— GOD IS A WOMAN / *

It made for a hell of a good player, but definitely not a professional. Instead, she ended up saving countless lives and helping even more people than she could begin to count and she felt good about that. "There it is," Sage finally mumbled, her smile brightening as the other used the word crush, the exact thing she'd been teasing about their entire interaction. "See, I knew it was never just about a passionate love for the game. I had my doubts you even liked soccer at all." A soft laugh of amusement left her lips with the smoke she'd exhaled, letting the rest of the burn until there was just enough left to stub out on the brick of the building behind them. "You know, all you had to do was ask. I probably would've said yes."

It happened.

More often than not, actually.

Now didn't seem like a good time either, she guessed? But, without thinking much about it, Aysel pushed herself away from the wall she and Sage had been leaning against and moved, so she was now facing the blonde. "My passion for soccer went as far as your legs would run around that field though, babe." With a shrug, Aysel removed her hands from her coat's pockets and gently brushed Sage's hair behind her ears again, watching as the street's lamp post made Sage's hues play around different shades of blue and green. "But hell, if that's what you wanted me to do back then, what's keeping you for doing something about it, huh?" She asked, leaning dangerously close to Sage's face. "I mean... if you would have said yes, then it wouldn't have been one-sided, right?" / @sagefranklin

"You won't find me arguing." The blonde said as she looked over to the brunette with a smile, more than happy to head out somewhere else. The conversation they'd put aside for the time being was one that had been on her mind for quite some time. "There's no better time to have that discussion than now. The winters are rough in general but they can feel like hell for someone living with an abuser." On top of the days feeling longer, the colder weather made it harder to find a warm and stable roof to escape to when people were moving less.

@ayselkarademir

She pushed the door open so that Kenny could step outside and the two made their way to the nearest coffee shop, in hopes to fill their stomachs with more nurturing things than mini-quiches.

"I have been looking at properties close to the shelter." Aysel began saying as the duo took one of the booths by the windows. Although the snow had given Providence Peak a break, the cold still made the windows slightly foggy, but the white carpet covering the streets made the city look especially nice this time of year. "But I think they should be in different spots, so that abusers don't show up there first thing in the morning. What do you think?" If this was going to be a project by the two women, then the duo had to be in agreement. / @kennydavis

"That guy has been attempting to flirt with Eli for the past ten minutes and I have to admit, I'm intrigued." Giggles left her ruby lips as she nudged Aysel, nodding towards her partner. She was more so entertained than jealous, knowing that Elijah wasn't typically the kind of man who would flirt back. Okay, granted, the pair had flirted with a handful of people together last year when they were experimenting with group sex; Yet, since then, their flirtations were reserved towards each other. Even though they've admitted that they could blame others for trying to flirt with them. Watching Eli and the other man, her eyebrows lifted and a soft laugh left her lips once she saw the expression on her partner's face. "Okay, I wish I heard what he just said—it was either one of the top ten smoothest shit ever or a ton ten cringiest shit ever. What do you think?"

Still, it was amusing to catch Eli either smoothly dodging the man's investments or carefully playing along. "He's actually a real smooth talker." Aysel commented with her friend about the man trying to get in Eli's pants. "He might be a real competition to me in terms of flirting with anything and everything that moves, so my vote is on the first option." Again, she chuckled. "What about you, mama?" She turned towards Aslihan, gently taking the brunette hand and prompting her to twirl around. "Smoking hot, as usual. Are you having fun tonight?" / @draslihanxfahri-bailey

location: Sinners & Saints Valentine's Party

prompt word: soulmates

It had been a fun night so far and as she stood near the Condom Sense little area, she noticed the owner of the store and smiled. Aysel had flirted with her in the past and she had been way too certain that the other woman was out of her league, but maybe tonight with the help of a bit of alcohol she could feel a little looser. She took another sip through the straw and adjusted the angel straps once more and after awhile of greetings and complimenting the event she'd helped put on she blurted out. "Do you believe in soulmates? And like having multiple types of soulmates?" It was perhaps a bit too deep of a topic for a fun party atmosphere, but Rachel was curious what the other woman's thoughts were.

