“Uh, yes. A question for the ages.” 

Arielle nods her head at his words. “I agree,” she speaks softly, turning her head to look over at him as she brushes her fingers along the side of his neck. She knew how terrifying that whole thing was for him because she saw it running crazy behind his eyes. Sometimes it was hard to believe how far they’ve come in two years, two stubborn ass people refusing to admit to themselves what was actually shifting in their friendship. Hazel hues remain on her husband as he tells her maybe it’s too dangerous for a journalist to get involved in and she knows it is. “You’re right. I’ll hand everything I got on them to Marcos… Would that make you feel better?” She asks softly. This is one topic she knows she can’t be stubborn on. They’ve only been married for nine months and she isn’t exactly interested in cutting that short. “Now now.” She bites on her lower lip as she slips her hand against his, lacing her fingers together as she rolls her eyes playfully. “As fucking sexy as that statement was. I meant it,” she gave his hand a little squeeze as she picks up the pace, dragging him down the street practically. As the both of them maneuver through back way and make it up to their apartment. She unlocks the door and turns around, reaching out to grab the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer to her as she leans up to kiss him, backing herself up against the closet wall by their front door. 

/

Arielle exhales. “You remember the Fireman’s Ball?” She asks. How could anyone forget it? It was the first time she realized that she had been hiding from it, from them. As their eyes locked across the room through the chaos happening around them she knew she would have lunged herself in front of any bullet to make sure he remained untouched and it was way above the best friend relationship the had sworn to maintain most of their lives. “I think it has to do with that,” she admits. “There might be some of them still… among us.” She furrows her brows as she glances over at him, tilting her head to the side. “You know I meant now, right?” She muses as she closes the to-go box, putting her half eaten box back in the bag as she dug into her purse to pull out her phone, sending a quick text to her boss. She stands up and turns to move in front of Owen, nudging his legs apart with her knees. “No mix-signals.” She whispers as she runs her fingertips along the top of his head. “Let’s go home, Owe.” She murmurs to him. She pauses when he brings up how he can’t be her knight and shining armor. “Don’t do that. Don’t underestimate what you’re capable of, babe. I’ve seen it.” She leans down and presses a quick kiss against his lips, not wanting them to get too wrapped up in public. “I would love to start looking for house…”

/

Owen winced at the mention of one of the most horrific events to ever fall on their sleepy little town, “I wish I could forget it.” He admitted. That day sucked hairy balls and reminded him of how easy it was for life to shit on people. Owen’s eyebrows lifted as he swallowed another bite of food. He was slurping it up like he hadn’t eaten in days, but it was actually his second lunch after his snack at work earlier (during his first fifteen minute break). “Well if it’s them then I’m gonna have to side with your boss on this, Ari. No journalistic duty is worth your safety.” It sounded a lot more serious than he thought when he was originally concerned about the burglaries. He knew Arielle would do what she wanted regardless and he would support it, but he still offered his input because he cared. “Wait, now now?” Owen almost fell off the bench putting his things away and grabbing the rest of Arielle’s. He stood up and pulled his phone out of his pocket to do the same with his boss (he texted his best friend too to take a raincheck for the D&D match they were supposed to play after work). Owen pulled her hand away from his head and pressed a kiss to the back of it, not letting go as he pulled her along to their apartment. “I’ll show you a knight in shining armor when we get home. I’ll even give you my stallion.” Owen could never take a serious compliment well so he turned it into a joke about it. “Great, we can start hunting later. I have a few other ideas first.” He pulled her hand up and kissed the back of it again. He gave her a wink. Their apartment was also downtown like their jobs (very conveniently placed), but if they took the backway they could make it without being spotted. 

Arielle lets her gaze focus on him as she moves her free hand up toward the back of his neck as her fingertips brush along the short strands of his blonde hair. “Apparently whoever this is knows his way around things,” she murmurs. “I also think it’s more than one person.” She tells him. “And they probably watch a lot of videos on committing crimes.” She teases as she glides her fingertips down the back of his neck to the collar of his shirt. “You know I am feeling a little under the weather,” she starts playfully. She turns her head to fake cough into her arm. “I might have to stomp in there and tell him I’m sick.” She drops her hand from him to hold onto the to-go box and take a bite of her noodles. “I’ll talk to him because I would much rather be cuddling earlier.” She glances back towards him, her eyes roaming over the short strands of his blonde hair. “You pull that off…” She breathes. “I’m finding it hard to keep my hands to myself.” She confesses as she takes another bite. She can tell he’s excited that she’s not on the case anymore, it’s easily readable on his features. “Your face expressions by the way. I know you’re excited I’m no on the case anymore.” She murmurs after her bite. “You think we should start looking for houses?”

