i won't say i'm in love

James: mhmm perfect!

James: ... yeah, at least I think I get nightmares?

James: I don't always remember what they're about but... yeah.

James: Im really sorry to hear about that though, I'm always here if you need anything? Or if you have a nightmare and somebody to talk to.

Toni: do you wake up not being able to breathe? or really sweaty? i get really shaky too

Toni: thank you, you are a really great friend

James: a detective, huh? never considered that before.

James: oh good, im glad you liked it!

James: ..i don't remember, i'll send you the info in the morning, just remind me.

James: eh tired because i dont sleep much, thank goodness for coffee!

Toni: you found my keys that one time when I lost them so idk... seems pretty detecttive like to me 🤷

Toni: it haS its own JAMesy spin on it! i love it!!

Toni: i'll shoot you a text

James: just a good guess

James: here, hang on.

James: [video sent]

James: i think... I also have a gig tomorrow night? you're more than welcome to come to it!

James: Yeah, I'm happy. Tired but happy.

Toni: you should be adetective or something....

Toni: totally spoopy

Toni: 🙏😭😍 SO GOOD yes this is what i needed OMG thank u can I get your autograph sometime?

Toni: I'llll be there!! I get out of work early so that's perfect. where reyu playing???

Robert & Toni’s friendship grew over the time she had arrived at New York. He  had gone on a night out with some friends and ended in the club Toni was working–And even how he found her attractive, he knew that over the time they spent together, a more brotherly bond started to form. He felt a responsibility over her and felt like he needed to protect her as from what he could see–he could not see anyone else doing that job. He enjoyed her company and enjoyed spending time with her away from their respective jobs. “—A tail! Why can’t I just wear a standard tux jacket? Why does it have to have bloody tails on the end!” He humoured back shaking his head. “—Do they? What nobs.” He rolled his eyes, not really liking any of the men that went into the club to see Toni. “Oh I am. Not the palace but their Manhattan residence.” He winked. “But I got invited cause my brother is with the princess—they’re the shit really.”

Xyla’s eyes widened at Toni’s candid tone and contrasting words. “If that’s the case I’m surprised you’re still not tangled in nameless man’s sheets, chugging a gallon of water or digging into last night’s take out. Good for you though - that’s impressive,” she praised as they settled into the booth and rested her chin upon the palm of her hand. “It’s a real skill to leave with makeup unscathed and hair looking smooth and silky. Most people opt for a hat, but I think it’s a cheap cop-out.” Xyla’s eyes dropped to the menu that she knew like the back of her hand, re-reading the descriptions of the buttermilk pancakes and range of omelettes.

“If you weren’t late all the time, then both of us wouldn’t be annoyed,” She teased, lifting her gaze back up to Toni. Their waitress came by with two flutes filled with the carbonated alcohol and two coffee cups; their only hope to get through the morning and following conversations. “The day that I don’t have news to share is the day you should be worried. Works been absolute chaos which is nothing new, but now I’m being forced to baby-sit my college grad interns an they smell like axe body spray and cheap coffee.”

The fact that Xyla didn’t ask Toni to ever over share made her feel so comfortable with her to make such honestly brutal comments such as the ones that she had previously stated. “It’s called the stride of pride, darling for a god damn reason. Ain’t no shame, don’t need to hide this under a hat,” her hands manuvered to place a pretend hat onto her head. Toni didn’t find herself embarssaed or ashamed by much anymore. She was who she was and if someone didn’t like it, that was tough shit for the other person. “Just between you and me though -- he had a lot more talk than he did anything else. And, you bet your bottomless mimosa that I chugged his entire brita before I left. Hydration is key,” she waved her index finger as she chuckled. All the while she spoke, Toni moved from standing across from her to sitting in the booth and moving her eyes between menu and the woman she was speaking too. 

James: is is safe to assume drunk along with sad?

James: im not doing anything

James: are you okay?? do you need anything?

James: name a song, I'll record it and send it your way.

Toni: hoW did u know?>

Toni: this is my face 🙁

Toni: im okay thoujgh just wantted to listen to you make make music

Toni: send me your favorite!! that will make me happy

Toni was going from work straight to the venue. Luckily, she was used to quick changes and moved from her very minimal amount of clothing to a crop top and a pair of high waisted jean shorts. Her face and hair was still covered in glitter, but she did the best she could to fix what she was working with. It was so easy for her to stop him out. Despite her being most likely the smallest being at the venue, it wasn’t difficult for her to find someone who was most likely the tallest being at the venue. In their case, opposites really did attract. He was exactly the person that she needed in her life; the guy that she can text when she can’t reach something on the top shelf. But it was so much more than that. To Toni, Finley was just another potential reoccurring client she could have had at the club. But instead, Finley saw so much more to her than that and as much as she wanted to fight it, she couldn’t. Toni excitedly shuffled her feet through the crowd, wrapping her arms around Finley’s waist from behind, resting her head against his back while she hugged him. “Finley!” she yelled both due to the excessive amount of noise at the venue but also, that’s just how excited she was to see him. “I found you!” The two had decided to meet at the concert, both completely in a comfortable environment. It was either somewhere out in the city or Finley’s house -- all thanks to Zelda but, she’d never tell her cat that she was to blame. 