The brunette, who had been sporting a pink wig for the evening, noticed the blonde by the bar and decided to say hi. Despite the awkward conversation they'd had in Rachel's birthday bash, she didn't think the awkwardness would linger for longer. At least, in Aysel's world, it was silly to.

At the other woman's question, Aysel let out a soft chuckle. "I don't think that romantic soulmates exist, no." She shook her head. "I do have a friend who I believe to be my soulmate, and that is as far as soulmates go for me." Aysel shrugged her shoulders as her mind wandered to Parker. "What about you, babe?" The businesswoman smirked, letting her fingers twirls a brown lock of Rachel's. "Are you into the fairytale of romantic soulmates?" / @rachelhargrove

Her own dogs were now barreling around the park, going in and out of coming closer for attention and sprinting off in circles. All four had taken quickly to Emira, perhaps all of them having some sense of their kindred backgrounds. "Ah, totally worth it, though. Breathing doesn't even matter when you're there," she shrugged off, much too excited about everything she'd be able to get into once she was there to worry about the dry air. "But, yeah, for sure. I'll probably take a few days after just to hang around and celebrate and all that. Make a trip of it. When's the last time you were out that way?" There was too much trouble to be found in Vegas for her to turn down a few extra days there after the fight was through.

Things were deeper now. They'd each shared some of their darkness and neither had run away, he and Aysel had carefully circled each other, but the continued this slow progression to where they found themselves now.

When she was physically gone from Providence Peak Jesse did miss the strong-willed woman. He'd been given notice of her travels and would text her or send voice memos of places to possibly visit and restaurants to try. The Bostonian had even gone as far as buying tickets for her and leaving them at the ballet and opera for Aysel to pick up.

It was her response that had surprised him. While he figured she'd be busy galavanting around, she'd spared some quality time with him and Jesse found himself craving more and more of the sounds she'd made and the sights of her flesh. She was fucking incredible. Not just as a sensual being, but the way she'd opened herself up to culture and adventure.

"I am," he responded with a grin and a hand moved up to rub at the short beard along his jaw. "Is that okay?" Knowing Aysel wasn't much of one, or even a romantic at all, had compelled some hesitation. It was just clear that if he were opening that part of himself up to her then there were definite feelings at play.

The way she demanded a kiss from him made his head spin. Ocean eyes were nearly dizzy with adoration and interested as he clasped her chin gently in his strong hand and stole another spot of affection from her lips before she could cleanly get away with her teasing. "You're too much," but his smile indicated that it'd been meant in a good way. As a compliment.

In the woman beside him was a leggy, fiery independence that he admired but also was intrigued by. His interest in her possibly bordered on addiction, especially with sex welcomed back into their world. Yet, the Boston native found that he followed any which way she strolled. "A nightmare?" Brow creased, never once thinking of her that way. Perhaps it had something to do with his own darkness that lurked within.

"Goddesses are hellacious creatures, so maybe it's not an argument to be had."

As she said it, Jesse could picture it— a black, figure hugging flamenco dress and a red flower stuck behind her ear. The image conjured up in his mind let alone was enough to make his pupils dilate briefly, and he'd give anything to have a passionate dance across a makeshift dance floor that spoke to something real.

The mentions of visiting where her family were from brought about a nod and he wasn't sure if those were journeys she wanted to take on her own or if company was desired, so he was hesitant on making any offer. "You should do that. Türkiye is beautiful." Most of the time spent there he had been drunk, but in youth his family had done a vacation there a time or two. Croatia was a place he'd actually had one of his blackouts so he kept his visit there to himself, that had been a really dark time.

There was, however, another side to this whole thing: the fact that Jesse el-Massalamy had shared something about himself. Something as simple and yet, as pivotal to his personality. Aysel found herself craving for more of it. She found herself desiring to know every inch of him, and that included the good and the bad things. The only problem was that, he was possibly demand the same from her.

