Soooooo remember how we had said there would be no Chris/Ellie tomorrow?
We changed our minds. Chapter4WILLBEPOSTEDTOMORROW! At the usual time (1pm EST) and we’re calling this the “birthday gift” chapter, since it’s a little unexpected and in honor of my () birthday!
And it’s sorta a major one
REMINDER! Playing With Fire’s chapter 4 will post in 3 hours!!
Soooooo remember how we had said there would be no Chris/Ellie tomorrow?
We changed our minds. Chapter4WILLBEPOSTEDTOMORROW! At the usual time (1pm EST) and we’re calling this the “birthday gift” chapter, since it’s a little unexpected and in honor of my () birthday!
Summary:As the world starts to reopen, tentatively hoping the worst of the pandemic is behind them, Chris and Whitney face a new set of challenges. With busy work schedules and the pressures of normal life looming on the horizon, will the foundation they’ve built through lockdown be strong enough to keep their relationship steady or will they crack under the strain?
Jetlag was something that I always struggled with.
Some people seemed to be able to travel the world and take the time zones in stride while others learned little tricks to help them cope out of frequent necessity, but I seemed to be cursed with a body that was less adaptable than most. I’d tried many things over the years, but nothing had ever worked and I accepted long ago that it was just something that I would be forced to suffer through every time I travelled.
Being able to sit down and talk was exactly what they needed. Hopefully having more out in the open like that will help them in the long run. Also, Grayson’s reaction at the end… priceless.
Summary: As the world starts to reopen, tentatively hoping the worst of the pandemic is behind them, Chris and Whitney face a new set of challenges. With busy work schedules and the pressures of normal life looming on the horizon, will the foundation they’ve built through lockdown be strong enough to keep their relationship steady or will they crack under the strain?
My mind was racing all afternoon and my gratitude for Chris was overwhelming as he was organized enough for both of us and steered me through the day. Jack had called again in the middle of the afternoon to let me know that what he’d said earlier was true - the surgery went well and my dad was expected to make a full recovery - but I was still so stunned by the whole situation that I was struggling to focus.
The chirping of birds floated through the open window in the kitchen, echoing throughout the home as Poppy prepared dinner while keeping an eye on their son in the backyard. A chair was pushed up to the counter that Annie was standing on as she dumped in chocolate chips to the bowl that Alice was stirring into the batter with her wooden spoon. Poppy laughed to herself at the sight, seeing flour all over and knowing there would be way too many chocolate chips in that batter but not minding since she got to spend the time with her girls in the kitchen.
“Ivy, baby, don’t color on the table,” she said softly, gently pulling the paper back in front of the two-year-old. “Here, just stay on top of the paper.”
Summary:As the world starts to reopen, tentatively hoping the worst of the pandemic is behind them, Chris and Whitney face a new set of challenges. With busy work schedules and the pressures of normal life looming on the horizon, will the foundation they’ve built through lockdown be strong enough to keep their relationship steady or will they crack under the strain?
Note: okay, I’m not totally done writing this section of the series yet, but I have most of it done and some of it edited so I can’t resist posting it any longer. Hopefully I can write the last little bit fast enough that there isn’t a delay, but I apologize if I have to space the chapters out a bit more to give myself some extra time. For now, I’ll try to have one up every few days and I think there will be 9 in total. Please let me know what you think!
—–
Part One
March 2021
Chris was sulking.
He was a grown man and he was sulking.
The fact that he looked exactly like Grayson did when he didn’t get his own way would have been adorable had it not gone on for two days with no end in sight.
Summary:As the world starts to reopen, tentatively hoping the worst of the pandemic is behind them, Chris and Whitney face a new set of challenges. With busy work schedules and the pressures of normal life looming on the horizon, will the foundation they’ve built through lockdown be strong enough to keep their relationship steady or will they crack under the strain?
Note: I have never been to Disneyland. If anything about Disneyland in this part doesn’t make sense then please just feel sorry for me and my lack of first hand knowledge
—–
Part Six
I was very confident in my decision that it would be best for us to wait until Chris came home from France to start trying for a baby, but I was surprisingly disappointed when my period started a few weeks after our night of unprotected sex. We’d been careful every other time since, but a tiny little part of me was clearly more invested in our new plans than I thought.
There was hardly time to think about it though as Gray’s birthday soon provided a distraction and it was hard to say who was more excited - the birthday boy himself or his dad.
We decided not long after we arrived in California - and once we figured out if it was even a possibility due to the restrictions from the pandemic - that we would take Grayson to Disneyland and Chris was absolutely frantic with glee from the moment we made that decision. He immediately set to work mapping out all the age appropriate rides and figuring out what treats to buy him, which characters he’d want to take pictures with and how he could sneak in a few adult rides without Grayson feeling left out. I’d only been to Disneyland once when I was a teenager so I left it up to him and he had the whole day organized in no time.
Summary:As the world starts to reopen, tentatively hoping the worst of the pandemic is behind them, Chris and Whitney face a new set of challenges. With busy work schedules and the pressures of normal life looming on the horizon, will the foundation they’ve built through lockdown be strong enough to keep their relationship steady or will they crack under the strain?
Note: Hereis a fun little video that ties in with this part! Also, thank you to everyone who has left a comment so far. I so love reading all your thoughts so please let me know if you’re enjoying it!
——
Part Five
After that first night, we settled into the house nicely.
Grayson proved, once again, how adaptable he was and was fairly unfazed by the transition. He did, however, struggle a bit more with Chris returning to work. He was needed on set for some last minute pre-production run throughs and costume fittings a few days after we moved into the house and, while we were hoping he would be eased in with a relaxed schedule, he ended up hitting the ground running.
