Hailey: was already exhausted behind relief and knew that she had four more hours to go, which wasn't that bad but something about today was different. She pocketed her pad as she walked out with the coffee pot, refilling people's drinks and making sure that things were still going good with everyone. She smiled when she saw her regular customers, an old married couple, who just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. She grabbed a couple of menus and headed towards them. "Hey guys, how are you?" She gotten a good and asking how she was before she told them what the special was. She told that she would give them some time to think about what they wanted.
SUMMARY → After hooking up nonstop for over a week, Adam assumes that Astrid’s his girlfriend by now... isn’t she?
Adam loved Astrid's room. The first time he was here he was a little taken by the amount of stuffed animals and cutesy things, but as they'd taken to her quarters to knock boots more and more often, he found it was less jarring. In fact, as he lay back on her bed now, shirtless and sweaty and cuddling a pillow while playing idlly with a strand of her blonde hair, he could make direct eye contact with Mr. Hornsby and do nothing but smile. This was his life now and he liked it. It was better than he could've imagined. They'd been talking about something, they always talked about something in between rounds, but his mind kept wandering to the dance and so he cleared his throat and changed the topic. "Hey, by the way," he started, stroking her golden locks with his fingers and looking towards her sweet face, "did you know what colors you wanted to wear to the dance, babe? I still haven't picked out an outfit but I guess I can't if I don't know if I'm matching my girlfriend or not." He paused, realizing that he'd just said the word 'girlfriend' for the first time, but he made himself smile anyway. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing, busting that word into the open. Like he'd told Winnie, he wanted the boyfriend thing, and kindly, good Astrid Bjorgman as his first girlfriend in a while was far from a bad thing. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing that he'd said that accidentally. Maybe it was meant to happen.
Astrid couldn’t believe she’d let people tell her that sex was bad, or something to wait for, for so long; it felt so nice, and it was such a fun way to show someone that you cared about them and enjoyed being around them. The last week and a half of having sex with Adam had been one of the best of her life, and she was still riding on the high of another round as he stroked her hair, her mind almost blissfully foggy. She tuned back in, though, when he started taking about the dance; she loved dances, she loved getting to see everyone all dressed up and even more beautiful than usual, and watching the smiles on their faces as they bounced up and down to the music of the night. “It’s going to be super fun, don’t you think?” she replied instantly, not really processing the rest of what he’d just said. “My dress is white, Mr. Hornsby’s not coming with me so I thought it would be like, a super pretty way to feel a little bit like he’s there anyway,” she gushed, thinking of the dress she’d picked out ages ago and the unicorn mask that she couldn’t wait to put on and wear with it. She finally missed a beat, though, when he said the word girlfriend, and Astrid wondered if she’d missed something; was he allowed to be doing this with her if he had a girlfriend? She loved the idea of having lots and lots of boyfriends and girlfriends that she could love all at the same time; she had too much love in her heart for just one — but she didn’t know if other people felt the same way as she did. “Girlfriend?” she asked, her eyes widening as she waited for Adam to explain who he was talking about.
Adam nodded almost sleepily as she spoke, imagining her in white. Astrid looked good in basically every color, but she'd look almost angelic in white and something churned in his stomach at the idea of taking that pretty white dress off of her and showing how non-angelic she could be. Or even better, doing so while she was still in the dress, and wow, this dance was going already shaping up to be awesome. "I bet Mr. Hornsby appreciates it," he chuckled, "and that's gonna look real pretty, so I appreciate it too." He was already trying to think of what white he had in his wardrobe that he could wear to match when she repeated the word 'girlfriend' quizzically and he let out a sigh, ready to officially ask the question. Astrid was nice and pretty and they had lots of fun in bed together and he liked her a lot. Sure, maybe he wasn't crazy about her the way he'd been about girls in the past, but he'd been thinking about Astrid as his girlfriend already and if they became official, well, he'd probably grow to like her that much in no time. And he knew somewhere in his gut that he should call Winnie first and ask if he should do this, but it was Astrid Bjorgman, who'd probably have been voted Least Likely to Break Your Heart if the yearbook had that category, and maybe he needed that right now. "Yeah. I've been meaning to say it for a while, but I was thinking that you could be my girlfriend. You know, if you wanted to be," he replied with a hopeful smile.
