remember my name

as their eyes locked, it was like he was silently challenging her -- taking in the way her gaze drops down towards his lips ; couldn't resist the smirk that appears . before he knows it , soft delicate hand met his jaw tugging him closer as warm lips melts upon his . it was soft , slow , and intense . . . something he wasn't even sure he felt with his girlfriend . hand snakes around her waist , tugging her frame closer towards his body ; addicted to the way she smells as they came back for air . chuckles escapes his lips , " you're the one who initiated the kiss , you're gonna get me in trouble aud . "

she doesn't bother to pull away from him , or to push his hand off of her waist , instead she revels in the feeling of his hands pressed against her. craves it in ways that she hadn't imagined to be possible. " is it bad that i don't care ? " she whispers , just low enough for the both of them to hear. one hand moves to tangle into his hair , resting her forehead against his own for a moment before she sighs. " ... i do care , i do. i care so much , and this is wrong , and you need to get away from me. "

smirk only grew when she called him the worst. he didn't pretend to be anything else than what he was. nadia knew what kind of man he was, he'd never hidden that from her. " maybe ... " the blond replied with a shrug. " but at least you'll get off. "

her eyes find his own , in a state of curiosity , mixed with her inability to ever truly quit him , or say no to him. those words didn't exist in the same world that he did. " fine , " she mumbles under her breath , her bottom lip drawn between her teeth as she stares back at him. " one last time , for old time's sake .. right ? " she tries to reason , unsure if it's with him , or with herself , or who she's trying to convince. she knew that reopening this door would leave it open for far too long , but she was already one foot in.

slowly his gaze moved to meet his, " i don't know. " but niccolo did know. he just didn't want it to be where things were headed. " i don't want to give you an ultimatum. " but nothing would change either way. nic would never force him to put his career on hold but also knew that he had no more time to give him either. " you can't give me more and i can't settle for what i have right now. your career is always gonna be your number one priority. " chest ached at his own words. " i don't want it to come down to this. " eyes got teary but he wouldn't allow himself to cry — not at that moment. " maybe things were always meant to end up like this. "

he's a mess before the words even leave his boyfriend's lips , eyebrows furrowing as he stares back at him in disbelief. he couldn't begin to wrap his mind around the fact that he'd been getting closer and closer to everything that he'd ever wanted , yet further from the one person that mattered the most to him. it felt as though he'd intentionally been hurting nic by progressing with his career , unknowingly leaving him behind in the process. " ... i don't know what you're getting at , i really , really fucking don't. at least i hope i don't. you can't ... tell me you're not serious right now. tell me that this is all a fucking joke , please. " for once , logan didn't have the answers , and that scared him more than he had wanted to let on. " so that's it ? "

eden doesn't speak immediately, either — there's a softness in her chest that holds her still, lets her feel the full weight of what nadia's just offered her: not just vulnerability, but trust. and eden knows how rare that is, how sacred. her gaze drops to their joined hands, thumb brushing lightly along nadia's knuckles in a slow, steady rhythm, like she's memorizing the shape of reassurance. her heart feels like it's caught somewhere between breaking and blooming, and maybe that's what real connection is supposed to feel like — raw and delicate and just a little too much, but never too little. she swallows the lump rising in her throat, exhales slow through her nose before she finally looks over, meeting nadia's eyes with a quiet kind of certainty. "you don't have to know how to carry it right now," eden murmurs, her voice almost reverent. "hope doesn't always come easy. sometimes it's not loud. sometimes it's just… choosing to stay open. even when you're scared. even when it's easier to close off and pretend like none of it matters. but it does, nadia. you do." she shifts closer, the edges of her knee brushing gently against the other girl's, and for once, eden doesn't try to soften the intensity in her gaze. "i don't think love looks for a certain kind of person. i think it finds the ones who need it most, when they least expect it. and if you're scared that it won't come for you — let me be the one to remind you, over and over, that you're worthy of it anyway. even if it takes time. even if it shows up quietly, disguised as something else first." her fingers curl more firmly around nadia's hand, grounding them both. "borrow my hope for as long as you need. i've got more than enough."

