“It’s okay, your enthusiasm is… amusing,” Dianna assured, never really been a fan of sports herself, she could understand where others came from. Her father used to place bets all the time— they were in games in the exclusive booths and Dianna would always pull out a book to make the time go by faster. Right now, it wasn’t the football that was the entertainment, it was the woman, Dianna had been simply staring at her undrunk glass of wine for the last minutes before her enthusiasm broke her out of her thoughts. “Are you like this every football season?”
“Oh hell yeah, most sports seasons honestly. Well mainly football and basketball, baseball if I care enough but I do love baseball games the most cause they’re in the summer and I love a good beer and tanning.” Thalia had always been a sports fan, though she would admit that it mostly stemmed from all the athletes she had dated in high school and college. But as the game went on and the Texans were clearly going to lose, Thalia only became more and more drunk, pouting over her beer glass. “Ugh, we started off so strong,” she whined, “There’s only one solution. Mozzarella sticks, do you want some?”
LEGENDS had, over the last five years, become an easy place for Jay to escape from reality. With the noise of the sports fans, regular games of pool and a good few beers, it had always helped quieten the chaos that always seemed to be on his mind. That afternoon, it had been a more routine visit than anything else, taking his usual seat at the bar, before a voice had broken through the noise surrounding him and he turned with a light laugh, taking his eyes off of the screen for a few moments, “That’s gonna be a hell of a round,” Jay commented, shaking his head softly, “But sure – although, not to burst your bubble but aren’t the Ravens the overall favourite right now?”
“Uh I hate to burst your bubble but the Ravens are already fishin, my friend. They got fucking rocked by the Titans last night. Honestly I don’t know who I’m gonna go for if the Texans are out so I need to just focus on that right now.” But as the game went on, the Chiefs started to come back and Thalia was yelling at the tv, having to make good on that second round for everyone, not that it was a big dent in her wallet but fuck if it was a dent in her pride. “Ugh, why! How! Fucking Mahomes, you’re so fucking good you little shit.” She groaned and flagged down the bartender for some shots for herself before ordering another beer. “My god please, just one thing this week. Ugh okay, I’m gonna order fries, you want fries? You look like you need fries.”
“That’s what I’m talking about, baby!” Thalia’s smile was wide as she watched one of the large screens playing the Texans football game. Thalia was there with her JJ Watts jersey on and her Texans cap, Gene next to her enjoying a basket of wings as they started in on their next round of beers. “I tell you what, next Texan touchdown everyone’s next round is on me. Two rounds if the Chiefs score,” she joked with a snort of a laugh, turning to the person next to her. “I would apologize for my enthusiasm but it’s the playoffs and I’m banking on a Texan super bowl win.”
Cass: Yeah but it was self-defense so I don't think there are going to be any charges
Cass: What??? Thalia, did someone... hurt you???
Cass: I'll definitely help you. I'll try and talk to the doctors here to see what's up and get back to you on it, but that's really, really nice of you, babe. You're a damn angel, you know that?
Cass: That kid has got so much talent, it's insane??????? I can't wait until the rest of the world sees it. I'm so proud of him, proud of you. He's not causing too much trouble right?
Thalia: Good.
Thalia: It's a long story, one I'm not prepared to get into right now. In short, yes.
Thalia: Thanks, baby. 😘😘😘 Ha! An angel? No, but I do really like Anna and I'd like for her to comfortable.
Thalia: Not at all, actually. He's the least of my worries. Like I said, when he's on set he takes everything pretty seriously, it's kind of amusing but mostly refreshing. It's not as often as I'd like that I get to see actors at their start.
Nina’s eyebrows furrowed at Thalia removing her hand from hers and she had to frown slightly. “I don’t think we have to ignore it, Thals, but… I don’t really see the point in us having to be awkward, you know? Chase really is a great man and anybody with eyes can see that you’re really happy with Cass,” she softly said before showing Thalia a small smile. “I’m just… I’m happy for us, that’s all. I mean… there’s always goin’ to be that little voice in my head askin’ the age old question of ‘What if?’ and it… I mean, if I dwell on it too much, it does hurt, Thals, and I know it always will, but… I just want you to know I’m happy for you. Admittedly… and selfishly, I’m happy for me too,” Nina said with a small chuckle. “I think it’s sweet that you call her Cassandra and not just Cass. I’m still goin’ to fight her, though, if absolutely necessary,” she jokingly said. “How have you been, Thals? I haven’t seen you around much lately.”
