they'll hang us in the louvre;

lucas couldn't help but roll his eyes at the other woman. she was by far the most frustrating person he'd ever come in contact with and the last thing he wanted to do was to suffer through this project with her. unfortunately, he knew he didn't really have much of a choice. he took in a deep breath, "the main character is mason. you know, the hopeless romantic one that's trying his best to get anyone to notice him but it's all the wrong people."

Esra let out a small sigh at his words. She actually enjoyed his script, or the rough draft that her father had showed her before they'd met face-to-face. She thought he as talented, despite their differences and mutual annoyance. But she would never tell him that. "So how can he be considered a hopeless romantic if he doesn't the person that he considers the one for him? just anyone won't do it, don't you think? He needs that one impossible love. Like the guy from 500 Days of Summer or Mr. Big for Carrie in Sex and the City."

angel knew that this wasn't easy for him and there was no way he was going to let the other face his family on his own, despite the fact that he was pretty sure connor's family wasn't stoked about their relationship. still, he was hoping to spend the rest of his life with the other and he wasn't going to make it easy on his parents to push them apart, if that's what they wanted to do. his hand rubbed over his boyfriend's back and shook his head, "no problem." he reassured and pulled back enough to intertwine their fingers, "you know i'd do anything for you right?"

"I know. And I appreciate you, like crazy." Connor mumbled with a soft smile before leaving a last kiss on his boyfriend's lips and then pulling back from his embrace, just to begin leading him out to where his family was. It was always tough, being who he was with his family. Connor had been in the closet for so long until meeting Angel made him realize it just wasn't an option anymore. "You ready for this, for real?"

She bristled at Loren's smug response, her jaw clenching as she fought to keep her composure. Who did this guy think he was? She watched him assemble his equipment with narrowed eyes—irritation bubbling just beneath the surface.  "I don't think anything about you," she replied coolly, crossing her arms. "I'm just making sure you understand what's expected. This isn't some backyard YouTube channel." 

"You're absolutely right. You don't think anything about me; you assume things about me. But don't be disappointed when I prove you wrong by the end of our partnership." Loren stated matter-of-factly. "And don't worry, I'm still gonna make sure to get good shots of you, it's really not gonna be that hard."

Sienna's eyes widened as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Cohen Barrett, her infuriating FBI partner, was her blind date. She nearly choked on her taro bubble tea, coughing slightly as she tried to regain her composure. Of course, it had to be him. The universe clearly had a twisted sense of humor. "Oh, for the love of—" she muttered under her breath, her cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of red. "Well, this is... unexpected." She eyed him warily, taking in his equally shocked expression. "First time? Watch out for those tapioca pearls. Wouldn't want you to choke." Or maybe he should. It would be far more satisfying. "And for the record, I don't usually do blind dates. My cousin practically blackmailed me into this one." Her eyes rolled. "Look, we both know this is ridiculous. We can barely stand each other at work, let alone on a date. Why don't we just call it quits and pretend this never happened?"

Cohen couldn't help but find it amusing; the situation that they were in. It was some of sick joke or the universe telling them just how fucked they both were in the love department. Because how else would they end up being each other's blind dates? He chuckled at her words though, nodding his head. "Yeah, I wish you'd said that before i sucked on the straw like five minutes ago while I waited for you." He joked lightly, not really taking her words to heart. It wasn't ideas, their situation but it was what it was. Cohen frowned, lifting his hands up to let her see that he was clearly innocent here. "First of all, I was not aware that we don't like each other. I thought we just sort of did this for fun." He gestured between the two of them and then grinned. "And second, if you want this date to be over and for me to forget it ever happened, it'll cost you. Say, would you be open to sharing the secret that your cousin blackmailed you with?"

"Lock them in a room? That's one way to handle it. But I'm pretty sure my insurance doesn't cover 'band member cage matches,'" he joked, his eyes crinkling with amusement. He got it. though. Music was Dior's everything, and this opportunity was huge. Logan was sure she wouldn’t want her bandmate’s drama with Loren to ruin all that. "Look, we can't let their drama mess this up for you. How about we do a sit-down? You, me, and the troublemakers. We'll hash it out and figure out how to move forward without killing each other." He watched her rub her neck, and what he would give to be able to do that again. Get over yourself! The thought sobered him up and once again, he grew serious. "If you need to, why don't you use my private studio for a bit? It's quieter, and you won't have to worry about World War 3 breaking out while you're trying to work."

Dior managed a small laugh at his words, rolling her eyes fondly at her. "Knowing them, insurance might be the least of your worries." Personally, Dior thought that Suhana and Loren's real issue was that they definitely were hot for each other, but she knew better than to ever say that out loud. She couldn't even say it to Logan, honestly. That would probably open up an entirely different can of worms for the two exes. "Honestly, a sit-down wouldn't be a bad idea. But I also worry because I'm not their boss, technically you are our boss, now that I think about it." She joked, trying to use a lighter tone. She knew that wasn't the relationship that they had, but as their producer, Logan held the cards in his hands. Dior reached out and gave his hand a small squeeze. "Thanks for listening though. I appreciate it." She nodded a little at his offer, arching an eyebrow. "You have a private studio and I didn't even know? Wow. I don't know if I can trust you anymore."

