It's been almost a year after @alyslaskeywriter and I sat on my sofa with our basil sangria and jokingly said "What if we reopened that Rockstar project...?"
Historically, I should have known that our "What if..."s usually end up in time and energy-consuming endeavours. Also, there's no way in hell I pass one of them so now - not quite a year - I am happy to report that...
Draft 1 of the When Stars Ignite-Rewrite is finished!!
There's still tons of changes to be made, and things to adapt, and tweaked, and cut (esp that lol) but I'm so happy I could cry right now.
It's too early in the day to get myself a cherry margarita (Jaz would disagree) but... here's to the rockstars.
Rock 'n' roll. Deal with it.
also tagging @kc-the-writer and @lyatudor bc duh. You guys are the greatest cheerleaders ever.
@inklings-challenge Beep beep it's me I think I'm ready to toss this thing in the fire! It could probably keep going but I'm tired :') Maybe I'll continue it someday idk.
~
The sweet scent of cocoa drifted in the air. Elyse took a deep sigh, leaning back against the couch. Memories zapped through her mind like lightning. Her hands shook. After her adventures were over, she never could quite relax. She stared aimlessly at the ceiling, wafts of steam drifting up from her cup. She tried to relax. Tell herself it was Christmas. Relax. Relax. Your journey's over. As she went to take a sip of cocoa though it all came flooding back. The cold of Mamo's ice on her fingers. A cacophony of commands and desert sand. So much desert sand. What came next almost made her choke on her sip. Was it normal to... Who was she kidding? What other group of... She shook her head. She suddenly understood Kokuen's smoking habit all too well. She couldn't seem to calm down. Was Pyramid really gone? Even after two years, full Tamer's journey dead and gone, the thought still lingered. And so did the memories. She hadn't controlled Mamo... He was different now. Things had changed. But it wasn't the same... She sighed hastily, letting the scent of her mother's cooking filter through her nose. Was she really home? Was it all dead and gone? Was Pyramid just a memory now? She squeezed her eyelids shut against the memory as she took another sip. I hadn't told him to do that, the old thought repeated. Ice... Ice... Her hand shook. I didn't tell him to do that.
~
“Alpas. Always the Alpas.” Kokuen trudged up the hill. “Could have had a Christmas party at my place, but noooo. Apparently, that wasn’t good enough!” She tossed her mittened hands up.
“Awww, come on. There’s nothing like an Alpa Christmas party!” a tall man with curly hair said next to her. “What would you have done, anyway? Hung a couple of Christmas lights and called it good?”
“W-well, I—” Kokuen sputtered. “I would have… tried to bake some cookies from a recipe book, hopefully not burning them…” She could cook a mean barbecue, fry a mean egg, but baking? That was her weakness. But she could learn! If she could learn how to get a single Centokin to keep her from burning to a crisp in a lava tunnel she could figure out baking, too!
The curly-haired man grinned. “Trust me, Kokuen. No one wants to eat your burnt baking. They call you Blacksmoke for a reason.”
“Hey!” Kokuen shoved him. “That is not where I get my pseudonym from!”
“Why don’t you tell the class then?” He gestured behind them to a shivering young adult and a couple of teens following at a distance. Among them was Kokuen’s younger brother Drew, rambling on about the latest and greatest Lumikin Fighter Z game, which, in Kokuen’s opinion, kept getting cheaper and cheaper with each game. They just didn’t make the old handheld ones like they used to.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s my name…” She looked back in front of them, crossing her arms. “Kokuen. That’s literally what it means.”
“But Kokuen isn’t your real name either, is it?” the man beside her said.
“Shhh!” Kokuen shoved him again. “No one’s supposed to know that either!”
“Aww, come on. They have to know by now that’s not what your parents named you. Who names their kid Blacksmoke?”
Kokuen looked away. “Eccentric people.”
“Hmmm… I guess it could be a Prairan name, but it sounds kind of ominous. I could see White Smoke, or Fragrant Smoke, but Blacksmoke? That’d imply disaster.”
“Yeah, well! I’m not Prairan!” She shoved him.
“Hehehe.” The tanned man backed up a little at her shove, rubbing his arm. “What is it then?”
Kokuen looked off. “My last name. You know that.”
“So you’re literally named Blacksmoke Blacksmoke?”
“Yes, okay!” Kokuen tossed up her arms. “I am!”
