arianna kelly

“What? He signed already?” he asked into the phone. That was unexpected, and had only really taken a mild threat, a few words and nothing more. Still it suited him. Normally he’d have just waited it out, but he could see the bookstore going under, and he didn’t much feel like watching that happen. “Yeah, ok I’ll come pick it up tomorrow, bye” he said back into the phone before hanging up, and turning his attention back to the other person, “sorry about that. What were you saying?” @edtstarter​

LOCATION: Tappin’ Boots

WITH: Anyone @edtstarter​

After her incredibly long and laborious shift at the hospital, Remi just managed to gather enough energy to change out of her scrubs and let her hair done before heading straight to the bar. Her job was incredibly rewarding but sometimes also stressful and draining, both mentally and physically. And tonight all she wanted was a good drink, good music, and good company. She mindlessly flicked through the jukebox searching for something she at least recognised from her own music taste before landing on For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder. The opening chords instantly lulled a smile upon her lips as she returned to her seat at the bar where she was nursing a whiskey on the rocks. “I’m sorry, but what?” Remi exclaimed to the innocent bystander beside her. “Did I hear that right? Did I really hear that bunch of kids over there say they’ve never heard of Stevie Wonder before? You know, I seriously wonder how their generation get through life without reverting back to their caveman ancestry. That one definitely looks like he tries to do cool vape tricks to get girls.”  

"That’s today’s generation for ya.” Arianna said, chuckling lightly. “But your old, too. Don’t nobody listen to Stevie Wonder like that anymore.” the woman teased her step sister as she took a sip of her wine. She hated that coming to the bar had become a habit for her, but it was better than drinking home all by herself. At least here she could have two and be done. At home she would drink the whole bottle and regret it the next day. “You gotta get hip with today’s music a little bit, Remi. I’d fucking pay to see you do that renegade dance.”

          Finally, her life was getting back on track and having both Ari and Leandro there was only an assessment to that. Anna had no idea how wide she was smiling when her nephew gave the drawing to her. “It’s beautiful, Leo,” she rewarded the little boy with a kiss on his head and a small tickle on his neck which made him giggle. When she was in the hospital she longed for this kind of normalcy and she finally had it. She wanted to bad to see the little boy— but there was no saying what he would feel like if he saw her while she was in the hospital and she hardly wanted that image to be committed to his memory. “We’re gonna have to frame this,” she said just to boost up his little ego as they walked inside the house, “why don’t you go and play with some toys in your room while Auntie Anna makes you a snack and talks to mommy?” For once she was glad that the little boy had a hard time saying no and that he was in his second house, that way, she could have some privacy with Arianna and they could speak of things that they couldn’t speak in front of Leandro. While the boy dashed to his room, she followed Ari into the kitchen and started picking up ingredients from the cupboards, so she could start making them some food. 

          “Still beats me how you managed to get only the cute parts of Hector’s DNA and put them inside that boy,” she grinned as she turned on the coffee maker and pulled a tray of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough out of the freezer and placed it inside the oven, before taking a seat next to Ari.  “Thank you so much for comin’, I was missing the both of you terribly and havin’ you here also means the old man is not drivin’ me nuts,” Anna joked, truth be told, she was going to miss living with her best friend once their time was finally up. “How have you been? Time has been really confusing to me lately, so I sure do feel like I haven’t seen you in a decade and a half.”

Arianna chuckled lightly as her child happily went off to play. She made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a seat first, watching as her best friend grabbed a couple of things. “It took a lot of work but I got it done.” she said, chuckling lightly. “It’s really crazy how much he looks like him though.” the woman smiled. While she did love to say that her child looked just like her, if one saw a picture of little Hector, there was no denying that Leandro was his. Ari loved it and so did Leo when Ari showed him a picture. “I wouldn’t be a good best friend if I didn’t come to relieve you.” the brunette said, chuckling lightly. “It honestly feels that way for me, too.” she admitted, putting her hand over hers. “I’ve been okay though. Glad that all of that January madness is over. How about you, honey? How’re you holding up?”

