𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃.

not exactly a strong start for whoever this guy was but still enough that he didn't like it. "aha, right. sure... though, i have enjoyed kissing people i haven't liked before... but as long as you're having a good idea, can't be that must of a waste can it?"

nose scrunched and head shook at his claim. ❝ name one person you’ve enjoyed kissing who you didn’t like , ❞ asked as if she didn’t believe him. ❝ irregardless of whether it's a waste , you never answered me. what’s it to you even if i am wasting my time with him. it’s not like you care , right ? ❞

"it is one of my favourite pastimes. even with how often i have to do it... it never really gets old." she shrugged, smirk playing on her lips and stepping closer and pulling up a chair in front of him. ezra leaned in, hands picking up the cloth and started to clean the wound on his cheek with a surprisingly gentle touch. "anywhere else bothering you? you took a lot of hits tonight and since you have the pleasure of my company now, you may as well take advantage."

he was always wary of people getting too close. a reason for why he winced regardless of the soft touch when she pressed the cloth to his skin. ❝ pleasure of your company is a bit of a stretch , don’t you think ? more like torture , ❞ he countered. ❝ my ribs , ❞ his voice practical a grumble , reluctantly showing her the bruise forming on his side , littered with open wounds. ❝ think the fucker scratched me or some shit. ❞

his heart's found a new rhythm at nathan's words. or maybe it's found an old one. knowing they're still thought of by nathan — let alone wanted, loved — it's a welcome sensation and overwhelms them. he feels nathan's heart under his palm, that beautiful heart he adores so much. his body aches knowing how much he's missed it. "nate... you sure you want me?" wren's almost afraid to blink and find it's all a dream. their free hand's cradling the other's jaw, their voice somehow softer now, confessional. "i don't know if i'm even the same person that left before. i might disappoint you."

an exhale filled with too many emotions : relief , apprehension. all because he wanted wren to stay this time , to fight for this the way he was prepared to. ❝ i’ve never been more sure of anything. it’s always been you. everything else in between has just been a placeholder. ❞ nothing felt like this. no matter how difficult it got , whatever conversations that still needed to be had , that was the truest thing he’d said. and it would remain the truest thing he felt for however long wren wanted him back. ❝ i don’t care if you’ve changed , maybe i have too , maybe it’ll make us better. ❞

the annoying logical part of january's brain is telling her that they should stop --- that vaughn wants far different things than she could give to him , than she could risk but it's so hard to stay away from him . her cheeks heat and she pushes back that embarrassment as her hands slide up his chest until they dip into his hair --- cradling his face as they do the very thing she's stayed up late at night dreaming about for weeks : kiss . it could have been so easy to ignore that urge pulling her towards him over and over again but it really wasn't , if anything it only grew harder over time until he was all she could think about when her brain became too clouded . pressed between him and the wall , her breath hitches in her throat as she tries to catch her breath --- internally sighing that he needs an answer from her just now . now , was a bad time . " vaughn . . . please . " she felt it too , it was almost undeniable but she didn't want to talk --- that was the last thing on her mind .

his method is a gentle coercion. and maybe he knows better , that he should let her answer this question with a clear head once she's had time to think everything through properly , when his lips weren't currently on hers. but he would let her answer it again and again until she could admit it to herself. something in him told him that he was going to get her to admit it to herself multiple times over. but , there was something about this moment now. he wanted to hear her say it , and he knew that she'd fight against it. she tended to fight against him at every turn -- the push and pull of their interactions up until this point had been him pulling and her pushing. but he knew there was something more here. and if he could just get her to say the words , get comfortable with hearing them back in her own ears , maybe they wouldn't be as scary later on. hands dipped from her waist to her lower back , pulling her body closer to his as his lips brushed hers again. ❝ just once ? ❞ he asked again , a trail of kisses from her jaw to her neck.

though that was a fair question, it still ended up with georgiana blinking back at her with shocked bambi eyes. "well... no..." she chuckled awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed that she'd brought him up. paloma was just so intimidating, confident in all the ways she felt like she couldn't be now that she was so out of place. shyly, she glanced down at herself, letting out a chuckle. "i mean, it's not like i don't like the outfit, it's just different for me." she said as she moved to do as she was told, eyes fluttering shut before opening again swiftly. "are you sure it isn't too much?"

