honeysuckle.

(AIMEE LOU WOOD, SHE/HER, CIS WOMAN) careful, MALIA YOUNG has arrived to the city of dreams!! they look TWENTY-SIX years old and word on the street is they are from BRIGHTON, ENGLAND and currently reside in INWOOD. They are currently living life in the city as a KINDERGARTEN TEACHER / SUGAR BABY. one  thing they never want anyone to find out is SHE EARNS EXTRA MONEY BY BEING A SUGAR BABY. too bad nothing remains a secret for long even in the city of dreams. some people say they are SCATTERED, but i think they are CARING.

tw: family death, family illness, cancer

following a few spay and neuters’ for the morning, delilah had the rest of her day off. she was, of course, on call if any emergencies were to happen, but the schedule appeared to be just minor checkups that the tech could handle. following several more intense days, it was a welcomed change to have some free time. skyler was at school for a few more hours and she never really got much free time. it was one of the worst things about being a mom, she couldn’t enjoy time alone without feeling guilty. as she walked through central park, her work bag became rather heavy and she slowly felt her jacket fall off her shoulders. as she attempted to pull her jacket up, her bag fell to the ground with a thump, a few of her belongings falling out. “oh, sugar honey iced tea.”  she groaned in annoyance, attempting to gather the stuff she dropped. “oh, uh, would you mind handing me my planner beside you? i’m sorry, i don’t mean to be a bother,” she said to the person who happened to be walking by at the moment. her planner was pretty much her entire lifeline – containing her daily appointments and several pictures of her son, who happened to also be on the cover. delilah would be devastated if she ever lost it. 

-

surprisingly enough, malia had the day off. this happened very rarely on weekdays as she was usually at the kindergarten, but her bosses had noticed how much overtime she had been taking and had forced her to take a day off. not that she minded, really, since the money from her other adventures was just starting to get good, but malia certainly didn’t want to alert her kindergarten colleagues to the recent changes in her income, or they could figure out where it was coming from. 

whatever time malia had left over she wanted to spend with her dad, especially now that his mental and physical health just seemed to keep declining. gripping onto his arm just as she had done when she was a little girl, malia and him walked through central park together. however, it wasn’t quite the same. now it was him leaning for support from her. and he got winded quickly. malia glanced at her father and quickly realised this, sitting him down on the nearest bench. “c’mon dad, let’s have a little break, shall we?” malia hummed, sitting down next to him. but a woman dropping her bag just a few feet away from them made malia shoot straight up again, hurrying to her aid. “hi darling, are you okay there?” malia asked as she reached for the planner, her eyes focusing on the picture of a child on the front. “aw, he is so cute! is he yours?” she asked as she handed the planner back to the other woman, a soft smile on her lips.

“So…” the girl started as she looked at the person standing on the street. “I have to ask where you go that from?” she said pointing to the cup in the others hand. “I normally am not in this area, so I’m not sure where to go” the girl said with a shrug of sadness. “I feel like I am not myself without my cup of joe. That is the phrase right?”

-

malia glanced down at the cup in her hand, the steam of the hot drink floating into the cold air from the little hole on the lid. “well”, malia started, readying herself for the answer as she lifted her other hand up to steady her explanation. “it’s a bit of a long story. I’m normally not in this area either, and I took the bus but then I realised that the bus wasn’t going where I was going, and so I got off, but then I got so chilly and just had to dip into this small cafe”, the young woman went on, gesturing with her hands as she explained, her hot drink almost spilling to the ground. “but then it ended up being a weed shop, and I don’t really smoke that much, but I had already had a half cup of whatever they gave me, and so I kind of panicked a little and left and got on another bus. but then after like 10 minutes on the bus I really needed to pee so I got off and ran into just a random restaurant. and once I was done I realised I was feeling a bit... dizzy from my earlier drink and thought a normal cuppa would help! so I ordered one from that restaurant. and here I am!” malia finished, a pleased smile settling on her lips. however, the expression was quickly taken over by a look of worry as she examined the cup in her hand. “actually...” she took a little sniff of the liquid. “you know what, I didn’t even see a real coffee machine in that place. now that I think about it I think it may have been a tattoo parlour. they had an awful lot of needles lying around.”

