ceren çelik-montgomery

Text ╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ Ceren & Jess

"ah, i see. then you have my condolences," he teased. nick had noticed the lack of ceren celik-montgomery out and about as of late. whatever had happened to take her away from the spotlight had missed him. there seemed to be some tension, though. "well, i am happy to help. you can use me as your friend, confidant, arm candy, human shield against unwanted small-talkers... whatever you like. i did notice logan was here too, that was a surprise. i didn't think any of the hunters were looking to take up the 'angel capital' mantle."

"thank you, they'll keep me going in these trying times" the sarcasm seeping from her like it used to before something in her had shifted. "unfortunately for you i may take you up on that because old man brooker has been leering at me all night and it's creeping me out." she looked over to see him still staring and she made a face of pure disgust "they are, i think they're trying to dive into work after the split with isobel. a distraction as well as a career"

"oh, that sounds positively torturous. i mean, look around, even the seasoned professionals are trying to keep from snoring. well, you can tell them you've networked my socks right off," he teased, holding his drink up to her in a 'cheers'. "what was it you were doing again? art?"

"then i guess my job is done here and i can pack up my personality and go home" she nodded and lifted her own glass to retaliate the 'cheers' "yeah, i'm an artist. though that hardly feels important in a room of people who claim cash is king"

"well, maybe they need you. you might find everything will change for the better if you let them all the way in. but yes, i am quite aware of their own dramas... if that's what you want to call the collapse of two people who were clearly made for each other." isobel had always made william feel like there was a chance for screwed up people. they were each other's mirror image - always had been. logan had loved her anyway. now what was he was supposed to do? if there was truly no chance for william after all. her words landed deep in his chest, a truth that he had known all along too. a double edged sword, either way he would lose. he turned to face her at last as they both stood at the edge, overlooking the city, too scared to close the gap between them. or too clever. "we are in a true catch 22, then. damned if you do, damned if you don't... i could take the hits, ceren. for you, i could."

"they can need me and not the mess in my life. what they don't know can't hurt them..." williams view of logan and isobel was spot on. they were made for each other, they just couldn't see it right now "i'm confident they'll find their way back to one another" she'd always been confident in them. they didn't need people's opinions on their relationship, so ceren did what friends do, she supported without hesitation. she braved a look over at william, the lasting silence between them filling the gap as the world continued below. they were playing russian roulette with all of this and eventually their luck was going to run out. they both knew that - that was another thing she was confident in. the bullet would leave the chamber and their secrets would spill from their wounds for all to see. ceren sighed and softly nodded her head. he was right, they were done for. there would be no winner here. "now we weigh up if we do or we don't, it's our only option." her face softened at his words. he shouldn't have to take the hits for her. he shouldn't have to take any hits. however fucked up it was, they were in this together "i would take them with you and i'd take them for you, william. you're not in this on your own"

"I just hate that bar. Last time I went there, I got way too drunk and lost one of my shoes. I get that for sure. How long are you being forced to be here?"

"me too, that's how you know i'm desperate to get out of here when i'm willing to go there." she almost laughed but then adriana dropped the lore of the missing shoe "how the hell did you lose a shoe?" a singular shoe?? a mystery. "as long as my parents are here. so that will be for another few hours at least. run, save yourself. lose a shoe for me"

"oh my gosh, thank you. you're such a sweetie. may yours be just as fabulous and inspiring, and also full of my latest updates - a moment for my shameless self-plug. wasn't it just, though? and i mean... fool me once, fine, but fool me twice? how many times can howard archibald fall from grace and drag anne and nate down with him. it's totally heinous behaviour," lola gasped but she also knew it was totally juicy gossip. her outrage may have been a little exaggerated that way. as for ceren's festive frolic, lola wasn't going to judge. "mine were so much fun. a total jet-set, here, there and everywhere."

"it'll always be graced with your latest updates, i don't plan of unfollowing you. hey, self-plug wherever you can. it can get you talking to the right people." she shrugged "i know, i feel the same. to drag nate and anne into his mess is shocking. then you've got gabriela and elena and their parents by extension as well. i don't see why he thinks his whole family should be dragged down with him, let them live in peace. it's crass and in poor taste" the whole thing is exhausting and quite frankly disrespectful towards the innocent archibald family members "that sounds fun, was it a solo trip or were you jet-setting with friends?"

"oh? you're not going to band together all your friends to get you out 'mission impossible' style?" lili teased. she felt for her, though. there was nothing worse than feeling lonely, especially when she used to be surrounded by people. they would ease up, she had to believe that. ceren needed her friends, she needed people who loved her. it made it harder to run away (not impossible, but it's not like lili- or ceren- had gone far when she ran). "anytime." lili barely held back a laugh at ceren's dig, ducking her head out of sight from the so-called security team. "quantity over quality, huh?"

