“The question is, will you be able to keep Roxie still enough for a good picture? I don’t think there’s enough treats,” said the man with a laugh; the word treat causing the pup to lift her head from where she was. Todd couldn’t help to imagine that becoming a tradition, and how later on a little baby would be next to Roxie. A thought that caused him to smile. His hand then turned to grab a gentle hold of the ginger’s, bringing up to eye level as he couldn’t help but awe at her engagement ring. The golden rose ring, with the diamond as the cherry on top shining on Vixey’s finger proudly. “I did good with this one, hm? Your mom said that I definitely hit the jackpot when she saw it. I’m pretty sure she was talking about you and not the ring, but who knows,” he teased as he brought her knuckles to his lips to kiss. Todd could only imagine how beautiful she’d look when he saw her walking down the aisle; it was going to be a sight to remember, for sure.

“Of course I will,” Vixey said with a smile, looking over at Roxie who was clearly interested in hearing more about the treats. “It’s all about capturing the right moment with pups, besides, the candid moments are always way cuter than the posed moments.” And it was true, especially when dogs or kids were involved in the pictures. As Todd raised her hand to his lips, Vixey couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach. Some might have thought it to be a little silly that she still felt this way about his touch after all of these years, but Vixey knew she’d never get tired of it. Every day with Todd felt familiar and exciting all over again and she hoped to never lose that feeling. She felt her cheeks flush, “I couldn’t have picked out a better ring even if I tried,” She smiled, admiring it. “I’m serious, too, and I have great taste. You knocked it out of the park with this one,” she said, her lips curling into a smirk, “And with me too, of course.” she teased, “But the feeling is mutual.”

based from this

He couldn’t remember since when he’d been dreaming of this moment, or the leading up to it at least. Todd had always wanted this, so close to his reach by just a few days to go -marrying Vixey, becoming her husband, becoming a family. Something of his own to have and to hold. Ever since he was a kid, the man had come to the realization that he hadn’t had something, somewhere or someone to belong to. Others had parents, siblings, homes; places and people to feel a part of. But Todd hadn’t had that for a long time, ever since his grandmother was gone. And now, here he was just a few days away to have roots of his own with Vixey, the girl who’d stole his heart the second he laid eyes on her and made a fool of himself right after. How he’d become so lucky to have her love him, want him and chose him. Of course, the wedding planning was something else, stressful and overwhelming at times; but the man constantly reminded himself that the end of the road was what to look for. Them saying I do down the aisle. It did start to give him a reason to sit on the couch and simmer for a couple of minutes a day before the next task was coming, and just as he had closed his eyes to clear his head, he felt the redhead sit next to him and grab his hand, with Todd instantly leaning his head against her shoulder and smiling. “I know,” he said back, “And I get to call you my wife. We’ll be decorating for Christmas for the first time as a married couple too,” said Todd with a smile, already knowing the decorations were waiting patiently in a box, pushed to the side by the wedding planning; but eager to be taken out. “Roxie will look so cute as the flower girl.” @rewritethestarsxx

Vixey leaned her own head against Todd’s as his rest against her shoulder. She was full of so many emotions, feeling things she couldn’t even imagine feeling leading up to the big day. She was excited beyond belief because she couldn’t wait to finally marry her best friend, but she was also so nervous. More planning had gone into this than she had ever put into anything else in her life and she was worried about anything and everything going wrong. But, moments like this with Todd, quiet moments where it was just the two of them and Roxie, reminded her that no matter what the day would be perfect because she was marrying the perfect person, her perfect person. The thought of Roxie with her flowers brought a grin to her lips, followed by the thought of Christmas. “You know we’ll be taking Christmas card pictures in matching pajamas with Roxie, right? And we’ll be sending them out to everyone.”

The man’s smirk was huge at this point, getting comfortable with his cup of coffee as he watched the redhead let it all sink in; the man even laughed a bit at the situation as his eyes drifted down to the table for a second. Who would have thought -a commoner like him with nothing special to anyone’s eye- getting this high profile lady without a word to say or joke for that matter. Out through the window were whatever jokes were left about his kissing abilities -of that he was sure. And it wasn’t like Todd wouldn’t repeat this move in the future. The most efficient way to get the woman to stop talking. “Well, since you never told me who was the worst kiss ever during a show, how’s your day been? Anything interesting from the glitter and glamour world?” he was teasing again, making her come back to earth from whatever train of thought she was in.

