* lukewarm cola !

“Unfortunately for you, it won’t. You might have to get your hair washed too.” Gabe said, intending to help since he saw dropping on her hair. He pulled out a small package containing wet wipes and handed it over to the woman. “Here, this might help better.” It was a lemon scented one, so at least it would help to get rid of the smell. 

     she knows that he’s right and that her predicament will definitely earn the satisfaction of a certain co-worker and she was already dreading that part. she wanted to go to work spotless so no one would look at her nor talk to her.  ❝ thanks. i really need to get some of these. ❞ she commented, a small smile playing on her lips as she took the wipes and started to rub it where she needed it. 

He took a peek to whom that disturbed his silence; a woman in front of him, seemingly try to take something from him. Probably, something that’s not his to begin with that somehow stuck between him.  “  Oh, uh… ”   Trying to search for the object she seems  to be looking for, and found just underneath his waist, against his towel. Taking it in, he glanced of what it contained; a written paragraph in progress with her writing seemingly glazed perfectly aligned between it’s spaces. He didn’t took long and handed it to her, perhaps inappropriate enough to have read everything she’s done,  “  This is yours, I assume? ” Despite him being a little cranky from the lack of sleep, he managed to offer her a small smile – somehow felt a little less prickly after seeing her handwriting. She must be a hobbyist writer. Curiosity becomes him, he added. “ I don’t mean to pry in your… writing, but are you turning it into a novel ?  It sounds beautiful… even if it’s just a couple of sentences written. ”

     she crouched awkwardly, trying to gauge the situation and see if the other wouldn’t take to her kindly. but there was a moment of confusion that passed onto his expression and his stumble for words made it seem like it was okay after all. he gingerly took her paper, and she could only watch ( she really tried her best just to watch as to not agitate the other ) as he looked at the paper that she had made him get. she hoped that he didn’t read it and she was more than relieved when he had given her paper back without question. she could only smile and nod at his words, her fingers grazing the paper before grasping it tight, not allowing it to fly away again. the female was supposed to say her appreciation for his help, but mostly for not getting mad at her, but he had cut her to the chase and he has spoken before her.  ❝ oh, this? ❞ she motions towards her paper and chuckles nervously.  ❝ it’s nothing... it’s just a bunch of words together. i doubt it would even make it in print. ❞ the other admitted, a small but downwards smile playing on her lips as she had felt insecure towards her writing.  

HARPER: I’m all ears

HARPER: With?

HARPER: Aww… That’s a sweet compliment.

HARPER: If you need my honest opinion about your style, I’ll tell you this; you could use for a makeover, and I’d love to help you. 

[ text ] THEO: uh oh well thank you, i guess???

[ text ] THEO: i really think i don’t need a makeover tho...

[ text ] THEO: it’s my music that needs it tbh

@dicmonddew​

Even as thick skin as Layla had, there were days where she just wanted to curl up with her sister and pretend the world didn’t exist. It was mostly when it was a bunch of guys all in one day being insulting, or pointing out her insecurities it happened though. Or days where the memories of their parents all came rushing back, and how they’d been. It was those days that were the worst. When she’d wake up sweaty, with a scream ready to burst out of her mouth. With a heart racing off, trying to kill her in the process. Leaving her unable to do anything pretty much. 

And since that was one of those days… She’d gone and made some hot cocoa for them, filling it up with marshmallows and cream, before she went over to Lor’s room, knocking on the door with her foot before she opened it. “I’m bringing chocolate. Want to just curl up and watch a movie or something?”

     lorelai had always preferred the silence and the caress of peacefulness. outside of work, she had always had the privilege to stay home, watch some tv, cook food, et cetera, as long as she was on the job whenever she was needed. she was mostly alone for the most part since layla was out at work and she was glad. glad that her sister was learning how to stand up for herself but she also worries from time to time. she hated leaving layla alone. so there were times, she would think of her and would text her to see if she was alright.

     but tonight was different. they were both home. 

     she had felt more comfortable that layla was around now. she didn’t have to worry. especially when her sister had taken some hot cocoa to their room and invited her to have some quality time.  ❝ hey, jitterbug. come and sit beside me. ❞ she urged, patting the side of the bed where she didn’t occupy.  ❝ i have netflix on. what do you wanna watch? ❞ 

@dicmonddew​

Grace was very much hands on with her staff. She didn’t like the idea of any of them not feeling like they could come to her whenever, and she liked to know how all of their guests were. Who were rough, who were gentle, who wanted what. It helped her know which girls to advice to different guests. And it helped her keep her girls and guys safe from guys who would be more likely to hurt them.

