but now i'm gold

"neither of us have made it easy. it's funny because we are the only couple i know where 'chilling out' is the biggest challenge we face," she replied with a short laugh. there was a lot of love between the two of them and the good usually outweighed the bad, but the bad was lethal. bianca couldn't help herself but step a little closer and reach down to interlock their fingers. she slowly brought tj's knuckles to lips where she placed a tender kiss. "those other girls try to take this from me and it kills me everytime. i need this.."

Bianca’s statement pulls a laugh from TJ.  It was just so on point.  They were two firey personalities and that often lead to their own destruction.  Then they’d be left standing in the wreckage hoping to pick up the pieces.  She idly wondered when Bianca would say enough was enough and give up on her entirely.  The idea caused fear to settle at the base of her spine.  Then Bianca is reaching for her hand and kissing her knuckles with the kind of tenderness that TJ only accepted from her.  While the boxer always tried to make it clear that she didn’t want anybody else maybe she didn’t do the best job of conveying that wasn’t due to indifference, and instead just how deeply she loves Bianca.  “Nobody can take what’s yours, B,” she says, her free hand coming cradle her chin.  “I belong to you.”  

there had been more times like this that paxton didn't want to say anything and nicky spoke up. normally, she wouldn't cause a fuss. if it would've been her own coffee, nicky would've just drank it but this was paxton's. and his happiness was important to her. so important that she didn't mind having a little chat with barista. "but it's not what you wanted." she reaches forward to gently take the cup from his grip. "i'll fix it. it'll be no big deal. promise."

As Nicky teaches for the cup of heavily sugared iced coffee Paxton relents.  A smile thankful smile quirks at his lips.  After spending the last two years being his younger brother’s guardian, Paxton struggled to look out for himself.  Then here Nicky was, effortlessly picking up the slack just because a fraction of his happiness was at stake.  It was the kind of care he wasn’t quite used to receiving.  “What would I do without you, huh?  I’d be drinking bad coffee at the very least,” he chuckles.  

Arms crossed, she makes her way across the ranch, to the stables, where she knows he's hiding out. Her nose scrunches as she looks to him, sun just barely in her eyes, until she's under the shade. "You sure?" She asks, as she lifts her sunglasses up, to rest atop her head. "I'm feeling like you're shutting yourself in here. Is Misty a better listener than me?" She asks as she walks up to her horse to pet the top of her head.

He can hardly fight the smile that's pure reflex when he sees her. Another reason he knew he was avoiding calling her, he couldn't get away with digging his own heels into his own bullheaded nature around her. Mandy always had a way to get right at the heart of what he was feeling and it terrified him. He can't even deny it when she says it looks like he's shutting himself in. "Not better. It's more of a lateral move really,: he teases with a grin. "I shoulda called you, Mandy," he says after a beat. "I've been avoiding a lot, but I shouldn't have lumped you in with all that."

Sophie Thatcher photographed by Jason Renaud for Plico Magazine

One hand slides back around, cupping his cheek, as she kisses him. Sweet moans pass from her mouth to his, as she meets each of his thrusts with her hips, heels digging into his lower back to push him in deeper and deeper. Her orgasm hits her without warning and her fingers dig into his shoulder blade, manicured nails scratching along his skin, while she cries his name.

“Oh, fuck, Char,” he gasps as the pace of his hips grow more erratic as he follows her over the edge.  Then he feels in unmistakable tightening in his abdomen before a wave of euphoria washes over him, spilling ropes of cum into her with every push of his hips.  Seth shudders as he lays atop her, head buried into the crook of her neck.  “Missed you so much,” he husks into her ear, placing a gentle kiss to her jaw.  

ANDREW GARFIELD We Live in Time (2024)

Now that Shiloh was off the clock and she knew the patient in question hadn’t done any actual damage she could find the humor in the situation.  Hell, she even found the humor while in the midst of it, but she had to actually control her facial features.  Now as long as she didn’t give away any identifiable information these stories could be used to entertain the pretty bartender.  Shiloh sips from their drink before leaning across the bar top to answer, “A very well endowed zucchini,” she can’t help but laugh.  “In their defense they are in season,” Shiloh teases.  “The worst part?  There’s a recipe for zucchini bread I’ve been itching to try and now I’m not gonna touch it with a ten foot pole.”  

"listen, if we fuck it up, i'll just pay someone to fix it." he shrugs, but even those words sound foreign. after all, the two of them never really had funds like that growing up. he dreamed about cars in magazines, he never had any money for new gear for hockey – it was all scholarship from triple a, because he had been good enough and known the right people. "soon as i have it, you'll be the first person i call." and maybe he's just looking for excuses to have ivan around. but he LIKES him, and he's not super interested in unpacking it too closely.

Ivan is beaming with pride as Noah mentions if all else fails he would pay somebody to fix his Bronco.  It wasn’t said like somebody who was used to throwing their money around to fix his problems.  It was said like somebody who knew what he wanted and how to get it.  They had come along way from scrounging up money just to  catch some local bands play in Chicago.  While Ivan wasn’t flush with cash by any means he was comfortable.  He had his own place, a cat that depended on him, and enough money to take a camping trip every couple weekends.  Life was simple but it was his to live freely.  “If it comes down to it I’m sure we can find somebody you trust enough to work on your new baby,” he says with a nod.  Ivan tries not to dwell too much on how nice it sounds to be the first person Noah calls for anything, but it’s already causing his chest to fill with warmth.  “I better be,” he teases, trying and failing to keep the flirtatious tone from his voice.  It’s then he decides to reroute to a good neutral topic: hockey.  “I’ve been watching old games in ESPN.  Y’know just really working on getting ready for your next season.”  

x

x

(c)

It always meant the world to Gus how Devin always encouraged him to talk about these things. She'd never roll her eyes when he'd ramble on too long, or start tuning him out once he got a little too focused on random details. As Lara leaves, pressing a brief kiss to the crown of Gus's head as she walks by, he realizes this is the first time he's really been alone with Devin in a long while. The weight of how much he missed her hangs heavy in his chest. Gus offers her an appreciative smile as he reaches for the remote to put the documentary on. "I was just sketching the princess the party is gonna meet in the next session. She's a real bad ass, she's actually an assassin who stole the identity of the princess of the region." As he looks down at the sketch it's dawning on him how many of Devin's features he gave the character.

— Nina LaCour via letsbelonelytogetherr