Curls & Cynefin

She couldn’t help but huff a small chuckle at his words. While she was a corporate lawyer, she was more than capable of representing herself and her companion, in this case, if need be. His following words ignited the same flutter of nervousness as before. She’d never been in this situation was an understatement. The only time she had ever visited a police station was to get her client out, and that was also just *once*. So, the idea of staying overnight was something to be worried about. “Oh, no, no, no, no… I’m not letting them keep us overnight.” She sighed, because she knew that she was going to sound like a stereotypical rich white girl as she added, “I come from a family of lawyers, one of the most powerful families on the east coast… The sheriff would be better off not crossing the Wells.” Despite those brave words laced with threat, Stella felt an unease in her bones. 

it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  before  the  two  of  them  were  flushed  from  the  records  office,  as  though  they  were  a  pair  of  fugitives  and  not  simply  making  good,  legal  use  of  the  county  files.  cristián  kept  a  cool  air  about  him,  despite  the  looming  threat  of  local  law  enforcement  and  observing  a  second  squad  car,  red  and  blues  flashing,  pull  up  to  the  building.  he  diligently  sifted  through  paperwork  and  documents  strewn  across  the  table,  stuffing  them  haphazardly  into  manila  folders  and  then  storing  them  away  in  his  knapsack.  her  words  cause  a  breath  of  laughter  to  push  past  his  lips  and  a  slight  shake  of  his  head.  “  uh,  i  don’t  think  that’s  gonna  fly  around  these  parts,  miss  wells.  no  offense,  but  these  aren’t  the  type  of  people  to  care  about  influential  families  who  are  outta  reach  here.  ” at  least,  for  the  time  being.  this  was  the  sticks.  a  small  town  that  made  its  own  rules,  actual  laws  be  damned.  “  like  i  said,  worse  comes  to  worse,  we  gotta  stick  it  out  a  few  hours  in  the  can.  i  got  my  papers  with  me  and  if  they  try  to  dispose  them  in  some  way,  i’ve  documentation  that  you  can  use  that  will  hold  this  podunk  department  up  in  court  for  a  long  time.  ”

He laughed heartily at her candid review of his sweater. “Wearing ugly sweaters at Christmas is a sacred tradition, Sofia,” he remarked playfully. Though, nodding the next minute he replied, “She really did have a talent for ugly Christmas sweaters, I agree. You should see the one with Rudolph that she made me when I was younger.” With a chuckle the detective took a sip of his beer. “Though, where is your Christmas spirit? Why are you looking so… chic?” 

Laughing at his joke, she replied playfully, “Doesn’t Disney have you covered, though?” In case it wasn’t evident that she was just joking, she added quickly, “I’m just kidding.” It was such a light and breezy conversation that Stella didn’t even feel like she had just stumbled across him — quite literally — and was supposed to be on a blind date with him. “Oh, I think they are going to be very smug about us showing up together, even if surprised. I can already imagine Wendy wiggling her brows at me while trying not to squeal in excitement,” the brunette replied with an amused smile that was paired with a roll of her eyes. Thanking him softly, Stella stepped inside feeling butterflies flutter inside her at his chivalry, again. His next words, however, made her smile shyly, “The feeling is mutual.” As they walked up to the maitre’d she greeted the young lady warmly. “Good evening, Donna. How have you been? I think there’s a reservation for four under Wendy Brewer?” The maitre’d responded with a bright smile and led them to the table where their friends were already seated.

“If I don’t get at least a thumbs up, I’ll be very surprised.” Hades laughed softly as he smiled to himself. He was a little surprised to hear Stella speak so casually to the maitre’d, almost as if they were friends. Apparently he’d been there before. He was happy to hear though that he wasn’t the only one pleased thus far by their connection. Walking with Stella to the table, sure as hell, he got a thumbs up from his friend and Wendy wiggled her eyebrows just as Stella had had warned her she would. “Well hello hello! What’s going on here? Do you guys know each other? How funny is that!” Wendy chimed as she stood to greet Hades. Hades shook Chad’s hand before giving Wendy a polite kiss to her cheek. “We actally met on the way in.” 

