m a g i c a l

"well, you know how my sisters can be." emir shrugged lightly. he no longer felt new to town but he was still a lot newer to it than either of his siblings, and it probably didn't help that he had been keeping to himself a lot more. getting things in order before he really started to make a name for himself here. "that's good. i'm glad. i'd love to come over and see her, just tell me when you're free." he nodded, taking a longs swig from his glass, and almost choking on it when she mentioned a fight.

"you know, one of these days we should get together for dinner. tjust he four of us. no talk about work or anything like that." just the four of them catching up on things and hanging out. it was probably needed too. a night where they all didin't have to think about work or anything on the outside. "i'm free on the weekends. so just text me before you come over." and she meant that. all he had to do was text her to give her a heads up.

Asena’s eyes immediately landed on the metallic purple dress the second Leyla held it up, and a slow smirk curved onto her lips like she had just been personally validated. “Oh, that’s dangerous,” she said approvingly, stepping closer to take a better look at it against her cousin. The rich jewel tone against Leyla’s coloring was stunning, dramatic without trying too hard. “Absolutely try that on. That color was made for you.” Internally, Asena already knew the dress would look incredible once it was actually on. Leyla had one of those faces and figures that didn’t require much effort to turn heads. Asena adjusted the hanger on Leyla’s arm before casually plucking another fitted dress from a nearby rack to add to the growing pile. “And before you say anything,” she added smoothly, “yes, you’re getting both.” When Leyla admitted she was nervous about dating again, Asena’s expression softened slightly. She understood the fear more than she cared to admit aloud. People could be cruel, disappointing, selfish. Still, her cousin deserved more than spending the rest of her life shrinking herself because one pathetic man failed her. “Leyla,” she said patiently, guiding her toward the fitting rooms with a hand lightly against her arm, “if a man is scared off because you have a child, then he’s doing you a favor by removing himself early.” Her tone sharpened just slightly afterward, the lawyer in her surfacing naturally. “And for the record, your ex set the bar in hell.” That finally pulled a quieter laugh from her as she glanced back toward the racks again. “When you’re ready, I have a list of eligible bachelors already prepared for you. Successful. Attractive. No losers. I would never allow that twice.”

"think it'll look good on me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. who was she kidding though? despite asking that, she had a feeling that it would look good on her. the fit was absolutely perfect for her. "got it, we're getting both." she should have known that. that they would be getting both. she wasn't complaining though. she loved both of the dresses. with the clothes on her arm, she followed her cousin towards the fitting room. "true, he is." if a man ran off the moment she told him she was a mom, then that was on him. she wanted the guy she liked to accept her fully. accept the fact that she had a child. and there was nothing that could change that at all. "yeah that ex of mine really did set the bar low. really low." she was sure no other guy could hit that bar too. "when i feel like i'm ready, i'll be sure to let you know."

"honestly, most places that use premade buns usually let them dry out or go stale." that wasn't something that thalia did. everything was made fresh daily, end of story. other places though? that was on them if they didn't care about the quility of their food. "oh he is. both him and my brother actually." she could still remember at her college graduation, how loud the two of them were cheering. "he honestly taught me everything about cooking." from the age of sixteen, she had learned a lot from him. and that was something she was thankful for.

just from her response he knew he might have been too forward, but he thought the best way to get back to his old self was to maybe be a little more of his old self than he had been in a while, so here he was. being the typical cocky, if not slightly obnoxious eddy, and trying not to care. "good guess." he smirked, taking a seat opposite.

"their pizza here is pretty good. not sure if yiou've tried it yet." she spoke as she pushed the tray towards him. honestly though, just about anything there was good. she loved it all. if there was one place she had to eat at instead of cooking herself, it was the bar & grill. "you haven't missed much, honstly." it wasn't like much was happening around town lately. nothing that caught her eye at least. "

