Dallas Cartwright

Daniel leisurely wandered through the aisles of the bookstore absentmindedly running his fingers along the spines of novels and memoirs. The invigorating scent of paper and ink permeated the air creating an ambiance that always made him feel at ease. As he turned a corner he almost collided with a familiar face, instantly lighting up with a smile.

"Dallas?" he exclaimed in surprise his face displaying a mix of excitement and astonishment. "Wow its been ages! How have you been?"

He took a step back carefully observing Dallas from head to toe trying to recall the time they had a conversation. "The last I heard you were molding young minds. Hows the teaching life treating you?" Daniel asked nonchalantly as he leaned against one of the bookshelves.

"Molding young minds...huh." It was almost funny to hear it said in that way - Dallas wasn't quite sure he had much leeway with six-year-olds, but he was doing what he could to have a positive impact on them. "I'm good...and teaching's been good too. My students are all nutcases, but it means my days are never boring. C'mon though, catch me up on your life."

status: closed for @dallasxcartwright

"That's a lie. That's a filthy lie."

A balled up wrapper sailed from one side of the table to the next, bouncing harmlessly off his shoulder. "I never, ever, ever in my life hijacked Mr. Koteskiy's snowmobile—" impish amusement sparked in Sey's eyes— "and if I did I sure as hell had help."

Her mouth curved around the cherry red straw poking out of a diet coke, betraying the hint of a smirk. As the other half to one of her most favorite people in the world, Dallas had earned himself a top spot among her closest friends. Teasing and feigned offense aside, she looked forward to these little catch ups with him.

Dallas was excited to be sitting in front of Selin – despite them both living in the same place now, it still felt like they had so much to catch up on. “Work is good…think I’m gonna quit the radio job. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to teach during the day and host at night. Where were you to tell me I was an idiot for that? But uh, yeah…also kinda asked Hana to be my girlfriend. What about you? Any hot dates? People lining up to buy antiques from you? Speaking of antiques, I need you to help me liven my place up.” Selin was one of the few people not only knew that his dating history lacked any serious relationship beyond high school and the history between him and Hana.

"Fresh picked candy canes?" Brow raised, humor threatened to spill past her lips. "You'd work that hard just for little ol' me?" A small, sharp elbow nudged into his side. "We'll see how this world famous cup measures up to the pickled version," she winked, "glad you were able to find some adventure tonight."

Anticipation thrummed through the native New York with the Christmas dinner and festivities date to Dallas's family home. Hana and her own family had never been warm and fuzzy, it was a fairly cold upbringing, and on top of that Christmas was different for the South Korean. The last time she'd been in a family setting she'd been dancing with Verda's mother at the baker's wedding months ago. That was as close as she'd been and the former model was nervous.

What if she made a bad impression?

Most people considered Hana to be random and a bit of an odd duck, and while the blond sharing his warmth seemed to enjoy those qualities about her there was some understanding that others found her to be off-putting at times. It was important to her that his family liked and accepted her.

The woman had dreams of maybe one day being an addition to that big, loving family.

Thinking back to her day on the slopes with Verda, three sheets to the wind thanks to the variety of holidays drinks, and how they'd made a huge scene when trying to snowboard down the mountain made a giggle come up. "Well, we're banned from the resort. We borrowed some snowboards that were up against the wall outside the lodge and tried to go down the mountain while drunk. We might have tried to evade security as well." The yogi gently bit into her bottom lip as she peered over at the best friend that had come to mean a little too much to her. "You didn't sign up to be friends with such an outlaw so I understand if you need to take a step away," Hana jested.

From the sounds of it Dallas and Atlas had a similar day, maybe not the troublemaking part but for sure the getting drunk and trying to function part. "Aww boys day out. Did Atlas talk about me? He loves me. Can never get over how I folded him into a pretzel." Hearing about their adventures though made Hana feel as though she was with a kindred spirit even if he was a little more straight-laced than her. It meant he wouldn't hopefully head for the hills when Hana couldn't color within the lines.

Brow raised, "start some fights? Now I'm dying to know what you got. I also wanna know what you got me." Patience wasn't her biggest virtue. "So, he's kind of like your brother right?"

The Grinch yoga was meant to be fun for the holidays yet it turned into chaos. At least for a woman that had no idea what to do in the situation of childbirth. It all went well and safely, which made her happy, but she was definitely not the best in that particular crisis. "That's sweet of you," she commented of Dallas wanting to bring them food. That would be helpful, Hana imagined. "What would you make? I'm actually surprised you haven't been over yet and seen them. I figured my ovaries would've been having to deal with tons of selfies of you with babies already." Mostly a joke since she was not ready for that stage in her life.

"I swear it wasn't me. I didn't even dress up, but next year— all bets are off." When it came to her socials, given her celebrity status, they were all the same. "You could easily find it. There's links on my Insta but you really don't need to look at it. I'm not sure there's anything you'd like on there." Given that it was mostly fashion and beauty along with health and wellness. What Hana Yun was to the public eye.

With his confirmation that they exchange gifts before they go to his family Christmas celebration, the yogi nodded and smiled and let the teacher lead her to a quieter spot where they could sit and chat without as much of the noise and outside stimulation.

