s o m e t i m e s you lose

Aspen had always been a sucker for someone who made her feel good – special. Maybe that’s why she always got into trouble when it came to certain relationships and also why she normally ended up flirting or hooking up instead of going back in a relationship… thanks to her ex ruining that for her. With Conrad – she stopped thinking about how much some guys could be complete assholes. “Maybe you should try it sometime.” She said in a whisper, a smile appearing on her lips once more. Once feeling Conrad’s lips back on hers, Aspen pulled him closer and moved so she was straddling his lap. “Stop me whenever you please.” She muttered against his lips. 

                         as aspen moves to straddle his lap, a part of conrad can’t believe this is happening right now. in their few years of friendship, they’d never crossed this line. there’d always been a ton of flirting ( mostly on conrad’s part, but could anyone really blame him ? ), but this was the first time they’d found themselves caught up in a kiss. yes, aspen was his best friend, but he was also still very much a guy & the attraction was undeniable. he nods his head when hears her muttered words & he wonders how he could tell her stop when he was enjoying this as much as he was. hands slowly run up the others thighs, over her hips & waist until his hands are along her back, pulling her into him as he presses up in the kiss. 

“you could have asked to stop! we didn’t have to keep goin’. sometimes when i’m runnin’, i kinda get…into it and just keep on goin’ until i can’t anymore. i’ll keep that in mind for next time.” joshua chuckled. “as painful as it can be…yes, yes it is. but i’m really glad you’re down for some sunshine diner - it’s all about balance, right? that place has been callin’ my name for days and i haven’t made my way down yet, but looks like today is my lucky day. c’mon, let’s go - we don’t have to run. we can walk at a nice pace.”

                          conrad can’t help but laugh at that. “ i know ! but i guess i wanted to push myself - see if i could keep up, you know ? & i did, even though i’m partially dying right now. ” he finishes, still chuckling. “ i’m always down for some sunshine diner, especially for breakfast. it’s always so much better than i can make at home, so - yes, i am definitely up for it. & i would very much appreciate that - after running 5 miles, that is. ” he couldn’t run anymore right now even if he really wanted to. he was done with running for the next couple of days. “ i think i earned myself a nice, greasy breakfast after that. ” he says, chuckling as he starts them off in the direction of the diner.

“Building it from scratch actually, I’m a carpenter.” He stated, taking a sip of the brew in front of him. “Oh shit, you own that place? That’s pretty cool.” He said, nodding his head in approval. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here…and I guess you could consider me a regular.” He chuckled, shrugging.

                         eyebrows shoot up & conrad offers a thoughtful pout as he gives his head a nod. “ a carpenter, that’s impressive. i wouldn’t know where to start with that sort of thing - how long have you been doing that ? ” he inquires, curiously. “ i do ! took it over about .. a year & a half or so ago. ” conrad’s proud to say that out loud.                          the others words draw another chuckle out of him, hand grasping at the cold beer placed in front of him. “ guess i just always miss you then. i don’t come out here too often - i’m not too big on drinking although i feel like i’ve been doing a bit more of it these past few weeks. i blame it on the stress of being a business owner. ” he takes a swig of his beer as he decides to introduce himself. “ i’m conrad. some people call me dash. ”

Colton chuckles softly, shaking his head. “You and me both, dude.” He said, tapping on the counter for another beer. “We’re super behind on the house we are working on so everything we do seems like it’s being done in hyper speed.” He said, shaking his head in annoyance. 

                         when colton gestures for another beer, so does conrad. “ house ya’ll are working on ? like - renovating or something ? ” that was impressive - he could hardly trust himself with a hammer. his clumsy nature made any sort of work with tools a bit sketchy. “ i own what the book in town - which is always stressful. & i woke up late this morning which just made for a shitty start to the day. i knew by 9 am that i’d be here right after work. ”

joshua chuckled. there were quite a few times where his run would end early because he did not feel like continuing with cardio - he didn’t always enjoy it, but knew it was necessary when it came to his workout routine. “oh, of course it does! the more practice you get, the easier it becomes. i’ll admit though that i don’t always enjoy cardio despite being able to run like this.” he said with a chuckle. “is it bad that i kind of want to make a pit stop at sunshine diner for some breakfast? a bit contradictory, but…i’m a sucker for their breakfast.”