So when she knew Lorelai had been with a guest who could be a bit of a… Well, there was a reason she tended to keep at least one guard near whatever room that guy ended up in, she went to the room after he had left, knocking softly on the door before pushing it open a little. “Darling? How are you? Did everything go okay or do I need to burst a lip?”

     what she expected with the line of work she had put herself into was that they were ruthless and that they only wanted them to work to get their money. but there was pleasant surprise to her when the company took care of their people. she was given the choice whether she could give her whole body or just companionship to men. she had initially chose the latter, knowing that intercourse were for people who were in love. but childish fantasies have been left back at home and she discovered how much money there was in the whole system.

     lorelai was soft and definitely, a lot of men had taken advantage of that. there were times she had cried because her body was in pain or that they made her do things she did not feel comfortable with. and there was also a time where grace saw her crying, and for the first time, she had felt safe. as she shrugged in her comfortable clothing: some loose t-shirt and some loose pants, she heard the door knock. the blonde turned and saw grace by the door and she could only smile warmly towards her new mother figure.  ❝ oh no! there’s really no need! the night went well. client wasn’t difficult at all. ❞

CLOSE PARA with V E R A

When he saw Vera coming into the bank, Brett immediately began to sigh. Although he did like her in general, seeing her face reminded him of what was at stake; his precious sister’s life. He didn’t like dealing with the underworld seeing as he was a straight laced person, but when a mob boss threatened Daisy’s life, he couldn’t bring himself to deny the request. It had been over three years since he’d been forced to associate himself with the criminal enterprise, the only consolation he got from all this was the odd friendship he had with Vera. He didn’t mind talking to her, she was a great conversationalist. He just wishes that they could be friends under different circumstances. Nevertheless, he was always happy to see her, even if it turned his stomach to have to deal with the mob. A smile lit his features when she stood before him and he tilted his head a little before he greeted her, “Hello, Vera. It’s good see you again.” He would’ve asked what brought her here, but that would be a moot point since he already knew the answer.

     vera had always preferred to take the mundane way to get to the bank: no escorts, no bodyguards, no big black car to take her around the town. it gave her some sense of normalcy and even the sense of freedom. her actions were restricted in the mafia, and she definitely needed to control her emotions and thoughts once she was around colleagues. going to the bank was one of the things the boss entrusted her with, not only she was good at finance but also she was good at talking to people. it was one of her favorite tasks especially that she could talk more freely with brett more than her other colleagues. he was definitely attractive and if they met under different circumstances, she would have definitely gone for him. but alas. once she had entered the bank, she removed her sunglasses, placing it at the crook of her coat and smiled towards the employees who were capable enough to smile at her. she places her small handbag to the counter and smiled at brett.  ❝ buenos dias, brett. i’d like to make a deposit. ❞ she told him, casually, like she was not depositing at least fifty thousand dollars. the female opened her bag to retrieve the envelope where the cash was and she followed her words,  ❝ is it really good? my arrival just means you’re gonna get your hands dirty. ❞ her words were a jest and her eyes scrunched as she smiled.  ❝ but it IS good to see you, as well. ❞ 

CLOSED PARA with L A N C E

Ivy was getting annoyed by the Deveraux family. Just because they had money, they think that they could do anything they wanted. What was the harm on leaving an animal shelter open? It wasn’t like the place was hurting anyone. They were trying to save lives. Some might not care for animals, but she did. She loved them and would try to save as many of them as possible if she could. Unfortunately for her, she had to contend with the Deveraux family. The battle seemed never ending and she was getting sick of fighting them. “I swear, Kate, if I have to deal with those people again, I might just have to shoot someone. I hate all of them. Especially that pompous Lance Deveraux. Who does he think he is? He’s only a model. Probably too pretty to be smart.” She ranted to her best friend in Charlotte over the phone as she walked down the street headed towards home. Her gaze was on the horizon, but not to her right or left. When she felt someone tapping her on the shoulder, she turned around and long behold, it was Lance. “I gotta call you back, Kate.” She told her best friend before hanging up. Her arms were folded when she addressed the male, brows furrowing with ire. “What do you want?” 