Grayson handled it well for the first couple days, but by the of the week he had reached the limit of his patience.
Summary:As the world starts to reopen, tentatively hoping the worst of the pandemic is behind them, Chris and Whitney face a new set of challenges. With busy work schedules and the pressures of normal life looming on the horizon, will the foundation they’ve built through lockdown be strong enough to keep their relationship steady or will they crack under the strain?
Note: There is a bit of a POV change in the middle of this chapter, I hope it isn’t too confusing or disruptive! Thank you to everyone who has liked and commented so far, I love hearing what you guys think!
—–
Part Four
“Mom, how many people did you invite to this party?” I asked as Chris returned to the kitchen from his fourth trip unloading groceries from her car. “You do know that we’re still not supposed to have huge gatherings, right?”
“I do know that,” she nodded as she started unpacking the bags. “It won’t be a large gathering. It’s just your dad and I, you, Chris and Gray, Jack, Andrea and Theo and your Uncle Rob and his gang.”
I raised an eyebrow at that claim.
“By ‘his gang’ do you mean ‘everyone he’s ever met’? Because there’s enough food here to feed an army.”
Gray is officially the most adorable little boy on the planet. Seriously. His reaction to seeing his mother affected by the movie is one of the purest things I have ever seen.
Pairings: Chris x Fem. OFC Alaina (but basically named reader)
Summary: Alaina moves to Concord, MA for a fresh start. After a fateful run in at a local restaurant shortly after arriving to town, Alaina accepts a teaching job working with Carly and Shanna. The sisters are on a mission to play matchmaker between Alaina and Chris, but her family keeps trying to pull her home and to her childhood best friend Nick. Will Alaina find a new home and the fresh start she’s wanting?
Warnings: None–pure fluff. Minor injury- scraped hands, twisted ankle; (Will update in each chapter)
Word count: 4614
A/N- I do not give permission for my work to be copied, translated or posted on any site. Reblogs are always welcome!! I do not know Chris, this is purely fiction from my own imagination (and wishful thinking) THANK YOU SHANNON for grammar checking me!
Pairings: Chris x Fem. OFC Alaina (but basically named reader)
Summary: Alaina moves to Concord, MA for a fresh start. After a fateful run in at a local restaurant shortly after arriving to town, Alaina accepts a teaching job working with Carly and Shanna. The sisters are on a mission to play matchmaker between Alaina and Chris, but her family keeps trying to pull her home and to her childhood best friend Nick. Will Alaina find a new home and the fresh start she’s wanting?
Warnings: None–pure fluff. (Will update in each chapter)
Word count: 4,515 - it got away from me!
A/N- I do not give permission for my work to be copied, translated or posted on any site. Reblogs are always welcome!! I do not know Chris, this is purely fiction from my own imagination (and wishful thinking) THANK YOU SHANNON for grammar checking me!
Pairings: Chris x Fem. OFC Alaina (but basically named reader)
Summary: Alaina moves to Concord, MA for a fresh start. After a fateful run in at a local restaurant shortly after arriving to town, Alaina accepts a teaching job working with Carly and Shanna. The sisters are on a mission to play matchmaker between Alaina and Chris, but her family keeps trying to pull her home and to her childhood best friend Nick. Will Alaina find a new home and the fresh start she’s wanting?
Warnings: None–pure fluff. (Will update in each chapter)
Word count: 3,772
A/N- I do not give permission for my work to be copied, translated or posted on any site. Reblogs are always welcome!! I do not know Chris, this is purely fiction from my own imagination (and wishful thinking) THANK YOU SHANNON for grammar checking me!
“Good Morning! Welcome to Kelly’s. Have a seat wherever you’d like and I’ll be right with you!” the waitress said, smiling warmly in your direction.
You made your way to a small table next to a window. You sat down and pulled out a copy of the visitor’s guide to the town, continuing to read through and familiarize yourself with the area. Your new home.
“Sorry about that,” the waitress that had greeted you said, smiling, “We got a little busy in the morning rush. It’s starting to calm down now. I’m Kelly, what can I get you to drink?”
“Please, no need to apologize.” you reassured her, smiling back, “I’m in no hurry. May I get a mocha latte please?”
“You sure can! Would you like whipped cream on that?” she asked.
“Yes, please, that sounds wonderful.” you replied.
After she left to get your coffee, you let your eyes wander around the diner, taking it all in. It was small, and had a very welcoming atmosphere. You had a feeling you’d be spending a lot of time here.
A family walked in as Kelly was bringing your coffee to you. They must come here often as Kelly directed them to their normal table, which was next to your own. They pushed a couple of tables together, one side of the table with chairs, the side nearest the wall had a bench.
“Have the whole crew today, Lisa?” Kelly asked on her way past, heading towards you.
“Just about.” she replied smiling. “Missing a couple. I sent a text to Chris letting him know it wasn’t busy, he may be joining.”
“Good!” Kelly replied. “The breakfast crowd cleared out and being a weekday, it’ll be pretty quiet for a few hours.”
She arrived at the table and handed you your coffee. “Here you go sweetheart,” she said, “Did you want to order a late breakfast?”
“I am still trying to decide what I’d like,” you replied, smiling, “Everything looks amazing, so I can’t decide.”
“No problem, take your time!” she said, glancing down at the visitor’s information spread out before you. “On vacation?”
“Actually, I just moved here.” you answered, “Still trying to get my bearings, learn what’s in the area.”
“Well welcome to Concord!” Kelly said cheerfully. “Where did you move from?”
“Chicago.” you replied. “This is a very nice change of pace and seriously refreshing.”