yasmine was very much a performer to her very core, so much so that she absolutely refused to any show that her heart wasn’t in. tonight, just so happened to be in a smaller venue in harlem – the place where she loved performing the most. it helped that she was from there and had a good bit of fans who loved her work. she was, by no means, a household name and she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to be. big time fame came with way too many drawbacks and she certainly loved that she usually had privacy. with that said, seeing the venue packed from behind the stage filled her with excitement. following a few sips of her water and a couple deep breath, yasmine took the stage – immediately becoming yasmine the star.  “what’s up, harlem?!” she yelled into the mic as she sauntered onto the stage. yasmine performed a few different songs, all about personal experiences in her life, everything from love to loss to recovery. with each song, she put her all into it, hips swaying, voice projecting, and all the while providing the audience with her authentic self. as her set neared to an end, the music started to slow down to play her popular cover of ‘honey’ by kehlani. yasmine’s dark hues scanned the audience before landing on a woman closer to the front, an immediate magnetic feeling shooting through her. of course, yasmine was known to fall for a pretty face and this girl happened to be very beautiful. in a rather bold fashion, yasmine started to sing the song, eyes gazing longingly into hers for much of the song. 

“I like my girls just like I like my honey, sweet A little selfish, huh I like my women like I like my money, green A little jealous Oh, I’m a beautiful wreck A colorful mess, but I’m funny Oh, I’m a heartbreak vet With a stone-cold neck, I’m so charming, oh, oh La la la… Is it love all we need? Is it love?… The Beatles say prophecy is love Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti, is it love?… Love, do, do, do, do, do…” 

yasmine finished the lyrics with a wink directed at the blonde before ending her set officially.  “goodnight, harlem! make sure you check out my merch on your way out. the bars open ‘til 4am, so support your local bartender. love ya!” as the regular lights came on, yasmine wasted no time in exiting the stage and moving into the audience. she just had to know this girl’s name. “hey, so… sorry if that was a little odd. i like to involve the audience, sometimes. uh, i’m yasmine,” she said with a sweet smile, reaching her hand out to her. she didn’t show it on stage, but yasmine was a bit of a quiet person, so she knew there was a chance her charm faded as soon as the set ended.

-

the concert was good, malia thought, not exactly what she usually listened to but maybe she had been wrong in that. something about yasmine’s stage presence was gripping, and of course malia couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous she was. the whole room seemed to be entranced exactly like she was, like the person on stage was some ancient creature sent to sing for the mere mortals.

then, the music slowed down, and malia could see them scanning the crowd. and then, dark eyes on hers. malia had never experienced anything quite like it. sure, she’d been attracted to people - loads of people, really - and they had been attracted to her, but she had never really felt an energy like this. it was so strong, like if she wanted to she could reach out and grab it and be electrocuted by the mere tension of this person’s eyes locked in hers. as yasmine started singing, malia could say with certainty that she was being sung to. serenaded... is that what it was called? baffled, malia could feel her cheeks burning up and she tucked her lower lip behind her front teeth, not daring to break the eye contact. the lyrics were melting into her eardrums like nectar. they increased her heartbeat, and she swallowed hard. she could tell that she was being watched. no, they were being watched. together. 

it took her a little while to recover after the song was over, and she could hear people talking about her, the envy quite clear in their voices before the words were drowned out into the crowd as everyone settled into their normal conversations again. malia was looking for the friends she had arrived with, having lost them in the crowd, but as she turned around she was shocked to be staring into the same dark eyes as just moments before. “oh, hi!” malia said, her tone excited like she was meeting an old friend of hers. and in a funny way that’s almost the way it felt. like they’d met before, somewhere. but she couldn’t place it. “you were amazing.” the blush on her cheeks was just beginning to fade but yasmine’s words brought the heat right back to her face. they seemed a bit different like this, so up close. but malia found it to be even more intriguing, her eyes scanning the others’ face like she couldn’t quite get enough of it. “I... didn’t mind at all. I like participating. even though I’m not usually very good at it, I think.” malia let out a soft laugh when they introduced themselves, grabbing their hand with her soft palms and gently squeezing it with both of her hands. “oh, I know. I’m malia. it’s really lovely to meet you. you are so talented!” malia let go of yasmine’s hand, realising she must have been staring. “I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable, you’re just... probably the most gorgeous human being I have ever seen. I mean, you were gorgeous up there but... your skin. and your eyes...”

“so, did you go to the lovers bash the other night? if you happened to, please pretend you didn’t see me bust my ass in front of god and everyone. i was a little bit drunk,” she said with a smirk, masking the lie of what she was really under the influence of.  “so, i have to wear this brace on my ankle for a few more days and it’s not a look. other than that, i’m doing fan-fucking-tastic. enough about me, how are you?” she asked sweetly, turning her attention to the person beside her on the bench.

