little miss berne.

“I don’t know why I’m here, I feel like an impostor...” They were the mumblings of a mad woman really, it was always the same at events like these, Holly felt ridiculously out of place. It didn’t matter how much money she made or how much popularity she gained on her channel or with her books, she didn’t feel right. Dressed up like a dogs dinner just wasn’t a Berne thing —- she lived in sweat pants for gods sake! But hey, it was for charity, she’d be fine. Reaching out for the glass of wine she’d picked up, she took another sip, her gaze moving around the room, and then suddenly slightly startled as someone had stepped up beside her. “Hi!” Her greeting was a little too enthusiastic, but too late, it was out there now.

“Consider me a warned person.” Cerys laughed at her friend, placing the rock down to hop over to where Holly was looking at something, but she found the redhead already turning her focus on her. “You spoil me too much, Holls. But some cake and tea sounds heavenly, so I’m sold. A familiar place, or a new place? I’m sure we can find a new one to explore around here.” 

“They do?” somehow, hearing that she felt she should probably know who this was. She ran a column, devoured both gossip magazines and newspapers from cover to cover, her apartment was littered with all the signs of someone that was fascinated by the lives of people. “Am I supposed to know who you are? Sorry, if I don’t …. I, am racking my brains trying to figure who you are… sorry.”

“No.” Holly shook her head, realising how that might have come across, but really she’d only been joking about. She really hoped it hadn’t come across all ‘don’t you know who I am?’ because she definitely hadn’t intended for it to. “”Not unless you’re majorly into YouTubers and bloggers,” she added then with a gentle chuckle.

Vick sat there as she looked over at her friend for a moment and laughed a little, “Well maybe it was done purposefully?” She shock her head for a moment, “I mean you could do if you’re okay with that, but rejoin me once you have got your coffee?” She raised her eyebrows as she asked the question as she smiled for a moment, “I mean I don’t mind walking up there if that’s easier for you.” 

“Maybe...” It wouldn’t surprise her at all if Victoria had, but that was why she loved the other woman so much. “Of course I’m okay with it! Gotta go up there and get coffee again. I need my fix. Saves anyone an extra trip.” She reached out to take the card from her friend, flashing a smile. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

“Violently,” Marlon insisted, his eyes sincere despite the grin on his lips. “I seriously cannot afford this to save my life, but…” He looked back at the keyboard, so wonderfully poised on its stand. Ugh. He’d have to buy the stand, too. He couldn’t not buy the stand. It’d look so good on stage. With a friend behind it. A fellow musician. Or maybe even himself. Whoever said one man shows were out of style? Absolutely no one, that’s who. Shuddering dramatically, Marlon forced his gaze away from the instrument. “Ugh. Distract me, please. You seen anything you like?”

“But. But. There’s always a but. I tell myself the same when looking at Chanel bags,” Holly said, her words soft and a laugh escaping her. Not quite the same thing, but very, very true. She could see that Marlon was lost in his thoughts, so after a moment, she found herself leaning in towards him and giving his a gentle jab in the ribs with her elbow. “Am I verging on attacking you violently here?” she chuckled. “But, uh, me? You know I’m not musical. The best I can do is Three Blind Mice on a recorder.”

“What can I say, I’m an eloquent lad.  That’s what all my teachers said anyways.” He replied, although the last sentence was muffled with the newly gained pizza already in his mouth.  As she responded with her answer of pizza and/or poking, he smoothly turned the pizza box around to face her and opened the lid in one fell move.  “Then pizza it is.—But before you do you must answer one question: pineapple on pizza…Opinions?”

Holly was merely amused by what he was saying, nodding her head in response, a playful smirk dancing about her features. “Your teachers were right,” was her response. When the pizza box was turned her direction, her brows lifted and she immediately reached out to take a piece from it. “You mean I’m not allowed to eat this now it’s in my hand?” she queried, laughing. “But I think that’s a subject that should never be broached as it tears families apart. Pineapple on gammon is amazing, though.”

It was desperate measures, when she took to the street to quiz people on their daily experiences. She normally sort out a circle of friends and acquaintances to give their opinion, but they had been unavailable. “Hey! Hi, how are you?” the woman greeted, barely giving the other a chance to reply. “My names Kate, I write a column and I was wondering if you had time to answer a few questions for me for this weeks piece? It’s all anonymous, I promise I’m not about to spill your secrets to the whole of London.”

If there was one thing that Holly couldn’t stand, it was people approaching her on the street, she’d usually go running in the opposite direction as fast as she possibly could, but this woman seemed persistent. When the words column came up, however, she found herself not running quite so fast. Usually it was a dash to get away from someone wanting her to sign up to yet another charity and honestly, she couldn’t afford to give money to everyone. “You’re not? Well, the whole of London and a lot of the world already know my secrets, so nothing to worry about there anyway,” she answered, laughing.

Vick was found to always be in a coffee shop, especially when she had an hour spare before she had to pick her daughter up from daycare. So she had taken out her laptop and loaded it up whilst she took a sip of her coffee. As she sat there she noticed a card on the floor and she looked at the closest person to her and bit her lip for a moment, “Hi, sorry to be a bother.” She said quietly, “Is this yours or is this anyone elses or someone elses?” She asked as she ran a hand through her hair for a moment. 

