FOREGROUND

Good or bad questions? Are you curious to dabble in the art of being spanked, my darling Summers? I’ve got the perkiest of asses to test it on. Let’s not. Anything to do with groups have never been my thing. Have everyone sing their hearts out while we find an empty field to shout all our troubles to the void then torch the place and dance in our own flames and our issues of the past. Sounds grand, doesn’t it? Or maybe, my disastrous coping mechanisms are exactly why Dr. Phil needs to intervene. I like the two-way mirror. Imagine all the idiots that’ll stop to check themselves out in the mirror while I stand on the other side munching on a croissant in my underwear. AKA you’ve been permanently thrown on Adrian duty. Keeping the bruises on my legs to a minimum and unfortunately, I can’t say the same for my lost shoes but at least I don’t wake up with my feet the color of coal. If keeping me safe is what you’ve thrown onto the table, what do I bring to this relationship? A little chaos and a wild moonlight romp fifty stories high, perhaps? – Let’s go. Forget the pillows and forget the blankets. What’s a few more bumps and bruises from rough surfaces in the name of spontaneity? – Or if you really do insist upon it, you grab them and I’ll leave you a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of slinky lingerie for you to follow.

Accepting his silent offer, she took the pillow and tucked it under her head. “Hold on, you have a girlfriend? Since when?” Lindy’s head tilted up, facing Bryce in surprise, hearing about this made Lindy a little more excited and happy for her friend. “I’m not sure, possibly. I’ve seen a few people around but didn’t catch some of their names. What’s she look like?” The girl questioned, curious to see who the girl was that managed to snag the boys heart. “I’m sure of it if you’re with her.” She said with a smile and laid her head back down onto the pillow, staring back up at the ceiling. “Ugh. Well, my friend, Liana - not sure if you’ve met her - made a stupid decision and drove drunk, crashed and now she’s all beaten up in hospital for the past couple days. Since I’ve known her for so long now, I’m keeping her company. She’s practically my sister.” Lindy explained as her mind raced through all the thoughts she had and what she said to Liana earlier before they vanished at the sound of Bryce’s laugh, her mind going back to the conversation at hand. Lindy hummed as she thought of something that she would define crazy with before speaking. “Crazy in my terms would be an extreme liking to watching clocks tick by, especially in dark rooms. Or streaking on a busy street in the middle of the day.” Lindy teased the boy and laughing at the latter scenario she had now imagined in her mind.

“I do.” He replied sweetly as if just the mere thought brought him to feel such a way, a coy smile falling to his lips, “I only ask because she was on The Valleys with us. You may know here from there.” Bryce smoothly recovered, “– Sorry, I probably should’ve mentioned that before.” The boy’s head looked up to the ceiling as he thought of how to explain her, his lips parted, an elongated ‘uh’ leaving his rosebud lips, “She’s blonde– about five and a half feet, and has these real pretty green eyes. One’s you wouldn’t forget.” He half-explained, half-stated. The boy then brought his head back down, eyes falling onto Lindy again, a faint, boyish smile upon his countenance, “Well thank you.” Once more he seemed to become covered with a coyness, his sudden laugh shy in its nature. Bryce’s smile dropped at the mention of a car crash, brown irises steadied on her own, listening to her carefully and considerately as she spoke, “Yeah, I have. She was on the show too, right? We’ve talked a few times.” The dark-haired male explained, “She’s okay, right? And you– you’re okay? I mean, I know stuff like that can be hard to deal with... – Or so I imagine, I haven’t actually experienced it myself, or anything.” He rambled. Bryce was never quite good with comforting people. He tried, of course, but he always ended up talking far too much, “That’s cool that she’s like your sister. Not many people can find someone that they get along with that well you know?” The boy listened, a steady laugh strumming from his chest, his brows raising at her final statement, “Lindy Matthews–” He said playfully, dragging out her name, “don’t tell me you’ve streaked in the middle of the day.”

“Do chains and whips excite you, Bryce? Tell the truth. It’s a mad world, my darling. There’s something indefinitely wrong with all of us. A whole right in the door? That’s practically begging the peeping toms in the world to come slithering up to our door and salivating as we  walk around in nothing but a towel after a long shower. I’d say keep the axe in tact but I fear for my life and safety if I ever came bounding in drunk. How about we install a video camera. Like some kind of Big Brother is always watching concept. Better yet, let’s bug the entire apartment with video cameras and play God. So the queen is my competition, hm? I’ll have Prince Charles dub me a duchess and profess to all of England my royal jewels are better and gleam much brighter than hers. Are you saying you want to be president? So long as I get to meet Barack himself, I’ll  support your campaign. Though I suggest we just take flight and kiss America behind. How does Croatia sound? – My day has been filled with pointless small talk and eyes rolled behind my tinted sunglasses. A few laughs, a few tears – not my own of course. But it’s all white noise and thrown into the void when I step foot in here. Truthfully, as odd as this entire conversation is, it’s been the only one I’ve enjoyed. – I’ve…. never done it on the roof of this apartment complex. I bet I’ll look good naked standing under the stars on this rooftop. Would you agree or should we go up and see for ourselves?