the room shifted before giuliana’s expression did. it was subtle, the kind of silence that tightened rather than faded. the city outside the windows kept moving, indifferent. inside, everything narrowed to gianna’s last sentence. antonio. giuliana didn’t speak immediately. instead, she set the crab rangoon down very carefully on the edge of her desk, like sudden movements might make something worse. then she leaned back slightly, studying her sister the way she studied court documents when she was deciding which line would ruin someone. “mm,” she said at last. not a question. not approval. just acknowledgement that she had heard it. her gaze stayed on gianna. “define talked,” giuliana added calmly, voice even, almost conversational. a pause. then, quieter, sharper underneath the control. “because depending on the version of that sentence, i either need more information… or i need to start making phone calls.” she reached for her espresso, took a slow sip, and only then looked away. like she was giving gianna space without ever actually relaxing her focus. the movie night suggestion lingered in the air between them. giuliana didn’t dismiss it, didn’t accept it either. it just sat there, postponed by something heavier. “and before you answer,” she continued, tone flattening again into businesslike precision, “no, you’re not as okay as you can be. that’s what people say when they’ve already decided not to elaborate.” her eyes flicked back to gianna. not soft. not harsh. just direct. “so try again,” giuliana said. “but this time, don’t edit it for my comfort.”

gianna was silent for a moment. unsure of how to even begin. how their cousin had invited her to talk. an actual sit and and talk. one betweeen two cousins. not between a soldier and her boss. the entire conversation between them had left gianna feeling as if the walls around her were crumbling, and in a way, they were. that was something she didn't even want to admit either. "it was just a talk between two cousins. an actual talk. not one of him yelling at me or telling me that i didn't do a good job." it was an honest conversation that had caught her off guard. she never expected it either. "i also told him about something i've kept from him, and everyone else too.." that was a whole can of worms that was going to open. she just knew it. the moment she told her sister, she could only imagine how mad she would possibly be at her. "turns out he already knew though."

Wilder shook his head, "You can have all my shirts." He said as he looked at her, "They look so much better on you than me." Wilder pushed himself up to sit. "I don't need sleep. I need a drink." He mumbles as he forces himself to stand, letting out a groan. "I'm sorry, baby girl. You can get some sleep here in a minute." He said with a small smile.

"well i plan on keeping the one i have on." it was too comfy on her and in some way she knew she would be sleeping in it every night. "no more drinks tonight." he truly didn't need them. he needed sleep. she knew he did. sleeping it all off would help him feel better in the morning. "it's not your fault." she spoke as she kept her eyes on him.

"does it really matter if i am?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. yes, she was rich. but she never did flaunt it. she was a simple person. the only thing she really did spend money on was her cameras. that was it. "i may have money but i hate flaunting it." what was the point in even saying that ? it wasn't like it mattered. "pretty sure if you carve your name into the table, the owner of this place will be pissed off." she didn't know the owner at all. but she could only imagine how pissed they would be.

fransisco kept looking out at the ocean, like that was the thing he was interested in looking at. "i'm guessing it's not because the scenery's so ugly," francis dryly joked.

"it's not. " she replied. if anything, she loved looking out at the ocean. it was peaceful in a way. "most days, i would be out there instead of being here on land." if one couldn't find gianna at home, then the ocean was where she almost always was. it was also where she had gotten some amazing photos of the sea life. from the animals, to other things.

The aroma of a freshly baked pie greeted Sawyer's senses far before the tray had been placed in front of them. Her mouth watered with desire at the sight of the cheesy masterpiece. Following suit, she delicately slid a steaming slice onto her plate. "I'm starving." She moaned, tucking her napkin into her lap before lifting the triangle to her lips, blowing in hopes of cooling it off enough for a nibble.

"I haven't eaten anything yet today. sort of skipped lunch" she replied before taking a bite of her slice. gods, she loved the food there. to her, the food here was better than most places in town. "call me crazy but the food here is insanely delicious." she had tried other dishes there aside from the pizza and she loved them.

Jason snagged a beer from the counter, huffing out something like a laugh under his breath. The sound was low and worn-in like it didn’t happen often but came out easier than he meant it to. "Yeah, aight. I can fuck with Vin Diesel." He decided, knocking the beer cap loose against the edge of the counter like Dom busting open one of his Coronas. "And Letty beatin' the hell outta grown-ass men."

"i knew you would be okay with watching that." fast and the furious was a movie series that even jules loved. and had watched plenty of times. most of the times though she had watched the movies with jason and dani. getting out two plates, she handed one to him. opening the box, she grabbed a few slices before placing them on her plate. "oh no, we're not watching fate of the furious. i promse. maybe the first two or three. though." but surely not that one.