she hadn’t expected anyone to hear her — ceren was always the mouse, quiet and easy to overlook. a faint smile lingered on her lips as she accepted the book, her gaze tracing the front cover before drifting to the back. “it does sound interesting,” she murmured after a pause. “thank you — i thought i’d be stuck with some trashy novel… not that i mean to insult anyone’s work.”

if only charlie knew who the real oldest person in the room was. it's funny, and edward's always had a bad habit of showing amusement at thoughts only he could hear. it's a bright twinkle in his golden eyes, a slight upturn of the lips. but, it's a bad habit for a reason. especially now. in front of charlie swan. edward abuptly shook his head. " no, sir, " he hastened to reply. it felt incomplete, like he should straighten up and salute his girlfriend's father for fear of offending him otherwise. " everything's good here. " falling back to pleasantries was the safest bet. " hope it's all good at the station. "

his eyes stayed locked on him. what bella saw in the guy, charlie had no idea — not even after the least few years of trying to figure it out. he’d always been skeptical of edward, and he didn’t see that changing anytime soon. still, he’d play neutral, even if it rubbed him the wrong way. “that’s good,” he said, voice rough, taking a slow swig of his beer. his gaze didn’t waver. “oh, you know how it is — same old, same old.” he kept his words clipped, offering nothing more. trust wasn’t something he was willing to hand over easily.

her eyes drifted from her knitting to meet sam’s gaze, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. a quiet sense of ease washed over her. “i personally see no issue if this couch were covered in this,” she quipped, a playful wrinkle of her nose following soon after. “it would turn this room from a man cave into something a little more… presentable.”

for muses that are getting to know each other

maggie has frequented the bookstore a lot since settling into forks for the long haul, so it's only natural that another patron that has seen her in here more than once would ask for her opinion. ❝ right? so drab. i guess my recommendation would be based on what you typically like to read? horror, historical, romances that aren't full of barbaric masculine energy? ❞ though she's well read in history, she still prefers books about actual events than the predictable arcs of someone trying too hard to be clever.

she  hadn’t  really  expected  anyone  to  reply  to  her  request  for  recommendations.  most  of  the  time,  people  just  overlooked  her,  which  ceren  didn’t  usually  mind.  “i  don’t  really  have  a  specific  genre  i  like,”  she  admitted  softly.  “i’ll  read  pretty  much  anything,  as  long  as  it’s  not  full  of  those  stereotypical  damsel  in  distress  stories  or  over-the-top  masculinity.”  a  light  chuckle  slipped  from  her  pressed  lips.  “sorry,  i  guess  that’s  not  much  help.”

❝ and i'm sure it will be beautiful. you can always make me one, if you're bored, of course. ❞ cora should probably be heading home for some shut eye, but visiting emily felt more appropriate after shift. with the vampire population ever increasing, the pack and their loved ones in the know are forever further on edge. ❝ anyway, i've been meaning to ask you if you're free this weekend for a trip up to port angeles. light shopping and lunch? i've been dying for any excuse to ignore everything for a few hours. ❞

"of  course  i’ll  make  you  one.”  a  soft  smile  stayed  on  her  lips.  cora  was  family  —  a  little  sister  to  emily  —  and  if  making  her  a  blanket  was  what  she  needed,  then  a  blanket  she  would  have.  listening  to  what  she  said,  emily  nodded,  a  grin  spreading  across  her  lips.  “i’d  love  that.  lunch  will  be  my  treat.”  it  was  what  the  other  deserved.  “now,  on  that  note  of  wanting  to  ignore  everything,  did  you  want  to  grab  a  beer  and  crash  here,  or  are  you  heading  home?  i’ve  got  a  fresh  batch  of  cookies  cooling  in  the  kitchen.”  she  raised  her  eyebrows  playfully.

❝  oh but chief swan, the college kids were getting so rowdy last night. you must care about such a disturbance to the community. ❞ spencer puts on his best old lady impression before charlie's eyes are pulled from the television. sadly, spencer is finding the impersonation less strenuous as time marches on. the invitation is halfway out of charlie's lips before spencer plops into the seat beside him with a lopsided grin. ❝  i'll need a beer or two to properly mourn the mariner's insistence to be the bottom of the west. ❞

“you  need  more  of  a  whining  essence  to  be  more  like  dorothy  pinnick,”  charlie  muttered  before  taking  a  swig  of  his  beer.  “i  think  we  need  something  stronger  than  two  beers  to  mourn  their  bad  play.”  a  low  grumble  escaped  his  lips  as  he  shifted  his  weight  on  the  barstool.  “how  are  things  up  at  the  shop?  been  meaning  to  stop  by."

✎ㅤ. . .ㅤ𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑶𝑵 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺.

LOCATION : helens dress shop

clothes shopping had never been one of emily’s favorite things. every trip felt like a small test of patience, a quiet reminder of how little she cared for mirrors or fancy fabrics. still, she needed a few new things, so here she was — fingers brushing absently over the racks, a sigh slipping through before she could stop it. a soft mutter reached her ears, pulling her attention to the other woman. emily turned just enough to meet her eyes, a faint smile warming her features.

LOCATION : tip & sip .

her  attention  caught  at  the  sound  of  a  voice,  soft  but  steady,  drawing  her  gaze  toward  the  human  whose  face  now  wore  a  hesitant  smile. “are  you  sure?”  ceren  asked,  her  voice  quieter  than  she  meant  it  to  be.  the  question  lingered  in  the  air  between  them,  weighted  with  her  usual  uncertainty.  doubt  threaded  through  her  chest,  familiar  and  unwelcome,  but  she  forced  a  small  breath  and  moved  before  hesitation  could  root  her  in  place. she  sat  down. “i  won’t  be  long,”  she  added,  the  words  almost  an  apology.  “just  want  to  finish  my  tea,  and  then  i’ll  be  gone.”

other's thoughts were a constant underlying buzz. it was only through practiced self-control that he managed to quiet the background noise. some thoughts, however, were still TOO LOUD to silence:

great.  full  of  children  again.  the  thought  slid  through  charlie’s  mind  as  he  made  his  way  toward  the  bar  at  tip  and  sip.  the  din  of  laughter  and  clinking  glasses  pressed  around  him,  sharp  against  the  quiet  he  sought.  a  prickle  on  the  back  of  his  neck  told  him  he  was  being  watched.  he  turned,  meeting  a  pair  of  curious  eyes. “everything  all  right  there?”  he  asked,  one  brow  lifting,  a  stern  calm  settling  over  his  face.