@dicmonddew​

     lance was busy checking his phone from texts coming in from his best friend. and when there weren’t any texts coming in, he was checking his instagram profile and was scrolling through his pictures and thinking, how perfect was he? his parents had always pushed him to become one of them: architects and contractors, but he was never really interested in working, if he could make money using his face and physique? why the hell not. but for some reason, whatever his parents were doing, he was always caught up with it. must be because he was famous and he brings their last name into the spotlight. scrolling casually on his phone, he has blocked his mind from all the people passing by, certainly used to women looking at him but his ears perked when he heard his name, a grin on his face at the direction where he heard it. but when he heard the words continue from the femme, he couldn’t help but scowl, eyes furrowed at confusion at how someone would dislike him... he followed her, ears listening if she had anything else to say but decided to step in. ❝ well, i think lance deveraux is pretty AND smart. did you know that he holds a degree in architecture? ❞

CLOSED PARA with S Y L V I A

When in a crowded room, Tristan tended to keep his eyes open. He was still searching for a known criminal, one he was told would be in Stonehill. The woman was a chameleon however, so he had to be suspicious of everyone. Even the ones that looked innocent. In his opinion, the silent or innocent types were the ones he had to watch out for the most. He was an enormous mall today, eyes scanning his surroundings, trying to see if he could spot her. Then at the corner of his eyes, he saw a tall yet slight in figure woman approaching. It could be her, the hair color was right, but then again, she could have dyed her hair. Upon closer examination, he found that it wasn’t the same person. Feeling slightly defeated, he walked away. As he was rounding the corner, he crashed into a figure. Acting on instinct, he reached for her and righted her stance before she could fall. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking at where I was going. “Are you okay?” He asked the woman. When his hues registered her features, he furrowed his brows and suspicion immediately sets in. “You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?” This woman, she looked exactly like the criminal he was hunting. He was absolutely certain of it. 

@dicmonddew​

     after coming to stonehill, she had figured out that posing as being one of the vazquez would be able to overshadow her dark past. she knows she was the odd one out but she had to think straight and not be rattled about how the vazquez family treats her. her story is already a tape recording in her head: i’m sylvia vazquez, a bastard that was sent to cancun when i was born, i’ve been around town for two years, trying to mend my life together with the family i’ve lost. luckily, she still had money that she stole from her sister’s dead husband and it was enough to make her look the part. she had figured that this would be enough to at least let her sink into the background slowly everyday until the fbi stop searching for her. walking around the area on heels, she walked, like she owned the place, but unfortunately, the male that bumped onto her had not realized this. she scrunched her eyebrows in annoyance and fixed her sunglasses so that it would cover her expression as to avoid any conflicts with anybody. last she needed was getting MORE attention to her.  ❝ i’m fine! ❞ she released, trying to repress the annoyance in her tone but it came out rushed. she does not know he was fbi and so she did not react so safely around him as she still felt like she was in the safe zone of the vazquez surname. but his words made her freeze for a while, she wondered if he was someone from her past. but she would HAVE known if he was and she would know him if that was the case.  ❝ a lot of vazquez’s look alike. maybe you’re just mistaking me from my cousins. ❞ she let out, a nervous laughter escaping her lips.

           it’s just an ordinary day at the store. as usual, she arrives there at five in the morning with the help of her moth. ever since she lost her sight, it’s been hard for her to do things on her own. she couldn’t make it a day wherein she wouldn’t need the help of others. luckily for her, people on her way or connected to her are more than willing to help her out on a daily basis without her asking for help. she started her day with the usual, working on the kitchen with her mother, hands are the only guide. she memorized where all the right ingredients and foods displayed are placed. and just to make sure, she’s right, she leans in just to sniff and smell if she got it right. then after, she went on to knead the dough with her slender fingers and strong hands. not much later, she and her mom manage to get everything to the oven and soon, it’s opening time. 

today, she’s assigned outside of the kitchen, greeting guests, showing them off the products, guiding them. it’s been a year since cindy worked at the bakery. she managed to memorize every inch of the place at this point. however, everyone seems to be inside the kitchen and she’s left behind the counter. the bell rings and she knows someone just came in. although she can’t see, her hearing is very much clear and she greets the first customer good morning! cindy also asked what she can help with– even though she lost her vision, she likes to think that she can still be a huge help.   “   anything you like  ??   ”   she asks. no response. a small frown curls on her lips, following the sounds of his footsteps. something feels off.     @dicmonddew​

     snuggling himself on his hoodie ( he was the type to be easily cold even if the air-conditioning was at twenty four degree ), he decided to walk around the neighborhood before his father asked him to accompany him to one of his shootings. for some reason, despite his father’s disapproval for comic book drawings, his father appreciated the creativity his mind worked on. his comic book stories tends to help them out when a scene gets too boring, and caleb was forced to help his father out for suggestions. so, before being dragged out to an environment he did not want to be in, he decided to give himself some time and enjoy his solitude. 