“And I’m happy for you too, and for myself I mean,” she took a deep breath and looked down at the promise ring that only put a smile on her face. She was still in awe that someone as sweet and comforting as Cass was her girlfriend and she had not regretted saying yes at all. Just the comfort of waking up to her was a vast improvement in her life and at times like these she just wanted to have her around all the time. “Yeah well I like the name Cassandra and she’s Cass to everyone else, you know me, I want to make her feel special.” Talking about Cass was easy enough and uplifted her mood a bit, pulling her head from the clouds. “I’ve been busy, honestly. We started shooting, I don’t know if you heard but Carter Crane has been cast as our lead. The guy is...fucking impressive, people aren’t ready to see how good he is. So I’m excited. And otherwise just been,” she took a deep breath, not really wanting to talk about it with Nina, “Yeah just..just busy. Arturo tells me he’s been working at the record shop. That’s sweet. How’s it going?”
She had been over a week in the hospital now— four of those days awake and not a moment’s peace. She had been grateful though, to know that despite everything she was not alone. Her sisters had come and gone although Jenna had been strangely absent for the past day and a half and friends, some people she didn’t know even. It was strange to feel so adored, so cared for when she was the one doing the most care in her life. When the staff of the hospital told her she was going to be moved to a more private room instead of the room she was occupying now, Anna was surprised, pleasantly so, but also imagining who would be the one to gift her with something so expensive. She figured that maybe it was the hospital bending policies because the one to put her to bed was one of their most prestigious doctors—- either way, the brunette decided not to dwell much on the thought and enjoy the prep. If asked at some point in her life, she would never imagine she would raise her eyes from the book she took upon reading when the morphine stopped being so necessary, and see Thalia Nasri before her, with Gene to boot. It made a smile spread on her lips at the welcome visitors, she was still starstruck over the woman though, she thought that would never really go away. “Hey— yeah, it’s been a crazy couple of days,” Anna already felt herself blushing, “well, if he’s lucky I will manage to get him a super cannoli discount until I’m back,” she waved back at Gene, the sight of the man was heartwarming. “Uhm— kind of not so really shitty, managed to go the whole day without morphine and they say my incision is healing pretty well, they say I might be able to get out by sometime next week if I keep on like this,” she shrugged, relieved that the movement didn’t hurt anymore.
“That’s...really great Anna. I mean you still look like a total babe but that could never change. I brought a few things that could help. My mom’s favorite tea. She mostly drinks it for warmth but also to settle her stomach. I imagine you haven’t been eating much and this has a lot of vitamins you would need. And it’s actually good taste so you won’t be suffering. And these,” she took a breath and brushed her fingers over the tops of the cremes and face masks. “It’s to help with the bruising. Helps the skin heal faster and smoother, I know they give you all the medicinal shit in here but this is organic and a little less harsh on the skin. It helps with scarring too. I used to us it all the time.” She looked up at Anna for a moment before looking back down at her hands. “I found out about these a little bit before I hired Gene,” she explained and set them to the side, “There was a fan, who...was obsessive. One night I was leaving my house and this man jumps out from the bushes, throws me in a truck and...” she cleared her throat and shook her head, “After that I ended up using them for the brief period I was married.” She looked over at Anna with a sad smile, “My ex husband was an angry man, a sad man, never really knew how to use that anger but he did know how to swing.” She took a deep breath and shook her head, “When I heard what happened I...I got so triggered by it that I couldn’t come anywhere near here but I also..figured that out of everyone around you, I may be able to actually understand where you’re at. Powerless and confused. So, I wanted to make sure you knew, not many people aside from Gene do but, if you need me, I’m here. You’re an amazing woman, Anna. I’m glad you’re alive. I know it may not feel that way, but you are. And that’s a beautiful thing.”