After spending so many years with her walls as tall as the sky, was she going to be able to lower them and let him fully in?

The question remained unanswered as Jesse's lips claimed hers once again. The cold no longer being an issue as her body was engulfed by the flames induced by his mere touch. There was more to it than simple lust, Aysel was sure of it, but, seeing as how bad things had gotten the last time they had been this up and personal, there was still hesitation in her every move when it came to him. "Of course it's okay." Finally, she responded... and felt obliged to add something of her own. "Is it okay if I'm... not?" Her lips remained open. As if there were words dying to leave her throat, but being kept captive there. She wanted to tell him her reasons why. She wanted to talk about how she had never been looked at the way he did her, or how she had never tried giving love a shot because there was too much to be said about her scars that she didn't want to explain.

Yet, her lips were once again sealed shut.

His hand took a hold of hers as they continued walking and the leggy brunette caught herself staring at their fingers linked together. it was so odd just how good these small things were making her feel. It was a day of discoveries, apparently. Without thinking much, Aysel shrugged as she looked up at him. "Maybe you should take me to Morocco, then." With that, she brought his hand up to her lips and planted a kiss upon his cold knuckles. Ones she loved feeling brush against her naked skin. "And Egypt, and other parts of Africa." She had a feeling that her suggestion might have made him run for the hills, but what was Aysel if not impulsive with her words?

She had a sly smirk on her lips and was halfway up to claim another kiss from the dirty blonde when the loud roar of motorcycles caused her body to freeze. It had been a while since she had had this type of reaction, and maybe it was because Jesse was with her, but Aysel found herself backing away from his face, only to see two familiar ones riding their Harleys, sporting the leather cuts of what once used to be her father's motorcycle gang.

And just like that, her armor was fully back up.

"Ayo, look who it is! The little princess in the flesh!" One of them taunted the other while motioning his head to Aysel who was now thankful that the lights had turned red, so she and Jesse could make their way towards the grocery shop. "Long time, no see, Ays! Been really missing ya!" He said and the other chipped in with something about how club nights weren't the same without her there, not forgetting to add an incredibly visual gesture using his hand and his tongue pressed against his cheek to let both Aysel and her companion know what he meant.

"The club must be really lacking having women around if twenty years later, you two are still thinking about me." With an eyeroll, Aysel was almost thankful to be reaching the end of the crosswalk when someone grabbed her hand and instinctively, she let go of Jesse's to go straight for one of the biker's nose, causing him to fumble backwards. "Touch me one more time and it'll be the last thing you'll ever do, Gregory." She made sure to use his real name, so he would know she meant business. "What a waste. It's no wonder there are no more women around. All there's left are boys." It didn't go unnoticed that Gregory, the one was known as Riggs back in the day, and the one she had left Derek for in order to keep her ex out of harm's way, was now occupying the place that had once belonged to her father: Vice-President.

She eyed the lit joint in her hands for a moment, debating on whether she should participate or make a quick run for it. The excuse of being a mom was always a useful getaway — no one was arguing a kid who needed their mother. But in the end, she took a drag from the end of it and savored the breath inward before letting it slowly fall into the air in front of them, lingering for just a split second longer in the Colorado chill. She spent the minute after handing the joint back to Aysel thinking about the other's words, compliment after compliment, pointing out things she already knew, but hadn't felt in a long time. Paramedic. Wife. Mother. Over and over again, in circles until she may have lost sight of who she was beneath it all.

And without the labels, she wasn't sure she was herself at all.

Yet, Aysel gave her a million reasons she was herself without the label of mom, without any of the other labels that Sage wouldn't dare speak between them, not when the other's soft hands rested on her cheeks like they did, the gesture sending a shiver down her spine that she'd easily blame on the cold air or the weed and not on the intimacy she found herself craving. "You compliment all the girls like this?" The older blonde tease with narrow eyes and a slight grin, the best she could do when her blue eyes focused on dark ones opposite her. "I'd argue that I'm the lucky one for running into you, especially when your company comes with benefits and a pep talk."

