hiatus

it was the kind of assurance he knew she didn’t mean, but he didn’t know how to make it better. despite just promising to make it up to her, archer was at a loss. the only way to guarantee a smile on her face was to follow through with initial promise, but he was getting really good at breaking those. his career taking precedence over all else. archer wasn’t even sure when he had become that way, just that it was hard to come back. his love for her hadn’t wavered though, more and more often it seemed like he was beginning to count on her loving him back. “ we may not have a week, but we do still have tonight ? ” he tried, wanting to boost her mood. one hand rested comfortably on her hip while the other came up to stroke her cheek. “ ladies choice. anything you want to do, and i can’t say no on account of me being a massive jackass and ruining our vacation. ” again. though he opted to leave that part out.

 the  soft  spot  he  held  for  her  ached  the  minute  she  pleaded.  try  as  he  might  to  keep  his  distance,  he  always  found  himself  wanting  to  help;  wanting  to  be  the  person  who  could  kiss  it  all  better.  her  voice  was  enough  to  get  him  to  keep  the  door  open,  soft  sigh  slipping  past  his  lips  as  he  found  himself  slipping  under  her  spell  once  more.  “  you  really  think  coming  inside  is  a  good  idea  ?  ”  he  questioned,  though  irritation  is  long  gone.  “  it’s  not  fair  to  me,  you  understand  that  right  ?  ”

 though  it  would  have  been  in  her  right  to  gloat  about  her  intuition  (  or  maybe  it  was  just  common  sense  ),  he’s  grateful  when  she  didn’t.  he  felt  relieved  that  she  was  kind  enough  not  to  let  him  wallow  in  his  embarrassment  for  longer  than  he  nodded  to.  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  he’s  able  to  produce  a  small  smile  as  he  made  his  way  inside  her  place.  “  y’know,  i  didn’t  stick  around  long  enough  to  get  a  look  of  his  face.  the  ass  shot  was  plenty.  ”  he  did  his  best  to  joke  as  he  sunk  into  her  couch,  patting  the  spot  next  to  him  so  she  would  come  join  him.  “  i  think  that  title  should  go  to  me.  i  am  the  one  that  gave  her  another  shot  in  the  end,  right  ?  ”

 matty  always  thought  being  someone  who  didn’t  shy  away  from  telling  hard  truths  was  a  good  thing.  when  she  turned  away  from  though  he  had  begun  to  think  a  little  differently.  without  trying  he  seemed  to  have  hit  a  nerve.  choosing  to  ignore  how  much  he  didn’t  like  the  fact  she  turned  away  from  him,  he  placed  the  picture  back  on  its  nightstand  and  retrieved  his  cigarette  as  planned.  “  sorry.  guess  i  shouldn’t  have  asked  huh  ?  ”  his  apologize  was  half-assed.  just  like  most  of  his  efforts.  he  tapped  her  shoulder,  holding  out  the  now  lit  cigarette  to  her.  “  no  need  to  get  pouty  about  it,  just  a  question.  we  can  talk  about  something  else  if  you  want.  ”

all the work she’d done to keep herself grounded, went flying the moment he’d placed a kiss to her fingers. one kiss and she was floating. even if she never said it out loud, it was clear from the look on her face. smile effortlessly spreading on her face as she looked to him like he was an absolute dream. what girl didn’t like feeling like a princess? “you better be, i don’t leave a party for just anyone.” she actually didn’t leave them for anyone. the approvals of others, the appearances she had to keep up for her parents sake... they may have seemed pointless, but it didn’t better to isabella. maybe more than it should. and maybe that’s why she was so drawn to noah. aside from how good he made her feel, how kind he was, how funny; he also showed her that there was so much more to life than what was in her own little bubble. “what’s this?” she beamed looking down to the bracelet on her wrist. it was beautiful, though he didn’t give her much of a chance to say that. as she followed him out, isabella didn’t even care if anyone had seen them. she was just thrilled to finally be alone with him. though, his instructions did cause a momentary dilemma. “these are valentinos.” she pouted at the thought of wearing them out. but going back to the party wasn’t on her priority list either. without sparing a second thought she used his shoulder for support and took each heel off before holding them to her chest. “let’s get on with it then.” she instructed, heading for the stairs. “oh!” she exclaimed, turning back around and without warning planted her lips to a spot on his cheek where the corner of his lips would also be captured. “thank you, for the bracelet.” isabella gave him a sweet smile before she set off up the stairs once more.