“oh, no, I didn’t actually!” malia didn’t want to let the other girl know that she hadn’t even known an event like that was going on. she was still on the outer on all things NYC, and though she normally didn’t mind others seeing her exactly as she was, things were a bit... different with nat. malia didn’t know how or why, but she felt like she couldn’t really tell her just about anything. she was happy that the other young woman was seemingly opening up to her, though, or making herself a little vulnerable at the very least. “I’m so sorry nat, does it hurt?” malia asked with genuine concern, tilting her head as she examined the ankle brace. “you make it look awesome though, I wouldn’t worry at all.” with a sweet smile she grabbed nat’s hand. “I’m just fine really”, she responded, stretching out the word ‘fine’ as she turned to observe the park. “had a long week, the kindergarten has been mental. I’m starting to suspect someone is dosing the kids’ morning porridge.” most people would take a statement like that as a joke, but malia’s tone held zero hint of humour. “do you think I should take it up with the authorities or something?”

Somewhere at Nolan’s back, clear across the room, the stage speakers played a mournful, dark cover of Black Magic Woman while one of the girls danced. Nolan found himself singing along while the bass rolled through him. His heart was still racing from his own set; he could hear his pulse in his ears.

Still, the adrenaline, the thrill of an audience, was much better than coke. Sometimes Nolan thought he might have more success dancing at a gay club, but the women (and men) who came out to Zephyr always made him feel pretty,

He stepped up to the kitchen window, nodded his thanks to the cook, and picked up a tray of fries. From there, he took a winding path back to the floor. 

Blue-and-purple lights slid over Nolan’s naked torso right on time for a song cue. “Bisexual lighting”, one of the girls had called it. Nolan had laughed, but then someone showed him the flag. He liked it, he decided. Everyone looked good in it.

Finally, he stopped at table three and its sole occupant.

“Here are your fries, Babe,” he greeted, setting his tray down. “My name is Parker. I’m taking over for Viv – she just went on her break. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”

He threw in a wink. How could he not?

-

during her time in the city of dreams, malia had been dragged to many places she never thought she would even think of visiting. but she was also extremely aware that she was not in a position to complain as she was the one enjoying luxuries and earning some cash by simply hanging out with someone. for her it was really a dream come true. and as a bonus, this club simply fascinated her. 

this was her first time at a strip club, and for the first half hour all she had done was wonder around the room with her mouth open, staring at the beautiful people and adoring their courage, as well as their little outfits. of course she had started a conversation with one of the girls, she was so curious to hear about their lives and their profession. after the girl left to do her set, malia turned back to look at her companion, alone at the table.

he must have ordered something from the kitchen, and she knew him well enough that he was expecting her to eat whatever he had ordered. so, as the waiter brought the food to the table she quickly made her way over. it took her a while to register the fact that she knew the face (and the body, less of course, they had never been involved in that way), but once she did, she let out a small squeal. “nolan!” of course she didn’t know if he’d like to be addressed this way at his place of work, but she was too excited to even think about that being a possibility. “oh my god, I’m finally seeing you at work! how are you! I’ve missed you!”

it was a smallish venue, but it was packed full to the brim. malia had heard some people in her group stating that the artist could have sold out whole arenas at this point, but malia wasn’t one to determine if that was an accurate piece of information or not. in all honestly, she wasn’t all caught up on american popular culture yet, and it made her feel a bit out of place. however, going to performances like these meant that she felt even a tiny bit more educated, which helped her social life significantly. tonight, she was with a large group, most of them friends of friends of friends, but malia didn’t mind. she thrived in situations like these - new faces everywhere, the loud chatter of the crowd making it difficult to hear what other people were saying, drinks being spilled on the floor. the woman was usually unbothered by things that would have made others anxious, which was really a blessing, but made her seem a bit strange to some - slightly detached from reality.

malia was chatting away with someone who must have been a huge fan of the artist - yasmine - almost enchanted by their passion for the music. she had never felt like that about anything, and for a moment her mind drifted to wonder why. then, the sound of feedback, and very soon after everyone around her was cheering. malia turned to look towards the stage, eager to see what this yasmine person looked like. once she did, the woman couldn’t help but let out a small “ wow “, which successfully drowned into the noise of the crowd. “ oh wow, she’s gorgeous. “

the apartment was busy, lights flashing in every corner of the large crowded room. an acquaintance of malia’s had invited her to the private party in the fancy apartment, but had disappeared on her almost as soon as she’d arrived, leaving the young woman alone with a boy who she assumed was the owner of the apartment. for some reason he must have assumed that she had been hired to wait on people and had simply shoved some beers and hors d'oeuvres into her arms before disappearing back into the crowd of people. struggling to hold the items in her hands, malia called for the person near her, a beer bottle dangerously close to falling out of from under her arm. “oh, shoot...“ she mumbled, then raising her voice slightly. “uh, help! the beer...”