#cleohalliwell

Over the last couple days, Flynn has done nothing but stare at Eleanor’s contact in his phone. The picture of them assigned to her number makes his stomach tighten. It’s an older picture, around when Eleanor’s career was first starting out and popularity struck. On one particularly hard evening, Flynn had pulled up to her home, no headlights as not to attract photographers, and took her out. It was a good memory. A great one, actually. The two of them on the dance floor, drinking, surrounded by sweaty bodies. 

But now, here they were, at a standstill with one another. Arguing. Flynn thinks to call or to text but never does. Today, instead, he heads over to Cleo’s. He had only seen her about six hours ago but this was their usual routine. They hung out constantly, almost as attached at the hip as him and Eleanor. 

Maya: ...So hello

Maya: This is Maya by the way...Not sure if you still have my number saved. I mean I wouldn't blame you if you didn't

Maya: I still have the same emoji we picked out next to your name

Maya: Uh anyway, I just wanted to let you know, before you heard through the grapevine, I'm back in town, for good this time

Maya: It's funny how much this place hasn't changed...

LOVE IS IN THE AIR…

4…If you were Cupid for a day, which two people would you shoot your arrow at to make them fall in love?

Her mind flashed back to the conversation shared between herself and her sister. Although while Ava didn’t want her sister to wait around for Theo himself, of all the people she knew, her sister deserved happiness. Whomever that person was, Cleo needed to be their first choice, because it was what she deserved. “Cleo…and whoever that will make her happy. I don’t know if it’s anyone in this place…but she deserves it. I’m not saying she needs someone, okay? I know for damn sure that she can take care of herself.” 

5…Who was your first kiss?

“Oh,” Ava couldn’t help but grin as the memory surfaced her mind, a soft chuckle falling from her lips before answering. “Jason Matthews in third grade,” The brunette said with certainty, the memory of her first kiss was something that never faded away, mainly because it brought amusement to her mind the more she thought about it. “Jason and I…we kissed after school when we were walking home. I still remember yelling ‘ew!’, the moment after it happened. Boys were disgusting to girls back then, you know?” 

6…What makes you fall out of love?

The only prominent experience Ava had, in regards to this question, only fell to the person she was trying to forget the most. Even the happiest memories now brought nothing but bitterness to her mouth. The worst memories…those were the ones that remained etched permanently to her mind. To fall out of love with someone, was in her mind, somewhat failure on her part. For years, she wondered if it was something she did to Nathan that caused that to happen. Was it the miscarriage? Or something she did that changed the way he felt about her? But to Ava, the two questions were only partially the reasons why she wasn’t in love with him anymore. From the charming and caring man that she fell in love with, she could only see nothing but a monster in his eyes. “When you don’t recognise the person you fell in love with anymore. That they look like nothing but a stranger to you…that’s when I know I’ve fallen out of love with that person.” 

7…Do you currently love someone?

“Love? That could mean anything. I love friends and some of my family, that’s love, right?” Blinking, Ava was taken aback by the question. Of course, the brunette knew exactly what kind of love the question was posing. But the four-lettered word came with more weight and terrifying emotions than any word can bring. Long gone was the simplicity of uttering the word simply, for if she said it to anyone else now, it contained a different and overwhelming meaning to the person she would direct the word to. When she exchanged their vows at the altar, Ava loved Nathan. She was head over heels in love with the man until he turned into a monster and the love she felt was soon replaced with fear and hatred. 

She had stopped giving her love so easily to anyone else then. For fear that they would take advantage of it and breaking her heart into thousands of pieces. Even now, she was still trying to pick up those pieces on her own. But someone reminded her that she didn’t need to do it all alone, came back into her life again despite the odds, the tragedy of their short-lived happiness that came crashing into their lives. Sneaked up on her without even thinking. Maybe even ready to give this a second shot now that she slowly let her guard down, opened up a part of her world she had been sheltering to her own for a long time. 

“…Maybe. I don’t know. But that’s for me to know, okay?” 

But the truth was, despite their untimely end to their blissful times together, she would be fooling herself if she told herself that feeling had faltered at all. That euphoric feeling of the sight of him, heart skipping a beat, the fear of losing it all again…only one person would emit such feelings from the brunette. Love, is that what she felt for him?  @roryhirsch

8…White, dark, or milk chocolate?

“Dark chocolate, hands down. There’s no doubt about it. I hate how sweet white and milk chocolate are, you know? At least dark chocolate has a bit of kick to it. Especially those with alcohol in them too.” A grin curved upon her lips as she spoke. 

27…“You’re family — no questions asked.”

There were often times when Ava felt out of place and lost the sense of belonging in her family. Standing on the side of the room, watching as Evelyn Halliwell weaved through the crowds, causing a trail of people to roll their eyes at her. How did that woman became her family? Often, people didn’t even make the association between herself and the heiress herself. Not that the brunette ever minded, because it allowed her to hide in the shadows further more — and she was happy with that, at least most of the time. It wasn’t the first time when she felt like she was somewhat out of place in the midst of the hustle and bustle of an event, but tonight, she felt as though she was completely detached from the rest of her family, the sense of loneliness becoming harder to ignore than before.