God, her head was killing her. Georgie stirred the next morning, a pain groan leaving her as she attempted to open her eyes only for the harsh light to make the headache worse. “S’bright…” she murmured, slowly blinking awake and sitting up into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. If she looked as much of a mess as she felt, she knew she was seriously looking rough. Not a lot of what had happened last night was coming back to her; she could vaguely remember a kiss and sitting in the bathtub with champagne, but everything after that was fuzzy.“A spa day? I’m sure you probably have other plans, Thalia… I wouldn’t want to take you away from those.”
“G...” Thalia took a deep breath and knelt down next to the bed where she was, cupping her face with her hand. “Do you know that you’re the most important person in the world to me? Do you know that no matter who comes and goes from my life, that they are nothing compared to you? Do you know that you have been the person I have trusted the most since I met you? My life is pointless if you’re not in it so no, I don’t want to spend time with anyone else today. I want to have as spa day, with my best friend, who I would rather spend twenty years holed up in a house with than be anywhere else.” She leaned in to press a soft kiss to Georgie’s forehead. “Take your time, borrow any of my clothes, I’ll be downstairs with Gene making some coffee.” She brushed her thumb along one of Georgie’s cheeks, “I love you,” she told her softly, looking at her one more time before she made her way downstairs.
When Thalia had heard about what happened to Anna, it had sent a wave of emotions through her. Of course she was worried, sick to her stomach, but if anything it triggered her own memories of how terrifying it was for someone who claimed to love you, hurt you. It had plagued a lot of her adolescence, always meeting guys who were no good for her, no good for anyone really. And as she entered Hollywood there was so much harassment and condoned abuse that it became the norm. And then there was the fan that had stalked her, followed her and ultimately put her in the hospital, resulting in the employment of Gene and a less active public life for some short years. And then there had been her short lived marriage, the day her husband raised his hand to slap her across the face sitting deep in her consciousness day in and day out. She had never talked about it, never said yes to the request for interviews from Oprah or the Today show. She had hidden it all, buried it and focused on her work, hoping it would just disappear as the bruises had.
“Well look at this, huh? VIP treatment for a true Eden’s celebrity.” Thalia didn’t plan on letting Anna and her family know that she had been the one to arrange for Anna to be moved to a private wing, to make sure she had the best care and some actual peace and quite when visiting hours ended. But she figured she might guess it eventually. Anna was a smart woman. The room was already filled up with all the flowers she had received so Thalia had brought something else, a thermos of her mother’s favorite tea and a box of remedies for the bruises that would help her skin heal more smoothly. “I was waiting for your fan club to die down before I made my way over here and,” she looked over her shoulder where Gene had just snuck his head in to give Anna a wave. “He’s been sympathetically eating canolis since you’ve been in here,” she teased, easily taking the seat next to Anna as she set down the gifts. “Scale of only sorta shitty to really shitty, how are you feeling?” @annccoopcr
“For the rest of my life,” Cass confirmed, showing Thalia a nervous smile. She knew there was still a lot to be talked about. God knows there are still a lot of demons within her she hadn’t been able to talk about with Thalia yet, but Cass found that if she were to open herself up again, to trust someone again, to fall completely head over heels in love again, there was no one in the world she trusted to do all that with than Thalia. She knew it had only been a few months, and Cass always thought the whole ‘once you know, you know’ thing was complete bullshit yet here she was, certain beyond any shadow of a doubt that this was what she wanted. Thalia was the one she wanted, and she had never been a religious person but in that moment, all she could do was pray that Thalia felt the same.
“Yeah? Yeah?” Cass asked, unable to believe that this goddess of a woman, this beautiful angel, actually wanted to be her girlfriend. Her heart was a mess in her chest as she stood up and poured out all that love, all that longing, all that relief and happiness into that kiss, pulling Thalia in as close as she possibly could before putting on that promise ring on her finger. One day in the future, Cass hoped that it would be a wedding ring next to be put on Thalia’s finger, and she leaned down to press a kiss against that ring, not wanting to let go of Thalia’s hand just yet. “You’re beautiful,” Cass whispered, her heart practically growing in size as she gazed into the eyes of the woman she loved, her girlfriend, her lady. “I’m never going to hurt you, Thalia,” she murmured, making sure Thalia was looking into her eyes to know that she was serious, that no truer words have ever been spoken.
