sweet creature

Alexa Demie

homebody by nature, sage was already settled in for the night. she enjoyed the peace and quiet that her space provided. it had always been that way. growing up with parents who farm, sage always learned to start the day early and wind down as the sun fell. dim lights, tv set as background noise, and her favorite drink on the rocks. sage began to shut things down for the evening until she heard a ring at the door. “who?” sage stopped in her tracks, listening for any trace of another noise. her fingernails tap against the granite, trying to determine the level of fear she should have. sage peaked through the window, catching the glimpse of someone’s figure on the other side. slowly she unlatched her door and revealed dakota on the other side. “what the hell?” the words barely make it out as she tries to catch her breath. it’s been years. three years, actually. no trace of dakota except for what she could catch on tv. sage’s parents were always so fond of dakota, and diehard football fans, so when his career began to take off her family was always rooting for him. but, it was hard for sage. watching someone so special to her take on the world without her. acceptance was always her strong suit, so sage carried on even when she felt like a piece of her was missing without him. her gaze carries along the garden, making sure no one else was following. “come inside.” sage clears a path for him and shuts the door. a smile creeps to the corner of her mouth as she tries to think of what to say next. “you know,” sage trailed back over to her drink, fingers tapping again, “my dad still has one of your jersey’s hanging up.” she giggles, thinking of how proud her father was. “what the hell are you doing here, dakota?”

sage raises an eyebrow as she listens to dakota explain himself. her usual sweet and soft demeanor shifting as he continues. her trust issues had grown immensely since he left and she wasn’t sure who she could trust anymore. sage is smart enough to know that resenting him for leaving is useless. it couldn’t change anything and she’d never ask someone to stick around for her sake. it’s all about free will in her mind. “yeah,” she starts off. her tone trailing off in a disingenuous fashion. “i’m sure life has been crazy.” sage’s attention gazes back toward her drink-- trying to muster up what to say next. “i’m glad you’re doing alright,” she mutters, deciding it’s the most neutral way to respond. sage used to talk dakota’s ear off for hours, now she’s at a loss for words. she can’t give away too much. she’s done it every time before, and where has that gotten her? a standstill. sage has always been the one too give, but not too much this time. she only wants to protect whatever sanity remains. “i guess we took our own paths in life. we’re different people now.” which is really only an assumption, she just doesn’t know dakota anymore. “i just spent the summer in mexico,” she immediately switches topics. “i stayed with my family -- but it was definitely a summer to remember. just got back home last week.” sage reaches for a glass from her cabinet and motion’s it toward dakota, nodding toward her array of alcohol she brought home from her trip. “you want a drink?”

@pasteldivine the past couple of years had been a whirlwind for dakota. ever since he became a public figure with a sizable following, he didn't have much time for anything other than his work. that wasn't to say that he never tried. his friends from childhood tried their best to keep in contact with him, and he did his best to respond to them. but the nine hour time difference between his hometown and current location made it damn near impossible for him to catch anyone at a reasonable time. and every time he made plans to come around during the off season, something else caught his attention. but this time he was determined to follow through on his promise to never let fame get to his head. quickly, he hopped out of his taxi and tipped the driver generously for driving him all the way from the airport to sage's farm. and then he walked into her garden, immediately getting lost in the serenity of everything. god, it was so nice to slow down and take in everything around him. he just hoped that sage wasn't too mad at him for being awol for the past three years. after he was done checking out the plants, he rung the doorbell and rocked back and forth on his heels.

homebody by nature, sage was already settled in for the night. she enjoyed the peace and quiet that her space provided. it had always been that way. growing up with parents who farm, sage always learned to start the day early and wind down as the sun fell. dim lights, tv set as background noise, and her favorite drink on the rocks. sage began to shut things down for the evening until she heard a ring at the door. “who?” sage stopped in her tracks, listening for any trace of another noise. her fingernails tap against the granite, trying to determine the level of fear she should have. sage peaked through the window, catching the glimpse of someone’s figure on the other side. slowly she unlatched her door and revealed dakota on the other side. “what the hell?” the words barely make it out as she tries to catch her breath. it’s been years. three years, actually. no trace of dakota except for what she could catch on tv. sage’s parents were always so fond of dakota, and diehard football fans, so when his career began to take off her family was always rooting for him. but, it was hard for sage. watching someone so special to her take on the world without her. acceptance was always her strong suit, so sage carried on even when she felt like a piece of her was missing without him. her gaze carries along the garden, making sure no one else was following. “come inside.” sage clears a path for him and shuts the door. a smile creeps to the corner of her mouth as she tries to think of what to say next. “you know,” sage trailed back over to her drink, fingers tapping again, “my dad still has one of your jersey’s hanging up.” she giggles, thinking of how proud her father was. “what the hell are you doing here, dakota?”

( 💅 ) a bitchy text

Mary Oliver, “Dogfish”, from Dream Work

nonmorrisgardens