“Hmmm.” Okay then. “Sorry to pry.”
Kokuen huffed and looked away. “Are we almost there yet…?”
Taffy looked up the hill. “Yep, just about!”
~
Lico watched as they approached the houses. The color and pomp of the displays only served to magnify his unease where they impressed Kokuen’s little brother, Drew. Lico had intended this to be a personal visit, but when Taffy got wind of what he was doing, he had to go and call everyone else… Lico sighed. Oh well. Elyse should still be happy to see him, right…? Right…? What if she wasn’t? His eyes wandered towards the colorful light displays without really seeing them. What would she say then? The thought made him stop in his tracks. Had he come all this way for nothing, then…?
~
“Elyse…?”
Elyse flinched. She looked up. Where was she? What day was it? She looked around before her eyes settled on her mom. “Oh.” Haha… She must have really been in a daze. She stood up and stretched. “How’s dinner coming?” she asked in her most chipper voice. Her mom wasn’t buying it, though. Even without looking at her, Elyse could feel her mother’s concerned gaze on her. “So, stew?” Elyse asked quickly before her mother could ask what was wrong. She lifted the lid of the pot and let the steam hit her face. “Mmm, smells good.” She still didn’t look at her mother, though. She put the lid back on the pot and walked around her towards the table. “What else are we making, just this?” She reached her hand in the cookie jar. Anything to get her mother’s attention off the topic at hand…
“Elyse—” At last her mother walked up and cleared her throat, glaring sternly.
Elyse couldn’t help but smile slightly. It worked… “Sorry. I’m still—”
There was a loud knocking at the door then. Her father suddenly raced down the stairs, throwing open the door. “Heyy!”
Elyse’s smile felt like it would crack. They were here? Way to give her a heart attack!
“We’ll continue this later,” her mother said, giving her a look, and then looking off long-sufferingly.
Elyse nodded shortly. They had the worst timing. Maybe the best, but also, the worst!
“Boris!” The tall curly-haired man at the door, Taffy, said, coming in and giving her father a hug and several hearty pats. “Good to see you!” he said at the same time his gaze landed on Elyse.
Elyse wasn’t sure how to react.
Taffy smiled at her with his eyes closed. “Good to see you, too!”
“Yeah…” Why was he here again…? She looked past him at a shorter woman with dark hair and a ponytail. …. “Hi Kokuen,” Elyse said, trying not to sound very tired.
Kokuen pulled back at her greeting. Elyse sighed. She guessed Kokuen hadn’t wanted to see her much either, but then, why did she come…? Taffy must have talked her into it. She shifted, and tried to see who else was behind her. She gasped softly at the sight of a familiar sea urchin of hair in the back. Kokuen’s reply fell by the way side. Elyse stepped forward. … “Lico?”
Lico looked to his left, then his right. “Hi…” he said.
A scarf was draped about his shoulders. He wore his usual dark coat with its pointed shoulders, making him look even sharper than usual. His voice was muffled, like always, and he had his hands in his pockets. She smiled, straightening a little. Well… It’d been a while, huh?
“Not gonna stick around?” Taffy’s voice broke into her thoughts then. She saw Kokuen heading out the door.
“Um…” Elyse looked at Lico, then at the retreating Kokuen.
Elyse’s father cleared his throat.
Her mother stepped forward. “Um, would you like anything before you go? Coffee, perhaps?” she asked, wringing her hands and giving Elyse a look.
Elyse smiled apologetically. Sorry…? Well, she guessed it was good though that she’d held it in. She might have been bawling by the time they came if her mother had her way…
There was a pause. Kokuen came back in, eying the others. … “Coffee, yes.” She shook the snow off her boots and walked in, giving Elyse a look too.
Elyse smiled uneasily. Well then… She looked at Lico and smiled back at him. “Glad all of you could make it!” she said, walking towards the kitchen. It’d gotten off to a rough start, but… she was glad to see everyone again. She wrung her hands. Just… with all of them here, she had a feeling what the topic would come around to. She just hoped she could keep it together and forget. The past was in the past now, no need to remember anything… She pushed away the lingering sensation of Mamo’s ice on her fingers. The look in his eye… No, no no no, focus on the present, Elyse. She shook her head. She sighed slightly under her breath. Why was it so hard to keep it together lately…?
