I Got A Stone Where My Heart Should Be

“It’s fine, trust me. There’s good nights and bad nights, so I just learned to deal with them,” she shrugged. She had to adjust after a while. Granted, she had many sleepless nights and days where she knew that she wasn’t going to get any sleep, but there was no way she was going to tell a stranger that. She wasn’t that type of person unless it needed to be said. “Yeah, I can see guys being loud. Especially when there’s more than one. I was an only child, so I didn’t really get to experience that.”

Cameron looked back over at her, “I hope there’s more good nights than bad nights” she said, since she was the type to worry about people even when she didn’t know them too well. “I don’t know if you’re lucky being an only child or not” she said with a small laugh, “I love my brothers, they’re my best friends, but god they drive me crazy”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’m used to this lately,” she gave a small nod, forcing a small smile. She hated the idea of being a bother. “Yeah, I have been thinking about getting them, but I was trying to wait till I really needed to. I don’t really have many choices now.”

“Oh no babe it’s not fine, you should be used to that” she said, shaking her head. “I would be upset if I didn’t get to sleep at night, the bags under my eyes would be so bad” she said before shrugging. “They’re pretty comfortable, honestly. I used to use them when I lived with my brothers, they work because trust me those boys are loud”

Hearing the woman, the redhead gave a small sigh. Of course it was fireworks. “That would make sense. They give off the same noises.” Maggie was really going to need a strong coffee. “Yeah, they did. But it’s not truly their fault. I’m just not much of a fan of loud noises.”

Cameron frowned a little when she said that she hadn’t gotten any sleep, “Oh I’m sorry, I’ll yell at them a little bit for you” she said, looking back over at her. “You could always get those little earplugs or something for when you’re sleeping so you don’t hear anything, you know?”

Maggie didn’t sleep. With the sound of a large bang, the redhead started to panic, it reminding her of what happened. Giving a small sigh as she was waiting for her cold brew, Maggie rubbed her temples last night. “Why was there so many bangs last night?” She really didn’t know who to ask about it, but it was really giving her more flashbacks than she normally had and it was exhausting for her. @ashtontnhqstarter​

Cameron turned her head when she heard the question, “A couple of my friends said they were going to put off some fireworks last night, maybe that’s what you heard?” she questioned, looking at her and seeing how tired she looked. “They didn’t keep you up all night, did they?”

“–Oh! Is this your drink? I’m so sorry.. I thought they called out vanilla iced coffee but they obviously called out.. umm..” Luna’s glance diverted from the other and to the words scribbled over the plastic Starbucks cup. “Just iced coffee. Okay.. Wow. I totally get why I got so mixed up there.” She laughed, both with awkwardness and an attempt to lighten her mistake before she extended the coffee cup out for the other to take from her. “I’m so sorry again.. I obviously didn’t catch enough sleep last night.”

@ashtontnhqstarter​

Cameron let out a small laugh, shaking her head, “Oh no- don’t worry about it! It was an honest mistake it happens all the time, really- it’s okay” she assured her before nodding a little, “How is their vanilla iced coffee? I’ve always thought about trying it” she asked, taking the drink from her and taking a quick sip from it. “Ugh tell me about it, me too I was up for half of the night. What kept you up?”

 Oliver smirked back at her, “Don’t babe me.” He teased her with a nudge. “Alright then. I should know better by now than to try and argue with you.” He chuckled back at her. In the time he had known her she had given him the impression that she was very stubborn in general. Oliver took her hand willingly, “Fine, just don’t eat all my snacks, alright?” He said a bit teasingly, “I’ll share, but only because I am allowed under your fuzzy blanket.”

