FUCK OFF , NEW YORK.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD. That is the image that he wants to portray to everyone around him. That is the feeling he so desperately wants to have back. Fake it until you make it, though it's becoming increasingly hard to keep up. It's not something he would admit obviously, not even to himself. Any little rush, stay ten steps ahead. It's what he's known for, it's what Cory Ellison is good at.

But it's hard to have that image of a put together tycoon of a man when Bradley Jackson stands next to him. Not because of the fact that he wants to appear put together in front of her, too, but because she's already seen the messy parts of him. Not all... not all, but enough and more than he's shown anyone in what feels like a life time.

A shrug of his shoulders as his eyes gaze across the city that never sleeps. He and the city were one in the same. God his fucking soul was tired, but when Bradley speaks, there's a huff of a laugh that's released as he turns his attention fully back on her. ( As if it were ever completely away in the first place ) "Life has all the same kinda shit, and you just get older and just... kinda tired." Cory says, his voice not quite having the same bravado it usually does.

It's not until a few seconds later when he realizes Bradley has come closer to him. And Cory? Cory stays exactly where he is. She's thanking him, and Cory? Cory doesn't want to move a muscle, doesn't want to push and doesn't want to make a move because god forbid he be seen as the villain in Bradley's eyes.

"I -..." but she tugs him to her, and her soft lips are against his in a ferocious kiss and Cory kisses her back like his life depended on it. But in the next second, she pulls away, but this time he reaches for her, hands gripping her waist.

when they exposed the network live on air , bradley felt a sense of her moral obligation being met . hannah still haunted her , as did claire's departure , alex's abandonment , eric's move to evening news . . . all of it was part of a clusterfuck . the years had been unkind to both cory and bradley ; he had lost his position and she had sacrificed her journalistic integrity for the sake of her brother , lost laura in covering it up , quit her evening news job and is now monitored by the feds . cory stood by her , even when she dragged him into this mess .

yet , their lips lingered , exploring the smooth surfaces that remained untouched for so long . fuck , fuck , fuck , fuck ! what had she just done ?! playing with cory's heartstrings ; she knew exactly what she was orchestrating . yet , deeper , beneath the shitshow of who she was . . . cory was everything to her and she didn't want to fuck it all up . but , that was the cruelty because bradley jackson always fucked everything up .

the apology falls on deaf ears , she's entranced in his eyes now and she lingers . her breath unsteady , her heart pulsating ; beating furiously . how did they get here ? new york felt so small , so insignificant . her fingers remained gripped to the fabric of his shirt . she's unsure what's next or what is to come , what had been started ?!

❛ i'm sorry i ran away . i'm sorry i'm a fuck up . ❜ whispering , her words shaking with such weight and yet , she's elated for herself . finally , it went beyond staring and sharing knowing looks . leaning closer again , closing her eyes . pressing herself against him , lips brushing against his cheeks and finally meeting his lips again . bradley wanted this . she always wanted this .

love  is  unexpected  that  way,   and  paul  marks  is  like  a  phoenix  lighting  her  heart  up  in  a  way  she  hasn't  experienced  in  so  long.   she'd  thought  she'd  loved  mitch,   but  it'd  been  infatuation   —   the  sort  of  crush  you  have  on  someone  you  know  you  can  never  really  have,   when  they're  perfectly  untouchable.   when  his  reputation  had  shattered,   so  had  the  illusion,   it'd  just  taken  alex  a  while  to  catch  up.   

paul  is  something  else  entirely,  and  for  the  first  time  in  years,   alex  thinks  she  might  just  be  happy.   not  just  coasting,   not  just  floating  by,   not  just  surviving   —   really,   truly  thriving.   she  and  paul  are  going  to  build  something  new  together,   and  even  though  a  part  of  her  screams  that  it  has  to  be  too  good  to  be  true,   she's  doing  her  best  to  silence  her  doubts.

