favorite crime

was that [ LOLA TUNG ] spotted down at the shoreline of east hamptons main beach? must just be, [ KALANI CHOI ] the [ TWENTY-TWO ] year old [ INFLUENCER ]. whenever i hear [ LOOK UP AT THE STARS BY SHAWN MENDES ] it reminds me of them. they are known for being [ STUBBORN ] but they make up for that by being [ BUBBLY ]. they have been living in the hamptons for [ ONE MONTH ]. ( cassie, 22, PST, she/her ) 

she lightly pouts before letting a smile take over her features, “trust me if it was any other time i would so tag along. i love those types of events.” she said before shaking her head a light laugh escaping her, “i have it on good authority that kai totally wants to hang with you.” she said an innocent smile taking over her features before she nodded moving to take a seat, “yeah i have some time i can sit and keep you company of course.” she said moving to wrap both of her hands around the cup of coffee, “how are things going? with school and everything?”

glancing away from his daughter to kalani he shook his head“you are absolutely evil for teaching her that.” he chuckled watching the two high five as he blew out a breath, “i’m third wheeling with you and your boyfriend with my daughter? that’s such a buzzkill.” he teased the smile on his face indicating he was just joking, “i’m glad i’ll have cier there to be just as clueless as me.” he said then before shaking his head, “you didn’t because this little one pulled them for you.” he said reaching over to tickle his daughter her laughter making him smile.

sitting straighter in her seat she clasped the coffee cup in her hands a smile on her lips as she looked at her best friend, “well thank you for asking and inviting me.” she smiled brightly shaking her head a bit taking a sip of her tea, “it’ll be the best of times.” she said placing the cup back down on the table between them. blowing out a breath she gave a nod, “i’ve been good i don’t think i can complain much if i’m being honest.. i mean besides being sick i don’t know everything is the same. how have you been i feel like it’s been forever even though i know it hasn’t.”

“i’m glad you didn’t,” cier states, honestly. “i know you said i wasn’t, but i still felt like i was losing you.” he thinks back to how he’d felt that morning, feelings and fears all pent up. yet for the first time in a long time, feeling free because he knew. it would’ve been hard holding onto those feelings for longer if lani rescheduled. “i was up before six, so i did try to spare you a little,” he adds in, lightly amused “and i did make good on my promise to let you nap later,” he points out, as if this helped make up for it. even though he’d stayed up to start making her flashcards, quiet and not wanting to wake her, the anxiety and pain of the previous weeks had lifted away watching her face soft with sleep, knowing they were finally okay. he lifts his brows in playful challenge, even though they both know his heart’s grown so full lately it’d be more accurate to say it might explode out of his chest any second. “hmm, sounds like you’re falling asleep before you realize and your dreams are conjuring up all kinds of fabrications about me,” he teases. but as her gaze meets his, his soft smile widens too, accepting that he’s full of it and that she’s won. he’s weaker than he ever was for her. he nods at the mention of her ex, trying to keep the expression from his face. he likes to think he can avoid being that jealous of a person, but he feels a pang in his gut every time he thinks of lani being heartbroken by him in the end. “hmm.. might be the same fans who keep telling me you belong with them, not me,” he says, lightly amused. “what did the letters say? the ones from the fans, i mean,” he perks a brow, curious. an amused sigh leaves his lips and he shakes his head lightly, “that’s way too much faith you have in me. that mine would be the best. i’ve never been that romantic,” he feels the need to clarify. “but i guess if i did write you one…” the emphasis on the ‘did’ was teasing “you’d know it’d be sincere. i really can’t stand anything fake just for the sake of saying it.” that would at least be something in his favor, he thinks. cieran usually didn’t muse on ideas of long-term when he was dating. it just wasn’t the first thing that came to his mind. that is, until lani. “you will be. at least if it’s me who has a say,” he says, calmly and surely reassuring her. he looks down at her intently at her admission, gaze burning and one corner of his lips pulling upwards. “good. i’ve started wanting you with me everywhere.” when he’d flown to australia ahead of her, he’d felt all too aware of the days until her flight got in too. “okay, fine,” he chuckles, accepting the words she spoke with starry eyes fixed on him. “they can stay jealous for good. i’m not going anywhere.”