“That’s quite the move.” she agreed. “What brought you here?”
“I visited Boston with friends and fell in love with the area. I applied for some teaching jobs on a whim and was offered a job, so here I am!” you answered. “So far I have no regrets.”
“Hopefully it stays that way! I’ll give you some more time and check back in a few. Let me know if you need anything in the meantime.” she replied.
“Thank you!” you exclaimed, smiling as she walked away. You definitely made the right decision on towns if the interaction with Kelly was an indication of the people that lived here.
“Excuse me,” one of the women at the neighboring table interjected, “I don’t mean to be nosy or eavesdrop, but I overheard you say you’re new to the area and are a teacher?”
“No, it’s fine!” you reassured her, “Yes, I just moved here and will start work in a few weeks as a Special Education teacher.”
“I’m Carly by the way,” she introduced herself. “What grade level do you teach and which district?”
“I’m Alaina,” you replied, “I’ll be teaching high school. I was offered a position at Concord-Carlisle and at Lincoln-Sudbury. I actually have to make a decision this week and let them know.”
“Oh my God! I teach at Lincoln-Sudbury!” she exclaimed. “And my little sister Shanna teaches special education there too! We’re both at LSHS. If you’re leaning between the two, I highly recommend it. It’s where we all graduated from too.”
“I have to be honest, I was actually leaning that way. The students I’d be working with and the job description there just sounded more of what I’m looking for.” you confided.
“The kids are great!” Carly assured. “And you’ll get to work with some really cool people.”
“Then I guess I’ll be accepting the LSHS position!” you beamed. “Thank you so much!”
“I’m glad we were here today!” She laughed, “Although, this is one of my ma’s favorite places to eat, so we actually come often.”
“I have a feeling, I’ll be here a lot too.” you replied chuckling. “The coffee is amazing and it’s not far from where I’m renting.”
“When did you move to Concord?” Carly’s mom asked. “I’m Lisa, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you!” you replied, “I actually just officially moved in two days ago. I’ve been unburrying from boxes, trying to get unpacked. This is the first time I’ve ventured out.”
“Wow, you really are new!” Lisa laughed, “You’re going to love it here. And I think I overheard you telling Kelly you’re from Chicago, so winters shouldn’t be too different!”
“Here I was, hoping to escape horrible winters.” you teased. “Honestly though, it’d be weird to not have snow.”
“Too early for talk like that!” Carly complained. “It’s not even officially fall yet! You’re in for a real treat though when fall hits.”
“That, I’m excited for!” you responded. “Especially Halloween, in New England! I will be going to Salem and doing all of the ghostly tours.”
“You’re going to love it!” Lisa said warmly.
Kelly came back, bringing out refills on their drinks, then headed over to you once more.
“Alright, sweetheart,” she winked, “Decision time. What sounds good today? I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you in here again, so you can always work your way through the entire menu and find out your favorites.”
“I definitely will be back, if only for the coffee alone!” you beamed, “I think today, I’ll go with…” just as you were about to give your order another customer walked in, catching your eye. You did a slight double take, not believing your eyes… was that… Chris Evans? Your face must have betrayed your shock, as Kelly chuckled.
“You’ll get used to seeing him around.” she assured you in a soft voice, winking again.
“Umm, sorry!” You shook yourself out of the shock. “I’d love the pancakes this morning, please.”
“Good solid choice.” She smiled, “I’ll get that started!”
On her way to the kitchen, she stopped by the table next to you, that you now realized consisted of Chris Evans’ family. You hoped none of them noticed your minor internal freakout or your pause in giving your order.
You busied yourself with the visitor’s guide once more, circling the places you wanted to try out and starting a list in a notebook you’d brought along. Time slipped past as you were focused on your task and soon, Kelly was bringing over a steaming plate of delicious looking pancakes.
“Enjoy!” She eyed your empty mug and inquired, “Can I get you another coffee?
“Actually, could I get a glass of ice water please?” you asked. “Any more coffee and I’ll be bouncing off walls.”
“Of course!” she replied, “I’ll be right back with that.” Once she walked away you dug into the pancakes. They were the perfect amount of fluffy and cooked to perfection. The syrup was warm and added just a little sweetness. You made a mental note that breakfast at Kelly’s would be a regular occurrence… at least on weekends once school started.
Before long, you finished your pancakes and Kelly came to collect your plate and drop the check. You dug your wallet out of your purse and pulled out your bank card. You made a note to switch to a local bank soon to make life easier.
After paying, you gathered your bag and tucked your guide and notebook inside.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of your day exploring,” Kelly said, “Please don’t hesitate to come in at any time if you need anything.”
“You’ve been so helpful already, and welcoming,” you smiled warmly, “thank you so much.”
Noticing you were about to leave, Carly smiled and waved to get your attention. “It was very nice to meet you, Alaina! I can’t wait to work with you at LSHS!”
“It was nice meeting you too, Carly!” you smiled happily. “I’m glad I ran into someone to help make the decision on which school to teach at!”
“You won’t regret it!” she reassured you. “I promise.”
With another quick wave, you headed out the front door, into the warm summer air. You let out a deep breath, laughing slightly to yourself. Well that was an interesting turn of events, you thought, heading down the street toward the bookstore.
Chris couldn’t help but to glance back at the woman who left. He then turned to Carly and asked, “ Who was that?” He had been hiding behind his cup of coffee, glancing in her direction discreetly a couple of times. He was curious because most women would be gluing their eyes on him, which made him feel uncomfortable, especially since he was with family. Yet with the woman who had been sitting only mere feet away, she hadn’t been fixated about his presence.
