purple rain

just don't show up in a helmet or fencing-looking mask like katy perry did this year and that one dude did last year. that shit looks so cheap. being mistaken for the wait staff would have me going home and rethinking not only my fashion choices but also my entire life. i should be around next month, for sure. what premiere are you coming here for? i'll crash it. i'll def be here so bring that pipping hot tea with you. i'll be waiting.

Oh no, if I ever turn up to the Met Gala dressed like I'm either about to rob a bank or challenge someone to a duel, I need you to pull me aside immediately, never let me attend an event, ever again. The third Enola Holmes installment. I'm very much hoping we do get a LA premiere, and then you're more than welcome to crash it, though. I'll send you all the particulars. Will do. Don't worry, I'll bring the tea piping hot and freshly brewed. You're going to get the full report whether you like it or not.

we are, but i wouldn't want to be an idiot with anyone else but you, mills. and of course, you know you couldn't get away from me at least checking in on you, if not accosting you during trips like the napa one! though i feel like i had a good reason, solely to tease you over finn. i'm really excited for the project, especially with them slowly releasing information about it so i can actually talk about it. it's difficult keeping it all to myself! at least the falling out of touch with people ends up being a temporary thing, at least if i'm lucky. i know, and i tell sadie that all the time, that she's an incredible actress. here's hoping she actually believes us one day. i certainly didn't want to miss it, and i'm still hoping i can make it for closing night, too. and perfect, you know you're welcome on set anytime, and i promise we'll all treat you like royalty.

Which sounds about right! I was actually dreading going on that trip because I had a feeling you were going to give me no end of grief over it. And, unsurprisingly, I was right. In fairness, though, it would've been suspicious if you'd not found a way to bring it up. Be careful with all this info you're releasing. You're one accidental slip-up away from ending up in one of those studio sniper memes. Life just has a habit of getting in the way every now and then, but it's a good thing it's only for a while. She should believe it, though. If enough people whose opinions she actually respects keep telling her the same thing, eventually she's going to have to accept that she's as good as we say she is. I think I might have to make my way over there soon if I'm going to be getting the full royalty treatment.

finn smiled down at millie with that soft, boyish grin that always seemed to appear only for her, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand as they stood in the hallway. he gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze, pulling her a little closer to his side as they started walking toward the elevator. "honestly? let them gossip." he said quietly. "i don't care who sees us anymore. i spent way too long pretending there wasn't something real between us. if people want to talk about me flying across the country and taking you on a rooftop date… let them. as long as i get to hold your hand like this and call you mine, they can say whatever they want." he glanced down at her, eyes full of affection as he watched her play with his fingers. when she leaned her head on his shoulder in the elevator, he tilted his head to rest gently against hers, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. "you look beautiful, by the way. i meant what i said earlier, you could wear anything and i'd still think you're the prettiest girl in any city."

Finn sounded so sure of himself. Sure easy for him to say, Millie thought. But it was funny how comfortable his surety felt even that little bit. She didn't pull away as he rubbed his thumb over her fingers as he pulled her against him, when she tried to force herself to think about things beyond what she was capable of handling. "I love that you say that," she said quietly, softer than she had intended for her voice to be as she rested her head on his shoulder, his familiarity with each beat settling her nerves somehow. The thought of him always claiming her in some small part of himself doing something weird and sweet in her chest and him saying she looked beautiful as she exhaled a puff of air that wasn't quite a giggle as she squeezed his fingers more tightly and focused on their hands. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say so we could argue that that's 'cause you like me," she whispered, not releasing his hand. No less true was the fact that his words took her breath away, everything that he said seemed to hit home too perfectly without a hint of defense. "You're the most handsome lad in the Big Apple tonight, babe. And you should totally let this get to your head."

I decided to give grocery delivery a try today and I think it's the last time I ever do it. I ordered Salsa and some boxed spanish rice since my mom and I didn't want to make our own, they gave breakfast sausage instead of those two items. Have you ever had a bad expierence with a grocery delivery service? @limelightblvdstarters

That happens way more often than it should. I've definitely had orders arrive missing half the things I actually needed, which somehow always ends with me making an emergency trip to the shop anyway. It kind of defeats the purpose of grocery delivery when you still have to leave the house to finish your grocery delivery. Did they at least refund you for it, or you didn't even bother filing a complaint?

i know it's months away but just in case you were searching for a halloween costume, consider this - a combination of millie alcock and bobby brown. maybe a little controversial with the bobby brown part but the points for creativity might outweigh everything. @milliebubbybrown

Wait, combine it how? I was going to ask why the Bobby Brown part is controversial, but then I realised I can't think of a single moment in my life where there hasn't been some kind of controversy attached to it, so I'll just say you're so right!