Sat in front of the blond on the bench, somewhat close for his warmth, the former model'd brow furrowed at his warning. "We talk about anything and everything. What could mess you all up like that? Are you about to tell me you hate Korean food or that my hair looks stupid?" Some humor put a small smile on her lips but it was mostly an effort to calm the nerves that stirred up. Thankfully before she could say anything else ridiculous, Dallas began sharing what had been on his mind.

"Wait... you don't wanna go back to that yet it's destroying you?" It didn't make sense to her. Hadn't when he'd changed their dynamic a while back but since it was what he'd told her he wanted she swallowed and accepted without a fight. That easily abandoned and unwanted feeling kicking her in the teeth and made her nauseated. Of course she had wanted a change from what they had been doing and had fallen into for years, the never making it work having worn her out, but to go to being just friends had really hurt.

The like didn't hurt as much as it seemed the teacher had regretted those particular words. There wasn't much more damage that could be done to her heart. It'd been torn and clawed at one too many times, so she'd taken it with ease and nodded her head to encourage her friend to just get whatever he had to say off his chest. 'I'm kinda in love with you'. Well, she hadn't been expecting that. Especially not when Dallas followed it up with 'I don't want this to change things between us'. It was downright confusing.

Initially her chest swelled and Hana felt as though she might pass out, then the wind was knocked out of her a bit. Dark eyes searched his handsome face and she nodded her head at his suggestion of just going back to his and watching Die Hard. "I love you, too," she said quietly, heart thudding too heavily in her chest. "I have for years but I respected you and what you wanted, what you felt was best, and now— the timing, I..." So much of her world was in turmoil. Not only was she dealing with the return of the reason she'd fled New York and her entire life there but she was working on gaining closer with Khalil.

His brows knit together when she repeated his own words back to him, a complete contradiction to what he actually wanted with Hana. When she said it aloud it sounded nothing like what he had wanted to convey. “I don’t want to go back to pretending there isn’t something more between us. And this? It’s just what we used to do without getting to kiss you, and that’s not any better. I want something new…different.” Just because he wanted to be with her, it didn’t mean that he felt deserving of it.

As soon as the ‘L word’ passed her lips, Dallas’ heartbeat picked up and despite the cold, he felt like he needed to be submerged in an ice bath. Anything to confirm that this was real. That Hana, the woman he had loved for over a decade, loved him too. Within moments, he went from feeling hopeful to feeling anger and sadness for her. Angry that someone so fucking awful had cast a shadow over her life and had her living in fear. Sad that she didn’t feel like she was deserving of a relationship because of her situation.

“Hans…” Dallas shifted forward slightly, lifting his hand to gently take hold of hers and lowered it, his thumb grazing over his skin, his lips pressing softly to her forehead where her fingers had been moments ago. “I’m not going anywhere,” He whispered, squeezing her hand gently and lowering his lips to meet hers. His eyes fleeted shut with the familiar and somewhat distant feeling of fluttering in his stomach that was present every time they kissed.

When he finally broke the kiss, he added the tiniest bit of distance between them so she could hear him say those words again. “I love you.” He felt it was worth repeating, and hell, it felt good to say it out loud. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. Nothing and no one is going to change that, okay?” His gaze didn’t leave hers as he raised her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to it before leaning in to pepper a few kisses up her jaw. “We deserve a shot at this, don’t we?”

Invincible // Tonight Alive

The offered hot cocoa tucked into the palm of her hand had captivated her attention as her dark eyes peered into the steaming contents of the cup. As if it could share some wisdom or unload her burdens. Instead, Hana's company put a smile on her lips. The drink was lifted to her nose for further consideration before a taste was attempted, the pickle was masked enough that the yogi hardly hesitated before giving it a try.

"What if I'm a Die Hard kind of girl for Christmas movies?" Something about someone getting revenge spoke to the New Yorker now more than anything. There needed to be a hero in her story more than love winning out, because once the evil had been defeated there was room for everything else.

"It's not bad," the former model commented, the cocoa presented back to Dallas. "Give it a shot," she suggested, a grin flashing up at him. It was easy to feel warm and comfortable at his side. To forget that there were monsters out there with bad intentions.

Butterflies erupted in her stomach when the blond had taken her hand. An action that had happened countless times before but, for Hana, Christmas was more akin to Valentine's than some religious holiday. Love was in the air and it was proving to be more and more challenging to ignore what she'd lodged and buried inside her chest for the man at her side.

"Do you still have shopping to do?" The mention of spiked cider nearly made the yogi's stomach turn. With a chuckle she shook her head slightly. "I might need to take it easy with that. Ver and I kind of got in trouble the other day." Drunken agents of chaos on a snowy mountainside pretty much had the former model banned.

"You mean you haven't heard about the twins and the mama that went into labor at the studio?" Usually it always seemed Dallas was more abreast of current events and gossip than she was. "But, sure enough, there were a couple of people dressed up like the Grinch and doing that scream like the popular TikTok video."

With a chuckle as they continued to stroll toward a somewhat quieter area, "and no, before you ask— it wasn't me."