He quirked a brow at her playful words, smirking at what seemed to be light flirtation. Though, he didn’t read too much into it. Samantha was always like that, playful and flirty. “You know I love it when you fight,” the words fell from his lips before he could hold them back. Great, now it felt like he was flirting with her. Though, was he? You’d never know. They had both been troublemakers growing up, so his words weren’t technically far-fetched. They’d been in their shares of fights. He couldn’t but laugh at her revulsion to the idea of an Applebee’s. “Who is this Snooty Miss Big City Girl? And what have you done with my Sam?” He jested, before adding, “You know I’m always ready to explore new places to eat.” He had always enjoyed the milkshakes she used to smuggle to him when he used to wait around to take her home. So, she knew what a big foodie he was. That hadn’t changed one bit over the years. As she told him to hurry back after telling him that she’d wait, made man laugh. “Always full of contradictions,” he called over his shoulder. “Be back in five!”

As promised, he returned in five minutes, sporting a grin on his features while pulling a leather jacket over his uniform. The jacket that Sam had gifted him on his birthday, the year she left. “Ready for a ride?” He asked the pretty blonde, leading them to his motorbike.

Why did that excite her so much? It shouldn’t have made her heart skip a beat. But here she stood, unable to help the way her eyes moved over him. Maybe she was a snooty big city girl now, but she couldn’t help having a little more refined taste she had obtained living in the big city. One thing she always wondered was why he never left, and why he hadn’t ever come to see her. If he had missed her as much as she had missed him, why hadn’t he ever tried to come see her? Why hadn’t he come to make sure she had found a place, why had he abandoned her. 

That jacket looked even better on him now than it had before. It fit him better now that he was broader in the shoulders. That jacket was the last thing she had seen him in before she had left. And he still had it? “Oh absolutely. I was born ready.” Samantha followed him over to the bike and waited for him to get on the familiar motorcycle before she followed suit, swinging her leg around the other side so that her body could press to his back and her arms could wrap around his waist from behind. “This okay?” She asked, over his shoulder, resting her chin on him just like she used to. 

Removing his glasses, Orion pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes shuttered close for a moment. This had got more complicated than he’d expected. “He needs to wake up soon, because we are on the clock,” he grumbled, putting his glasses back on and looking down at the prone figure resting against the wall. They’d been careful to tie the unconscious person up, just in case he gets any interesting ideas upon waking up. “Do you want to wait it out or force him awake?”

Orion huffed a chuckle at her teasing words. As she stepped closer to button up his shirt, he felt something stir within him, but was quick to clamp down on it despite the intimacy of the innocuous act. This was just an act, he couldn’t let himself get swayed. “What are you saying? I always look pretty,” he retorted with a laugh. “Noted. A big and healthy meal for my large hearted fiancée,” he added in jest, giving her a wink.

He was just about to walk them out of there, when her words made him pause, brows running up his forehead. “Excuse me?” While the offer was quite generous, Orion wasn’t tempted. He knew how to be professional, and, from what he could discern, she was just joking with him. Though, as she wandered down the path of self awareness, he stood there and watched her quietly. Shaking his head he responded, “That’s not gross. You are capable of behaving like a normal human being. Give yourself some credit.” He smiled at her warmly.

While she was right, no one would appreciate their boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, nay ex-fiancée, hanging out with them post breakup, the thought of them not doing those things together did make him feel a sad. “Hey, exes can even friends. So, there’s still hope,” he tried to sound optimistic, as usual. “No need to apologise for having emotions,” he shook his head at her, letting her take his hand as they marched out of the room, hand-in-hand.

     ❝Just kidding.❞ she smiled as he stared at her. She hadn’t been, but obviously he wasn’t into that, as much as she’d imagined it. Good to know. ❝Come on,❞ Veronica added, the conversation getting heavier than she’d liked. She didn’t want to miss him, but they’d spent so much time together it was inevitable.

     Once they were at his home, she poured two glasses of wine and sat at the kitchen island to watch him work, sipping her drink delicately. For a man who hated to cook, he looked like a natural, and his concentration was commendable. Every time Veronica got into the kitchen, the fire alarm would go off and she’d be eating whatever it was smoked. Maybe that was why she wanted a home cooked meal so much. Restaurants and take out were great, but there was a lack of control over what she ate, and as a model, it was hard to balance her cravings with her weight.