A soft laugh left her lips, the gentle hum of amusement falling between them, and an eventually teasing roll of her eyes as she cleared her throat and willed the warmth in her face to dissipate. She leaned back against the wall an dropped the other woman's gaze as she glanced at the sky. "You think I could have gone pro? In your professional I-showed-up-to-every-practice-because-I-clearly-loved-the-game opinion?" The blonde raised an eyebrow and another quiet chuckle fell from her mouth. "The people who matter know who I am."

Her mind was starting to feel fuzzy. Her chest was warm enough to make the brunette brave the cold winter by inhaling deeply. Sage's next question, however, caused Aysel to chuckle softly. There were lots of things the younger woman was interested in, but soccer was definitely not one of them. Sage's bare legs on those sports shorts? Definitely.

Her brow raised as the blunt was offered in her direction, but instead her attention turned toward Aysel, amused grin slipping into a more curious smile. "Well I'm not gonna say no if you're going to ask so nicely," the blonde mused, "but you're going to have to light it. Forgot my lighter in my bar jeans at home." She typically only carried a lighter at the bar, the only place where she may need to lend it to someone or use it for a back alley smoke herself. "I've been a mom for as long as I can remember," Sage admitted with a shrug, fully owning the fact that before there was Maggie to be a mom to, there was Ruby, and then Asher. When she was supposed to be letting loose in basement parties with red solo cups in high school, she was too busy making sure Asher was doing her homework and going to bed on time so she was tired the next day at school. Sure, she had a few moments of teenhood here and there, but it wasn't the same as it should have been.

And, of course, there was the period of time when she wasn't a mom at all. In between losing Ruby and finding out she was pregnant with Maggie, when she'd been all chaos and mess and a tornado of bad decisions and impulses. Maybe there was a good in between, but Sage had yet to find it. "Sounds like being wrong sometimes can work out for you?" The blonde sent a teasing wink in the other's direction before asking, "Hope the person who was supposed to be working knows how lucky they are, if you were looking for them."

Because she'd never known otherwise.

Once she'd handed Sage the joint, Aysel fished her own butane-lit lighter and let the blue flame kiss the tip of the blunt, before placing it back inside her pocket. The mere sound of the word 'mom' or 'mother' would send shivers down her spine, and the brunette had to admit that if there was a God out there, it really existed, because the amount of unprotected sex she was having during her teenage years not to have resulted in an wanted pregnancy? Yes. There was definitely a God (or maybe birth control really did work and she didn't end up as an exception to the rule).

When the joint was passed back to her, Aysel shrugged as she inhaled the smoke, taking her time to reply to the blonde's words. "Yes, you've been a mom your whole life..." She began, then tilting her head back so she could exhale up towards the sky. "...but are you really going to stand there and tell me that's all that you are?" The brunette shook her head. "I mean, have you seen yourself? You're one hot mama, for sure, babe. But you're also a businessowner, you were an athlete, you're a badass woman, Sage." Her hands landed on Sage's cheeks, as if to make the blonde keep her eyes on Aysel. "There are so many versions of you dying to be let out and be known by others, too. Life's too short to keep them in, you know?"

As for the person she was looking for knowing how lucky he was? Well, that was still debatable. Despite having kept in touch with Jesse throughout her January trip, she had yet to find out where they stood once they were under the same roof again. "Oh, they know they're lucky. But do you want to know who's luckier? Me for running into you, mama." Again, she winked. / @sagefranklin

"Aw, alright, so she's still a puppy. Mine are all a little older." All the dogs were within three to six years of age, give or take. All of them having been adopted at various points, Ty didn't know exactly how old, just an estimate. "Good, though, yeah. Busy getting ready for a fight I have coming up. Goin' to Vegas for it soon. What about you?"

