#rinesque

Maddie couldn't quite bring herself to look in the mirror since she got home from the hospital, having a difficult enough time dealing with what happened without having to see the large, white gauze across her throat. Chimney had been an absolute godsend in the days since, but she had insisted that he go out for dinner with Hen that evening to try and get him out of the house. She knew that it probably wasn't the best idea to be alone but Maddie refused to let her husband miss out on living because of this. They had to get back to normal.

She had to get back to normal.

When she heard the doorbell ringing, initially she had flinched, however a quick glance through the peephole revealed her brother outside, and naturally she opened up the door for him straight away.

She was so proud of Chim, a never ending flow of joy and gratitude that came into her life whenever he was around. Now that he was captain, she wanted to do what she could to make his life that little bit easier, especially given the stresses that work could bring him. So that was why she had slipped out of the room when she woke, leaving him in peace whilst she made his breakfast. Just a little something to start his day off positively.

Nevaeh had always been a party girl through and through—the kind who seemed to come alive the second the sun went down and the bass started to shake the floor. Music wasn’t just a background noise to her; it was the pulse she moved to, the rhythm that stitched her nights together. Clubs were her natural habitat, where she could get lost in the swirl of strobes and sweat, surrounded by pretty company, swaying effortlessly in sync with every beat like she was part of the song itself. She navigated the crowd now with ease, drink in hand, the plastic cup slick against her fingers as she wove her way back toward her friends, hips catching the music’s tempo even as she walked. But then, just as she turned a corner, she bumped into someone—solid, warm, and breathtaking—and her drink nearly sloshed over. She looked up and stopped dead, blinking once, stunned. Whoever this was, they were easily the prettiest person she had ever seen, like a dream dressed in neon and velvet. “Oh shit,” she said, words tumbling out before her brain could catch up, eyes wide with genuine awe. “You’re hella cute.”