“Her name is Alaina,” Carly replied, trying not to show surprise on her face when Chris piped up. “She just moved here from Chicago. She’s a teacher and will be starting at LSHS this fall.”
“She’s very sweet.” Kelly added, bringing food to the table. “I hope to see more of her here.”
*********************
That afternoon after stopping in the bookstore, you went home to finish unpacking and setting up your apartment. Once you felt your living space was organized the way you wanted it, you decided to call both districts back to let them know your decision. You made sure to thank Concord-Carlisle for the opportunity but that you just didn’t feel it was the best fit at this time. You’d learned as a teacher, you never want to burn bridges you may need later down the road.
The principal at LSHS was ecstatic to hear you were accepting the position and wanted to set up a time for you to come in the following week to fill out all of your new hire paperwork, meet a few coworkers, and have time to see and set up your classroom. With that taken care of you decided to call and check in with your family.
They’d worried about you moving so far from home not knowing anyone. For you, it was a fresh start, something that was very much needed. You did, however, promise to check in regularly.
“Hey sweetie!” your mom answered on the second ring. “How’s everything going? Are you all settled in?”
“Hi, Mom!” you replied, smiling contently at the sound of her voice. “Everything is great! I just accepted the job offer from Lincoln-Sudbury High School.”
“You didn’t want the one right there in the same town you live in?” she asked.
“It was a good offer as well, but I actually met someone today who works for LSHS as a teacher and she highly recommended the school.” You explained, “I figured if someone who teaches there loves it and recommends it, it’s a good place to work.”
“That makes sense.” she agreed. “I’m glad you’re meeting people already. We worry about you being alone out there. I ran into Nick at the store the other day. He asked about you.”
“Mom…” you groaned. Your mom had been trying to push you towards Nick for as long as you could remember. He was one of your best friends growing up, and you loved him dearly, but in the same way you loved your brother Ryland. You were pretty sure Nick felt the same way towards you. Much to your parents’ dismay. Both of your moms had been trying to make something happen between the two of you for as long as you could remember.
“I know, I know,” she sighed, “but you would be perfect for one another… and neither of you are in a relationship.”
“Yeah, that’s a great reason to date someone.” you retorted with sarcasm. “I love Nick, just like I love Ry… definitely nothing romantic there.”
“Fair enough.” she acquiesced. “I did tell him to give you a call though, I hope that’s ok.”
“Of course!” you said happily. “I miss him. I miss you all, but this is going to be good, Mom. I know I’m going to be happy here.” Reaffirming to yourself, you had made the right decision by moving to Concord.
“That’s all we want.” she said. After a short pause, she inquired, “So, what have you all visited so far?”
You told your mom about the town and about your encounter at Kelly’s.
“Everyone has been so nice here, it’s actually refreshing!” you informed her.
“You’ll have to make a list of places for us to visit.” she suggested. “Your dad and I are going to try to fly out for a visit this fall. I know Ry wants to come visit as well and check on his baby sister.”
“I’d love for you all to come visit. You’ll love it here.” you replied.
After getting caught up on all the gossip from home and promising to call again in a few days, you said your goodbyes.
Realizing you still hadn’t gotten groceries, you decided to make a list and head out to pick up some. It was almost dinner time so you planned on picking up something quick on your way home.
There was a Whole Foods that wasn’t too far from where you lived, so you decided to head there for groceries. It’s where you generally shopped back home too, so it would be familiar.
An hour and a car full of groceries later, you’re ready to head home to get it all sorted. You decide sushi sounds good, and you place an order quickly so you can pick it up on your way home. Before pulling out of the parking lot, you enter the address into your phone’s GPS as you’re still learning to navigate your way around.
You pulled into a parking spot near the restaurant about fifteen minutes later. You quickly made your way into the restaurant and paid for your order. On your way out, another customer was coming in. Noticing that your hands were full, he backed up and held the door so you could get out.
“Thank you!” you smiled brightly, finally looking up. Your heart stopped in your chest when you came face to face with a smiling Chris Evans. The man should come with a warning label. His smile was even more dangerous in person than in pictures or on the screen.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, taking note it was the woman from the diner when he was there with Carly and his mom. “Enjoy your dinner.”
“Hope so!” you replied, recovering from the initial shock. “First time here.”
“You won’t regret it.” He assured you, “I order from here a lot.”
“It’s gotta be good then.” You smiled, “Enjoy your dinner as well.”
Once you were safely back in your car you allowed yourself to take a calming breath. You’d just had a seemingly normal exchange of words with Chris Evans and you didn’t sound like a complete idiot. You smiled, starting your car. I think I can get used to this you said to yourself as you pulled away.
******************
Two weeks into living in Concord and you definitely had a routine. You stopped most mornings at Kelly’s for coffee, and a couple days a week you’d allow yourself the luxury of eating breakfast there as well. You’d had a few more run-ins with Chris around town, Kelly had been right, you do in fact get used to seeing him. Your heart still sped up when you saw him but you no longer froze or forgot to breathe.
You had plans today to go over to the high school and start to get your classroom set up. You’d been in the week before to fill out paperwork but hadn’t taken the time to do anything other than look at your room. With school starting in a couple of weeks, it was time to get your space set up. Your backseat and trunk were full of boxes from your last classroom, ready to be set up in your new space. Carly had gotten your number from the school and had called to let you know she’d be in her room this week too and to stop by when you were in the building. Before going in though, you stopped at Kelley’s to grab an iced coffee and something quick to eat.
“I hope you’ll still pop in when you’re back at work, Alaina.” Kelly said. “You’ve become a bright spot in my day when you come in.”