Stirring the sauce, he looked over his shoulder when she spoke up, “Hm?” He chuckled, smiling humbly at her praise. “Thank you... My grand mother made sure that I learn all of her recipes, so here I am— preparing coq au vin, just the way she used to,” he shrugged, deflecting the topic about ‘the woman’. However, Veronica seemed keen on talking about her. With a sigh, he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel and turned to look at her, “Abigail. She is... my crush from when I was in college.” Did he sound pathetic? Probably. Did he care? Veronica was pretending to be in a relationship with him, he had probably already crossed that bridge with her long ago.

“Is that what i think it is?” Orion eyed the object in Nia’s hands. “Are you sure that’ll work?” Scepticism was palpable in his tone, as he glanced up into her eyes with a quirked brow. He wasn’t the one to doubt the leader of the Slayers, but he’d been working with her for long enough to feel free to ask questions. 

“Well… If you’d be kind enough to give me some idea, I’d be obliged,” he responded with a teasing edge, loving the way a smile unfurled across her rosy lips. The only reason he did not shiver when she ran her ivory finger across his bottom lip was that he was a well-trained man, not a young boy. Though, it was exciting in ways that the knight couldn’t put into words. “The pleasure is mine,” he whispered, letting his eyes flutter half closed for a fraction of a second when her hand trailed into his hair.

The brush of her lips enkindled feelings he had experienced only during their previous encounter. “Rose…” a longing whisper escaped from his lips and he leaned in, closing the distance between them once again. His slightly chapped lips pressed against her ruby-red petals, a sigh leaving his lungs as if he’d just tasted nectar. One of his hands slid around her waist to pull her closer, while the other slipped into her hair, cradling the back of her head while he kissed her softly, lovingly.

Rose didn’t quite understand why this knight had gotten under her skin so much. Usually, it was she who did the enchanting and seducing, leaving the humans she dealt with in a worked up mess, but now it seemed that she was falling victim to that same result. All over a single man who had caught her out. He didn’t know what he was dealing with, but that made it all better for he didn’t show fear of her yet. 

She observed his expression, watched the way his beautiful eyes fluttered shut slightly at the touch of her fingertip, and she had to admit she loved that she could bring such a strong man to his knees, figuratively, so easily. But hearing the way he breathed her name, the first time another had spoken it in decades, the vampire allowed herself to give in and she let him press their lips together once more. His arms wrapping around her, holding her close, caused her breath to catch in her throat and she wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders, allowing her lips to part as she deepened the kiss. He tasted divine, and his scent was like that of the finest of food drifting to her nose, but she focused on the kiss for now as she allowed him the control this time. 

Closed starter for: @saavcns Plot: x

To say that the blonde was protective of her best friend would be an understatement. She knew he was a big star, who could handle himself and had professional security guards around him all the time. Yet, some part of her could never rest easy. Her worst fears were realised one day. Sitting beside him, she wiped at his bleeding lip with alcohol dipped cotton, with her jaw clenched so tight that she’d break a tooth if she clenched it any tighter. Softly, she urged his chin up, and looked right into his eyes. “Who did this to you?” Her words held a quiet rage.

When Advait showed up at Amelia’s place, he forgot that he’d shown up with his split open lip and so now that they were both sitting here while she tried to help heal him, he couldn’t help but shake his head. He didn’t want to go into details. Was it worth it even? The reason he got punched was stupid and the other guy did look much worse. But when she asked him in that soft tone once more, he couldn’t even help but tell her. “It was stupid Amelia, and you’re not allowed to get angry…” He had to give that disclaimer or else he was pretty sure it was going to get a lot worse. But for now, he looked back at her and sighed. “There was this woman, who was hitting on me…and well, I sort of flirted back and didn’t realize her boyfriend was my bodyguard. She was waiting for him to be done his shift and well…yeah he found out and punched me. It was…justified I guess.” But really, how was he supposed to know she wasn’t single?