"i wish i could, even jess and logan have been told they're not allowed to the tower right now. do you know how mad my parents have to be for those two to be told they can't come around? unprecedented levels of rage." it was her own fault. it wouldn't stop her from sulking about it though. "look that way. why couldn't they have just got your team. at least you and your team are fun and can hold a conversation. i tried talking to one of them the other day and he looked like a deer in headlights"

"i'm happy to see you too, cer," he said softly, giving her hand a squeeze as she held onto his arm. ceren and jess would be there for him in a heartbeat, he knew that. there wasn't anything logan wouldn't do for them either. it was just too big, you know? being without isobel. logan didn't want to think about it. throwing themself into working for their dad wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism but here they were. "that might be the understatement of the year. you need to duck and swerve to avoid the worst ones - i learned that the hard way. networking isn't my dad's, ah, forté though. he could use the moral support even from across the room."

she had missed them, it was strange not being around logan and jess all the time like she was used to. something was bothering him and she could tell, but she didn't exactly want the spotlight locked onto her either so she would leave them to explain when they were ready. "unfortunately for me, i'm not sure who's worse. the finance bros or the crypto sharks. they both sound equally bad to me...no offence" she offered "you've always been a social butterfly, you could convince anyone of anything"

william let out a wry laugh at her retort. he supposed it was a comfort that even now, she still had the energy to fire shots at him. perhaps it was sign that she really would be okay. he watched her as she looked ahead and he knew, as he'd always known, that this wasn't his place. william wasn't her saviour. he wasn't her white knight. slater may have pulled the trigger, but he had been the one who was holding the gun. "the truth," he offered but he didn't have to see the look on her face to know that wasn't going to happen. she wasn't ready. he almost smiled at her thinly veiled threat. "i can assure you, ceren... i'll take it to my grave-," which he might be rolling in sooner rather than later- "however my entirely unsolicited advice is that you're never going to know if they'll understand if you don't give them a chance."

there was no point in pointing fingers. sure, william may have been her source but ceren had sought him out. what had unfolded was much of her creation as it was his. they were ironically tied together given how much time ceren used to push him away. the real kicker being that he might be the only one who ever really saw her for her - the worst of her included. "if you haven't noticed, they've all got their own dramas to deal with, they don't need mine" she did buy his reassurance, he didn't have anything to gain lying to her. not now. not after everything. "none of them will wait for an explanation when they hear you're involved." and maybe it all boiled down to the realisation that she was protecting him as much as he was her "your unsolicited advice will put your head in the guillotine, william. it's in your best interest as much as mine that they don't know."

"well, i do live to entertain," he offered with a wry smile. william could see that she wasn't happy with her current predicament but it had to be for the best. it had to mean there was better for her. ceren was so deeply loved and cared for, he couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like. he watched her now and his heart seized. there would be a contingency for her too if the worse happened to him. if need be, he'd do what he needed to do. "yes," he answered at last, moving to stand at the edge with her her while keeping space between them. "i remember and i do appreciate you keeping your word." a pause, and then he asked, "have you told anyone else?"

"interesting and entertaining are two different things" she simply retorted, eyes still looking out at the city in front of them. her parents putting security in place was understandable, albeit annoying an frustrating. part of her had thought that they might've loosened the reigns by now though that was wishful thinking. ceren shrugged her shoulders "i'm a woman of my word, even if i do regret that now." she looked over at him like he'd grown two heads "and tell them what? they won't understand, william. no one knows anything and i trust you to keep it that way"

Adriana gave a sympathetic smile. She knew this was not at all Ceren's scene; it stank of an Upper East Side parental punishment. "It's definitely written on your face. My condolences on missing the fashion show, but at least Superhero Night sounds worse than this."

"good thing i'm not an actress then. i'd take the superhero night over this, that's how much i don't vibe with this event. it's not my scene. maybe if i was in one of the surrounding industries but it doesn't make any sense to me"

Jake ran over, breathing out a sigh of relief that the ball landed in her lap instead of bouncing off her head. "Sorry. Sorry!" He directed the second apology at the security team that were suddenly paying attention. "It is. That was my bad." He took the ball back from her, heat rising up his neck. "It didn't hurt you, right? You're okay? I think I woke up your entourage."

this had to be the worst security team known to mankind. they couldn't even intervene on a football. "it's alright." she reassured him "no, i'm not hurt and i think you did them some good waking them up. turns out they needed it"

Adriana had not even questioned where she wanted to be tonight. She wasn't interested in fashion, and a bar night didn't sound like anything she would miss. This networking event was exactly where she wanted to be, hopeful to make some connections. Find some potential investors for her.

ceren looked over to see adriana and gave her a small smile "oh, can't you tell? i'm over the moon to be here. i just can't contain my excitement" she sarcasm dripping from her voice. this was the last place she wanted to be.