“You’re the sweetest,” you replied, “I promise to still come in at least for coffee and will eat breakfast at least once on the weekend.”
“I have to say, I’ve been seeing more and more of a certain someone in here since you moved to town too.” she teased. “And as much as I want to believe it’s for the coffee or food, I’m starting to suspect otherwise.”
“I’m sure it’s more to do with your amazing coffee and food than it is with me.” you laughed, shaking your head, unsure to believe her words. Why would Chris Evans be looking for you? If that indeed, was the case.
“And speak of the devil,” she chuckled, glancing at the door. You looked over to see Chris walking into the diner. “Have a seat wherever, hon,” Kelly said, winking at Chris, “I’ll be right with you.”
“No rush!” he assured her, heading to the counter where you were sitting. He had a Red Sox hat on and was in jeans and a tight fitting t-shirt. He sat down at the counter, leaving a space between the two of you.
Your phone dinged, alerting you to a new message. Grateful to have something to busy yourself with, you picked it up and read the message.
Carly: Hey! I just got to the school, if you need help with anything let me know! Want to grab some lunch later?
You smiled, thankful to have a friendly face in the building when you got there. Besides the principal, Carly was really the only one you’d had a chance to meet so far.
You: Hi! I’m just picking up some coffee and a quick breakfast at Kelly’s then I will be headed that way. Lunch sounds great! Thanks!
You glanced up as Kelly came back with your iced coffee and to take Chris’ order.
“Here you are, sweetheart.” she said. “Your food will be ready in a few minutes.”
“Thank you so much!” you replied, smiling, “I’m not in a hurry today. Just setting up my classroom.”
You took a sip of the iced coffee, as your phone dinged again.
Carly: Shanna is going to join in on lunch too, you’ll get to meet her!
You: Great! Looking forward to it.
Both your phone and Chris’ phone dinged at the same time. You glance down, seeing a new group text that Carly sent along with two numbers you didn’t know.
Carly: Do we want to go out somewhere for lunch or order in here?
Unknown: Carly, it’s 8:30 in the morning. I’m only up because I’m being coerced into helping you, so I’m focused on BREAKFAST right now.
Carly: ‘Coerced’ is such a strong word. You won’t regret it though. ;)
Unknown: My question is, who’s bringing coffee?? It’s too early to be at work when we don’t have work.
Carly: Alaina is at Kelly’s I think…
Unknown: Already on it Shan. Alaina?
You: That’d be me.
Carly: Oops. Shan, Chris… meet Alaina. Alaina… meet my siblings. Shanna works with us. Chris is here for his heavy lifting ability and free labor.
Kelly approached and placed a bag with your food in front of you. “Here you are, sweetheart,” she said. “Do you need a refill before you head out?”
“I’m good!” you replied, “Too much caffeine and I’ll be climbing the walls in my classroom instead of decorating them.”
“Alright then,” she smiled, “have a good day, and I expect to see you here again soon.”
“You will!” you promised. “I hope you have a good day as well!”
Before you could grab your bag and head out, Chris looked up from his phone and smiled at you. He had seen you around town the past couple of weeks, your name a ghost in his mind. Yet he confidently remembered your soft features because of the secret glances he had sent your way at the diner weeks ago.
“You must be Alaina?” he asked, holding his phone up slightly towards you, delighted he was finally rewarded with your name once again.
“That’s me,” you replied, butterflies erupting in your stomach. You really needed to build an immunity to this man and his effect on you. “You must be one of the unknown numbers.”
“I’m Chris, the free labor and muscle for my sister, Carly.” he laughed, “It’s nice to officially meet you.”
“You too!” you responded, smiling back at him. You were unsure of what else to say, so you picked up your order, readying yourself to leave. “Enjoy your breakfast. If you want revenge for having to be up early, you can always deliver their breakfast and coffee cold…”
“You know, I should do that.” he agreed. “At least to Carly… Shanna is an innocent bystander in this one.”
“I will deny all knowledge of this conversation ever happening.” you teased. “I’m new here, can’t make enemies just yet.”
“Your involvement will be kept strictly classified.” he promised you, laughing.
“I guess I’ll be seeing you again later,” you said, gathering your bag and coffee, “Hopefully Carly doesn’t work you too hard before lunch.”
“I’ll definitely see you later.” he replied, flashing his megawatt smile. “If you need any help with any heavy lifting, just text the group text and I’ll come help.”
“Thank you!” you replied. You released a soft laugh, “You may regret offering that later.”
“I highly doubt it.” he muttered, elated you might take him up on his offer. “The company would be worth it.”
After saying goodbye, you made your way to your car. You couldn’t wipe the smile off of your face the entire drive to Sudbury, his last words to you echoing in your mind.
Summary: After the release of your hit movie “Roman Holiday,” you’ve become Hollywood’s new “It Girl.” Everyone wants a piece of you. While at a Hollywood event, you get pulled into an epic selfie similar to the one from the MET Gala with the megastars of Hollywood. The next day all anyone can talk about is this epic picture but not because of the star power in it, but what was happening in it.
**Loosely Edited/Proofread**
Thank you, guys, for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. ❤️❤️
Summary: Although they grew up in the same small town, Chris and Sam had both gone their separate ways a long time ago. Chris moved up to become a MLB star, one of the best in the business, while Sam stayed stuck in the same small town. But when multiple injuries ended the Red Sox prodigy’s career, he winds up back in the same small town he swore he’d never be back to. The past may not stay in the past any longer, as old wounds begin to creep back up.
