lion hearted.

❝  did  you  say  seven  types  of  cheese?  ❞  giorgia's  eyebrows  raised  in  amazement.  "  that's  very  tempting,  but  my  nutritionist  would  hate  me  if  she  found  out  i  so  much  as  breathed  in  anything  with  dairy.  i  think  i'll  just  settle  with  the  salad,  thank  you,  ❞  she  responded  with  a  smile,  then  tilted  her  head  in  curiosity,  ❝  so  how  did  you  learn  how  to  cook  so  well?  ❞

         "yes i did. and four of them were imported from italy."   so is it a classic american mac n' cheese ?  in matter of fact,  if anyone sees him cooking a  classic american anything,  call the exorcist,  because he is likely possessed.  and he's not really about that kinda stuff,  y'know ?  he likes being in control of his own actions,  actually.   "wouldn't hurt to have two bites, no? i won't tell your nutritionist."   he shrugs,  bringing his stanley cup straw to his lips.   "here and there, my moms, spent a summer in italy, watched a bunch of shows, bored when waiting for something interesting to happen. nothing really official or anything."

          “  did  you  know  that  you  can  get  sunburned  by  snow  ?  like  it  makes  sense  that  you’re  at  a  higher  risk  because  of  high  reflectivity  but  i  honestly  just  never  really  thought  about  it  .  ”

          "fuck - dude, really!?"   he shakes his head,  brows furrowing.   "i've never worn sunscreen in my lfie. am i gonna die or something?"

° |   🎧  ❛ ❛  ♫ 𝄈♫ 𝄈 Jaeha nodded, clearly impressed with the culinary experience of the other, while he was decent one since he had to cook after himself since a young age, it was mostly ramen or food in that sort of style though now he tried to be better, eat healthier. Maybe he would learn a thing or two today. "Cool." He agreed easily. "Should I bring anything?" Perhaps some wine.

          "just your charming personality and your pretty smile, man. seriously - why aren't you a model with me?"   a pause,  brows scrunch,  head tilts to his head.  does he resemble a golden retriever ?  perhaps.  but that is the norm for james castor;  so really,  anyone around him should  expect  it.  he's serious about the question,  anyway !   "and you're offering to bring something? i'm in. surprise me. guaranteed i'll like it. and if not, i'll pretend to for your sake."

"these are so cute," gemma held up the pair of earrings up to her ear. trying to determine if they'd look good on her. of course, the singer couldn't resist making time for a day of shopping and exploring the many shops and boutiques in the area. from jewelry to furniture pieces, she liked the idea of having something unique and hand-made. as well as supporting the local artists work, which she was always happy to do. "there's a few more shops i wanna look at, but we can stop for lunch first. and a hot cocoa."

         "nah man, you forget. i was raised to follow women around and carry their bags. what kind of son would i be if i didn't?"   besides,  he liked to be of use  -  to watch his mothers happy,  laugh,  and giggle in front of him.  he'd carry their shopping bags for them any day,  for real.  little james must've known,  that he'd grow up with less time around the women,  so to follow and spend time with them whenever he could  -  even during the shopping trips.  "i can make better hot cocoa ..."  his muttered words are a bit grumpy,  head ducking down as he follows gemma  -   flashback to the last time he had the drink with ria.   "... but i'd like to feel my fingertips again, so yes, please."

          “  i  thought  we  booked  a  room  with  two  beds  .  since  …  y’know  ––  we’re  not  actually  a  couple  .  ”

         "you're correct, rhi. but uh - turns out i reserved too late. and this was the only decent room not around the weirdos."   truth is  -  well,  truth is,  he forgot to reserve until the day of.  so.  not a good look.  and maybe,  if he didn't bother looking at the rooms with two beds  ...  whatever !  they were basically a couple without the kissing,  anyway !   "i can sleep on the floor,"  he offers immediately.  

         “  thanks  .  ”  she’s  not  sure  what’s  gotten  into  her  lately  .  maybe  it's  just  work  that  has  her  so  tense  (  not  true  )  .  but  the  slight  graze  of  his  hand  against  hers  is  enough  to  snap  her  out  of  her  thoughts  .  they  let  him  lead  them  over  to  the  couch  ,  taking  a  seat  and  using  a  free  hand  to  pull  a  blanket  over  them  .  “  i  think  peppermint  syrup  would’ve  worked  just  as  well  ,  ”  she  lightly  teases  before  finally  taking  a  lengthy  sip  and  lets  out  a  contented  sigh  .  “  y’know  if  you  keep  feeding  me  like  this  ,  i  may  never  want  to  leave  .  ”  it’s  about  as  truthful  as  she  can  get  for  she  knows  their  fake  relationship  has  an  end  date  .

