𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐘.

There's an easy grin that spreads across their face as Catalina smiles in Owen's direction. It's very clear to Owen that after a little teasing they would cave to just about whatever Catalina asked. "I can't believe I'm being read for filth by your abuela and she's not even here. Sounds like a smart woman though," they smirk around their own glass. "You sure you can keep up with me out there?" Owen teases already offering Catalina their hand.

chris can't keep his eyes from her now. she's holding his gaze like some sort of magician, or witch, or something. he's realizing his eyes have dipped lower, and he brings them back to her eyes, feeling embarrassed to have been so impolite. his mother raised him better.

Oh, Nick. We were so young. We both had tempers, we said stupid things, so I packed. Got on my very first 747, and…

public     ⭑     lizeth  selene  in  various  +  tiktoks     ━━━━      click  the  source  link  below  to  gain  access  to  #150  gifs.  all  of  the  gifs  were  made  by  me,  from  scratch,  including  sharpening  and  colouring.  i  ask  that  you  don't  redistribute,  add  to  hunts  or  claim  as  your  own.  additionally,  i'd  prefer  if  these  weren't  used  in  smut/taboo  threads  or  themes,  or  edited  in  any  way.  please  like/reblog  if  you  found  these  useful!  note:  lizeth  is  genderfluid,  queer  and  uses  they/she  pronouns.  cast  appropriately.

they are competitors - the same job, the same championship, etc.

they are straight-up enemies - one them wants to buy the land to build a resort, and the other wants it to get turned into a nature sanctuary. one is a defense attorney, and the other is a prosecutor. they’re soldiers on opposing sides of the war, etc.

they already won - they inherited an estate that should have been the other’s, or one got the job that the other was hoping to be promoted into, and they are seething.

they broke their heart in the past - maybe there was a good reason behind it, or maybe they were an idiot then and realize it now. 

they did the other wrong in the past - maybe they wronged the other’s family member or friend. 

they have has trust issues - their last relationship ended in a terrible betrayal.

they have intimacy issues - maybe because of a traumatic past, they feel too vulnerable if anyone knows about their real emotions or weaknesses. maybe they’re a psychic, a behavioral expert, or just the one person who can see right through the other and it makes them uncomfortable as hell.

they don’t trust their dating choices - they’ve gotten involved with several losers in a row, and they’re taking a break, maybe a permanent one.

they believe no one can truly love them - they made a terrible mistake in the past, or they’re not attractive in the conventional manner.

they are good friends - they don’t want to risk ruining their friendship by taking it to the next level.

they are co-workers - they don’t want to make things weird at the office, restaurant, or wherever they both work.

they are freaked out by who they really are - a werewolf, vampire, ex-con, spy, etc.

it was supposed to be sex only - they were going to be friends with benefits, or maybe one of them is an escort. falling in love goes against the original arrangement.

their love was supposed to be fake - they were pretending to be in love or married, or they entered a marriage of convenience. 

they were faking it at first - they made a bet that they could bed the other, or pretended to like the other so they could learn their darkest secrets.

they have moral qualms - one of them is the other’s boss, their teacher, their captor, ex-girlfriend or their best friend, and that gives them pause.

they are struggling with personal issues - one of them is grieving the death of their significant other, best friend, their child, or they have PTSD from battle or some other terrible experience.

their love is forbidden by others - it’s against the rules, spoken or unspoken, of their family, organization, community, or religion.

they are into something that the other doesn’t like - it could be an addiction, like alcohol, drugs, gambling, or a profession, like boxing or defending corrupt clients in court. whatever it is, the other wants no part of it.

their cultures clash - one of them is a rock-n-roller and the other is a  business executive, or they love the city life and the other is all about small-town living.

one of them is promised to someone else - maybe the wedding’s already planned and everything. they might have reasons for going through with a loveless marriage.

one of them is married to someone else - it is some weird legal, not-consummated arrangement, or the other ran away long ago because their spouse was an abusive asshole.

they are infatuated with someone else instead of them - they don’t realize yet that this other person is awful.

they are interested in someone else in addition to them - they’re having trouble making a decision on who to be with.

their time is together is limited - one of them is going abroad to study in the fall, their work visa is almost up, or one of them is about to go on a space mission to another planet, never to return.

being together would require a big sacrifice - one of them would have to say no to their dream job or they would have to move away from their family.

they are a danger to the other’s safety - they’re a spy, vampire, drug lord, gang leader, etc.

they think they’ll only make the other unhappy - they’re dying of a disease, suffering under a curse, can’t have children, etc.

they are a suspect - in a murder or robbery case.

they have a reputation - a materialistic douche, a heartless womanizer, a stone cold killer, etc.

they have terrible first impressions of one another - they might have gotten off to an awful start by arguing over something.

they love their freedom - they always saw themselves as the carefree type who would never settle down.

content warning ㅤ: ㅤflashing lights, food/drink, kissing, partial nudity, guns, minor violence.

marriage  was  the  bridge  towards  freedom.  her  mother  promised  her  that  whenever  she  tutted  at  alina  for  letting  her  manners  slip,  or  protesting  another  dance  with  a  potential  suitor.  finding  a  proper  husband  was  her  duty,  but  once  fulfilled  she  could  indulge  in  her  independence.  but  she  had  walked  the  aisle,  she  did  wear  the  dress,  and  yet  all  alina  was  allowed  to  see  were  the  four  walls  of  her  bedchambers.  and  those  of  her  husband  whenever  he  felt  lonely.  but  she  hadn’t  gotten  as  much  as  a  taste  of  freedom,  not  until  she  began  to  note  the  patterns  in  the  guard’s  patrols.  the  first  day  she  made  it  through  the  halls,  and  the  second  she  dared  slip  into  the  deserted  library.  the  third  day  were  when  she  first  set  foot  in  the  gardens.  she  had  never  made  it  through  there  unseen.