“You feeling okay, kiddo?” Elyse focused her gaze on Kokuen, who was looking at her with something like concern. Oh… Elyse put on a smile.
“Yeah. Just fine. Nice to see you again…” She looked back. “Where’s Drew?” she asked, looking at Kokuen again.
“At Dustin’s house… He insisted.” Kokuen was looking behind Elyse towards the door. “I kinda wanna check on him to make sure he’s okay, but… I guess he is older now, like Taffy said.” She crossed her arms and sighed through her nose. “And Dela and her family have Lumikin, so…”
Elyse nodded. “I would have liked to have seen him…” She guessed Dela’s house was right down the hill though…
Kokuen bit her lip, looking deep in thought for a moment. “Well, I could call him on his TD maybe…”
“Hmmm…” It felt kinda silly with him so close by though…
“I knew I should have dragged him up here to see you,” Kokuen said, smiling. “Alright, how about I be right back and bring him here? I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if Dustin came too if they’re inseparable?” Kokuen asked, directing her latter question towards Elyse’s mother.
Her mother looked up from getting Taffy something. “Oh.” She came forward, then stopped, looking about. “Well, let me get you your coffee first.” She went to do just that.
Elyse startled when she felt a little poke near her hand. She turned. Lico backed up a bit, eyes wide. “Sorry, did I startle you?” she asked, holding her arm.
“Um—no, not at all…” he said, looking away.
Elyse smiled. He was lying. But, well, that made two of them… She sighed.
She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looked over. Kokuen was walking by, on her way to find Drew. She finished her mug of coffee, steam wisping up from it as she set it on the table near the door. “Come on, Taff.” She waved to the man still in the kitchen.
Taffy headed out the door with his drink, chugging it down and setting it down as well, though nabbing a candy cane on his way out. “Be back!” he said, leaving.
“Okay, let’s see, who likes Unopoly?” Elyse’s father said as he came shuffling out of the back with a bunch of board games. “Oh, are they not staying?” he asked.
“They’ll be right back,” her mother said. “Kokuen’s going to pick up her little brother Drew from Dustin’s house.”
“Ohh, do they know where his house is?” he asked, going towards the door.
“You can go help them if you’d like,” she said. With how her father was, Elyse could only guess her mother was trying to direct his boisterous energy elsewhere.
“Okay. I’ll be back too!” He headed out the door with his hat, smiling at the others.
Elyse waved. She sighed. Phew… The house felt so empty now with only three of them in it. She headed for the kitchen. Now… was she about to be pincered by two concerned people or would both of them concede for social politeness’s sake?
Her expectations of the latter were immediately dashed when she saw her mom give a mischievous smile. “UM!” she spoke up loudly before her mom could say anything. “L-Lico, would you like some stew? Mom made some great stew, isn’t that righ…?” Elyse opened her eyes. In the moment she’d taken her eyes off him he was standing in front of her. …
Lico looked back at her, seeming confused.
“Um…” She looked beyond him to see her mother giving them an amused look. “Ahaha…” What was so funny…?
“Alright, I see I’m not getting anything out of you today…” her mother said, amused but almost… saddened?
Elyse looked at them both. … Should she fess up? She sank back a little. “Um… sorry…” she said, rubbing her arms. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Lico…”
“You… don’t have to apologize,” he said, still sounding rather confused. “I think…” He looked towards her mother next.
Elyse tensed, looking at her mother. What would she say?
“Was I too forceful?” her mother asked, looking directly at her.
Elyse bristled. What should she say…? “I’m sorry for interrupting you so many times,” she said, looking away and holding her arm still. … “I know that was out of line…”
Her mother sighed. “I didn’t expect you to interrupt me so many times… Usually we can talk things out.” She looked at her, and then at Lico, as if to ask ‘is it because of him?’
Elyse smiled apologetically. Yeaaah. He might have had something to do with it… She looked back at him.
Lico stepped back, looking at her inquisitively.
She didn’t want him to leave either though… She frowned. Maybe she should have found a way to deal with this before he came. Not that it was that easy… She sighed. “Come on. Get some cocoa or whatever you’d like. It’s a long story…”
A/N: I don't think I've been this apprehensive to share a story in a long long time, and not (only) because it's a (mild) smut. I've spent months and months with Jaz, Leon and the crew but realised they've never been formally introduced to here so... be gentle with me them.
