not   particularly   interested   in   other's   body   language   though   somewhere   in   the   back   of   mind,   it   does   pain   alaia   that   stella's   walls   are   up   and   she's   making   herself   smurf   -   sized.   who   cares   ?   sure,   brunette   enjoys   the   life   of   nepotism   but   she's   not   a   bitch,   not   undeserved   at   least.   "  it's   no   bother,   really,  "  offers   again,   big   agitated   that   she   has   to   push   through.   grabs   spoon   on   the   table,   scooping   up   some   pasta   before   offering   it   again,  "   i   insist.   i'm   not   making   you   starve,   come   on.   it   doesn't   mind   and   i   only   bite   when   people   ask   really   nicely.  "  flashes   smile,   maybe   her   lashes   are   fluttering   and   femme   is   close   to   winking.

hesitant  to  take,  even  when  offered.  regardless  of  the  person  now  that  she's  seen  how  quickly  everything  can  be  snatched  away  from  her  from  the  people  she'd  come  to  trust  the  most.  even  in  form  of  steaming  pasta  that,  in  reality,  wasn't  a  big  deal.  “  okay,  okay,  ”  chuckles  in  soft  surprise  as  she  takes  the  offered  spoon  to  place  the  bite  on  plate,  offering  it  back.  “  i  don't  want  to  be  the  reason  you  bite.  ”  teases  lightly  as  she  uses  her  own  fork  to  take  a  tentative  bite,  flavors  much  better  than  her  ill  tasting  dish.  “  you're  right,  this  is  good.  a  lot  better  than  mine.  ”

“  while  i  would  love  to  have  you  for  the  entire  day  ,  i  think  i  can  survive  with  a  few  hours.  ”  no  stranger  to  how  busy  chiara  kept  herself,  she  would  be  grateful  with  whatever  time  they  could  spend  together  unwinding  after  the  excitement  of  the  last  few  weeks.  “  i  feel  like  an  overgrown  tree  with  how  many  knots  are  in  my  shoulders.  i  don't  know  how  you  manage  on  a  regular.  ”

“  i'm  used  to  it.  ”  to  another  may  have  sounded  like  bragging,  but  chi  knew  rosa  would  know  what  she  meant.  growing  under  pressure  often  meant  things  that  would  stress  another  out  became  light  work,  and  chi  almost  appreciates  her  parents  for  it.  almost.  “  how  was  your  first  met  ?  would  you  do  it  again  if  asked  ?  ”

he gave a small wave when he first spotted kameran approaching. to this day he didn't understand why she kept hanging out with him, personalities existing on different planets, but remained too nervous to ever ask lest she suddenly realize it made little sense. ❝ whatever you have in store, i do have an early morning call with nasa tomorrow. ❞   hopefully that'd be enough deterrent to prevent him from being as hungover as he'd been in germany.

“  what's  that  got  to  do  with  me  ?  ”  shoots  back  with  a  teasing  grin.  “  that  doesn't  mean  that  we  can't  still  have  fun,  mr.  rocket  scientist.  i  didn't  realize  you  were  such  a  lightweight,  though.  i  promise  not  as  much  this  time.  ”  solely  because  she  had  an  early  meeting  of  her  own  the  next  morning,  not  necessarily  to  be  magnanimous.  “  we're  just  getting  lunch.  if  you  want  drinks  i  won't  stop  you,  though.  ”

has   become   passionate   about   matcha   since   his   divorce,   sources   powder   straight   from   japan   and   whisks   until   micro   foam   is   perfection   or   gets   one   of   the   interns   to   do   it.   "   i   shouldn't   have   taken   credit   for   the   interns   work   -   i'll   throw   it   out.   "   takes   a   sniff   before   studying   the   color,   louis   hopes   it's   just   added   syrups   or   maybe   mango   puree   but   doubts   it   now   that   ex   -   wife   pointed   it   out.  "   i   do   like   matcha,   i   have   no   idea   what   you're   talking   about.   "  tone   bit   defensive,   refuses   to   admit   he   only   likes   the   drink   because   it   reminds   him   of   her.