       it's not real,  it's not real,  it's not real  -  oh for  fuck's  sake,  he sounds like a little kid trying to talk himself out of believing there's no monster under the bed.  but ria was there for  those days  too,  weren't they ?  the days he was considered more of a  twig  than pretty;  the one who loved eating all types of food,  and always had a little bit too much garlic on his breath;  and during the times when he was just  ...  a little bit lonely when his moms were travelling for the job.  ria was always there,  right ?  so it doesn't matter if  this romance of theirs isn't real.  she was there,  with her own shit to deal with.  rhiannon is likely the  strongest person  he knows,  but he  also  knows even the strongest should have someone on their side.   "and give you just a flavor party? without the visuals? without the cronch? i think not. but good. looks like my master plan is finally working."   because they're good together like this,  right ?  he sits next them,  keeps his distance,  plays it safe   -   they're good like this.  he'll keep telling himself these words until he believes it.  reaches over,  adjusts the blanket so it covers all of her legs,  before leaning against back the couch.   "so. i ran into henley the other day. that was weird."

          “  you  know  what’s  wild  ?  ”  hayden  will  ask  .  “  animals  that  go  into  hibernation  aren’t  taking  some  long  nap  .  i  don’t  know  why  schools  basically  teach  us  that  animals  sleep  for  the  winter  .  someone  told  me  this  a  while  back  and  i’m  still  trying  to  process  it  all  .  ”  

       "you're lying."   honestly,  james isn't sure if he's ready for his life to be changed with inaccurate facts corrections again.  is he mentally stable enough ?  who knows !   certainly not him   ( ria would, though ).  "... what the hell do they do? just ... lay there? aware they're just laying there? contemplating life? where can i sign up to do that, actually?"

                    “   that's   an   impressive   amount   of   food   .  .  .      how   much   did   you   even   make   ?   ”

       "probably enough to feed both of my moms' families. with leftovers. what can i say? it brings me joy."   

° |   🎧  ❛ ❛  ♫ 𝄈♫ 𝄈 The producer nodded as he listened, yeah, he could eat that. Good decision to join for free food and a good view, perhaps inspiration would struck while he was there if he was lucky enough. "you know how to make your own balsamic?" Jaeha wasn't that well versed in food, the only one he could do was korean so with any other cuisine he was easy to impress. "We'll see how well those ideas went." He teased.

       "yeah, dude. learned it one summer in italy. been doing it the same way ever since."   listen,  what can he say ?  he's passionate about one of his favorite places to be.  it's where he learned to love food for the taste and experience,  not just to fill himself.   "if you like it, you want me to show you how? dude, just trust me. c'mon, we're in apartment 14B."

❝  how sweet. what  did  you  make?  ❞  giorgia  questioned coyly.  she  had  eyed  the  plate  in  james'  hands,  but  she  wanted  confirmation.  ❝  i'm  currently  on  a  detox,  so  i  might  not  be  able  to  eat  a  lot,  no  matter  how  much  i  want  to.  ❞

       "oh shit, my moms definitely say the same thing. good to know i'm living up to their standards."   because james castor will always be a mamas' boy.  it is just the way he is.  "but uh - some french toast, baked mac n' cheese with 7 types of cheese, and i got a salad. some cookies, snacks 'n stuff. kinda just tried to clear our fridge. can't say the lettuce was home grown, but the dressing is home made."

"not to be rude," roman paused momentarily, "but what'd ya fix for me?" he asked, his eyebrows arched, "i'm absolutely starved," this comment earned a laugh. "i brought wine," he added as he moved past james to enter the apartment, thrusting the brown paper bag into his friend's hands. "and before you ask or say anything about it, i'm sure it's expensive, i took it from my dad."

        "oh dude, you're the best."   he's already planning to save ria a glass,  or maybe incorporating a cup into one of the next meals he'll say is inspired by her.  takes the wine out of bag,  holds it up in the light,  nods in approval.   "can't say i know shit about wine, but can you ever really go wrong with a red?"   maybe he's just fond of the color.   "salmon and pasta with capers. tried to use a different type of vinegar this time, though. you gotta tell me if it sucks though, okay?"

MICHAEL EVANS BEHLING @ Giorgio Armani

oh wade

                    “   you’re   telling   me   one   of   my   pick - up   lines   is   obsolete   now   ?       woah   ,   thanks   a   ton   ,   jimmy   ,   ”       nia   quips   playfully   .       “   i   used   to   say   ,   ‘   is   your   name   sky   ?       because   every   time   i   look   into   your   eyes   ,   i’m   lost   in   an   ocean   of   blue   ’   .       no   wonder   it   never   worked   on   juno   .       guess   i’ll   have   to   be   more   scientifically   accurate   now   .   ”       //       @jamesluvsria

         "... you use pickup lines?"   it's tragically one of the few things he picks up on,  no pun attended,  before his eyes narrow.   "you friends with my moms? they tell you about jimmy? jesus. i told them i'm trying to create a brand! who's gonna want to hire a chef or model named jimmy?"   he adores their nicknames for him,  though.  just,  you know,  only when his moms are the ones using it.   "maybe she doesn't like 'em? what other techniques have you tried?"