#ari thread.

she doesn’t have any right to be here, a feeling weird in itself because ari has never needed a reason to be here. it was understood that bella’s place was practically half hers anyways, not by title but from the sheer number of times they’ve slept in the same bed together. having not seen one another properly over the last few weeks have been hell though and she’s not been able to sleep well in the nights, constantly tossing and turning wondering how to fix this. it was a stupid argument, a moment of frustration, but underlying fear that the foundation of her future didn’t have much strength to begin with. so it was time to make up, to face the problem head on and apologize to the one person who has always been by her side. a hand knocks on bella’s door and in the other, ari holds food, some gifts, and a large teddy bear that’s tucked under her arm because there was no way in hell she could keep hold of it otherwise. she just hopes her girlfriend is willing to make the space to talk.

"babe, are you busy? i have to talk to you about something."

"he seemed pretty serious about you, you know. caelum."

"you... you won." while it shouldn't have been much of a surprise that someone out there was better at logic and reasoning, the tone still manages to unexpectedly slip through as ari lifts her head up to meet her girlfriend's eyes. headstrong and looking far too good in her suit, a warring current churns in the pit of her stomach, admiration and envy both consuming her. bella did well against her and ari always knew that she would but her parents words now start to echo in her mind, words she never wanted to believe until they stared her right in the face now: you're not good enough. "you must have studied a lot in between work, huh?"

"did you think we'd end up like this?" this was arbitrary and could be taken a great number of ways. ari wonders if bella knows she means completely, totally head-over-heels in love with your best friend. that eventually it becomes insufferable to be apart from one another for too long. she wonders if this is the feeling she's supposed to have that will finally drive her to split entirely from her parents. for now, she'll just remain thankful for the sanctuary that her brother's home provides the two of them for the summer. "i know that caelum likes to joke around about us not talking about what we are and i'm not super bothered by labels or anything at this point but... y-you know how i feel about you, right?" and really, the better question was if bella knew the extent of how much ari loves her.

❝ it's here, it's here, it's here! ❞ there's a few envelopes in hand, one that housed either an acceptance or rejection letter for the internship she applied for. ❝ do you have yours? we should open them together. ❞

"oh — my god, key, i'm going insane..." she murmurs the moment her fingers feel the soft cartilage of her naked ear. "i would like to have both earrings on my ears, yes. it should be on my dresser somewhere..." to which she bounces back to her bedroom and returns with both fastened this time. "are you sure? this isn't too much? too little?" she trusts key's opinion but validation more than once ( or twice ) is ideal for the spirited law student.

❝ of course, silly goose. i couldn't let you keep going like that... ❞ though their date night was effectively canceled, she didn't want him to drag his feet not feeling well. even at first sight of him that night, something felt and looked off, and it only took a single kiss to his cheek for her to realize that he's forced himself out of bed just to make sure the night continued as planned. soft simper tugs at the corners of her lips as they lay next to one another in her bed, a golden rule that she's finally breaking for him, and she caresses his cheek tenderly. ❝ next time, tell me when you're not feeling good, okay? i really like taking care of you and it's not an opportunity i get to have often. now, get some rest and i'll refill your water. ❞ / @evocatiive