Astrid smiled brightly when Adam said that she was who he meant could be his girlfriend. So they weren't disappointing anybody else with what they were doing at all! That was good, Astrid hated hurting people's feelings. She revolved her life around being happy and seeing other people around her happy too; about making people feel good and seeing the best in things. And there was a lot of good in what she was doing with Adam; he'd seemed happier and more confident than she ever remembered seeing him, and Astrid's whole body was still humming happily from the things she was learning to do with him. "Totally, being your girlfriend sounds super fun," Astrid gushed, rolling back over so that she was on top of Adam again, pressing a slow kiss to his lips. Astrid didn't want to stop -- talking was super nice, too, but the kissing and the more than kissing was definitely the best part of what they did together, but she slowly rolled back up so she was sitting on top of him anyway, smiling down at her...boyfriend? She had a million more questions, though, about what being his girlfriend might mean -- she loved doing this with Adam, but what if there was somebody out there just like him who seemed like they needed love and attention from Astrid to have a better day, too? She just had too much affection to focus it all on one person, and she tickled his sides to loosen Adam up before she could ask if this meant he was her only boyfriend... but then was distracted as she remembered, "Oh, wait, but I totally already entered my name in the survey like, right at the beginning! So I have no idea who my Valentine's going to be, that's okay, right? Like... you being my boyfriend doesn't mean I can't do stuff with other people too, does it?"
Adam waited for what felt like the longest two seconds of his life before she agreed and dang it if having her on top of him and kissing him like that wasn't a completely victorious feeling. He might have fist-pumped in celebration of this, his first real girlfriend, if his hands weren't too busy making their way down her back to the curve of her hips. He was very prepared to go again until Astrid pulled away and was sitting on him and tickling him and yes, he could definitely get used to this. She was so pretty and so nice and made him happy, and really, what more could he ask for? He let her touch him, sighing at her fingers on his skin, but he felt significantly less giggly when she brought up the matchmaker. "Oh," he breathed, forehead creasing in concern. He wanted to say that that was fine, that he hadn't submitted to the matchmaker but as long as it was just one friendly dance-date, it was fine, but the way she asked that second question gave him pause. "That depends, I guess. What other stuff would you want to do with people? Like, dance and stuff? Or like this kind of stuff?" he asked, gesturing to their bodies, a knot forming in his stomach as he realized he was wrong earlier. These were the longest seconds of his life, right now.
Astrid didn't usually get nervous; she had a way of believing that everything was going to go great and everything was going to work out, but the warmth she'd felt from Adam's touch suddenly seemed colder, and she blinked at him, doe-eyed and innocent, wondering what she'd done wrong. Was it so bad that she had too big of a heart to want to only give it to one person? She didn't want to stop what they were doing over a silly little thing like wanting to be able to see other people, too, and she slid back down to his side, cuddling into it and drawing stars and hearts on his bare abs to remind him that things still felt good when they were together, and nothing had to change. "Well, I don't know! Right now nobody else wants to do this kind of stuff with me, too, but it feels like... wrong to say no, it's super fun and it makes people so happy." Astrid bit her lip, hoping Adam would understand. "I mean, wouldn't you want to... you know, with other people too? It doesn't mean we can't still be like this, I still super like you."
Adam sighed at the look on Astrid's face. She was so pretty. She was so pretty and it made his whole body happy, the way they interacted. So why did he feel like they'd hit a wall? He held her onto his side, taking in the view and the smell of her hair and how nice it felt to have her draw on his abs, and though this was a generally pleasant experience, he tensed in anticipation for what might happen next. He found himself thinking that he should've guessed it as she spoke - Astrid was all about making everybody happy and having as much fun as possible. There was no way that could've meant being tied down to one person. How could being tied down to Adam be as much fun as doing this with other people? It was a bitter thought as he was left feeling small and not good enough all over again, but this situation was nothing like Charlie and he knew it. After all, Astrid didn't owe him anything, and it wasn't like she was cutting him out. They could still do this if they wanted to, and the sex was so fun that he considered wanting to. But when she asked if he wouldn't want to with other people, he realized that what he really wanted was a relationship where, no, he didn't want to have sex with other people. "I like you too," he admitted. "I super like you." He twitched his mouth to the side, unsure of how to best phrase this next part. "And I get that you want to do this with lots of people. I think that's really cool of you. But the truth is, I think I just want to do that with one person. To find that one person who only wants to do that with me and who I only want to do that with, too." He looked at her apologetically, sitting up. This conversation was too hard to do all cozied up next to a pretty girl. "And there are going to be so many people to be happy with doing stuff with as many people as they can and with you, but I'm not one of them. I'm sorry."
