golden;

jai knew he had her on the rent thing, he was blessed somewhat to be able to treat his flatmates to a month rent free, but it was the least he could do with the less than desirable hours he kept. he laid back down, focusing on his breathing and relaxation which was surprisingly hard with kaia sitting there, she just radiated the exact opposite aura, it was much easier doing yoga by himself or with jas. “nothin’ wrong with buying coke from me, i sell good shit you know? but i don’t rat out my clients and i rarely can anyway because i can’t be fucked learning their names. regardless, i don’t really care just know you’re less of a bitch when you’ve had a dick in you.”

“don’t knock what pays the rent babe,” jai hummed, unbothered by the comment, he’d been dealing for so long that it really didn’t faze him anymore. he lay down on the mat, ready to finish with shavasana before he heard kaia fumble again with the thermostat, standing with a sigh and removing her from the vicinity. “sit,” he instructed firmly, flicking the heating off and opening a few o the windows to let the cool air in. “you’re home late, usually you’re in bed and too drunk to notice me turning the heater up. get laid?”

jai moved about the living room into various different yoga poses, sweat pouring off of him as he did so. mickey slept like the dead and never noticed when the temperature rose in the early hours of the morning and usually kaia was out cold after a late night ‘studying’. to be fair if either of them had complained about it he probably would have stopped, and paid for a class because bikram did good things for him, but neither had yet so here he was. “trying to be zen ‘cause i live with you, it’s an impossible feat though,” he responded blandly, moving into downward dog. “it’s called bikram yoga, educate yourself. sit down and i’ll turn the heat off, you’ll fucking hurt yourself, you drunk dumbass.”

hugo wrapped his arms tightly around kaia’s frame, pulling her closer him. of course he was gloating, or maybe beaming could be a better word for it. and even though flashes of last night’s secret rendezvous with cosmia threatened to ruin his mood, he was getting better at keeping the guilt at bay. it was a never ending circle of meeting with coco, arguing with her about how they both were betraying their partners, promising himself that he wouldn’t see her again and after a while, calling her up again with teenage need. however, hugo was still hopeful to finally break the cycle one day, to leave the affair behind and become the man kaia actually needed. “i struggle to believe you’re mine every time i look at you, that you’ll be my wife,” he whispered, looking at her with adoration in his eyes as he leaned down to press his lips against hers. 

it had been another one of those nights where kaia disappeared from the flat at around seven in the evening (probably to hang with hugo), only to return back home in the early hours of the morning - several shades sulkier when she left. normally she’d make an effort to sneak back in between three and four (just to make sure neither of her flatmates saw her), but for whatever reason, the thought of leaving hadn’t struck her until way past five. which would have been fine, had she not been the only person to ever have flatmates who insisted on getting out of bed at five to do yoga. “what on earth are you doing?” she sighed, raising a brow at the other before attempting to drunkenly turn the dial on the thermostat back to a liveable temperature. “and more importantly, why the fuck is it so hot in here? and please don’t tell me that not being able to breathe is somehow part of it.”

“and have i ever told you how much i love it when you tell me i’m right?” he retorted with a smug grin on his lips. hugo lived for the easy lazy moments like this. back in his university years, he failed to appreciate the calm and contentment that kaia brought into his life. after all, he was young and scared of any type of commitment. but now, he felt like she was everything he needed. “five more minutes, ten more minutes, all the time you want,” he mumbled against her neck, pressing his lips softly against the exposed skin. “i just want to go out there to show you off as my future wife, mine, mine, mine,” he whispered, pressing sloppy kisses on her cheek.