“  whichever  intern  it  was  must've  known  that  you  were  going  to  and  set  you  up  for  failure,  ”  intones,  amused.  the  color  too  light,  off,  and  while  she's  still  trying  to  reconcile  memories  versus  act  of  louis  making  matcha,  londen's  almost  certain  had  he  made  it  himself  it  wouldn't  have  looked  that  way.  “  no,  you  don't  …  didn't.  ”  not  sure  what  he  likes  now  when  their  paths  weren't  still  so  heavily  intertwined  to  where  she  woke  up  knowing  where  he  was  in  her  orbit  and  his  various  likes  like  second  nature.  “  i  distinctly  remember  trying  to  teach  you  to  make  it  and  letting  you  try  mine.  it  hasn't  been  that  long,  louis.  ”

maybe flynn's ego was a little inflated because he was kind of offended that melanie didn't recognize him immediately. it would've been a good thing if she hadn't recognized him because she wouldn't be questioning why he was here instead of a session that started over thirty minutes ago and he hadn't done all of that. but he tended to think he was the main character in a lot of other people's stories. " taking the piss ? i don't know what that means but like... sorry, i guess ? " not exactly the most convincing or sincere apologies. he doesn't really have an actual explanation. he's often in situations like these where he's just kind of thinking i did it because it seemed like a good idea at the time. he takes a sip of his coffee. " what do you need explained to you exactly ? never had someone pretend to be someone's evil twin before ? you need to get out more and loosen up. "

“  you  chose  a  british  accent  yet  are  unaware  of  the  colloquialisms,  ryder  ?  ”  could  see  the  slow  train  wreck  this  would  be  that  could've  been  left  as  water  under  the  bridge  had  he  just  known  drawn  attention  to  himself  —  now  left  to  flail  and  flounder  in  front  of  the  shark  of  graham  records  that  held  his  future  in  the  palm  of  their  hand.  “  i  need  it  explained  to  me  why  you  aren't  where  you  need  to  be,  ”  starts  because  that  much  was  now  obvious  to  mel,  “  and  why  you're  speaking  to  me  as  if  we're  friends  rather  than  me  being  your  boss.  i'd  like  to  believe  that  you  aren't  that  …  unaware.  ”   

"I'm not expecting anyone if you would like to join me."

“  yes,  actually,  please.  i'm  certain  you'll  be  better  company  than  who  i  was  supposed  to  be  meeting.  ”  another  blind  date  that  ashanti  knew  would  be  a  waste  of  their  time  a  no  show.  thankfully,  not  upset  by  it,  but  annoyed  they'd  wasted  their  lip  gloss  and  nice  pair  of  lashes.  “  thank  you.  ”

"  it's   a   shame   we   always   have   to   stop   ourselves   because   our   reputation   but   those   nameless   nobodies   behind   their   screens   can   continue.   "   not   just   alluding   to   robin   hood   and   his   band   of   merry   men   but   also   those   freaks   on   stan   twitter   with   their   big   opinion   and   lack   of   brain   matter.  "   i'm   usually   quite   good   at   avoiding   the   fallout,   just   takes   a   head   tilt   and   dime   -   sized   pupils.   "   she's   privileged   and   well   aware   of   it,   not   everyone   could   pull   what   she   does.  "   so   suggestions   ?  "