 so  easily  she  got  lost  in  the  sea  of  his  arms.  she  never  fought  it  either.  simply  allowed  her  arms  to  move  with  the  tide  instead  of  going  against  it.  it  was  selfish  of  her  to  demand  so  much  of  him  when  she  could  only  give  so  much  of  her.  dean  was  deserving  of  someone  whose  attention  could  belong  to  him,  and  only  him.  nevaeh  wanted  to  be  that  person.  but  how  much  longer  would  she  have  to  pretend  for  the  camera  ?  how  much  longer  would  he  be  willing  to  wait  ?  the  sound  of  the  box  colliding  with  the  floor  pulls  her  from  her  thoughts.  light  giggle  fall  from  her  lips,  but  their  quickly  quieted  by  his  simple  request.  he  called  for  her,  and  she  came.  slowly  lowering  herself  down  with  him.  resting  on  her  side  comfortable  with  the  help  of  her  elbow  keeping  her  up.  a  free  hand  rested  on  his  shoulder,  while  a  leg  came  up  to  lay  across  his  waist.  with  neck  exposed,  she  tilted  her  head  to  allow  him  better  access.  soft  sounds  of  content  slipping  past  her  lips  at  the  contact.  “  i  missed  you  too,  dean.  so  very  much.  you  were  all  i  could  think  about.  ”  she  responded  immediately.  the  honesty  unsurprising  to  her.  a  soft  smile  came  with  the  knowing  that  he’d  marked  her.  if  she  had  to  quietly  be  his,  she  had  no  qualms  with  that.  “  as  if  i  could  ever  forget  you.  ”  her  reminder  came  with  her  hand  lowering  him  completely  onto  the  bed  while  her  own  body  shifted  so  that  she  straddled  him.  “  is  it  my  turn,  then  ?  ”  she  questioned  playfully,  but  didn’t  wait  for  an  answer  as  she  lowered  herself  down  to  him.  “  tell  me  what  you  missed  about  me.  ”  she  whispered  before  her  lips  attached  themselves  to  his  neck,  working  in  the  same  way  he  had  just  worked  her.

 there  was  something  in  that  laugh.  it  had  to  be  laced  with  something  with  how  addictive  it  was.  the  sound  was  more  like  a  sweet,  infectious,  melody  and  eli  could  listen  to  it  on  replay.  would  have  went  out  of  his  way  to  listen  to  it  on  repeat.  he’d  do  anything  to  make  her  laugh.  make  her  smile.  don’t  even  get  him  started  on  her  smile.  having  her  in  his  arms,  pressed  against  him,  and  knowing  that  he  would  go  to  bed  by  her  side  and  wake  up  with  her  still  there  caused  his  cheeks  to  ache  from  how  wide  his  smile  had  grown.  “  it  most  certainly  is  a  promise,  baby.  ”  he  assured,  a  chuckle  of  his  own  falling  in  time  with  her  laughter.  “  don’t  tease  me.  ”  he  responded  to  her  hypothetical  with  a  groan.  “  i’d  love  that.  maybe  a  little  too  much.  i’d  give  you  the  key  to  the  place  right  now  if  you’re  ready.  ”  he  placed  her  down  gently  as  the  honesty  fell  from  him  without  any  trouble.  “  but  only  when  you’re  ready.  i  know  how  i  feel  about  you.  i’m  standing  firm  in  how  crazy  i  am  about  you.  but  if  you  need  more  time,  that’s  fine.  i  can  wait.  ”  eli  didn’t  think  their  love  was  unbalanced.  he  knew  daisy  cared  for  him  deeply.  she’d  just  called  him  her  everything  hadn’t  she?  but  he  also  knew  that  he  loved  a  lot  more  freely  than  she  did.  she  was  taking  a  risk  on  him,  or  at  least  that’s  maybe  how  she  saw  it.  she  didn’t  want  to  get  hurt,  and  he  understood.  “i  didn’t  think  it  was  cheesy.  i  thought  it  was  beautiful.  you’re  my  everything  too.”

 yasmine  had  always  been  radiant.  but  there  were  moments;  moments  when  they  were  alone,  moments  like  right  then,  where  she  was  illuminous.  brighter  than  the  sun,  and  the  stars  in  the  night  sky.  he’d  follow  her  anywhere.  write  her  haikus,  sonnets,  and  epics.  a  muse  without  trying,  she  clouded  his  creative  mind’s  eye  and  he  was  better  for  it.  masterpieces  had  been  created  in  her  name.  if  only  olly  the  bravery  to  be  as  honest  with  her  as  he  was  about  her  in  his  work.  so  much  as  a  simple  graze  on  his  shirt  gave  him  butterflies;  the  smile  was  instant.  eyes  moving  from  her  hand  to  her  face  as  his  legs  followed  her  lead.  even  taking  another  step  forward  once  her  hand  dropped  away  from  him.  “  i’m  always  trying  to  impress  you.  ”  he  commented  lowly,  smile  dissolving  into  a  smirk  as  he  fought  the  urge  to  reach  out  for  her.  to  hold  onto  her  waist  and  place  his  lips  on  hers.  and  it  was  just  about  the  hardest  thing  he’d  ever  tried  to  do.  “  kidnapping  ?  is  that  what  we’re  calling  it  now  ?  ”  he  chuckled  as  he  threw  his  arm  around  her  shoulder.  it  was  casual  enough  not  to  raise  any  alarm  bells  (  he  hoped  )  yet  still  put  her  within  close  proximity  to  himself.  “  maybe  if  you  ask  really  really  nicely  i’ll  tell  you.  ”  he  winked  as  they  arrived  at  the  passenger  side  of  his  car,  and  he  popped  it  opened  for  her.  “  otherwise,  i  guess  it’s  just  going  to  be  a  surprise.  ”  initially,  he’d  wanted  to  take  her  out  to  a  club,  maybe  a  nice  restaurant.  but  all  of  that  meant  there  would  be  others  around.  watching  her  in  the  way  he  did  when  she  wasn’t  looking.  so  he  opted  for  a  drive  in  movie  instead.  blankets,  and  a  picnic  basket  ready  in  the  backseat.  he  wanted  her  for  himself  for  the  night,  so  he  ensured  alone  time  with  her  is  what  he  got.

“  i  don’t  even  know  why  you  still  try  to  keep  things  from  me.  you  know  i’ll  find  out  eventually,  so  what  are  you  holding  back  on  me  now  ?  ”