“Oh, you’re going to make me blush,” she said, placing her hands over her cheeks while her smile grew wide. Ophelia’s cheeks began to heat up, she wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol that was running through her system, or the compliment the other had just given her. “I have pictures that I took in the dressing room if you want.” She wasn’t sure if she actually would want to see it, but she would be on the front cover of one of the bridal magazine next month. “I know. I think it’s just my own time frame? I don’t want to be in my forties and be a first time mom, you know? I guess I don’t have to be married for that either. Life works in mysterious ways and such. I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should just not give a shit and do something crazy. Have any ideas?”

      “You must be talkin’ about another place because this one? Nope, no way. I’ve been workin’ here for over a year and let me tell you, nothin’ interestin’ happens. Especially on a weekday. You know these rich people ain’t got the time to club during the week,” her voice almost sounding bitter as the words came out. If it was fun, Nari definitely wouldn’t be the one to complain. “Hit me with your best ideas, Toni. God knows you must be full of ‘em.”

“SO” Rob slammed his drink down and took out a crinkled piece of envelope. “I got this through the door today, from the palace.” He straightened it out and opened it as he raised an eyebrow. “I have to buy—a tail coat, a — red tie? I don’t know why it has to be red…and—six inch dress socks?” His birmingham accent spouting out. “I mean–I didn’t realise I have to get all this stuff….What the fuck is a–tail coat?” He picked up his drink for a moment, nursing it. “I don’t do–I mean, the last time I wore a tux was at my wedding and that didn’t help how that went.”

@codstarters​

Toni: JAMESY

Toni: am sad 🙁 whatr uyou doing??

The glass traded places between each of his wandering hands. He couldn’t quite find a place where it comfortably sat so instead he shifted it to and fro between his busies fingertips. The muffled motion of the glass against the wooden bar probably irritated fellow patrons but Asher’s mind did not allow him to rest. His eyes stared down the bar to a couple that were fighting loudly, both clearly intoxicated. At first he found the act amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle at the ridiculous sight of two people in love arguing. Seemed a bit counter intuitive. “The heart is a dramatic organ.” Asher declared, nudging the person beside him as his glass found itself resting place between his lips. Setting the now empty glass down, his eyes looked up at the person who sat idly beside him. “Have you ever been in love? Like, genuinely?”

@codstarters​

While some people went to church on Sunday mornings, Xyla went for bottomless mimosas and endless pastries at Bubby’s, in the heart Manhattan. She scanned through the menu as she waited for her friend in their regular booth.

It felt like weeks since the raven haired woman had actually sat down for a face-to-face conversation with the other, their lives both far too action packed to manage weekly brunches. As of late, her weeks had been filled with endless meetings all over the city, conference meetings and overseeing the interns that flittered through the office with coffee in one hand and stacks of papers in the other. It felt like day care, so she was thankful to spend a couple hours unwinding and catching-up with someone that didn’t ask questions, but held their own.

It wasn’t long before she noticed the other stride through the door and make their way towards the table. “We’ve got 2 hours of bottomless mimosas and you’ve already eaten up 15 minutes of our precious time. You better have a good reason for being late,” she scolded playfully before stepping out of the booth and pulling them in for a warm hug. @codstarters​

“Would coming from the house of some man you hardly know from a different borough count as a good enough excuse to be late? Or what about eating such a strong ass edible that you’re definitely still tasting the rainbow and eating breakfast with the silly rabbit?” she raised a brow as she listed the two scenarios once she pulled away from the woman’s hug. They were situations that had been true many times for Toni. For it being the reason why she was late to meet the other today? It wasn’t exactly the case. Instead, she had simply woken up late. Another night of blacking out taking part of Toni’s memory, she had fallen victim too. “I’d say sorry but, you know -- not like you didn’t wait to start with me,” she teased the other, pushing her softly in joke. 

“You know….” Ophelia started while bringing her glass of wine up to her lips to take a sip. It had been a long day for her at her latest shoot and now she felt like she needed a drink, especially with everything that had been going through her mind at that moment. “Doing a wedding dress shoot. Granted, it was Vera Wang and they were absolutely gorgeous,” she said with a groan and tilted her head back. “Just – I’m thirty, nowhere near getting married or having kids. I don’t even know if I want that… I just want a wedding so I could wear one of those amazing dresses. Or maybe deep down I do want something like that. I’m not sure. That shoot just has me all types of fucked up.” A laugh soon escaped. @codstarters​

          “I’ll give you five bucks right now if you promise you’ll be my excuse to not work tonight,” Nari teased, a soft chuckle slipping past her red tinted lips. “It’s the week day and I ain’t really lookin’ forward to be sittin’ in a dead bar for eight hours. I’ll lose whatever sanity I have left, so you think you can do me that favor?” / / @codstarters​

“Everyone I’ve matched with on Tinder lately has been fierce borin’. Last bloke I talked to just went on about fishin’ techniques, an’ the last girl I talked to was just tellin’ me the best methods to take care of my hair texture. No one’s even sent me a gif from The Office in the last week, so that just goes to show how damn dry it’s been.” Fin went to his profile settings, opened it, and deleted everything in his bio. “Give me a hand, then. I need a deadly openin’ line to draw cooler people in.” @codstarters​