Infra-Red
Summary: In which Jaz and Leon get a little too distracted during an award show. Warning: This story contains explicit NSFW content. Anyone below the age of 18 or uncomfortable with this topic is advised not to interact.
Everyone's living in black and white
We see each other in a different light
That’s why I look at you like I do
Like nobody else is even in the room
~ Three Days Grace - Infra-Red ~
Award shows were Jaz’s favourites.
There was just something about them - the colourful hustle and bustle, the tension and excitement, the sheer force of the emotions as prizes were handed out and tear-filled speeches were given on stage.
And then, there were the afterparties, of course; a chance for everyone to let down their hair without getting harassed by journalists. There usually was great music involved, free drinks, catching up with old friends and making new ones, the air abuzz with talent, inspiration and good vibes.
The particular award show the members of Equinox were currently headed to promised just that, and Jaz was fidgeting in her evening gown, impatient to finally get going. Jacques, the band’s stylist, tutted and slapped her hand away as she reached for the satin strap that had wandered up her shoulder.
“Stop that.” Giving her a disapproving look as he pulled the strap back into place. “You look gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” Jaz glanced at herself in the floor-length mirror Jacques had set up. Self-consciously, she ran her hand over the shimmering red satin. “Is it really necessary to –”
“I spent an eternity sourcing this dress,” Jacques said sternly, brushing his hand almost reverently over the smooth fabric. “If you ruin this vision I created out of you, I’ll make you wear Primark for the rest of your miserable, unstylish life. Now stop complaining.”
“What’s wrong with Primark?”
“I don’t get paid enough for this,” Jacques muttered, rubbing his temples and handing Jaz a bag that was so tiny she could hardly fit her phone, lipstick and a handful of hairpins in.
He ushered her out the door of the big townhouse in Kensington, belonging to Equinox’s manager and mentor Rich Cameron, to where the rest of the band was already waiting for their car to arrive.
Rich Cameron himself, dressed in a sharply tailored suit, was looking at his watch impatiently, typing something into his phone every now and again.
“About bloody time you got ready. I was about to go in there and get you out myself.”
“You can’t rush art,” Jacques said indignantly in Jaz’s stead, picking up his bag. He silently pointed at his eyes with one hand, then at Jaz but there was a gleam in his eyes as he blew them all a kiss and vanished into the brightly-lit London night.
Everett James, their band’s lead singer, raised his eyes from his phone and whistled audibly.
”Looking hot, Jaz.” He grinned at Leon, who stood next to him with an unreadable expression and elbowed him in the side. “I’m gonna need her standing next to me, that’s for sure.”
Leon mumbled something in return Jaz couldn’t hear and turned away, seemingly indifferent, but the appreciative flash in his eyes as he looked her up and down hadn’t been lost on Jaz. She knew that look. Warmth pooled in her stomach and she tried not to look at him further as they waited. She was going to have enough of it before the night was over.
Half an hour, two traffic jams and diversions and an almost-fit from Rich later, they finally arrived at the venue, the red carpet rolled out there flanked by rows of people clutching bulky, expensive-looking cameras. They began flashing as Mel stepped from their limousine first, sequins on her midnight blue suit rattling, and the screams and lights intensified when the whole ensemble finally posed side by side to have their picture taken.
Jaz embraced the hecticness, smiling at the photographers she soon wasn’t able to see from the blinding lights.
Next to her, Leon had casually shoved one hand into the pocket of his suit so that his stack of colourful bracelets was showing against his tanned skin, the other resting on the small of Jaz’s exposed back.
Her smile never faltered, but Jaz was aware of every point of skin Leon was touching with his fingers, a pleasant twist going through her stomach whenever he moved or adjusted his hand. He began tapping her skin, wandering them along her spine in movements too minuscule for anyone but her to notice. She shivered, her core pulling together. Fighting the urge to look at him, Jaz’s eyes and smile remained trained on the photographers documenting their every move, but she knew which look she’d find there if she did. The thought of his small, slightly crooked smile, which always made him look like he knew something no one else did, did nothing to make her body stop tingling.
They were about to head inside, already out of sight of the cameras, when Leon gently touched her arm.
Jaz obediently let herself fall back - subtly, so the others wouldn’t notice - and between two heartbeats, Leon bent down to her, his hot breath brushing her cheek as he whispered something into her ear. Then he was gone again, catching up to Mara, leaving Jaz to walk behind them with heat spreading from her stomach into the rest of her.