Holly had just stepped foot inside when she heard Vick speaking to someone and a smile curved onto her features. “Left that pretty open ended there, didn’t you, Vick?” she teased as she slid into the seat opposite her friend. “Do you want me to take it up to the counter with me while I grab my coffee? Saves you a trip up there,” she said, nose wrinkling as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Because they’re very indecisive people and I’ve ended up having to decide everything to keep them on track. They know what theme they want, but don’t know how to get it.” Shaking her head disapprovingly at her words. This was one of the things that frustrated her with clients sometimes; the fact that they couldn’t decide anything. “Well, want to go find a wall? We can go paint it and you can decide?” She offered with a smile. 

“Sounds like a fun job.” There was only a thin veil of sarcasm in her words, but honestly, she couldn’t do it —- she was pretty sure a job like that would drive her to distraction. Holly laughed then as Logan continued, sitting back in her seat for a moment. “I’m up for finding a wall and doing some testing.”

“TikTok?” Noah was as riddled by the name as someone double his age would be. He wasn’t very in touch with social media anymore. His facebook hadn’t seen any activity since he divorced his wife, and the only funny videos he saw, his sister sent him on his phone. “Does everyone dance on this TikTok?” 

“Well, perhaps not now, but maybe I’ll take you up on that offer later, when I really need it.” She laughed “But I promise, it’ll also be accompanied by a bottle of wine in thanks for putting up with my shit.”  She couldn’t remember the woman’s name, but her face was familiar enough that Amira was fairly sure she was a neighbor of hers.  “I guess not.—-What about you?  You ever ride?”

“Bottle of wine? It’s a done deal. I could use a good bottle of red,” Holly responded with an easy smile flashed in the others direction. She didn’t really expect it, but it was nice to share something with a neighbour, especially in a big city like London. It was rare you even knew your neighbours at all. “Oh sure, back home in Ireland, you couldn’t get me off my bike when I was a kid. Not so much now, of course.” She shrugged. “I keep thinking I should hire a bike and ride it around Hyde Park for the day, though.”

“I must’ve gone to school with their siblings cause I remember some like that too. Seems like a lot of guys still always want the girl they don’t think they have a chance with. The thrill’s in the chase right?” Truthfully Lara had spent a good amount of her social time at school standing up to bullies, which didn’t result in her getting a plethora of dates. That and she joined the Navy at 16. The blonde crossed her legs, shifting her position to face Holly more. “I don’t know…you’re pretty amazing love. If it were me I’d choose you for sure.”

“Seriously?  Just me?  I feel like if you don’t need  sustenance after then you’re not doin’ it right.”  He said with a shrug and a hands up gesture that clearly said ‘don’t shoot the messenger’.  Reaching out slowly for the pizza he chimed up once more “So…You…You gonna let me have it?  And would you like to join in?  In the pizza, I mean, not the uh…Poking.  Although, I could also oblige in hat area as well.”

“Oh, no, not that. I eat all the time afterwards, you’re lucky if you can stop me in fact,” Holly answered chuckling. “It was more your choice of words, ‘poke’. So eloquent.” Her brows rose, clear that she was only teasing, only playing around with him. “Am I going to let you have it? I’m pretty sure you’d already taken it, actually,” she answered simply, shrugging her shoulders. “But sure, I could murder a pizza... Just a pizza. Today anyway.”

“Which color do you like better?” Alex asked as she held up the two very different colors. “This is called Shadow, which I know what you’re thinking but it’s honestly one of the most beautiful grey purple colors I’ve ever seen.” Flipping the lid up so that they could see the color, before switching it out for her other paint can. “Or do you like Mountain air better? It’s a very crisp white honestly.” She explained before showing them that lid. “They want more a simplistic feel, but I can make both work. I’m just not sure which one works best you know. Thoughts on either colors or should I hit the paint store again?”

Holly stared for a long moment at both tins of paint, and then found herself chuckling softly. “I’m thinking why don’t you ask them? It’s their room...” she answered with a shrug. “In fact, slap some on the wall and let’s see what it looks like, never going to know if it’s not in the room.” She’d always been one for that, buying every single sample going and ending up with multicoloured patches filling the walls. Of course, she still had absolutely no idea when she’d done that and would end up painting them white... just white, true white.

closed starter for @hollyberne !

“Whatever you do, don’t let me buy this keyboard.” Eyes wide with desire, Marlon towered over the instrument before him, fingers playing with silent, dead keys. It was probably for the best that it wasn’t plugged in – no force on earth could have stopped him from buying it then. He couldn’t even give Holly the courtesy of a glance as he spoke to her, his voice filled with awe. “I’m serious – I’m giving you permission right now to tackle me to the ground if I make even the slightest move on this keyboard.” Finally he looked at her, the sincerity in his eyes punctuated by the grin on his lips. “Full permission. Tackle. Violently. Got it?”

It was lost on Holly that Marlon wasn’t looking her way, ‘cause she wasn’t looking his either, too busy taking in everything within the music shop. It was rare she came to a place like this, so she was doing her best to make the most of it. When the subject of tackling him to the ground came up, however, she found herself spinning back to face him, laughter bubbling up in her throat. “Violently?” she queried, her face lighting up, a bemused smile on her features. “You really want me to make sure you don’t buy this, huh?” She chuckled very lightly. “I’m all for the tackling if it’ll stop you.”