✘. ANYWHERE YOU WANT.

       ‘ probably the pool boy, ‘ winona mused, her gaze more than slightly mischevious. ‘ i have to get my start on being a rich housewife eventually, you know. ‘ her brown hues fell to the unicorn in his hand & winona’s gaze flitted up to his face. for a girl who had everything, she’d never really owned stuffed animals. or anything that hadn’t been bought for her by her parents. ‘ – i suppose that you’re in. ‘ she moved away from the door to let him in, disinterest still a facade on her face.

      “ right, ” he noted, slightly jeering at the sentiment. “ don't you have to trap a stockbroker and get a start on your white fenced lifestyle before you get to fuckin' the pool boy ? ” making his way past her, his grin grew wider as he pushed the stuffed animal into her hands. “ knew you would like it. s'what's the plan ?? don't know if i feel hundred perecent cool with being handcuffed. we could always talk about your writing first -- as some foreplay, of course.   ”

maddie perked up the moment she heard someone coming. upon realizing it was rami, she flopped back down. “oh, okay. i didn’t know she worked tonight.” which was stupid, she was the owner, why wouldn’t she work? “sorry if i bothered you.” rami wasn’t usually one for conversation, or a least he wasn’t with maddie, so she expected him to disappear into his room without another word. especially given they haven’t really spoken since the text incident and maddie didn’t really know where she currently stood with rami, but she figured it wasn’t any better than before. but then he didn’t duck out of the room, instead he spoke to her. “uh, sure.” she said, standing up and following rami to the kitchen. hopping up to take a seat on the counter, maddie watched quietly as rami made their drinks, not sure how to make conversation. although given the little bit that she knew about him, she figured he’d probably enjoy the quiet. 

he shrugged at her apology, not really sure how to act under the circumstances they were currently in. it was entirely the male's own fault with his string of bad decisions remaining unending. he had tried the whole making amends thing, but it obviously didn't bring him far. besides, old habits die hard -- or at least that's what everyone said. with their recent text conversation, rami didn't expect maddie to actually take him up on his offer. but she did, so he turned his back on her momentarily to fix two glasses of rum and coke. once the deed was done, he held a glass out for her take and leaned against the counter opposite the one she was perched on. his gaze fell on her and a tiny smirk found its way onto his lips as he raised his eyebrows. “ drinking in the kitchen with me -- today wasn’t your day at all, huh ?? ” he teased, trying to mask the fact that he was trying to make sure she was okay after picking up on the signs her demeanor disclosed.

“yep, sweetheart gracie, that’s me. i’ve decided the egging is what i want, that’s my adventure for the night. you can tag along if you want, cause a lil ruckus with me for the hell of it. then maybe yeah, i’ll bake after if ya know, my arm gets tired and somehow i have leftover eggs. that’d make sense.”

“ well, i don’t have anything better to do and i haven’t egged a house since i was sixteen, so the nostalgia is biting me in the ass. i’m in. hey, if we run outta eggs, we can go buy more. i’ll help with the mixing if your arm gets tired. ”

❝please promise me to never let your insomnia wear off. i don’t feel like dying.❞ he spoke dramatically, in the back of his mind fearing how he might actually be onto something. so far he had dodged so many bullets, it just has to mean that he will die in the stupidest way.  ❝you know, you are very smart, but i’m afraid, much like jon snow — you know nothing.❞ zane started with humor in his voice,  ❝for a healthy relationship with your favorite diner to work, you need to treat her well too.❞ sighing, he nodded, not having heart to say anything other than  — ❝but, tonight is your lucky night and i wouldn’t dare denying you an entire pile of mini sandwiches.❞ with that zane started their walk to the diner. 

