☾✧*｡

Lia grinned, softly as she sat on a park bench, waiting for patiently for Cassia to arrive. She hadn’t seen the woman in what felt like ages and she desperately missed her. Plus, Lia had been a rotten friend lately as it was–hardly reaching or checking in. She needed to do better. Which was why she had offered to get lunch with Cassia–to catch up and see how things were. It would be her treat, of course–but Cassia could pick anywhere she wanted. It was a total girls day, something she imagined they both needed.

“Cassia!” She called, waving excitedly as she saw the woman come into view. “Look at you, stunning as always. Work is treating you good, yeah? The creepy ghost convention isn’t making your life too hard right?”

the surprise wedding was just that, a surprise. one that cassia would have never expected that from lia. sure, she would have loved to be there for her friend. to capture their special day. but really, she was almost more surprised in their ability to keep this secret. so surprised in fact that she almost considered letting the whole thing slide. but she wouldn’t be the friend lia had come to love if she let is slide completely.

there was an easy smile pulling at her lips as the voice sang through. “ well hello mrs. whetstone— ’ a playful smile strung up, tongue peeking through her teeth as she chuckled. “ are you kidding? work hasn’t been this excited in ages. ’ or maybe cassia just really loved this time of year.

“shame? really?” her eyebrow quirked up as she chuckled lightly. “surely you also have a…ghost hunter costume in your closet somewhere. you strike me as the kinda woman to have a variety of outfits just waiting for october 31st.” nic grinned, taking another sip.  “let me guess–your entire suite is filled to brim with spooky decor and pumpkin spice lattes?” she hoped her tone didn’t carry any derision–truthfully, nic was not the kind of person who particularly enjoyed party pooping on other’s joy. that wasn’t very fair to them and everyone deserved to enjoy things. she just didn’t…always understand that joy. not at first. 

her glass landing back on the bar top was in unison with the laughter that rolled off her tongue. a shrug of the shoulders and a heavy sigh following. “ well yes. ’ head rolling round so her eyes could meet the  others. lips twisted into her signature grin. “ the trick is, i never wear the same one twice. ’ with a chuckle her near empty glass of whiskey met her lips again. the smooth vice sliding down. she swayed in her seat for a beat as she listened to nic’s guess at her decor. “ but scratch the pumpkin spice. more baking. ’ 

her attention slid for a moment, only long enough to catch the bartenders attention for another pour. “ i’m getting the feeling you’re not such a costumes and decor kinda girl? ’

cassia had been sit up on the bench outside of the hotel for what felt like ages. it had also felt like ages since she’d last waited for an uber. oh the joys of having your car in the shop. maybe a shopping trip wasn’t the smartest financial move, but the hotel had big plans this week, and cassia had no intention of being underdressed for this weeks events. 

the body filling what the remaining empty space on the bench pulled her back, head turning to face who now joined her. “ that was the third uber to cancel on me. i swear i’d get there faster by walking at this rate. ’

Nic’s eyes watched as a group of people dressed in very odd clothing huddled around the front desk. “Ghost hunters.” She sighed, sipping her whiskey as she turned her head toward the other side of the bar. Nic didn’t hate Halloween–scary stuff didn’t bother her like it did some people. But she didn’t understand how obsessed people got with the whole thing. Same with Christmas–it was one holiday, that was it. Why did people need to go all out for it. She turned to the person next to her with a slight smirk. “So, tell me the truth–what’s your take on Halloween? Yay or nay or somewhere in between?”

a miniscule smile crossed over the blondes features and she nodded once. at this point, going back to the office would just end poorly for her (though, to be fair–skipping’s outcome wasn’t much better). but she hadn’t seen the brunette in years it felt like and something in her gut tugged her to go with cassia instead. 

“fun? is taking photos really fun for you?” she asked, intrigued finding its way into her voice. cameras were some of lia’s mortal enemies, if she could have those–they had never been kind to her. well, let’s rephrase. the images cameras produced had always been used against her like a weapon, so she often struggled to see the beauty behind the art. but she wanted to try, for cassia at the very least. “it’s not..stressful?” painful?

“ yes, ’ she chuckled. “ taking photos is really fun for me. ’ eyes rolling playfully. and why wouldn’t it be fun for her? the lens captured things that the eye simply could not. not to mention that saying— a picture is worth a thousand words. pictures allowed stories to be told in a way of personal perception. when uncovering a story through photos, people are able to create their own version. it was all sort of beautiful.

olivia: micah from the hotel... and if it makes you feel any better it happened in the middle of the night and very spontaneously so no one was invited

It wasn’t often that anyone considered Arizona to be thoughtful rather than thoughtless. They weren’t the worst at articulating their own ideas, but few people could understand the lengths their brain went to in order to draw the conclusions that they spoke of. Hearing that they’d given her a different way to look at something at all was more comforting in ways than she knew. “I’m sure your pictures show the sky in a way my li’l eyes wouldn’t be able to see. Photographers can make ya notice stuff ya didn’t even consider before,” they said, smiling warmly at the woman. “Do you have any favorites that you’ve snapped recently?”