Cameron lifted his chin a little with her hand before smiling, “But I like calling you ‘babe’” she said with a little pouty face before laughing when he said he knew not to argue with her, “See- that’s what I love about you, you learn quick” she said before smiling when he took her hand and started walking to where her stuff was. “Don’t worry, I brought snacks too so we’ll have plenty. You’re lucky, I don’t share that blanket with just anyone”

 Oliver looked at her, letting his eyes wander over her while she spoke, only to quirk his lips into a teasing smile, “Yeah.. I can actually imagine you doing that, so I should consider myself lucky.” He laughed back at her, “But then again, I was clearly not the only one not watching where they were going.” He added with a teasing wink. He shook his head while laughing at her actions, not surprised in the slightest, “Right, even.” He said, “Sure! I was just looking for the others, but I can’t seem to get a good signal here.” He shrugged, not minding that at all.

“Oh trust me babe, I would” she said with a smile, knowing that was very true. There was nothing Cameron loved more than her clothes, and this particular dress was one of her favorites. She smirked at little at his comment before shaking her head, “Nope, I’m not in the wrong, I never am. That was 100% on you” she said, which obviously wasn’t true, but it wouldn’t stop her from saying it. “Honestly I don’t even know where they went, but all of their stuff is set up by mine so I assume they’ll be coming back eventually” she shrugged before holding her hand out for him to take, “Come on!”

@ashtontnhqstarter​ 

Oliver had decided to go and check out the outdoor cinema with some of his friends. He knew it was Valentine’s Day, but he had been so caught up in his streaming stuff lately, as well as college work, that it hadn’t made sense to him to even consider asking someone out for it. He was standing in line for the popcorn, paying up as he grabbed the bucket, only to turn around and accidentally walking into someone as he went to check his phone to see where his friends were at. “Oh shit! Sorry!” He exclaimed as some of it spilled onto the grass underneath, looking up at them, “I should really learn to watch where I am going.” He added with a slight chuckle. 

Cameron wasn’t very interested in romance. She liked to be romanced, yes, but that was more for the attention it brought her. So when this event came around she knew she wanted to go to it, just not with any dates, so a group of her friends decided to all go solo together. She was walking over to get some popcorn when Oliver bumped into her, “You are so lucky that was popcorn and not a drink, if you ruined this dress I would’ve killed you” she said, half jokingly, because she really did love that dress. She reached up and took a handful of his popcorn with a smile, “There, now we’re even” she beamed, “Are you going to come sit with me? I brought my fuzzy blanket”

“Right, yeah,” Frankie laughed awkwardly. She had grown up so sheltered that she was always terrified of saying the wrong thing. She took social cues from TV, and she very quickly learned that real conversations weren’t like an episode of Friends. “Are you sure? Wow, okay. I think that might be the fanciest thing I own. Thank you,” she smiled. “That’s seriously not something I expected. Carter is so dark and mysterious and Brendon is bright and shiny. Maybe they balance each other out, like…Velma and Shaggy in Scooby Doo. Opposites but in a good way,” she said, the analogy making sense in her head at least. “Yeah, but when I thought about it later I found it quite funny. I mean, not the fact that we fell out, but about baked goods being my only friends. It was true. Kind of still is,” she chuckled slightly. She was able to appreciate self-depreciative humour; she had been using it for years. “I’ll be here to make them for you for a while. Dresses in exchange for cookies?” she offered jokingly. 

“Yeah I’m sure, I have like..a million dresses” she said, trying to brush off her giving her the dress as no big deal. Honestly she probably did have the same dress in another color still, but that didn’t mean she loved it any less. She let out a small laugh, “Carter isn’t dark or mysterious, but Brendon is definitely bright and shiny... Are Velma and Shaggy the best comparison?” she asked, since it didn’t fit the two in her head and she let out a laugh. “Yes, the fight wasn’t funny, but my comment was. Looking back at it” she said before offering a small smile when she talked again. “I feel like my dresses are worth a little bit more than cookies”

“Well you’re already amazing, so who knows, it could be sooner than you think,” Frankie said, giving the girl a supportive smile. “Not that I want you to leave or anything, I like having you here. But you know what I mean,” she shrugged. “Thank you,” she nodded, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her over-sized coat. She never really wore form-fitting clothes, most of her clothes coming from thrift stores. “You can have it back, though. If you want. You’ll probably have more of a reason to wear a dress than me,” she chuckled. “Carter? I didn’t realise they were friends. That is a weird match. I mean, Brendon is so nice he could literally befriend anyone, so maybe he got on Carter’s good side. Either way, as long as they’re happy, I guess. But yeah, we’re friends.” She paused, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I, uh, I actually have something for you. I was gonna leave it at your door, which now that I’m thinking about is really, really weird. Good thing I ran into you.” She reached into the worst-for-wear backpack and brought out a Tupperware with her homemade cookies in it. “They’re for you. The last time we spoke you said that baked goods aren’t friends, but I hope they make friends,” she shrugged, holding it out for her. 