“are you sure they were my fans? i thought i was never going to get you back,” he teases. although the truth was she’d been a part of his life for so long that a lot of his fans had become her fans and vice versa. like that day at the zoo, every time he watched her with fans, so genuinely and sweetly lighting all of them up, he felt there wasn’t a way he could ever stop being in love with her. he chuckles as she teasingly calls him out, sure even she doesn’t know how true the words are. “okay, guilty. i am. and i do love it,” he glances over and holding her gaze for a moment. he smiles softly as she refers to him by the nickname he only ever let her call him outside of his mom, mari and kai. “forever,” he says, “only for you.” even though she’s wearing a smile, tone teasing, part of him still knots up inside when he thinks about how much he wishes he could take back the span of time between lani’s confession and his own, letting her cry or wonder where she stood with him. meeting her humor slightly, he says, “we’re more similar lately than i thought. i guess it could be kind of a brooks brothers thing.” then, turning more pensive, “i just… want him to be happy? and not telling you how i really felt and leaving you feeling the way i did… i think it’s my biggest regret. i was scared of losing our friendship, but i ended up doing so much wrong. i know things are different with kai and thena. but…” eventually he shrugs, trailing off, simply worried his brother might make some of the same mistakes. his brows come together in thought, “i couldn’t remember if you had. it’ll be your first time?” he likes the idea of her first time in paris with him. “ooh. it’s hot when you talk tennis to me,” he pops his brows over at her and jokes. although, honestly, his chest does swell with a little pride every time she catches onto the rules and scoring. “oh? when’s fashion week? the tournament’s in may. and of course,” he grins at how much it seems she’s looking forward to it, “especially if it’s your first time in paris. i’ve actually never seen it at night. and we can spend a day seeing the louvre…“ as she giggles across from him, he teases along, wiggling his brows, “have you met me? i’m nothing but taboo.” although the bad boy reputation he’d had with the media was fast dissipating. it takes him more than a moment to pull his eyes away from the adorable knot in her brow as her deep brown eyes trail over the menu. he can’t help it, like there’s always something invisible pulling his gaze to her. he quickly settles on something, more interested in the company and whether this whole valentines date was making her happy. the taste of the food would probably be more lost on him than it should. they’re able to order after the champagne is brought out. holding her gaze as the glasses met with a satisfying ‘clink’, it’s then followed with another raise of his eyebrows and a playful smirk as he takes a sip. “hmm, that was a little cheesy,” he teases. “are we that couple now?” but the smile is comfortable and settled on his lips, because surprisingly, he couldn’t care less if they were that couple, the one with heart eyes that made everyone want to look away. it was everybody else’s problem. he let himself feel the light buzz of the first glass of champagne, before he’d sober up to drive again. “you know, i might keep slipping you champagne like it’s contraband, as long as i don’t have to end up carrying you to your door again,” he teases, smile rising on his feature, soft and sweet, moments before plates were placed in front of them.