“What you don’t want him to sing ‘Remember Me’ again and again? You don’t like my singing voice?” Hector rarely if ever changed his tone or his character around people, you got what you saw but with Ari it was hard to train himself to not be her boyfriend anymore. Whether it was having to physically pull himself away or curb just how much he flirted. Like he had to put a wall up even though he felt himself melt whenever she called him amor. He felt like they were teenagers again, skipping class while she sat on the back of his bike and they drove around town. So when she took his hand he moved closer, his fingers entwining with hers for a moment. “You know it really makes you think, you know? How precious life is, how much the people we love can just get hurt like that. It’s..fucking crazy. Makes you think you gotta keep people closer…” he trailed off as he reached out to brush some of her hair out of her face, his fingertips brushing across her cheek. “You know..Leo should be asleep for a little while..” he swallowed thickly, knowing he was playing with fire but he met her eyes for a moment, leaning in to kiss her before the timer on the microwave went off and he jumped a bit, sighing as he hung his head. “Let me uh..let me get that.” He was a little embarrassed, not wanting to come off as desperate as he got to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck before he served the both. “Here you go,” he told her and handed her a bowl of rice and chicken before he sat down with his own. “So…”

“As adorable as you both are, I can do without it.” The brunette said, chuckling lightly. The worst part of being on and off with someone, it was sometimes the heart didn’t realize that they were off. The smallest things would have her heart skipping a beat or swoon. Physical touch was the hardest. As he entwined their fingers, her brown eyes locked with his. Was it so bad to want to be in his arms just one more time? To feel his warm touch. Arianna kicked all her bad habits to the curve, but when it came Hector, she didn’t know to let go. She didn’t want to. It was impossible. Not only did they have a child together, they had years of history. The love that she had for that man was unlike anything that she had ever felt for anyone else. As he spoke, she nodded her head in agreement. Of course he was right. Feeling his hands on her cheek, the brunette licked her lips, body moving just a little closer. He was right, they needed to be closer - much, much closer. All the warning alarms were going off in her head, but without a second though, she ignored them. Ari leaned in, ready to burn herself in the process, when the microwave saved or ruined whatever was going to happen. The brunette ran a hand through her long hair as she straightened herself a bit. “Mhm,” she bit her lip, eyes following him as he went to retrieve their food. Why did she ask for it again? Fuck. “Thanks.” she said as she took the bowl. Arianna couldn’t look him in his eyes. Not yet. She didn’t trust herself. Not while her heart was beating this fast and her lips were aching for his.“--You can’t talk to me right now, Hector. I’m trying really hard to not do something we might regret later.” she said, when her heart was really saying ‘take me’. The woman glanced down at her plate for a couple of seconds then looked at him. “Is --um, is Anna coming back anytime soon?”

Hec: I mean I had a part in that, just sayin :P

Hec: Well believe it cause it's the truth. My fine ass is just waiting for ur fine ass

Hec: Romantic, I know ;)

Ari: Fiiiiine hector, i'll buy you a stupid drink

Ari: you just can't let me win, can you? lol

Ari: So romantic 🥰

Ari: Ima get all sexy and make your fine ass suffer a little 😉

Hec: Yo Leo is not an every year gift, that's a cop out, mama

Hec: Thanks, babygirl. 😘

Hec: Dos Equis? Oh so you're feelin fancy, huh?

Hec: Seeing your fine ass on my bday is exactly what I need, u kno?

Ari: I gave you your first born son that should get me out of everything for life, i'm just saying 🤷‍♀️😂

Ari: Maybe, it is a special day after all 😉

Hec: YO YO YO YO YO YO YO YO YO YO YO !!!!!!!

Hec: Come by Tappin Boots tonight and buy me a drink 😉

Hec: Not everyday everyone's favorite man turns 34 u know what i mean??

Hec: But only top shelf shit, i ain't out here for you buying me a fucking corona, that's cheap shit

Ari: I gave you a baby, you should be the one buying me drinks lol

Ari: But happy fucking birthday viejo!!!!

“I totally preferred when he was addicted to watching Coco, at least there was music and you know, spanish being spoken. We got some rice and beans, uh, some chicken my mom made, I’m just gonna heat it all up.” He let out a laugh and flipped her off before smiling. “Oh I’m getting old, huh? Just you wait, just for that you’re gonna find a grey hair later,” he teased as he handed her some water. “I do want you to be there, I know Leo will be happy to have you there too. Plus you havent’ missed a birthday so far, no use in changing that.” He let out another laugh as he took a seat next to her, always having to resist the urge to reach out and pull her closer the way he wanted. Being near Ari felt magnetic, it always would. “You use that same line every fucking year, your ass better get me a present and make it nice,” he teased, knowing Leo would surely give him something he made with his own hands. “Kate Bronson wants to throw me a party party though, I’m fucking terrified of trusting that white girl but I’m also highly intrigued. How was your week? Anna forced me to not worry about her today so that’s been..hard,” he admitted, his expression softening at the mention of Anna, “I still…can’t get over this shit, you know? I know..I know you and Anna keep telling me I can’t blame myself but..fuck.”

