last words famous

she looked at him and moved her head to the side. “fine, i appreciate that.” she comment as a soft smile was formed on her lips. “so there was this guy saying he wants me to tattoo his mommy on his left hip, the dude was something like our age.” she said as she started to walk with him. “he said he was the love of his life. so i asked him that’s it’s so nice that he loves his mom so much and then he winked at me and said not that kind of mom, my suger mommy kind of mom. and i was like ‘Oh’ and just wanted to finish it.” she added her story. “i think you should, but don’t rush it– take your time to think about what you want to do.” she replied to his question looking at his arms. yes, definitely gonna fit him she was thinking about it and bit her lower lip.

How was it that the two really worked that well together? Where Hazel was lacking, Griffin was able to make up for it; and vice versa. It was almost as if there was an unwritten rule or something that they had that made it work. If the children didn’t already make Hazel excited and ready to go to work, Griffin definitely was the other portion. “I made the right choice,” she restated after him. “I suppose I did. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. Best three years of my life,” she admitted. The children really were part of her saving grace. Being able to help shape young minds was everything to her, and she was grateful for the experience too. “I lost my insanity many years ago, Grif. Trust me – it really isn’t all that and a bag of chips,” she shook her head, remembering back to her time hospitalized. Hazel looked at him, almost with a blank and empty stare at his comment. “You’re not serious, are you?” She paused, leaving a minute of awkward silence between the two of them fill the air. “– My mom used to sing that to me when I was growing up. She would sing me to sleep with that every night,” she finally confessed. “So no, not cheesy.”

“You were very blessed, darling. That jawline though –,” she formed a ‘perfect’ hand gesture with her fingers. “– Gorgeous,” she smirked, even a few giggles followed shortly after. “Everything to me is like the ‘I accept these terms and agreement’. I don’t know about you, but you’ll never find me reading the fine print of anything,” she confessed as she continued to laugh. Hazel jumped off the counter where she was sitting moments before so she could go and flicker on the second set of lights, noticing that the small children were starting the groggy face of waking up from their naps. “They don’t like me more, Grif. They just love when I sing to ‘em. Completely different. They don’t tell me everything,” she shook her head. She may or may not have been messing with him, since the kids were definitely filling her in on things here and there. But she wasn’t about to blow her cover. 

Hazel gave him a soft stare down, “See – I told you. Not a physical person. Plus, if it means anything, I’m glad that you’re not. I’ve had too much of that in my life. Hence why I’m the brawns in our dynamic duo that I didn’t even know we were,” she teased. “Kidding,” she said quickly after, referring to the part about them being a dynamic duo. “Firecracker,” she repeated. “Huh – never been called that before. I like it,” she looked at him for a brief second. She then turned her attention back to the kiddos. “Alright friends – everyone to the tables. Snacks are a’comin’!” she said with a traditional voice that you’d find most people talk to children with. “And no snacks for you until they all get theirs,” she played. 

he had to agree with her. working at the daycare had been the best experience of his life so far. it was easy to love your job when the people surrounding you were as supportive as they were. “even if you’re stuck dealing with my shenanigans all day?” griffin teased, a smile radiating on his face. giving her a hard time just came with the job description. as she spoke of her mother also singing the song, his grin grew wider. when he was a child the song had been the only way to calm him to sleep. now that his mother was no longer in the picture it was one of the few good memories he had. “my mom was the same. when she was still around it was a ritual. it’s one of the only memories i really have of her.” he had been too young to remember much else, despite the fact that she was living her life in california without her children.

“i know it must be hard to resist me but jeez, hazel, there’s children in the room,” griffin shot right back at her. glancing towards the sleeping mats on the other end of the room, griffin wanted to make sure they weren’t actually being that loud. “that’s where they hustle you. i wonder how many online services you’ve sold your first born to.” it wasn’t as if he was an expert. did anyone read fine print before agreeing? leaning back against the counter once all of food prep was done, griffin gave a warm smile towards the kids who seemed to be registering their surroundings. “your voice is beautiful, it’s hard not to get entranced by the sound.” 

“you live really far away from my apartment griff.” she replied. “you don’t have to do this.” she said as she shook her head. it was always nice to see griffin sometimes, seeing him brought so many good memories to her mind. walking around with kim won’t let his head clear for sure.

“But it’s still going to be weird… Okay, but let’s go!” Jamie said as he started walking, following Griffin, but when he turned to see if Jinx was following him, he noticed that she wasn’t moving at all. “Oh, c’mon! She isn’t moving, she doesn’t want to go with me… How am I supposed to take care of my child if she doesn’t even listen to me?” Jamie said as he shook his head, sighing. “Maybe you take her…”

“oh my god grif.” she said, he could tell that she was very happy to see him. “it’s kind of crazy yeah? but i was late to the last bus, i forgot to charge my phone so my phone died and i really thought that i’m not gonna make it home today.” she replied out of breathe. “sorry..” she said as she scratched the back of her neck.

Taking a long yet soft glance at Griffin’s face, she was immediately swallowed into his gaze, stopped by the light that hit his orbs just right. Her smile slowly painted itself across her lips and created large fine lines for that period time. While unflattering in most circumstances, she was genuinely happy in Griffin’s presence. A silent laugh moved through her mouth on her smile, “I see your face, Grif. And of course, it screams cuddle monster,” she stated in a playful tone. Although, if she were to be honest with herself, he really did have a strong cuddle face. She couldn’t give into him that easily by agree, now could she? She formed a pout on her lower lip while she cupped one of his cheeks, “You’re the sweetest, Griffin McKnight. What did I do to deserve you in my life?” she removed her hand from his cheek so she could gesture blowing a kiss in his direction. “Seriously, thank you. Your good deed will not go unnoticed,” she added. Hazel pulled her hair out of the ponytail that was fallen down the back of her head only to fix it into a messy bun. Afterwards, she made her way to the sink to wash her hands. “Somewhere over the rainbow, huh? Wow…,” she said quietly, nodding. 

Knowing very well that Griffin was just putting on a show, she couldn’t help but chuckle and roll her eyes. “Well, I didn’t tell you to be tall and strong like a tree – You’re basically a walking jungle gym for these beans,” she exclaimed, motioning towards him with her hands. “Of course we’re friends. But taking care of you wasn’t listen in my job description,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at him. Hazel hung her head towards the floor, shaking her head with a large grin on her face. “I wouldn’t expect them to say anything else. Guess that’s what I get for telling them that I was supposed to be a music teacher. But yeah, Miss Hazel definitely knows,” she agreed. 

Hazel nudged the other at his comment, “Oh my lanta. Don’t be so full of yourself,” she said jokingly. The brunette walked away from the other momentairly so she could started with the dim lights, beginning the signal for the kids to start getting up. “I’ll let her down easy,” she said softly as she made her way back over to Griffin to finish up snacks. 

While the male began explaining in greater depth his experience at Springfest, Hazel pulled herself up onto the empty counter space, allowing her legs to slowly dangle underneath her. “Well you certainly had a rather eventful Springfest, huh? Bet you weren’t expecting to tend to a kitten and take her home, were you?” she asked curiously. “I can’t wait to meet her,” she added. Her eyes widened, “I’m sorry Griff. I don’t mean to be rude but, there’s no way you’ll hurt anyone,” she paused as he made his comment about giving the other a stern talking too. “Yeah, definitely sounds more like you. – I think there’s a better chance of me throwing hands than you,” she stated firmly. 

this had began as playful banter but griffin refused to deny hazel what she needed. he was her friend, first and foremost. if she needed help with even the simplest of tasks then he would be there. a smile formed on his face as he hand met his cheek. “you made the right choice of employment opportunities, of course,” he teased back at her. “otherwise i’m sure my insanity would be long gone by now.” he loved his coworkers but hazel made everything easier. when the kids were unruly, she was there to help him get them in line. the others just left him to his own devices. “i know, it’s a cheesy song. my mom used to sing it to me so it’s just always stuck.” 

“that’s just genetics. it’s not my fault i was blessed,” he joked, looking down at his own figure. yeah, she was right. the kids knew he could withstand their climbing. otherwise, he doubted they would put themselves in danger nor would he allow them to do it. “it was in the fine print. you really gotta read all of the contract.” he couldn’t help but chuckle as he thought back to the children refusing to tell him anything about music time. they refused to let him in the know and it was almost hurtful in a wounded puppy sort of way. “when did they begin to like you more? just last week they told me everything. only little jeremiah remains loyal.”

she bit her lip as she started walking to the vegetables area. “i have something in mind and you might like it.” she said pointing at the vegetables. “have you ever tried a sweet potato salad?” she asked him. she knew it’s not super healthy but she didn’t have one for a while. "you’ll need cherry tomatoes, lettuce, onions, kalamata olives. There are also yellow cherry tomatoes that add a sweet flavor to it.“ she said. "And of course sweet potato. after that we’ll go to the cheese section and there you will get bulgarian cheese.” She told him with a smile. “it’s not hard to do that and it’s really tasty.” she added. 

“Thank you for clarifying,” snorted the brunette. “Anyway, I applaud you for your work. Kids are walking petri dishes so I’d imagine your immune system is killer at this point. How long have you worked there?” As she was given confirmation that the stranger wanted the coffee, she handed it over gratefully. “I’m Gianna. Hope you like caramel.”

“ugh.” not the best day for our girl kim. she was trying to get to the last bus to her home from work but she got late. “great, now i’m gonna have to walk all the way home in the dark.” she said with a sigh. putting her hands on her waists thinking what to do. she opened her wallet to see if she has a bigger change for a cab but she shook her head as she saw that her wallet is empty. @shstarters​

If anyone else attempted to have this conversation with Hazel, she would immediately believe that the only reason that they were saying anything was just to use her in some way, mainly to have sex with her. But hearing the words move through Griffin’s mouth, she entertained the idea inside her head. He wasn’t like everyone else, right? If he said that he would help her out, he really would. Wouldn’t he? Wasn’t he just a friend? Friends cuddle, right? All while she pondered and danced so many questions in her head, finally, she nodded and agreed. Although, now, was the offer rhetorical or was he really offering. “Sold –, and on my end, if you are able to get me to sleep, I’ll bake you anything your heart desires as a token of my appreciation,” she mentioned. The deal wasn’t bad at all: cuddles, a song, and tea? It sounded perfect. “Although, I’ve got the admit. I wouldn’t peg you to have strong cuddle game, Griff,” she confessed. “You have a signature song you sing – y’know, like one you think you sound the best singing?” 

Hazel covered her mouth with a shake of her head, taken over by joy. The stories that the employers of the day care could tell made the woman light up more than she thought could ever be possible. She smiled underneath the cover to her mouth, slowly peeling her hand away now. “That really doesn’t surprise me he did that, by the way. And me? Singing? You can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll chime in. I love singing with the kiddos,” she stated excitedly. Before Hazel’s life was totally ruined and taken over by her mental health years back, she had a dream to teach music to children. So, when she was told that there was a possibility of singing as part of the job, it didn’t steer her away one bit; if anything, it drove her home. “Did they request anything?” she inquired. 

“Of course I’m accusing you of breaking her heart,” she restated after his comment, giggling. “It’s alright, you know – I’ll let her down for you. I’m sure I can make something up. Oh, maybe you can have a crush on someone else – OR  you could have a girlfriend already?” she flagged her brows. “That might get her off your tail,” she mentioned. Hazel shook her head at Griffin’s foolery, “Stop sleeping on mats made for small children,” she reminded him instantly in a joke, grinning. Hazel watched as Griffin grabbed the other items for the children’s snack time – glad to have someone who was taller to get to the places that she could reach. 

“Why did you bring Jinx to Springfest?” she shook her head in shock, but moreso confusion than anything else, canting her head to the side and placing one hand on her hip like a concerned mother would. Once she realized the stance she took, she removed her hand and returned it into the pockets on her hoodie and leaned against the counter as she sighed. “So much drama but hey, at least it doesn’t revolve around me,” she mentioned, trying to look at the brighter side of the situations she was in. And then, she could control the fit of giggles in that moment when Griffin offered to beat someone up for her. Hazel nudged him, “C’mon, let’s be real. You’re too afraid to say no to these kids and you made us let the spider go outside instead of letting one of the kids kill it. You’re not beating up anyone, my friend. Let it go,” she paused, “But thank you,” she said appreciatively. 

what was he doing? was this playful banter? or was griffin actually offering to cuddle and sing her to sleep? it wasn’t like they weren’t friends and friends did these kind of things all the time. right? still, without much thought but into it, here he was offering up his free time to help her get a good night’s sleep. “first, i’m offended that you’re questioning my cuddle game. do you not see this face?” he took a moment to gesture to his own mug. “screams cuddle monster.” griffin was her friend and deep down he knew he’d do anything she needed from him. whether or not it was what friends did. “done. i’ll be over tonight." her question gave him pause. taking a moment to ponder an answer, griffin looked at the ground before meeting her eyes again. “somewhere over the rainbow. it’s my go-to.” there had been plenty of times at the daycare where a child was restless. it had always helped a little.

narrowing his eyes at her laughter, griffin put on a performance of being offended. “i cannot believe you’re laughing at me right now. they are climbing me like a tree and you’re amused! i am hurt, hazel, truly hurt,” he whispered in shock. “and here i thought we were friends.” hazel was right. no matter what those kids wanted, griffin tried his best to make it happen. they were his favorite part of the day. “oh they don’t discuss their music choices with. when i asked they said and i quote ‘miss hazel knows’.”

“is it my fault that i’m so handsome? it’s a curse, i know,” he joked, shaking with silent laughter. “okay, seriously. i just don’t want to hurt her little feelings. so just tell me what you say and i’ll roll with it. a girlfriend, crush, whatever you need to.” griffin certainly wasn’t seeing anyone. even with serena being back in town. did he like someone? that has yet to be determined, he thought to himself  as he caught himself glancing at hazel from the corner of his eye. as he began putting things on the paper plates, he laughed. “i knew i could count on you.”

“Hmm, not a bad thought. – Say, here’s an idea. You come over to my place tonight and sing me a lullaby to put me to sleep. I’m desperate at this point so, you know, if it’ll work for the kids then who knows. Maybe you’ve got that magic touch or somethin’,” she laughed silently, a few small giggles trailing behind with a bit more volume, but not near enough to disturb the children from sleeping. Hazel really liked the days that she worked at Small Steps when Griffin was there. He was one of the other providers that when she worked with, it didn’t totally drag on and feel like she was stuck doing all the work; the two worked so well as a team. “I absolutely adore Jeremiah – no question. I remember when he first started coming how attached to his mom he was. And now, well, we’ve already established he displaced that attachment onto you,” she reiterated again with a smile. Hazel then nodded, “And I totally remember that. Didn’t he think that it being washed away meant that you were going to go away or something like that?” she canted her head to the side as she pondered for a moment about the memory. 