“i’m glad i didn’t either, although, i would like to believe that if i did we would still end up at this point.” she states, rising a brow at him, wondering if he would go through with the whole confession if she didn’t show up. her eyes softens at the thought of him fearing that he would lose her for good, resulting in her scrunching up her nose. “you should know that no matter what would of happened, i would always have a soft spot for you... like you have no idea how happy i was when you actually showed up to my friendsgiving.” those weeks that passed without the two of them talking were the hardest two weeks of her life, she felt miserable making her realize that she wasn’t truly completely herself if she lost him completely. “up before six to try and form your feelings into words?” she teases him, giggling ever so slightly as she remembers how nervous he seemed waiting for her to answer while her brain processed his words. “that is true and you helped me study.” when she took her nap, she was surprised when she woke up and saw that he remain true to his words and made her flashcards, it warmed her heart up knowing that he cared that much about her and that warm feeling settled in her stomach that he was her person. it was the little things he did for her that mattered the most. the expression upon his face causes her to giggle as she rises a brow at him herself, as she shrugs and sighs contently, “mm, maybe so.. definitely could be a mirage or maybe i’m just hearing my own heartbeat and growth that it has for you every moment i spend with you.” there it was, her cheesy side reflecting once again, but she couldn’t help it. kalani hadn’t realized it before, but the more time she reflects on their past and their present, the more she realized that she might of been in love with him all along. a gasp falls from her lips as she looks over towards him, “please, i get dms from girls all the time telling me that they belong with you,” she giggles, scrunching up her nose as she nibbles on her bottom lip. “mm, this one that i got asked for my hand in marriage. he even brought a ring pop to the meet and greet,” she laughs at the memories as she shakes her head. “others were pretty tamed, told me that i have a pure heart and that they’re madly in love with me.” she playfully flips her hair before smiling, her ex’s letter being long forgotten about. tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a soft smile appears across her lips as she lets out a content sigh, “i don’t know... i just feel like yours will definitely top everyone else’s and i know that everything you write in it will come from your heart,” it was no surprise that she already knew the genuine thoughts and feelings he’ll fabricate into writing her a love letter and that thought alone was enough to satisfy her. “wait, does that mean that you’re not writing me love letters?” a slight pout curving at the corners of her lips, as she pretends to be hurt about it. lips curls once again, this time upwards into a warm grin, “then we should have no problems because i won’t argue with being your valentine each year.” the reassurance was nice, something that she didn’t know that she needed, but it seems that she’s more fragile and worried that cieran might want to be with someone better than her. “and i’d definitely follow you blindly everywhere you go,” with how much time they spend together, it was beginning to get harder and harder being apart from him. “great, now i get to compliment you about how lovely of a boyfriend you are without any arguments or disagreement.” she beams happily,  “ooh, that’s hot. you letter me show you off.” 

athena smiled over at kalani glad her cold was slowly getting better and she could get out of the house to have a quick cup of coffee before she once again isolated back into her home to figure out the direction she wanted to go in, “i feel like this is one of those questions you don’t even have to ask twice about.” she said her eyes going wide for a moment before she nodded, “i definitely will go if that wasn’t a good enough answer.”

benji looked from his cousin to his daughter who was looking at him with wide eyes and he could see the beginnings of the puppy dog eyes before he looked over at kalani, “you know i can’t say no to this..” he said blowing out a breath before chuckling, “see i thought you’d want to take your boyfriend to be your date but if you want me to be your date even though i know absolutely nothing about fashion..” he paused closing his eyes tilting his head back blowing out a breath, “but we’ll go with you.” he said looking back at kalani with a smile.

it had been awhile since anthony had seen kalani, purely on his part being busy but he had missed hanging out with her so when he sat across from her and her words hit him he couldn’t help but nod, “uh yeah sure i mean i’ve never been but i can totally appreciate fashion in a sense.” he smiled over at kalani giving another nod.

isabella had managed to grab a coffee before she had seen kalani and wanted to quickly say hi. she was still in her stressed out point of her life but she also was trying to surround herself with people she cared about. when she stopped at the table she smiled softly as the other glanced up at her her words causing her to pause, “as much as i really want to say yes i think i’m going to be out of town for fashion week with mini pop up tours and such.” she said wrinkling up her nose, “but i do think you should torture kai and drag him along. i know he’d love to go to those events.” 

“are you sure?” she asked, making sure the other was okay. “me? oh, i’m fine. in this industry, there’s always something.” she let out a half-hearted laugh. “i seriously need a vacation.”

