she changes the weather.

moving at her pace, jonah stayed close by and smiled fondly at lena’s slight staggering, moving away from the empty bar and into seclusion. “nice try! i may be a little drunk, but you could never convince me that i’m the bad influence between us,” jonah laughed, taking lena’s outstretched hand. “i loved those slippers,” jonah recalled the time lena dragged him outside right after it had rained. “no fucking idea why i decided to have them on in the mud. did i ever tell you i tried to convince my mom that we should just wash them and still keep them?” god, now he was babbling. it was like jonah felt the need to entertain, to keep the conversation flowing no matter what the cost to hold anyone’s interest. he felt like if he shut up lena would disappear, move off in the opposite direction only to become a memory to him again. 

“you remember,” he replied back simply, almost in disbelief. his breath caught in his throat as he watched lena on mission to help find the carvings, admiring how beautiful she looked hiking up her dress just a bit so she could crouch, look of concentration on her face. suddenly they were twelve and messing around in this same spot while their parents had dinner and drinks in the building behind them. he would pretend to flick a bug on her and they’d end up rolling around in the grass, giggling and watching the summer sun dip behind the trees that blocked the bustling highway. 

“holy shit, you found it?” jonah’s heart felt light, moving to crouch next to lena and shine his own phone flashlight at the tree. “you’re gonna break your ankles. can you sit?” he asked the stupid question, wondering if lena could maneuver to sit in the grass. “i wanna see if i can take a picture of it…” his voice drifted off, squinting a bit as he zoomed in on his camera.

lena is very aware of her shortcomings , is the thing . she's very aware that she's let down people , that she hasn't always been the best friend , or even a good person . that jonah has always done the heavy lifting , meanwhile lena spins in circles and refuses to be held . BUT SHE DOES LOOK AT HIM , face balking , briefly , as he repeats : YOU REMEMBER . lena feels a flash of something within her . an ache . a pain . a hurt . because jonah truly has no idea that OF COURSE SHE'D REMEMBER . and why would he ? she's never outwardly told him how much he means to her . how she remembers everything , even the way that she fell off her bike , when she was 12 years old , and scraped her knee , so jonah tore off a bit of his shirt to wrap it around . so she wouldn't have to look at the blood anymore . LENA REMEMBERS . " of course i remember . " she says instead , voice softer . she gives him a classic lena style nonchalant shrug .

it's dark , and a little cold . the dress and shoes aren't the best choice of outerwear for this occasion , but lena senses the excitement fizzling between them . the warmth and happy flush that THIS WAS THEIR SPOT . THIS IS THEIR THING . JONAH AND LENA . LENA AND JONAH . " i found it . " lena sing - songs , with a unrestrained laugh , almost as impressed and surprised that she did find it as jonah is . she glances at him , at the way he moves so easily , yet still so unsure . like a baby deer . she holds out her hand for him , even though she's the one in heels and a dress . even though he's asking her to be careful . " i can sit , dad . " lena jokes again , voice sarcastic , before she does just that , sitting awkwardly cross legged , limbs too long . she keeps her dress hiked up , runs one hand over her humidified hair . " you really wanna take a photo of it ? " lena asks , after a pause . her voice catches , just a bit , and she keeps her gaze on jonah . her hand on his . an anchor . she swallows , thick , and suddenly feels like . . . like it should have always been them . that she never should have bothered with anyone else . it's always jonah . it always comes back to jonah . " you're my best friend . " she says , quietly , barely louder than the bristle of wind around them . she looks at him , while he looks at the tree through the lens of his camera . " you've always been my best friend . " and she doesn't know what to do with that . she hopes he does . she prays he does . " do . . . " she begins , then stops herself . shakes her head in light amusement . " do you ever think we should have done things differently ? " lena finally says . she'll blame it on the alcohol , a small smile playing on her lips , although it aches .

then dj blushes — actually blushes, "i missed talking to you too, maya. but i already knew that i missed you," he quips, "when we first talked the other day so... i win." he teases, wide grin still on his face. the grin disappears, though, as isaac interrupts again and dj's back stiffens as he stares down the other man, already missing the closeness of the woman. isaac says something about there being a really long line and dj holds himself back from making a snarky comment. he doesn't want to come off like an asshole. even if the jealousy rising in his stomach makes him want to be a bit of one. he's not some childish frat bro anymore. so he sidles a bit closer to maya and pastes the grin back on his face, "dom just asked maya and me to go check if the hors d'oeuvres are ready to come out." he hooks his hand gently under maya's elbow, "so we'll catch ya later, bro." he winks at isaac, leading maya in the direction of the supposed food tables, really just wanting to be anywhere but here. he feels a little bad as they leave his fellow groomsman behind, but he's also quite satisfied with himself and his clearly genius diversion.