                         “ god, i can’t believe i just did that - when i invited you for a run, i thought maybe three miles, but you kept going. ” conrad huffs out between breaths & a chuckle. he’s surprised he kept up as much as he manged to. “ is cardio really t h a t important though ? ” he jokes. “ breakfast sounds fantastic right now, actually - i feel like after all this running, i’ve worked up an appetite. I could also go for a coffee. ”

Aspen was sure that it came as a shock that she had kissed him. She honestly wasn’t expecting him to kiss her back. She was more waiting for him to pull back and have a look on his face that she was sure to know that she ruined their friendship. Luckily… that didn’t happen. Feeling him kiss back, even if it was for a moment, a soft smile formed into the kiss. As he pulled back, her hands stayed cupping his face, eyes blinking open as she looked at the male. Briefly running her tongue over her lips, she brought her shoulders up into a shrug. “I guess for a few reasons… Always making me feel special, showing me that not all guys are complete assholes. You being an amazing person… I could list a ton of reasons on why.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she answered him. “And sometimes you just have to act without thinking… that’s what I did.” 

                          still surprised by the fact this was happening right now, conrad is almost eager to hear aspen’s response to his question. & when she does speak up ( she’s actually whispering, which only adds to the vibe of this moment they were having ), her words bring a little smile to his face. he’d always made a point to try to make aspen feel special & treat her well. which wasn’t unusual for conrad - that was just him. he was respectful & a good-natured guy which was part of the reason he never thought he’d be in this situation with aspen. the saying good guys finish last held some truth. “ act without thinking .. i’m not very good at that. ” he admits with a faint chuckle, voice also in a whisper. he thinks about that though & after a second, his fingers still tangled in her hair, he decides on a whim to press back in for another kiss. maybe he could act without thinking. 

“Ugh, so tempting. You know just what to say to me,” Madi responded with a smile. “I mean, my bed is pretty comfortable. If you want to talk, we could totally lay here for a minute. I’m a good listener and you can definitely repay me with food and alcohol after.”

                         conrad thinks about it for a second before he shrugs a shoulder & is moving to crawl onto madi’s bed, plopping down beside her. “ it’s nothing in particular though. just .. haven’t had a great day ? the bookstore was stressful today, woke up late, too so that was just - a bad start to the day. ” he shakes his head. there’s more, but he doesn’t mention that. “ how are things with you though ? ”

“ Time has both sped through and moved slower than molasses in January. My first favourite month is October ! Spooky month ! It is a rather close first though, I think it only wins because of nostalgic factor, to be honest. ”

                         “ i feel the these first few months have been pretty slow, to be honest. which is crazy to think giving i’ve been stupid busy with work & everything. ah, i should’ve known - i feel like october is easily one of the funnest months of the year. even i have a blast .. me - the nerdy book store owner. i’ll be honest though - this is probably going to be the first year i celebrate pride as a part of the community & not just an ally. ”

josh looked down at his watch and then over to his friend, slowing down his pace until he was walking once more. “whew! didn’t think i was gonna get in five miles this mornin’, but thanks for convincin’ me.” he said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “it’s nice havin’ someone to run with. quinn runs with me a lot, but she doesn’t say much.” josh chuckled.

@conradashwood​

                         conrad was honestly out of breath & it showed in the way he stops when josh does - hands on his hips & he’s breathing heavily much like joshua wasn’t. “ no, yeah - this has been so much fun. ” he has to laugh at that, too. “ i’m glad to - i figured working some cardio in won’t be a bad idea. i don’t mind the run usually, but five miles ? i’m pretty proud of myself. ” he breaths out. “ don’t mind me, by the way - i’m fine. if i keep doing this, it’ll get easier, right ? ”

                         a smile spreads across conrad’s features when aspen thanks him. he wants to tell her not to even mention it - she didn’t have to. she never had to. but before he vocally responds, he feels the touch of her hand on his cheek & he lets her turn his face in her direction. he doesn’t know what he expects in that moment, but he definitely doesn’t expect when aspen begins to lean in ( for a kiss ?? ). a second later, his wonders are proved correct when their lips meet in a very unexpected kiss. brows furrow together as he’s very much caught by surprise - he’d never expected a chance to kiss his ( undeniably gorgeous ) best friend. a hand comes up to tangle in the woman’s hair at the back of her head, mostly out of instinct. of course, he doesn’t pull back - not right away, anyways. a couple of seconds later & he does, “ what was that for ? ” he questions with a faint laugh under his breath, but he’s still close & his fingers brush through her hair, tucking some behind her ear as blue hues gaze over her features a second until they’re meeting hazel orbs once more, searching for an answer.

INTERROGATE MY MUSE - accepting asks

                         “ i mean .. maybe ? maybe not. ”