“Oh, okay,” Astrid replied instantly. She didn’t like to keep people waiting, especially not for something important, and somehow this… felt important, even though Astrid didn’t quite know why. She and Adam had been having lots of fun, but she had felt the moment the air had shifted, the moment fun suddenly wasn’t enough for Adam anymore. “That’s okay!” she reiterated, smiling as brightly as she could, not wanting to seem too disappointed. She was, though; they’d fit together super easily, and they’d clicked really well, and after going 19 years of her life without having any kisses and sexy times at all, Astrid wasn’t in a hurry to give it up again. Or to hurt Adam’s feelings — they were friends, and she liked being around him a lot! Was sex going to get messy and complicated and make people not want to talk to her anymore? She really hoped that wasn’t the case. She leaned over to pick her shirt back up off the floor, tugging it over her head so that she wasn’t making Adam feel uncomfortable at all, and kept her bare lower body covered by her blanket as she tried to keep her smile as real as she could. “And you totes deserve that! I’m sorry that person isn’t me,” Astrid apologized brightly. “Can we still have friend dates with Mr. Horny and Mr. Hornsby and stuff? Or do you… um, do you not want to see me at all anymore?”
Adam smiled weakly back at Astrid. How did she manage to look so happy even through this? She had some special power to see the world better than he could, that was for sure - but then again, it wasn't like she was losing much. Finding someone else to kiss in Walt would be easy for someone as pretty and nice as her. And she was good at it too, kissing and everything else, and he felt a little wistful as she pulled her shirt on. He was never going to see Astrid Bjorgman without her clothes on again. Or, well, he probably could, but there was something in him that told him this casual sex thing wasn't for him. Why oh why was it not for him?! How much simpler that would be. He could keep sleeping with Astrid, and find new girls all the time, changing up his rotation - but the thought made him feel even lonelier than he could've imagined. "It's okay," he insisted to her apology. "There's lots of people in the world, for both of us! It doesn't mean this wasn't fun. Because it was," he said honestly. At least, until he realized they weren't dating. He had to stop assuming girls were dating him. It was going to get him into even more trouble someday. He grabbed his own shirt and pulled it on, considering her question before shaking his head. "You don't have to worry about me not wanting to see you. We're good, Astrid. I think...we're still friends, right? And Mr. Horny and Mr. Hornsby are still friends, so as long as you still want to see me, I still want to see you. We can even still go to the buffet together. Or have a dance or two at the ball?" he asked hopefully. Disappointing Astrid wasn't easy, and besides, he did still like her company. She just wasn't The One and maybe one day he'd be glad he discovered that from the start instead of further down the road.
Astrid was glad that she wasn’t a mindreader in that moment; she didn’t like when things were sad, and she could tell that there was something in Adam’s eyes that was less than bright and happy. She even felt like she might have caused it, but she hoped that by the time that he said it was okay and they could still be friends, that maybe some of the sad was evaporating out of the room now that her clothes were on and they were talking like normal. “Totally! Totally, I’d love to still do all the like, awesome friend stuff with you,” she told him, not used to this feeling with of tightness pooling in her stomach, like the guilt she’d felt when she stole cookies from Santa Claus’s plate. She pulled her shorts up off of the ground, too, sliding them on under the covers, and then she finally hopped out of her bed. “I’m going to go make you a cheer up snack, okay?” she said hopefully, then added as she headed for the door, “And Adam? You’re totally going to find that super duper girl who loves one person and only one person someday, you’re too awesome not to!”
SUMMARY → Astrid brings over snacks to watch Adam’s favorite show and is only mildly traumatized by it 😇
Adam loved it whenever he got a chance to show someone else his favorite show. Especially since he and his usual viewing partner were in limbo waiting for the newest season, it made it even easier to jump at the chance to show the series to someone new - in specific, Astrid Bjorgman. In the back of his mind, Adam knew he should probably worry that the bloody and sexy show was too much for the innocent girl to handle, but that noise was pretty drowned out by the hype of getting to rewatch his fave show from the start, to the point that he practically jumped to get the door when he heard the knock. "Hey, gorgeous, come in," he greeted, grinning at the sight of the sunshiney blonde on the other side of the door. True to her word, she'd brought snacks, and his stomach rumbled loudly at the sight of them. He could literally always eat. Glad that he'd gotten the living room for the day, he showed Astrid to the biggest screen in the house, where he'd already queued up the first episode, eager to begin. "I have two questions for you - first, what are those things? Because they look delicious. And second, are you ready to have your life changed?" he asked excitedly, already and always too hype when it came to Thrones.
