i'm a crazy, fucking gemini.

@tbhgarrett-blog

garrett. that's about it.

50 posts

giahawthorne:

“oh hey, i was the same way.” in all honestly, she wouldn’t have pegged garrett as the type to be involved with school. while he was a lot more intelligent than she originally thought, proving so after their project, she figured he kept that part of himself hidden around others. “i know exactly what you mean, it’s exhausting.” gia struggled with balancing everything, always biting off more than she could chew. she liked to keep herself busy, not knowing what to do if she had too much free time on her hands. there were days where she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, but working all those tireless nights ended up panning out in her favor since she was at her top choice in university. she couldn’t say she regretted any of it. at the mention of sports, gia’s ears perked up, interested with the direction their conversation was heading towards. living with a dad who watched any and every sports game on television had inevitably rubbed off on her. “how do you feel about baseball?” they’d already discussed that there was no point in pursuing something if the passion wasn’t there, so she almost had to hear his thoughts on the subject. in fact, she actually liked hearing his opinions — given that they were usually different than her own, she enjoyed the new perspective. brown eyes searched for the couple garrett was referring to, trying her best to be subtle as she took in the image. they were sitting across from one another, hands interlocked over the table while they gazed at each other with warm smiles. her focus went back to the male, wishing he could see the beauty of two people in love, though she was beginning to think that was impossible for him. “shut up! they may be sitting at a table, but they look happy together.” she sighed contentedly, a smile spreading across her features the longer she kept observing them. gia loved love, it was plain and simple. she loved the idea that there was someone out there for everyone, waiting for the right moment to waltz into their life. after becoming entranced with her thoughts, she looked up to find the waitress and garrett sharing a friendly exchange. they were on a first name basis, which must have meant he came there often. when the other female walked away, her mouth hung agape at his insinuation. “i wasn’t thinking anything!” she rebutted, voice raising a few octaves higher than usual. the seed hadn’t even been planted in her head until he brought attention to it. just because gia knew he was a playboy didn’t mean she actually cared about who he slept with and the fact that he was so quick to assume offended her slightly.

as he asked whether she was a virgin, her fake laughter bubbled into the air, having expected a few ridiculous questions from garrett, but not to start the game off. “you’re so funny.” gia remarked with a sarcastic flare, though she couldn’t bring herself to be bothered by his words. she’d never been the type of girl who comfortably spoke about sex, far too concerned with her image to portray herself as such. it simply wasn’t who she was. and while she didn’t mind telling people about her personal life, being an open book when it came to matters of herself, she preferred to keep certain aspects private — that included her sexual encounters. by no means did she get around, that much was obvious with the way she carried herself. of course, she wasn’t foreign to the concept of sex either. she’d had boyfriends before. however, in her mind, it really wasn’t anyone’s business other than her own and the person involved, so flaunting her sexual escapades to people felt unnecessary. as garrett announced he was ready for a real question, she straightened her body, mentally preparing herself for whatever he threw at her. “hmm,” she took a moment to ponder the question, absentmindedly playing with her fingers as they were resting on top of the table. “well, this might come as a shock to you, but i’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist. i grew up with an older sister who was good at literally everything she did and i felt like i had to follow in her footsteps, which was hard. it’s not like anyone was forcing me to do it because my parents were supportive regardless, but it was still a lot of pressure.” pausing momentairly, she allowed herself to catch her breath. “anyway, ever since i graduated, i’ve been working on myself. y'know, just trying to be gia. it’s a process, though.” a small chuckle fell from her lips, unsure of what kind of response garrett would’ve hoped for. “so, i guess i changed my opinion on me.” she concluded, casually shrugging her shoulders. the server, who she now knew as stacey, returned with their orders and gia’s mouth nearly watered at the sight of her food. she immediately popped a few french fries inside her mouth, not realizing how hungry she was until the aroma hit her nose. a night of fake dating seemed to work up quite the appetite. she followed with, “what’s one thing that means the most to you?” taking a sip from her milkshake, she wondered if there really was anything he held near and dear to his heart other than sex.

while their bickering may have made them seem like an old married couple, so did the moments when they got along. they could go from bitching at one another, to realizing how truly alike they were, and back again. and maybe that was part of the problem. maybe the fact that they were too much alike, and nothing alike in the same breath, was what made their friendship, or whatever it was, complex. it was easy, most of the time, getting along with someone that was incredibly similar to you, and hard getting along with someone that wasn't, even though people swore that opposites attracted, and while it seemed nearly impossible to have a happy medium, garrett and gia were proof that there was a middle. in the beginning, they may have fought more often than not, but progress had been made, no matter how slowly it had happened. they were bonding, and it was odd, but they were forming some sort of relationship, and it was actually nice in garrett's eyes. he never would have thought that he would have been able to say that, but the fact that he could was nearly refreshing. "school itself is exhausting." he knew that she had no idea why he had thrown himself into school the way he did, but he had a notion that she would never truly understand, but then again, he swore that no one would ever truly understand. from the looks of it, gia still had both of her parents, and garrett didn't want to seem bitter or jealous, but he was. he would have killed to still have his mother in his life, as things would be easier with his father. the man he loved, but also hated, would have been a different man were garret’s mother to still be alive, and while garrett resented his father to an extent for shoving her memories from their lives, he could also see why he had done it. but garrett could feel the heat in his body heightening, and he didn't want to ruin his night with gia, which was why he was beyond thankful when she changed the subject to sports, though it did take him aback. she had asked him about baseball with such conviction that he didn't know if she was being serious or trying to fake him out, but she didn't seem like the type to put on a front. needless to say, garrett was definitely impressed. "i played baseball for a really long time," he admitted, feeling foolish for even contemplating not playing the upcoming season in college. "i love it. my dad and i used to practice all the time. he'd even help me with my soccer drills." while garrett was holding back, he knew that there was a sound of despair in his voice that was just waiting to be confirmed by the sigh that he had let out. all he wanted was for times to be simpler, and shit, he'd even willingly go back in time to try to do things differently, whether it be saving his mother, or just not pursuing so many fun times with his father so that his future self wouldn't be so disappointed in what the man had become.

garrett knew that he had asked a good question, what with the way gia was pondering her possible reply, and he was damn near proud of himself as he now knew it was more than possible for him to play the game with girls and ask something other than what size bra they wore... though his intricate questions would probably always be reserved for gia, as any other girl would think that he was trying to marry them. garrett didn't dare interrupt gia when she was speaking, though he did happen to roll his eyes at her obvious perfectionism. it was clear, beyond it, though as she spoke of her older sister and how she wanted to be just as good, he could understand why. he couldn't help but wonder, even without a sister, if gia would have turned out the way she had... not that the way she turned out was a bad thing, but in retrospect, she could have still been a perfectionist, as being the only one in the family meant that someone had to take on that specific role. garrett's life wasn't exactly perfect, however, which was why he never wanted to take on the role of perfection. he wanted to strive, yes, but to having to try to be something that didn't exist in the history of the world was the most exhausting thing he had ever even thought of. "i would have never pegged you to be the type to try to compete with anyone. you seem so... sure of yourself." he offered her a smile, damn near apologetic at the fact that she had to strive to be so precise at everything. "i'm glad you're working on bettering life for yourself. i don't think having the stress of perfection is suiting for anyone." their "moment", for lack of a better term, was interrupted when the food was set down in front of them. he thanked stacey, smiling as gia went right for it. he actually liked girls that would eat around him, not that he took many out on dates, or that he was on a date with gia, but most girls their age would hide the fact that they actually liked french fries and burgers late at night. "you don't have anything simpler to ask me?" he joked as he slathered ketchup on his burger and on the side of his plate for his fries. he took a bite of his burger, not being able to wait as he realized he was starving, and held up his finger to signal the fact tat he would actually reply with a real answer in a moment. he groaned as he swallowed his food, letting out a deep breath and a mumbled "fuck, that is some good shit", before he focused his attention back on gia. "i have a picture that my mother drew for me when i was young. it says something in the sky about how she's always in the wind, and i keep it in a book in my room that we used to read together when i was young." he could feel a lump forming in his throat, but he quickly took a sip of his milkshake to will it away. he knew that he shouldn't have said what he did about his mother to gia, as he figured she would now pry, but garrett tried his hardest to put an end to the spotlight on himself, and asked her another question. "i want your opinion on regrets, and i want to know what your biggest one is."