Their table was rather to the back of the room, further from the stage than Rich would have liked. He kept on complaining but Jaz didn’t mind the obscurity created by the spots directed at the front of the room. Mel was chatting to her about the results of last week’s football match - “Celtic should have gotten that penalty, I swear to bloody God!” - but Jaz couldn’t bring herself to do much more than nod every now and again. Beneath the table, Leon, who was sitting on her other side talking to Mara, had his leg pressed against hers, the heat coming off his body palpable despite the cool air streaming from the ventilation shafts. She could smell his aftershave, mixed with a subtle hint of the hairspray Jacques had used to give his hair the perfectly messed-up look that made Jaz want to run her hand through it. She was burning with impatience now, making her leg bounce up and down, causing even more friction between her and Leon.
Hadn’t she known better, she would've thought Leon hadn’t noticed her restlessness. He looked like nothing was amiss, the only indication of being aware of Jaz the shifting of his leg, brushing along the patch of bare skin accessible through the slit in her skirt, and the barely perceptible smirk he gave her when she tensed. Her leg bounced faster and she did her best not to squirm in her seat, biting her lip almost painfully to keep from gasping when he brought his hand to her thigh beneath the table and squeezed it tightly.
‘Go,’ his brief look at her seemed to say before he turned back to Mara again, and Jaz needn’t be told twice.
She raised herself from her seat and hastily left the table with a mumbled excuse. Even as she walked away, she could feel Leon’s eyes on her back. When she had left the increasingly bustling hall behind and entered the now quiet hallway, her phone buzzed in her handbag. She checked the message, looking left and right as she followed the short instructions on her screen.
Rounding a corner, even the last traces of activity ceased and Jaz was alone. A little further ahead, she could spot her destination but when she made her way to it, she found the door of the storage closet she’d been aiming at locked.
Well, shit.
Knowing that she couldn’t linger, Jaz unceremoniously plucked a pin from the elaborate updo Jacques had twisted her hair into and got to work. When Leon arrived a couple of minutes later, he was surprised to already find her waiting inside.
“I thought it’d be locked.”
“You sent me to a room you thought was locked?”
“Didn’t have much time studying the floor plan, did I?”
“I suppose not.” Jaz smiled innocently. “And it was locked.”
“Then how did you…”
She raised her hand with the hairpin still lodged between her index and middle finger. “Perks of living with Mel.”
“Do I really want to know?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
Jaz slipped from the small table she’d been sitting on and placed her hand on his chest. “On whether you came here for talking.”
Not wasting another word, Leon bent to kiss her. Their mouths met greedily, hungrily, his lips tasting of the champagne they’d been served at the table. Jaz sighed as his tongue slipped into her mouth, his hands moving from her waist to the exposed skin of her back. Their kiss deepening, Leon pushed her back against the table and she let him lift her upwards onto the tabletop again.
His tie was discarded as soon as it was loose enough, Leon’s shirt following soon after as Jaz unbuttoned it with flying fingers. Her fingers spanned the countless pictures inked into his skin for a moment, but she was soon distracted when Leon dipped his head to her throat, leaving a burning trail of kisses in his wake. She slung her arm around his neck, arching her back to meet him, both their breaths coming heavily.
When they locked lips again and Leon's fingers trailed from her spine up into her artfully arranged hair, Jaz was reluctant to have to pull away.
“Stop that,” she gasped, the sound turning into a barely subdued moan as Leon ran his finger along her temple and cheekbones, coming to rest on her lower lip.
“Why would I?”
“Because I can’t walk out of here looking like I just had a shag, can I?”
Leon hummed. “I like that look on you.”
Catching Leon’s hands still playing with her hair, she guided them to where the fabric of her dress parted at her thigh to allow more room for motion.
“I know other things your hands could do, though.”
With a mischievous smirk that made her core pull together, Leon slipped his hands beneath the cool satin and onto her burning skin. His hands were rough as they pushed the fabric upwards, spanning Jaz’s thighs with the exact amount of pressure that made her dip her head back in pleasure. She shuddered as Leon brought his mouth to her chest, tracing the outline of her breasts where the red satin of her dress began.
“I love this dress,” he murmured against her skin, making Jaz sigh, “but honestly, I’d prefer you out of it.”
Almost reluctantly, Jaz pulled away from him and hooked her fingers under the loops of his belt. “I thought you’d never get to the point.”