Astrid Bjorgman wasn't the type of girl who wasted her time worrying about things; worrying was for people who didn't trust the judgment of those around them, and from what Astrid knew of Adam Li, he was a super duper guy. So, despite warnings that Game of Thrones was too scary for her, she'd decided to give Adam the benefit of the doubt, trusting that even if she didn't like it, he'd stay true to his word and make sure she got to watch things that made her totally happy afterwards instead. "Hiya, handsome!" Astrid replied back; it wasn't a standard greeting for her, but maybe it was an inside joke that had to do with the show, and that was why he'd called her that? She didn't want to get it wrong by ignoring his lead! She leaned down to set up her snacks on the table, admitting, "I don't totally know what they all mean, but the internet said these cookie-brownie balls could be dragon eggs, and these tarts could be 'Brienne of Tart' and umm... Bran Muffins? Onion Knight Rings? Jon Snow Balls? I hope you like them," she said warmly, wondering if she'd understand a lot of the strange foods from just one episode or if she'd have to watch more to get it. "And totally! Change is usually exciting, right? I like being excited," Astrid chirped, flashing him her most sincere smile, excited that he was sharing something he loved with her.
Adam was used to greeting girls with compliments but it wasn't often they gave them back like that, and so he chuckled as Astrid made herself at home. The fact that she'd gone to the trouble to look up specific snacks for the show that she hadn't even seen just made him more confident that he'd made the right call helping her get into it. "You'll know what most of them mean by the end of the episode," he promised with a smile, eyes widening at the cookie brownie balld and the onion rings the most. "How could I not like it? It all looks amazing, you rock, dude, thanks!" He picked up a dragon egg and chomped on it immediately to show how grateful he was before pressing play and letting the pilot run. "And excited you shall be," he insisted, eager as the familar opening shot took the sceeen. It was interesting watching the show through someone else's eyes. Though he still enjoyed it, and made sure he kept hinself eating throughout the whole thing, the White Walkers and beheadings stood out to him more than they had before. He had promised to hug Astrid if she needed it, or to hold her hand through it, whatever she needed, and as the episode went on it dawned on Adam that this first episode that he'd always considered really tame wasn't as tame as he thought.
Astrid clapped her hands together excitedly, her ponytail swaying as Adam appreciated her food efforts. "Yay, then I can't wait to see - even the mean dragons that are going to kill people," Astrid added, remembering almost too late that he'd warned her that was something she'd have to see eventually. The first episode supposedly wasn't that bad, though, and her eyes lit up with delight when the opening scene had snow in it and everything... at least, until a weird figurine of dead bones ended up there, or whatever it was. She didn't avert her eyes, though, not yet; she was really and truly going to try, since Adam liked it so much and she liked making people happy. Still, after the beheadings she scooted closer to him and buried her head in his shoulder for a few seconds, murmuring into his shirt, "Is that the worst part of the episode, or are more people going to die?"
Adam held a finger up as if to protest. "Not the first episode," he insisted, hoping that Astrid would end up loving the dragons as much as he did. Danaerys was his favorite part of the show, so he loved the dragons like they were his kids. His step-kids. He should've anticipated a lot of comfort going on, allowing Astrid under his arm and up to his side. He tsked guiltily, trying to think of everyone who died in the first episode. "On screen? Maybe I'll cover your eyes when we get to the wedding scene," he admitted, thinking of Danaerys' Dothraki wedding and the organs that got punched out. Other than that, though, he remembered the episode being objectively tame. Her wedding and wedding night in general were more graphic than he'd remembered, and as they reached the end of the episode, he felt himself clenching as Bran's fall approached. It didn't count as a death but he had a feeling the girl on his side wasn't going to like it much better.
Astrid was trying so super hard to enjoy Adam's show -- and she could totally see why it was interesting. There was a pretty dragon lady and her brother who needed to get back to their rightful home and be safe and happy again, and there was a beautiful girl who was going to get to go and marry her prince, and so many nice things to enjoy! Plus best friends being reunited in Winterfell, and little girls getting to be great archers and finding puppies, it was enough to make her heart swell with happiness... when she wasn't distracted by the bad things, of course. But there were plenty of bad things, and Astrid probably drew the attention of anyone else who was at home at Adam's as Bran Stark was flung from a window and the episode ended with a bang. "NO!" she wailed, her eyes watery, her breath coming in short gasps as she tried to catch it. She had accidentally kicked a tray of onion rings off of the table as she flailed in shock, but she didn't even realize she'd made a mess -- she just turned to Adam, covering her mouth with one hand to keep from making any more outburts as she blinked back the tears that were now starting to fall furiously thanks to that poor little boy and his fate. She couldn't compose herself, she just finally gasped between sobs, "Is he dead? Do I have to watch the next one to find out if he's dead?"