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

giahawthorne:

the night may have been young, but the pair were walking through a quiet neighborhood, meaning there had to be families with children asleep in bed. seeing as garrett was cracking up without a care in the world, she was sure the occupants would come outside to yell at them for disturbing their peace. the brunette prayed they wouldn’t, knowing she didn’t want to be confronted by any angry parents. her story was considered funny based on reactions she’d gotten in the past, though no one ever really had tears falling from their eyes as she told them about her vacation gone awry. when garrett stopped in his tracks, gia assumed he needed a moment to get the laughter out of his system before they could continue on. she stood glued in her spot, glaring at him until he finished. frankly, it took a bit longer than necessary. “it’s not funny! i could’ve died.” her hand immediately came in contact with his bicep, giving it a punch as means of making herself feel better about the situation. it might have helped, a little. finally ready to tell his own fun fact, gia tapped her fingers together, expecting something equally as hilarious. however, the moment he spoke, all she could do was stare at him with an unamused expression. “you did not just quote macklemore.” she didn’t know what was worse, the fact that he thought he was clever or that the guy walking beside her was someone girls actually fawned over. he was a total goof, yet somehow gia preferred this side of him as opposed to the egocentric asshole who came out every once in a while. “most likely to succeed, huh?” her eyebrows raised, slightly impressed by the revelation. of all the class superlatives there were, she would’ve thought something along the lines of ‘most likely to sleep with the most women’ would be fitting for him. of course, in that moment, he went on to brag about being good in bed, prompting her to roll her eyes in response. “i can’t concur with the latter, so no comment.” keeping it short and sweet, she didn’t want to dwell on the subject. “what is it about you that made them think you’d be so successful?” she questioned, quick to switch topics — genuinely intrigued to learn about his high school self.

he held the door open for her, which was a small gesture, but she appreciated it. perhaps chivalry wasn’t dead after all. though for someone who was labeled a playboy, she wouldn’t have expected him to be such a gentleman. not that gia was complaining or anything. her lips curved into a smile, followed by a soft “thanks.” as they settled into one of the booths, she glanced at him above the menu. “i’m glad you chose a booth. i don’t trust people who prefer tables.” it was a bit of an exaggeration, but she really didn’t understand how people could feel any differently. booths were clearly much more cozy and the all-around better option when it came to dining. “but in that case, i’m ordering one of everything.” her tone was playful as she skimmed through the list of options, “just kidding.” she quickly added, not trying to portray herself as being high maintenance or anything else of the sort. when she’d agreed to help garrett earlier in the night, gia had no intentions of getting anything in return. she was simply happy to help. why he felt the need to pay her back didn’t make much sense to her because it wasn’t any trouble. besides, the only thing she’d offered him after their fake dating charade was a hard time. as the server came back to take their orders, she looked up from the menu. “i’ll have a cheeseburger and fries with a chocolate milkshake, please.” her go-to when she was in the mood for some comfort food. gia waited for them to take garrett’s order as well, before returning the menus. she rested her cheeks in the palm of her hands, elbows pressed against the table while she studied the male sitting in front of her. “so, enough with this fun fact business. i need more from you, matthews.” at this rate, it felt like progress was making a slow turn and she was growing restless. “how about twenty one questions?” she suggested, aware that there was a chance he might’ve thought it was a lame idea, but if he had any better ones, she was all ears.

garrett felt just a smidgen of guilt for laugh at gia’s pain, but still, her story was hilarious, and he couldn’t help the laughter that flowed past his lips and into the air around them. the tears that welled in his eyes couldn’t be helped, either, as the more he thought about it, the more they formed. he wiped at his eyes quickly each time they would try to fall, but the continuous laughter had made it damn near impossible to keep up with the ones that fell. the last time garrett had cried had been not too long ago, though it was over the fact that his mother was gone, and his father was an asshole. he much preferred crying because gia told him something funny than because of something sad that was going on in his life. “you didn’t die, though! so that’s the good thing. you’re here. which is cool.” he paused, not wanting to seem too sentimental. “i guess.” smirking, he rubbed his arm where she had hit him, letting out a quiet “ow” despite not even being able to feel any pain. there was a breeze in the air, helping cool off his laughter ridden, red-hued face as they walked. he breathed in deeply, reveling in the feeling as it calmed his burning lungs as he had just laughed to the point where he couldn’t breathe. “macklemore is a legend.” he snorted loudly through his nose. “i’m joking. he annoys me with his weird hair.” it was time to talk about himself, and while he did that quite often, it was more in a conceited, “i’m good in bed” sense, versus a more serious tone. he regretted making his “fun fact” so personal, even though it was only regarding a class superlative. garrett didn’t want gia to think that he was some softy, but regardless, he explained. “i’m smart.” he shrugged his shoulders, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. “honestly, in high school, i still liked to mess around, but i was really focused on my studies. i had a high gpa when i finished up, and i was in a bunch if sports, involved in clubs and shit... i really threw myself into school.” garrett wasn’t going to confess why he had thrown himself into school so roughly, as that was a can of worms he didn’t want to open up regarding his mother, but he figured he had given gia enough details to be satisfied. “i still like school, i just don’t go as hard as i did, because i was really drained for those four years.” heaven forbid garrett became drained in college... if that were to happen, he wouldn’t have enough energy to fool around with every mary, lea, and sara that he crossed paths with. “i was going to play baseball this year, but i’m not really sure if i should.” he scratched at the back of his head, trying to mentally list the pros and cons of him playing. “my dad would be happy if i did. he used to play.” with a sigh, garrett was more than glad that it was time for them to eat. talking about himself made him feel awkward to say the least.

“who the hell prefers a table?” garrett looked around at the folks that were sitting at a table, laughing quietly as he pointed to one couple. “they do, but c’mon... look at them. they just look like they’d prefer a table.” rolling his eyes dramatically, he glanced at the menu, knowing already what he was going to get. he often went to the diner when he couldn’t sleep, as it was open twenty-four hours, and they had some of the best food he had ever tasted. “please, order whatever your heart desires,” he urged with a chuckle. there had been times when garrett would go there and order about five different things, simply because he couldn’t sleep and needed something to fill his stomach. he was kind of like a baby, in the sense that once he ate a lot he became extremely tired, but he was going to make sure he didn’t overeat while in gia’s presence, as he actually kind of liked her... at that moment. “i’ll take a—.” after hearing gia order her food, his regular order of a steak sandwich and fries with a root beer just didn’t seem as appetizing as he wanted it to be. “i’ll have my usual, but instead of the root beer, let me have a strawberry shake.” the waitress was familiar with garrett, they even called each other by their first names, and surprisingly, he hadn’t slept with her. “thanks, stacey.” they smiled at one another, before he turned his attention back to gia. “whatever you’re thinking happened between her and i, it didn’t.” he just wanted to clear the air before gia was accusing him of being a slime ball right in front of her. “fun facts are awesome, hawthorne.” he retorted in a voice that was supposed to have mimicked gia’s, though sounded nothing like her. twenty-one questions wasn’t exactly something he assumed he’d be good at playing with girls like gia, because they usually wanted wholesome ones thrown their way, and all garrett could ever be bothered to ask was if the girl of the moment wanted to have sex with him. “alright,” he said, caving with a smile. “i’ll go first.” he paused, thinking of a question, and having to stifle a laugh once he finally did. “are you a virgin?” she had to have seen that joke coming, and if she hadn’t, then she didn’t know him well enough, even after all the bonding and kissing they had done. “i’m joking,” he confirmed, holding his hands up as if to surrender to the glare and bitter tone he knew that she was going to be throwing his way. truthfully, thinking of a good question was going to prove to be quite difficult, but as he racked his mind for one, he let out a quiet “aha!” when he figured out something decent. “i got it. for real this time... when’s the last time you changed your opinion on something?” he wasn’t joking, wasn’t laughing, and was genuinely curious to know if people like gia could change their mindset on things, as they all seemed pretty adamant on staying with one opinion, like the one that she had on garrett.