    passing by a bakery, the door opens and his nostrils gets filled with the aroma of bread and he had suddenly missed his home in korea. deciding on a whim, the male enters the establishment and he’s suddenly overwhelmed by the choices. he stood, stupidly, at the center of the bakery, his eyes scanning all the choices of bread he could order for himself when he had spotted the lady behind the counter. she had a smile on her face but a blank stare. his head tilted sideways in confusion, wondering what the other’s expression was. his confusion was snapped out of when he heard her voice but she was not speaking to him but to the other who entered prior him. his eyes turned towards the other, waiting for them to respond. strange. he thought, shrugging then walking towards a row of bread, trying his best to get his thoughts back on what he wanted to buy. but instead of getting to choose, out on the corner of his eye, he spots the other, grabbing a few bread, and sneering towards the lady, and he watched as the femme keep her eyes far away, a smile still plastered on his face. then it registered to him what was happening.  ❝ i think my friend here likes bread a lot. ❞ he spoke up, voice loud so that the three of them do not mishear the words he was expressing.  ❝ in fact, he’s getting so much of them. i think you have to pay for that, sir. ❞

          he’s the boss so he has no idea why he had to be the one who goes into her place to work when she could go to his place. somehow, princeton felt like he was bewitched by his annoying colleague to get him work to on her place instead on a weekend— when they could just meet up somewhere public. unfortunate for him, he can’t seem to work where there’s a lot of people. he can get easily distracted by the noises and the scenery. that’s why he never left his office because he liked it peaceful. the office could be a choice if it wasn’t time for the monthly general cleaning. no employees are allowed to sneak in today. that’s the rule. and since there’s no other choice, he ended up in selina’s apartment. 

princeton felt like he’s been ringing the doorbell and have knocking on door for ten minutes straight. it’s either selina’s still asleep or she’s somewhere else. if she was somewhere else though, she would have picked up the phone considering he left her a lot of missed calls. the editor has gone annoyed, brows furrowed down before twisting the knob. he’s surprised at how easily it is to get in, and surprised that she isn’t being careful enough. he steps in and closes the door from behind, brows kniited down as he calls for her.   “   hey, butthead, where are you  ??  you left your door open.   ”   he says out loud, standing in her living room. and that’s when he hears a scream. it’s so loud and familiar that he immediately knows who it’s from. later on did it sink in that she might be in trouble. the worst scenarios came over his head and he runs to wherever the scream is. he pushes the door open without any second thoughts.   “   hey  !!  are you alright—-   ”   however he was immediately cut off when he sees her naked in front of him, having a mental breakdown for some reason. blue hues immediately scans down and he quickly spins around before his gaze goes lower.   “   what is fucking wrong with you  ??   ”          @dicmonddew​​.

     she was pretty satisfied at the idea of HIM doing what she wanted. being his second meant that she had to play by his rules, and selina was NOT the type to be playing by ANYBODY’S rules. so, when he had decided to work on their project at her home, she could not hide the victorious grin she had plastered on her face. being at her home meant that HE was playing by her rules this time and perhaps, it would help him feel a little intimidated by her and maybe, perhaps, decide that the magazine would be best in her capable hands. and besides, it was his stupid qualifications that made him decide this so it was not her fault and there was definitely little convincing made as well. she had tried her best to hide her snide remark about him maybe wanting to work at her home.

     this was her home, and she had the luxury of time even when princeton had told her to be ready. he could ALWAYS wait. she will not wake up early while her amazing comforter made her feel like she should not get up on a weekend. and so, stepping in in the shower, she had sent a text to princeton that she had left the door opened and he could invite himself in if she was not able to. feeling comfortable with the set of conditions for him to be comfortable ( of course, he had to be comfortable, she wanted him to leave in awe of her hospitality and her wonderful home ), she had loosened her mind up as she proceeded to shower. the water was a great temperature for a shower and she had genuinely enjoyed her bath, only except there was a big spider on top of the shower head and panic immediately consumed her as she stared up in horror. a shrill scream was released from her when the spider fell on the floor, inches away from where she was standing and immediately her feet took her to the corner of the shower, far away from the spider as possible as her hands reached to open her shower door for a quick escape. cold enveloped her body as her main door opened and revealed a worried princeton in which she did not notice due to her eyes still on the spider. his voice had immediately switched her attention to him, and she could only look at him in embarrassment and her hands flying to cover her exposed treasure.  ❝ what the hell? ❞ she released, immediately grabbing the towel nearest her and wrapping it around her.  ❝ you’re asking me that? you’re the one who barged in on someone taking a shower! ❞ 

Lance x Laura

Laura was just getting off her shift at the hospital. Her dark hair was pulled up messily as she wore some black scrubs and comfortable shoes. She was ready to see her boyfriend. She couldn’t believe they were dating, he was amazing and she worked as nurse who did surgery rounds and also recovery. She grabbed a cup of coffee and sent him a text. “Hey handsome, I’m off work can I tag along with you today?”