couldn't help the smile on their face. ❝ well good , because that would suck for me , ❞ they teased. prepared to brush the liquid eyeliner before doe eyes opened again. ❝ pinky promise , ❞ she spoke softer now , holding out her pinky. ❝ seriously , i think you look really fucking good. no one's gonna be able to keep their eyes off you tonight , i know i won't. ❞ gently , they pushed at her shoulders to get her to lay back on their bed. legs placed on either side of her thighs , paloma leaned over her body to have a better position to put the eyeliner on. ❝ just trust me , okay ? ❞

against her will, her gaze lingered on his hands and the way he buried them deep in his pocket, like if she couldn't see the ring, maybe it wouldn't sting the same way it did in the back of her throat. but she had already seen it, felt the quiet, persistent ache weave itself into her ribs, sinking back in like it had never left. the same one she had spent months trying to forget. marisol should've known better than to let herself sit across from him and pretend that this didn’t feel as though they were standing in the ruins of something they had both let fall apart. but then he was asking her to stay, voice treading carefully, like he thought she might bolt at any second. she shouldn't. she shouldn’t. but her body was betraying her before her mind could catch up. "okay," mari breathed, the word fleeing her lips before she could stop it. maybe she was a masochist or just weak when it came to him, but she found herself sitting across from vaughn before she could talk herself out of it. her eyes drifted towards their old table for a moment, before tearing her gaze away. ghosts lived there now. "so," she started, fingers twisting lightly in her lap, "how have you been?"

the agreement came as a shock to him. he'd hoped that she would let him be selfish for a moment and take up a bit of her time , told himself he just needed a few moments -- a few moments alone with her and things would be fine , they would be fine. but as he slipped into the seat across from her , watching the way her hands disappeared under the table despite knowing intuitively that she was wringing them together , he wondered if maybe he should have let her bolt rather than put her in this uncomfortable situation. he used his right hand , leaving his left under the table , to gently slide his mug towards her. ❝ here , you can have this one if you want , ❞ it was an offer based solely on the fact that it was her order. he’d been drinking her order since they’d stopped coming here together , something about it made him feel like she was still here with him. ❝ i've been better , ❞ he decides to be honest in response to her question. she knew him so well that she'd probably be able to see right through him. ❝ how have you been ? you seem . . . good. ❞ the small talk burned the back of his throat. he had so much more to say , just not knowing where or how to start.

engines roared from somewhere on the track in the distance, the steady rhythm carrying on even though his part of the day was done. but his pulse ? it hadn't settled yet. not from the speed, not from the rush of being in the car. and sure as hell not now, not when she was looking at him from her spot up on the pitwall, hand on her hip like she wasn’t currently stuck. his eyes trailed over her, taking in the way she tried to play it cool despite the clear predicament she'd gotten herself into. a slow grin pulled at his lips, nodding. " yup, got it, " already stepping forward without thinking. he positioned himself in front of her, glancing up as he reached out. " alright, c'mere. just — yeah, like that. " how did she even get up there in the first place ? his hands found her waist, firm but careful, and the second he had a found that solid grip, he lifted her down with ease. she barely weighed anything, and yet, it was like something could knock him flat if he let it. that something ? probably the realization of just how close she was, how for a second, their faces weren't actually all that far apart. too close, nope. a swallow, jaw clenching just slightly before forcing himself to take a step back. not missing but a half a beat in the process. " and why exactly are you up on the wall again ? " words teased, tilting his head as he crossed his arms. an attempt to put some kind of wall between them after all of — that. " maybe let's not get up places where we’re gonna be stuck without me, hm ? " though he didn't mind actually being useful to her ever. why else did he end up agreeing to the countless ridiculous social media requests ?