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

giahawthorne:

if there was one thing gia loved, it was a good challenge and garrett was arguably one of the best challenges she’d ever come across. he was the opposite of her in every sense of the word, which made him hard to dissect, but the fact that he had such confidence that she couldn’t break him only fueled her more. his taunting tone made her eyes squint, “you clearly have no faith in my abilities.” the brunette already had everything mapped out in her head. she would start off fairly easy, ask a few simple questions, then slowly work her way up — delving in deeper. people confided in gia often, she was warm and friendly, understanding beyond belief. whenever her friends had issues they didn’t know how to deal with, she was always the number one person to go to for advice or if they just needed a shoulder to lean on. obviously, her and garrett weren’t on that level yet — not even close, but she wanted him to feel comfortable around her. since she’d already made it clear that they wouldn’t be having sex, on multiple occasions, talking was pretty much all they could do. it’s not as though they were going to sit and awkwardly stare at each other the whole night. she figured because he initiated their hanging out, he had plans of getting to know her outside of a school setting. his reasoning was still a bit hazy, not quite sure what he truly hoped to accomplish from spending time with her. “you’re right, there’s no way i would’ve agreed if food wasn’t involved.” she was only half joking, though with garrett’s tendency to get offended by certain words that came out of her mouth, he might have taken it to heart. hopefully not because she wasn’t trying to kill the vibe they’d already established. gia promised herself she’d behave — by that she just meant keeping the snarky remarks to a bare minimum. though saying and doing were two very different things, considering sarcasm came naturally whenever the male was in the mix.

his hand wrapped around hers for the third time and the way she laced her fingers through his without a single thought was beginning to feel like second nature. he was nearly dragging her through crowds of people, gia finding it difficult to keep up with his longer strides, but managing nonetheless. before they walked past the front door, she made sure to grab her jacket that was hanging over the hook on the wall, hugging the article of clothing to her chest until they stepped outside. once garrett let go of her hand, she took it upon herself to throw the jacket on as small goosebumps began prickling along her skin when the cool breeze hit. she moved her hair out of the way, brown locks falling over the slope of her shoulders. quickly glancing at garrett, she nodded in approval. “that’s fine.” she wasn’t very picky when it came to eating, so anywhere he chose would’ve worked for her. it wasn’t even the food that mattered — gia was more concerned about the flow of conversation. as soon as he demanded another ‘fun fact,’ the groan that left her lips was uncontrollable, wondering what the hell it was with him and all these facts he so desperately needed to know. they were never ending, exactly like he’d said the night they were working on their project. part of her was convinced he only kept going because it frustrated her. “this again?” shaking her head, arms crossed over one another as they continued walking down the sidewalk. with no signs of him stopping anytime soon, she had to give in. “alright, fine.” she took a few moments to conjure up a worthy story, deciding on one that was equal parts funny and traumatic. “it’s not so much a fun fact, as it was a traumatizing experience, but when i was eleven my parents took my siblings and i on a family vacation to mexico. everything was peachy until it wasn’t. they rented one of those small boats for sightseeing or whatever and we were all boarding, right? not everyone was secure on the boat, though. hint, that’s me. i was last. and the guy who was driving had the audacity to just start going without checking to make sure everyone was settled. so i’m holding onto the railing for dear life, my mom’s screaming, i’m crying. it was a whole mess. i haven’t been able to go on a boat ever since.” she let out a dry chuckle, the memory causing her to cringe. that was probably one of the worst mishaps she’d ever experienced, her vacation being ruined for the rest of the week. looking back, she still couldn’t bring herself to laugh about it. “your turn.” nudging his shoulder, she gave him an expectant look, curious to see what kind of fact he’d decide to spill.

there was electricity dancing in his fingertips, trailing up through his hand to his arm when he grabbed her hand. he didn't want to sound cheesy, or the like, but the way their fingers fit together was... odd. it was peculiar, to say the least, as they were as opposite as opposites could get, and seeing as how they hated each other for a little while, the feeling of their fingers entwining perfectly was just not something that garrett had expected. he wasn't used to holding hands with people, and whenever girls tried, it would take forever for them to find a comfortable grasp, and eventually, he would get so fed up that he would let go, only to go on with his business. see, he had tried to be romantic sometimes... didn't girls find hand holding romantic? yes, he failed, but at least he tried. garrett had to face the facts. the reason things didn't work out romantically was probably because he didn't want them to. he could try, and try, and try until he was blue in the face, but that didn't mean that his goal was going to be achieved. he just didn't want any baggage, but now that he thought about it, with gia pretending to be his fake girlfriend to scare off michelle, he probably would have had less baggage if he was in a relationship, versus sleeping with every other girl that he saw. he could admit, that if he found someone worth changing for, he would really try hard to be the guy that she would want him to be, but he also wasn't actively looking for "the one". besides, after his mother died, his father had told him something that stuck with him for a while, and this was all before his father became the world's biggest manwhore. garrett could hear his father's voice in his head as he replayed those words he had spoken to him, "you can't try to find love, as you have to let it find you". truthfully, if that was true, garrett wasn't trying to find love, and it hadn't found him as of the last nineteen years, so he had nothing to worry about. girl after girl tried to be with him, but he would dip out the midst of the night, or call them an uber right after he decided he was done with them. if a girl was willing to give it up immediately to him, then they really weren't worth his time.

garrett was well aware of the fact that gia wasn't fond of his fun fact game, which was why he often asked her for her own, or even listed off all of the cool things about himself that he considered "fun facts". he had to face it, and so did she, he just loved to mess with her. with her groaning in frustration, he couldn't help but have to stifle back a chuckle, knowing that he had gotten under her skin in that moment, or so he assumed. though he was surprised that she gave in and was actually going to tell him something, he was looking forward to it. they were friends, he supposed, because they were definitely more than just acquaintances, so learning about one another was a step in the friendship direction. garrett had no friends that were females, so he supposed gia was the first, and there was a first time for everything. just as there was a first time for gia to make him laugh so hard that tears formed in his eyes. the story she had told, and the image he had gotten from said story made him stop walking for a moment as he bent over, his abdomen actually hurting from how hard he was laughing. garrett was sure that gia was going to murder him for how he was laughing, and he was also sure that the folks of the neighborhood were going to come from their houses to yell at him, what with how his laughter was echoing in the night. it took him several moments and several deep breaths later to calm down, having to block out the image of baby gia struggling so damn hard. finally, he was able to continue walking, thinking of something that he could tell her in return. "okay, i got it." he smiled proudly, knowing that his story was going to impress her, or so he hoped. "when i was in the third grade..." he paused, stifling a laugh. "i thought that i was gay." his laughter, once again, boomed through the empty streets, and he had to remember to quiet down. "i'm totally kidding, though in high school i was voted most likely to succeed, so you gotta admit that i'm more than just a pretty face and good in bed." he smiled as they approached the restaurant, holding the door open for her and following in after. he grabbed the closest booth, thanking the server when she set down two menus. "it's on me tonight. as a thanks. y'know."

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

giahawthorne:

gia hadn’t expected the answer he gave, assuming he would’ve made some crude remark about how sex was far too enjoyable for him to ever give up. regardless, she was glad to be spared the gruesome details. though his actions didn’t correlate with the words he was speaking, leading her mind to the infamous: so what is the truth? “then why keep doing it?” she asked, unable to hide the dumbfounded expression on her features. as she received pieces of insight on the male stood before her, she couldn’t necessarily categorize him as the typical playboy type. sure, he had a cocky attitude that drove her insane and he definitely got around, but something told her that his behavior was justifiable — regarding certain things. there was so much she had yet to discover, her list of questions only seeming to grow. “i don’t get you, like at all. but you know what? i’m gonna figure you out.” she concluded with a proud nod, swirling an index finger in front of his face for emphasis. gia didn’t care how long it’d take, she could be very persistent when she wanted to be. the task would be difficult, given how often they got under each other’s skin, and garrett proved to be a hard nut to crack. on the bright side, they were already making slow progress judging by the lack of arguments they’d had that night. however, the night was still young and she knew that their emotions could change with the flip of a switch. gia simply wasn’t gonna dwell on the negative. she’d welcome his civility with open arms and if all went well, they might become genuine friends along the way. she figured he wasn’t accustomed to girls calling him out — becoming putty in his hands seemed more accurate. unlucky for him, she didn’t hold back. he may not have appreciated it as he’d expressed wanting her to fall off her ‘high horse,’ which didn’t even make sense, might she add, considering he thought highly of himself too. someone had to knock him off his pedestal every once in a while and gia was the perfect person for the job.