“yeah, i promise,” she reassures with a soft smile growing across her lips. “you sure? is there anything that i could do to make it better?” kalani inquires curiously, always willing to go out of her way to help others, “i bet! after your movie you deserve a long vacation.” 

ivy: it truly is. i missed ser and my sweet ana so much

ivy: i hate being away from ana for so long

ivy: can't wait to see you

ivy: oh thats good then. must be busy though. but glad you're handling it. let me know if you ever need anything

ivy: but so happy for you guys

ivy: hows his tournaments going? ana and i need to get to one soon. we promised him hahah

kalani: i can imagine! i'm sure they miss you just as much

kalani: maybe next time she can travel with you? i bet she'll love that!

kalani: we need to have a lunch date or a movie night!

kalani: ngl, super busy! thanks, love! same goes for you, i'm always here for you if you need me to watch ana or anything!

kalani: thank you so much, means a lot to know we have tons of support 💖

he had just gotten back in from the first race and all he wanted to do was be surrounded by the ones he cared about. with lia’s hand clasped in his he spotted his favorite cousin before making his way over to her a soft smile on his lips as he heard her words, “i don’t know how well i’d do at new york fashion week if i’m being honest with you.” he chuckled, “im sure they’d get used by someone better.”

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the exact trait it was about kalani that’d made cieran slowly lower his walls after they’d met, he wasn’t sure. all he knows is until the appearance of kai in his life, she really was the only one who seemed to get him. also she was the only one who seemed to be able to bring out the best in him as much as she could. “oh, you were definitely considering rescheduling?” he perks a soft brow, almost impressed as he teases, “did you have a text almost typed out, ready to leave me waiting on the courts?” in all the time he’d known her, he’d rarely seen her say no, as if for fear of letting anyone down. he knows she really didn’t say no to him, secretly feeling a sense of knowing power in it, like he’d been chosen as her weakness all this time. “i don’t know about that… maybe only one and a half times as big,” he challenges, feigning the slightest eye roll as her finger pokes his chest. but he was holding back his smile, disguising it as a smirk. he’d always claimed he was never going to get soft like that, and didn’t want to admit it all at once. the curve of his lips smooth out as his blue gaze traces her face softly. “you do,” he admits. he thinks she deserves everything, more than he or anyone can give. “have you ever gotten one before?” he can’t help but ask, crease forming in his brow again, but this one curious. as her deep brown eyes look up at him all big and starry like that, his brow raises with playful confidence, “yeah? think you’ll be here for all of them?” but he already knows the answer. the way she seems so contented with how his lips capture hers makes him want to kiss her forever. his hand lifts to her face and the other brings fingers that curl, careful and deliberate, through her hair. as she smiles against his lips, pulls back and gives him eyes like that, he can’t help but feel the corners of his lips curve upwards too. and he can’t help but wonder how he’d gone so long without her like this. he’d always hated the days she had to leave too, though hadn’t shown it as much (always the fear of expressing things that hit too close to home). “well, now you never have to. at least, not unless i’m coming with you,” he points out, a softness to his gaze as he takes her in. if the words ‘dream’, ‘best’ and ‘boyfriend’ were all uttered to cieran a year ago, his only conclusion would’ve been someone hitting their head kind of hard. but here he was… different. and surprisingly, not missing any parts of the life he left behind him. “you didn’t get that lucky,” he tries to shrug the words off just slightly, because he still finds it hard to take compliments that are so sincere like that. “you deserve all of it, trust me. besides, everyone knows you’re the angel and i’m the one who got lucky. pretty sure our whole friend group can attest to that,” he counters, smirking, but glad that she had choosen him.