“You’re family — no questions asked.”

It was as though, Cleo had read her mind. Snapping out of her reverie, head turning to find her younger sister staring back at her. Gaze softening as a smile turned upon the corners of her lips, she nodded mutely, giving Cleo’s hands a squeeze as she turned back to the crowd for a moment. Even after all this time, it was them against the world. Fighting against anything that the world had for them, battling one hurdle at a time. Together, they were here. The bond of sisterhood defeated everything the world had for them. Cleo, despite the two being half-sisters, was more family than their parents could ever be for her. That was fine, she had accepted this fact a long time ago. But one thing that would never change, was the unbreakable bond between them.

“Always.” @cleohalliwell

SEND ME A NUMBER.

5 — What countries are your world clock?

Cupertino because it’s the default and she doesn’t even know it’s there.

6 — Do you clear notifications straight away or just let them build up over time?

Clears them straight away, Reina hates the little red dot, she thinks it’s so ugly and annoying to look at.

7 — Have you blocked anyone on your phone?

No, she doesn’t know how to do that. She definitely ignores people, though.

8 — What is my muse’s contact photo on your phone?

You can’t tell me Cleo hasn’t stolen Reina’s phone to take a selfie and set her own contact pic like you just can’t so this:

9 — What is my muse’s contact name on your phone?

The time that lapsed from when the initial thought to text her entered Maya’s head, to when she finally did was far too great to be acceptable. For two days she mulled the idea over in her head, two days to think of every possible scenario that could play out, there were more than twenty different situations that could’ve occurred, she was a writer after all, the possibilities were endless. When the text was finally sent, there were more nerves that she accounted for. Maya restarted the message five times, a constant battle between wanting to share her feelings and finding the right words to not overwhelm either of them, it took a good twenty minutes before she plucked up the courage to hit send. 

The knot in her stomach grew tighter and tighter as the minutes ticked on. First scenario was her number being blocked, Maya expected that and a part of her wanted it to be true. Though there was a single, tiny sliver of her soul that wished Cleo had kept her number, but hope was outweighed by logic. It had been more than a decade, she shouldn’t have her number. The whole ordeal could’ve ended quickly and quietly, Maya left her years ago and for Cleo to ignore her now, would come full circle, a nice tie up with their past and present. Two days and one hour worth of panic unraveled with a single ping of her phone notifying her about an incoming message. They could’ve carried on in the world as strangers with a past, but as her phone lit up, her head moved into the other nineteen situations simultaneously.

The next few hours were solely dedicated to texting, Maya didn’t have any client meetings so the need to leave the house was redundant. She stayed cooped up in her new house that still smelt like fresh paint, it was torture but the alternative of leaving and possibly running into Cleo was not something she was not ready for. Maya knew the girl too well to not take her words seriously. Her anger was refreshing, if Cleo had welcomed her with open arms, Maya would have run again. The guilt would be too much to bear. Anger was a feeling she was used to, it was comforting. She had practically laughed in relief when she read the mild threat of a potential screaming match. The island hadn’t changed and neither had Cleo. They kept up their texts, Maya just short of running every time her phone alerted her, it was a little pathetic, but she was making amends the best she could. 

Then she had enough. The texting was torture and she had expressed as much. She wanted to this feel a bit more personal, texting was great to avoid confrontation, lord knows she wanted to that, but Maya needed to apologise and though she brought herself to do so virtually, it didn’t sit well. Their texts had became somewhat heated and took an emotional tool on her that she hadn’t expected nor prepared herself for. The things she had missed, the things she should’ve been next to Cleo for, it was all too much. Meeting up was her own suggestion and she held onto her hopes until the reply came. She was prepared for rejection and acceptance, though relief was the dominant emotion as Cleo went with the latter part of her offer. The bar was Cleo’s suggestion and it was perfect. Drinks would either be in celebration at the rekindling of their friendship or Maya would get black out drunk when Cleo realises she wants nothing to do with Maya anymore. She would be covered for both. 

The bar grew still for a second when she walked in, as if everyone somehow knew what was about to go down. Ordering immediately as she sat down, Maya looked at the time on her phone for the millionth time since she left her house, of course had been early, the last text was vivid in her mind and Maya for once wanted to be punctual. The noise picked up a moment later but it was enough for the nervous energy, which Maya tried to drown, to spike up. Pulling the glass to her lips, Maya quickly shot back the drink, taking comfort in the light burn as it went down. Alcohol was liquid courage after all, and she needed all the help she could get. Playing each scenario in her head again along with everything she wanted to say and should say, made her head spin and the alcohol that followed after did nothing to help the situation. It didn’t take long for Maya to notice her, Cleo was not someone who could be missed, and the fact that she had her eye on the door for the past twenty minutes helped. This was it, no going back now. As she watched her friend, or well hopefully still a friend, approach her, the knot in her stomach reformed, “Hey Cleo,” she greeted her and cursed lightly at the way her words slurred, “Drink?”