she had been so captivated by the way that eden spoke , so in awe of the way that she handled herself with a grace that nadia could only quietly envy. eden was all of the things that she wished she could be , tied in a pretty pink bow. their knees brush together for a moment , nadia's cheeks flushing at the contact of their skin. eden was warm and her scent sweet , which would have been nauseating under any other circumstances , but it only draws nadia closer here. she squeezes her hand softly in return , her thumb brushing lightly over the back of her hand before she turns her head to look up at her. their eyes meet nearly instantly , a small smile pushing its way to her lips. there's no use in biting it back , eden's already seen it , and she thinks for a moment that there's a hint of one mimicking on her own. nadia doesn't second guess her next movements , not even for a split second , as she shifts to close the distance between the two of them. her eyes flutter shut as she presses their lips together slowly , agonizingly slow for her own liking , but giving eden enough time to process what had happened. the kiss is soft and sweet , and it feels like it comes out of nowhere , but also like she's been waiting her entire life for this moment. she kisses her again , this time with more intensity and a real purpose , to thank her friend for her kind words .. at least that's what she'd tell her if things felt weird after.

lena hates him for saying that — hates him for knowing exactly which part of her to speak to. the part that still remembers what it was like to be chosen by him, to be the person he'd grab onto in the dark when the world felt too big, to be the first name he whispered when something good happened. she wants to be that again, god, she does. she wants to believe they can go back to that place where love was soft and steady and enough. but wanting and living aren't the same, and loving someone doesn't always mean staying. "don't do that," she murmurs, the ache curling around her voice like smoke. "don't tell me i'm your future when you've been living every single day without me in it. you keep saying you love me like it's supposed to fix everything — but love isn't supposed to be something i earn. i was always here. i waited. i believed in you. i kept showing up until i realized you weren't meeting me halfway anymore." her hands tremble slightly at her sides, but she doesn't let herself break this time. not this time. "i am sure, logan. i had to be. because if i wasn't, i'd still be waiting on the version of you that used to make me feel like i was worth choosing over the music, over the deadlines, over everything else." her eyes shimmer with unshed tears, but she doesn't look away. "i didn't come here to leave you, i came here to end this the right way. to tell you to your face that i'll always love who we were — but i can't keep loving who we've become. i won't survive it. and i won't let you ask me to stay when you're not the one doing the holding anymore." she steps back slowly, like each inch away from him is its own quiet funeral. "maybe we find our way back one day. but right now… this can't be our forever. not like this."

lena had been the rock that grounded logan back to the real world , and at times it felt suffocating. there were parts of him that loved her , deeper than he could have ever even began to unpack , but parts of him that knew that he had to let her go. that he hadn't been fair to her since the beginning of all of this , and that they'd been hanging onto something that might have been too far gone to get back. but when she's standing in front of him , tears welling in her eyes , with the promise of a goodbye , he can't seem to find the right words to say. whether to let her leave , or to get her to stay. both options don't seem plausible. nothing feels real , nothing but the weight of the room as the walls close in on the two of them. " lena , " logan tries , shaking his head , unable to process any of the words that had been leaving her lips. though he tries. desperately , and undeniably , he tries. eyes fixated on her mouth , trying to make out the words that spill from her lips. his ears can't pick up on any of the sounds , his heart beats desperately against his chest , feels like it might break free from the cage his ribs had been cradling it in. " don't do this to us. just ... don't. i can fix it , okay ? i can fix everything , and we can be happy again ... just like we used to be , just like how it was before all of this ... i'll quit. i'll quit tomorrow if it means that you stay , just , stay. " he shakes his head , unable to grasp the way that she takes steps away from him. it feels like he's a stranger to her , someone that she knew once , from somewhere that she couldn't quite place now. it was lonely and isolating , and the world that logan had once been apart of had proven that it had moved on without him , and would continue to.

his gaze lifts, meets hers without hesitation, and there's something raw there—not regret, but recognition. "but damn, nik… you were never supposed to be a memory. and that's all you turned into. late nights, bad weather, familiar songs—it was always you. and i hated it, but i never stopped it." his mouth twitches, like a smile almost surfaces but doesn't quite make it. "so yeah. maybe you weren't supposed to stay. but if you're here now, standing in front of me again, saying my name like that… maybe it means something. maybe it still can."