she could either be really right or really stupid . and she keeps thinking that , brain ticking , as dj gently navigates her away from isaac . she offers half a wave to the guy , with his crestfallen face , but all she can truly focus on is dj's behaviour . what it means . " hors d'ouevres ? no offence , but i didn't think men even knew that word . " maya teases , although her voice is slightly breathless , cogs working in her brain . " i - hey . you said you want me to maybe hear your speech right ? " so she's doing it . maya is jumping in . diving . absolutely saying fuck it . she takes two big swigs of her cocktail , for luck . lets it burn down her oesophagus . " i mean . i don't know about you , but i feel like tonight's winding down a bit , and i've got some energy to kill . " her cheeks flush at the implication , but she keeps herself steady . maya glances around , finds a half open bottle of champagne left on a waiter's tray and snatches it up , precarious with her cocktail glass in hand too . feels too risky and bold ( thank you cocktail for the enthusiasm boost ) . she looks at dj , almost daring , mainly nervous and unsure . " should we just head to your room maybe ? "

closed : @hvrtbroken

monster  mash  was  drowned  out  by  the  sound  of  loud  laughter  and  spattering  pumpkin  guts  .  so  much  for  a  quiet  night  in  .  santos  should've  known  that  with  the  other  over  ,  any  plans  previously  made  would  quickly  go  awry  .  unlike  his  dim  flickering  the  person  beside  him  was  a  beam  of  light  :  easy  to  follow  ,  but  blinding  if  he  looked  directly  at  them  for  too  long  .  “  did  you  want  to  come  over  just  to  make  a  mess  in  my  kitchen  ?  ”  the  laughter  slowly  went  quiet  ,  but  the  smile  remained  on  his  lips  .  “  i'm  going  to  have  you  sign  a  waiver  next  time  before  entry  .  ”  santos  picked  up  another  handful  of  slimy  seeds  and  tossed  it  in  their  direction  ,  chuckling  as  it  made  connect  .

closed : @hvrtbroken

“  do  you  think  this  is  okay  to  wear  tonight  ?  ”  the  polite  smile  on  her  face  as  she  asked  was  in  active  combat  with  the  worry  in  her  eyes  .  aislin  may  have  left  the  iron  grip  of  her  mother  ,  but  her  walsh  family  values  had  embedded  themselves  so  deep  within  her  it  would  take  an  excavator  to  get  it  out  of  her  .  “  it's  just  ,  the  costume  is  so  .  .  .  ⸺  different  .  ”  she  knew  all  about  the  price  of  being  different  .  proud  as  she  was  of  her  lisa  from  weird  science  costume  there  was  no  denying  it  was  a  deep  cut  .  without  seeing  the  movie  the  hermer  h.s.  phys  ed  crop  top  would  go  unnoticed  due  to  the  leotard  and  tights  .  a  fact  she  was  all  too  aware  of  with  the  breeze  she  felt  too  close  on  her  skin  .  “  i  mean  everyone's  probably  going  to  be  drunk  by  the  time  we  get  there  so  i  shouldn't  even  waste  it  on  them  right  ?  what's  the  chances  at  least  one  person  has  seen  weird  science  ?  should  i  pick  out  something  else  ?  throw  a  sheet  over  myself  and  call  it  a  ghost  ?  ”

he wants to ask if she's stayed here the entire time , but tala always had a way of making conversation feel precious . like she could take it away at any point . he remembers the one time she asked him for a pencil and he stuttered for 40 seconds before giving her his . she'd looked so unimpressed with him . he'd swore to never let her get that look on her face when talking to him again . plus , he gave her his only pencil and then had to scrounge around trying to find another . " graduation makes us sound old . " sid wants to keep the conversation light , but is aware they're still by the fruit aisle . he clears his throat , straightens up instead of hunching . " hey , this might sound weird , so tell me to totally fuck off if so . but . . it's really good to see a friendly face . " can he call her that ? " would you . . . wanna get a drink or something ? " inwardly , sid winces at himself. it sounds like a date . god , he's still so bad at this .

as she looks out at the crowd, he keeps his gaze on her, emboldened by their conversation and their current closeness. plus, she's just cute as hell and he doesn't want to stop looking at her. he clicks his tongue, shrugging, "i think the maid of honor is hooking up with the officiant, actually. and he's not a priest, i checked, so i guess that's... chill? and one of my fellow groomsmen has a crush on the one brunette bridesmaid... i think her name's kelly? the bride's cousin. but she's out of his league for sure." he chuckles then, "and we both know who isaac is shooting for. also out of his league." he winks at maya.