Pairing: MLB!Chris Evans X OFC Samantha “Sam” Merrick
A grimace crossed Sam’s lips as she pulled into the parking lot of the school, hearing her car make a few suspicious clunks as she came to a stop. She silently hoped everything would be alright as she turned the old car off before climbing out and smoothing down the black and white floral dress she wore to just about every nicer sort of occasion she had attended in her adult life. If there was a wedding, baby shower, or any sort of anything else, she was wearing that black and white floral dress and she wanted nothing more than to burn it at this point, being so sick of seeing it, but it was the only halfway decent dress she had which left her trying to layer cardigans, jackets, or adding tights to make it look a little different. She luckily had been able to find a pink denim jacket at goodwill recently, pushing the sleeves up to make it look like it wasn’t a size too big but figured it at least would hide the old dress a little bit more. She bit at her bottom lip as she closed the car door, trying to run her fingers through the ends of her hair that was starting to curl already and smooth it out when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
Summary:Although they grew up in the same small town, Chris and Sam had both gone their separate ways a long time ago. Chris moved up to become a MLB star, one of the best in the business, while Sam stayed stuck in the same small town. But when multiple injuries ended the Red Sox prodigy’s career, he winds up back in the same small town he swore he’d never be back to. The past may not stay in the past any longer, as old wounds begin to creep back up.
Pairing: MLB!Chris Evans X OFC Samantha “Sam” Merrick
The bright lights illuminated the baseball field on the Thursday night, the sound of murmured talking from the wooden stands that were filled with fans. In the small town, there weren’t a whole lot of entertainment options and many people attended the baseball games even if they didn’t have a son or nephew who played. But this game was different.
The star of the Red Sox, second baseman Chris Evans, was coaching and that was drawing the interest of the entire town. Sam had never been packed in this tightly on the dusty wooden bleachers in the early Spring chill, and seeing everyone’s eyes glued to Chris made her want to throw up. She ignored all the hushed talking about him and just focused on her little brother standing on the pitcher’s mound as he threw another strike, making her clap and shout, “Way to go Riley!”
Attending Doctor Chris Evans x Resident Doctor Reader AU
Warning: Mild Cursing, Plot, Medical Lingo, Slow Burn,
Words:5.7k
Summary: Maybe with later chapters.
****Disclaimer: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. ****
Note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. While I was a nurse for a portion of time and have nurse’s knowledge, I have no physician’s knowledge. All medical lingo and info on the physician level presented here is a mixture of Google and creativeness. So, will it be accurate? Maybe. Should you get medical advice or information from this? Definitely not. Will this be a fun read? Absolutely! So, read for entertainment and not for one hundred percent accuracy. That being said, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this.
Note II: Italic text is a memory.
Thank you for reading!!! I appreciate the support.
Attending Doctor Chris Evans x Resident Doctor Reader AU
Warning: Mild Cursing, Plot, Medical Lingo, Slow Burn,
Words:5.7k
Summary: Maybe with later chapters.
****Disclaimer: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. ****
Note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. While I was a nurse for a portion of time and have nurse’s knowledge, I have no physician’s knowledge. All medical lingo and info on the physician level presented here is a mixture of Google and creativeness. So, will it be accurate? Maybe. Should you get medical advice or information from this? Definitely not. Will this be a fun read? Absolutely! So, read for entertainment and not for one hundred percent accuracy. That being said, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this.
Note II: Italic text is a memory.
Thank you for reading!!! I appreciate the support.
“Snap out of it already,” Willashouted bringing you out of your turbulent thoughts.
“I’m fine.”
It was not entirely a lie, just partially.
“Whatever. You’re still mad and worrying about what happened at the hospital. It happened. Nothing you can do about it now. Plus, it’s not like Evans handed you termination or dismissal papers. He just yelled a little.”
A little? You tried to not roll your eyes at her understatement.
“You’ve heard him chew out other residents before and for far less. What, you thought you were different?”
The reason why you felt this way was because you had thought you were different. Now knowing what you knew, part of you had unconsciously thought you would get away with disobeying him and confronting him. Part of you had expected him to allow you to do what you wanted because that professional line had been crossed—because you now knew he was attracted to you and wanted you.
It was now you just checked yourself and it was a harsh reality.
If he had been any other attending who had told you to work with another resident, you didn’t know if you would have had the courage to blatantly tell him you declined and went ahead and did your own thing. You knew that you probably wouldn’t have had any other choice than to do what was requested of you. The attending was in charge after all.
“Fuck!”
You mentally cursed yourself while you finished applying your lip liner. While part of you knew you were in the right, the other knew you were wrong.
“You’re not an attending yet, Y/N,” you whispered to yourself.
“It’s fine. If he were going to retaliate, he would have already done it and you would have been told by—,” Willa drifted off.
“I won’t know until I go back to work.”
You and Willa exchanged knowing looks.
“You’re fucked.”
“I’m fucked.”
You both said it in unison. You knew the minute you walked into the hospital for your next shift you’d be called into the Chief of Residents’ office and questioned about it if Evans wanted to be stern about it. From the look in his eyes when he spoke to you, you could tell he was annoyed and disappointed in you. Sighing, you dropped onto your bed and stared at the ceiling and wallowed. You knew the right thing—the professional thing to do would be to apologize but right now, professionalism would not prevail over stubbornness.
Willa dropped onto the bed beside you and slapped your exposed thigh. “Are you going to let one mishap keep you in tonight on one of your rare off nights and mornings?”
You made no moves to move.
“When was the last time you had not only a night off but the next morning and afternoon?”
This was the first time in several months. You’d made it a point to take as few as possible days off. While others worked with their next day off in mind, you worked with the next amazing surgery in mind and the best way you thought to do that was to work around the attendings, show them your dedication and killer brain and make them notice you, make them respect you. It had worked up to now. However, tonight you felt your mental health needed a night of debauchery.