/

Owen smiled at her touch of approval (maybe the praise kink ringed true for him after all, but he always liked when she played with his hair and it was a big reason why he hadn’t buzzed it like that earlier). “You think it’s organized crime?” Owen squinted his eyes while he thought about the scandal that would be among the southern belles in Fallbrook. The trail her fingertips made on him left goosebumps on his skin and he smiled. “Fuck it, I’ll call in too. We can just go home after we’re done eating.” He never missed work so it would be fine (she was too good at riling him up). “Oh.” He thought she meant now even though they were obviously talking about the weekend (he turned stupid around her), but it made him chuckle and shove more food into his mouth. Then Owen dropped his head back, rolling his eyes over to her. “Arielle. You’re giving me mixed signals here and I don’t think my guy down there can handle it if you keep it up.” He was naturally talking about his dick. He welcomed the change of subject, his dick really couldn’t handle their little game for another second. “I would love to be your knight in shining armor, but look at me Ari. I’m not equipped with the guns to take several people on if something happened to you for trying to report on it.” He meant it literally, Owen wasn’t a fighter and he wasn’t a regular at the gym to be one. The most he did was go on runs with Arielle (because he was scared someone would snatch her up) and do pushups and sit ups (so he could be fitter than his step dad.... they had a competition like that every year around the holidays). “I do, if you want. I’m not that attached to the apartment and you know my mom would love to help.” She was a realtor. “I wouldn’t mind planting some roots even if it’s not a forever home.” They were both young and at the start of their careers.

Arielle sits down on the bench next to him, taking one of the containers. She pulls her legs and crosses them, setting the to-go box on her lap as she smiles down at the food as she opens the container at the fact he was counting how long the both of them had been married for. “You know that you’re too good to me, right?” She murmurs as she raises her brown orbs up towards her husband as she reaches into the plastic bag to pull out the plastic forks. She pokes her fork into her noodles. “Well, I’ll talk to my boss about getting an extra day or two this weekend.” She smiles as she turns her head to look over at him. “He likes to make miserable.” She points out as she twirls her fork around to wrap the noodles around it. “It’s been filing after filing. For some reason he won’t let me dig any deeper into the fact that the car robber is not turning into a house robber.” She shakes her head. “It’s for my own safety. So, file duty until seven or eight at night for some reason.”

/

Too good to her? Owen scoffed before taking a forkful and waiting to swallow first. “No such thing.” He slowly shook his head several times like he usually did when he disagreed with something. He ate some more and listened to her. “Not to talk shit about our friends at the FPD but they’re always fumbling the bag, how has it taken so long to catch the person? There are like fifty people in town.” Owen’s eyes widened like they did when he was being the ridiculous boy he was. “My wife needs to be home so we can cuddle at a decent hour. Someone needs to answer for it.” He jabbed his index finger into his thigh as if making a point. The truth was that Owen admired Arielle’s tenacity and fervor for her job. He just sat in a cubicle from 9 to 5 and went home Monday through Thursday (the tech company’s owner was hip and enjoyed 4 day work weeks for everyone while still paying them what would be a full 40 hour full salary) while occasionally shooting a spit ball at his other best friend. He was worried about her and didn’t mind that her boss wouldn’t let her take a deeper dive, but he wasn’t about to say that to her either. He was a smart boy too. “Speaking of home burglaries, I can look into home monitoring systems when we get one in the future.” They couldn’t raise a family in an apartment one day. Not if they wanted lots of babies. 