taking a deep breath , hazel leaned down so she could reach for his shoulders. couldn’t help the slight hitch in her breath at the way he spoke to her , a soft ❝ thanks , ❞ came readily after both feet were on the ground. even if she didn’t fully notice it herself , she was looking at him like he hung the moon just for her despite only helping in a small way. ❝ of course , next time i’ll wait for you so we can get stuck together , ❞ she teased. to answer his initial question she excitedly pulled her phone out. ❝ i was up there to get this , come look. ❞ body draws near to him again like she can’t help herself , turning so her back was almost against his chest to allow him to see her phone over her shoulder without the glare from the sun. whatever distance he was putting between them , she hadn't quite read the social cue yet. showing him the video she took from up on the pit wall , steady hands captured one of the his laps ; the sound of the car , the sun low in the background lighting up the track and the visual effect of a red streak his car seemed to leave given how fast he was driving. ❝ super pretty and i have a specific idea for a tiktok. i wanna isolate the sound and . . . ❞ just before she started rambling , she pulled her phone close to her chest and turned to face him. ❝ you don’t care , sorry. it’ll be cool , ❞ she shook her head in embarrassment. ❝ as for the work i have for you , i’m thinking a little paddock tour first and i’ll shoot questions at you as you’re going through everything ? and then there are a couple of trends i want to do with you and antoine so we can film your parts now and i’ll do his later and cut them together. ❞

for all the noise of the paddock, all the moving parts demanding his attention, it was her that threw him off balance. " I wouldn't mind cuffin' you if you're into that. " what the fuck, the words slipped out before he could stop them, impulse overriding common sense, and his brain immediately drawing a blank. great, he was doing great here. first test and he was already failing. her voice was all mockery, taunts rolling off her tongue with an ease that should've annoyed him more than it did. but then she threw in the french, and that — yeah, he had no fucking clue what she was saying half ( all ) the time, but it didn't matter because did something to him. eye roll. immediate. forced. he had to ground himself somehow, get back on track before she could take the upper hand. because he knew she'd happily take it. " better things, huh ? " a smirk curled slow, lazy, covering whatever the hell was happening in his head. " like preparing yourself for another year behind ferrari ? I get it — must be hard ya. " even as he spoke, her hand was still on him. trailing, lingering, distracting. his eyes locked onto hers, forcing himself to focus just to keep his thoughts from going somewhere they had no business being. " yeah, somethin’ like that. " the southern accent slipped heavier. " don’t touch shit, you know it’s expensive. " his hand shot out, swiping whatever she’d grabbed before she could do something stupid with it. half the stuff in that garage he didn't even know what they were for. he knew cars, sure, inside and out. but these things were a whole different breed. was he qualified to be there ? probably not. benji definitely shoved him into his place but he was quick and he knew practical shit that ended up coming in handy a lot more than these posh guys probably cared to admit. " what do you want anyway ? if it's not for me, whatever could you be doing ? "

usually good at anticipating what someone was going to say next , media training kicking in even in casual conversation , nothing could have prepared her for that. she schooled her expression into something blasé , though she had a dead giveaway that she was surprised by his words -- the fluttering of her eyelashes as she blinked two , three , four times. and it wasn’t necessarily shock that he would cuff her if she wanted , just that he’d admit it. ❝ of course you wouldn’t mind. you and the rest of the world , so i think you’ll have to get in line for that. ❞ there. that had to have gotten them back on track. his eye roll was a welcome reprieve from the tension , the taunting even more so. she met his commentary with a fake yawn. ❝ more like preparing to crush ferrari. waiting for the sweet , sweet sight of leaving your boy benji behind in the dust. because i am faster than him. ❞ a shiver at his accent , something about the thickness of it reminding her of the night she wasn't supposed to think about anymore. happy to not be touching him for a moment , she laughed at how quickly the item left her hands. ❝ ooh someone’s touchy today. ❞ he was always touchy , like a fire that lit up within him every time she pushed a few buttons. somehow he managed to catch off guard yet again , as if she would have been able to get in and get out without an excuse other than the real one. instead , she was forced to make something up on the fly. ❝ i’m looking for someone. my engineer said that he needed me to sweet talk one of the ferrari guys and grab something from him. at first i was a little offended , but then i realized that no one really does sweet talking like me . . . except maybe you , ❞ another tease. a short trip over to the mechanic helmets that hung on the wall. she plucked one off , putting it over her head and turning to look at him. ❝ how hot do i look right now ? ❞