Cameron let out a small chuckle, “I know what you meant, you don’t have to elaborate” she said, but she was used to Frankie over explaining. She was never as confident in the way that she spoke like Cameron was, and she knew that. “No, keep the dress. I have many” she insisted, never one to take back a gift that she’d given, even if she’d had a falling out with them. “Oh yeah they’re best friends now- borderline inseparable. It’s kind of cute” she said, shrugging before looking back over at her as she said she had something for her. She reached out and took the tupperware with the cookies, smiling softly to herself. “I did say that, didn’t I” she said, remembering how mean some of the things she’d said the last time they’d talked were. But Cameron wasn’t the type to apologize. “Thank you. I did miss your cookies”

 Braxton laughed, “It is okay, honestly.” He said, “I mean I am not used to it, but it is okay.” He had assumed it was more of a habit than anything. “Makes sense. I guess you do this for a living so it has just become a habit.” He added with a shrug. He nodded back at her, letting his eyes wander over the drawing once more, “Yeah, it looks good.” He said again, before laughing, “I mean, are you sure it will fit? That seems to be my issue with suits, they tend to be a bit small.” He added. 

“You’ll get to it quickly, I do it a lot I think” she admitted, which was fairly true. Especially with people she thought were attractive, she was always physically affectionate. She used him commenting on his own size as an excuse to look him over, smiling a little to herself because he really did look good. “I can see why you might need your suits personally tailored” she said, as a slightly more subtle way of saying that he was very muscular. “I prefer a larger build on men, so my suits are made for men who look more like you” she said with a small smile

 Carter scoffed, “Nobody knows me better than I do.” He argued back with her, as he still liked to believe that to be true. If anything he thought at this point potentially Brendon was the one who knew him the best. He rolled his eyes at his sister once more, “Whatever.” He simply responded, as he knew she wasn’t kidding, but neither was he. Not this time around anyway. 

Cameron rolled her eyes at him, “Sure, if it helps you sleep at night then I’ll let you think that” she said, not truly because she didn’t believe him, but more so to annoy him. “Good, it annoys you, it was supposed to. Hopefully this time it annoys you enough that you actually listen”

“When you’re big in New York and all that you have to let me come visit,” Frankie smiled. She was trying her best to pretend like everything was back to normal; that was usually her plan of action. She hated being in uncertain territory with people, and she wanted her relationship with Cameron to be back to how it was before. “I know you did, but if you want it back then that’s cool. Or if you miss it, because it’s a really nice dress and I don’t do it justice the way you do,” she shrugged. “I’ve already seen him, actually,” Frankie admitted. “We ran into each other at the coffee shop. We caught up and everything is settled. We’re just going to be friends, and just forget all the awkwardness. We didn’t mean to hurt each other, and he’s a really nice guy so I would like to be friends with him,” she explained. 

“Sure” she nodded, “But don’t get your hopes up too much, that’ll be many years from now” she said before looking back at her. “No, keep it. I have plenty” she said with a small smile. “No one wears clothes better than me, but it looked nice on you” she said, that classic Cameron confidence always in full swing. She nodded a little, “That’s good that you’ll be friends. He really is very nice- Carter brought him to Christmas with the family and that was nice. Sweet kid, too sweet, honestly I have no idea what possesses him to spend his time with Carter” she shrugged, not seeing what the two had in common. They got along great and they seemed happy every time she saw them interact, but still.