“Listen,” Vixey couldn’t help but laugh, still blushing too. “No girl wants to recount one of her most embarrassing moments. I’m not proud of it, either. It was high school, though, one of my first shows.” she explained, hesitating if she should go into more detail. It was so silly thinking about it now but it still went down in history as one of Vixey’s most embarrassing moments. “I had a massive crush on the guy who played the lead opposite me and I had asked him and he turned me down.” It was one of the only times that had happened, “Anyway, we did our kissing scene for the first time and, well, he was a terrible kisser.” she laughed, “Still one of the worst kisses I’ve ever experienced. But he decided he liked me after that but I just couldn’t kiss him again after the show..” It sounded even more silly now, but she figured it made for a good laugh. 

“But oh,” she sighed, “Thankfully things aren’t too exciting right now, the show’s going on as normal, things are calm. I have no juicy drama to share which is new for me. Or maybe it’s just a product of getting older in the industry. I feel out of touch with the younger adults on the scene.” She brought her coffee to her lips and took a long sip. “One of my co-stars tried to get me to make a Tiktok with them yesterday. That didn’t go over well.”

The initial denial he received to the news, well. It was one he knew pretty well. Lukas had gone through the exact same, and through most of the stages of grief. These were harsh news, that came out of nowhere. One night his uncle was fine, healthy and thriving; the next morning he was gone. Lukas could only sniffle back and look at the redhead as she opened the letter, trying to keep his face clean and not like the mess that he probably already was.

“He passed in his sleep one night,” said Lukas with a sniffle, his lip wobbling a little because in the end he was just a kid. A kid that had gone through something traumatic and had just lost the only family left. “He felt no pain. He was just gone. But,” the boy now looked at her, trying to his hardest not to cry. “He was really happy when he received your invitation, so much that he wanted to come here the next morning,” a soft chuckle came out of him at the memory. “He told me you were the love of his life. That he had to keep his feelings secret to not interfere with your career.”

“He kept pictures of every show you’ve been on, and every letter you wrote to him, he kept it all safe,” he had started to fidget with his fingers, the tension feeling like a mountain on him but at the same time like a relief. Because everything his uncle couldn’t tell her himself, at least he was here to let her know. “I didn’t really know about you until a couple of nights ago. But whenever you called, he dropped everything and was smiling for days.”

It hurt so much more than she could ever imagine hearing all of this, and in the midst of what was supposed to be one of the best nights of her life. The feeling was one she wouldn’t be able to shake for quite some time, and maybe not ever. She sniffled a bit as Lukas explained, and brought a napkin to wipe along the bottom of her eyes. At least he wasn’t in pain, at least it didn’t happen on the job, at least it wasn’t a terrible accident. It hurt so much that it happened at all, this wasn’t a part of life they had ever imagined. 

A half laugh, half sob fell from her lips as Lukas told her how excited he was over the invitation, how ready to go he was and Vixey could picture it now in his head, the way he was always so excited for something with Vixey. It hurt even more knowing that he had gotten it, he was ready to come home to her and the universe responded in the most wicked of ways. They were robbed. And Lukas losing his uncle. 

She still found herself at a loss for words as he went on about Todd and his ways of keeping her with him for all these years. “I had meant to get out there and see him,” she said, sniffling as she spoke. She had to rest her hands with the letter in her lap because they were trembling. “I meant to come and visit you all, to meet you, he spoke so highly of you. I know he’s really proud of you.” she found herself crying as she spoke. This couldn’t be real, Todd couldn’t be gone. But the pain on Lukas’ face said it all. “He was the love of my life, too. I just realized it twenty years too late..” she said, looking down. “I had always loved him, but you know how it is, even if you haven’t given it much thought yet. At your age, you just see things differently. I did.” she said, “And when I didn’t I was too scared to say anything.” It hurt to remember but it also felt like a nice relief, telling Lukas, “He was my very best friend.”

