ad astra per aspera

ANA DE ARMAS photography by Thomas Whiteside for GQ (July 2016)

FELICITY JONES | The Perfect Magazine [February 2025]

ezekiel laughed against her lips at the thought of him even attempting to bake, or even doing it shirtless. if that was something she wanted, he could remind himself when they weren't at her bakery to surprise her with something, even if he didn't bake it himself he could pretend like he did."no, i don't think you mentioned that." he muttered with a smile as he pecked her lips. "trust me, your clients will know that it's not done by you." if she wasn't busy, and if she wasn't making anything for her clients he knew he would take advantage of the moment. maybe something quick or at least teasing one another a bit more but for now he knew they didn't have as much time as he'd like. "you know i wouldn't mind if they did." he muttered against her skin as he let his lips trail down her neck once more. his teeth sunk into her skin gently, knowing he wasn't leaving too big of a mark, just enough that she might have to cover it up later. as he pulled back, he chuckled to himself and kept his arms around her waist, pulling her ever so closer to his chest. before he could go in for another kiss, he heard her timer start to go off and he couldn't help but chuckle and pull back slightly so she could hop down. "saved by the bell?" he teased and shook his head. "do you need any help getting them out of the oven?"

" oh really ? how inconsiderate of me " her manicured, knitted brows melted into something a little more mischievous as she sank into the warmth of his embrace. she couldn't resist the strength, perhaps the smallest voice in the back of her head rang back to her high school days where other girls clamoured for the most popular guys in their class whereas she preferred the indie incarnations who looked as if they hadn't showered for days. how the tables had turned. not she cared much especially when she could easily find herself wrapped up in his arms on any given day. " true but we could always pass it up to some kind of work experience program for seniors " she offered with a slight hint of a mischievous smirk. it wasn't enough that he was incredibly disarming in his physique but he held the monopoly on gentle self-deprecation as well. she held his gaze a little longer than necessary until his attention dipped towards her neck, taking full advantage of the mere minutes they had until the timer went off. her smirk soon turned downwards as they heard the light ding, inwardly cursing as they reluctantly let go of each other. " mhm, that would be handy thank you " sadie grinned, turning away from him slightly as she reached for the oven gloves. she bit her lip a little as she held them in her hands, leaning into his aura inch-by-inch. the cupcakes could've burned for all she cared, this was going to be more than worth it. trepidation reached her lips as she kissed him, fiercely and without interruption, gently pressing the gloves into his chest. " would you like to do the honours ? ".

usually kenny wasn't one to even entertain the dates that his friends had tried to set him up on. given his job, he didn't have the time to go out, let alone even start to get to know someone. finally he gave in, and as much as he hated to admit it, he enjoyed himself more than he thought he would. there was something between the two of them that seemed to click, and while he wasn't the type of person to bring a girl home like this, he was glad that he did. the next morning, he heard some stirring in his bed next to him and let out a yawn as he saw her try to sneak out of his apartment. a tired chuckle slipped his lips at her words and he couldn't help but to shake his head. "ah, i'm just seeing things huh?" he teased as he ran a hand through his hair. "you don't have to apologize… want me to just roll back over and pretend i didn't see anything?" kenny said with another chuckle and a small shrug of his shoulders. "should i also imagine what would happen if you stayed for breakfast?" he didn't know if he was pushing his luck, but he enjoyed spending time with nora. usually, he liked spending most of his time alone, but after their date he thought there might be something there. "i can make some pretty great pancakes, there's no imagining there." kenny said with another chuckle as he sat up against his pillows. "but if you have to go, i mean that's up to you." maybe he was looking into this a bit much, another reason why he was in no mood to date anyone. "you can borrow something if you want. i'm sure there's something around here you can use."

her cheeks burned red as soon as she heard his humorous response, quietly hoping he'd be able to look past her lazy excuses and see she was the genuine article. honestly sneaking out of someone else's apartment wasn't something she was necessarily proud of nor was it something she entertained unless she was sure there was a power imbalance of some kind between her and her prospective partners or that they'd been disappointed in her lacklustre performance. " no, that won't be necessary unless you're not seeing the most beautiful woman you've ever seen " eleanor assured him with a sheepish grin, tugging the edge of the unholiest of holey blankets until her shoulders were covered. she hadn’t known what to expect from the night before, her friends weren't exactly forthcoming with the details of who her blind date was so she simply trusted her judgement and hoping they hadn’t been in a cult or arrested for mass murder in recent years. luckily, for their friendship and her own sanity, the date proved to be successful in a cutesy, ' opposites attract ' sort of fashion. yet there was hardly anything adorable about the careless, quickfire way they threw caution into the wind and found themselves discovering a little more about each other's physicality. her grin soon shifted into a mischievous smirk as the mention of breakfast came into her thoughts. " you could, i wouldn't mind that at all — especially if there are pancakes involved " she smirked, struggling to hide the girlish, pink tint soaking her cheeks. did he have to be so obnoxiously charming ? especially so early in the morning ? still, even in such an extreme level of undress, she persisted, determined to prove she wasn't some shallow participant looking for the nearest exit. her defences dented a little, nora straightened her back as he made her yet another tempting offer. though this time she was determined to play a little herself. " oh so you're suggesting this lovely blanket isn't doing anything for me ? ".

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