bloom

“I think a lot of people will be,” Arty teased her with a smile. He could only imagine the amount of shit they were going to get for finally getting together. People had only been telling them they were meant to be for as long as he could remember. And now it was finally happening. “Yes, yes I do.” Arty was grinning like a fool. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy about a woman. When he was with Jenny, things were good, but there weren’t always the sparks that flew between them. They had agreed over a year ago that they were better off friends and had certainly remained that way. They had been together for quite some time and he had been with a handful of others, but no one had ever made him feel like he was about Dixie right now. “I will,” he nodded his head at her question, “Of course I will,” his heart was racing a thousand miles a minute in his chest. “Anything you want.” And it wasn’t a lie. “I’m beginnin’ to wonder just how crazy we are to not have seen any of this until now.”

dixie knew she was never going to live this down when her brother found out. a lot of people teased them and now they would definitely have a reason to. a smile took over her face as he spoke and she grinned, “then, yes. i’ll be your girlfriend.” she breathed out and pressed herself closer to him, her face in his neck as she hid just how wide her smile was. dixie couldn’t remember the last time she cared about someone this much and she wasn’t even sure she ever had. the sparks she felt was arty was something she’d ignored until their kiss. “yeah? you’ll stay with me?” she lit up as he agreed and pushed some of his hair back. she slowly pulled away and grabbed his hand, her fingers intertwining with his. she tugged him toward her home, “i don’t get how we didn’t see it either but i’m glad we came to our senses.”

Sydney nodded her head. “I know that’s what it feels like. But not sayin’ anything at all could make things a hell of a lot worse.” She told her with a lift of her shoulders. “Even if you do say the wrong thing, at least you can go on and talk about it and try to find the right things to say, if there even is such a thing.” Sydney wasn’t sure there was always a right thing to say, especially when it came to something so delicate like love. “So it was more than just the alcohol? You actually do like him?” Her brow raised, “I mean, nothin’ wrong if you do. I jus think you should let him know sooner rather than later.”

dixie just never thought she’d feel this way about arty and she never really expected things to go the way they did either. she nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. “yeah.” she paused for a moment and pushed some of her hair back behind her shoulder, “i do like him. god, i never thought i’d fall for my best friend but i did and now i’m so, i don’t know, confused on what to do...” she trailed off and looked away from the menu and up at sydney. “yeah, maybe you’re right. i could talk to him but i think i need to weed through some of my feelings first and make sure i don’t say the wrong things.”

He didn’t know how Dixie was going to react. Confessing his love for his best friend was not exactly on his bucket list. Arty had always known he cared for Dixie and loved Dixie, he just never imagined that he would suddenly come to the realization that he was in love with his best friend. It was straight out a movie and while Arty wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, he tried to have some grasp on reality. As Dixie was calling him an idiot, he had half a second where he thought he had gone and ruined everything between them. Then came the playful punch on his arm and like clockwork, the corners of his lips were growing to match her own smile. She was only messing with him. And it’s not like she was wrong. He was an idiot. But he was her idiot. Arty lifted his hand to cover her own as she brought it up to his cheek, the warmth of her hand had his head tilting toward it. Arty couldn’t even get a word in before their lips met. For the second time ever. His other arm wrapped around her waist and this time, he didn’t pull back from the kiss. Not until it was too hard for him to breathe. His lungs screamed at him for a few moments longer than they would have deemed necessary, but he didn’t want to let go of her just yet. “I mean,” he breathed, resting his forehead against her own, “I knew you loved me, but I just didn’t know you loved me like that. I didn’t even know it.” And everyone else did but the two of them were hellbent on not listening to anyone else. “So,” his tongue flicked against his lips and he pulled his head back, “I mean, does this make you my girlfriend or something?”

this was a lot for them. dixie never ever expected to be in this situation with arty but it was obvious she’d always had some sort of feeling toward him. something that wasn’t exactly always friendly but she never wanted to accept it. she pushed the feelings away in fear of ruining their friendly or losing him, which was the last thing she wanted. and yet, after her very embarrassing moment at the bash, she almost did lose him. she hated that and she was more than thankful that her best friend had come to his senses. she rubbed her thumb against his cheek, her stomach flipping as he kissed her back. her whole body felt as if it was fire and she was more than excited that this was happening. once they broke the kiss, she leaned against him and closed her eyes, a wide smile glued to her lips. she nodded her head, “well, i’m glad it’s out in the open now.” she opened her eyes as he pulled his head back and she bit down on her bottom lip, her hand slipping to the back of his neck and playing with the ends of his hair. “if you want me to be, yes.” her eyes were glued to his for a moment and she leaned up again, leaving another kiss on his lips. she pulled back and flashed him a smile, “will you stay with me tonight?”

dixiesmith·:

“honestly, that is the best way to be. what is life if you are not living to make yourself happy?” iain knew he was getting a little bit too deep an existential for a party, but he couldn’t always help himself. words slipped out, he didn’t always realize he should stop them beforehand. “it really is. i also think there is an air of desperation if you drink as much at home alone, as you might in a group at a party. this is an excuse to be a little bit wild, you know?” he grinned and nudged her back.