It was incredibly rewarding to make the redhead shut up, and not be able to say anything other than -maybe- a syllable. If he hadn’t been taking notes, this time Todd surely was. Not to mention; they hadn’t kissed before this moment. Barely a kiss on the cheek once when he dropped her off after a date. Things had gone slow -to which he didn’t complain- but this was definitely a nice starting point. As long as this was a milestone she’d remember him by, Todd was more than happy and satisfied. “We’ll see if you’re that lucky,” the man had a smirk on his face as he went to take a seat and get comfortable; now he was the one flirting and keeping Vixey on her toes.

Vixey could only imagine how good it felt for Todd, having left the redhead speechless. It wasn’t common, Vixey Addison always had something to say, she was a last word kind of gal, she always had been and always would be. So Todd, now having left her pretty speechless after that, would go down in history. And to put the cherry on top, he was teasing her more. “I only hope to be,” she said in reply, a stupid smile stuck across her face as she looked back at Todd playfully. It wasn’t like her to be so playful in broad daylight in a coffee shop, Vixey was more of an after sunset kind of going out with people person, usually late after shows, but something about this felt really good.

Todd sat back a little as he looked at the redhead, his eyes narrowing just a bit while his lips pressed in a tight line. His face read teasing, there was only humor with this whole situation. “Oh, like you’d know about it,” he said back, with the same face she’d done while claiming he was a bad kisser. “That’s quite the joke you’re throwing there for someone who doesn’t talk from experience. For all I know you’re the bad kisser here,” said Todd with a soft shrug as he chuckled a little. Of course as he watched Vixey more, he couldn’t help but smirk back at her, “Oh yeah, you will.” With that the man pulled her chair closer to him around the table, a hand to the side of her neck with his thumb propping her face to meet him. “Let’s see if I can change that joke of yours,” he whispered before his lips caught the redhead’s, a kiss that started slow but quickly deepened, the tip of his tongue tracing her bottom lip as Todd let it linger enough for her to remember it once this coffee date was over. The man brought her face closer, making sure this was one kiss she’d never forget before he slowly pulled away -a little breathless too- just as his blue eyes looked at her. “How’s that for a first kiss.”

Vixey was ready to protest right back about her own abilities but it seemed like Todd had other plans that included cutting her off, cutting her off in a pretty good way if she were to admit it. The redhead didn’t have much time to process between being pulled closer to him and his lips crashing over to meet hers. The way Todd pulled her over was forceful but gentle, passionate but careful. It was one of the best kisses Vixey ever had if she were to be honest. She had been sensing that Todd had an incredible attention to detail but she had no idea it’d bleed over into the way he’d kiss her. Her lips moved with his, her hand slowly creeping up only to land on top of his against her face for a moment before he managed to pull back slowly. “I..” she opened her mouth to speak, barely a sound coming out, “I can’t even joke about it again, but I wouldn’t hate that happening again.” 

Oh, thank god. It’s her. Lukas would have collapsed right there and then had this not just been the tip of the iceberg. He was not done yet, for now just trying to stay calm and kept together. The boy took a deep breath, to calm himself and also, to not pass out right there.

“Ms.Addis- Vixey. I’m sorry to bother you right now. I know this is a very important night for you and I really don’t want to be any sort of problem. But, there’s something really important you should now,” said the boy. He was at the border of an anxiety attack. The fact that he hadn’t eaten or slept in the last couple of hours since leaving home was definitely playing a part right now.

“My name is Lukas Summers,” he said as he looked the woman, summoning whatever bravery his uncle had left for him. “Todd Summers, he was my dad. Actually my uncle. He was all I had,” said Lukas with a sigh. “My uncle passed away a few days ago. He had a message for you. I came here to give you his letter. I promise this isn’t any type of joke. I just,” said the boy trying to keep it together, “I owe to him that you know how he felt about you.”

Lukas slowly reached for his shirt pocket, pulling out the sealed -and a little worn out- letter, with Todd’s clear handwriting on one side handing it to her. The date was the last day he had in New York, before leaving. The after their last show together when Todd had decided to rather write it all down instead of saying it out loud.