“ you want me to make that promise ?? and here i was under the impression that you cared for my well-being. i guess all of those nights you let me crash were under ulterior motives. i'm onto you, z. ” he rebutted with a snicker, before shaking his head. “ whoa -- i don't have the time for pop culture references tonight, so let's go. you don't sound very into the idea of treating me with mini-sandwiches, but i'll take it, ” he confirmed, walking in step with the male. “ s’what is going on in your life ? long time, no speak and all that good stuff. anything interesting happening in your life other than getting trapped ?? ”

it wasn't until he got closer and the whimpering turned out to be full-fledged tears that rami recognized delaney collins. she had made an impression on him in high school and since then, he never really spared a thought for her. they traveled in different crowds, hardly had any interests that overlapped, and this was probably the first time she stepped foot in the bookstore. it was a surreal experience to say the least and one that the male was hardly equipped for. he stood frozen momentarily, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he fidgeted slightly in place. “ oh, yeah, sure, ” he stammered, not knowing what he was supposed to do now. he tried to buy some time by glancing at the books surrounding the girl. he recognized the section she was in, but didn't think much of it. the crawling babies and happy families on the covers wasn't something he associated much with and suspected the female didn't as well. or at least that was the impression he got of her back then. figuring that he might as well help her clean up her mess, he hesitatingly came closer and kneeled down beside the book closest to him. picking it up, his brows furrowed at the title. now it became all too clear that she was in fact looking at parenting books. dark irises flickered upwards as he studied the brunette's features momentarily and he reached out to grab a few more books, stacking them. “ hey, are you okay ?? ” the question came out as nonchalantly as possible and made rami feel a bit stupid. obviously, she wasn't okay. “ if, uh, you need to purchase any of these books, i can turn the register back on. you can take your time, by the way. i’m not in a hurry. ”

     his presence, will expected, was greeted with a bit of uncertainty from winona. she had been caught sleeping with two best friends, both of whom seemed to be okay with the situation & her love life seemed to get more & more complicated the more she worried her pretty little head over it. so winona was going to choose to not worry over it. that was the prevalent thought in her mind as she slunk down the stairs in a gauzy robe that was less fabric & more for the imagination than anything. her gaze flitted over herself before she smirked & she pushed open the door, only to be greeted by rami’s spiel. sighing over-dramatically, she held out her hand. ‘ what have you brought me ? give me the goods & then maybe we’ll talk about you coming in. ‘

    lips upturned in a slight grin, rami gave a nod to the female's request. he noted her appearance and her probable faux show of disinterest. “ if you don't let me in, then will you be entertaining the cook instead ?? ” he asked, eyebrows raised whilst keeping his gaze surprisingly level. even so, it wasn't long until his hand slipped into the bag, pulling out the stuffed unicorn with the rainbow embellishment on the side. “ a little present and a happy pride day from me to you. you're welcome. so, am i in or out ?? ”

familiar to arielle's little habits and quriks, the male wasn't off-put by the female's reaction. he was slightly endeared even ( as endeared as the male could be, at least ). he gave a slight shrug, signifying that the topic could be dropped. “ happens to the best of us. you’re fine, ” he noted, before slipping out his phone from his pocket. “ you got me at crappy horror movie on netflix. we'll order in. what are you feeling tonight ?? i just need some food in my stomach, so the ball's in your court. ”

“Oh of course, I’m not cruel. If that’s the adventure I choose, I’ll be sure to put out a PSA for free cupcakes, don’t you even fret. This dude though eh, was on the tame side actually. I’ve seen much worse but he caught me on a rare night and he was stingy so that’s enough to really get me goin’.”

“ you’re sweet as ever, gracie. why not egg his place anyway ?? and then finish off the night with some cupcake baking. you're acting as if i don't know what gets you goin'. anyway if you need help, i could be persuaded. ”

“ why not ? you’re attractive enough and people are suckers for a for a good love story, i guess. megan fox would be a sublime stalker. nah, unfortunately, i don't fall under the hopeless romantic nomenclature. ballgame ?? does this mean you bat solely for the other team ? ”

it was an off day spent mostly lounging about, trying to gain at least an ounce of inspiration. writer's block proved to be the clear winner, forcing rami into the kitchen. he looked through cecelia's stash for a little bit of something to distract himself with, but was caught off-guard by the click of the door and a familiar voice. grabbing a random bottle, he stuck his head out of the kitchen and caught maddie sprawled against the couch. “ she has a late shift at the bar, ” he answered, hoping to leave the conversation at that. his interactions with maddie were minimal at best and their last few conversations weren't exactly something he was proud of. still, for some reason he didn't budge or retreat to his room like he usually did. instead, he waved the bottle in hand to catch the blonde's attention. “ i was about to fix up a drink. do you want one ?? ”