“That’s completely understandable,” Frankie said. “So, do you think you’re gonna go somewhere else? I think I can see you living it up in New York or something in a penthouse apartment and a white marble kitchen,” she smiled. “I know, I just want to try one last time. Maybe she thinks I’m a bitch? I just wanna make sure she knows me before she decides she doesn’t like me,” she shrugged. “Everyone has to start somewhere, right? I don’t know about designers, but I highly doubt Coco Chanel just woke up one morning completely famous.” She gasped, “I still have that dress. It’s in my suitcase. I have to give it back to you.”

“Oh yeah, I’m going to get out of here- hopefully within the next few years” she nodded. “I can see me in a New York penthouse with white marble countertops for sure. Ashton isn’t modern enough for me” she shrugged. She looked back over at her, “Again- I still think you’re wasting your time with the roommate, but go for it” she said before listening as she continued to talk. “I know you have it, I’m pretty sure I told you to keep it. I don’t remember” she shrugged, “Are you planning on seeing Brendon again now that you’re back?” she asked, curiously.

 Braxton watched her as she came closer only to smile a little back at her when she fixed his hair, “Thank you..” He said before letting out a chuckle. “Right, that sounds exciting.” He said with a nod before following suit. His eyes widened when he saw the dress, “Oh right.. That is very nice! I think it’d suit you.” He told her with a smile. “You are very talented.”

She smiled back at him when he thanked her, “Sorry- it’s a force of habit, sometimes I forget that people aren’t used to people just touching their hair without warning” she said, shaking her head. “It’s the stylist in me, I can’t help it” she said before looking over to watch his face as she showed him her newest design. Her smile grew when he complimented it, “Thank you!” she nodded, “I can’t wait to make it” she said as she looked back over at him. “I’m excited to get you in this suit, I think it’s going to look really nice” she said brightly. Seeing her designs on other people was one of the most rewarding parts of her interest in fashion.

 Carter shrugged his shoulders lazily at her, “Maybe you just don’t know me as well as you think.” He told her before his lips took shape into his signature smirk, as he clearly was joking. Carter was about to ask how it had gone down, but he stopped himself when he noticed the change in her facial expression, only to shake his head at her, “You will not fuck Brendon.” Carter told her simply, because that was simply out of the question regardless, at least to him. “And I already spoke to Frankie, we cleared the air so to speak, so you don’t have to worry. I won’t be kissing her again.” He said, purposely leaving out the flirting part as that came natural to him regardless and he wasn’t about to make a promise he could not keep. 

Cameron laughed softly, “I wish I didn’t, but unfortunately I do know you. Sometimes I think that I know you better than you know you” she said, which she knew he wouldn’t like to hear but it wasn’t entirely untrue. She looked back over at him, “Well if you’re so adamant about me not fucking Brendon, then you better not kiss or flirt with Frankie. Because I’m not bluffing, I will do it” she said with her signature passive aggressive smile. She made sure to put emphasis on ‘or flirting’ because she knew him so well, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d just started flirting with her again. “Good. Keep it that way and you won’t have to worry about me and Brendon” 

“There’s a charm to it. You probably don’t see it because you’ve lived here all your life and you went through…Everything that happened here, but there’s definitely something about it,” Frankie smiled. “Probably. I’m determined to win her over, though. Nobody can say no to my white chocolate brownies,” she beamed. “Oh, damn, look at you go. When you’re a big time designer and your designs are being walked down the runway, don’t forget me,” she said with a pathetic attempt at a wink. “I miss hanging out with you in your room. Remember when you dressed me for that date with Brendon?” She laughed. 

“Yeah I’m sure this seems like a great place to live for people who don’t live here and don’t know anything that happened here- but I just don’t see it. I never will” she shrugged, since this area didn’t have anything that she wanted. “Believe me, you’re wasting your time” she said, not because she didn’t like her brownies because of course she did, but she didn’t think the roommate was going to change her mind. “It’s just a courtroom, I won’t be on any runways anytime soon so I wouldn’t worry about that just yet” she said before smiling a little. “Yeah I remember. I love that dress”