Bolting upright, you felt fresh determination. “Fuck no I’m not letting this one mishap ruin my night off!”
Willa cheered beside you and bounced making the bed jerk. “That’s what I wanna hear. Now let’s get your ass dressed in something besides scrubs, something that shows a lot more skin and is easier to hike up for some fun!”
You snorted and shook your head. Willa and Sachi made it a point to let you know that if the need was there for them to relieve some pent-up stress their chosen way to do that was one night with a stranger. They said they had done some wild things with just one night allowed and had never had any regrets. No matter how much they raved about the experience of one night stands you never partook. It wasn’t that the idea wasn’t tempting, or you’d never encountered a man who was delicious enough to back it up on in the bathroom of an upscale club it was simply because you didn’t have the confidence.
Because of years and years of a sheltered life and being a very late bloomer, you doubted you had the sex appeal let alone the Mata Hara attitude to successfully pull it off. You were just that awkward. That was why you were in utter shock when Dr. Mooreoon offered her husband’s cock to you, no string attached with the possibility of more—her words.
You were beautiful, duh. You had no doubts about your beauty or attractiveness. How he’d peeped it when the only things you’d ever worn around him were scrubs, long sleeve shirts or sweaters, sneakers, and a high bun, you’d never know. How he even came to the conclusion of wanting you on a sexual level still perplexed you. You’d never done anything sexy around him, never acted coquettish, or like a seductress like many of the other residents and even doctors had. You’d happily kept in the back while the others made fools of themselves because he ignored every single one of their advances and flirtations. It was comical. They acted like the man wasn’t married. Perhaps they’d picked up on something you’d only just been clued into.
Ten minutes later, you’d decided on what to wear, a cute two piece that showed off your midriff and cleavage, ten minutes from then you’d managed to squeeze into it and start the process usually everyone begins when planning a night out that they wanted to be unforgettable. The checklist went something like, hair, makeup, then scent layering. Once you’d finished, nearly forty minutes in total had passed. When you walked out of your bedroom you weredressed, heeled, made up, and smelling like an angel looking to sin. Willa whistled and hollered clearly pleased with all the effort you’d put in tonight.
“There she is. My god, no logical reason why you’re hiding all of that behind scrubs, long sleeves, and sweaters.”
“You do the same thing,” you countered.
“But once the clock says quitting time better believe I am showing all of this off. I worked and dieted too hard for this ass for it not to be appreciated with every strut I take.”
For emphasis, Willa turned to show you her perfectly toned and rounded ass that you could no doubt hold a champagne flute on without so much as a shake. She knew she looked good and had no problem acting like it. You loved that about her. You glanced at your pager and sighed. While you were off, you knew you still had to carry the thing. It was Doctor Life 101, the most basic and foremost rule. Your pager always stays on you or near you. You’d heard of a resident making the rookie mistake and being kicked out of their program without one word from them in defense or rebuttal. It was that important. You having your own life outside of the hospital was no one’s concern; lives were always in the need of saving 24-7.
You stuffed the pager into your clutch along with your phone, your slim bifold wallet that held your credit cards and some cash, your colored lip-gloss, a small vile of your perfume of the night, and your bejeweled police grade tazer that your father had given you when you decided to move out of state. Was it legal? Maybe not. Did he care? Not one bit. The funny thing was he didn’t get it for street safety it was after he’d watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy where the people in the ER were held hostage by four madmen. It was after that episode he spoke to an ex-military friend of his who now owned a private guard company and gifted the pervert dropping weapon to you soon after.
You and Willa made your way downstairs and into the waiting taxi and began your trip to the bar you were meeting Sachi at. As you drove, you and Willa took backseat selfies, posted them to your socials and chattered about how epic you wanted the night to go—well Willa did. You simply nodded along. Willa then proceeded to try to sucker you into posting the picture she’d taken of you at your door that showed off the whole head to toe view. You tried to tell her no but after five or so minutes of her and the Uber driver ganging up on you, eventually you caved. It was Willa though who seized your phone to create her own caption and then post it once you couldn’t do anything about it. When you read the caption your jaw dropped.
IG POST: I like it. I know you love it. Some lucky man finna push up on it! #GirlsNight #CheckOnIt #IAintYoMDTonight #Beauty&Brains #DocByDayBadBitchByNight
When you looked at the post, your jaw dropped. She was bold. It was a quick-ish twelve-minute drive before the Uber pulled up at the club and a few short minutes before you found Sachi who was surprise, surprise there on time and sitting with two familiar faces.
“You guys are finally here,” she elated as she hugged you both. When she pulled away from you, her eyes roamed your body then widened.
“Did Willa pick this?”
You rolled your eyes. “No, I did thank you very much!”
She raised her hand as if to say she meant no offense. “Yayy! This look means one thing you’ve let your bad girl out to play!” She threw her arms around you again completely filled with glee.
The way her and Willa acted, you felt like a prude or their inexperienced virgin friend from the middle of the US of A. Your eyes fell to the faces you knew from the hospital and before you or Willa could talk, Sachi spoke up.
“Before you say anything, they’re cool.Porchamay be head of L&D but she’s super young and only is a hard ass on her L&D residents. As for Vitashe is super cool even though she manages the labs, she’s saved my ass a few times,” Sachipled.
You didn’t care who they were. Dr. Leon was always nice to you and Vita always rushes your labs. You slid onto a stool giving them both warm smiles.
“The more the merrier,” you said.