his face was inching towards her for the second time that night and gia swore she felt her breath hitch as he did so, her brain going into full on panic mode. she liked to think garrett wasn’t bold enough to kiss her out of the blue. or maybe he was, but she wouldn’t have let it happen in the first place. the further she stayed away from him and his lips, the better off she’d be. not that she thought he was a bad kisser, quite the opposite actually, but because fooling around with him would create complications that no one needed. even entertaining the idea caused a shiver to run down her spine. she attempted to remain composed, though for some inexplicable reason, she had trouble forming any coherent thoughts when he was that close. everything was magnified, from noticing how green his eyes were to the way his mouth curved just so. snap out of it, gia. this is the same guy who irritates every nerve in your body. relief washed over her as he spoke into her ear instead. with the music blaring through the speakers, she wasn’t sure if she heard him correctly. it sounded a lot like he wanted to hang out, which couldn’t be right. why the hell would he want to spend time with her — especially now of all times. they were at a party. wasn’t that meant to be hook-up galore for guys like him? “you want to hang out… with me? willingly?” she scrunched her nose, staring at garrett to try and decipher whether he was being serious. the longer she kept her gaze locked on him, she began to realize that he wasn’t kidding. he almost seemed nervous, taking note of how he was scratching the back of his neck while he awaited her response. that had to be absolutely absurd. “i mean, uh, not that that’s a bad thing. that’s cool.” nice save. shrugging in hopes of coming off as nonchalant, she tried not to overthink his words. at this point, they knew each other well enough, so she really prayed he didn’t have any ulterior motives. “i’m not gonna say no to food ‘cause well, i’m not insane.” a soft chuckle slipped past her lips, always in the mood to eat. the party wasn’t exactly popping either and since none of her friends were there, no one would miss her if she decided to leave. “so yeah, sure.”

in all reality, they were perfect for one another, but the duo was too stubborn to realize it. garrett was stuck in his ways, and gia found him his ways to be utterly disgusting. the two of them could never be anything more than friends, but then again, they hadn’t really been able to be anything more than acquaintances, yet there they were... standing in a frat house for the second time after just pretending to be dating one another. what was with their track record? it was quite confusing, to say the least. garrett wasn’t sure what had washed over him, or why he wanted to hangout with her, but he did, and after she had put on the performance of a lifetime while playing his girlfriend the least he could do was treat her to a bite to eat. garrett looked at the time on his phone. it was early, only half past nine, and he hadn’t eaten dinner which meant that he was more than hungry. garrett’s favorite thing for dinner was breakfast, which made no sense in all reality, but his favorite thing for breakfast was dinner. he was a backwards kind of guy, and instead of eating most things warmed up, he ate them cold, and that included things like chinese food, or pizza, or even buffalo wings. when he was younger, his father would tell him that he would get a stomach ache, but he simply ignored the man, as he was probably on the verge of contracting a sexually transmitted disease from all the women he fucked, so if garrett wanted to eat his food cold, then so be it. there was a time when garrett loathed his father for never being at home for him once his mother died. he would have rather been off fucking girl after girl, then spending time with his son, which was more of a reason as to why garrett turned to sleeping around. he made his own decisions, yes, but that didn’t mean that his father didn’t heavily influence him. garrett could stop sleeping around any time he pleased, and that was the thing, he didn’t need to do it. he wasn’t addicted to sex, and quite frankly, he couldn’t see how someone could love sex to the brink of needing to attend group therapy for it, but he did like it, which was why he had yet to stop. “figure me out,” he challenged gia. “i’d love to see you get to the bottom of me.” while he was being serious, he knew that it wasn’t likely that she would actually figure him out, which was why he had no trouble taunting her with the desire to see who he was. the fact that she wanted to see beneath the surface said more about her than it did about him... didn’t it?

“i figured you wouldn’t be able to say no. what girl can say no to food, even if i’m involved and she hates me?” he winked at her, noting that they had come a long way from despising one another. grabbing her hand gently, garrett tugged gia out of the house, letting her fingers slip through his as he let go and the fresh air hit his warm body. the music could still be heard, the thumping bass sounded even more annoying now that he was outside. garrett’s ears were ringing as if he had just been at a concert, but he was sure it had something to do with the change in temperature, and the pressure in his head. he could feel a headache making its way into his temples, and took a few deep breaths to try and stop it in its tracks. he didn’t want to feel as though his mind was going to ooze from his ears while eating dinner with gia, as he would probably form an attitude, which would undo all of the progress they had done for the night. “i was thinking we could walk to the diner just a few streets over.” walking would give them more time to talk to one another. as much as garrett hated to admit it, he was actually enjoying the thought of spending time with gia, what with all the time they had spent together in the frat house. he hadn’t brought his car with him, having decided to walk to the party as the frat house wasn’t far from his own. he had been worried that there would be too much alcohol in his system to drive after the party, but since he was leaving early, and had barely anything to drink, garrett was sure that the walk to the diner and the food he would consume was enough to absorb the two drinks that he hadn’t even finished. he wasn’t a lightweight by any means necessary, and if there was one thing garrett was passionate about, it was not drinking and driving, even after having so much as a few sips. he just hated the thought of people losing other people, because someone was a big enough asshole, and couldn’t call a cab, or have someone else take them home. “tell me a fun fact,” he demanded softly as they walked along the sidewalk, garrett kicking a stone every now and again. he had no idea why he wanted to learn about her, on top of hanging out with her. maybe he had a fever, and was creating odd scenarios in his head, and desires that he wouldn’t normally want when he was healthy. regardless, he was curious to get to know gia, just as she was curious to get to know him. the feeling was mutual, and it seemed that, in reality, a lot was mutual between the duo.

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

giahawthorne:

she couldn’t deny that it was refreshing not to have her frustrations directed at garrett for once. while her actions were always justified when it came to him, getting herself worked up over his little comments took a bit more energy out of her than she cared to admit. the pair were the epitome of hot and cold, even gia had trouble understanding the basis of their relationship. one second they were arguing about petty bullshit and the next, they were laughing and getting along as if they were actual friends. it didn’t make sense. nothing about them made sense. sometimes she felt as though they lived in two different worlds. however, it was obvious that they made a pretty damn good team when push came to shove. at least if the score on their chemistry project and the performance they just had were any indication. listening to garrett explain his side of things only seemed to perplex her. “can’t or won’t?” she challenged with a quirked brow, wondering if there really was a reason why he couldn’t bring himself to settle down with one person or if he just chose to fool around with multiple women for personal gains. the latter seemed more realistic had she been completely honest. “doesn’t it get boring?” she added with a shrug. maybe she sounded naive, but these were all legitimate questions in her mind. gia had no idea what jumping from one bed to another was like seeing as she’d only been in a handful of beds thus far — each person she’d formed a connection with prior to sleeping with them. the whole idea of causal sex almost seemed unfulfilling in a way. two people using each other for a few minutes of bliss before they parted and moved onto whoever was next in line. she couldn’t envision it. well, technically, she could, just not for herself. “who knows, someday you might meet someone you actually want to have more than sex with.” now she knew she sounded naive. giving him a pat on the shoulder, she offered a hopeful smile. people could change, except that drastically might’ve been a reach.