despite his words , nikki wants to argue with him , tell him that he's foolish for not asking her to stay. though she knows that there's no use , not worth it to harp on the past when she's back living in it , at least that's how she feels. her eyes glance around the bar as the regulars shuffle out , knowing that it was nearing closing time. her bottom lip drawn between her teeth as she turns to toss the rag she'd been using to wipe down the bar top into the bin of used ones that would get cycled out for laundry the next morning. " i don't know if that makes you selfless , or if that makes you a coward , " she finally voices , only when her back is turned to him , with hopes that her voice had been quiet enough that he wouldn't have heard , and if he did hear , that he wouldn't have picked up on the way that it trembled when she spoke. the thought of letting him pass her by again is something that she can't begin to wrap her head around , so she chooses not to. for once , she tries to live in the moment , stop analyzing everything as it happens and planning to be ten steps ahead of everyone else. her attention turns back to him , eyes softening as their gazes meet. " i wanted you to come find me , " she admits , " ... i went all around the east coast with my little suitcase after devon and i broke up. until all of the money that i had ran dry , with just enough to get me back here. i left clues for you everywhere , just in case you were looking. i should have known that you never would have left from this place. but , god , i wish that you would have. "

her gaze lowers to his lips when he speaks again, and a quiet laugh escapes her, breathy and warm. "yeah, we probably should," she murmurs, brushing a thumb gently across his jaw, but she makes no move to get up. instead, she sits there a moment longer, studying him like he's already become some kind of contradiction she can't quite figure out. "you wanna know who else i'm pulling?" she repeats, her voice teasing but edged with honesty. "honestly… i haven't decided yet. but i'll tell you this—if i do, it won't be because i'm looking for something better. it'll be because i want to know where everyone stands. you though?" her lips curve into a soft smirk, her fingers ghosting down the front of his shirt. "you've already made things interesting. i wasn't expecting you to fold so fast." a beat passes, her smile faltering just slightly, enough to let something real slip through. "...but i'm glad you did."

logan hadn't been expecting to give in as easily as he did , but he also wasn't expecting to like eden so much after one conversation. it felt trivial , like he might have been making the wrong decision and letting his heart lead him somewhere that it shouldn't have been. he was comfortable with katherine , and if nothing else .. he was honest with her. this felt like cheating in a less serious way , a concept that he couldn't quite wrap his head around no matter how hard he tried , but he had to remind himself that he was single. and that the promise of eden sounded better than whatever he had with katherine. his hands don't dare to move from her thighs , running up and down against her soft skin as he sighs softly , listening to her speak. god , her voice , he could listen to it for hours. softened hues bore into her own , hands mindlessly trailing to her hips to pull her flush against his lap , gaze dropping down to her lips once more. " i need you to get up , " logan finally draws out , sure enough that if they stayed in their current position any longer that he might actually go insane. he couldn't piece together what it was about the blonde that made his heart race in the ways that it did , but whatever it was , it was something special. " get to know everyone , you should .. i think. that would be the smart decision. " his voice drops an octave lower , leaning in to brush their noses together softly before he's moving to capture her lips in yet another kiss. " just don't get too comfortable with any of them , " he finally murmurs , one hand moving now to cup the back of her neck as he keeps her close. " ... if the choice is ours , i'm picking you. "

" yet now it occupies your mind and you can't stop thinking about it , hm ? could tell by how pink your cheeks are , " ashton easily comments , smile growing across his lips . her reaction was priceless , much more entertaining than trying to console his girlfriend over the two of them matching . it was clear they were on the same wavelengths . " maybe my mouth just need some one on one action with you , " voice was low , ensuring that no one else overheard their conversation and ran off to tell his girl . " it's trying to welcome you to the dark side , don't fight it aud . "

audri was beyond screwed , she had known that from the moment he inched closer. her breath hitches in her throat , eyes locking to his own before her gaze drops down to his lips as her tongue pokes out to swipe along her bottom one. one hand raises to press against his jaw , guiding him closer as her eyes flutter shut and she leans in to press their lips together. she's intentional with the kiss , hand dropping to the back of his neck as her nails scratch lightly against his skin , deepening the kiss as she licks into his mouth. it only lasts for a few seconds before she pulls back , her nose brushing against his own in the space she creates between the two of them. " jesus christ , ashton. stop flirting before something happens that we can't take back. "