My dearest Gingerbread,

My plane leaves in the morning and soon the world will see you shine as the biggest and brightest star they’ve ever seen. I wish I could stay with you, but your journey isn’t mine. And the world will soon adore you, while I learn to live without you. But every memory I take with me is about you, every dream I have is about you.

And this fear that keeps me by the door, it shouldn’t interfere with you wanting, achieving and reaching for more. I am here, even if miles away I’m always in your corner watching you soar. When my plane lands on the runway, when the road only goes one way, when the years pass but the love stays; keep these words inside your heart.

I’ll be with you, when these words reach you. Keep me inside your heart. Even if I can’t be with you, you are forever the holder of my heart and devotion.

You will always be the one I love. Now, tomorrow -eternally.

Forever yours,

Todd

“Oh?” Vixey expected him to maybe ask for a picture or an autograph, both of which she happily give him, it really wouldn’t be a problem, and then she saw the letter he was holding, immediately recognizing the handwriting on the outside of the envelope. For just a moment she thought to question him but the second he said his name it clicked. “Lukas, oh my god..” she had only seen a few pictures of the boy, Todd had of course mentioned him in passing communication and Vixey knew of him but she had yet to ever actually meet or really got to see him. 

Within seconds it felt like the world was spinning again but instead of a spin accompanied by the adrenaline of her win, this spin felt bad, unreal even. She was glad that she was already sitting down. “You, wait..” she was trying to catch up. “Wait Todd was..” she caught dad but then he immediately corrected to uncle but also used the word dead. His uncle was dead and Todd was his uncle. “Wait that cannot be true, I just talked to him two weeks ago?” It was also good that Vixey was already outside because at least the breeze helped keep her from the feeling of suffocating. 

“That can’t be true..” she said again but as he handed her the envelope she gasped. It was definitely Todd’s handwriting, there was no doubt about that. Without much thought she started to open the letter right there in front of him. She just couldn’t believe that Todd was, gone.. Sure, they hadn’t spoken, Vixey figuring he was too busy. Then there was earlier when she swear she saw him and she heard of people describing what could only be explained as visions of someone after they pass but Vixey just thought maybe she saw him because she wanted to. Regardless, her mind had definitely been playing tricks.

“Gingerbread..” she whispered as she read, tears already welling behind her eyes. “Wait oh my god this is.. this. Oh, Todd..” Properly formed sentences weren’t really on her side right now but it wasn’t like anyone could blame her. This was earth shattering in a way. She couldn’t read the whole letter, not yet, not through her watery eyes. “So,” she finally looked back up at him, “He’s.. he’s really gone?”

starter based on this. @rewritethestarsxx​

The conversation -which had started from the kissing scenes on the shows and who actually the worst co star to share that with- had suddenly turned from anyone else to the man sat across from her in the cafe. To say that was the last thing he was expecting to hear from the redhead was an understatement. He’d always had some good joke behind his sleeve to crack her up and let her relax -especially when she was finishing a bad rehearsal or it just a long day. She on the other hand, seemed to take humor in poking him with the most audacious comments ever; proof A, claiming he was a bad kisser. “Excuse me,” he said back as he looked back at Vixey, with a face that read the audacity. “That was uncalled for. All I said was that it’s obviously going to be a bad kiss if the dude doesn’t even have the decency to at least eat a mint and here you are attacking me. For free,” said Todd with a huff as he looked at the redhead. “That’s quite a bold statement you’re making.”

“Okay, okay,” Maybe she had come off a little strong. “It was a little out of character for me with someone I like.” she admitted, feeling her cheeks turning pink. She was clearly embarrassed now but at the same time it was kind of cute to see Todd a little worked up. She weighed her options of continuing to tease him or letting off and couldn’t decide. “I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it,” with a shrug, sitting back in her seat a little more, a smirk sitting across her lips. She felt like a teenager.

@wrongtimezone based on this

After a few minutes, Lukas stood up and cleaned his face as best as he could with the sleeve of his jacket. The theatre was closed, the event had started and there was no point in even trying to enter without risking getting arrested or worse. He couldn’t believe he’d made it this far -feet away from the person he was supposed to deliver the message to- without any success. The boy could only look up to the sky, watching the mix of oranges and blues; the sun had set, the night was already starting to settle. The day was close to ending.

