#loveofcharacters

"I know it's sudden given everything that's happened, but I thought about this long and hard," Kaiden spoke softly as he guided them along the beach to where he had a little picnic spot set up. "I love you, Savannah. I've loved you for a long time. You truly are the calm to my storm and without you, I don't know where I'd be." Once they made it to the spot he had laid out, he turned to her and reached for both her hands. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't want to spend another minute without you beside me." With a warm smile, he dropped to one knew, retrieving the little velvet box from his pocket before opening it to reveal a ring. "Will you please do me the honor and marry me?"

Dallas lay asleep in her partners bed, there was a new sense of pace to Ezra’s bedroom. She’d started to prefer sleeping with him then on her own. Subconsciously the blonde cuddled him with his head beneath his shirt she was wearing. One hand on his upper back, the other on his head as she breathed a sigh midst her slumber. By the time she woke, she’d recognized the unusual weight around her abdomen. Looking down she furrowed her brow groggily before putting the pieces together. She pulled at the baggy shirt’s neck hole to find her lover asleep, searching for the time she’d wondered when he’d repositioned himself. Learning it was a quarter to ten in the morning, she sighed reaching for her phone to scroll social media while rubbing his upper back, completely willing to stay in this position for a while knowing his difficulty with remaining asleep.

Graham was about ten seconds from flicking Brooke in her adorable, overthinking forehead until she started pep talking herself and came in for a hug. Graham rubbed her back as he held her in that tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. "You want to take the picture right now?" He sounded a little nervous, but he clarified. "I came from work. I'm filthy and I could use a shave and haircut." He looked at the sink, pulling away to wash his hands and face, then reached in his backpack and pulled out his beanie. "There, problem solved." His light brown eyes studied her face, "You're such a goodie, Cookie. Easiest way to not get caught is to stop saying treating this like a lie. You're my girlfriend, I'm your boyfriend. Stop thinking about time limits and competition defined print." Graham was starting to wonder if it was really that hard for her to see him as anything but her best friend.

alex fell quiet as he pondered the question naomi put to him. he didn't know how to answer it without sounding as pessimistic as he felt, without sounding like their fate had already been decided for them. his fingers still moved lightly over the skin of her waist, but slower now as his thoughts wandered to his father. "because i've seen the lengths he's willing to go to." he said quietly after a long moment of silence. "and because it's not just him that we'll be up against. it's him and all of his associates. everybody he has an alliance with, everyone he has on his payroll. he could convincingly frame us all for a felony just as easily as he could kill us all."

"Oh you didn't know? My impulsive thoughts were a part of the package when you married me." She chuckled as she watched her now husband wipe away the spilled water. "Guess it's too late now. You put a ring on it already." Her timing was impeccable as she caught him at a vulnerable time. She shut off the stove where she was cooking their dinner and moved closer to him. She wasn't worried about how Rosie was in the other room since usually whatever is in her hand would distract her. Today it was an ipad playing her favorite cartoon, bluey. From watching the show, she'd develop quite a bit of an accent but Elle just found it endearing.

“you’re sleeping with my brother?” archie couldn’t believe what he was hearing, disbelief saturated every word. had he not heard her right? was he having auditory hallucinations? that seemed more likely than the words that had just come out of her mouth, and yet here they were. things had been strained between him and aviva for a while now. his work at the hospital kept him busy -- far too busy for a girlfriend and that was reflected in their relationship, if it could even be called that at this point. but still, he hadn’t every expected this. he hadn’t expected his own brother to have been the one to step in where he had apparently failed, to provide the comfort aviva had apparently felt she was lacking from him. disbelief quickly transformed into betrayal and archie wasn’t sure who he was more angry with -- her or alex. “what the fuck is wrong with you?”