#caudexiism

   Marley finds herself BLUSHING at his words, her lips curving into a smile instantly. This was all still new to her, being with him, but she can confidently say that she hasn’t felt this happy in a long time.

   “Do you?” She asks, teasing just a little as she leans over, but doesn’t let her lips touch his quite yet. “And WHY is that?”

"Oh, right it’s my birthday,” he replied as he took the gift. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

Kurt had moved into the bargaining stage now, hadn't he? Dating a man who could've been his dad to distract from the fact that his ex-fiance seemed pretty happy, that normally counted. Kurt was happy too. Sure, Walter wasn't exactly Blaine. He didn't make him feel the same way, and the whole... online dating thing was probably a red flag. But he liked spending time with him, liked the distraction, liked feeling as though he was moving on. And yeah, Sam was right, it became a pretty convenient excuse to say he was working on himself, getting in a new relationship even though he wasn't over the last one.

All that to say that Sam was being pretty wise about it all, even if they weren't things he really wanted to keep hearing. Everyone was saying "move on" a couple of weeks ago, but now everyone who had an opinion to give seemed to want him to get back with Blaine instead. So Kurt just sighed and gave Sam a look that seemed both grateful and exhausted.

She can hear the faint chatter behind her at the party. Normally she’d be in the middle of the spectacle. In fact, she had been earlier. But she couldn’t simply lose herself in this scene right now. Her brain was going a mile a minute. Receiving news that they could lose the house, and she was cut off completely from using her cards...it was only really now dawning on her. Who was she without any of that? A scary thought to process, but she was in the middle of that battle when she wrapped herself further with her open front sweater. Sitting by the log outside allowed her to settle herself again so the rest couldn’t see her having a mental breakdown. 

The last thing she wanted was her situation being put on blast for the whole school to see. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, and she looked up. Feigning a smile as it marked the inside of her cheek so one dimple showed. “Mike, hi.” Her eyes blinked a few times to try to clear any possibility of having a waterworks moment right now. There was an audience now and she didn’t want to explain too much. “You’re missing the fun inside.” she looked down, fully ready to pep up her attitude but as she looked down on at the fire pit, she felt defeated. “I’m not the best company right now. I wouldn’t take it personally if you decided to go back in.”

Was she compromising who she was just by being with Biff again. She had already admitted that maybe monogamy wasn’t the worst thing. At least being in a committed relationship she knew that there was room for the jealous feelings she had whenever she saw Biff talk to someone else. Then again, with her being unattached did that mean she had free rein to do as she pleased? Getting dressed for another night where she pretended like they hardly knew one another she fixed her lip liner again. In between kissing him and getting ready it was taking far longer to walk out the door. Now dressed and ready she pushed her shoulders back nodding his way. “No one has to know,” she reiterated the conversation they had earlier in regards to the dinner.