𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬

" will you just listen to me please, andi? " braxton had been so convinced that she'd finally given up on the idea of pushing him away anytime he tried to protect her from trouble. anytime that he truly tried to get close to her. in braxton's mind it never mattered that she broke the rules when it came to the law. he saw her for more than any of her actions. andi is the only woman that braxton has truly allowed in past the tall walls that he'd built years ago. she saw him as more than just the son of an officer of the law. the one thing that braxton is completely sure about is the fact that he can't and isn't willing to lose andi. even if there is the slightest bit of guilt for lying to his old man, braxton will never allow andi to be caught for her crimes. he'd rather lie to his father, than to lose the one woman that he can say that he truly loves more than life itself. " i can't lose you. you've become my whole world, and a world of mine without you in it... it would be a dark and depressing kind of place. the aliveness i feel when we're together would vanish. just please let me protect you... "

he won't give up. it's something she realized long ago and it weighs so heavy on her shoulders because she wants him to finally understand that she's a mistake. maybe he doesn't see it yet or refuses to, but she knows it will all come back around and he'll regret her even worse than he realizes. swallowing thickly, hands lift to roughly rub over her face, feeling tears sting her eyes at every word he speaks. it makes her stomach drop because she loves him far too much. he might be the one person she never should have ended up falling for. "braxton, please." hands ball up into fists at her sides and she lets out a heavy breath, something of a sigh. it's so useless to even try because she can push all she wants—and she's damn good at it—but he won't give up on her. this man has a heart of gold and it beats for her the same as hers beats for him. "you'll regret this; you'll regret me." still, the hands at her sides lift to caress his cheeks and she lets out a shaky breath. "if your dad finds out, just promise me you'll give it up and let me go."

all she wants is for him to reach out and hold her again. the distance between them enough to make her feel cold. she smiles at his words, brightening the moment his arms coil around her waist. her gaze remains locked upon his expression, heart hammering hard against her chest. olive knew she loved him, with every fiber of her being she loved him. she hoped she could love him enough for the both of them. it would always break her heart that he didn't believe he was worthy. but it'd never be enough for her to pull away from him. all olive wanted was to love him wholly, to recognize how earnest her devotion to him was. "i don't want to live life without you, i refuse to, actually..." she whispers it, allowing her hand to cradle his cheek, thumb grazing against his jaw, leaning in to press a chaste kiss his mouth. she knew that there was nobody else out there who'd ever make her feel like he did. it was all-consuming. in a way that satisfied every inch of her; mind, heart, body and soul. "nobody makes me feel like you do. i love you more than anything."

the sweetest kiss brushes against his lips and it's the most olive thing ever. enough to snap him out of it, enough to drag him to this very moment where he has her and that's all that matters. it's even enough to make him believe he might be able to be better and see himself differently so long as he can do it through her eyes. with a tilt of his head, his mouth brushes along her jaw until he settles into the curve of her neck, nuzzling there as if it's where he belongs. "you refuse, huh?" the words vibrate against her soft skin with a gentle smile curling at his lips. "you can refuse all you want and keep me right here forever." in her presence, in her embrace, in the curve of her neck where he presses a few soft kisses along her skin. pulling back to meet her gaze seconds later, he looks at her like she's everything to him because she is. "i love you. i swear to god, i'm not leaving you again. no matter what happens, you're stuck with me, baby."

he hadn't ever needed anyone. a fact he'd prided himself on. yet in meeting tanya, he'd found someone that if he didn't need, he certainly wanted. it had scared him. this urgency to be around her, wondering what she was doing when they were apart, wishing that they didn't have to be. it was almost too much for the independent, stoic man to bear. so he'd ran. and the moment he'd started to run, he'd regretted it. but it always felt too late to turn back around. now he found himself getting drunk at parties that she was destined to be at, making a fool of himself over and over again. it wasn't him, but losing her had broken something inside of him, something that he'd wrapped up tight in tape when he'd lost his father, something that had already been so fragile, something that he felt so lost without. he looks at her, stunned as she pulls his hands from his face. he still felt ashamed; cheeks red with embarrassment. "i don't want t-" to ruin your night. he cuts himself off, aware it was a futile response. he knew not to argue with her when she was determined about something and deep down inside he wanted to be with her for longer, even if it was within the most humiliating moment of his life. "okay," he whispers softly, his tone barely above a whisper. this was a side of himself that nobody else got to see. all pretense dissolving by the second. "please...i'd like you to take me home."