“I was your Christmas wish, huh?” Cass teasingly asked her, her hands reaching down to squeeze Thalia’s ass before winking up at her and bringing them back into Thalia’s bedroom, where she promptly laid her girlfriend on the bed with a playful smile. “Good, because you’re my everyday wish,” she said, before moving on top of Thalia, her hands reaching up to cup Thalia’s face. “And now… I just want nothing more…” Cass paused to press a kiss on the tip of Thalia’s nose then her lips then moved down to her neck. “-than to show you… how much…” She murmured as she made her way down her absolutely drop dead gorgeous girlfriend’s body. “I love you,” Cass murmured, teasingly spreading Thalia’s legs.
I’m never going to hurt you, Thalia. The words rang in her head as she swallowed thickly and looked in Cass’s eyes, knowing she meant but she wondered just how much Cass knew that she needed to hear it. It mean more than she could really express, pain and hurt, both emotional and physical had always been a part of her life, always been how people had shown her the sickest form of love and it had taken her a long time to realize that wasn’t love at all. So to hear that now, from the woman she was agreeing to be with, the woman she was trusting and wanted, the woman who was finally and hopefully going to change it all for her; it brought a few tears to her eyes and she had to hold her tighter, a little closer, praying and hoping that those words would always remain true.
“Oh your everyday wish, huh? Aren’t you just the most smooth, honestly, what am I going to do with you, hm?” Thalia bit at her bottom lip as she watched Cassandra make her way down and she could feel the goosebumps rising all over her skin, the anticipation only exciting her the further down she kissed. “Is this going to be our new holiday tradition?”
She let out a soft laugh and pulled Cass up to kiss her hard, sliding her tongue into her mouth as her hands reached between them to unbutton her pants and push them off, not wasting time in doing the same for her girlfriend. God how fucking good did that sound. “But this works cause I’ve been wet for you since you came over,” she whispered against her lips, eagerly ridding them both of their shirts, wanting them to be as close as possible, to feel her everywhere, to just enjoy this moment as much as they both deserved. “I want to feel your tongue,” she mumbled against her lips, finally pulling back to lay back again now that they were both sufficiently undressed.
Georgie stood, left the tub, and got changed with Thalia’s help, and though she knew her words were meant to comfort her, she almost felt worse in a way. Georgie would always put Thalia first and she knew it was the same the other way around, but on a night that was supposed to be joyful for her, Georgie had stolen the spotlight. She wouldn’t argue, though, knowing Thalia wouldn’t allow her to take on any blame for the situation. Once settled against her in the bed, Georgie closed her eyes and tried her hardest not to let another fresh wave of tears take over. “I love you, Thalia. So much. Thank you for… for everything. Always.” Though she managed to watch some of the first movie, the alcohol coursing through her system lulled her to sleep a lot sooner than she had anticipated. In the morning she would be grateful for the dreamless sleep, but there was a long road ahead of her of acceptance and getting back onto the wagon that she wasn’t particularly looking forward to.
“I love you too.” Thalia was happy to just be there for her and hold her, a little grateful when she eventually fell asleep and Thalia was left to take a deep breath. She was grateful she hadn’t gotten to drunk herself and she left the bed only for a moment to check on Gene, the cleaners already halfway done with cleaning up everything from the party as if no one had even been there at all. After some tea with Gene and a few google searches on how best to be supportive, she left some water for Georgie on the nightstand next to her and shut off the lights, turned off the TV and fell asleep next to her, hoping that tomorrow would bring an easier day. When she woke up, her first instinct was to make sure Georgie was still there and she reached over her finger to hover under her nose just to make sure she was breathing before she leaned over to press a kiss to her temple. “Wake up sleeping beauty, if you could see the way you’re sleeping right now you’d know your neck is gonna be seriously kinked, come on, we’re taking a spa day.”
