rise up

The tight knot in his guts tightened at the same time as relief washed over him when Sofia rejected his idea of running away. "You're right... I... I'd probably wither away without my family..." His siblings, as vibrant and judgmental as they can be are one of the very reasons why he survived the way he did. He squeezed her hand gently, as if affirming his place beside her, pressing another light kiss on her temple. "That... I did..." he chuckled almost remorsefully. His cheeks had heated up at the sheer embarrassment of that moment. By the time Ezra managed to lift his gaze up to her, he was sure his cheeks had reddened like a child being caught stealing from the kitchen. "I'm.. never suave with the ladies..." Everyone around him was sure that his brother had taken all of the charm and suaveness with him instead. "I'm that awkward big guy who stumble with my words and..."

He didn't need to agree for her to know she was right, but it didn't stop the small smile at his acknowledgement of it. Wither seemed a lot but, he was right. "I don't think they'd manage without you either." The Callaghan siblings were intimidating initially but had a relationship that would make anyone jealous. They loved and teased each other in a way that only proved how close they were. She couldn't be the one to take that way. Not from him or his siblings. If anything, she would take the criticism with her head bowed. It was well deserved anyway, no matter how terrible Ethan had been to her, sleeping with Ezra, though it was far from payback, wasn't going to be easily accepted. She shook her head, pushing that worry for another moment. He was adorable, really. And so, so guilty. Sofia couldn't help shaking her head as he explained. "Did you think I would only be interested in you at that time if you were suave?" Although the suaveness was charming, Ethan had been clear to show his interest her. She playfully tsked, leaning against him. "I didn't know I came across as that shallow. A frown quickly took place as he began to insult himself. "No, Ezra. You are sweet and thoughtful. Don't talk about yourself like that."

"I don't understand you." He was too good for her. Too big of a green flag, too kind-hearted in a world filled with evil and toxicity. And Nadine was now convinced that he was sent to cross her path to tempt her to the other side — a side where chaos takes a step back and ceased to exist. "Even after all I have done is to wound you, make you feel smaller than you are..." His unwarranted apology only probed her hardened resolve to softened. Nadine had to bite her tongue for wanting to say that there was no need for it. She was the one who owed him an apology. Yet she remained silent, dark gaze glued to the floor where he was standing. All Nadine could hear now was her breathing through her tight chest.

Elias gave her a wry smile. He truly couldn't say he understood himself either. When it came to Nadine there were things he did that just made... little sense. He loved her more than she loved him, that was sure, but he needed her as much if not more than she needed him. Whether Nadine knew it or not. She had influenced his life in a way he wasn't ready to let go. "My parents told me that love isn't straight forward or easy. I don't... I can't explain why you're saying what you are, Nay but if you... if you don't mean it then. If you're only saying it to protect yourself, I can — I couldn't live with myself if I didn't fight for you." Even if it embarrassed himself in the process. At least she knew she was in the wrong partially.

@evcrlasting sent “You were looking for me?” & "When did the way you say my name start sounding like that?" (Flo x Matthias)

Maybe it's a sign she needs to go back to her therapist. Her ears filtered with something causing her to hear a tone that clearly wasn't there. Her own desires, maybe. Her tongue pokes the side of her cheek, thick with words she couldn't say. "Maybe - Nevermind. It's nothing." It's something she'll tuck away later. Though she shouldn't. They're just friends, exes who had confessed their love for each other both before and after their break up. For the betterment of both of them, she shouldn't hold onto anything he said. Or she thought he said. At his words, her face lights up. Not bothering to hide her pleasure. "That would be lovely." More than that, his timing is absolutely perfect. "In a minute though, I need a very honest opinion. I wanted to add a new dessert to my menu for the season but I can't fairly judge it myself. Will you try it? Please."