" well , i don't , " sylvie's quick to fire back , annoyed by his presence ; how he almost seem amused by the entire situation which makes things worst. he saw her as a joke and she so desperately needed to get out of the room , be more than a feet away from him . life was fine when she didn't have to see him everyday , now that undesirable pit is back in her stomach at the sight of him. " yeah , but time changes things and people change . there's nothing to be jealous of as far as i'm concern after press you'll be just another coworker . "

of course logan was amused at the way that things were playing out before him , how could he not have been ? sylvie had been terrible at hiding her true feelings toward him , and for a very long time he had no idea why she'd grown to hate him ; but now it's all starting to connect for him. " would you just talk to me about all of this ? i can't read your mind , you know , even if sometimes it used to feel like that ... i miss you , you know. and i hate that this is how things have been. "

in her house of façades, logan’s bluntness was refreshing. a knowing smile cracked her somewhat downtrodden expression. “i’ll admit, just because he’s the man i love doesn’t mean he can’t piss me off somethin’ fierce.” she laughed gently while her hands worked to add finishing touches to the pie. in under a minute, she had a slice plated up for logan topped with a dollop of whipped cream. the blonde sauntered over, her floral skirt shifting with every step until she reached the island. "between you and me," she leaned in, her voice lowering to little more than a gentled whisper. "i think he's a bit jealous. folks in this town don't go after what they want, they choose humble lives 'cause no one wants to look like a fool if they fail. but you? you're going for it and that's really somethin'." even daisy wasn’t immune to feeling a touch of envy when taking logan’s life into account. while he was chasing after his dreams, she was painfully stagnant in the life she’d been in before he left town— being paid pennies to report fluff stories that played on repeat in senior homes.

logan sighs as he leans against the countertop , elbows resting down against it , eyes nearly refusing to meet her own. the man that she loves , he thinks to himself , wanting to shake his head ; to tell her that she deserves better. but maybe that isn't his place and he should learn to keep his mouth shut , inevitably how they'd ended up in this situation in the first place. his fingertips dance across the edge of the plate , listening intently as daisy lowers her voice to whisper a secret shared between the two of them. " ... and you ? " logan muses , head tilting to the side as his index finger dips into the whipped cream atop the pie. he should know better than to poke the bear , maybe he shouldn't have asked ... but he's curious. he wants to know what daisy had truly wanted , and if she had settled because she was too scared to go for it , or if she was happy where she was and with her decisions. " what about you ... what is it that you want ? " he brings his fingertip to his lips , licking lightly at the whipped cream mindlessly. " anyone could get out of this town if they tried hard enough , you know. there's so much out there , you wouldn't believe the stories that i could tell you. "

♡ ROLE MODEL bru on the radio

"I love you, (name)."

avery's breath hitched when her nose brushed against his, the challenge in her eyes soft but unmistakable. god, she was something else — bold even in vulnerability, the kind of girl who knew what she wanted and refused to apologize for it. he didn't want her to. the kiss, when it happened, was less of a question and more of a confirmation. there was no audience, no rules, no competition in that moment. just her and him and the sharp, electric buzz of finally. he could feel her melt beneath his touch, hands gliding down his chest in a way that made his skin burn and his mind go quiet for once. he kissed her like he meant it. because he did. he laughed softly against her lips when she listed off her breakfast order, the sound low and warm in his chest as she stole a kiss right back. "sweet tooth, got it," he murmured, eyes flicking between hers like he could read all the unspoken thoughts hiding behind them. but then came the real question — what now? his smile faltered just slightly, replaced by something more thoughtful, more serious. "i don't know," he admitted, hand sliding from her waist to cradle the side of her face again, thumb brushing the skin beneath her cheekbone. "i don't want to lie, but i'm not trying to blow this whole thing up either. maybe we just… own it. no regrets. let it play out." he paused, leaning in to press a softer kiss to the corner of her mouth before whispering, "i'll back you, whatever you want to do."