Arielle lifts her eyes up towards him as a smirk came along her features. “I promise to be quiet,” she murmurs in a low yet seductive tone. She wraps her arm around his waist and walks out of the office with her husband. Her eyes falling onto the bench across the street where the both of them spend most of their time eating lunches together whenever they can. It’s hard to believe they’ve only been married for eight months. They are simply the best eight months of her life. She turns her head to look over at him when he mentions a long weekend retreat. “I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my weekend, Mr. Ence.”

/

Owen secretly loved that they both got jobs working downtown even before the two declared their undying love for each other. It was always a perk for him that his lunch break paired up with his best friend’s other than when Ari was out on a journalistic assignment. Those days he had coffee and a muffin at the nearby bakery and tried to avoid eye contact with people. His favorite days were now though, they always would be because he would never have to daydream about holding her hand again when he could do it where and when they wanted. He smiled at her agreement as they made it to the bench, he took a seat and started to pull the containers of food for each of them. “It’ll be our nine month anniversary. I’ll set it up, you just sit back and try to relax.” Owen was happy to do the coupley thing of counting each month with her. (both dumbfounded and more grateful every 30 days). “What’s up with work? Should I talk to Mr. Fallbrook Daily himself and ask why he’s been keeping you so late this past week?”

Arielle walks out of the office door, holding the door with a few of her fingertips as her mouth parts at the new version of her husband standing in front of her. “Oh my God,” she gasps as her lips curve up into a wide smile and the door slips from her touch. She takes a step towards him as she moves her hand up towards the short strands of his blonde hair. “Oh my God,” she laughs, her mouth closing so he can press a kiss against her mouth, the tips of her finger still running along the top of his head. “Baby,” she murmurs as she steps closer to him, her eyes not leaving the hair. “It looks so damn good,” her smile quickly forming into something more wicked. “It makes me want to take our lunch to my office and not eat it at all.” She reluctantly pulls her gaze away from his hair down towards the take out bag in his hand. “I am starving though.” She bites on her lower lip. “We can go to our spot.”

/

Nothing in the world made Owen feel as happy as Arielle’s approval. Thinking about it now he wondered if he had a ..... praise kink? His lips formed a thin line as he considered the idea in his mind, but he would bring it up to her later for spicy time. “Don’t give me any ideas, Mrs. Ence. Because I’m about to bolt that office door of yours.” He pulled Arielle in by the waist with his free arm and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. He then let go and opened the door so they could head out and eat. “So, listen. I was thinking. You. Me. Us. Weekend retreat at Oasis for the long weekend coming up. What do you think?” Owen draped an arm around Arielle’s shoulder as they walked.

“Hey, babe. Like the new look?” He ran a hand through his buzzed hair. Buzzed and bleached hair. “Thought I could use a change. Y’know, since we’re married now.” He did a little spin for her, tucking the takeout he brought Arielle for her lunch break under his arm as he turned. “Owen 2.0.” Owen smiled (more like a giant Cheshire cat grin because he knew he was being stupid). “What do you think, eh?” He took a couple of steps forward and pulled gently on her chin, meeting her lips in an office friendly kiss even though he always wanted to do more with her. Ever since their wedding, when he was around her it was like he was a goddam teenager with no self control again. “Brought your favorite.” He dropped the cool act, but Owen wasn’t totally lame either. He was just Owen and Arielle was Arielle (which made her perfect in his lovey dovey eyes). "Do you wanna eat in the break room or at our spot?” Our spot being the park across the street from the Fallbrook Daily office.

Arielle let a sly smirk come along her features at his words. In the matter of a few months, the both of them were tangled in one another. Each single touch, kiss, and breath had her curling her toes. Both of them dancing around the line they had yet to cross which only made the next moment more exciting. It was also always difficult to cool down afterwards but it was a dance she would keep doing with him until the moment they were ready. This was their world. Inside this little apartment and there wasn’t a single thing that could touch it. She shifted, moving her leg over him to settle herself on his lap as she nudged the switch onto the cushion next to him so she could sit comfortable on top of him. It didn’t take long for the kiss to heat up the moment, her words didn’t even cool down the kisses. His fingertips grazed along her skin causing her to shiver, a little shaky breath leaving her lips as she slipped her fingers up the back of his head to the small strands of his hair, curling her fingers in it. “Never,” she breathed out as she leaned in, kssing him again. She parted her lips to bring his lower lip past hers, using her teeth to capture it. Tugging on it gently, the brunette reached towards her button up Christmas gnome top, taking a hold of the first button and unbuttoning it as she let go of his lower lip, glancing down towards her top before looking back up at him. A few breathes later and Areille leaned in again, pressing their lips back together.