“that, is a very good question. one i don’t think i have the right answer to but i have an answer. life without living to make yourself happy is...pathetic, maybe.” which, she knew because she pretty much lived to make everyone happy but herself. she didn’t know why but she always had put other above herself. “you’re exactly right. drinking with a group is way better.”

When Dixie came out, he thought he might get a slightly warmer greeting from her, but that was the idiocy in him telling him that. Realistically, her stance was more than appropriate for his actions. He had told her the kiss was a mistake and they spent the rest of the night in an awkward silence. Lowering the speaker from his hands, he turned it down before setting it down on the law mower and hopping off of the machine to approach her. “Look,” he swallowed hard. Arty had never done a romantic gesture of this size before. By the time he realized he wanted a relationship with someone, they were already gone and well, if he was being honest, no one had ever compared to Dixie. “I was a really idiot the other night,” and he knew neither of them should be surprised by the matter, “I’ve been wrackin’ my brain tryin’ to figure out how to make this up to you. To make twenty plus years up to you.” All those years he brushed off the comments of being in love with Dixie off. He had wanted to entertain the idea, but ruining their friendship? It would never be worth the risk. Except, their entire friendship was on the line and well, Arty was here to go big or go home. “I - I thought that kiss was a mistake,” he ran his head through his hair, “but really, no I mean really, I was just too blind to see it. I haven’t been able to stop thinkin’ about it all week and Dixie,” he shook his head, his shoulders nearly reaching his knees as he let out a sigh, “Dixie all those people were right, I’ve been in love with you and I just - I’ve never seen it and I - I am so sorry and willin’ to do anythin’ to make this all up to you. Because I do - I do love you.”

dixie just never thought out of everyone, arty would hurt her but she also shouldn’t have expected him to feel the same way. standing here in front of him, she honestly had no idea what to expect. she figured it was just going to be an apology, which she would definitely accept because he was her best friend at the end of the day. she nodded her head along to what he was saying, her eyebrows furrowing. as he continued, she could tell where this was going and her stomach started twisting with hope and excitement. i do love you. the words echoed over and over again in her head. she probably paused way longer than she should’ve but she was trying to figure out the right thing so say and do. him admitting his feelings really wasn’t something she expected but that didn’t it mean it went by unappreciated. she dropped her arms and stepped toward him, a sigh leaving her lips. “you’re an idiot.” she breathed out and playfully punched his arm, a smile growing over her lips. “but i love you too. you know that.” she breathed out, her hand reaching up to cup his cheek. she pushed herself up on her toes and connected their lips for the second time ever, her heart racing in her chest.

iain looked around the party briefly because he had to turn completely away from dixie to do so and didn’t want to come off as being rude. “thank you. i wanted to be something true to myself without actually spending a lot of money on it.” maybe that wasn’t the correct way to do halloween, but iain was constantly a little confused about halloween, but that wasn’t the end of the world. everybody seemed to like what he was doing anyway. “uhm…oui, i think so. that and getting a little bit drunk?” he laughed. “we can try at least! i’m not sure there is anybody here that would be interested in me, especially not dressed like this.”

“i totally get that. i’m pretty much the same way. i’d rather be kind true to myself than wear something that make me look totally ridiculous.” dixie was sure the florist new exactly what she was talking about. she nodded her head, “that’s the whole reason to come to a party, you know? drinking with a group is way better than drinking alone. or at least, that’s my opinion anyways.” she rolled her eyes and nudged him, “you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Oh my gosh, Dixie, you have to do it!” Hadley turned and placed a hand on the woman’s arm excitedly. “I haven’t even seen your stuff but I know it’ll be perfect. You have such a great eye, I love everything you sell at the boutique.” It was clear to the blonde that Dixie truly was meant to do exactly what she was doing, and Hadley couldn’t help but want to support and uplift the woman next to her. Dixie was the kind of person who inspired that sort of response. “That’s a pretty big compliment, thank you,” she replied at the mention of Davis liking her. She hadn’t wanted to dwell on the fact that him going out with her like he was could mean something so big, but Hadley knew better than to think nothing of it. Whatever it was, she chalked it up to both of them having fun and let the possibility of it being something more slip out of her brain. “Arty? Right, Davis mentioned you guys were close. He seems really nice.” 