“no worries. it was kinda fun.” she admitted, feeling a bit unjust for thinking about the situation as such when she had been so blatantly rude to another person. she kept reminding herself that it was merely an act, which should have excused her behavior, but that’s what gia wanted to convince herself. “guess i’m not as lame as you thought.” while she hadn’t intended to be garrett’s fake girlfriend to prove a point, she was glad that he could see a different side of her. perhaps it would get him to lay off on all the jokes, not that they genuinely offended her or anything. she just loved proving people wrong, even more so when she saw the impressed look written on their features — just like the one garrett was currently wearing. on the other hand, part of her felt guilty about how she’d treated michelle moments earlier. her words were only a way of retaliating against the female for provoking her, but none of it was meant to be real, so gia contemplated if she should apologize, clear the air in case the girl was plotting against her. it was a ridiculous assumption to have, that much she knew, though you couldn’t be too safe. “i do feel bad for michelle. i mean, i’m sure she’s a nice person underneath the crazy. maybe i’ll apologize to her on monday.” that sounded like a good idea, nodding her head in approval as she allowed the thought to marinate. “hold the applause, please.” she held a hand up before bowing in front of him, letting out a laugh as she did so. to say she was taken aback by her own acting abilities would be an understatement. gia had never been the best at lying. every time she tried, she would either break character halfway through or obliviously blow her own cover. she didn’t know what had came over her tonight, but she was happy to have helped a chemistry partner in need. as they stood there staring at each other, gia found herself playing with her fingers, unsure of what else was left to say. it was weird, like she suddenly felt nervous after she’d put on the performance of her life. “anyway, now that you’re free, i’m sure you have a bunch of girls lined up to charm, so i’ll see you in class.” there wasn’t any reason for her to stick around much longer given the fact that they’d accomplished their mission. she could go mingle with some other students while garrett did whatever it was that garrett did and all of this fake dating business would finally be put behind them.

she had a point, as much as garrett hated to admit it. he swore he couldn’t stick to one person, but the fact of the matter was that he simply wouldn’t. seeing his father turn into some sort of cold, closed off man when it came to love after his mother died had really done a number on garrett, just about as much as his mother actually passing away had. it was upsetting, to say the least, that his father could alter his mind set that substantially, and garrett wasn’t trying to pass blame, but it had a lot to do with his thought process when it came to women. the young man hadn’t really gotten to see much of the love between his mother and father, as he was too involved in his own life to notice, but it was there, and it had been the whole time they were together. they loved each other, they loved garrett, and he loved them. love wasn’t something that was foreign to garrett, but it was something that he suppressed, and strongly. after the death of his mother, garrett witnessed a change in his father. the man tried dating, only to come home night after night, disgruntled in the fact that no one would ever be christina matthews, his late wife. they would go to his mother’s grave, and his father would stand there and sob, begging the lord to bring her back. but she wouldn’t come back. no matter how many times they both prayed and cried over it, she wouldn’t come back. it wasn’t how things worked, and eventually, garrett’s father stopped praying and crying. eventually, the man would go out once garrett was old enough to take care of himself, and no return for the night, or even most of the next day. he would apologize, give his son a pat on the head, and tell garrett to never become him. clearly, the younger man didn’t listen, as the manwhore persona had been passed down in a flash. his father went through secretary after secretary, sleeping with one and then firing her when he was done with her. it was a miracle that he hadn’t been served with papers for unlawful sexual contact. garrett’s father never let his woman of the night cross paths with his son, and for that, garrett was grateful, as he would have rather only known what was going on, versus seeing it with his very own eyes. the annoying part was that instead of hating his father, garrett understood him. he could see why love was a thing that the man would now run from, as garrett hadn’t ever experienced it and he was running from it. they were two peas from the same pod, but garrett knew that his father had to slow down, and made mental note to talk to him about it whenever their paths crossed again.

gia and garrett were getting along, and it was weird, but garrett found himself wondering if it was a good thing. the duo hadn’t exactly been the best of friends, and while progress was a slow process, garrett knew that it was only time before they argued again. he had made no motion to leave, awkward silence forming over them as he didn’t respond to gia’s comment about the “many girls” he had to go after. he nodded his head, almost offended that she had to bring up the fact that he slept around. he ran his tongue over his teeth, still hesitating to walk away, before he spoke loudly over the music. “it does.” he nodded, understanding what he meant by those words, but knowing that she didn’t. “it gets boring.” he was confiding in her, and he could only hope that she didn’t make him regret it. part of garrett wanted to turn on his heel and “dip out”, as the guys called it whenever they left a girl in the middle of the night, but it wasn’t the middle of the night, and gia wasn’t just “a girl”. she was his friend, kind of, and that meant something... didn’t it? garrett was biting his tongue, trying to stop himself from asking the next question that was forming in the back of his mind. it wasn’t as if it was going to make, or break, anything with the duo, but it was a step closer in the direction of them being “friends”. stepping closer to gia, he felt his heart speed up a bit, as if he had just been planning to kiss her, but in a non-acting manner. he wasn’t going to, of course, as he knew that she’d probably turn around and slap him in the face, and furthermore, that would have been a step in a direction that he didn’t want to take. kissing her for professional purposes was enough for garrett. “listen,” he demanded softly, bending down so that his lips were by her ear. he didn’t want to shout over the music anymore, and he definitely didn’t want people to hear the rejection that he was, most likely, going to receive. “do you maybe want to go grab food, or something?” pulling away so he could read her expression, garrett’s brows furrowed together as he scratched at the back of his head. it was a nervous tick, something that he couldn’t understand why it was presenting himself int hat moment. why was he nervous? all it would be was two buddies going to get food... right?

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

giahawthorne:

as bodies moved back and forth amongst the house, she didn’t fail to notice the male who approached garrett with a fist bump, leading gia to make a face. she would’ve questioned it, her mind wandering to a million places, but she was probably better off not knowing. while they were caught in a compromising situation, she felt beyond blessed that her friends weren’t there to witness any of what was going on. they were already wary of their ‘relationship’ and seeing her all over him, literally, would only confirm their suspicions. gia would never hear the end of it. she loved her friends, she did, but listening to them go on and on about how garrett was an absolute ‘dreamboat’ didn’t help anyone, instead making her more inclined to stay away from him. “i can’t imagine being you.” was the only thing she said in response, gently shaking her head. the life of a playboy was clearly much more complex than she ever would’ve figured. when word came around that michelle would be heading back inside any second, gia felt her heart rate pick up in the slightest as she mentally prepared herself for their little acting gig. with garrett’s hand caressing her cheek, her face inched closer to his, the skin where he touched burning — though she showed no signs of being affected. “oh, you know i will.” she shot back with a daring smile, having nowhere to look other than into his eyes, which was making everything increasingly harder. she couldn’t really explain it, not that she had much time to even think about what was happening because his lips were pressed against hers before she could process her thoughts. eyes fluttered shut, her mouth moving with his as a hand rested on top of his chest. this kiss was oddly different than the last, like they actually knew what they were doing. neither of them unsure, letting their lips do the work. a voice, which she assumed was michelle’s rang through her ears, causing gia to groan as her boyfriend pulled away. she sent her a scowl, instinctively wrapping her fingers around his to show her who he truly belonged to. nuzzling her head into the crook of garrett’s neck, she listened to her speak, offended by the unsolicited attitude that was being thrown her way.

“hmm, that’s funny.” brows furrowed as she tilted her head, staring at the female in front of them as she pondered her words. “i don’t remember asking for your permission.” the fact that she was so visibly upset at garrett for being with another girl made her want to laugh, but she refrained from doing so — not trying to blow their cover. it was in that moment where the brunette realized he wasn’t kidding when he said women turned into psychos after sleeping with him. of course, she still couldn’t understand why exactly that was the case. and maybe she never would. however, gia couldn’t lie, she was enjoying playing the role of overprotective girlfriend. swinging her legs over the arm rest, she stood up from her position on garrett’s lap and moved towards michelle. “i’m sure this must be difficult for you to comprehend, but he doesn’t want you. he’s mine. so why don’t you do yourself a favor and run along, sweetie.” she motioned to the exit, as if swatting her away like a fly, immediately followed by slender digits waving her goodbye. gia’s feet remained glued to their spot while the other walked away with her head bowed in shame, waiting until she was out of sight before turning to garrett with a more than satisfied grin plastered over her features. she felt a rush of adrenaline course through her veins, proud of herself for putting on such a good show. to be completely honest, she didn’t think she had it in her. “give it to me!” holding a hand up for him to high five, she allowed herself to calm down a bit as she dwindled back to her normal state. hopefully no one else was paying attention to their exchange. seeing as how out of character it had been on gia’s end, she didn’t want others to genuinely believe that’s who she was. “please don’t take this the wrong way ‘cause i’m not trying to tell you how to live your life or anything, but wouldn’t it be easier to just… i don’t know, stick to one girl? seems like you could save yourself a lot of trouble.” it was merely a suggestion, considering she didn’t want to stir up any problems between them. at least not again. she just couldn’t fathom how one dealt with this kind of drama on the regular, knowing if she was in his shoes, it would drive her to the brink of insanity.

