#nihiillism

NORMALLY, OLA WOULD NOT BE BRAVING THE HEAT LIKE THIS WILLINGLY. if there was one thing ola hated more than being hot, it was being hot and sweaty and wandering around an area with little-to-no shade. but a lot of her followers wanted her to cover the pop-up market and while she was less than thrilled to be there in this heat, she doesn't entirely hate the opportunity to hype some small business owners and artists on her channel. she had spent most of the morning chatting with and interviewing various venders, filming with their permission to post, wanting to get it out of the way before the afternoon heat crept up on them. despite the heat, she still stops to check out each of the tables and booths on her way out. while checking out one of the booths, a familiar voice pulls her out of her thoughts. "guess it really is time for me to head out," she teases, managing a slight smile even though her stomach is tightening, "not really feeling the crowd."

DAVID: When did you even have my phone??

Of course, that didn’t mean escape by any means, if her arrival at the party was any indication. Settling back into the couch, Marcus pursed his lips together tightly before taking a long swig from his glass. They’d been friends long before they were married, and that hadn’t changed now–of course they’d be invited to the same parties. He could only huff as she walked by, though, giving a slight nod to her and what appeared to be her new arm candy.

she wakes before luca, her alarm buzzing softly next to her whilst her head rests on his chest. she can feel him breathing steadily beneath her, his good arm is wrapped tightly around her waist. she glances up at the bandages around his shoulder. no bleeding, no signs of infection, no change-- good, before daring to open her eyes a little wider. she risks the sun-- but catches his face, still blissfully adrift in sleep. she shifts up and presses a soft kiss to his cheek. "up, babe. it's time for breakfast, and your medicine." she kisses him then, a soft, fleeting brush of her mouth on his. "i'm taking lady out okay, then i'll be back. you good with breakfast sandwiches? i'm going to walk past the place with the amazing bacon, egg, sausage and cheese..." she shifts up, stretches and unlocks lady from her crate. she takes her out, and returns with sandwiches in hand. "up love? we're back." the word slips out again, they haven't spoken about her pre-operation declaration, and she's happy to leave it alone completely. but she knows luca, knows he'll bring it up eventually. "i'm putting on the coffee--"

' why don't you and mommy live together ? ' grayson had expected this question for a long time , but what he hadn't expected was the sting that accompanied it. now , he's sitting in his ex's apartment , waiting for her to settle bree for bed. bottom lip catches between his teeth and he sighs. at least it's not hockey season , meaning he has more of a home base closer to his ex and his daughter. blue eyes flicker up as footsteps approach and he smiles at his ex. " hey . . . thanks for bein' willin' to talk about this . . . bree was askin' me why she has to go between our places , and her friends don't and i figured we should talk about how we wanna explain it to her. " a pause , and a playful glint is visible in his eyes. " you're looking great by the way. "

──── ayari knew she was getting more attached than she'd ever intended. they'd promised to keep things casual. friends with benefits . simple. easy. somewhere along the way, though, it had become a little harder to breathe whenever they weren't around. lately, it felt like they were living rent-free in her head. she couldn't seem to think straight until they were together again, and that realization irritated her more than she'd ever admit. despite knowing exactly where they stood, ayari found herself glancing toward their phone every time it BUZZED across the counter. the screen lighting up again and again, each notification another reminder that she wasn't the only person vying for their attention. she caught a glimpse of the flirtatious messages and immediately scoffed, rolling her eyes before forcing herself to look away. "uh... yeah. wow." she tried to compose herself, redirecting her attention back to the cocktail she was making as if it suddenly required her full concentration. "oh, don't mind me," she said sarcastically. "just processing that i'm apparently sharing you with the entire city." the jealousy threatened to swallow her whole, sour and unwelcome despite how hard she tried to laugh it off. lifting her drink to her lips, she took a slow sip, hoping it would wash away the feeling. unfortunately, it didn't.