Cass: Typical Anna's still trying to take care of everybody even when she's the one on a hospital bed. She's doing better, though. Every time I look at her and see the bruises, I wish I killed that motherfucker myself but I'm trying to stay calm.
Cass: Unsettling? You okay?
Cass: Gene's a real one. I'll let him know, I promise.
Cass: Aww, I can't wait to come home to you, baby 😘 You want anything before I head home?
Thalia: God bless her. Ugh I can't imagine. Is it true, is he...💀💀
Thalia: Let's just say Anna and I have more in common than I thought. Do they still have her in the general ward? If you'll help me, I'd like to pay for her to be moved to a private wing to recover. I'm sure there's someone at the hospital I can talk to who can get it done easily.
Thalia: Nope, just you. I finished filming for today, your friend Carter is exceeding expectations, I'll tell you that. I didn't think he'd take this as seriously as he has.
Cass: I'll be home a little late tonight. Staying at the hospital a little longer to make sure everyone's okay
Cass: I miss you already
Cass: Eat lots for dinner and I'll be home in time for cuddles 😘😘😘
Thalia: How's she doing??? I have to stop by there tomorrow. I didn't want to be overwhelming, you know? Especially if cameras and stuff show up. And the situation is..unsettling for me.
Thalia: You're so cute, I miss you too
Thalia: Good, cause I dont know if I'm gonna sleep as well without you.
“Thalia, wait up!” Nina said, walking briskly when she spotted the familiar brunette, practically tackling her in a tight hug as soon as they were face to face. “Thin’s got pretty busy at your house so I wasn’t even able to congratulate you but look at us, huh? We’re – I mean, it’s…” The overwhelming burst of enthusiasm for where the both of them ended up and with who they ended up with tainted just a little bit with the sadness that they will never be able to get back what they had been. They had that one night in Thalia’s home – something Nina will cherish forever – but the fact that that was the last time was a bit bittersweet. “Wow, I just… randomly got in my feelin’s there, but… it’s freakin’ amazin’ seein’ you so happy, Thals. Remember when you asked me if I was happy? All those weeks ago?” Nina murmured softly, reaching out to clasp Thalia’s hand tightly. “And now we’re here? You, um, you do know that if she breaks your heart, I’m going to have to whoop her all the way to California, right?”
“Oh.” Thalia was a bit taken aback to say the least, only hugging Nina back after she processed some of her words. Since the new year had started she had hit teh ground running with filming and with Georgie’s relapse she had been spending a bit more time with her best friend in hopes that it would build her spirit. Not to mention the news of Anna in the hospital had her feeling a little unsettled and there were her own triggers to deal with, remembering all too well what it was like for a man to take control of your body. “Oh, right, me and Cass, sorry I, didn’t realize just how many people knew now. Should have known though, put something on my instagram story and half the world knows.” She laughed softly and slipped her hands out from Nina’s, “That’s sweet of you, but are we really ignoring the fact that the last time we were together we fucked? I mean...I’m...happy things have worked out for you with Chase, really. He seems like a great man. But I don’t know, it’s,” she cleared her throat and pushed her hair back, “Guess I’m just trying to keep up,” she admitted, putting some distance between them, she was struggling with touch lately, ever since the nightmares had flared up again. “But I don’t know, Cassandra is a bit of a fighter, you’d have a hard time kicking her ass,” she joked, the mention of Cass’s name bringing a sweeter smile to her lips.
“I won’t pressure you, but I will tell you that you’re missing out on one hell of a ride.” Kate waived the bartender over and quickly ordered another drink for Thalia and a Vodka Redbull for herself. “Vet, but I could stitch you up if I need too.” She winked before letting a grin form on her lips. “Okay, spill - are you here for business or pleasure? Or both - that seems to be the answer for most people, but who am I to judge.”
“Definitely both. Mainly to film my new movie. I finally cast my new lead and re-cast a few parts so it’s less of a trainwreck and more of a reality. Thank the lords above because actors are such..pains in the asses and I say that as a very proud one,” she joked and thanked the bartender for her next drink. “Pleasure always though. I’ve managed to relax a bit and make a kind of major love connection so all in all amazing. And you? Aside from saving the animals of Edens and turning Bull grey early.”