@evcrlasting sent “Are we pretending that didn’t just happen?” & "Say it’s not just me feeling this." for Scarlett and Khaled

Everything about her was a trap. A well-lit, advertised, bright trap. Yet at some point he has walked straight into it. He wasn't completely sure if it was by his own will or not. It no longer mattered. "It's better if you do." Better for her, for him — for his job. Oh, her dad was going to kill him. "But I don't want you to pretend. To forget it happened." Khaled should've stepped away, should take his hands off her. Yet his voice remained low and his gaze stayed on her. He couldn't tell if this was another of her games. Teasing to make him feel uncomfortable but even if just for the moment, he had already slipped. Like putty in her hands. He took a sharp breath, resting his chin on her head. "If you're playing with me, Scarlett that's fine. Just... just make it clear. If this is another one of your games..."

@evcrlasting sent "i don't blame them, of course, but you're mine" & "if you trust me, you have nothing to worry about" for Marcella and Javier

"Are you saying I've lost all your trust?" If anyone asked, they were simply figuring things out. Though he doubted Marcella told that same line. She seemed to put a more definitive stop to their... well, Javier wasn't completely sure what to call it. All he knew was no matter how complicated they were, she was always his. She had even promised to forever be a thorn in his side one. And damn did she really play that thorn well. "Shortcake please. You've always been mine." He chuckled, taking a glance at the retreating men. The audacity of them to try and take what was his. This wasn't the place he wanted to make a scene, it was the last thing he was trying to cause. She just... refused to listen to him. "So what? Make a scene. I'm not going anywhere, Marcella."

"Hey, considering the level of both of our lucks, I'd say the chances of danger finding exactly our room is quite high." He was mainly teasing. There was no reason to put fearful thoughts into her mind right now, but Jere couldn't practically stop himself before getting serious once more. Being friends for so long with someone had the power to give you this type of freedom of speech. As he began putting in line his belongings - ever meticulous about it - the man considered her words. Food didn't sound bad but it was relevantly early to think about dinner - something their group would also confirm. So, definitely something else before that. "Maybe food can wait for an hour or two until its more dark outside. But if you want snacks before that - I can provide." He'd made the mental note to pack her favorites, just in case. There was no chance in the world that they wouldn't be put to good use. "What about exploring the path to that lake we talked about? So it's easier to find tomorrow. Unless you're afraid of bears and wolves, that is..."

He was quite obviously messing with her but it almost felt like a premonition and she sure as hell didn't need that kind of trouble coming their way. She had just bailed him out a couple days ago and this was how he repaid her? Vera shook her head, blowing out a breath. "If anything happens to our room, I'm going to kick you, Jere." It wouldn't. Danger wouldn't find her room. Even if she was now a little more alert than she had been all day. So much for a relaxing trip. Her ears perked at the sound of snacks. Before she could even process, she had moved over to peek into his bag. He knew her so well, so well that this was clearly spoiling her but she didn't care. "Don't tell me you brought my popcorn." Her threat to kick him irrelevant now. Her hand waved him off, a small grin on her face. "Why? I just have to outrun you if they come." Of course if it were to happen, she would never leave him behind but there was no harm in jokes. "Sounds like a plan. Plus we can see just how far it is and how big it is."

"Good then. If you're not worried, I'm not worried. We're good." If the moment was any other and they weren't in the middle of a possible arguing after hours on the road, Jeremiah probably would've cracked some type of joke about their rich vocabilary but since the moment called for something else, he kept his mouth shut. A smart move. "I'm glad you trust me." He added more quietly, more to himself rather aimed at Vera hearing it. At her sudden energized reaction, though, he stepped aside, brows furrowing. There were a lot of things he could've corrected - or added - to her sentences about what the next couple of days would entail, but, once again, he did the smart thing of shutting up. That wasn't the time now that he considered it a win that she'd agreed to share the room with him and not play the heroine and take one for the team. "Absolutely! This will be the best time ever. So much relaxing will be done, I can't even begin to imagine what we'd do with all that time." He stepped aside and watching as she placed her bag on one side of the bed. A small, crooked smile pulled at his lips. "It's yours. I would've offered it to you anyways. That way if any danger comes in, you'll be safe on the other side." Then, he picked up his own stuff and made a show of seemingly unpacking. "What's the first on your list of things to do?"