“  that's  the  difference  between  them  being  nameless  and  us  not,  ”  answers  smoothly.  wealth  and  fame  always  meant  there  were  certain  things  they  couldn't  get  away  with  anymore,  and  kamie  had  learned  that  loud  and  clear.  “  i  don't  get  away  with  that,  i'm  afraid.  optics  are  very  different.  ”  always  would  be  and  knew  better  than  to  push  certain  things  when  the  result  could  be  dragging  family  and  friends  into  headlines  they  didn't  need.  “  if  you're  set  on  causing  a  little  fuss  today  then  go  ahead  and  do  it  and  go  ahead  and  tell  your  publicist  you  won't  be  available  for  a  couple  of  days.  ” 

brows knit together slight when she opened the door and the flat note reached her ears. hopefully it was only a bad day, pollen slipping past immune system perhaps; unfortunate it correlated with the well-known talent checks. brightness returned a breath later.  ❝ perfect time for a meeting over lunch then. ❞   she'd been looking forward to the meeting with a mixture of excitement and anxiety — her standard combination whenever preparing to announce a new album.  ❝ there's a new japanese place nearby if you haven't made a reservation elsewhere. ❞

even  those  higher  up  in  the  hierarchy  —  ones  that  had  fought  for  and  kept  their  contracts  with  hard  work  and  weren't  at  risk  of  being  cut,  weren't  immune.  next  steps,  goals,  plans  for  the  future  needed  to  be  ironed  out  rather  than  left  to  chance.  “  japanese  sounds  good.  what's  the  name  of  it  ?  i'll  have  someone  call  ahead,  ”  voices  while  making  a  swift  check  against  the  artist  in  the  studio's  name  on  their  ipad.  their  meeting  nowhere  as  close  to  as  pleasant  as  isabel's  would  be. 

❝ haven't you heard? a morning run is the best way to start the day. ❞   sarcasm wrapped around the final half of the sentence. his trainer swore by the habit; kie's agreement depended on the day. at least today he'd managed to maintain the habit despite muscles groaning before he'd left his place.

“  see  you  got  fed  the  same  crock  of  bullshit,  ”  mutters,  though  it's  somewhat  good  to  see  that  he  wasn't  the  only  one  getting  forced  into  mindful  running  first  thing  in  the  morning.  “  wanna  ditch  and  get  some  breakfast  ?  ”

“  is  this  where  you're  telling  me  that  we're  breaking  up?  this  is  a  very  fancy  restaurant  and  i've  never  been  treated  this  good.  it's  gotta  be  bad  news,  right?  ”

“  you  caught  me.  i  was  going  to  wait  until  we'd  had  some  drinks  to  make  it  better,  but  you're  right.  i'm  breaking  up  with  you  and  will  be  taking  back  all  of  my  sweats.  please  have  them  washed  and  ready  for  me  to  send  my  assistant  to  pick  up  tomorrow  morning,  ”  drawls,  scanning  over  the  menu  for  something  he  wants  more  than  just  an  appetizer.  “  needed  it  to  be  in  public  so  you  wouldn't  cause  a  scene.  ”  

eyes  followed  the  sound  of  camera  clicks  and  murmuring,  previously  too  engrossed  in  her  street  food  to  take  a  better  look  at  what  was  going  on  around  her.  “  it  seemed  like  you  had  that  handled.  i  decided  to  be  supportive  from  afar,  want  some?   ” 

the  silence  between  them  stretches,  a  last  autograph  scribbled  in  her  loopy  handwriting  with  a  smile  that  could  pass  for  being  genuine.  “  yeah,  you  did  a  great  job.  ”  sarcasm  thick  in  her  words,  eyeing  both  cece  and  the  food  from  the  corner  of  her  peripherals.  “  no,  i'm  good.  ”

(  Ꮺ  )   “  since  other  people  write  songs  dragging  their  exes  i  should  be  able  too,  right  ?  ”  a  hook  up  just  the  same  as  a  relationship,  right  ?  “  as  long  as  i  don't  name  them  like  ariana  did  people  won't  be  able  to  figure  out  who  they  are  anyway.  ” closed  starter, @lovedsme, @opulentics, @hteds

“  what  are  you  trying  to  say,  asia  ?  ”  there's  humor  in  their  tone,  knowing  that  it  was  her  own  pen  in  the  specific  song  that  had  named  exes  —  not  something  that  mel  had  advocated  for,  but  hadn't  said  no  to,  either.  “  it's  a  form  of  expression.  if  you  want  to  drag  someone  you  wouldn't  be  the  first  nor  the  last.  ”  