/

     hunji tried to listen to the other’s words. he even leaned in, staring intensely, but it was hard to make out. he just wanted to close his eyes and use nothing but his ears like back when max was first teaching him english.      hunji smiled at the memory of his best friend.      he quickly slapped his own mind and ripped off his own smile. he tried to listen.      “ah,” hunji nodded as if he understood every word. in reality, he was only confident in the last question.      hunji could hear max trying to explain to him ‘how- that just means someone wants you to explain it to them’.      “ah- h-how did she,” and hunji pointed to hayun. he looked around. “um. i-i was going to the store, okay? i was going to the store, and she was looking at a toy. then, just!” he gestured vaguely. “she-she… r a n away.” his voice nervously stretched out ‘ran’, hoping he was right in his pronunciation.      never before had he had such a tight conversation. yet, his heart slowed. he was no longer terrified for his little sisters’ life. she was here, safe, and happily relaxed in his arms. maybe studying english was more soothing than he first thought.      “but, um, thank you. i am serious- thank you.” he hugged his sister a little closer. she rested, ready for a nap when they got home. “i-i want to give- to give something for you.”

/

“Oh.” Owen nodded a bit awkwardly. The guy didn’t make him feel awkward, the situation didn’t either (that wasn’t all of it). He was just awkward by nature. He could tell a million thoughts crossed the guy’s mind because he was sure that look was on his own face on a regular basis. “It’s okay. I’m glad she’s okay.” The little girl seemed tired. Running away was apparently the trick to getting little children to go to bed and zonker out for the night. “Y-you want to give me some-something?” Owen stepped in front of the guy and shook his hands. “No. It’s okay. R-really. You don’t need t-to get me anything.” He felt like an imposter. He wasn’t the guy who saved others and earned favors.  

where: bethel’s flower shop

who: @owen-ence​

Chloe had picked up a habit of placing a bouquet of flowers in her store. Nothing major, something simple to place on the counter that could add a bit of warmth to the space. The only tedious part was of course that flowers tended to wilt and die and she had to be proactive this time. Walking on over she spotted a familiar face through the glass window and began to smile. “Hey Owen!” she greeted stepping into the shop. “Long time, how you been!” She’d been on go-mode since the holidays passed and rarely saw people outside of her store.

/

Owen was on his lunch break. He had an hour and only used fifteen minutes of it to eat his lunch so he decided to be romantic. His worst nightmare was that one day Arielle would wake up and realize she married a loser so he headed to Bethel’s to pick up some flowers for her when he was startled by Chloe. He jumped and had to catch his breath, his hand went to his heart to keep it from exploding out of his chest. All she was doing was smiling at him, but he scared easily. He watched her walk inside and composed himself. “Chl-Chloe. H-hi. Er, yeah. Good. I’m good. How are you? Getting flowers for anyone s-special?”

Arielle kept her brown hues on him, tilting her head to the side slightly to admire him. She knew that every book she got, no matter how engrossed she got into the pages that he would sit silently beside her with a podcast or stuff from work to do while she read. From the moment her eyes landed on him in Kindergarten even though she knew she was far too young to know that someone was her soulmate. She knew. She always knew. Somewhere along the line though she got lost and stopped looking at it the way it had always been. Everyone in town had even been aware of it long before she did. Hell, Ben even knew before she did. “I guess you wouldn’t,” she mused happily, thinking about it already. In that moment, she realized how much time she spent at his apartment rather than her house. The sweet little intimate apartment and the thought of leaving created a little ache in her as she watched him open up his gift. Smiling, the brunette nodded her head at his words. “Prepare to eat my tail, Owen Ence.” She chuckled. Mario Party had been one of their things for as long as she could remember, it was one of the many reasons she spent so much time in the Ence household growing up. She kissed him back, parting her lips slightly to deepen the kiss.. Her other hand moving the book box off her lap and onto the cushion next to her. “Owe?” She whispered in the kiss. “Move in with me,” she mentioned only a breath later. “Or… Let me move in with you?” She spoke against his lips for a single moment before leaning back in to kiss him again, raising her hand up to graze her fingertips against the back of his neck, pulling herself a little closer to him.