Unfortunately, Aiyla's dating history had always been rather bleak. She seemed to have quite the knack for falling fast and hard, and staying longer than what was perhaps healthy for her. She was a hopeless romantic, and believed that fate would allow things to fall into place. However, she was quickly learning that men came like buses. She had waited and waited, and suddenly they all arrived at once. She had always been close with Drew, perhaps too close for an ex, some may have observed. Aiyla had struggled to unblur the line in their friendship, and was always there when he called. But then there was Ozan, and well... Their past had been tumultuous and yet they had always ebbed and flowed perfectly in sync with one another, even without having to say a word. Perhaps that was the stark difference between the two men. Aiyla felt like she had always been pushing and pulling with Drew, like trying to get blood from a stone. But Ozan, he was like coming up for fresh air and remembering how to breathe again.

A part of Ozan was wondering if he was trying to create tension between them. He'd always thought that Aiyla deserved better than him, this was the reason behind not making a move on her despite knowing how he felt about her for a long time now. The past few weeks had been the closest thing to bliss that Ozan had ever felt. Despite not knowing exactly where they stood, they'd discovered a new side of their relationship, no matter how hard they both seemed to still hold onto the word friendship. Drew though, was everything that Ozan had never and would never be. They were actually complete opposites and Ozan couldn't help but realize that the other man could be good for Aiyla. That he could offer her a life without her even having to worry about his addictions, his pain, of having to wonder when he'd relapse again.

closed starter @dcrklighters (cohen)

This could not be fucking happening. There was no way that his FBI partner was also his blind date. Cohen was going to kill his cousin. She had to know that he and Sienna had history together, there was no way in hell she didn't know. He rolled his eyes at her words as he approached her, a cup of matcha milk tea in his hand. "Hate to say that you are right in profiling me as a non-drinker of boba. This is my first time here." He looked around the establishment, finding it quite charming, despite their currently mortifying situation. "Didn't peg you as the type to go on blind dates." he mumbled as he eyed her. Their partnership was complicated as they seemed to buttheads regularly, both of them working too differently.

Logan glanced up from his laptop as Dior strode into his office. Immediately his attention was drawn to her—notice how put-together she looked, even in her state. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he listened to her rant about Suhana and Loren's constant squabbling. God, she was beautiful when riled up. "Easy there, tiger," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You might want to save some of that energy for the ring." He nodded, acknowledging her worry. 

Dior narrowed her eyes at him, no fire in her eyes at all, instead a playful glint in her eyes. "I'm serious, Logan. They aren't letting me concentrate, it's getting to me." She admitted, only because Logan knew how Dior was about her music and her job. This was a great opportunity that he was giving her and the band and Dior didn't want to screw it up. Dior rubbed at the back of her neck, watching him intently, trying not to think of how much she missed her. Word was an easy excuse to talk to him, it just wasn't the same. "They probably will kill each other, honestly. How about we just locked them in a room together and hope that they don't start World War 3 from in there?"

She forced a tight smile as she shook Loren's hand, his overly friendly demeanor grating on her nerves. Of course he would be one of those people—all smiles and faux charm. Suhana resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his quip about having cameras in her face. As if she wasn't already used to that… "Don't worry about me, I'm a professional. Been doing this a long time." Her gaze flickered over him again, taking in his casual attire and laid back attitude. So this was the so-called "visionary" Logan had hired? She fought back a derisive snort. 

"Ah, so that's what this is about. You think you're a pro and that I'm an aficionado." Loren nodded his head, a wide smirk showing up on his face. Despite his hippie and chill reputation, Loren knew how to play games and push buttons. Thank his parents for such an infuriating trait and whatnot. Loren began unpacking his camera parts, beginning to assemble things. "It's funny that you're being against my work so openly, considering you seem to know more about me than I know about you."

angel had so much love to give the other and he couldn't believe that the other was his, and that's why he was so set on making him his forever. "isn't that what i'm here for?" he asked and smiled at the affectionate gesture. the feeling of the other pressing a kiss to the back of his hand was something he genuinely enjoyed. "well, maybe i'm doing it for you. you know, so if things get bad you still have something good to look at." he teased, and leaned forward to steal a sweet kiss from his boyfriend's lips. "anyways, i could say the same for you but i do think i'm bias. you look good in anything as far as i'm concerned."

"Can't argue with that logic. I do always need a pick me up whenever I visit home." Connor mumbled with a small smirk on his lips. It was easy to deal with anything, as long as he could go back home with Angel, who'd countless times had been there for him. Their relationship was everything to Connor, who didn't know where he'd be at if it weren't for the man in his arms now. Returning the sweet kiss, he smiled and tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of Angel's neck. "Thanks, babe. I'm serious though, I know it's not particularly nice at my parents', they cna be a handful. So thank you for coming with me."

lucas had no idea why he continued to work with her. the woman was infuriating and even so, he knew that this could really be his big break and he wasn't sure he could work with her father without putting up with her for a while. his arms crossed over his chest, "i'm being cooperative. i'm literally letting you read it, even though i told you it wasn't done yet." and so he wasn't surprised that she had informed him of the edits. "wait, before i do, are you trying to tell me you can't get the gist of them just from reading that? if that's the case, i have a lot of rewriting to do."

"Stop making weird noises then, I can't focus if you're acting like a child." Esra scoffed, as if he wasn't aware of just how infuriating he could be. Ever since that night in New York when they'd argued upon meeting each other, she and Lucas could not see eye to eye. Her father was unaware that they'd made almost no progress on his project in weeks. She was trying to get it corrected before he and his partners came to town. "I mean, I can see some of them. It's the main character that I'm struggling to find. So tell me about him, in your own words, please."