garrett expected a show, yes, but what he hadn’t expected was a full blown masterpiece. when gia had agreed to be his “girlfriend”, he never imagined her trying so hard. not only did she have michelle running away like a child that was just told she couldn’t have her favorite toy from the store, but she also had the entire party in awe. the kiss was one thing. her hand on his chest was an added bonus, almost a comfort mechanism—at least for garrett, it was. gia’s groan when he broke the kiss had caused him to grin, and though he knew that she was just playing along, it still sounded like music to his ears. their fingers were wrapped together, again by gia’s doing, and she nuzzled her head into his neck... an action he hadn’t expected, though it was entirely welcome, and his own hand instinctively went to stroke her hair. the nature of the act nearly scared him, as it wasn’t on purpose, as much as it was instinctual. he had pulled his hand away quickly, resting it on the middle of gia’s back instead, but their touch was broken when she climbed from his lap. garrett wasn’t sure what to expect, as he didn’t want gia getting into a physical fight because of him. garrett knew that he was worth a lot, or maybe nothing at all, but he definitely wasn’t worth a fist fight, especially when gia wasn’t even his real girlfriend. garrett was aware of gia’s bark, as it was utterly spectacular, and he was very familiar with it as it was usually thrown in his direction, but this time, it was being thrown at someone else, and that bark turned into a full-blown bite. he had to wonder if she was secretly majoring in theater, or the like, as her performance was impeccable. she was so visibly angry for someone else wanting to get at him, that for a moment or two, garrett wasn’t sure they were pretending, after all, she had said that he was hers. that would have been simple preposterous as garrett and gia bumped heads worse than a married couple that was on the verge of signing divorce papers. the “sweetie” was the icing on top of the birthday cake, as every agitated girl known to man used that terminology when they were mad at another female. it was perfect, and garrett couldn’t have been happier with the outcome—michelle storming off and hopefully never returning, though he had the utmost faith in their performance... or should he have said gia’s performance.

once michelle was far, far away, gia’s excitement became evident, knowing damn well that she had done a fantastic job. he reciprocated her high five, deeming it cute as to how energetic she was. it was a side to her that garrett hadn’t seen, as most of the time, she was focusing all of her energy on bitching at him... with good reason. and garrett knew that. he knew that she always had a good reason for being how she was towards him, but that didn’t mean that he could bring himself to stop being a certain way. truthfully, he knew when enough was enough, and when to act a certain way, but it was just so fun to mess with gia that he never wanted to tone it down. he supposed that now that she had done him a solid he could cut her some slack and genuinely be a nice guy. she deserved it. she didn’t deserve for garrett to treat her like she was the anti-christ because she wouldn’t sleep with him, and he made a vow to himself that he would forever be in debt to gia hawthorne. “it would be easier,” garrett agreed, looking down at his “girlfriend”. “i just... i don’t know. part of me just can’t.” he wasn’t quite sure as to why he was explaining himself to gia, but they had just shared an intense moment, and as he was in debt to her, he supposed part of that debt was actually discussing his life. she wasn’t a bad person, he knew that, and perhaps they rubbed each other the wrong way sometimes, but he was seeing her in a new light, and was pretty ready to move on from the past. their arguments had been petty, mostly on garrett’s part, as gia had, more than likely, just been defending herself. it was understandable. “it’s like this... i could have one girl, or i can have as many as i want... why stick with one fish when there’s a whole sea of them?” he shrugged his shoulders, not expecting her to understand at all, but hoping that she wouldn’t crucify him for it. maybe she would understand in due time, or maybe he would understand her point of view, but the thought of him converting to a “good boy” almost made him laugh. “thanks again, gia. i really appreciate it. you blew me away with your performance.” he smiled at her—a genuine, sincere smile. garrett was going to walk away, as their job there was done, but something was holding him back, and instead of turning on his heel, he awkwardly ran his hand through his hair. he didn’t know what to say, or even what to do, but he knew that he didn’t want to walk away from her.

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

giahawthorne:

his immense gratitude caused the corners of her mouth to curve into a small grin, before she playfully shook her head — thoroughly amused by his actions. she was relieved to have the roles reversed, knowing she probably couldn’t handle another fake relationship if she was the person initiating it. “hey, you helped me out. it’s the least i could do, right?” though she hoped garrett wouldn’t have held that night over her head, gia would’ve felt bad leaving him in the dust. as much as they bickered, he was still a decent guy beneath his playboy ways. besides, what would one more kiss between them do? she was completely unfazed after locking lips with him once, she didn’t think a second time would be any different. “oh, i know of michelle.” she’d heard stories about the female, about how she was extremely overbearing when it came to guys she hooked up with. gia assumed he’d be a bit cautious about choosing his partners, make sure they wouldn’t start any problems after he decided to move onto someone else. then again, she also knew that he’d sleep with just about any girl who had nice legs. “yeah, you better hope she’s harmless. i’m not trying to get murdered in my sleep tonight.” from what she could tell, they were on two completely different ends of the spectrum. michelle seemed less straight-edged, the unpredictable type, which meant gia had no control of her reaction. all she knew was that she didn’t need to deal with some girl’s wrath at the sight of them pretending to be a couple. as garrett spoke another ‘thank you,’ she simply hummed in response. the smile he sent her way was genuine, unlike how he’d usually look at her with a stupid smirk written over his features. however, his next move was very uncharacteristic, fingers lacing between her own. gia’s gaze flickered to their entwined hands, then moved back up to him, taken aback by the softness of his touch. they seemed to fit together with ease, she noticed, leading to an annoyingly loud ‘what the fuck do you mean?’ from her brain. she chose to disregard the voice, allowing her hand to fall limp at her side as he let go. “it’s fine.” she assured him, wiping her palm over the suede material of her skirt when she was sure he wasn’t paying attention.

clearing her throat as means of segue, gia crossed her arms while brown eyes scanned amongst the crowd of rowdy college students. a small squeal emitted from her as garrett grabbed her by the waist and propped herself on his lap. “i can see that. i’m not blind.” she retorted with an eye roll, throwing her legs over the arm rest on the chair and shuffling around a bit until she was content with the position she was in. gia couldn’t predict when the other girl would pop up, so the brunette figured she might as well make herself at home as they waited. his question prompted an uncontrollable laugh to slip past painted lips, unable to shake the thought of how ironic this was. the last place she would’ve expected to be tonight was cozied up with garrett as they kept a lookout for one of his fuck buddies gone wrong. she wanted to pinch herself, see if she would wake up and realize it was just her conscious playing tricks on her. unfortunately, that was far from the case. “me? i’m great. never been better! y’know, i always come to parties hoping to fake a relationship with you. it’s a dream, really.” alright gia, lay off on the sarcasm — she obviously wasn’t thrilled to be caught in this predicament again, but at least she could safely say it wouldn’t be worse than the first time. she was much more nervous then, not even sure of how to approach the situation, seeing as she’d never done anything of the sort before. and she didn’t know garrett, so that made her slightly uncomfortable, but now that they were better acquainted with one another, gia didn’t find herself feeling anxious. she knew what to expect from him, granted that wasn’t much of a perk because he irritated her in more ways than one. “so, how often does this happen to you?” surely, it couldn’t be the first time he had to divert a clingy female and she noted that it wouldn’t be the last either.

things were going as smooth as they could, and he had to thank gia for that, as she was laying off of the sarcasm, though it did slip out every so often, and garrett found himself rolling his eyes at her—playfully, of course. she was doing him a solid, and though they had bickered back and forth prior, he could understand why she would be somewhat annoyed. for garrett, there were worse options than sitting and waiting with gia in his lap. she was a gorgeous girl, to say the least, and he was more than thankful that she was at the party. he could have picked someone else to be his “girlfriend”, but there was a chance it would have been as awkward for him as it had been for gia the first time around. he had been as cool as a cucumber the first time they pretended to be dating, but that was because he wasn’t the one in dire need of a fake girlfriend the first time. now that the tables had turned he had felt almost anxious was he searched the house for her. there weren’t that many attractive girls at the party, and he had to admit that gia was the most beautiful, so he was certain that his master plan wouldn’t have been as believable had he gone after someone ugly to fake being in a relationship with. garrett and gia being together had to have been believable, as one of his buddies walked by and gave him the biggest of fist bumps, patting his shoulder as he walked away with a less than quiet “good job, bro”. everyone who had been at the party the first time, or more like garrett’s friends that had been at the party, had seen them kiss to divert gia’s creepy acquaintance. garrett had explained to them that he was just helping her out, and truth be told, he wasn’t sure gia knew that he had been so honest with his buddies, as he could have graciously said that they went and fucked right after. now that it was happening again it seemed to be a little more believable that they weren’t just faking it. “how often do i have to divert annoying females that thing i belong to them?” garrett huffed out a laugh through his nose, shaking his head before resting it back against the top of the seat. “more often than i’d like to admit.” usually, garrett would just play it off, but he didn’t feel like leaving the party to go sit at home—alone, at that, so he enlisted the help of gia, which was the best thing he could have done.