there was no doubt in her mind that when the time had come for them to recouple , if the choice was her own , it would be avery. she owed it to herself to explore the connection , even if it were going against her usual grain of playing things safe. the chemistry between the two of them had been unmatched and she wasn't quite ready to let someone else get their hands on him. her eyes flutter shut , tilting her head slightly as she leans into his touch , exhaling softly before she's pressing herself forward again and stealing yet another kiss from his lips. " i don't know ... i didn't think that it was going to be this hard. i really wasn't expecting to have a good conversation with you , " she teases , shifting from his lap to sit beside him once more. " i kind of wanted to get you in here and realize that you were , like , boring or something. but you're really charming , and i already knew that you were funny. and of course , i'm attracted to you. so this is all like my own personal hell. " naomi looks over at him , batting her eyelashes as their eyes meet. " if the next coupling is your choice ... who are you picking ? " the brunette muses , shifting to sit on her knees , pulling a pillow over her lap absentmindedly. " i just don't want to go out there and own this and look silly in the end. i like you , a little bit at the very least. and i'm not asking you to close off to any other options , but i do want to know where i stand in your head right now. "

zaire listens. really listens. every word cutting deeper than the last, not because they're cruel — but because they're true. too true. and coming from vince, truth always felt like a rare thing, fragile and fleeting. but this? this was something else entirely. this was a confession soaked in self-loathing and fear, dressed up in vulnerability that vince had spent a lifetime trying to bury. his throat tightens as he takes it in, standing still while his heart breaks quietly in his chest. "you think you're doing me some kind of mercy," he says after a beat, voice barely above a whisper. "but all you're doing is tearing me apart piece by piece." he exhales sharply, like the weight of it all is finally settling. "i know you're going to hurt me, vince. everyone hurts the people they love eventually — that's just being human. but the difference is, i would've forgiven you. i would've stayed. i would've weathered it." his voice cracks, raw and unguarded. "and maybe that's my mistake. maybe loving you this much was never going to end well for me. but don't you dare tell me what i deserve when you won't even give me the choice to stay. you call yourself wicked — fine. call yourself broken. fucked up. unfixable. i've heard it all before. but i still chose you. over and over and over again." he steps forward, closer than he should, closer than is safe. and with a quiet desperation, he whispers, "and the worst part? i still would." and with that, he kisses him again — not out of hope, not out of anything that even resembles resolution. he kisses him because it's the only way he knows how to say goodbye. lips pressed hard to his like it's the last time — because maybe it is. and if it is, then he wants vince to feel it. every ounce of love he wasn't allowed to give out loud. every word vince wouldn't let himself hear. every last thing they both refused to say.

vince had never been met with such a softness before , had never truly stopped to realize the patience that zaire had. the patience that it must have taken to love him , at least in the ways that the other had claimed to. he sighs , listening intently to every last word that leaves his lips. afraid that each might be the last that he ever gets to hear zaire say , and it finally dawns on him ... that as much as he's tried to push him away , it's only made them closer. zaire has only tried that much harder , has only developed further feelings ; real feelings , not the kind that you have when you think you could love someone , the kind that you have when you do. when that love burns so much that your chest aches from the heat of it , that it becomes too large a burden to bear on your own. " can't you see that i'm not trying to ? " ... because he hadn't been. zaire was the one person he'd been trying to save from the start of it all , struggling internally with the fact that he should have let him go sooner. that maybe if he hadn't been so selfish they would be in a different situation , zaire could have been happy with someone else , someone who could love him in all of the ways that he deserved. but vince wanted it to be him so badly , wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything else in the world. " choose me , " he whispers against his lips when the pair finally break , his breath hot against his skin as he chases the kiss. leaning in and stealing another , then another , and then one more for good measure. his hands come to either side of his face , cupping his cheeks as he kisses him with a passion he'd never before felt. " choose me , but don't let me ruin you. "