𝔣𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔰

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he’s lost andrew entirely before he’s even finished monologuing, but the author makes a conscious effort not to let that become obvious despite the way it’s written all over his face. the furrowed brows, the slightly parted mouth, the hand propped up on his knee – it’s as telltale ‘ what the hell are you going on about ’ andrew as the pacing around the room is trademark ‘ i’d rather be anywhere but talking about this ’ alex. “yeah, well — i’ve never seen a collaborative proposal, so i guess i’m at a loss here.” did that sound harsh?? he tries to correct his tone a second later, sighing as he stands. “look, you’re acting like i would’ve been down on one knee tomorrow. that’s not — i do want to propose to you, but we can talk about it. i just don’t think that planning it down to the minute …” it goes against all of andrew’s grand notions of romance is all. the way he’s built this proposal up in his head.. well, it hadn’t included spreadsheets and data neatly laid out like he suspects alex would’ve appreciated. “i think the element of surprise is fairly standard when someone’s proposing. don’t you?”

reminding her of the length of his relationship with brynn doesn’t exactly rouse any guilt from sophia’s end. “you didn’t even like her.” a statement he’s never actually said out loud but that she’s taken as fact nevertheless – makes it easier to swallow her own role in their sordid affair ( which she’d built up in her head for months after ). suddenly, she lifts the rim of the bottle to mauve stained lips, crinkling her nose when the champagne washes down the back of her throat. “and afterward, you didn’t even, like — talk to me about it. do you know how isolating that was?”

her laugh is warm and vibrant, indicating playfulness over offense as she sidles in behind honey and wraps a loose arm around her waist. lips brushing up against the blonde’s earlobe, “are you coming to the show tonight? i can get you a little something special to make it worth your while.” which she’s already promised to three other girls this week alone.

she’s surprised by how easily elias not only fields but overturns the question so that she has to analyze her own part in this — it’s skillful. almost masterful. and suddenly her vape feels that much more important to hit, the smoke that fills her lungs serving as a perfect buffer while she finds the words she wants to say. “i don’t not want to kiss you.” it’s more that every time she’s even considered it, she’d just as quickly put it out of her mind. “i guess i just— i never really knew how you felt about this. or about— … me.” which is just as uncomfortable to admit as you might expect. “if you just want this to be a friendship, like, i’m cool with that.” would it sting a little? sure, but she’s certainly lived through worse. “i don’t want to push you into something you don’t want.”

if that’s the worst thing she can come up with, then too fucking bad for her, because james was unbothered. it’s not like he doesn’t have a reputation already. “that’s unfortunate. i’d kill to see my pr team take you on.” he had managed to put the unbearable pain of exasperation on hold, refusing to play this by maia’s rules. “see, what i don’t fucking understand is why you haven’t exposed me already?” 

“and how many wins, exactly?” it’s not like they had ever won a grammy, not yet, but tristan also didn’t feel the need to brag about these types of things. he grinned broadly, as if he was actually impressed with the way she could easily produce these insults. “hmm, i don’t know about that. i’m the least followed band member on literally every social media platform, so i think i actually need rebranding.” he muttered, only half-serious. “why are you like this?” 

“still cheaper than what gavin charged you, plus who doesn’t want to have my babies?” vance flashed her a self-satisfied smile, buzzing with excitement while learning new things─scandalous things─about someone who seemed perfectly normal at first. “huh. a twenty-first-century messiah. a female one at that. he shouldn’t be this amused by the thought of it. “i just know she would’ve snatched all the contemporary christian music grammys.” he frowned when he was hit by a gentle breeze, disappointed with the weather. “no, but seriously, that’s fucked up. i just don’t understand why you think leon would somehow make this worse?” 

leon was quick to shake his head. “music is my refuge too. it’s always been like that. if it makes me a cliché, then so be it.” even though he was used to people complimenting his musical skills, he smiled modestly, this time not just because of his humbleness. “no, it’s been haunting me for days now.” he turned his head to the side to fully look at her, without darting his gaze elsewhere because he was scared of their eyes meeting. “i say haunting because i have the worst writer’s block. it’s sad, you know, i really don’t want this to go to waste. it is cute.” 

“honestly, james is the worst ass-kissing cunt i’ve ever met. you know, i kind of would’ve understood if he was the only one maia’s fucking, but that’s clearly not the case here.” she scrunched her nose at the sensation of her scalp being tugged at. “i feel like tristan is about the only guy who can manage her, and anna and leon, it’s─i think they will end up breaking each other’s hearts without even wanting to.” she sighed glumly, hugging a pillow tighter to her chest as she cringed in a way only sydney’s so-called jokes could be the reason for. “you know you can always talk to me about the pain you feel, right?” it wasn’t only that that made her cringe and, secretly, feel sad. “sounds like you’ve given up on love.” 

she snorted loudly, all while keeping her head as still as possible. “it’s been a week since you told her that and it’s still not all over social media? i’m impressed.” especially after finding out that maia was notorious for reporting rumors with little truth to them. “that’s a pretty accurate picture. you know, i’m actually deeply hurt they abandoned us for the first himbos they crossed paths with.” lily-rose tilted her head backwards, her smile failing to falter when her eyes met with sydney’s. “jane better uses a fucking condom. i don’t want to become an auntie just yet.”