half expecting him to be stubborn still and push her away, teeth clench when he starts to before hearing the way otto cuts himself off. it's enough to have her letting out a sigh of relief. at this point, she's too damn tired to argue with him, but she's stubborn enough to always do so and he knows it. that very well might have been one of those things that led them to losing what they had and she wouldn't put it past herself for being their downfall. god knows she's stubborn enough to push anyone away, including the one person she wanted the most. "okay," she whispers, repeating the single word as softly. her hands slip free from his to brush back the golden strands from his forehead. a man usually more put together than this seems like he's fallen apart and it makes her chest ache. one hand finds his to entwine their fingers together before she guides them along, not saying a single word for what feels like minutes as the cold breeze brushes by and she hopes it does wonders to sober him up. "do you want to tell me what the hell you were thinking?" murmuring softly, her head tilts to look up at him, refusing to let go of his hand just yet. "not a good night for you, huh?"

"don't lie to me," the blonde snaps, her voice cutting through the space between them. slender legs step closer, hoeneyd hues locked onto her best friend. "i went through his phone. he's been acting weird for weeks, he's barely even home, and i found the texts." she confesses, a hint of shame washing over her. this wasn't her. she had never done anything like that before, but she needed to know. "so i'm gonna ask you one more time, charlotte." taking a soft, weak breath, pearly whites bite into the inside of her cheek. "are you sleeping with my dad?"

bile rises back up at the way her best friend snaps at her. best friend. not anymore and she knows it, but this is her fault and her own doing, her own downfall. "you don't snoop." that's not serena, not the sweet girl her friend has always been. charlotte is the troubled one, the fuck up, the one who does what she shouldn't and that is what has brought them here. even as her head continues to shake like her life depends on it, crystal blue hues blur with tears as the truth sits between them. "i'm sorry."

CIERRA RAMIREZ via Instagram "It’s about to get bach sh*t crazy🙊💍🍸" (July 2025)

the touch is everything she'd known she needed. being without him had been hard and she'd wished for nothing else than an excuse to be alone with him again. perhaps it made her pathetic, but olive knew him better than she knew herself and she knew the reason why their relationship had come to an end. not because any feelings had diminished, but because quentin struggled to believe in his own worthiness. she watches him closely, unwilling to take her eyes off of him. she loved him with her entire soul and she wished that that was enough. she wished that him loving her in turn was enough, too. she wasn't sure it was, though. "that makes me happier than i can tell you," she whispers, there's a hint of disappointment evident within her tone. not because he loved her, but because he didn't love himself. "...but, you not liking yourself made you think you didn't deserve me, q. how can you be sure it won't...it won't make you think that again? it won't make you...leave me again?"

there's no denying that hint of disappointment in her tone and it makes his face drop all over again. because he knows where this is going, knows they've been here before, and knows she won't give up on trying to make him believe he's worthy. he's not and the thought has lingered for far too long to let a few nice words make him change that. his own father never being around and only skipping out to start a new family shifted something inside him long ago, making it so he never felt worthy of much. the problem is that he looks at her and wants to be. "come on." there's desperation in his tone, even as his hands slip away and slip into the pockets of his jeans. "i don't need to like myself, okay? i just need ... to be better and i'm trying." his hands slipping into his pockets doesn't do anything when there's already this need to reach out for her. "i'm not gonna fuck this up again," he mumbles, finally letting his hands reach back out to curl around her waist. even when he had grown accustomed to being on his own and not needing anyone, she's the one who came into his life and changed everything. "i won't leave you again. i love you enough that it's all that matters." / @lustfooled