Adam was bracing himself to see the ending and Astrid's reaction. It was intense, for sure, but he didn't think he'd ever seen someone react quite the way Astrid had. He could feel the pain from the moment in a way he never had before, not even when he watched it the first time without knowing if Bran Stark made it or not, but the water in Astrid's eyes reflected some deep sorrow that he wasn't sure he had felt except for maybe the Red Wedding. "He's not dead," Adam hurried to say, wondering if that would comfort her or not. He put his hands on her shoulders to make Astrid look at him, something he did when he was trying to calm someone down. "You don't have to watch the next one to know, he lives, I promise. He's still alive, and one of the most useful characters. He gets some super cool powers," he tried, even if he didn't think Bran was that interesting, it was better than mentioning that he'd never walk again. "I'm sorry, do you wanna watch that Rainbow thing? Or eat whatever food is left? What do you want to do?" He wasn't sure if he was doing an adequate job of comforting her at this point, but he'd made her watch the thing, and he'd promised to make her feel better so he'd do it, whatever that meant.
Astrid sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, Adam's hands on her shoulders reminding her that she wasn't actually in this terrible world where baby boys got thrown out of windows just because people were so embarrassed about being in love that they couldn't bear for anybody else to find out. It sounded so terrible, living that way, and she wondered what happened later on that made Adam like it so much -- what lightness it had to offer. She, however, was glad that Adam told her what happened instead of her having to watch it to find out. "I think I can only handle one episode of this show at a time," she admitted with a sniffle, her heart still hurting even though she knew that Bran was going to make it now. Even the idea of watching Rainbow Brite or True and the Rainbow Kingdom didn't quite make her feel better right now, and she knew her stomach was too knotted up from the anxiety of that moment to eat, either. "No, it's okay, I just -- um, what makes you happy when you're sad? My usual stuff doesn't sound super awesome right now, I don't know why!"
Adam nodded, trying to seem understanding. Game of Thrones hit people differently, so even though he'd been enthralled by the episode his first time, he could get that it was kinda shocking. He honestly should've mentally prepared for this before but he was just too excited. It was easy not to be excited now, though, his brain switching into comforting mode. Her question caught him off guard, though. "Uh, what makes me happy when I'm sad?" he repeated, buying himself enough time to think it through, his brain going through kind of an immediate list. "Uh, I don't know. Soccer? Video games? Kissing? Cooking eggrolls?" he shot out, the top four favorite things of his. The fifth would be Game of Thrones but he had a feeling that'd be more of a hindrance than a help.
Astrid hung onto Adam's every word, hoping that talking about his happy things would distract her from such a sad, sad, very sad one. And it worked, a little bit; she giggled at how different his cheer-up methods were from hers. Videogames were never something she'd been all that good at unless she was playing with someone who liked them more and it was colorful and lighthearted; soccer wasn't a sport she played very often, she preferred winter activities back home with Olaf... and eggrolls, she'd never made those in her whole entire life! Kissing she hadn't done, either, but it made her giggle when Adam said it regardless; it was such a nice way of people showing each other that they cared, and she begun to wonder why she hadn't ever tried it. She loved cheer kisses and forehead kisses and temple kisses and hand kisses, every single one of them made her feel special and safe and happy; maybe lip kisses would be more of the same! "Kissing really helps?" Astrid asked him brightly, her tears finally starting to dry up as she watched hopefully. If Adam had a positive reaction, that was permission to try it and see if it made her heart rise back up from her stomach into her chest where it belonged, right?
Adam felt a little hope when Astrid let out a giggle as he spoke. This was Astrid Bjorgman, after all, and if he'd broken her ability to smile about everything, he'd feel horrible about it forever - it was a good sign that she could be amused with his go-tos, and it made him relax just the tiniest bit. He was surprised that she'd singled out kissing out of the list, but a flash of amusement crossed his eyes at the very mention of it. "Yeah! I love kissing," Adam said, thinking back to the last time he'd really kissed someone, before soccer camp. "It's tons of fun, and at least for me, it has the handy effect of making everything else vanish from my mind," he said honestly, noticing his hands, now relaxed, still on her shoulders and her face close to his. A pretty girl mentioning kissing was enough to make his eyes dip down to her lips and back up to her eyes again. Her eyes were really cute, actually. "You could, uh, try it and see if you like it." He hadn't really planned on saying that but now that they were here on the couch it didn't feel like a weird thing to question, not at all. He moved a little closer on instinct, his blood pumping a little harder with anticipation.