I know Im a 'got all your bases covered' kind of girl for my friends. A caretaker as some might say. Right? Usually such a stringent 10pm go to bed type person but hanging out with Paul, living with him now Im like sleep can wait it's much more interesting staying up doing nothing even. Really? never before with the aliens?

Does that mean we're friends then? I get what you mean about the sleep thing. Staying up way too late doing absolutely nothing with your person feels more appealing than getting a sensible night's sleep. No, aliens have never really been my thing. I've seen a few documentaries over the years, mostly when I was living with my parents and my dad had the History Channel on, which somehow always seemed to be alternating between World War II, ancient civilisations, and theories about extraterrestrials building everything.

i'm glad to know that. each experience made me who i am so changing any of that would make me too different. i'd face anything from my past even if it was a struggle to do so at the time. I do as well. Like at the end of the day, I'm just a normal guy who gets to perform and sing for a living. I do things others do and I'm glad people realize that at the end of the day. Exactly. There are days I just wanna do things without a camera in my face. They really do and I'm impressed as well as a bit weirded out. It's odd. Though the ones who find picture of you as a child you didn't post, those people scare me. Yes, very impressive since I will never understand how they find out.

Yeah, and I think that's probably the healthiest way of looking at it. Even the difficult parts end up becoming part of the foundation, don't they? Right! At the end of the day, we're still just people trying to live our lives, see our friends, go for coffee, do boring errands, and have the occasional day where we don't feel like being perceived by half the internet. There are definitely days where I just want to leave the house looking like I've made absolutely no effort and not have that become a topic of conversation somewhere. Oh, right. It's honestly surprising what people manage to find sometimes. They'll post a photo of something and I'll be sitting there thinking, "I completely forgot I even owned that." Meanwhile it's been buried in a cupboard or tucked away in some random corner of the house for years.

what the hell is "soft girl" by florence by mills, and why is my five year old daughter asking me to buy products from that brand? i swear kids somehow discover trends faster than adults do. one second she's watching cartoons, and the next she suddenly has opinions about skincare and clothes. i feel like i'm losing control of my own house. @milliebubbybrown

It's only the best perfume there is in the whole wide world... just kidding. That's the cutest thing ever and it has just improved my day dramatically. I fear your house may no longer belong to you, Zayn. The fact she even knows the brand exists kind of melts my heart a little, can't lie, I'm too soft for kids. If she wants a whole package, with different products even if she won't use them, I'll send it over. Has she started reading yet? A personalized letter is on its way!

finn stood in the middle of the suite, heart still racing from everything they'd just shared, a smile playing on his lips as he listened to millie moving around in the bedroom area. he rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks still faintly flushed from calling her "baby" out loud for the first time. "i know it sounds insane." he called back. "but the second i realized how much i missed you, nothing else mattered. rehearsals, shows, all of it could wait. i just needed to see you." he let out a quiet laugh when she mentioned still being nervous around each other. "good. because yeah, you still make my stomach flip every single time you look at me like that. i don't think that's ever going away, and honestly? i don't want it to." when she teased him about jealousy and said she'd only have eyes for him, finn felt another flutter in his chest. he leaned against the wall near the bedroom entrance, arms crossed, fighting the urge to peek even though he'd promised not to. "i believe you. still doesn't stop that little jealous part of me from wanting you all to myself tonight."

Honestly, Millie couldn't actually believe that Finn had expected her to be able to take any other interest whatsoever and at the thought that he only wanted her for himself, she could feel her face flushing, although perhaps that had something to do with rushing about getting ready as quickly as she had. It was a small comfort that her make-up from when she'd been out was still on; there was absolutely no chance of getting it sorted out now. She let herself be pulled in and kissed again and then for only a split second, resisted before melting against his lips and letting out a little laugh as if she still couldn't believe how easily he had swept her away. When he finally drew back enough to take a breath, her forehead still resting against his, she let out a quiet little breath against him, and smiled as she admitted, "Well, you know about the plan already so you're clearly far more ready than I am," she said looking him from head to toe, and she put a sweet, little face on as if she was more hurt at him for not telling her than anything and squeezed his hands tightly. She had a quick look at her reflection and then turned back to him, tugging her jacket straight with perhaps more authority than she felt, "More than ready," she grinned a little wickedly at him and threaded her fingers with his, "you're big enough to wrap around me and keep me warm and so it'll have to do," and she tilted her head up to him.

and that's exactly why i think this friendship works, because neither of us knows what we're doing most of the time. excuse me, i'm warning you because i'm a very protective brother who is not emotionally prepared for a lot of things, and if you complain about it, i'll warn you another million times. since when did this conversation become about me? and yes, i like meeting people who have good hearts and are honest with me. if i feel something strange coming from someone, i'd rather just distance myself. it's way too early for us to be talking about that, millie, shush it.