he rested his hand on her thigh, not trying to be slick, or anything of that nature, just not really sure what to do with his hand now that she was in a different position. at least she was making herself comfortable. “i know you have better things to be doing, and i know i’ve alrea—.” his words were cut short when the same people he had asked about michelle came rushing back to tell him that she was coming inside. at least someone could pick up on the fact that he and gia weren’t actually together. garrett couldn’t help but wonder if her friends that had made a big ordeal about her falling asleep on his couch were at the party, and he couldn’t help but wonder what they would think, or rather say, on the matter of their fake relationship. “i guess we better do this thing.” offering her an apologetic smile, garrett heard michelle’s voice coming from the back of the house, and realized that if he wanted to make it look entirely legitimate that he would have to lay one on gia like it was the last thing he had to do. “kill me for this later.” he was hoping that she wouldn’t mind his assertiveness as he caressed her cheek with his free hand and firmly pulled her closer so that there was little space between their lips. his mouth hovered over hers, their breathing mixing together, and if garrett had to be truthful, he would admit that he didn’t mind the close proximity that they had been in. he couldn’t stall any longer. without much more hesitation, garrett pressed his lips against her softer ones, noting that it felt much more intricate than the first time they kissed. out of all the time they had spent together, and them kissing prior, they had yet to kiss outside of their faking games. of course that was all gia’s doing, because garrett would have kissed her in a heartbeat, but it didn’t matter, because he knew that it would never happen genuinely. “well, what do we have here?” michelle’s voice rung through his ears like the squeals of a dying chicken, and he definitely didn’t know what he had seen in her. breaking the kiss that he was sharing with gia, he looked up at his “blast from the past” with a disgusted expression. “can’t you see i’m busy with my girlfriend?” he sighed, pressing a small kiss to gia’s lips for show, but reveling in the feeling of it all over again. her lips were just so soft, and he was sure that he hadn’t ever kissed anyone with lips that soft. “you know what?” michelle’s voice went up an octave as she spoke, and garrett was sure that she was going to explode. “you can have him, sweetie. he’s an asshole, anyway.” garrett couldn’t help but chuckle. tell him something he didn’t know.

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

giahawthorne:

days had passed since her big chemistry project with garrett and the rumors of their supposed hook-up that spread like wildfire among her group of friends. with the chaos settling down, after gia incessantly dismissed their assumptions, she thanked her lucky stars that word hadn’t gotten around to the rest of the school. her and garrett were both aware of what went on that night. technically, that should’ve been the only thing that mattered, but gia hated having her name in other people’s mouths, especially if what they were saying about her wasn’t even true. she was an honest person, which is why she couldn’t stand the thought of people talking about her in such a negative light. all she’d done was accidentally fall asleep on a boy’s couch — it was harmless. she knew it, garrett knew it, and she would’ve hoped her friends would’ve believed it. of course, she couldn’t force them to and she didn’t expect garrett to understand where she was coming from either, but she wouldn’t have minded a bit of sympathy from him. although working alongside the male proved to be less than breezy, seeing as they butted heads more often than the average duo, it also wasn’t the most terrible experience she’d had with a partner. whatever they were doing ended up working in their favor because they did really well on the project, so she couldn’t say their arguing was for nothing. she would hardly call him her friend, but he certainly wasn’t a stranger anymore. they conversed every once in a while, usually about their assignments — sprinkled with occasional banter here and there. either way, gia was just glad that the worst was behind them and figured she’d treat herself to a night out. not that the last time had gone swimmingly, though she highly doubted things would escalate like they had at the other party.

she was stood near the corner of the room, catching up with an old classmate when the words ‘hey babe’ caught her by surprise, prompting gia to whip her head back. “wha—” her body turned to face the person only to be met with a slightly rattled garrett, her eyebrows immediately knitting together in confusion while she looked up at him. an odd sense of déjà vu washed over her as he explained himself, noticing the hint of desperation present in his voice. “oh god.” was all she could seem to muster out in the moment, the implication of what he was asking hitting her like a ton of bricks. she recalled the previous fake relationship she’d been in, ironically with him — and how horribly that had turned out. not so much for garrett, she assumed, since he seemed to be reveling in getting under her skin. but it led to the beginning of their strange… whatever it was. taking a large sip from the red solo cup nestled between her fingers, she knew she’d need some liquid courage to get through the night. a lot more if she agreed to play along as his makeshift girlfriend. the brunette wondered how this had become her life. or rather, why was she finding herself in these predicaments after meeting garrett. it’s as though he brought trouble wherever he went and gia was somehow sucked into the mess. a huge part of her wanted to say no, get herself as far away from the situation as possible. however, the fact that he didn’t hesitate to lend a helping hand when she’d come to him with the same problem didn’t go over her head. in fact, it just made her feel guilty about leaving him hanging. “i really need to stop coming to these things.” a quiet sigh slipped from her lips, not sure if she should laugh at how ridiculous it was that they’d continue on to round two of fake dating. “alright, who’s the girl?” she questioned, placing her empty cup down on the table as she eyed him warily.

garrett, while looking as pathetic as possible, hadn’t been sure that gia was going to agree to being his “girlfriend”. granted, the last time she had approached him with the same problem of needing a fake lover, she had ended up on the receiving end of his torture. truthfully he couldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to do, and though there were many other girls at the party that would do the part justice, they all could have looked at it in the wrong way, and thus would have started another problem. gia wasn’t like the other girls that garrett messed around with, not that he messed around with gia, like at all, and he had learned that at the party they had met at many weeks ago. had it really been that long since they got to play this little game of ‘please pretend you’re dating me’? garrett could remember that night vividly, and why it was so prominent in his mind was beyond anything he could imagine. he could recall gia looking timid as sh approached him—innocent, even, but she had a bark that would reap in one’s mind for days. of course, to garrett, her bite was nothing short of gentle, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying to have her go on, and on, and on about how they were so different when it came to intimate relationships, and how she just could not fathom the idea of sleeping with someone like him. it wasn’t worth rehashing, he decided, as the thought of her belittling him with her holier than thou attitude was only going to piss him off, and she was doing him a favor now, after all. he couldn’t believe that she had agreed to help him out, but he supposed that had something to do with the debt that she was owing to him. he wouldn’t have hung that over her head, the fact that she “owed him some help”, or whatever, but he was requesting a favor in return just that one time. desperate times called for desperate measures. “thank you. thank you. thank you.” gia was sort of the girl that he hated, but liked at the same time, and he liked her because she was different. she didn’t take any of his crap, and they were two total opposites, which meant that they attracted in some odd way.

as she set her drink down, garrett wrapped his arm around gia’s shoulder, his lips going back near her ear so that she could hear him over the roar of the music, and so that no one else could hear the small details of his master plan. he ushered them along towards the direction of where he had last seen his stalker of the night. “her name is michelle...” he pulled away, his eyes searching the air as if it was going to confirm, or deny, the fact that he was correct. “i think... anyway.” he shook his head, making a mental note to start remembering people’s names better than he did, but through and through, the one name he hadn’t forgotten was that of the girl standing next to him—gia. “i slept with her a little while ago, and she’s not like... crazy, or anything, but she’s a little obsessive, but everyone says she’s harmless and backs off at the sight of another girl.” truthfully, it probably looked as though garrett was whispering dirty things into gia’s ear, and the thought alone made him stifle a laugh. as if that would ever happen. “i just need it to be like the last time we did this.” he offered a forced smile, knowing that, for gia, the last time didn’t turn out so well, but she had agreed, and she didn’t seem like the type to go back on her word. he wasn’t going to sit there and kiss gia until the other girl walked by. they could simply sit and chat, or at least pretend to, until michelle, or whatever her name was, walked by, and then all they had to do was throw on a little display of affection, and then the situation would be over. the mission would be complete. “so, babe, who was that you were talking it up with? someone better than me?” garrett sat down in a chair by the wall, trying desperately to keep a straight face as he played the role of an obnoxious boyfriend. his stoic expression lased about three seconds before he started chuckling, letting out a ‘just kidding’ so that gia didn’t think he was that much of an asshole. “thank you, again.” he was being sincere, a soft smile forming on his lips as he looked up at his girlfriend. for some incredibly odd reason, garrett grabbed her hand, his fingers dancing gently against hers as they waited for michelle to walk by.