When Camila had signed the contract just a few minutes ago with a lot of cameras on her, she knew that a lot of publicity was going to be drawn to that the moment it was brought out in the open. It would happen near the end of the new month, but they were preparing everything already. Even though no one could know it yet, she was officially the first player of Angel City FC as of this very moment. She had gotten a tour of the offices, a transfer to the training grounds which were still in development but the stadium that they were going to share with another sportsteam was completely ready and she had gotten a look at that one as well. The grand tour was over and they had travelled back to the offices to do the signing and the promotion that came along with it. It had been a very long morning and Camila was glad that she could get out of there. Unfortunately for her, her trip to the Angel City offices would not go completely unnoticed due to the fact that when Camila rounded the corner, she bumped into a very familiar blonde face. A blonde one who had only been a year up higher during high school and one that she recognized from that reality show from the island that her mother had been hung up about. What the hell was Cleo Halliwell doing at this exact location? Camila’s eyes widened at the woman in front of her, raising her eyebrows as well. “Cleo, hi. You are the last person that I expected to wander these hallways, what are you doing here?”

1. Are you taken or single?

Answered!

2. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Answered!

3. Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

“Yeah, but not really for the romance aspect. It’s always been more of a friend or family thing for me. Like, my mother or dad would always get me a little something. Or the band used to always go out to dinner, the four of us, kinda as a ‘fuck you’ to the holiday.” Kendall’s mouth hovered between a smile and a wistful frown. Her dad was the only one who kept tradition this year with a delivery of chocolate covered strawberries. 

4. If you were Cupid for a day, which two people would you shoot your arrow at to make them fall in love?

“Mmm... I don’t know.” Kendall didn’t really like the idea, in the same vein of not believing in love at first sight. Falling in love wasn’t something that just happened. You had to work for it.

5. Who was your first kiss?

Answered!

60. My muse is alone on Valentine’s Day, and your muse finds me

@dahlialyon

After her first class with Lizzie, Kendall had done a bit of research on the yoga studio she worked at. She had never been one to seek out exercise, or classes for it, but she was finding that it helped with the anxiety she produced naturally. She’d figured this out the other day in another session with Mars, realizing how happy she’d sounded recounting Lizzie’s yoga class. Therefore, she recognized the woman sitting at the cafe table by herself as the owner of Sprout Studio - Dahlia, maybe. She didn’t know why she was surprised to see that she was alone - maybe she just assumed that someone with as much success as owning their own studio would have other aspects of their life together. 

Kendall was alone, too. Valentines Day, for her, had never been about romantic relationships, but platonic ones. She could’ve reached out to Noah, but she felt a little like wallowing today. It was the first year since she was 16 that she wouldn’t have Rose, Gemma and Liv to spend it with; sure, she’d gotten a text from the latter two, but that wasn’t the same. 

As her name was called for her coffee, Kendall snapped the lid on and got a burst of motivation, walking towards her. Maybe Dahlia was waiting for her someone - that notion almost stopped her pathway all together, but she continued. “Hi, I’m Kendall, I went to a class at your studio the other day. And I just wanted to tell you it was great. Lizzie is a good teacher,” she rambled slightly, feeling slightly childish as she talked more. 

SEND ME A VDAY NUMBER.

14 — What is your secret to a long-lasting relationship?

Answered!

17 — Which do you agree with? Love should always feel comfortable, or love should always feel new and exciting?

That question earns a well deserved eye roll. “Nothing worth doing is ever comfortable.” God, where would Reina be in life if she cared about comfort over excitement? Probably in some suburb knitting until her fingers bleed and she dies of boredom. She may have settled down a bit since moving to the island but she’s not dull enough to prefer being comfortably in love over anything. “Comfortable is just a word sad people use to make themselves feel better about being boring.”

27 — “You’re family — no questions asked.”

They’re in Reina’s kitchen, with Cleo sitting on a barstool talking the brunette’s ear off as she actually attempts to prepare dinner for once in her life. The nanny’s taken a day off and she’s trying to focus so her kids don’t fucking starve to death, but it’s difficult when she’s in the presence of a woman sitting across from her who won’t shut up. Cleo’s been going on and on for what feels like hours, ranting and raving about Evelyn’s latest attempt to ruin her life. Reina’s happy to let her do it even if she’s mostly tuning it out, but the end of Cleo’s rant takes Reina by surprise and she stalls what she’s doing briefly, knife hovering over the vegetables she’s in the midst of chopping as her brain computes what’s just been said to her. “Oh, Christ,” she says, giving an eye roll. The sentiment is almost gag-worthy and Reina looks up briefly from the vegetables to fix the blonde with a look that screams ‘really?’ “Don’t get fucking sappy on me, Cleo.” 

Despite her disdain for feelings, however, she knows Cleo’s just had a tough day. It can’t be easy to have a mother who constantly wears on your self esteem and Reina understands the need for acceptance and family, she really does. It’s not usually in her nature to comfort Cleo, that’s not how they work, but Reina can see that the younger woman needs some kind of reassurance that she’s not alone in the world and for just this moment, she’s willing to give her that. “You’re family too, despite what Miles says,” she confirms, looking back down to continue chopping so things don’t get too overly emotional. That’s never been her style. “Always.” @cleohalliwell