“They excite me in the sense that many questions come to mind when I remember that people actually enjoy being paddled. That’s indefinitely true. I can only imagine the cure being one big group therapy session, Dr. Phil as our psychotherapy Messiah while we all sing kumbaya. Or– or, we can install a two-way mirror for a door. We can see them but they can’t see us. It’ll be the ultimate deception. I would never allow you to come stomping in here intoxicated. I’d carry you over my shoulder, fireman style before I’d let that happen... – For safety purposes, of course. How creepy would that be? You know, Harper, that may just top my door idea. I think I’ve had enough of cameras for a lifetime if I’m being honest, even if we could make serious bank off of running our own TV show. Correctomundo: the Queen and her entire army of nutcrackers. Are you trying to win me over with jewels now? Don’t tell the Queen this, but you could be in rags, and that charming personality of yours would dazzle brighter than any emerald. Who doesn’t want to be president? I’d love to get paid to nap all day in the Oval Office and eat chicken wings in Lincoln’s bedroom. You can definitely meet Barack. I’ll lug my piano up to the white pillars so I can play and you can sing and together can charm the most powerful man in the world like a snake. Croatia sounds grand. If it’s anything like Thailand with you, it’ll be paradise on Earth. Good. It makes me happy to make you happy because that smile right there– the one your flashing me right now? That’s what I live for. Stop, please. I don’t want to hear a single detail about your previous... –Encounters. I already get jealous enough when another man even glances at you. I’d still think you look good naked even if I went blind. What are we waiting for? Let’s go, let’s go– just–... We should probably grab some blankets and pillows, shouldn’t we?” 

Laying upon her back she rested her eyes a bit, shutting them briefly as she chuckled at the boys words, finding humour in his question. “What? Can’t I visit a friend unannounced?” She replied trying her best to hide the fact that she was disappointed in Liana’s recklessness. “I’m as good as I can be after spending the night in a hospital chair.” She said as she opened her eyes, her head turning to wards the boy her hands still laying on her mid section. Lindy couldn’t help but feel a little happier when releasing a laugh from her lips at Bryce’s words. “Wow, I never knew you were that kinky, Bryce. That may even be a little crazy for me.” Lindy joked back with the boy.

“Well, I suppose you can.” He shrugged, offering the small pillow he had to her, “It’s not like I mind you being here at all. My girlfriend might though.” The male jested, a laugh leaving him, “– Kidding. She’s cool, she knows how I feel about her.” He informed, sitting up then. He crossed his legs, leaning back on his palms, “– Do you know Adrian?” Bryce then asked, curious if they’d met, “You would’ve have forgotten her if you had. She the most beautiful girl alive, I swear to it.” The male brought a hand up, slashing it in front of him as he spoke, talking with his long digits– a poor habit he held, “Why were you in the hospital?” He asked with slight concern. As she laughed, it seemed to become contagious, floating through the air, causing the boy to copy, “Define crazy in your terms.” 

Liana smiled softly, shaking the other’s hand as she bit her lip. “I’m sorry, I tend to forget things so easily.” She said trying to laugh it off a bit as it wasn’t a serious issue anyways, it happened to the best,right? “Actually I was love a glass of water and your plan works fine for me,thank yu.” The blonde said looking around for a second, taking in the environment as she didn’t do that before she walked inside the room. “You live here for a long time already or?” She questioned, wondering if he’d been living in this house for a while, seeing everything was already perfectly and neatly finished and in place.

“– You’re fine, seriously, don't even worry about it.” His voice was filled with a genuine reassurance, brows knotting as he gave a gentle shake of his head. He extended a hand with the seven words, palm parallel with the ground, and with a shake he locked in his attempt to put her at ease, “– But you’re right, it does happen to the best of us.” He smiled, before licking his lips, “My grandfather used to forget to put his car in park all the time.” Bryce began, “– He wrecked his Mercedes-Benz more than he won at Blackjack, which, was often.” The boy jested, a grin parting his lips, “He was a good guy... Even though he had a bad habit of cleaning his ears with said car key, but anyway–” A light laugh left the boy’s lips, a grin larger than life finding his features, “Alright, cool,” He stated, before walking over to the kitchen, fetching a glass and filling it with water. He brought it to her, sitting it down on the coffee table, in front of where she’d sat down, “For about six years, so a decent amount of time.” The male then plopped down on a chair across from her, instantly getting comfortable, “It’s small, but I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, honestly.” Bryce admitted, glancing around before settling his eyes back on her once more, “What about you? Tell me something about yourself.” He asked, “– You know, all your weird hobbies, maybe a few secrets here and there.” 

Emma narrowed her eyes at the tall figure in front of her and scoffed, rolling her eyes in the process. She sat down on the corner of his bed, her elbows both leaning beside her on the bed, keeping her up. “So, your telling me you’d rather work then go on probably the most interesting New York explorations with me? To be honest, I wasn’t expecting denial.” Emma spoke up, sighing, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. Looking back up, she raised an eyebrow at him, “that only leaves us with two possible options, one, what time do you finish work at? then we could just explore afterwards or i can help with whatever work you need to be done, two of us are better then one.” She finished, her eyes widening with possible ideas and places the pair could find while adventuring a foreign place. “You know, Bryce, seeing a Williams bored is a rare sight and currently your the only person who could possibly cure it..” Emma mumbled on, shrugging her shoulders effortlessly.