"Was there anything for you to worry about?" Vera shook her head, a small smile on the corner of her lips. If they said good anymore someone might start thinking they were good. Or that they weren't actually good which was far from true in her opinion. There were worse people to share a bed or room with. Shrugging she propped up a brow. She wanted to question. Should ask, why he expected anything other than her to trust him. It's kind of the base of their friendship. Trust between them. At least she hopes Jer had even as much trust in her as she had in him. Shaking her head, Vera moved on. Mentally. Physically. She nods eagerly at his words. Though if she's honest, she actually couldn't imagine what they were going to do with all this free time. It sounded nice and easy in the planning stages but now that it was actually happening, much different. Vera hummed, she needed to take more vacations. "Danger? We have a few rooms before us. I think we would have some time to both get safe." She'd prefer no danger their way and anything resembling a bear or wild life to stay far away from her. Vera sat on the bed, turning slightly towards him. First thing. "Food. Maybe. I haven't considered much after that. What's your plan? Maybe I'll hop on it with you." As if she would give him much of a choice.

"It's not my job to make you process things, Elias." Her words were sharp, still veiled with poison. She knew what she had said would sent him reeling, make him second-guess himself and ended up conceding to what she was insinuating. Nadine did feel stifled in their relationship. It was safe, calm and no chaos. Unfortunately, she was too used to chaos, drama and toxicity. The jarring absence of them all when she decided to give Elias a chance was too glaring... Too glaring till she was the one seeking out trouble. "This is the thing about you," she snapped. "I have to spell things out explicitly every god damn second. It's like you can't even read social cues for yourself. It's tiring."

"I'm not asking you to do that." He was a grown man. Sure he had his shortcomings but he didn't need to be walked through emotions. At least he hadn't thought so until she continued to speak. Her words sent him stepping back, reeling. His heart crushing in on itself. The woman he loves couldn't even tell him how much he was lacking in their relationship. All this time he thought he was a good man. A great boyfriend. Thought they were happy. "I'm sorry," his voice soft as he focused on the floor in front of her. If he looked at her longer, saw the disgust on her face, Elias wasn't sure he wouldn't burst into tears. He could only imagine how much worse his tears would make the situation. It would definitely prove her point.

"You're worried about my Lola?" he scoffed, letting out a loud guffaw without any restrain as he poured more of the drink in her cup. "Oh she can hold herself all right. She's feisty despite the age. Don't let her petite frame coupled with soft wrinkles fool you. On a good day, she could wallop me with a slipper." Matthew shot Nessa a look as if to say, If you know, you know and nodded mockingly serious. Matthew popped in another bite of the cobbler and had to rein in his moan when the flavours hit just right on his palate. He struggled to swallow and chuckled. "She blindsided me. If I knew I was on a blind date, I wouldn't be wearing an old t-shirt and faded jeans," he pointed out at his laidback outfit.

"Hey! She is still-" her mouth closed trying to find the right word. She couldn't call the woman elderly or even old without fear that his Lola would emerge from her room correcting her in a frightening way. Seeing him try to frame his grandma like such brought laughter to her lips. "Look she has me on her defense team and I will happily defend my client," Nessa grinned. She didn't doubt the woman was a force to be reckoned with. She had seen it in action. "Did the age make her any more feisty or was she always this intense?" Well he wasn't nearly as disinterested in this as she thought. Nessa didn't miss up the chance to take a good look at him. Her eyes lingered as they trailed up and down his frame. "If you knew it was a blind date would you have come anyway?" It's innocent but needed. She could save them both the trouble and put an end to this if he was too nice to do so.