/

“Any day.” Anyone else would have been shocked to hear Owen say that to Arielle’s competitive nudge, but his confidence grew everyday with her and he liked to make her laugh. He recalled how his mom wanted gave his old Mario Party game when he got in trouble as a kid and he had been so scared that Arielle wouldn’t show up to play anymore that he went to his neighbor’s house and stole it back. That was the first and last time Owen had purposely done anything that could get him into trouble because he didn’t want to risk not seeing her anymore. His purpose had always been her and he pushed back the guilt that crept up about the one thing he kept hidden every time. They were in their own world together and Owen used to think that his safe space was in the tree house they built in Draper forest, but it was actually in Ari all along. He melted into the kiss and could feel the way her skin heated under his tough, it made him smile against her lips. The kiss quickly turned more passionate, but that was happening a lot with them. They always stopped before they crossed the final line in their relationship, but Owen didn’t want to stop after she talked about moving in together between kisses. He slowly leaned back so she was on top of him on the couch. His hands moved down her body and brushed under her pajama top. He nodded and took a breath. “Don’t ever leave.” 

“Let’s do it,” the brunette had vacation days she hadn’t used up and the thought of getting in the car and letting the world take them by their feet, well, it sounded incredibly them. All those long trips during the days when they were kids, walking around town and creating their own adventures. Her fingers laced with his and she glanced down towards it for a second, the thumping of her heart making it impossible to hear even the rain falling down from the sky. Her eyes lifted back up towards him and her head tilted to the side ever so slightly when he cut off the officiant to say a few words. Her nose scrunched up when he brought up the fact that her nose whistles when she sleeps which was not something she ever knew happened before and it made her wonder why no one else had said anything about it. Tears prickled in her eyes as she nodded her head, brushing her thumbs along the back of her hands. “You’ve always know just what to say to make me fall more in love with you, Owen Ence.” She said loud enough for him to hear her over the rain. Her head turned towards the person about to marry them and the little nod they gave her indicated they were aware that she wanted to say some things herself. “You know, Owe. It’s always been you and me.” She said as she turned her head to look back at him. “I’ve waited for this moment since the day I met you by the cubbies in Mrs. Davenport’s room. You shared your peanut butter and jelly sandwich with me that day and I just knew that you were it for me… Crazy to think that’s the moment I knew but you never… You never expected me to be anything more than what I am. You supported me through everything in my life and were always the one to pick me off the ground when the weight of the world was too heavy.” She stepped closer, not being able to help herself. “I love you. I always have and I always will…  You are the one thing in my life that has always made sense and the fact I get to marry you right now in front of Linda… I couldn’t imagine a more better way to start the rest of our lives together.” She gestured to the officiant to keep going, listening to every word she said as her brown hues focused on the man in front of her. When she asked Owen if he would take her to be his wife, a smile began to spread along her features.

/

“Let’s do it.” He repeated after her, feeling anew. The rain washed away the residue from the night’s fireworks and brought up that fresh earthy smell that timewarped him back to when they were young and carefree, but they were adults and all of those good sentiments he held of the past were bundled up and encased in Arielle. She was his secret keeper, his strength, and his world. He held her hands a bit more tightly when she started to talk. Was it normal to feel his heart swell? Owen chuckled like an idiot and if anyone ever wanted to know what being in love looked like all they had to do was take a picture of that moment because they would find treasure in the way he was looking at Arielle. Her words brought back so many memories and he couldn’t believe they would get to create more. He laughed again when she mentioned Linda and looked at the officiant quickly before his attention fell on Arielle and he mouthed an I love you back. The officiant (Linda) continued on with the ceremony and it was Owen’s turn. He swallowed and held Arielle’s eyes. “I, Owen Ence, take you Arielle Rutherfurd, to be my wife. In this moment, I  promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days.” He swallowed back the emotion in his voice again. “I accept you with your faults and your strengths, even as I offer myself with my faults and my strengths.” Every sentence was getting harder to say and he felt chocked up. He always hoped it would happen and now it really was. “I promise to support you when you need support and to turn to you when I need support. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life.” And then it was Arielle’s turn and Owen couldn’t hold it together anymore. Was he actually crying? He wiped away at his cheek because he was. Hearing Arielle’s sweet voice say those things to him was a lot. The officiant smiled at the couple and skipped the ring part. “By the authority vested in me by the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your wife.” Owen nodded at Linda and turned to Arielle. He took a step forward. Placed once hand on the small of her back. Another cupped her face and pulled her towards him. And like the fireworks from earlier, sparks flew as he kissed Arielle Ence. He loved that beautiful woman with all of his fucking heart.