maya goes for the beer again , but knows isaac is now working through the crowd , nodding a few hellos as he walks back to them . she ignores this , instead beaming at dj's gossip . someone has trained him well , maybe a past girlfriend , or maybe this is just how dj is . probably is . because he knows how to divulge . how to actually talk instead of the way men usually shrug and mumble ' i dunno ' . maya looks at him , and grins far too big . her heart thuds a bit differently . this is why she's always liked him so god damn much . her cheeks colouring and maya isn't embarrassed about it . can't be . " you're really . . . " she shakes her head , enamoured wholly by him . " i never realised how much i missed talking to you , until right this moment . " and then of course , isaac is here , as if dj just summed him right up . maya startles , and puts some distance between her and dj , with a guilty look to him . gratefully takes the drink from isaac and hurriedly drinks half of it . needs it .

omar  leaves  so  swiftly  from  the  bar  that  he  swears  he  might  have  dreamed  up  the  entire  interaction  with  hannah  .  sex  is  something  so  far  removed  from  his  mind  most  days  ,  but  he's  still  human  .  still  very  much  a  man  .  as  soon  as  he  saw  a  photo  of  hannah  ,  he  internally  mumbled  '  she's  pretty  '  to  himself  ,  and  then  promptly  left  it  from  his  mind  because  .  .  .  because  the  only  way  omar  gets  done  what  he  needs  to  get  done  is  by  not  knowing  his  marks  .  by  not  thinking  about  them  as  people  .  but  then  hannah  came  bounding  over  in  the  bar  ,  all  curls  and  fuck-me-eyes  and  it's  thrown  him  through  a  very  unprofessional  loop  .

he  sits  in  his  car  ,  with  his  head  hunched  over  .  knuckles  white  on  the  wheel  .  he  could  leave.  he  should  leave  .  surely  she's  not  going  to  meet  him  in  the  car  park  ,  and  surely  he  doesn't  want  her  to  .  his  thumbs  tap  out  a  senseless  pattern  against  the  wheel  as  he  inhales  deep  enough  to  fill  his  sternum  ,  then  exhales  .  surely  he  was  rude  enough  in  the  bar  that  she  won't  come  out  to  the  parking  lot  .  she's  a  pretty  enough  girl  that  she  could  be  with  any  other  bozo  in  that  bar  ,  no  problem  .  omar  reminds  himself  of  that  .  reminds  himself  again  as  he  fumbles  for  his  keys  yet  stills  the  movement  because  he  can't  put  them  in  the  ignition  yet  .  he  prides  himself  of  never  being  a  guy  who  hesitates  .  he's  heard  people  beg  for  their  lives  .  cry  about  all  kinds  of  siblings  ,  children  ,  parents  ,  sick  dogs  yadda  yadda  they  have  .  of  course  a  beautiful  girl  ,  and  his  stupid  dick  ,  would  be  his  downfall  .

dj grins, "we can talk and i'm taller than isaac — not that that matters, all for the rise of the short kings." as long as said short king didn't rise higher than dj on maya's list of eligible partners. he hands over the beer, chuckling, "battle? i'd love to see you throw down in my honor. i think your brother would really like it too. especially during the wedding." he teases, unable to stop the slight smirk from slipping onto his face as he thought about maya getting territorial. especially after he just tried his best to scare isaac off (and he'll do it again if he has to). "you don't have anything to worry about, though," dj tells her, "there's no one else i'd rather hang out with than you." his voice loses a bit of the playful edge, he's serious and he wants her to know that, especially as isaac starts making his way back through the crowd. "it'd take something world-ending to turn my head. or, like, if julia roberts circa 1991 suddenly time traveled and walked over here. otherwise? no one you've gotta fight." maya has his full attention. best man duties? even those are secondary to being maya's date.

maya opens her mouth , probably to say something else accidentally dorky , but finds she has no words . she's left with her cheeks red , dumb smile on her face because dj said he'd rather hang out with her . she takes his beer again , and this time takes a few big swigs . she needs to relax , anyways . needs to remember who she is . she's a grown hot woman . she can flirt , and charm . she can deal with dj . " julia roberts circa 1991 is a phenomenal choice . " maya agrees . " for me , it'd have to be like . . the purple ninja turtle . " she pretends to sigh . " if he enters this wedding , you're so screwed . " she playfully bumps her shoulder against his . hands his beer back , but this time . . . lets her hand linger . just an extra moment . brushing against his . wants to see what he'll do , if anything . maya clears her throat and pretends to look out amongst the other guests . " so , best man . do you think there's anything saucy going on among any of the bridesmaids and groomsmen ? "