“It’s not a question of would you rather, Ems.” He stated, his tone laced with one of that a parent would contain when saying no to their child, but still carried a sense of amusement, “I have to go to work. It’s mandatory, or I lose my job and then I have to get rid of my HBO subscription and my electricity and my apartment–.” The male told her, “Denial?” A light laugh left him, “I wish it were denial instead of a required six hours of research, I truly, truly do.” He stalled in his movements, listening to her as she spoke. He liked Emma, he really did. She was a fun girl and a good friend, two things he deemed necessary when picking a confidant. The boy looked down at the ground, shrugged his shoulders and flickered his gaze back to her, “– One: a bored Williams is something I cannot have, and two... Can you run?”

The blonde nodded at his question. “Of course.” She said following him through the hall to what appeared to be his bedroom. As she eyed the dresser, she looked at it from a distance before coming closer. “Looks fine to me.” She said inspecting it a bit more before looking at the tall male standing a bit more away from her. “I’ll take it.” She said, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I’m Liana, by the way. Don’t think I mentioned my name actually.” Liana spoke out softly and ever so gently as she once again eyed the figure now in front of her.

The male watched her as she watched the dresser, her own brown eyes on the mahogany wood, his on her defined features. He inspected her countenance, trying to figure out what she was thinking, but was cut off with the clear statement of a successful deal. Bryce nodded, an immediate grin shifting onto his expression, “Cool.” He then replied, a smile on his lips, a barely audible laugh parting them, “– You did,” The boy responded, extending a hand, “but it’s nice to see you in person, Liana. I’m Bryce.” He smiled, then stepping back, a small silence breaking out between the pair, “...– You want some water or something? We can call up the movers and chat while we wait.” 

“You should really lock this thing, you know. Or at the very least bring those honeyed orbs to the peep hole and have a peek at your visitors. We live in a dangerously violent world, Summers. I could have been Trump deporting you all the way back to Great Britain; sending you with my snarling regards to the queen herself. Or I could have been a murderer equipped with a gun not loaded with water. – On second thought, you should bolt this door and swing the chain in for extra measure. There’s a few cock hungry goblins littering the streets of New York. I even bumped into one a few days ago. - Literally bumped into one and she nearly caused my ear drums to bleed out. Anyways, lock this thing. I can’t have you vanishing from me so soon. I’m not prepared and I haven’t had my way with you nearly enough times.”

“Define lock, because when I personally think of bolting a door I think of chains and saws and whips and that weirdly catchy song about S&M. Then again, I’m convinced there’s something indefinitely wrong with me. But looking through the peephole seems so… Elderly. Maybe we should just take an axe to the door and widen the thing so there doesn’t have to be any squinting involved. Whenever somebody wants in we’ll make them stick their head through the crack and say ‘here’s Johnny’, except tenfold, and in an Australian accent. Trump can’t touch me, and the Queen and I have a romantic history, aka she’s madly in love with me, and I’m practically untouchable while over the UK border. Speaking of him, I say me and you give that Trump Tower climb a bona fide reboot. We’ll correct everything that he did wrong and make it to the top with flying colours. Did you? You’ll have to tell me all about your encounter. –Actually, tell me all about you. How are you doing? How has your day been? How’s school? Did you buy any Bosco sticks while you were out? You know, we could start narrowing that list right now. Ever done it on the roof of an apartment complex?”  

“You don’t look like a Miss Harrington,” James noted as he peaked through the open door. “And this doesn’t look like a flat that’s for sale.” He nodded to himself, realizing he must’ve made a wrong turn while apartment hunting. “Sorry to bother you mate, I should leave you to it.” 

He was surprised to see an individual he didn’t know, but nevertheless, that didn’t stop him from being himself. “Hey, maybe I don’t fit the part, bro, but–” The boy said standing up, voice deadpan, “…— I kid, you’re fine.” A hand tossed the orange ball to the side, the object hitting the sofa before bouncing off, “Why don’t you allow me to help you, man?” Bryce offered, “You said Harrington, right?” The male walked towards him before extending a hand, figuring he was a cool enough guy just from first impression, “I’m Bryce, by the way.”

“Ayd—”

“Hey.” Lindy said after opening the door and walking in, joining Bryce laying on the floor. “Is this really all you get up to when you’re home alone?” She said as she watched the toss the ball up towards he ceiling again and again.

Brows raised as he looked over in slight astonishment, the boy mid-throw, his elbow up in the air, “Hey.” He greeted, voice raising an octave in concern, “— I mean,” The male then corrected, “— what are you doing here? Everything okay, Linds?” A grin then parted his lips at her jest, “Oh absolutely,” The male began, shifting to the side as she laid down beside him, taken aback by the movement from the girl, “All day every day. But now that we’re confessing things, I need to get this off my chest...— I have a kink for watching clocks and sitting in dark rooms too.” He joked in return, “I’m a total freak, as you can see.”