@dicmonddew

     the male was pretty much done with his photoshoot for the day and was only sipping black coffee as he schmoozed with the staff. he thanked them for a very smooth photoshoot and for expertly taking shots of him. he had no complaints with the shots they had taken and he was excited for the magazine that was going to sponsor those shots. he felt his phone buzz on his pocket and continued on to listen about the photographer talking about their next project as he skimmed on the text he had received. he could only groan in his head when he had seen who sent the message. laura was beautiful but a few months with her made him grew weary of their relationship. it was not her fault. he was just simply... looking for something new.  ❝ we can meet somewhere. where do you wanna go? have you eaten dinner yet? ❞ he had asked, hoping that she had as it would give him less time with her. 

Theo and Khloe

Khloe was sitting in the cafe drinking her hot chocolate and watching Marvel movies. She would usually try to hide her nerd side but not today. She had the day to be herself and she was going to enjoy it. “Forgive me for no earphones but who doesn’t love Infinity War?” She asked with a grin out loud to the patrons. She saw a guy close to her age and waved at him. “Wanna join me for an impromptu movie day?” She asked cheerfully.

@dicmonddew

     theo was the kind of music major where he does the composing in the opposite order as others would. he would tend to make his music first then write down the notes and beats in a paper later on. and that was exactly what he was doing as he drank his cappuccino. he did not notice the lady talking to him because of the headphones covering his ears and the male had only taken notice of her when she had waved her hand. removing his headphones, hastily, he gave the other a look of confusion before speaking,  ❝ i’m sorry, but what did you say? ❞

     sylvia was trying to get to know the city well and her... newfound family. most of them had not agreed of her sudden entrance, mainly because she was shady but they had believed the story of her being a bastard daughter to another woman. they had skeptically accepted her into their household and honestly did a lot of digging around. not long after settling in, she had to look like her name had given her value, meaning, she needed to find associates that went well with such a great name. it was a risk to take since it meant that there were more people digging up who she really was but she knows how rich people dynasties were, they didn’t care as long as you help them with finance and not steal it off of them. but with the addition of joseph as her boyfriend ( he was handsome but she did not want the notion of commitment because it meant a lot of secrets being uncovered ), it was easier to pretend that she was welcomed and that she was NOT a newcomer. sitting on his leather sofa in his office, she waited patiently for him to come back from some sort of a meeting. when the door clicked open, she sat up straighter, a smile plastered on her face to greet her beloved boyfriend. ( @creativexsins​ )

     there were only few things the mafia boss had trusted her to do: it was distract men, schmooze with civilians he did not care about to talk to, or kill without hesitation. she had trouble doing the third choice but it was a necessity or else, SHE would be the one to be killed without hesitation. she stood at a sidewalk contemplating her life with the mafia, they had definitely taken care of her ever since she was recruited — kidnapped — but she could only wish she was taken care of without all the threats hanging on her head. coming from the bank, to schmooze with the employees while their trusted accountant, brett, did business for them, she had opted to use public transport so that she would... look the part. what she did not expect was a car pulling up in front of her and since she was wary of ANY cars that went her way ( she had to memorize which cars the mafia took when they fetched her ), she had noticed the plate number of the car and its familiar glint in the sun. she knew who was inside. and without second thought, she started to walk by the sidewalk, hoping he did not notice her and he was just parking. ( @ofmaxwclls​ )

    lorelai had a fair share of weird clients. there were the ones who made her feel like... a woman. and there were others that made her feel like a regular teenager from high school. her high school was definitely ordinary. studies first, she had always believed. and so, she had not really focused on getting boyfriends or girlfriends, depending on what mood she was. now that her world was something else, she had a hard time to believe that one of the clients that never really hired her — it was his brother — had asked for her again. for once, she made an effort to look presentable, a sundress and some sandals made her look normal, and with a little more amount of makeup to accentuate her facial structure. it was a surprise that he had wanted to meet in a mall, so she had brought a couple of money she earned so that he would not be too burdened on spending money on her. standing where he indicated that they met, her eyes scanned the area and found his figure getting closer to her. she quickly shifted her glance somewhere so that it would not be too obvious that she was staring at him. ( @itshaydenmichaels​ )