❝     oh,   come  in,   come  in,     ❞     stepping  away  from  the  elevator  and  into  her  fortress,   alex  remarks  silently  on  how  much  more  it  feels  like  a  home  now  than  it'd  felt  once.   maybe  it's  because  she's  actually  sharing  it  with  someone,   when  he's  in  town.   maybe  it's  because  she  doesn't  feel  so  fucking  isolated  anymore.   it's  not  her  tower  alone,   and  while  she'd  never  think  of  herself  as  a  damsel  in  distress   .     .     .   the  parallels  to  being  trapped  in  a  tower  only  for  a  strapping  man  to  come  along  aren't  lost  on  her.

she  leads  bradley  to  the  sofa,   the  expansive  new  york  skyline  twinkling  behind  them  as  she  invites  her  friend  to  settle  in  with  a  gesture  while  she  seeks  out  wine  glasses  and  a  corkscrew  behind  the  bar.   her  friend.   that's  something  else  she  hadn't  thought  she'd  have  a  few  years  ago   ―   a  friend.   a  real  friend.   like  mitch  had  been,   but  better.   a  real,   true  partner.   someone  who  sees  her  and  accepts  her  and  is  there  for  her,   when  alex  lets  them  be.   bradley  jackson  is  the  last  person  alex  would've  expected  it  from,   but  she  doesn't  hate  the  fact  that  the  other  woman  has  become  such  a  permanent  fixture  in  her  life.   

laura and cory walking away was the final straw and now hal . . . he's considering going to the authorities . she's fucked . she will never work as a journalist ever again , but , that was the price of loving your fucked up family .

almost in her own bubble , she keeps that fake as shit smile slapped on her face . bradley had the near impossible task of convincing alex levy that she was as fine as she could be . ❛ um . . . i could definitely turn off the questions . especially now that i'm single again . ❜ there was an art to deflection , but a season professional like alex levy would see through that bullshit .

snapping out of her delirium , she chuckles nervously and thinking quickly she throws more words out between them . ❛ i'm fine , just the usual bradley jackson level of fuck ups ! but c'mon . . . what's going on with you and that billionaire ? ❜ nudging her gently ; playfully as she hopes to redirect attention from herself and back to alex .

nestling into the fabrics of her sofa and scatter cushions , the skyline filled with glass , steel and concrete lit up with glows of soft whites , oranges and yellows . the sky was painted a familiar purple with the promise of a blanket of stars in the peak of twilight .

CORY ELLISON from APPLE TV'S THE MORNING SHOW. an independent and selective multi-dad blog. a truce with @morninganchor and helplessly in love with @coanchor. written by tj. 30+.

she  can't  help  but  miss  bradley.   the  queen  of  evening  news.   they're  on  opposite  schedules  on  the  days  alex  is  on  tms,   and  for  as  much  as  she'd  loathed  bradley  jackson  at  first,   alex  would  be  the  first  to  admit  that  the  other  woman  has  grown  to  be  her  closest  friend   .     .     .   aside  from  chip   ❰   and  that  relationship  is  complicated  as  all  hell   ❱.

❝     it's  good  to  see  you,   honey,     ❞     she's  truly  enthused  to  see  her  friend,   but  something's  off   .     .     .   there's  something  not  quite  right  with  bradley,    ❝     don't  get  me  wrong,   but   .     .     .   why  now?    ❞      that's  the  question  that's  got  all  her  journalistic  instincts  sending  up  red  flags.   bradley's  busy,   alex  is  busy,   and  that  just  has  to  be  okay.   they  don't  have  a  whole  lot  of  time  to  catch  up,   and  now  isn't  exactly  different.   alex  had  been  in  the  middle  of  prep  for  her  next  interview  when  the  doorman  had  called  to  let  her  know  bradley  was  on  her  way  up.   surprise  hasn't  quite  worn  off,   not  yet.    

they were like passing ships , their interactions had been nothing but fleeting . but since alex still hadn't been to her apartment , despite promising . . . several times , she thought she'd bring the party to alex . there's a sense of relief seeing a familiar face , a face she could trust and depend on . she needed to be surrounded by honesty and truth because right now , she had nothing left . she missed laura . she missed being with another person . she missed living .

she frowns , scoffing in her face but in jest . she avoids alex's eyes , frightened to see what would stare back at her . ❛ um . . . you haven't been to my apartment . so , here i am . ❜ she waves the bottle in her hand , trying to divert and distract the attention of herself . the grin on her face does not give her away , it's kept together tightly and delicately . laura had made it clear that bradley had fucked everything up , she kept a secret from her . . . the woman she loves has been lied to . it was a bitter pill to swallow . ❛ jesus , i bring wine and you give me skepticism . it's good to see you too . ❜ tilting her head , the joke clearly falling on deaf ears .