“shit. sorry.” garrett dropped gia’s hand, having gotten lost in his own thoughts. what the hell had he just been doing? truthfully, he didn’t want to know, and instead, relaxed back in chair. his mind was so absent, and he wasn’t truly paying attention to his actions. he grabbed gia by her waist gently and pulled her into his lap. “there’s only one chair. relax. i’m not about to pop a boner.” he chuckled, his left hand staying in its position on her waist, though his right stayed by his own side. he didn’t want to get too handsy, as he was certain that gia would turn around and slap him in the face, fake girlfriend or no fake girlfriend. his eyes darted around the faces that were lining the rooms at the frat house, trying hard to pinpoint michelle’s face. he couldn’t spot her, and asked one of his friends as they walked by if they had seen her. they had said she was out back, which probably meant she was trying to find drugs, or whatever it was that girls like michelle did. the plus side was that they knew who he was talking about, which meant that he had gotten her name right, and he wasn’t that bad with remembering who he slept with after all. garrett didn’t want to go find her. he wanted her to find them. so instead, he settled on staying seated with gia, laughing here and there, because he just could not believe that they were in the same situation as the first time they had met. it was like garrett was reliving one of the strangest moments of his life, but for some reason, he didn’t mind it. “you okay?” he knew that it wasn’t idea for gia to be sitting there with him, damn near on edge and ready to make out with one another the second that michelle came walking in from the back, but she was doing him a solid, so the least he could do was check up on her.

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

things had quieted down between gia and garrett since their texting feud. it was utterly ridiculous how she had acted like sleeping with him would have been the world’s worst, most incurable disease, but they got past that hump in their “friendship”, or whatever they could call it. when garrett thought about it, they weren’t really friends, as much as they were forced chemistry partners, but an acquaintanceship would be more of an appropriate title. he had assumed that her friends stopped ragging on her for staying over at his place, but truthfully, all they had done was sleep next to each other on the couch, and yes, maybe his head had been on her shoulder, but big whoop. however, it was the first time garrett had ever slept next to a girl that he didn’t have sex with—what a miracle that was—and while the feeling was odd, he got over that. they didn’t speak of “that night”, as if they really had slept together and were trying to avoid it, or something, though garrett wasn’t going to be the one to say anything else about, because he really did not want to have her jumping down his throat again. it was neither here nor there, and the important thing was that they finished their chemistry project and received a grade that garrett was more than okay with. and to celebrate his accomplishment, not only just getting a good grade, but managing to work well with gia, he decided to reward himself by going to a party at one of the frat houses on campus. it was nothing new, and he would have gone even if he hadn’t done well on the project, but leave it to garrett to find a reason for anything.

truth be told, the party was kind of boring until about fifteen minutes after he had arrived, as he liked to think he livened things up, not that he needed proof, but his arrival at the party pretty much solidified his assumption. there were several girls that he could consider taking home for the night, but none of them really stood out. he’d keep searching. but as garrett was well aware, whenever he went searching for something was when he found trouble. “well, well, well. look at who we have here.” the voice was familiar, but garrett had been around so many women that he wasn’t quite sure who it belonged to. he turned around, the drink he was getting himself placed on the back burner for the time being, and was met with the face of a girl who he had hooked up with a few months ago. if he could remember correctly, her name was michelle, but there had been so many women after her that he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. “remember me?” she questioned him, stepping into his personal space. she was pretty crazy, he had realized after sleeping with her, and no, he hadn’t made her that way, he just hadn’t received the warnings that everyone had text to him. “yeah, definitely.” his eyebrows were raised in surprise, but his voice was monotone. he was not excited to see her, and needed a way out fast. “i’ll be right back.” he nodded in affirmation, excusing himself and moving from the vicinity that she was in. he needed someone, anyone that would help him. he needed a fake girlfriend, and the thought alone made him laugh, because the last time he had been fake anything with someone, he met gia.

gia. she had to help him, as he had helped her before, and he wasn’t trying be a selfish asshole, but he knew that if he had the help of someone, then michelle would leave him alone. garrett quickly pulled out his phone, searching up gia’s phone number and sending her a quick text to ask if she was at the party. he couldn’t wait for a response, however, as he saw michelle making her way towards him again. he hurried off through the house, searching left and right for gia. she had to be there, as she had been at the last party, but if that was any judgment then she probably didn’t come to the current, as the former hadn’t gone so well. “fuck.” he grumbled as he looked at every girl from the back wondering if it was her, but being completely disappointed when it wasn’t. he could have picked a random girl, yes, but he was trying to get rid of one crazy person, not have another thinking that they were dating because he asked them to pretend. “have you seen gia?” he questioned one of the girls he thought was her, wondering if girls had girl senses, or whatever, but to no avail. he was about to give up when he caught sight of her from the corner of his eyes, and without any more hesitation he darted over in her direction. “hey, babe.” she was going to kill him, yes, but he was hoping that gia would pull out the smarts that she clearly had, and realize that he wasn’t just doing it to be annoying. he closed the distance between them, leaning down to whisper into her ear. “i need your help. there’s some psycho bitch here that i know won’t leave me alone unless she thinks i’m swooning over someone.” he pulled away, his eyes looking damn near like a puppy’s with the level of pathetic written all over them. “please.” he didn’t need another stage five clinger in his life, and gia was the perfect person to help divert them.

#tag: ftf #ftf: 004

text to gia.

gia: i didn't know we were living in the 80s

gia: god what do u want from me

gia: i don't see how my lifestyle choices even concern u

garrett: you're so annoyingly up on a high horse

garrett: i hope you get knocked off and bust your ass one day

garrett: you better be at my house on sunday because i don't have time for your little game of cat and mouse or run and hide bc people think we fucked

garrett: i'll see u then

#tag: text #text: 001

text to gia.

gia: oh and ur soooooo cool

gia: u just irritate me so idk what else u would expect

garrett: so bc someone irritates you is your reasoning for being a lemon? a square, if u will?

garrett: nice cover, hannah montana

#tag: text #text: 001

text to gia.

gia: no offense but who would want u as a surprise??

gia: seems kinda lame if u ask me ://

garrett: i mean you’re lame so you would know

#tag: text #text: 001

text to gia.

gia: that's an awful joke

gia: u would never make it as a comedian

garrett: good thing that’s not my career path then

garrett: but i could give it a shot

garrett: knock knock

garrett: who’s there

garrett: me surprise

#tag: text #text: 001

text to gia.

gia: WHY

gia: why even go there

garrett: say it with me

garrett: j o k e

garrett: a joke

garret: joke

#tag: text #text: 001

text to gia.

gia: no u can choke

garrett: can u choke me?

garrett: jokin that's weird

#tag: text #text: 001

text to gia.

gia: i'll just put my head through a wall

gia: it's fine

garrett: can i shove it through it for you???

#tag: text #text: 001

text to gia.

gia: i'm truly sorry to every girl who's had the displeasure of knowing u. i can see why they all hate ur guts

gia: look i tried giving u the benefit of the doubt but you're making it impossible

gia: i don't understand how this is an issue when there are 435983926 other people u can harass. u didn't even know i existed until a week ago so what's pretending a few days gonna do to u??

garrett: just get off of your high horse and stop ignoring me like the fuckin plague

garrett: ooooh gia tried giving me a chance how lucky i truly am

garrett: i don't want to pretend i don't do acting i'm not majoring in theater for a reason so i hate to say it but again get over it

#tag: text #text: 001

i'm a crazy, fucking gemini. @tbhgarrett-blog - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag