Wake Me Up When It's All Over

Terrifying thought, making a conscious decision to share his life with someone again. Marie and him had been an accident, he had committed to her of course but it had all happend by chance and because Ollie came along and after she was gone... welp.

To her surprise, Jack did agree to cook her favourite meal at his place. "The good wine? Didn't I just say that at your place, I would have less chances of getting drunk," she smiled at him. Here she was, dumped by her boyfriend and standing in her own kitchen with a man that she did not know at all and with whom she arranged to meet again. At his place. With no other people around. It could definitely be a recipe for disaster but then again... When had she ever played it safe. Especially with men. Nicole did not play it safe with men when it came to it in the end.

"Well, I hope you are able to either make a really good lasagna or make a really good steak, because either of those two things are my favourite dishes." Nicole continued with the pancakes that he had made for her. If the food he would prepare next was going to be just as good, then she was going to be a very happy woman. But before she did fully agree to go and visit him at his place for this, she wanted to make sure that it was all okay. "It is okay if you want to come over here again to cook for me. I understand it if you don't want me near the house you share with your daughter too," she let him know, giving a last way out of cooking for a (very drunkenly) woman he had only met the night before.

Benjamin started toward the house at the same easy, unhurried pace he seemed to carry through life. He heard the question in her voice and didn't need to look over to know exactly what expression Rachel wore. He could picture it as plainly as if she'd been standing in front of him. His mind drifted back to those first nights after she'd returned to the city, when Benji would crawl onto the porch swing beside him and ask why Mama had to leave, whether she'd stopped loving him, or whether he'd done something wrong.

For a moment Rachel stayed silent before the words leaving her mouth were words that she wasn't so sure about yet. But she needed Benjamin's opinion about it. "Is it time to return home? For Benji?" Once more she looked away from her son, so she could look at his father. Despite the fact that they were not together anymore, she appreciated his opinion probably more than any. He was Benji's father and she knew that he would always tell her the truth whenever it was about their baby boy.

Aiden was a regular at Ros' place. He liked it here. People were nice in this town and it was a good spot to start over. Granted, he had first come here because of Colin, to keep an eye on him, do the big brother thing but he ended up falling in love with the place and after setting up his practice alongside the old doctor, things were far smoother.

Now he just had to find someone to share all that with. That had been the reason why he had broken things off with Claudia after all; she wanted to keep working and living her life and that was just fine, it just... it wasn't his life, his dreams.

"You, my love, look like a very tired man. Do you want to tell me about your day or should I tell you about some of the strange customers that have walked in here today, instead?" She asked him with a smile, leaning against the counter top in front of her so she could look at him. Not only was he a new regular, he had also slowly become her friend. One that she only saw at work, but a friend nonetheless. A hot friend.

Jane’s explanation made a smirk spread across his lips. “Well, you’re certainly right about that…” he mused, his tone underlined by a certain husk. “In fact, you knew I needed it before I even knew it myself.” As he spoke, Miles continued to look at the photo. There was no mistaking the hint in her own voice either, although her sending the photo had told Miles all he needed to know about what she wanted. 

“I’ll never turn down something exciting,” he told her. “You should remember that from the last time we met...” A light chuckle followed the statement, a teasing hint about his words. His mind flashed back to that night, which only made the smile on his expression grow further. 

@ofxinnocencewrites

"Should I be wearing this piece again or is there something else you would like to see?" Jane asked, referring back to the picture she had just sent him. The lace was still the only thing on her body as she laid there on the bed, miles away from the man on the phone.

Paddy hadn't expected to stay here this long. It had been a couple of weeks but he had half expected being back home at the base by now. It had been stupidly easy to get used to the quiet here, the nice people, the community. No wonder his brothers had settled here (settled was a strong word to use around Colin though).

One of the things he loved the most was taking his bike through the forest--may not be the smartest decision to take his highway ready bike through the trees but the last 4 times he had done it he hadn't had a problem. This time however the old gal was choking at the first sign of a plant. So he had to walk back to the road, and then the town taking her in toll to the nearest mechanic.

He also did not expect a hot girl to be the mechanic.

But maybe today was going to be different from other days, because the woman did not recognise the man next to the bike who was talking to her. Today was going to be different for sure. Because this man was not one that she knew.

The woman wiped her greasy hands on the cloth she had near and looked at the bike. "That is a very beautiful one, what is wrong with her?" Ronnie mentioned as she moved around the bike and man.

"Dinner?" Benji echoed excitedly. "Can we have burgers? Dad burns 'em better than anybody."

Benjamin chuckled under his breath. "I do not burn 'em."

"Do too."