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘵.ᐟ

" mother fuck, we’re destroyed. "

" somebody had better be dead, buddy. "

" who died? "

" he’s been singing about the same fuckin’ plane crash for fifty years. everybody’s still dead, move on! "

" that was an award worthy shoehorning of the world harvard into conversation, "

" we’ve been trying to deal with this quietly. "

" i was trying to protect you. "

" i was trying to give you space like you asked me to do! "

" don’t drag america into this! "

" this affects me! "

" you think chemistry just comes in a bottle and we go out and buy another one at whole foods?! "

" i feel like __ died. "

" that’s exactly why you’re the pro that you are. "

" i can’t feel anything. "

" i’m telling you something, it’s for your own good. "

" blow me, __. "

" you don’t push back, you incinerate. "

" there’s a lot of sloppy work done around here, mainly by you. "

" try to be more agreeable, for chrissake! "

" i am fucking agreeable! "

" don’t take that tone! you sound like a bitch! "

" you’re just out here trying to raise some hell. "

" there’s a human cost! "

" she’s throwing me under the bus. "

" do not touch that remote. "

" there are consequences in life. "

" what a load. "

" it’s too bad we can’t always throw a crisis at her. "

" you are part of this family. "

" you are part of this family, and we will get through this together. "

" i was talking to him about the truth. "

" you get hot too fast. "

" i accidentally said fuck, okay? and then i got mad at myself and said fuck again. "

" they can’t just take my life away. "

" people are gonna wanna know what you did or did not know. "

" i am so happy to see this face. "

" we can cuddle and we can make snacks and watch the british cooking show. "

" it’s just the worst day of my entire life. "

" what the hell kind of name is lorelai anyway? "

" maybe she’s bored or complacent with success, i don’t know "

" it’s kind of funny how the entire world of broadcast could just fall off an edge in a few years "

" news is awful, but the world is addicted to it. "

" dream worlds are essential. "

" there is some unspoken sexual fantasy to co hosts. "

" i know you love her. i know she’s your gal." 

" fuck you, new york. "

" i look forward to you whispering in my ear to stop fucking up. "

" all studios are pretty much the same. "

" all studios are pretty much the same. huge adrenaline, incredible intelligence, desperate ambition, huge egos. "

" there is no way that she did not know that she was being filmed. "

" people are idiots, am i right? " 

" do i look tired? "

" yesterday must have been so difficult for you. "

" you seem a lot more relaxed today. "

" life in general is just sort of exhausting. "

" we reporters, we see how the world works. "

" as reporters we are trained to never let our personal emotions enter the story. "

" __, be nice. "

" once you villainize someone, there’s nothing left but to go to war with them. "

" In leadership, decisions have to be made. "

" you can’t just have empathy for everyone and do nothing. "

" so you’re a diehard reporter? "

" the truth matters to me. "

" i didn’t know i was being filmed. "

" i think people are wanting more transparency in journalism, "

" the truth is what we are all striving for. "

" I came to tell you that I am so mad at you. " 

" i will never ever get over it. "

" you left me alone! "

" how can you be mad at me about that? "

" i’m mad at you because you are selfish! "

" you’re a self indulgent asshole! "

" i think you’re jealous because of our history. "

" you stole my life with this. "

" you left me in the woods with a pack of wolves. "

" i live a really strange existence. "

" i live a really strange existence and it is isolated as shit. "

" i gave up everything for this. "

" you’ve put me in a position of having nothing. of having no one. "

" you’re my partner. "

" we lived a life that we’re never going to get back. "

" you can’t be my friend. "

" please don’t say that, it’s so ignorant. "

" i’m sorry you’re such an asshole. "

" i wouldn’t use those words together if i were you. "

" oh, this is so never going to blow over. "

" they were going to replace you! "

" you’re just trying to fuck with my head. "

" you’re destroyed and you want me destroyed. "