Astrid nodded instantaneously; how could she say no to such a sweet offer? Adam had promised that he'd do anything to cheer her up if she hadn't liked his show -- and though not like was a strong term that Astrid preferred not to use on anything that people cared about, it had definitely left her feeling sadder than she could remember being in a long, long time. With Adam so close to her, grinning and telling her that she was welcome to kiss him, though, Astrid could feel those bad vibes starting to ebb away. Her ponytail swished with her head nod, and she didn't take the time to wonder if she might do it wrong or if it might be weird afterwards or any of the things other people might have questioned before diving right into a situation like this one. Instead, she tilted her head to the side just the tiniest bit, puckering her lips in a way that was no different from kissing Olaf or Ophelia on the cheek, and she let her eyes flutter close as she pressed her lips confidently against Adam's.
Adam wondered vaguely to himself if this was actually going to happen, but he didn't have much time to wonder before her lips were on his. It was a soft but definite touch, and so gentle that he would've felt like a bull in a china shop if he'd gone crazy with it. He kissed back lightly, one of his hands moving from her shouler to gently cup her face. It was so sweet and nice that Adam almost forgot why they'd started in the first place. He pulled back to check on her, his voice quieter than he'd have expected when he asked "Was that okay for you?" He was really hoping the answer was yes because he'd really like to keep on doing that."
Astrid hadn't talked to people very much about kissing in the past -- she didn't think Hugo or Ophelia or Emilia or her sister had had their first kisses prior to today, either, after all, or if they had they'd kept them close to their own chests -- but suddenly she wished she had, because if she'd known how nice it was she might have tried it much, much sooner. Her stomach swooped, her lips felt tingly from how nice the sensation was, and she found herself disappointed when Adam pulled away from her and the happy moment was over. Her mind was blissful and sunny, and she'd managed to forget that they'd kissed to forget sad feelings in the first place -- sadness felt super far away now, and her mouth turned up into a smile so bright she was sure Adam could feel the warmth coming from it. "Definitely," she stammered, suddenly realizing that she had to catch her breath to even reply to Adam's question. "Definitely, I can't believe I didn't think about how happy kissing makes people before, I would have tried it so much sooner!" Her eyes dipped down to Adam's lips, almost giggling when she remembered that her own had been there just a few seconds before, and she nibbled on her own bottom lip, wondering if Adam would be okay with it if she went in for another kiss; one just hadn't felt like enough.
Adam felt his heart beat in his throat as he swallowed. Kissing was so nice. He'd missed it more than he'd thought while he was away at soccer camp, how it made your stomach do twists and turns and how nice it felt to have your face get a little cold when you pulled away to smile at each other. He'd missed girls. He could practically hear Winnie telling him to shape up and stop pining after Charlie and he hadn't admitted it to himself until now, but he had been pining. He'd put himself on hold and maybe it was good to kiss a new girl. It felt good, definitely, but it also felt a little like moving on. Not wanting to get too deep into thought about his feelings for Charlie and what this new kissing meant exactly, he turned to the method that he knew best to clear his head, once Astrid had made him sure that it was okay to continue. "Now you know," he laughed, his eyes going down to her lips too before leaning in and going for another, letting complicated thoughts and feelings fly away at the feel of Astrid's soft lips.
Astrid used the split second before Adam's lips brushed against hers again to try and recall everything she'd ever seen happen in movie kisses. There was foot popping, but she was on a couch, her foot had nowhere to go! There was laying down kissing, and they might have room for that, but usually when people laid down to kiss in the movies they did more after that, and though she was now absolutely positive that that was just another super fun, happy way to make people feel good and loved, like super-kissing or something, she knew Hugo thought that that was a bad idea for people to do before they got married, so she would hold off on the lying down-kissing until she knew if she was allowed to without making God and Hugo sad. The last thought that blinked into her mind was people who played with the other person's hair while they were kissing; she saw it so often, their fingers tangling through, like they were holding the person there and letting them know they still had enough breath in their lungs to kiss and kiss and kiss for longer... and as Adam's lips pressed against hers and the warm tingly feeling filled her body again, this time Astrid brought her hand up to the nape of Adam's neck, letting her fingers get lost in his long, surprisingly soft hair. Astrid felt as if she'd unlocked some kind of kissing life-hack or level up of some sort; she sighed contentedly as his lips lingered longer this time, as her hand guided him to stay closer. For the first time in her life Astrid felt really and truly greedy, like she wanted more of Adam's kisses for herself instead of sharing his attention with anybody else who might be at home, as she scooted closer to him on the couch and let her body press flush against his.