Hugo felt himself jolt back to consciousness at the sound of his phone as he reached for it still on a dormant state. Without taking a look at the screen, he pressed the buttons so it wouldn’t bother them again. He turned on his side, wrapping his arm lazily around Kaia’s waist as he nuzzled gently at her neck. Being back in Oxford felt exactly like going back in time, his mind filled with all the memories they had made together all those years ago. Back then, a part of him wouldn’t have believed that she’d be her fiance one day but deep inside he always knew she was meant to be in his life for a very long time. It made sense then and it made sense now, he genuinely loved her and his chest filled with guilt every time he thought about Coco and their ongoing affair. Kaia deserved someone better than him, he knew that. Yet he was too selfish to ever let her go. “I mean, we did make all the effort to come all the way here just to stay in bed,” he told her, bringing his lips to the top of her head to kiss her softly. “But you know in the end we’ll end up doing whatever you decide, love.”

“oh – of course, you wouldn’t.” natalia smiled slightly before nodding. “i wish you luck then!”

“thanks, love. if there’s one thing i need for this to be delivered on time, it’s luck.”

“Absolutely on the money, babe, so congratulations on not being stupid.” Nathan smiled. He found the conversation, however brief, very amusing. “Everyone has an actor inside them, and if it’s for an extension, I’m sure that you’ll be able to pull it off.”

«thanks, i try my hardest not to be.» with that, she flipped the page of her worksheet, groaning at the sight of the new questions. «yeah, there’s some truth in that ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’-cliché, hm?»

          “ DEPENDS, ARE WE talking a pedal bike or a motorcycle? ” he asked, looking at the other.

hugo sipped on his wine, relishing in the closeness of their bodies. he was not oblivious to the way her cheeks seemed to gain a certain shade of crimson every time he touched her a certain way or called her certain pet names. and he lived for it. hugo always watched in adoration the way she reacted to him. as long as there was alcohol in his system, it seemed like he couldn’t get enough of it. it was like an endless cycle: getting lost in kaia for the night, running scared in the morning, not being able to get the warmth of her skin out of his head, giving in and calling her again. every time, hugo made a silent promise that it would be the last and every time, he knew he was just going to fall for her all over again. “both,” he grinned. “because i’ll always treat you to some of the best wine in the world but rest assured, i don’t trust your taste,” he said playfully, trying to get a rise out of her. 

“can i fucking help you?” jai hissed as he took a drag from his ‘cigarette’, it’d been five minutes on campus and some kid had already begged him to just give him one ounce of his best weed for a whole ten bucks, so he could definitively say he was in a really shitty mood. 

«yeah, you better fuckin’ hope you can,» she drawled, both voice and general appearance decent indicators that the girl had just rolled out of bed. had she had any say in it, she would have still been in bed, avoiding the realities of lectures. but when she’d awoken to find her keys missing, she had suddenly found herself tasked with the mild inconvenience of .. going outside. «i don’t know if you’ve lost your own set or if it’s in your genetic code somewhere that you have to be a wanker, but i know you’ve got my keys.» after all, who else could it be? with that, she extended her hand, clearly awaiting something. «so hand them over, please.»

“ you might want to make that a car, or maybe a truck. that way you’ll probably be excused from exams as well. ” he peeked at what she was working on and raised an eyebrow. “ yeah, well, good luck. i can’t even add 1+1 with the help of a calculator ”

‘i guess i shouldn’t be shocked. it’s like they say - like mother, like daughter, right?’ as someone who had been raised to use the most proper manners appropriate, casper often forgot that not everyone on the prestigious campus was as “refined” as he believed himself to be. ‘i’d rather be liberal with it than conservative. there’s nothing wrong with having a few friends, is there now? and to answer your question i approached you for exactly the reason you might think. i know you still have access to the blog, kaia. and even if you didn’t, you’re perfectly capable of gaining that access if need be. well, need be. because i want in.’

gerald just glanced up. “ear damage from your nagging. also as a christian, i take offence to you talking about my lord and savior like that.” he told her, his voice even and cool before he once again kept on noting down the most important parts of his textbook page.

«look, not to be the devil’s advocate or anythin’, but i kinda think you forfeited your right to be upset when you…» there was a pause (for dramatic effect, probably) as the girl pointed towards her calculator. «… decided it fit to possibly ruin my gdc.»