                              bennett  huffs  out  a  laugh,  one  hand  lazily  draped  over  the  steering  wheel  like  this  was  just  any  other  drive.  “  word  of  advice  ?  you  might  want  to  dial  back  the  cop-on-a-sting  energy.  feels  like  if  i  answer  wrong,  you're  gonna  slap  cuffs  on  me.  which…  i  don't  mind  a  little  roleplay.  ”  he  shoots  her  a  look,  mouth  quirking  up  into  a  grin  before  another  laugh  sneaks  out  of  him,  a  genuine  one.  “  but,  yeah…  i  still  hit  up  that  mom-and-pop  gas  station  on  palm  street.  some  old  smokes.  look—  i  don't…  go  through  ‘em  like  i  used  to,  been  trying  to  quit.  ”  he  says  it  like  a  confession  he  doesn’t  want  to  admit.

he  flicks  on  the  turn  signal,  pulling  onto  the  main  road,  and  there's  a  shift  in  the  air.  his  grin  fades  just  slightly  as  she  talks,  and  for  once,  he  actually  listens.  there's  a  flicker  behind  his  eyes  that  isn't  surprise,  but  something  closer  to  pride.  she'd  done  it;  actually  lived  outsideof  this  dinky  little  town  they'd  sworn  they'd  escape  from  years  back.  the  thought  of  her  in  costa  rica,  tanned  and  free  underneath  some  waterfall  hits  him  harder  than  he  expects.  “  you'll  have  to  show  me  pictures  sometime…  tell  your  old  man  i  said  hi.  still  haven't,  uh,  had  the  chance  to  check  the  place  out.  ”  he  sounds  like  an  idiot,  like  he  could  just  swing  by  nepal  on  a  weekend.  even  he  wants  to  smack  himself  for  that  one.

tara  keeps  her  gaze  fixed  ,  but  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eyes  ,  she  can  see  bennett's  hands  on  the  wheel  .  his  broad  shoulders  that  he's  filled  out  into  even  more  .  the  tap  of  his  thumbs  .  she  keeps  her  gaze  steady  ,  front  facing  .  her  face  impassive  .  although  it  does  hurt  to  hear  the  way  bennett's  tone  changes  .  the  slight  weariness  there  as  he  admits  socials  ,  media  ,  pr  ,  training  .  .   all  of  it  took  a  toll  on  him  .  the  ring  was  never  a  place  made  to  last  .  for  a  couple  years  after  they  broke  up  ,  when  people  would  ask  tara  about  her  ex  ,  she'd  say  he  was  an  addict  .  it  felt  easier  .  but  in  many  ways  it  was  true  .  the  ring  intoxicated  bennett  .  called  to  him  .  she  never  understood  it  the  way  he  did  .  it  shouldn't  be  surprising  to  hear  him  talk  about  it  now  ,  but  it  is  .  maybe  because  it  aches  a  little  to  know  what  could  have  been  .  how  it  was  all  for  nothing  ,  really  ,  in  the  end  . 

tara  shoots  him  a  vaguely  annoyed  look  at  his  added  on  joke  .  knows  he's  doing  it  because  he  feels  too  vulnerable  .   “   you  don't  have  to  do  that  .   ”  she  says  .  because  around  her  ,  bennett  never  did  the  whole  charade  thing  .  sure  ,  he'd  quip  and  joke  .  but  he  let  the  moments  between  them  be  moments  .   “   make  a  shitty  joke  .   ”   tara  clarifies  .  gives  a  small  shake  of  her  head  .  it  devalues  it  .  feels  almost  like  a  devaluation  of  her  ,  of  him  .  of  what  he  fought  for  .  of  what  they  were  .  she  gestures  up  ahead  ,  even  though  she  knows  bennett  knows  the  way  .   “  there's  a  park  there  .  ”  the  car  is  too  much  .  she  needs  more  space  and  distance  from  the  ghost  beside  her  .  clears  her  throat  and  readjusts  the  sleeve  of  her  blouse  .  “  so  ,  what  do  you  do  now  ?  and  don't  say  professor  .  ”   tara  doesn't  want  the  dumb  jokes  .  but  she  doesn't  want  him  overly  saccharine  sincere  like  he  was  on  the  beach  either  .  neither  feel  like  the  bennett  she  knew  ,  and  it  feels  both  worse  and  infinitely  better  .