A sly wicked smirk came along her features as he muttered how she was turning him into mush. “I like seeing you squirm,” she chuckled lowly, pulling her hand away from his as it moved back towards the fork. Pressing her lips together to hide her amusing smile, there was always something about Owen that made her love him even more with each passing word that left his lips. “Oops,” she teased, knowing she wasn’t trying to be sneaky but letting him have it because she knew how easy it would be to turn him into puddy. She finished up her plate, lifting her eyes up towards him as he took the plate from her to clean up. “Alright,” she smiled as she stood up from the chair and walked to the couch, plopping herself down on it as she tucked her leg under herself. She nodded her head at his words about being ready for the gift at hand, she took it from him and opened it. “A year?” She mused happily as she leaned over, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Are you sure you’re willing to lose me for a whole weekend to a book?” She teased, knowing that if he ever asked for attention or wanted time with her that she would put the book down. She reached down to pick up the book with his name on it, with a pretty bow on the corner of it. It also had a small gift taped to the top of it. She knew how much he had wanted a switch but the money never really came together and with the new Mario Party that had come out a few months prior she thought it would be the perfect time to get one for him. “You might have to share this with me,” she teased.

/

Arielle made Owen’s heart race and jump (and all kinds of athletic things he wasn’t good at). He clung to every word, gesture, and expression that she made. It was that way for as long as he could remember and (for some nutsack reason) he never called it love until now. Spending time with her like they were doing in the moment overwhelmed him in the best ways, to the point where he wasn’t sure if he should laugh about it or grab her and never let go. People like him never struck gold twice and he knew he needed to take care of her. “Who said I’ll lose you?” He was with her every spare moment he had and he would be there on the couch with her (silently listening to a podcast or putting in extra hours at work while she read). It wasn’t about having her attention all the time, it was about being with her. There was no one else in the world that he wanted to make happier than the brunette tucked at his side. Owen perked up and took the gift from Arielle. He started to open it while she said a few words about it that intrigued him and made him realize shaking it to see what it contained was the wrong move (wrong move in deed, buddy). “You got me the nintendo switch?” He shot his eyes at her as he exclaimed. Arielle always listened to the small details. “And Mario Party! Are you serious?” Owen set the gift aside and considered jumping on top of Arielle to cuddle her against the couch, but alternatively he leaned in and kissed her. “Thank you.” Best Christmas ever.

location: Wildflower Café who: @fallbrookstarters​ — open

She had been helping her best friend as a barista/server while she was busy remodeling the café. “Ay diosito santo. Sorry.” Jo walked quickly, moving from one table to the other before either group had a change to pick their coffees off the tray. She mixed up their orders and did a quick switcheroo before anyone got too angry, hopefully, and before she had to head back and make new drinks for everyone. She dropped the correct coffee at one of the tables first and apologized again before going to the next person. “There you go! Good as new. Like nothing ever happened.” She gave them two thumb’s up and was just thankful nothing worse happened. 

/

Brown eyes looked down into the coffee cup that evidently didn’t contain his order. He looked over to the person working at the new cafe and was debating on whether to ask for his real order or not. Owen shouldn’t have been surprised (at all). Shit like this always happened to him, but the universe needed those unlucky individuals to balance out the lucky ones. “Er....” He was still mid debate when the woman realized her mistake and corrected it. “T-thanks.” He nervously looked down (he hated feeling like a burden to people) and saw the wedding band on his ring finger (which gave him some courage). “Thanks for fixing it.” His stutter was getting better, but it would always be there. “Are y-you new?”