Leon laughed darkly, arms enveloping her as he kissed her again, more roughly than before. Jaz met his pace, blindly pulling his belt away and undoing his flies as he lifted her from the table and turned her around. She steadied herself against the wall with her hand, one foot set onto one of the boxes littering the floor. Leon was pressing against her from behind, the heat of him compensating for the chilly air hitting her skin as he pushed her dress further up and up.
“What’s that, drummer girl?” he murmured into her ear, his breath hot against her neck. “No underwear?”
She shot a teasing look over her shoulder even though her knees were close to buckling as Leon parted her legs with his hands and let them wander continuously higher. “Complaining, are we?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The grip on her shoulder tightened, and Jaz stifled a moan when he pushed inside of her. They had been doing this game for long enough to find their rhythm immediately, and it was all she could do not to cry out as Leon moved against her. The pace he set was quick, as much because of their shortage of time as of their mutual need, and Jaz did her best to match him. With every thrust she pushed herself against him, delighting in the friction she caused that way which made her head spin.
It wasn’t long before she felt the heat beginning to pool in her stomach, the familiar tingle beginning to grow. When she thought she couldn’t contain it any longer, Leon’s fingers dug into her skin, the ends of his hair brushing her collarbone as he buried his face against her neck, shuddering as he came. Jaz allowed herself to let go as well, fireworks exploding in front of her eyes as her high rolled over her. Clasping her hand in front of her mouth, she stifled the cry dropping from her lips.
Tension leaving her body, she let herself collapse onto the tabletop in front of her. After the long moment it took for her to find her bearings again, she propped herself onto her elbows, brushing one of the locks that had fallen from her updo after all from her face with shaky hands.
“You alright?”
Leon ran his hand down her spine but there was no fire behind the gesture anymore, only genuine concern at her prolonged silence. Laughing breathily, Jaz turned to him, brushing her skirt down as she did so.
“Never better.”
From beyond the door and down the hallway, the faint sound of clapping could be heard. Using the dusty mirror propped against the wall, Jaz quickly reapplied her lipstick and smoothed down her hair. When she was done, she studied Leon’s reflection behind her; his hair, which had been messy to begin with, was in even more of a state than before and there was a distinct red mark next to his mouth from her lipstick. Having tapped her face in the corresponding spot, he quickly wiped it off.
“It’s a good thing you always look like you just got out of bed anyway.”
Leon, in the process of buckling up his belt again, paused and raised one eyebrow at her. “I didn’t when I arrived here.”
Chuckling, Jaz stepped towards the door, purposefully brushing against Leon as she did so. She lingered there, laying one hand against his cheek and raising her chin as if to kiss him.
A look of surprise flickering over his face he leaned in, closing his eyes, but before their lips could touch, Jaz pulled away with a smirk.
“Five minutes,” she breathed, her words ghosting over his lips. “See you at the show.”
And with that, she slipped from the room, leaving Leon behind. Making sure that no one had seen her, she quickly smoothed down her dress and made her way back towards the venue.
When she reached their table, the opening show had just begun. Rich gave her a dark look as she took her seat and turned back to the stage. When his attention was elsewhere, Mel leaned in, whispering,
“Where have you fucking been?”
Jaz pursed her lips and shrugged. “Fucking somewhere else.”
“Say a word next time you choose to disappear into the nether,” Mel rolled her eyes. “Leon went to find you.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, didn’t you see him?”
The lie left her lips smoothly. “Not at all.”
“I bet he went to get something that makes this shit a little more fun,” Everett threw in from the other side of Mel. “He could have said something, at least. I would have joined him.”
Jaz bit the insides of her cheek. “No doubt about that.”
“Diversion can be found in the strangest of places, if you only look for them, my friend.”
Leon had appeared behind them, having come from the opposite entrance of the one Jaz had come through. His smile was level as he slipped into his seat but the way his lips twitched as his eyes grazed Jaz wasn’t lost on her.
Everett’s look seemed to say ‘I told you so’ but Jaz only sipped on her champagne, eyes pointedly trained at the stage. Trying not to smirk, she spun the hairpin Leon had pressed into her palm beneath the table between her fingers.
Award shows truly were her favourites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As promised, I do deliver @drinkyoursoupbitch. Thank you @flareshin for being my favourite helpful artist friend.