Adam 's lips parted just slightly to let out a surprised gasp when Astrid's fingers found his hair, but it just made him collect himself quicker to get back to kissing her, harder this time, longer. He loved it when people played with his hair, and he knew that had to be something that was universally loved, but damn it if it didn't feel amazing. He wondered lightly if Astrid had really never kissed anyone before, her fingers and sighs that shot straight to his stomach suggesting otherwise, but then her body was so close to his and he stopped wondering things altogether. He let one hand drop so that he held her around the waist, holding her tight to him as their lips kept going, and he probably should have cared that they were making out on the couch in his shared living room and he probably should've offered her to go to his room to continue, but that would mean stopping and talking, and neither stopping or talking felt like it'd be as much fun as this.
Adam 's lips parted just slightly to let out a surprised gasp when Astrid's fingers found his hair, but it just made him collect himself quicker to get back to kissing her, harder this time, longer. He loved it when people played with his hair, and he knew that had to be something that was universally loved, but damn it if it didn't feel amazing. He wondered lightly if Astrid had really never kissed anyone before, her fingers and sighs that shot straight to his stomach suggesting otherwise, but then her body was so close to his and he stopped wondering things altogether. He let one hand drop so that he held her around the waist, holding her tight to him as their lips kept going, and he probably should have cared that they were making out on the couch in his shared living room and he probably should've offered her to go to his room to continue, but that would mean stopping and talking, and neither stopping or talking felt like it'd be as much fun as this.
Astrid knew that she'd resolved to stay sitting upright to kiss Adam, but the longer their lips stayed pressed together, the more her insides started to feel all gooey and her whole body started to feel all tingly, like she could melt from all the fun, happy feelings that were happening all at once. Astrid let her body take control, going on instinct as she let her body stop worrying about things like staying upright even when she felt all melty, and she let herself slowly fall backwards, tugging Adam with her. This was so much comfier, being buried in comfy couch pillows and cocooned in by Adam's strong body on top of her and his sweet, sweet lips still in sync with hers, and Astrid fought back the urge to giggle as she let her other hand slip downwards to rest on Adam's lower back. Could anything be happier than this? It was like a hug and a kiss all at once, and they could have been anywhere in the whole world -- a warm beach, a fluffy blanket of snow, a couch where his roommates could easily see, even rolling around in a bed of trash -- for all she cared. Astrid might have found a brand new favorite hobby, and she wiggled a little bit underneath Adam, making sure that they were both comfy so that she didn't have to stop anytime soon.
Adam felt himself being pulled down, and he didn't mind, not one bit. To say this wasn't what he was expecting from Astrid was an understatement, but just because he was surprised didn't mean he was stupid. It wasn't every day a beautiful girl wanted to make out, although it really should've been, and there was so much to enjoy about this, about being close to someone and feeling a girl underneath him. His ab muscles tightened when she put her hand on his lower back, and he had to pull his lips back to let out a low groan when she moved under him like that, did she even have any idea what that did to him? "Hey, uh, you know, I have a room here," he whispered with a hint of laughter in his voice, almost like he wasn't sure this was really happening. "And my bed's a lot more comfortable than the couch." It was a suggestion but he was fully prepared to take her hand and lead her to his room the second she agreed.
Astrid blinked in surprise when Adam pulled away from her -- had she done something wrong? She knew she hadn't bitten him or anything that would hurt too much, but maybe her beginner's luck had worn off and the kissing had stopped feeling good to Adam even though it still felt super amazing to her. When he laughed and asked if she wanted to go to his room, though, she brightened instantly, instantly blurting out, "Totally! It's already super comfy out here, I can't even imagine like, how totally magical it'll be in your room!" Astrid's face was flushed and her lips were a little swollen as they got up and he took her hand, but she'd never felt so completely giddy in her whole life. As they headed down the hall, she spotted Izzie in the doorway, and she felt bad that the other girl was frozen there, like she'd been afraid of interrupting them or something -- another good reason to go to Adam's room instead, then! Astrid would hate for something that made her so super happy to make someone else uncomfortable. She used her free hand to wave excitedly at Izzie as they padded down the hallway and slipped through Adam's door, letting it close behind them with a soft click. Biting her lower lip to stop her giant smile from hurting her cheeks -- she was going to need those again soon! -- Astrid skipped towards the bed, bouncing down on the edge of it and asking excitedly, "Now where were we?"