he feels like a fool, even in the midst of his drunken haze. otto had been trying so hard to act as if he was okay. to pretend as if the breakdown of their relationship hadn't hurt more than he could bear. it wasn't often that he was like this. he was sarcastic, hard to read, cool, calm, collected...he wasn't this. not ever. yet tanya, his feelings for her, they were beyond anything else he was used to and yet they couldn't quite make it work. whether it be jealousy, or too many toxins filling his frame, he didn't know but he hated it, whatever it was. he exhales slowly, practically admitting defeat as he throws the other a glance. he smiles, timidly, shame hitting him even before the hangover has. "yeah, i-okay." he swallows hard, chewing at his bottom lip. "i'm uh...i'm sorry." eyes remain wet and red, the fact he'd been crying evident across every inch of his expression. cue the sniffle, as the palms of his hands press against his eyes, a futile attempt to rid them of the tears, of the red, of the obvious heartbreak that had fuelled his every action for the last...however long. "you can go back inside. i'll be okay. i'll uh - i can get myself home. i don't want to keep...ruining your night." / @moonwltches

hearing that sniffle cracks something inside her, making her freeze right where she stands without the ability to even look away from him. he's not this guy. calm, cool, sarcasm dripping from him with such ease. maybe that's what had first drawn her to him because she saw someone who seemingly let things brush off his shoulder with practiced ease and she needed that. the one thing she never needed was to fall in love with him. in some fucked up way, she didn't want it because it gave her mother everything the older woman wanted. finally, another child ready to settle down and be happy when she'd never wanted it for herself. but with him? it felt as easy as breathing air into her lungs. right now, breathing feels damn near impossible. "otto," she speaks his name, her tone low, even hushed. like speaking too loud will snap something in him or even her. she knew coming here was a mistake because seeing him wouldn't do her any good, but she wants to see him and wants to know he's okay. instead, she sees the guy she still loves who is nothing more than a drunken mess of jealousy and sadness that can't be hidden. tightening her jaw, she inches a step closer and hands lift to wrap around his in order to pull them away from his face. being gentle only ever comes easy with her siblings—though, that's still rare at times—but it's so easy with him at times that it scares her. "i'm taking you home," she murmurs with a sternness that lets him know she's not giving him a choice. / @lustfooled

her  jaw  tightens  at  the  nickname  he's  given  to  her.  she  wasn't  sure  what  evil  she'd  committed  in  her  last  life  to  have  been  landed  with  him  in  this  one,  but  she  assumed  it  was  a  worth  punishment.  "  yes,  yes,  i  know.  smile  and  pretend  i  like  you  in  public.  i  think  i  make  a  pretty  good  actress,  but  even  that's  going  to  be  a  stretch  for  me.  "  an  exaggeration,  yes,  and  honestly  there  had  been  some  moments  when  she  caught  herself  think  he  wasn't  actually  that  bad.  not  that  she'd  tell  him.  "  just  don't  take  them  out  in  broad  daylight  and  it'll  be  fine.  "

with a hum and a tilt of his head, he inches a step closer with arms crossing over his broad chest. "you'll have to do a little better and you know it. i can't exactly have my wife flinching away from me." then again, he understands why she does when she can't stand the sight of him most days. maybe his own arrogance is at fault for that. "they'll stay in a bed, behind closed doors with me until they are ready to sneak away. no one will ever know." not that he has any intentions of being with another woman. then again, he can't exactly tell her he hasn't since the day they signed those papers to officially become husband and wife. "i can be good and listen when i need to."

mika.abdalla climbing around in the American Eagle | Off Campus collection

"you haven't lost me yet. you haven't lost the day, either. it's still here. alive and kicking, raring to be enjoyed." he beams, his signature crazy little beam - but there's something within it that is reserved solely for her. hatter cared for her in ways he couldn't process properly. he'd lived here for as long as he could remember, nothing made sense here, yet she - this - it made perfect sense to him. he'd gotten so accustomed to being alone. sure, he had the march hare, but they were the same side of the same coin. they were practically sewn together. practically the same person. alice was different. she was the other side of the coin. the part that had been missing. from his life, from wonderland. though, deep down he knows he wouldn't wish this life on his worst enemy, let alone the woman that he...felt so deeply for. that he cared for more than was sane. he'd die for her over and over and over again. his hand raises to cup his own cheek, as if to check that she's right, that his head was still there. "that's a relief," the words fall brightly, as he saunters closer, same hand then coming to cup her cheek. "you still have your head, too." his smile shifts slightly, into a look of ultimate fondness. "had to double check. my eyes can play tricks on me sometimes, dear alice." / @moonwltches