“Hey, so you’re going to the after party? There’s a better chance of getting pictures or any post award short speech if you weren’t lucky here.”

Lukas heard the words loud and clear, catching a pair of reporters in a corner having a smoke while putting away the gear. He didn’t realize he’d started to move before he was in front of the men. “I’m sorry. I was supposed to get a quote from a nominated actress. Where’s the after party again?” The lie came out of him easily, barely having to come up with it. Sure. He looked like a kid, but there were plenty of kids like him in internships; this wasn’t unusual.

“At The Plaza kid. There’s a good couple of hours before they arrive,” said the photographer as he pointed at the theatre. “But if I were you, I’d get there now and save a good spot.” “Thank you, thank you. I’ll do that,” he barely waved goodbye before the boy caught another cab. Final destination, The Plaza.

As he arrived, Lukas realized there was just as much commotion -if not more- than at the theatre. Trucks of catering, photographers, flowers; anything you could imagine been brought through the main and side doors. This was going to be harder than he thought. That was until he caught sight of some guys, practically looking like him; backpack, white shirts, baby faces. Waiters.

Without a second thought, the boy stripped off the jacket and tie, fixed his white shirt as best as he could; as well as his face. He’d blame anything on allergies. With the luck of the after party close to beginning, there wasn’t much of a second check as Lukas went in the line and finally, inside. Getting a random locker key and black apron, the boy took the letter and placed it in the pocket of his shirt before getting ready and grabbing the closest tray with champagne flutes.

He quickly disappeared into the crowd, his eyes scanning everyone who had some fancy outfit on -most likely a nominee or invited to the awards- while randomly offering flutes to whoever wanted one. It was then, when he had the last one that he caught sight of the woman in the picture, just as she disappeared  behind some doors to the outside. Lukas didn’t waste another second, patting the letter against his chest before he crossed the door to the other side.

“M-Ms.Addison?” he called out, visibly nervous. All in all, he could have gotten the wrong person, she couldn’t be here, she may have missed the event. Every circumstance could have gone wrong in that moment. Give me a little courage now, uncle.

Vixey was surprised to find the patio still fairly deserted but she knew as the night wore on more people would tumble out to enjoy some air. She’d take advantage of the quiet while she could. She was by no means in the mood to end the night yet, she just needed a bit of space to take it all in. A lot had happened and in a way this also just felt like the quiet before another storm. They’d be playing to packed houses over the next few weeks no doubt. 

She had been completely lost in thought when she heard her name, or well, her last name, and nearly jumped at the sound of the voice. And then she couldn’t help but laugh, “I hate to be cliche but Ms. Addison is my mother, and I know it’s a big night but you can call me Vixey,” she said, noticing his apron, “But I would take another glass of champag-.” she couldn’t help but stop herself as she finally got a good look at his face. She could’ve sworn she knew this guy from somewhere, he looked familiar. For a second she squinted and then shook her head. “Actually, I don’t think I need anymore champagne.” He looked like Todd from twenty years ago and that scared her. She really was all in her head. 

“Wow..” she muttered. “Yeah I definitely don’t need any more champagne. “Sorry, I swear I’m not weird you just look like the spitting image of someone I know. Anyway,” she sighed, “Did you need anything? I hope they’re not trying to drag me back inside already..” 

The road to the airport had been long, barely making it through security just in time to catch the flight to New York -and with the full aisle for him which the boy took advantage of to sleep- and just as the sun was setting, he had made it to the big city. Lukas had one goal and that was making to the theatre where the event was happening and -somehow- try to get this woman’s attention. Thank god his uncle had recent pictures of her, the boy kept un unfolded in his hand, with the entrance ticket and the letter.

He’d manage to catch a cab just as he was leaving the airport, giving the address and counting the minutes before the event started. Judging by the time -and the amount of traffic- the boy would barely make it before it started, just as everyone was outside taking pictures. Perfect.