“No thanks, I refuse to have Coco playing in my house all day everyday. Those days are over, let me enjoy it. Rice and chicken sounds bomb though, get to it.” she ordered in a teasing manner and simply rolled her eyes when he flipped her off. That part of their relationship never faded, she doubted that one day it will. “Mi amor, I’m Latina. You’ll never see a grey hair on this head.” she retorted as grabbed the water, taking a small sip before placing it on the coffee table. Her instinct was to move closer when he joined her on the couch and she almost did. But she quickly remembered and leaned back on the couch more comfortably. “That’s true, I’ll be there with a present and everything then.” she said, chuckling lightly as she looked at him. He truly only got better with age. She couldn’t help but wonder who’s made a move since their breakup. “Oh really? That’s bound to get crazy.” Arianna sat up straight and this time moved closer to him, resting her hand on top of his. “I know, Hector. Créeme, I felt at fault and like a shitty friend, but the only person at fault in all of this was Jared. And he got what he deserved and she’s alive. Gracias a dios esta viva and we have to be happy about that. Not keep blaming ourselves.” Forgiving herself in all of this had been the hardest thing for her. Unlike most of their friends, Arianna wasn’t constantly telling Anna to leave her husband. She didn’t wanna pressure her so she offered emotional support instead.....She wondered these days if things could’ve been differently had she just voiced her opinion like the others, had she just been strong for her best friend. But that what if had her go down a dark rabbit hole she was too scared to step into again. 

where: hector’s house

with: @arikclly​

          “AUNTIE ANNA!” Leandro’s voice carried through the house when the boy first saw her after so many weeks apart. After what had happened with her, she had agreed with Ari that it was far better for the boy to see her when she was both feeling and looking better, the last thing that Anna wanted was to traumatize the life out of her nephew by having him seeing her all swollen, bruised and with her movements impaired by a cast on one arm and another one on her leg. Compared to before, she was much better— there was no more swelling on her face and most of her bruises were starting to discolor in different shades of purples, greens, and yellows, and they were easier to mask with some makeup, not that it made them completely fade away, but they were surely less perceptible. Kneeling down to hug him and having him hugging her so tightly back made a smile widen on Anna’s lips. “Hey bud— I totally missed you, lemme see you,” she said once they were apart and narrowed her eyes as if studying him. “You have grown a few inches, haven’t you?” She laughed at the wide smile the sentence provoked and got off the ground, her knees already bothering her, so she could speak to the boy’s mother and her best friend. “Hey,” she hugged Arianna, “damn I missed this boy. Feels like a huge milestone just to be able to see him without scarin’ him,” she shook her head, chuckling at how ridiculous her sentence felt rolling out of her tongue. “Thank you for coming, do you want some coffee? Or anythin’?”

“I miss you, too.” Leandro said as he hugged Anna tightly. The little boy stood tall, nodding his head and giggling lightly. “Yes, then I’m gonna be this tall!” he said, raising his hands as high as he could.

Arianna grinned as she watched the exchange between her son and best friend. It was adorable! Leandro had been asking about going to Anna’s so much that she was starting to run out of excuses to tell her little boy. She wanted to surprise him and it totally helped that Anna was now staying with Hector. Leo thought he was on his way to see his daddy, not to see his of his favorite auntie’s. Seeing the expression on his face was totally worth it. “Hey, honey.” Arianna said, returning the hug. “He missed you a lot, too. All he ever asked was when he’s gonna see his auntie.” Arianna had to call her a couple of times so her son could talk to her because once Leo wanted something, there was no other way around it. “Coffee sounds good. Y’know, he actually made something for you--”

              “No, mami! I show it, I show it.” Leandro interrupted, as he pulled on Arianna’s bag, trying to take it off of her. 

“Okay, okay.” she chuckled lightly as she let him have the bag. The four year old quickly opened it and pulled out a small canvas. Painting was Arianna’s passion and it was no doubt that her son was following in her steps. And not just because he loved to make a mess in the house. It was their favorite mom-son activity. “It’s for you.”