the heat was intense but it might as well have disappeared entirely when she was close enough to see him grin. all sweaty, just out of the car, and somehow looking more than fine. unfair, really. she barely registered his warning before shaking her head, dismissing it with a soft laugh. " it's fine. " understatement of the year. still buzzing, she let the energy tumble out of her, talking too fast, too much, but unable to stop. " boring ? no way, some guy in the garage — giovanni ? giacomo ? something like that — was going on and on about the car looking good, and well, you looking great. he was explaining things, I tried to keep up. " in the bit of time that she had in the world, she had certainly picked up a lot, but there was a lot to cover. she pressed her lips together like that would help keep her thoughts from spilling out that easily. then the excitement wavered for just a second, realization settling over her. she had been so caught up in it all, that it hadn’t really hit her until the last few laps — when there were a few more drivers on the track. it was a race, she knew that but for some reason it hadn't fully registered that they were all going to be on the track at once. for some reason before today, she had landed on the assumption that they'd all just register a time, the best one won. " I mean, I knew it was fast, obviously, but seeing it ? I can't believe it's going to be everyone at once. " the worry barely lingered before she was shaking it off, energy rebounding, already moving on. his thumb swiped across her temple, and the touch instinctively sent even more of a smile over her features. it was nothing. or it was supposed to be ? but was he acting it up ? was she ? it shouldn’t have felt like anything. it definitely shouldn’t have made her stomach flip. " you need like, water or anything ? " fingers curling lightly around his wrist — grounding herself more than anything. orbs wondering towards the garage to, truthfully, just distract herself.

he’d never had that before , the way she brushed off him being sweaty like it was nothing. his exes never really saw it like that. her excitement was infectious , smile widening as he listened to her tell him about trying to figure everything out. for some reason , he didn’t think she would be this invested. given her acting career , she must have seen a million cool things , but she acted as if this kind of excitement and adrenaline rush was new to her. he made a mental note to tell his team to schedule him a hot lap with her , he figured it would be a nice surprise date. ❝ if you have any more questions you can always ask me. i can’t talk you through it while i’m in the car but i’m all yours until debriefing after jace’s run. and then i’m yours again afterwards. ❞ was he really slightly jealous of the team personnel who got to talk her through his laps ? maybe. but then there was something in her eyes that he would have missed had she not captured every ounce of his attention. ❝ are you worried about me ? ❞ grin turning into a full blown chuckle. ❝ already attached to me ? we’ve only been together a few weeks , ❞ he teased before offering quick reassurance , ❝ promise i’ll be safe. ❞ he’d had his fair share of minor crashes , but luckily never a big one , and he didn’t think one would happen anytime in the near future. before he knew it though , she was back , out of the clouds of whatever emotion had interrupted her happiness. she’d initiated the touching and wasn’t pulling away from his , not that she really could with the amount of eyes ( and cameras ) on them at that very moment. but the feeling of delicate fingers around his wrist clouded his mind , train of thought drifting. ❝ hmm ? water ? ❞ he asked dumbly , head shaking to forcibly clear it. ❝ yeah , let's do it. we can get you something too if you’re hungry or thirsty ? ❞ his hand lowered though he didn’t let go of hers , taking her hand in his and entwining their fingers to lead her in the direction of hospitality.

ANA DE ARMAS at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party - March 02, 2025

Havana Rose Liu in AMERICAN HORROR STORIES, 3x04 "Organ", directed by Petra Collins.

“it would be insulting if i thought of you as a fool and chose to lie. which isn’t the case. and what is it? that you think.” she is surprised by the reach of his hand on her wrist, allowing it to show on her facial expression, but not hesitating for a second before following his lead. “actually, you are going somewhere. don't you have a press conference or something like that to attend? it's not because you're retired that people have stopped thinking about you, you know... i know you've got your obligations.”

a half smile fit itself on his face. ❝ i meant longer term , darlin'. ❞ he emphasized. ❝ and i don't have to go if you want me to stay. ❞ he hated social outings. he'd distanced himself from everything surrounding his former career all for the sole purpose of focusing on a quiet life. but they did call him up for certain commitments a few times a year , and each time he acted like they were asking him to attend his execution. ❝ i'm sure they'd understand if i told them i was otherwise occupied by a beautiful woman. ❞