"I char 'em. There's a difference."

Benji giggled, thoroughly satisfied with himself before racing ahead toward the house, already convinced burgers were on the menu.

As soon as Benji made it clear that he wanted to get back to the house as soon as possible for the burgers, Rachel put him back on the ground and watched the boy run off.

"I would've loved to know, despite how I would feel. I could've talked to him, that's something that I could've done from hundreds of miles away," the blonde pointed out to him. Yes, it would've made her feel like she was doing now. But maybe it could've helped. Maybe then Benji would know that she hadn't left because she didn't want to be with him anymore. Rachel needed to know that he wouldn't think that.

"Benji knows that I haven't left because of him, right?" She asked Benjamin, a pleading expression in her eyes to ask him the question. How had her ex-husband comforted their son after a kid would've told him that?

“not that i don’t appreciate the gift, but are you sure another puppy is the best thing for me right now?”

“no, no. i’m totally okay with coming over just to get rid of a spider. that’s normal.” callum lightly shook his head, throwing away the tissue he had killed the spider in. “this can’t be real life. i thought you were in actual trouble.”

The grin softening his weathered face turned almost boyish when she called him Benny. She was the only soul alive who could get away with it. "Because of all this beef?" he asked, turning sideways and giving his backside a hearty smack before a laugh rumbled from his chest. His attention shifted toward the pasture where Benji was still burning through his energy. Benjamin let out a sharp whistle through his teeth and raised an arm overhead, making a broad circling motion that the boy knew well. Time to head back. "Everythin's good," he answered. "Benji's headin' into third grade. Maw and Paw are healthy. Ranch's been keepin' us busy. Can't rightly ask for much more." He flashed her another wink that promised she'd hear another marriage proposal before the summer was over.

Rachel looked at their son who directly responded to the whistle of his father and bounded in their direction. But before he arrived at his parents, a startling fact was made known to her. "Nothing too serious? If you had some meetings with the teacher, than that is serious, Ben. Why haven't you told me before?" She asked him, her displease sounding through in her voice. These were things that she was supposed to know, right.

Caspian certainly did not want to think of Susan in the arms of another man, or another woman for that matter. But it was only fair. It may not have been centuries for her but she was older, wiser, had lived and lost so many things and people. He wasn't goi g to hold it against her. Anf this world was different than Narnia, more old fashioned even kn some ways (though the clothing was far sharper he had to admit).

The woman chuckled when he mentioned pulling her into an empty alleyway on the way to the town hall. "I can't allow that, Caspian," she muttered softly, quickly getting up from her seat. Because despite her words, Susan wanted the same. She had missed him a lot over the years, and dreamed about him a lot as well. And now he was really here. Everyone else was gone, but he was here.

To stop herself from getting too tempted and making sure that they would be behind closed doors and where they could talk and at least kiss each other without the judgment of others, she led him out of the café. The town hall wasn't that far and within an hour, they were standing outside again with an appointment made for later that week. "And I still haven't scared you away with the fact that you are going to be my husband in three days?" Susan asked the man, just to be sure that they were truly going through with this.

Outside the town hall, Susan thought for a moment. Even though they were getting married in a few days, there was still the trouble of the fact that she could not bring Caspian home. Not without getting in trouble with the lady who was her landlord, the lady who had explicitly forbidden men on the premises. And she knew that some of the other girls in the building still did and never got in trouble. But that was only for the night. This would be for three full days. And that seemed near impossible. "So we now have two options. The first one is that you are going to stay with me for the next three days, while we test how quiet you can be during the day and night because I am not allowed to have you up there in my apartment. Or we have the second one; I will get you a hotel room. It won't be a fancy one, but enough so you can stay there and I can come and visit you because I can't stay all the time due to work and suspicious people back at my apartment flat."

As the green dot had implied, Claire was awake, her face filling his screen mere seconds after he’d chanced a video call. She didn’t look tired nor that he’d woken her up, which Darian was thankful about at least. It was sometimes difficult enough to walk the tightrope with an ex without having something avoidable thrown into the mix. 

Claire’s opening words were full of sympathy, to which Darian couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Yeah, yeah… I’m alright,” he began, before adding, “Well… I can’t sleep, but that’s not exactly new.” His insomnia predated their relationship. “How are you, though? Didn’t expect to see you online at this time.” 

@ofxinnocencewrites

"I'm coming out of the night shift, so my sleeping schedule is a mess as usual. I will get there in a few days," Claire explained to him, taking in his face on her screen. He looked incredibly tired.

"What can I do for you to help you sleep?" She asked him, repeating the question she had asked him so many times before as she was laying in bed next to him in the past.