"He painted it himself and everything. I’m starting to get jealous ‘cause he’s yet to make me a flower.” Ari said, chuckling lightly.

Location: Hector’s Apartment

Tagging: @arikclly

“That kid is out like a light, who knew so many fucking hours of boss baby would be the thing to do it. I never want to see that little white baby’s face again,” he said and pointed at the TV as he came back out from tucking Leandro in for his nap. “You uh want something to eat? I got some leftovers but I can whip something up unless you gotta go or something.” Hector had to admit that he appreciated the days when he got to spend time with his son and with Arianna together. Things hadn’t been perfect over the past four years but the first two of Leandro’s life had felt like a dream, like they could actually make this whole family thing work, until it couldn’t and Hector knew that a lot of that fell on his shoulders. Still, Ari had known who he was for a long time, who his family was, or at least who they could be. But he wasn’t trying to start a fight and instead got them both something to drink so he could do something with his hands. “I uh, I’m having a dinner on Wednesday, for my birthday, if you wanna be there. It’s gonna be at my mom’s house.” 

Arianna chuckled lightly as she cleaned up the small mess that her tornado of a child made. “Sucks to suck because that’s his favorite.” The brunette said as she put the toys back in the box. She never understood how such a tiny human could make such a big mess. “No --um some leftovers sounds good. What is it?” she asked as she grabbed a seat on the couch, not quite ready to go just yet. Their little family time was always her favorite. Seeing her son just light up whenever the three of them were together overjoyed her. This felt like home. Arianna often felt guilty for not being to give him that full time. And it wasn’t lack of trying or love, but everything was complicated between the two of them. She was complicated. Sometimes she wished she could crawl out of her skin and wake up a whole new person with a less complicated life and family. Maybe then things would work out with her and Hector and she could give little Leo the family he deserved. But this was her reality and they just had to do the best they could with the cards they were dealt. And as long as she saw a smile on her son’s face, she was happy. He was her everything. “You’re getting old, viejo.” she teased with a light chuckle as she looked at her. “If you want me to be there, I will be.” she smiled. “Is my presence enough of a present or do I have to bring a gift as well?”

“It’s okay. We knew it was coming, so I had time to prepare myself for it, but… it’s still difficult at times,” Melody admitted, though offered her a smile. At her question, the smile faltered some and she shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. I’d always wanted them, but we were busy focusing on our careers at first and then his mother got sick, so we were busy… Then he got sick. It was never a good time. But enough about me, I want to know more about you and your life. I’m sure you’ve gone through a lot of big changes, too.”

“I can’t even imagine...but we are here for you.” She said, returning the smile. Arianna couldn’t imagine losing the love of her life to a disease. Or just losing them. Could she even handle that? Most likely not. She could handle keep her head straight with just one of her friends being gone. “Oh --I’m sorry.” she said, feeling bad for having asked now. Of course she would’ve mentioned it if she had any kids. “I --um I have a little one. He’s four now. Looks just like me and acts just like Marco. He’s the daddy.” she said with a light chuckle. “--Um...I...” she struggled. There wasn’t much that she could say. For a long time, her life was a mess. Did she want  to disappoint one more person with the horrible life decisions that she’s made over the years. Melody was the last person who remember the sweet, shy little girl she once was. “I uhh I work with kids. At the daycare. I teach little ones....so I guess you can say I’m just always surrounded by children.” she smiled a little. 

LOCATION: tappin’ boots.

WITH: @arikclly​

                  QUINN had, for the most part, fought her way through the weeks since Christmas and was slowly but surely adjusting to the idea of being on her own. She’d never quite gotten the chance to consider it as an idea – rather a reality that she’d been thrown into, with a choice to sink or swim. That, however, didn’t mean that her heart wasn’t still hurting, no matter how much she wanted to ignore it. In true Quinn Reynolds fashion, she’d thrown herself into the bar - trying to ignore the irony in the fact that she’d only originally bought Tappin’ Boots in an attempt to get closer to her husband. She glanced up at the sound of the doorbell signalling a new customer, a frown crossing her face when she realised who’d walked through the door. Quinn and Arianna had never had the best of relationships - if Quinn was totally honest, she’d always been convinced that the other woman hated her - but had never particularly cared enough to ask why. She paused for a brief moment; wondering if perhaps the news hadn’t quite travelled around Edens fully yet, “–Yeah, Mike’s not here,” She began, biting back a sigh, “.. Can I help you?”