“  okay,  first  of  all,  ouch.    but,  also,  thank  you.    you  have  no  idea  how  validating  that  is  when  the  rest  of  my  family  thinks  i’m  overreacting.    i  honestly  don’t  how  you’ve  recovered  this much already.    i’m  pretty  sure  we  had  the  same  number  of  tequila  shots—  or  did  we?!  ”    

“  overreacting  to  a  hangover  ?  ”  assumes  that  jia  means  they  think  the  met  isn't  that  big  of  a  deal,  but  considering  she's  aware  of  the  actual  reason  for  this  impromptu  spa  day  (  would  take  up  any  qualms  of  someone  suggesting  the  other  thing  with  them  rather  than  middle  party  )  she  notes  the  cause  for  what  it  was.  “  we  were  trying  to  be  good  hosts,  i'm  not  sure  how  many  shots  you  had.  ”  couldn't  afford  to  look  sloppy,  regardless,  one  drink  and  one  shot  all  she'd  had.      

nod  was  subtle,  approving  of  his  retreat  as  she  leans  forward  to  pick  up  a  nugget  of  her  own.  “  i  figured  you  might  want  to  be.  ”  she'd  never  met  a  child  as  stubborn  as  miri,  the  thought  that  it  must  be  an  inherited trait  since  all  of  her  family,  on  both  sides,  had  it.  “  she's  in  pre - k.  goes  from  eight  to  two  on  most  days,  unless  she's  throwing  too  much  of  fit  in  the  morning.  why,  would  want  to  pick  her  up  one  day  ?  "  joking,  mostly,  as  londen's  certain  her  toddler  would  wind  up  doing  the  baby  sitting.     

“  personally  ?  no.  ” phone  slipped  from  his  pocket,  the  pads  of  his  thumb  tapping  away  at  the  screen  before  flashing  it  at  her.  “  but  google  does.  ” not  something  he  would  personally  go  searching  for  but  some  people  were  more  attached  to  momentos.  “  it’s  too  late  to  call  now  with  the  time  difference  ,  but  you  could  try  in  the  morning  .  .  . ”  thought  trailing  off  as  eyebrow  lifted,  tongue  sweeping  against  his  lower  lip,  mouth  suddenly  parched.  “  made  good  friends  with  the  knight  ?  ”

“  of  course  not  you,  ”  chuckles  as  she  hadn't  expected  him  to  know  anyone  personally,  though  nose  still scrunched  in  distaste.  “  i'd  probably  get  a  receptionist  …  but  i  guess  that's  better  than  nothing.  ”  wouldn't  get  up  to  go  and  search  for  a  stuffed  animal  if  she  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  line,  and  didn't  necessarily  expect  anyone  else  to.  chocolate  hues  rose  from  phone  screen,  something  in  his  tone  striking  her  as  odd.  “  yeah,  lancelot.  not  his  real  name,  but  he  walked  me  to  the  plane  before  we  left.  he  may  have  seen  if  i  dropped  it  or  something.   why  are  you  making  that  face  ?  ”    

        he  tried  not  to  show  his  surprise  at  how  melanie  suddenly  turned  around  ,  listening  to  the  un  mixed  vocals  coming  from  the  booth  and  tried  not  to  wince  .  “  that  bad  ?  ”  it  didn't  sound  very  good  to  him  ,  but  his  specialty  wasn't  music  .  “  is  that  someone  getting  something  customized  ?  ”  

“  no,  they're  not.  ”  another  one  on  the  chopping  block,  and  it  suited  them  just  fine.  sounding  like wet  cats  out  in  the  rain,  melanie  had  no  need  for  them  on  the  label  and  certainly  wouldn't  be  presented  on  a  stage.  “  we'll  discuss  those  names  over  lunch.  do  you  have  a  preference  for  anything  ?  ”