“Calling not it, Grif? How mature,” she teased, flashing a toothy smirk. “You just want me to be the bad guy, don’t you?” she raised a brow and squinted his eyes as she stared him down briefly. Hazel slowly began to stand from her seated position on the ground since their time was ticking and they had to gather the snacks for when they woke up. She listened to Griffin tell the story about getting a kitten. “Jinx, yeah? Did you two come up with that name together or what’s the story there?” she wondered. “S’totally cool though you taugh her to walk on a leash. Does that mean you’ll be taking her outside?” she asked curiously. Moving into the cupboards, Hazel grabbed the paper plates and cups for the children that were old enough to utilize the products. “My life? Oh my lanta, nothing Grif – seriously. Unless you want to count the fact that an old friend is in town that’s going through some drama, my best friend is going through totally drama llama too, and I spend way too much time not sleeping and under the stars. You know, the usual,” she laughed at the series of events in her life at the moment. 

“only if we cuddle first. believe it or not i’ve got quite the cuddle game,” griffin shot back at her, his face breaking out into a wide grin. “no, seriously. if you want me to sing you to sleep, i’ll try. can’t promise it’ll be on key. i’ll even sweeten the deal with my famous chamomile tea.” things were so easy around hazel. the others at the daycare, while fantastic people, were hard to deal with on a daily basis. it just reaffirmed him when she spoke so fondly of the children. the kids here at small steps ran his entire life, everything he did in his life boiled down to whether or not his kids would be proud of him for doing so. “he’s a great kid. although a very bad influence. you know, he used me as a jungle gym today. all the other kids followed suit. they only quite when i promised we could sing later. so get your windpipes ready, miss hazel. you know they love when you join in.”

she would make a joke about girls having their period but she didn’t think they are that opened up with each other yet. it was very nice of him to ask her that, it actually shows that he kind of cares. “i can’t say no to that, i guess.” she replied with a small smile. 

That statement couldn’t have been more true – she was jealous of Griffin’s child-like ability to be able to fall asleep anywhere at the blink of an eye. Hazel could turn artifical light off an hour before sleeping, practice meditation, take supplements, and still – without fail, the woman would still manage to only get a few hours of sleep each night. She laughed through it, however, by her co-worker’s statement. “You’re right. I am jealous,” she placed a playful pout upon her lower lip as she looked at him. “Teach me your ways, sensai,” she grinned. And then, she rolled her eyes upon his next statement, “He is literally wrapped around your finger, Grif. He says ‘jump’ and you ask ‘how high?’ But, who’s to complain. He loves you. Although, he’s definitely not the only one. Nevah’s got a total crush on you. She even told me so,” she mentioned with a smile. 

Hazel adjusting her wrist so the light would glow from the watch so she could look at the time in order to properly answer Griffin’s question. Looking back at him she gave a soft nod, “Yeah but – we have at least ten more minutes or so. Might as well take advantage of those minutes, right?” she raised a brow, followed by a smirk. “So – other than Jeremiah. How’s life outside of Small Steps for you? Any hot goss?” she played. 

it was well known around the daycare that griffin could fall asleep in seconds if given the chance. more times than not, someone would stumble across him asleep with three children laying on him. it was more of a curse than anything else. “lay down, i’ll sing you a lullaby. that works for the unruliest of children,” griffin teased, running his hand through his tousled hair. a whispered chuckle escaped his lips at her words. “jeremiah is a cutie, you have to admit it. the other day he tried to draw a picture of me and ms. hillary and cried when the rain washed the chalk away.” kids, while a handful, were one of the many joys in her life. “oof, who wants to break the news to her that i’m a couple decades too old for her? i call not it.”

Jamie chuckled when the other mentioned that he still smelled good, nodding slowly. “Of course I do, who do you think I am?” Jamie asked with a smile as he put the kitten down on the ground and grabbed the leash. “I would love to walk her! But this feels weird, I’m used to walking a huge dog and now it’s a small kitten. I have no idea how to do it… But yes, let’s go!” Jamie said with a nod.

“Leonidas? Now that could have been tragic.” He smirked. “What’s your name anyway?” Collins leaned back against the wall behind him as he was admittedly probably more interested in this conversation than he should have been. “Exactly.” And he sang a bit to remind the man of the tune. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie… that’s amore.”