“you really think i should? i like totally want to but i’m like scared that nobody will like it.” dixie admitted, a puff of air leaving her lips. she thought it made sense that she was nervous. anyone would understand right? putting herself out there was stressful. “thank you, hadley. that means so much to me. you’re sweet.” she still couldn’t see what she saw in her brother but she figured that she shouldn’t press it too much. if she liked him, dixie was happy with that. she just thought the older girl was better than davis. “sure.” she nodded, giving her a smile. she watched her for a moment and she could see by the way she reacted that the girl did like him so she knew there was no use in trying to question it. “yeah,” she nodded, “he’s my best friend.”

Sydney sensed the hesitation coming from the other brunette. It had been quite some time since she had been in a serious relationship. She more or less coasted person to person over the last few years. Her brow raised with curiosity as Dixie mentioned having kissed Arty at the Monster Bash. Now that was some gossip she hadn’t heard yet. Her lips fell into a thin line, twisting at the woman’s words. Rejection. Something that no one wanted to feel when they made a move on someone else. “I don’t think you did,” Sydney didn’t know Arty well and it’s not like she had even talked to him about this, “at least, try reaching out to talk to him. I don’t think the end of a friendship is something that should go without both parties verbally agreeing to it.” That was how she thought - but it wasn’t how things happened typically. “No harm in talkin’ to him and seein’ how he really felt, because, I don’t know, I’ve seen the way that boy looks at you and I know you know boys are a bit dense.”

dixie felt sick just talking about it and she didn’t know what to do. she didn’t know how to fix things between arty and she thought maybe getting it off of her chest would help but somehow, it made her feel a little worse. she just couldn’t stop thinking about it. she sighed, her head nodding slowly, “yeah. you’re probably right. i should just talk to him but i don’t even know what to say to him. i just feel like i’m gonna say the wrong thing, you know? i kinda just want to find an excuse and blame the alcohol but i don’t think he’ll go for it.” or maybe he would. who knew? she just didn’t know what the easiest part was going to be. “he doesn’t look at me any type of way...”

“No way, it’s definitely not something you just threw together,” Hadley reassured her, shaking her head. She gestured down to what she was wearing and looked back up at the woman next to her. “This? This was 90% made of stuff I already owned. It’s definitely something we planned out, but it came together really easily.” She blushed at the mention of Davis, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she looked to the floor really quickly. “I’m having a great time with him,” she said, careful to choose words that wouldn’t completely give her away, but it was written all over her face that Hadley was glad to be here with Davis. “I’m glad you think he’s having fun. I know he’s the kind of guy who can have fun with anyone, but it’s nice to be the girl he’s doin’ it with.” She nodded at Daisy, smiling again. “I’m so glad to hear that. Have you been dancin’ with anyone in particular?”

“i’m hoping that i can get more of my pieces into the boutique instead of ordering product elsewhere but i’m just scared that no one will like it.” she admitted, her shoulders lifting in a shrug. maybe she should just take the leap though. no one had to know she designed them. “but it’s super cute either way. i wish i had a girl group to do a costume with. if i did, i think i would’ve tried to talk them into doing the powerpuff girls with me.” she had close friends but it just wasn’t anyone that would want to do that with her. plus, she couldn’t imagine arty in a skirt. “good.” she nodded. she wasn’t worried about hadley hurting davis. she hadn’t heard anything bad about the girl but davis. he had a hard time keep anyone around. “yeah well, he’s not normally one to chain himself to one girl during a party either so he must like you.” she pointed out. “but no. i came with arty. i usually just latch onto him during social events.”

Romeo stood there as he felt like he was bumped into for a moment, as he looked over at the girl for a moment. When she stopped and spoke to him for a moment he smiled, “Hufflepuff is definitely the best house! I have always been a hufflepuff and always will be.” He laughed a little looking over at the girl for a moment, “Oh it’s totally fine, It’ll be fine but thank you. Are you okay though?”

dixie didn’t mean to be so clumsy but it was hard not to be after a couple of drinks. on top of that, she was wearing heels and she felt as if she were going to spend most of the night embarrassing herself. she really hoped that wasn’t the case. “i’m okay but are you sure? i feel bad.”

“It definitely shows,” Hadley said, looking back down at Dixie’s costume with an approving look. “I love when people put effort into costumes like that. Mine’s mostly just pieces I put together, but yours is like actually worked on and that’s so cool.” She looked back up at the twin of her date with a smile. “I’m having a blast! I mean, I figured I would, so it’s not surprising or anything, but it’s still nice. What about you, how are you enjoying your evening?” 

“well, thank you. i’m glad that you can see how hard i worked on it. i think some people just think i threw it together because it’s a simple costume but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.” she admitted with a light laugh. she pushed some of her dark hair back behind her ear and nodded. “you and my brother seem to be having a lot of fun.” dixie pointed out, just wanting to subtly let the girl know she’d seen them together. “it’s been fun so far. i don’t have any complaints.”

@billiexdawson​