“Maybe it burnt your tongue just enough to mess up your taste buds,” he teased, immediately after taking the drink into his free hand and taking a sip of his own. “Alright, it’s not that bad, but I’m gonna have to make you some of my famous peppermint hot chocolate on Christmas. Freshly picked candy canes and all.”

There was an excitement and nervousness that overwhelmed him at the thought of Hana being a part of his families’ festivities this year. The worry that it would be overwhelming for her emotionally, and of course because the Cartwrights were…the Cartwrights. Those nerves were easily drowned out by how special it was to have her be a part of it, considering how much she meant to him.

Shaking his head at her question, Dallas let out a low chuckle at her brief mentioning of her day with Ver. “You know you can’t lead with that and not tell me what happened, right? If you two keep going out in public you’re gonna be kicked out of every place in town any day now.” His smile resembled that of a proud parent watching their kid walk across the stage at graduation. He had always loved that Hana wasn’t one to stay away from trouble. “Atlas and I might’ve gotten drunk off of mimosas for our Christmas shopping. People are gonna either love or hate their gifts this year…might even start some fights. Don’t worry, I got yours earlier.” It was an entertaining day, though he was sure it wasn’t nearly as exciting as Hana and Verda’s.

“Holy shit, yeah, Dylan!” As absurd as Hana’s statement was out of context, Dallas immediately lit up at the mention of it. “I can’t wait to meet them…I’ve gotta get some gifts of all of them, actually I was thinking about cooking them a few meals to bring them when I go visit.” Although the Providence Peak native had come into town for significant family milestones and births, this was the first time he had been around long enough to be able to support during the initial few months. Sure, Dylan wasn’t blood, but she was certainly family in his books. “That must’ve been a lot to deal with, though…bet you handled it like a champ.”

All the first-grade teacher knew about Tik Tok was limited to what he had learned from his nieces and students, but Grinch was a classic and that scream was one he could understand going viral. “I don’t buy that for a second…what’s your Tik Tok?” Brow raised, he gave her hand another gentle squeeze and gazed past her in search of any place they could get some respite from the crowds that lined the streets of downtown. “Why don’t we do it before we go there, just us? I got you something good so you’re less likely to back out of coming to my parents.” Plus, with his families’ tradition of personalized ornaments that they had already placed on the tree, he wanted to make sure she had her own to add on when they arrived.

Her hand clasped in his and her lingering gaze provided a sense of warmth and tapped into the temptation he tried so hard to ignore. The urge for things to go back to how they were – where he could kiss her in the middle of wherever they were and whatever they were doing. The anticipation of knowing they were going home together to end up tangled in bedsheets. As he finally caught sight of an empty table behind the Christmas tree and far enough from the crowds that they could talk, he leaned in towards her. “Come on, I found us a spot.”

There was a relief that came with getting some time to sit down just the two of them. Unfortunately for Dallas, the nerves that were sitting at the surface were full blown as they neared the picnic table. When they reached the table, he set the drink down and reluctantly released her hand before straddling the bench and gesturing to the spot in front of him. They had this conversation before – only the stakes were different now and the feelings he was experiencing were much deeper. He waited for her to settle in front of him before finally attempting to express what he had buried years ago.

“I’ve gotta share something with you, alright? And I know I’m normally mind-blowingly good at speaking, but this is probably going to come out in a jumbled mess.” His gaze finally lifted to hers, searching for some semblance of comfort. “I know I said we needed to not go back to how things were…and it’s not that I wanna go back to that, but what we’re doing? It’s fucking destroying me. I know that’s on me and I thought it would be good for both of us to move on, cause Han…you deserve everything, you know that, right?” He knew she didn’t know, or at least a combination of shitty people and shitty circumstances made her believe she didn’t.

“I really like you.” He immediately shook his head, frustrated with how complicated he had made this for himself. Things between them were ten years beyond ‘like’. He had said the words to her countless times, he had just never meant it like this. “I-uh, I’m kinda in love with you…and I think I have been for a long time, but I’m shit at this. And don’t – don’t feel like you have to say anything. We can go watch Die Hard and pretend I didn't say all of this, because I don't want this to change things between us, you know? I know that ship has sailed, but it’s been eating me alive and I had to let you know.”

It was still odd to think that he’d actually met his son this past weekend. He was no longer forced to keep up with the happenings in his life half-way around the world. He no longer marveled at how much he’d grown only by seeing pictures. Rather, Hyun Woo had the actual opportunity to speak with him, which was surreal when he thought about it. And he was hopeful that in due time, their relationship would be strong enough that the years spent apart wouldn’t matter. For that to be a possibility, there were a number of factors that Hyun Woo would have to ensure were in place. Running through that list, he turned to leave without paying too much attention to the person behind him, resulting in a slight collision. The papers in the other man’s hands fell to the ground, and the cup in his hands joined them. Luckily, the hot chocolate didn’t spill on any of the papers and Hyun Woo immediately crouched to the ground to avoid further crisis. “I’m so sorry, I should have been paying more attention.” He began to help gather the papers, noting the scribbles of half-formed sentences and colorful stick figures on each.