Of course Lukas was not counting on the dimension of an event like the Tony Awards, with an insane amount of reporters, cameras, celebrities and… bodyguards. The second he saw man twice his size, he quickly realized this was going to be harder than he’d imagine. He needed to somehow fit in and make it believable that he was indeed someone’s plus one to be able to enter the place and look for the redhead.

Just as he was considering his options, the boy caught sight of a restaurant -with a bathroom to change in. After a quick order of a coke and an even quicker outfit change, he walked out wearing a suit and terribly tied tie; thankfully having packed that in this bag. That outfit was definitely more believable than jeans and a sneakers. Squeezing through the crowd of people, Lukas then managed to get the attention of whoever was in charge at the door. The sight was probably something; some kid with a terrible tie, sweaty and trying not to have a panic attack.

“Excuse me, sir. I’m here for the Tony Awards. I have an invitation. I’m a plus on- her plus one,” said Lukas while trying to catch his breath, hands on his knees as he showed the envelope and Vixey’s picture. Of course, after a quick glance at the guest list, the response was not positive.

“Her plus one is her mother, and they’re currently inside. So unless you want me to get the guards to throw you out, you better beat it kid,” and immediately the man signaled for the guards to get closer. As if he knew the kid was about to put up a fight.

“Okay, listen. I really, really need to talk to her. Please, I have something very important to tell her and this is the only shot I got. Please,” Lukas was begging at this point, his eyes starting the get teary from the stress and the fatigue of everything coming down at him. “Get him out.”

The boy was thrown out of the building, just as the reporters and cameras were beginning to leave. He was barely able to look up before watching the doors close on him, and men standing in front to secure he wasn’t trying again. “Come on, please!” Crying, begging, desperate at this point without a clue on what to do next.

As everyone got settled at the after party, Vixey found herself coming down a little more from the adrenaline high of the win. That wasn’t to say everyone was feeling the come down, if anything the energy was still buzzing at the party with everyone downing the free champagne and drinks. Organized chaos would’ve been a good way to describe what had been going on. 

“So, Vixey,” Aaron, one of her costars, approached her again with a friend, two glasses of champagne in hand, one of which he offered to Vixey, “This man in your speech..” “Todd,” Natalie chimed in, “Yes, Todd, why haven’t we met this mystery man?” Vixey sipped her drink slowly, already feeling her cheeks turning pink from the alcohol and the attention. “He doesn’t live here, he moved away a long time ago.” “You called him your lifelong dance partner, why wasn’t he here tonight to see his star?” Aaron asked, never afraid to get every detail. “We were best friends in high school, nothing more. He was in every show with me and was the only boy who didn’t step all over my feet when we were dancing so I sort of claimed him from the first time on.” she explained, “But he moved and took over his family’s garage and time just got away from us.” She felt a pang in her heart at that last bit. Time was a thief.

“Wait, so you were in love with him when you were younger but didn’t realize it until...?” Natalie asked. Vixey was fully blushing now, “I mean, I guess I don’t know. I’m not like in love with him right, I just love him, he was my best friend and I guess sometimes I wonder but it’s weird and we’re old now.” “But did you ask him? Did you invite him here or was your plan to make that grand gesture in the chance that you won?” Vixey wasn’t sure at first. She wasn’t really the proclaiming love to someone else type, Todd was the one all about the gestures, big and small. It was hard to say. “I don’t know, I mean, yes. I did mail him an invitation but also we haven’t been speaking much lately because we’re so busy so I didn’t want to overwhelm him or make him feel like he had to come and see me.” “Sounds like someone was just scared.” Aaron said, and maybe he wasn’t wrong. “But you were overcome with emotion and what you said about him was really sweet. I guess he’s your muse.” “I’ll cheers to that, to Vixey Addison maybe finally finding, or realizing, her love.” The three rose their glasses, Vixey still smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. But at the same time she was kicking herself on the inside. She really should’ve had a better follow through. 

After a little bit Vixey managed to slip away from the bustling part of the party, to a quieter corner on the patio of the venue. The air was warm and the breeze was light, it was a cooler summer night for New York and she couldn’t be more thankful. She really did just need Todd there to make it actually perfect.