’t stop,” Summer muttered, laying back against Christopher who suddenly gave a slight push. “Baby?”
“Come on, Lightbulb. Have some fun.”
“Did he just call her lightbulb?” Braxton whispered to Helen who whispered back that she’d explain later.
Summer groaned, her head leaned back. “I don’t know.”
“Summer.” She looked up to see Isaiah standing across from her, hand offered. “Let’s go.”
She frowned. “What?”
“You know.”
She was understandably confused until she caught the gleam in his eyes. “Zay, we haven’t done that since we were kids.”
“Shit, we hitting up the strip club again?”
“Shut up, Dumbass.”
“Well, let me catch that ride with ya’ll.”
“Grandma!”
Summer ignored them, shaking her head and slapping her husband when he pushed her off, curious as to whatever his brother-in-law had in mind. He was still very much annoyed that Isaiah had spoken that way to his wife, and they would have a conversation about boundaries, but not tonight.
Summer and Isaiah relieved Jade and Leena of the microphones, the eldest Jones’ sibling selecting the song.
“I’m rusty and drunk, ya’ll so I don’t wanna hear it.”
“What’s your excuse any other time?”
“Fuck you, Short Bus Shortie.”
“Ya’ll really think I’m playing when I say I will beat all of your asses if you don’t stop cussing in my house.”
“Sorry, mama.” The kids chorused right before the music began.
Listen baby
Ain’t no mountain high
Ain’t no valley low
Ain’t no river wide enough, baby
If you need my call me,
No matter where you are
No matter how far
The two sang together, half drunk, half serious, completely in pure jest. All around, the family, Braxton included, cheered them on. This was a tradition. A Jones family get together was never complete unless they pulled out the old faithful karaoke machine. All of the kids took turns living out the solo careers they never got to achieve.
“They have such nice voices,” Braxton commented, Grandma overhearing.
“They could have been the Jones 5.”
“Mama, I told you I didn’t want that life for them. I wanted them to enjoy their childhood,” Helen explained, Braxton’s hand on her thigh.
“They could have gotten therapy.”
“Mama.”
Meanwhile, Summer laughed away her anxiety, any stress she was feeling. A scandal was making its rounds across the internet and among the industry, but she couldn’t allow herself to stress any longer. She had no control over the situation. All she could control was her thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. And right now, they all revolved around the people surrounding her, her family.
They weren’t perfect, but they were hers, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Waves: Preview
“Is it weird playing husband and wife?”
“Technically, we’re playing ex-husband and wife.”
Evans nodded, bringing his coffee up to his mouth. “Very big difference.”
“From the looks of the trailer though, you guys are on friendlier terms than exes.”
“The power of editing.” Summer laughed and crossed one leg over the other. “No, but it’s actually really funny, because whenever we did have raunchy-esque scenes, we would almost never get it in one take.”
Evans looked over at her and began to smile. “Like the straddle scene?”
Summer doubled over, holding her stomach and nodding enthusiastically. “There was this one scene where I was straddling him or whatever, and I just looked at him with a blank face and asked him if he ever realized his right eye is bigger than his left.”
Evans laughter echoed as he grabbed his chest, an infamous thing for him, according to Cevans standom. “Kiana, our director, would be so frustrated with us.”
“I can vouch for that.”
The mood was immediately altered by the introduction of the new voice, and it took everything in Summer not to roll her eyes.
It wasn’t that her other co-star, Bryant Johnson, wasn’t nice. He was.
He was just too nice.
She thought it was just her being weird. Not every guy whose smile lingered for more than a couple of seconds had ill intentions or wanted to bend her over. Then the conversation went beyond friendly dialogue between takes. He asked about her, she returned the favor for the sake of cordiality. And then, the compliments came. They started being focused solely on work, her ability to so easily get into character as soon as the director called “action.” And then, they shifted to focus on her makeup or her wardrobe, the latter of which bothered her more because she was dressed in a skimpy hooker dress.
He was her love interest, of sort, on-screen, but apparently he couldn’t accept that it was strictly supposed to remain on-screen.
He was pushy, and Summer didn’t like that.
Neither did Evans.
They’d been doing press and promo for about a week now, and the internet, of course, had definitely noticed Bryant’s more than friendly interest in Summer. He mentioned it to Summer who was more than willing to minimize and brush it off.
“It’s just a crush, Evans,” she murmured, scrolling through her Finsta timeline. Some days she felt too old for one of those, then there were the days where she was able to let loose without fear of being a trending topic on LipstickAlley. “And he’s a kid.”
“He’s the same age as you.”
“As I said, a kid.”
Evans smiled and eyed her. “You want me to talk to him?”
She paused and looked up from her phone. “What? No. Why?”
“Summer--”
“This-” She lifted her hand and flashed her wedding ring. “This should be all the talking that is needed.”
“Come on, Summer, we both know that doesn’t mean shit in this industry.”
“Well, it does to me,” she replied, almost defensively before sighing and falling back into the chair. “I made it through the hardest part: filming. Promo will be a piece of cake.”
“That’s not the cake he wants.”
“Please shut up.”
Wow I just remembered I never wrote Chris and Summer’s bachelor parties 😭 Shit, those were gonna be hilarious/wild, too.
