Gabe pulled lightly at the sleeves on his sheer shirt as he and Cameron walked up to the Delta Lambda Phi rush party being held at the fraternity house.  Windows and doors were open, voices and music spilling out everywhere.  Lights were strung everywhere outside, and groups of people were gathered out front, and he could hear more voices out back.  Gabriel wasn’t exactly an introvert, but this party felt like a bit much.  He looked over at Cameron and nudged their shoulders together.  “So this is the one right?  And if tonight goes well, we’re actually going to try and pledge?”  Gabriel had researched the fraternity himself when Cameron had mentioned it, and had to admit that this one seemed like a good fit for the two of them. And the idea of having a group, a brotherhood, to share the college experience with seemed nice.  He was missing some of the groups he’d belonged to in high school and the friendships he’d had there.  At least he had Cameron here with him at NYU.  He turned to Cameron; “okay, one last look check.  Hair?  Clothes?  Teeth?  Face?”  

@nycmuses​

Gabriel turned to look at Dylan as they approached the fraternity house.  “Are you sure about this?” they asked.  It was true that joining groups on campus would be beneficial but did that include rushing a fraternity?  Gabe wasn’t sure.  But the little research Gabe had done on the fraternity sounded like it might be just the kind of brotherhood they looking for as they branched out.  “It’s not like we’re your typical freshmen.  That could be a good thing, or not.  I haven’t decided yet.”

@dylanandremi​

It had been in the back of Cece's mind for a while; the fact that the end of January was six months since she'd arrived back in the city - six months since she'd met up with Gabe for coffee and suddenly seen him through new eyes, realising that she didn't want to dance around her feelings for him any longer. And whether Gabe was aware of it or not, today was exactly six months - 185 days - since they'd shared that petrifying, perfect first kiss in his studio and it had felt like the whole world had turned upside down. 

Having keys to his apartment also meant having keys to the studio, and that's where Cece was right now. It was tidier than it had been back then, now that Gabe wasn't in the middle of show prep - but the smell of brush cleaner and burnt felt made her feel like it was only yesterday that they'd come crashing together. Six months was so short a time frame, in the grand scheme of things, but she wanted to do something for Gabe. Especially since he'd spoilt her so thoroughly at Christmas. 

Isa had been bribed into a playdate with a friend for the afternoon and evening, and Cece had taken advantage of Gabe's shift at the gallery to set up in the studio. She'd more or less filled the room with candles and they were reflected against the almost darkness of the huge windows, illuminating the massive blank canvas and new paints she'd bought from the art store. There was even a bottle of frambroise chilling in a makeshift ice bucket - more for the memory than for any real love either of them had for it. Now all she needed was for Gabe to come home, find the note she'd taped to the door to the apartment, pointing up to the studio. 

Cece sat cross-legged on the floor in the lounge, a bunch of treats in her pocket and Juno bouncing through a discarded newspaper in front of her. The puppy was adorable, mischievous and sweet, and Cece had fallen in love with her the moment she and Gabe had seen the litter just a few weeks before. The downside to having a puppy and a five-year-old in the house was that keeping mess to a minimum was a nightmare, and neither Isa nor Juno listened to Cece, most of the time. Well, not unless I'm offering a treat, anyway.

At that thought, Cece held out a tiny crumb of a treat to Juno, getting her attention immediately and laughing when she licked at her fingers, desperate to get the biscuit. She held tight, before stating clearly, "Juno." The noise made the puppy pause, looking up at her expectantly. Cece repeated herself until she was sure she had the dog's attention. "Juno." When Juno sat down on her fat haunches, Cece gave the crumb of a treat over; "Good girl, good girl, Juno." She called through to the bedroom. 

Aurora shimmied into the red dress, her newly dyed hair which Gabe had yet to see was feathered and curled framing her face just right. Her make-up dark but tasteful, with just a splash of color to her lips in the form of lip gloss. She all but had to re-do it after the incident earlier, her eyes were still a tiny by puffy and red but less noticeable. Aurora smoothed her dress as she watched Belle through the mirror bouncing on her bed, going on about how pretty she looked. She smiled slowly turning to grab her heels, stopping in front of the bed wrapping her arms around the five year old. "You're going to be good for Mrs. Sherman right? I'm not going to get any calls?" she laughed as Belle shook her head fast. Aurora patted the girls butt before shooing her out of her room. "When Gabe get's here we'll walk you next door okay?" Belle ran away nodding and giggling chasing after the cat.

Cece had quite a specific airport routine for those times that she flew back home. After arriving at the check-in desk and going through security, she’d drop into the stores to buy her mother a small gift, before heading to the bar for a mimosa pre-boarding. It was the same process every time; her way of trying to exert some control over something that usually set her on edge. Because, if she let herself think about it too much, she’d become anxious. I'm about to voluntarily board a huge, heavy metal object, which is then going to climb thousands of feet into the sky, and all I can do is trust that it isn't going to plummet to the ground below. That was a scary thought.

But today Gabe was with her, and that made it simultaneously easier and harder. Easier because just being with him, walking through the shiny corridors hand-in-hand, made her feel at ease; harder because… Well, Gabe was coming with her, to Michigan. To Sadie’s wedding. It was all feeling incredibly real. The idea that within hours, she’d be watched her ex-best friend marry a man that she barely knew still gave her a sick feeling, but it was easier to distract herself from this when she was laughing at Gabe’s awful passport photo, when he refused to let her carry her own bag despite the fact that it was tiny. And pink. Being with Gabe made her feel like a lighter version of herself, and that was exactly why she was glad he’d be with her on this trip. That, and the fact that she knew that if he hadn’t come with her, she would have spent the whole weekend missing him anyway.

Cece couldn't understand why the prospect of a double date had her quite so flustered. It wasn't even as though it was anything particularly serious - just a free comedy gig that she'd suggested to Morgan and then maybe some drinks afterwards - but even so, she changed three times before she managed to leave the apartment. Gabe had offered to pick her up on his bike but she'd insisted that they should meet at the bar where the show was taking place, so at least they could both have a beer. Or a few. 

It took Cece a few minutes to hail a cab, and even once she was on route the traffic was awful and she knew that she was probably going to be late. Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick group text.