Becky: was both excited and nervous about her date with Adam. She knew how much trouble she would get into if anyone (particularly Clare) found out about it, but she still wanted to go. Clare wasn't going to find out, and it was just one date. If someone saw them she would lie and say that it was a coincidence. Because as much as she liked Adam...she couldn't imagine throwing away her spot in the Princesses for him. It wasn't that serious. But Adam did make her feel happy after everything that had happened with her mother...he made her feel like she wasn't defective or something. She heard the knock at the door and bit her lip, getting up, she walked downstairs and opened the door. "Hey," she greeted with a smile on her lips.
Christopher frowned as he watched the house, and tipped his head to the side. “I definitely got the right place...” He moved carefully, sneaking into the house, searching for a bit. When he didn’t find his former master, Chip scratched his chin. His mother’s ways had rubbed off on him. “This place is a mess...” He started cleaning the dust, swiping here and there, as he sung under his breath. “There's something sweet and almost kind. But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined. And now he's dear and so unsure...
I wonder why I didn't see it there before...” As he moved, his voice became louder, filling the space as he tied up, for a moment forgetting completely that Adam didn’t even know he was in his house. “New and a bit alarming, who'd have ever thought that this could be? True, that he's no Prince Charming, but there's something in him that I simply didn't see... We'll wait and see
A few days more. There may be something there that wasn't there before.”
As he turned, dusting the last of the book shelves, a looming shadow made him jump up in the air, eyes wide and eyebrows shooting up, he yelped. “Oh, goodness! Master Adam, you frightened me!” He blinked a couple times, before he smiled, and stepped into the lighter area of the room. “We’re human again, is it not fantastic!?” He asked, his grin only becoming wider. “I apologize for showing up unannounced, but the place looked dreadful, and I thought I’d tidy up a bit, since my mother seems to be no where to be seen. I might as well take her place for now, since I she taught me well.”
After meeting with Jake earlier that morning, Matt spent a bit of time in his dorm room, going over some of the reading material for the classes that would start on Monday. Or rather, the classes he’d start attending on Monday. He knew that it was a bit strange to be starting a week after than most, but the offices had assured him he wouldn’t miss too much, mostly orientation related items (whatever that meant) and that he wouldn’t be too far behind. As it was, he still wanted to be sure he was able to keep up with everything.
Of course, that also meant that he’d have to figure out where his classes were. Thankfully, there was another gracious gentleman that was willing to undergo the effects of the aura to help him out, and Matt was grateful. He wasn’t sure if they’d get through the entire campus, but at the very least, he was going to ask him where his classes were. With that in mind, Matt left his dorm room when he saw that it was about time to meet Adam, and he headed out of Sciron Square to meet him right outside.
Rummaging around in his drawers, Ashley let out an annoyed sigh. His pencils were missing again, the nice ones that he’d gotten from his dad a few years ago. He was fairly certain they were in the deep pockets of his Harry Potter sweatpants, the ones that hung a bit too low on his waste when he didn’t tie them super tight.
The fact they were gone caused him a bit of anxiety, well a little more than a bit considering he just spent an hour carefully sifting through his room and even retracing his exact steps for exactly fifteen minutes. Running his hands through his hair, ruffling it even more, he tried his best to remember the last place he’d drawn. He’d spent the morning in the music room, not drawing obviously, and re-read part one of ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream.’
He still had so much to do and yet he was stuck. Stuck in the endless anxiety linked with him not knowing where his things were. He always needed to know, always. That’s why he disliked the nurses so very much, they were always moving things around and cleaning places he didn’t need cleaned. They’d also pulled the weeds from under his windows, unfortunately.
Becky: didn't quite know why she was taking part in something like a hay maze, but one of her friends had convinced her to come and she didn't feel like being stuck in the hotel room today, so she went. But now that she was actually in the maze, it was a whole other story. They had been separated and she was completely lost and unsure of what way to go. She kept walked through the same area it seemed like and she just kept making the wrong turns every time. She frowned and started growing frustrated as she walked, she just wanted to get out of this stupid thing. Her feet were starting to hurt and she felt like she had been in there for hours, even though it was probably only fifteen minutes, but what did she know? As she turned a corner, she jumped, suddenly seeing someone. Her hand went to her heart and she realized that it was Adam, standing there. "Oh my goodness, you startled me," she admitted. "I haven't seen anyone in here in a while..." She trailed off awkwardly, her hands going down to her side.