Definitely, we're just kind of figuring it out as we go and hoping it makes sense later. Feel free to warn me as much as you want, I'm ready to hear everything. A friendship goes both ways, though, so I need to know what's happening in your life too, especially in the love life department since we're already on the topic. I'm not letting you dodge that question that easily. Well, it doesn't have to be serious or anything like that, she can be making you happy just fooling around too, right?

I think you can't dwell on that too much, baby girl. If you do then you're just going to be over thinking too much and maybe changing how your relationship could be. Trust me on that one as a chronic overthinker. I've already learnt a little not to do that with my relationship. I'm rooting for the two of you, honestly. Whenever you make it official - please let me know. You mean we were both in New York for work things and didn't meet up? That's fucked. We need to sync our calendars or something, for real. So we know these things.

Thank you for saying that, 'cause it's much easier knowing I'm not alone in it. I have a tendency to overthink things into the ground, but I swear I'm trying to be better about not spiralling too much and just letting things unfold as they should. And you'll be of the first people to know, that's for sure! I think that was the case, which I hate because I'd have loved to see you, baby. It's honestly ridiculous when you think about it, we somehow managed to completely miss each other being in the same vicinity. That's actually criminal behaviour. We definitely need to sync calendars or something properly, like full-on operation coordination, because clearly "we'll just see if we're around" is not working for us at all.

millie! i miss you terribly and unfortunately for everyone else around me, i’ve made that their problem too. every mildly sentimental thought i’ve had this week has somehow turned into “wow, i should text millie.” it’s actually a little concerning how quickly my brain associates random things with you now. i’ll see a chaotic dog video, a sparkly dress, a badly iced coffee, or literally anything pink and immediately think, “millie would have something to say about this.” so really this is your fault for becoming woven into the fabric of my daily life like this. ( @milliebubbybrown )

My love!! I miss you so bad. And this might genuinely be one of the cutest things anyone has ever said to me, by the way. I'm obsessed with the fact I've apparently become your personal point of reference for pup videos, pink objects, and iced coffees. That feels exactly right. But trust me, it goes both ways! I'll see the most random things during the day and immediately think, "I need to tell Maya this immediately." So unfortunately for everyone around me, they've also had to deal with me talking about you. You really have woven yourself into my daily life too, and now I fear we're both stuck like this forever.

this might sound a little funny because i don’t think we’ve ever actually formally met, but i have to say it anyway. i’ve watched what you’ve built with florence by mills from afar, and there’s something really beautiful about seeing someone create something that feels so personal, soft, and completely their own. it gives me that weird older sister kind of pride, like i want to stand in the corner clapping and saying, “look at her go.” i know people see the pretty packaging and the cute moments first, but building a brand takes so much heart, patience, and trust in yourself. so even if this is technically me introducing myself, it’s also me saying i’m proud of you. and now that i’ve made this emotional before we’ve even properly said hello, hi. i’m isabelle. ( @milliebubbybrown )

Oh my God, you might actually be the cutest human being alive. I'm emotional before we've even properly met. First of all, hi Isabelle, and second of all, thank you, truly. That means so much coming from you, especially because you understood exactly what I always hoped people would feel from Florence by Mills. I really wanted it to feel personal and comforting and a little soft around the edges, not just another celebrity thing thrown out into the world. This weird older-sister pride for me is going to stick with me for a very long time because that's such a lovely thing to say. There really is a lot of vulnerability in building something that reflects you so personally and then letting the world have opinions on it. So thank you for seeing that part too! And for the record, I already adore you a little for making our first interaction simultaneously a formal introduction and a heartfelt pep talk.

i don't even try to understand what the hell goes on inside my mind because i already know it's all incredibly confusing, and half the time i don't even understand myself. but i'm glad you two finally talked about feelings and all of that stuff, that's really important in a friendship and in a potential relationship too. i know i'll survive, but like i've told you a million times, you're my little sister, and i need to get used to the idea of you having a boyfriend someday (soon? i'm freaking the fuck out). yeah, we started talking, and i realized she's genuinely a really good person with a kind heart, and when i saw her in napa, i was really happy. yeah, maybe… i don't know. she makes my heart race, okay? shut up.