olivia: hey! quick question!

olivia: how would you go about telling your dad that you got drunk and accidentally married a guy you barely know on a weekend getaway?

olivia: this is completely hypothetical of course! I'm asking for a friend

lia hadn’t grown up with an abundance of comforting gestures. of course, there were some and it wasn’t as if she was touched starved. but the blonde had learned from a young age that when you were feeling, whether it was positive or negative, it was best to never let it show. the more reserved, the more stone-faced you could be, the better off life would treat you. well, momma. the better off momma would treat you. life didn’t seem to care one way or another for magnolia. so to feel cassia’s gentle kindness of wiping her tear–something mrs. barnes would have never done–the woman nearly burst into a new round. she didn’t, because she was capable of self-control. she felt a sigh of relief pass through her, straight to her bones, at the mention of not talking about it. though, in the back of her mind, tonya’s voice reminded her that these emotions thrived in the dark and died in the light. 

she shook her head and sighed. “i–what kind of ice cream? do they have mint chocolate chip?” her voice was soft, but without her usual warmth. it felt hollow and tiny, like a washed up seashell or a child scared that she might be yelled at. she had come so far–and yet, she was right back to where she started. she felt defeated, she felt angry. but the blonde had never expressed true anger and it felt foreign. “am i interrupting?” she nodded the camera around cassia’s neck. “i don’t want take you away from you work cass.”

cassia had never seen lia like this. sure, she’d always seemed a bit fragile, at leas compared to herself. this was different though and cassia, she hated to see her friend like that. her arm slipped around lia’s waist, pulling her into a side hug and resting her head against her friends. 

Lia sat on a park bench, biting her lip as she attempted to keep herself from crying. She’d never run out of work before–not like that. Her feet carried before her brain could figure out how to stop it and suddenly she was in Grant Park, looking out at a gaggle of geese eating the poorly laid trail of bread from a toddler. She could feel the hot steam of tears falling down her face despite her best efforts and she covered her face quickly. The idea of strangers watching her breakdown was as unpleasant a thought as what she had just escaped from but it wasn’t in her control to keep herself put together anymore. As she lifted the hands from her face upon realizing it might be weirder to see someone covering their face than just her crying in the first place, she locked eyes with a familiar face. “Fuck,” She breathed, a very rare curse word from the blonde. There was no escaping now. “U-uh, hi.” she replied softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and averting her eyes.

it was normal, for cassia to be out, camera in hand. maybe this was why she never attempted to make a career out of it. she loved the freedom of capturing whatever brought a smile to her face. somehow the idea of making that a job seemed… less then appealing for her. or maybe she just didn’t believe her work was good enough. it wouldn’t be the first time she’d doubted herself. likely not to be the last either. her light fell short however, when the next thing to fill her lense would have been a shot of a very pretty woman who looked very sad. 

who steals french fries off the other’s plate cassia

who jokingly moves in for the kiss when someone asks if they’re a couple cassia

who has to bust or bail the other out of jail lia

who gives the other advice/comfort about dating issues i mean cassia tries?

who shamelessly cheats at games by reaching over to cover the other’s eyes cassia

who immediately calls dibs on the top bunk cassia

who starts and who wins the pillow fights lia starts them, cassia wins them

a pleasant, swelling sort of feeling that had always been present in jackson when he was around his girlfriend seemed to redouble in intensity upon being next to her, and he wriggled his nose a little bit while his eyes met hers, a physical manifestation of his happiness. even though the stars shined above them, he still couldn’t take his eyes off of cassia. the way she and jackson reacted to one another had always been natural, requiring no thought and filled his senses with comfort and stability. cassia had been the only thing keeping him from feeling painfully alone. the more time they spent together, the more they got to know each other – it all felt like she was more than a person to him. more than just a lover. she was his becoming his home. jackson adored her. every bit of his heart was hers now and he was sure that was written all over his features as they continued to look in each other’s eyes. he couldn’t help but chuckle as she smiled over at him, his hand covering hers on his chest, holding it slightly. “of course, i’d love that.” jackson spoke with a whisper. “we can be like this forever and ever. i don’t mind.”

Ella grinned as she looked at the moment before she nodded her head slightly. “It’s always more fun on this side of the bar.” Ella said as she downed her shot, before adding it to the empty glasses on the bench. Ella smiled at the bartender, nodding her head slightly asking for more shots. 

Ella fiddled with the shot glass for a moment, before she added it to three that were already sitting in front of her. She glanced around the bar, for a moment taking in the crowd before she looked back at the bartender and ordered another shot of tequila. Tapping her fingers on the bench gently she glanced to the side when she felt someone sit beside. “How do you feel about doing shots of tequila?”