watching the hand rest against his own cheek, as if checking to make sure he's still here and his head is perfectly in place, it's enough to bring a soft, almost innocent giggle from her. as the years have gone by, she's lost that innocence, lost a piece of her in this place that even she knows will never return. however, there's a piece of her that she gained and it's all because of the one standing before her now. the warmth of his hand pressing against her cheek as if holding her steadily in place while the world around her seems to rock with such ease, it also brings a warmth to her entire being and it's that feeling he offers her. something more than a harsh world full of insanity, something more than the drugs pumping through her veins, something more than wondering when it will all end. in some strange, uncertain way, he's the one who gives her that hope she lost long ago. a hand lifts to rest over his on her cheek, letting herself inch a step closer until their frames practically brush together. "your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, sweet hatter. i'm right here." as if to prove it to him even more, she leans close enough to brush a slow, soft, lingering kiss to his lips.

"  i  really  don't  care  who  you  talk  to,  who  you  see  or  who  you  fuck.  "  dalia  shrugged  though  it  was  far  from  her  idea  of  marriage.  she  was  trying  to  find  a  way  for  this  to  work  for  her  family.  and  well,  so  she  could  at  least  try  to  live  a  somewhat  happy  life  now  that  she'd  found  herself  shackled  to  them.  "  keep  your  lovers  around,  bring  them  home.  it's  not  like  any  of  this  is  real.  "

"well, that's great. i'm glad we're on the same page here, princess." not that he plans to do any of what she suggests, even if the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips makes it seem like he will. the truth is his attention has been solely on her for longer than he cares to admit. even if she hates him, even if she wants nothing to do with him, the two of them being stuck together is some kind of strange convenience that lets him stay closer to her. "even is this isn't real, it still needs to look real. don't forget that."

a smile carves at her lips the moment that his hands hold onto her wrists, appreciative of the contact. she'd missed it, she'd missed him in so many ways she couldn't put into words and she didn't want to be without him. not if it could be helped. not if he wanted to be with her, too. "i know you love me," she admits with practiced ease, allowing her fingertips to trail along his wrists. "...but i also know you don't love yourself." she speaks delicately, almost tentatively. anxious that she's saying too much, that she's being too much. so many people in her life had made it clear to her that that was exactly how they viewed her. not quentin, never quentin but that doesn't mean there's still not time for that to change. she hopes it won't. he's seen her in so many different ways, has seen her on her best and worst days and he still loved her...that had to count for something. for everything. "you don't think you're good enough. you who...i've always felt so safe around, so seen and heard by, the one person who makes me laugh until my belly hurts." she smiles, it's genuine, but there's a slight sadness laced within it. "to love me properly, you have to love you too..." / @moonwltches

god damn. this woman has been able to see him better than anyone else throughout the years. it's as frustrating as it is comforting to know she's the one who cares, but he wonders if it's a little too much at times. because as much as he does love her, there isn't a single part of him that believes he deserves her love in return. "liv." her name slips past his lips before a sigh follows. hues drop down to look at their hands, seeing the way she holds onto his with the same urgency that he holds onto hers. it's as if neither of them is willing to let go again, even if he knows better than to believe he's worthy of holding onto her. still, thumbs brush slow circles over her wrists with his gaze slowly lifting to see that love in her eyes. "it's not that easy and you know it." brows furrow and he gives a gentle tug to pull her a little closer. "i love you and that's all i need, okay? i don't need to love myself or even like myself. but you? loving you is the easiest fuckin' thing i've ever done."

"are you sleeping with my dad?" / @moonwltches liked this for a starter . ♡

"why would you ask me that?" pushing down the bile that threatens to rise up, her head quickly shakes. "no. of course, i'm not."

(c)

hayes campbell