That makes two of us when it comes to not understanding ourselves. Even if it takes a little while to get used to the idea, I'm sure you'll get there eventually. You've only warned me about the "little sister with a boyfriend" crisis about a million times now, so I’ve had plenty of preparation for your inevitable emotional breakdown. And wait, no, that's actually really cute. The way you talk about her already says everything. The fact you noticed how kind-hearted she is before anything else? That's adorable. Oh, you've got it bad. You deserve that happiness, babes.

finn thought his heart might stop when she kissed him like that. the feeling of her hands gripping the front of his jacket, the way she leaned into him like she wanted to close every remaining inch between them, completely unraveled him in seconds. his own hands tightened instinctively at her waist as he kissed her back, pulling her closer without even realizing he was doing it, because after days in napa of slowly learning what it felt like to have her this way, the idea of distance suddenly felt unbearable. he could still taste her lipstick faintly when she pulled back just enough for him to breathe again, forehead resting against his, and for a moment finn forgot about the rooftop entirely. forgot about new york buzzing outside the hotel windows, forgot about the reservation he'd spent hours obsessing over, forgot about literally every coherent thought he'd had before she opened the door. all he could focus on was the fact she was smiling at him like this. her tiny laugh against his mouth made something warm twist painfully in his chest, because he knew then he was completely done for. "you have no idea how nervous i was coming here." he admitted quietly, eyes flicking between hers while his thumbs brushed little movements against her sides. "i spent the whole flight convincing myself you were gonna look at me like i'd lost my mind for flying across the country just to take you to dinner." he laughed. "and honestly? maybe i have. but you standing here looking at me like that is making it feel pretty worth it."

She could practically feel the pulse of his heart against her, uneven and fast against her own and somehow that was even better than the kiss. The pressure of his hands on her waist tightening around her, instinctively pulling her closer and she almost couldn't help but arch into his touch. "Well you're insane for this. But I have to say I absolutely loved it. I was certain that you'd be either in rehearsals or prepping for your shows, or literally doing anything other than flying across the country for me". Her eyes softened when he admitted he was so nervous, an unbearable sweetness settling onto her features. "I really hope the nerves are gone. Although honestly, you make me nervous too and I think that's never going to change", she whispered, thumb rubbing back and forth against the fabric of his shirt. And then he called her baby. She felt a tiny flutter in her chest. Millie wasn't used to it; they weren't used to them being… this yet whatever 'this' was becoming. "Jealous?" She asked out loud, a smile formed in her lips. "I would still only have eyes for you if the entire city was staring at me, so." It was only when he reluctantly gave her an ultimatum and told her to go change, did she release him with another big grin. "Fine", she dramatically sighed though she was still nowhere near letting go. "I hope I packed something for a sophisticated NYC rooftop date". And then she burst into genuine laughter as he clamped his eyes shut and promised he wouldn't look and stepped back towards the bedroom area, "You don't have to do that, you know. I mean you wouldn't see anything you haven't seen already."

PRIVATE: i, um.. didn't think it would be that easy to get this information out of you, so i wasn't exactly prepared. but that was pretty much the information i was trying to "drag" out of you, if you can even call it that at this point. props for being honest, mills. you know, he seems pretty smitten with you, so if you feel the same then who cares about the principle of it? isn't your partner supposed to be your best friend? double dates weren't exactly the reason i wanted to confess my feelings for her, but you know, perks, i guess? but i've decided i'm going to tell her. what's the worst that could happen? i lose her as a friend.. do i need a brown paper bag? shit..

PRIVATE: Well, I kind of knew you already knew from the way you were talking about it, so it's not like I could really lie to you anyway, right? And I don't mind telling you, people would've figured it out eventually one way or another. Yeah, that's exactly what I thought too. He's genuinely been my guy best friend since we were kids, even while everyone around us kept trying to force this whole "you should be together" thing before we'd even figured out what we were ourselves. You absolutely do not need a brown paper bag! Don't spiral on me now. Maybe she feels the same way. I have a very hard time believing this is going to go as badly as your brain is trying to convince you it will.