These past couple of weeks have been difficult for Arianna. Between ending things ( whatever that was ) with Marco, feeling like she wasn’t a good enough friend, and arguments with her mother, she felt like she was losing it. The temptations were back and each day it was getting harder and harder to fight it. It would be so easy to just drive down to Ashford to score something real quick. She didn’t have Leandro for a few days. It’s not like anyone would find out, right? Times like these is when the brunette would reach out to Michael. He understood her and had been with her through pretty much everything. Things that she struggled to tell her best friends, she opened up to him about with such ease. He meant a lot to her. He always has. If she had to be honest, there were feelings there beyond the realm of friendship. That’s why it broke her heart when she heard the rumor that he just left. No goodbyes, he was just gone. Initially, she refused to believe it. He would never! He had a kid and a wife that he was trying to work things with. He wouldn’t just up and leave. Arianna blew up his phone for days, showed up to his job....nothing. He really was gone. She went to Tappin’ Boots, hoping that it would be her cousin behind the bar that would help distract her from the hell breaking lose in her head. But she was not so lucky. Instead, she came face to face with Quinn. It was safe to say that Ari has never liked her. She never gave her a chance either. At first it was jealousy, then it was watching all the things that Michael went through with her. He was her best friend -- she just wanted to see him happy. Ari couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of her that he left? Had things turned that bad between them and he just kept it all to himself? “So I’ve heard.” the brunette responded flatly as she grabbed a seat at the bar. “Lemme get a whiskey neat and just keep them coming.”

Monday nights were Anna’s nights. Much like Taco Tuesday’s, or Pizza Friday’s, Anna’s Monday’s were a staple in the Holloway home that Forrest believes are the sole reason behind their survival. The start of the week was rough for both student and teacher alike, and while maybe some other family’s were content with their comfort meal meeting them at the end of the week, Forrest and Elena had decided long ago that they would much prefer to indulge in the beginning of it, and thus: their usual Monday night takeout order of burgers, fries, and the best chocolate milkshakes in town. He was waiting in the front of the restaurant for the hostess to return with their food, drowning the noise of the room out with his attention captured by the emails he was scrolling along on his phone, when he suddenly became aware of a presence behind him. Forrest looked down then, and instantly recognized the child, a small smile pulling at his lips at the sight. “Hey, bud.” He reached down to ruffle a hand through his hair, knowing she wasn’t far behind–and then there she was, all stern in the face of a giggling boy who remained at Forrest’s side. “I know mommy’s funny when she’s angry, but you gotta listen to her, before she gets real scary.” He made a yikes face down at Leo, who giggled still, but nodded his head and wobbled back over to Arianna, as Forrest lifted his gaze to her own. “…lose something?” He teased, softly.

“Just this little one.” Arianna responded as she picked up her son then looked at Forrest apologetically. “Sorry about him. He’s been so hyper lately.” she said as she adjusted her son on her hip. He finally kept still this time. “Fancy meeting you here, though. Where’s Elena?” she asked when she noticed that he wasn’t with his daughter. Back when she had dated him, she couldn’t even see herself being someone’s mom. She looked up to him for doing what he had to do and taking care of his child despite the circumstances. Not even her own father could stick around when she came around and her mom --well, she wasn’t that great either. It was the major reason why Arianna didn’t think she could be a parent. But here she was with a child of her own. Most people didn’t think she could do it, but she did her very best to be the mom that Leandro needed. 

LOCATION: his home, kings park.

WITH: @arikclly​

                “YOU are never going to fuckin’ believe the insane couple of weeks I’ve had,” Jackson began, shaking his head as he opened the door to show Arianna inside. Ari had been one of the few friends that he’d kept since high school - and like the rest of his friend circle, had been a pillar of support in the last five years. “You’re gonna wanna sit down before I even get started, though – you want a drink?”

Arianna chuckled lightly as she walked in, not having the slightest clue as to what the other could possibly tell him. Jackson had been a close friend, the two remained close despite all the craziness that happened in their lives. “Damn, it’s that crazy? Alright, get me a glass of wine.” the brunette said as they made their way through the house. Despite being them plenty of times, she could never get over how big and gorgeous everything was. But she also couldn’t imagine being the one having to clean everything. “Where are the little ones?”