a chuckle escapes him as he’s sure to keep his eyes fixed ahead on the road this time. “yeah, i think if we ever needed it they’d have the answer to a solved crime in under an hour,” he muses. the smile plucks at the corners of his lips, “it works for me, though. i can use it all as proof you’re obsessed with me,” he teases. “and as long as i live,” he adds to her statement, thinking of how kai may as well be his brother by blood, even more than that, if such a thing existed. “couldn’t let my little brother forget his nickname.” he lets out a small sigh at the mention of thena in relation. “i don’t know, i’m kind of hoping kai will have the realization that means she won’t have to set them aside for the stand-in kai-oala.” of course, cieran can only guess. but he feels he knows his brother. although, in the end, he just wants kai to be happy. he bites down on his grin at his girlfriend’s gasp, glancing over at her. “yeah? i had the feeling you might not have many protests.” he feels a lightness and relief at the idea of not having to spend that much time away from her. at her teasing he softly rolls his eyes, amused, then drags his gaze ahead once more. “hm. only, ‘love’ means zero points in tennis, and it’s an important tournament,” he teases back. but more seriously, and as if she hasn’t already agreed, he finds himself convincing, “i’m sure you can film lots of content there. and there’ll be a lot to explore on my off days.” cier’s unsure what’s so impeccably chivalrous about making a reservation at a restaurant, even one as fancy as this one. but he’ll take it if it means lani looks at him like this. but he shakes his head as if to brush off the compliments, the slightest tinge creeping up his cheeks. looking at her across from the table, he perks a brow, and then glances her over like he’s measuring her up. he has flashbacks to intervening when beer was offered to her when she was fifteen, and the way he’d never admit to her, both protectively and teasingly, that she’d grown up. he and kai had had this very conversation. that sometimes it was hard to admit both girls had grown up. in part, it’d always been a way for him not to have to face his feelings. teasing smirk lifting the corner of his lips, he answers, “i don’t know. i never said that. maybe i’m planning on slipping them to you under the table, just this once.” after ordering champagne, his eyes scan over the menu. “order anything you want, really,” he insists. chuckling genuinely, a sign that it really is just him and lani, beneath all of the fancy and slightly pretentious drinks, food and surroundings, “think i’ll just stick to something i can pronounce, though.” picking up his glass, he tilts it towards hers, grinning and perking a brow again. “what should we toast to?” he leaves the decision to her.

after meeting for the first time, she didn’t expect them to develop the friendship that they did. matter in fact, she thought she wasn’t going to see him again after the first night and it was just going to be one of those memories from her childhood that she would cherish, however, the more she attended those big fancy parties with her parents (involuntary), the more she saw him and they’ve developed an understanding with one another. “yes, at least for a later time... remember i went to sleep at three am that day and you texting me at seven wasn’t ideal.” she pointed out, scrunching up her nose as she laughs with a shake of her head, “i was half asleep reading your messages, i expected a good morning text not a hey come practice with me.” although, it was no surprise that she still showed up, kalani had a hard time saying no to cieran and she knew that he knew that. she easily became one of her weak points and there was no coming back from that. “i don’t know... because when i’m laying on your chest at night i swear i could hear it growing each second,” she teases him, eyes meeting his as she grins brightly, giggling escaping her lips every now and then. his question took her by surprise as she nibbles on her bottom lip, “my ex written me one before we were dating...” she trails off, “and i gotten a few from fans when i had meet and greets that i still have, i don’t have the heart to ever throw them away.” she admits, eyes meeting his as she smiles, “but i do have a feeling that your love notes will top ever single one of them. don’t tell my fans.” she places a finger to her lips as she lets out a small ‘shh.’ “i better be or else i’ll be completely heartbroken,” the thing about kalani was when she dated, she saw it as a long term thing and whenever she looks at cieran she saw her future with him, saw how they’ll grow old together and sometimes it was a scary thought not knowing if he reciprocated those same feelings. with each shared kiss, she found herself falling deeper and deeper, she really couldn’t explain it. she felt as if he captured her and to have him there in that moment forever was something she longed for. as his hand meets her cheek, the other tangled up upon her hair as her arms wrapped around his neck, playing with the ends of his, tugging on them ever so slightly. her sparkling eyes that never seem to dim with the sight of cieran softens as she nods her head, making her feel all the better about her asking him to move in with her later on in the night, “i think i’ve slowly became attached to you..” her voice was soft and sweet as her lips forms into a warm loving smile. after her ex she was certain that she wasn’t going to find anyone that matched her perfectly, feeling as if her feelings for cier would die as soon as he got his next girlfriend, what she didn’t expect was her being his next girlfriend and those feelings she thought were going to die intensified. “oh, don’t be so hard on yourself,” she shakes her head, her eyes filled with stars once more as she looks up at him, “i can assure that you’re truly the greatest thing to happen to me and that many people are jealous i got to snag you up.”