The image of that small dog curled up in its spot at the rescue shelter was still vivid in her mind. "Emira means someone who's worthy or a princess." Her smile brightened up as the caramel pitbull came running towards her once again, prompting Aysel to play with her. "Which is totally what she is, isn't it? My sweet princess." She said as she scratched behind Emira's ear, using her kiddy's voice as she spoke to the pup, which was definitely something she did often in front of others. Once she was back up, she turned to Tyler. "Oh? Vegas is always fun. The desert air is always too dry for me to breathe properly, but oh well. Will you be able to enjoy some of the city?" / @tysingh

Her question caught him off guard and he turned around, sheepish look because it should come as no surprise. “That obvious, huh?” In fact, probably never. But he wasn’t sure if he needed to admit that to her at this point. “Guess my confident swagger wasn’t as deceptive as I hoped,” he joked, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, probably not fooling her into thinking he’d ever step foot in a sex shop before. Once a nerd, always a nerd. He might have put on some bulk and donned some suits, but it didn’t change the fact that he still had no game.  | @ayselkarademir

Things had felt like a blur since the holidays, and the barista wasn't quite sure if that was a good or bad thing. Perhaps it was neither and his usual guilt complex was causing him to overthink rather than follow the course of what had been happening.

There'd not only been a gift exchange, he and Aysel had also shared a New Year's kiss and hooked up. Then when the incredibly dynamic woman had left the country on a vacation she'd spoiled herself with, Jesse had been surprised with the amount of contact between the two of them. He'd half expected the leggy brunette would galavant around famed cities like Paris and Rome and think little of him as she enjoyed herself.

It would've been understood and not something the Boston native would've held against the woman that seemingly had him in a chokehold.

Was she someone worth changing for? Giving up the past and putting it behind him? Jesse was beginning to think so, even if he was sure he didn't deserve it or her.

Now, returned to the mountainous region of the midwest in the US, Jesse found himself in her company as they were going to stop at some shops and head to an evening dinner. All while she regaled him with her experiences at the ballet and opera— tickets he'd dropped for her to enjoy the splendor of.

"If you were to go back," to Europe that was, "where would you go this time?" The question was casual and he found he really enjoyed talking with her, even if there was still they had so much to open up to one another. Even though he'd been stunned by it, the daily communication and the direction their FaceTime connections had gone— it was hard to let go of now that he'd had a taste of it.

Not entirely, at least.

With her arm laced around his, Aysel strolled the downtown streets alongside the tall Bostonian, sharing little anecdotes from her European getaway, which, proved to be even better with Jesse's company, despite the long-distance and the odd hours separating them.

To her, it was exciting to receive a good-morning text from him in the middle of her afternoon, to be able to find him awake as she sent him pictures of her hotel bed, to fall asleep remembering the sounds he would make, provoked by their FaceTiming activities. Just thinking about it sometimes, would cause her skin to tingle. If said out loud, Aysel was certain the tall blonde would disagree with her, but Jesse el-Massalamy was exciting.

As her dark hues found his sad, soulful oceanic orbs after his question, Aysel wondered if they were finally taking steps towards the right direction, which, was an uncommon thought for her to have in the first place. She had not cared much for romantic relationships, hardly ever pondered about the directions they were taking, so what was it about Jesse that sparked those thoughts in her? What was it about the mysterious Bostonian that had her heart opening up and welcoming him like that?

"Romantic?" She questioned, a playful smirk toying on her red-tinted lips. "My, my, is Jesse el-Massalamy... romantic?" Her lips parted in faux-surprise, a gasp escaping from them as soon as she said the word, humour evident in her tone as her free hand moved up his chest and tugged on his thick scarf, prompting him downward to steal a kiss from his lips. It didn't last long, though. Not because they were in the middle of the street, because Aysel couldn't care less about those sorts of things, but mostly, because she liked teasing him like that. "I have not, no. But funny... most people would describe me as a nightmare." A title she would wear with pride in this town, flaunting her presence anywhere there were people who despised her origins and thought less of her. "Can't say I disagree." The brunette chuckled.

This was nice, though. Casual conversation, the absence of weight they had once carried in each word to each other... it had all been thanks to their constant contact during her new year's getaway.