#katiegardhner

archive moodboard: @katiegardhner

THEIR SHIP NAME IS WINROSE JANELLE UR A FAKE FAN im jk ily too thanks for supporting thESE GAYS

who said i love you first?

aster

because cameron is soooo bad with feelings and even worse at talking about them and also doesn’t know whats going on half the time

they’ve been dating for like 3 weeks and cam does something cute and aster just blurts it out

and there’s a moment where they’re both just staring at each other but then cam grins So Wide and aster is blushing and calling her a dork 

who laughs when the other trips?

neither of them trip v much bc lacrosse and cheerleading yknow they kinda need to be sure-footed

that being said they both do sometimes fall around things because they’re just not looking for they’re going 

and the other one always laughs

who pays the bills?

they sorta do it together

aster deals with the numbers and calculations and cam has this spreadsheet on excel with like formulas up the wazoo

it’s a good system that works well

things you said when we were the happiest we ever were

Riley looks to her left and pauses, because the sun is setting and golden-red rays are bleeding into the ocean, blurring the horizon line. In front of her is a roaring bonfire, embers escaping into the slowly darkening night sky, and all around her are the voices of her classmates, white noise mingling with the crashing of the waves.

On her right is Maya, bottle of lemonade in hand, slumped lazily against Riley’s side and taking occasional sips. They’re sitting on one of the logs someone dragged to the fire as a makeshift bench, cuddled as close as possible as the night wind brings in a subtle chill. Across from them, on the other side of the bonfire, Zay is sprawled on the sand, roasting marshmallows, and beside him Farkle and Smackle are engaged in what looks to be a very heated conversation.

It’s the summer before their senior year, and there is a soft melancholy in the air, the tangible feeling of growing older; but there is also content and happiness, the comforting blanket of being surrounded by people you have known your whole life, of stepping into yourself and finally being ready to experience the world.

Maya shifts, slightly, and Riley moves to accommodate her, their hands are still clasped tightly together, fingers intertwined. “You good?” Riley asks, fighting through a yawn.

There’s a pause, a quiet, and Riley is struck by how much they’ve changed, and how much they haven’t. There are butterflies in her lungs and a warmth in her gut that feels a lot like love, and her heart still beats just a little faster when Maya sits up to meet her eyes, a soft, affectionate smile gracing her features. They’re teetering at the edge of turning eighteen, of toppling headfirst into a world that they’ve spent all this time trying to get ready for, and Riley used to be afraid of the cliff, but now she knows Maya is going to catch her, has always been ready to catch her. They exist in tandem, two beating hearts and two lost girls who’ve somehow found their way into each other’s arms.

Riley never wants to let her go.

“Perfect,” Maya says, just as softly, leaning in for a kiss, and Riley breathes her in, hands coming up to tangle in Maya’s golden curls. In the distance, someone yells as they trip into the ocean, and Riley smiles against Maya’s lips, giggling breathlessly, as she leans forward even more. The night is cold and Maya is warm and this is where she wants to be forever.

“Don’t ever leave,” she says, quiet and vulnerable, because summer nights are for secrets and feelings and falling in love.

“Not going anywhere, honey, I’m here to stay.”

Riley exhales, linking their hands again. “Good.”