“I promise, what we see or hear here, stays here. The hospital isn’t any of your complete lives,” Porsha said.
Sachi lifted the glass that you just noticed was in front of her, “I hear that shit!”
You snorted and took in the similar shot glasses in the middle of the table. You grabbed one and hit Sachi’s glass then the others’. You really wanted to let loose tonight. You were tired of being seen as the innocent or prudish friend. Yeah you studied hard and worked even harder, but you could party just like everyone else, and you intended to prove it tonight.
~~~~~
-3 Hours Later-
“Wooooo! Who knew you could move like this!”
Porcha’s voice behind you rang out just below the undulating boom from the DJ’s speakers. One of her hands were currently on your hip as she moved in sync with you.
“I could say the same for you! Maybe have the moms move like this and you’ll have those babies out in no time!”
She laughed then turned her back to yours. You were currently sandwiched between Porcha and Vita who was in front of you with her hands on her knees winding her ass onto you. The girl had moves too!
“Wooooooo!”
Sachi was in front of her whipping her head around in a circle sending her hair to rotate like the rotors of a helicopter and Willa behind Porcha. The five of you had generated a small circle around you as fellow partiers watched your antics. You’d had more than enough to drink that you didn’t care how much attention was on you. When the song changed to a well-known hip-hop song, you all squealed then turned to each other and began rapping along like your life depended on it and enjoying every second of it.
After a few bars, the DJ shouting you out and the spotlight following to bathe the five of you in more attention made you all go buck wild and pose like you were on a red carpet and waving at fans. The glare of the spotlight had you turning your head slightly hoping to escape the brightness. From the corner of your eye, you saw a face you knew but through the haze of tequila, vodka, Hennessey, and whatever other alcohol you’d been mixing the entire night you couldn’t place from where you knew it. The attractive man with the recognizable face smiled through his look of wow then waved. You flashed a half-hearted smile then turned back around.
It was Sachi who dragged you back to your table and the whole way there you kept trying to place where you’d seen him from. Once you sat, you looked back expecting to still see him, but he was gone.
“What? You looking like you saw a ghost.”
“No, no. You ever see someone you recognize but you don’t remember where you recognize them from?”
“Of course, you remember Rodney?”
You snorted.
“Really, Sachi?”
Rodney was one of Sachi’s boyfriends, and boyfriend was stretching the term. They’d associated with each other for three weeks and the majority of those three weeks was inside his apartment or hers and only to a sexual capacity.
“When we bumped into each other a few weeks ago I could not for the life of me remember where I saw him from.”
“That was just sad Sach—you slept with the man.”
“Girl there was barely any sleeping, and the majority of his time was spent with his head between my legs and my only seeing from his nose up.”
You busted out laughing. Sachi’s candor was always so refreshing and so damned welcomed. As a doctor you would think patients would be forthcoming with details to help figure out what was wrong with them but from experience patients tend to hide details or lie fearing judgement.
You remembered you once had a case where no one could figure out what was wrong with a man fifty-five-year-old man who presented with all the signs and symptoms of a simple vitamin B12 deficiency would be diagnosed by multiple physicians and another hospital with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. At first glance, you saw how everyone thought it was a B12 deficiency. However, the more you dug when everyone wanted to throw in the towel and start him on a more vigorous B12 treatment you found everyone was in fact wrong. The man had something totally different, pseudothrombotic microangiopathy. The B12 deficiency was just the tip of the iceberg for the patient who’d flubbed some information with all the doctors that partially prevented everyone was making an accurate diagnosis quicker.
“Who’d you see?”
“I don’t know and it’s really starting to bug me.”
Just then the Porcha, Willa and Vita returned hands filled with more drinks than were necessary for the five of you. Once they were in the center of the table, Porcha slid random glasses to each of you. A glass with pale yellow liquid and garnished with a pineapple floating at the top of the glass crashed into your palm.
“What’re we drinking to ladies?”
Vita sounded a lot tipsier than she had three hours ago. You smirked. You could see yourself enjoying yourself around these women. You’d stayed away from making any friend groups when you first got to San Fran because interpersonal relationships on a personal level were not your strong suit and because you didn’t want anyone figuring out your secret identity. When people found out you were the daughter of thee hot-shot doctor Sarina Torranaddo and Hughston Prince who owned famed and prized Prince Pharma they tended to either look at you with awe and dollar signs in their eyes or disdain and disgust and jealousy instead.
Sachi and Willa wore you down and you were glad to call them friends. They really took you out of yourself helping you smell the roses and all that shit.
“Music, alcohol and a pretty face to sit on!”
Your jaw dropped at Vita’s follow up comment. Holy shit you thought. Sachi, Willa and Porcha seemed to like the suggestion and audibly showed it while snapping in the air. Each of you knocked back your drinks, wasting no time. As the taste of vodka and pineapple washed over your tongue, in the corners of your mind you remembered a conversation about pineapple then it hit you. When you swallowed the last mouthful of the fruity but strong cocktail you slammed the glass down.
“Pineapple is good for bodily fluids!”
Each of the ladies looked at you with bewilderment.
“That is true, and I am happy with where your head is going Y/N,” Willa voiced.
They each laughed making you roll your eyes. “No. Pineapples. The face, I remember.”
You spun around looking for the face, but the sea of people was too much. Just when you were going to give up and turn back to your group, his face appeared and, in your mind, you swore you heard some sort of holy awakening hymn. He looked good! After a few seconds, your eyes locked and recognition for both you flared. You waved him over with a smile and were pleased to see him excuse himself from his group and saunter over. You noted how different he looked outside of paramedic gear. A man in a uniform looked good but a man who could look good in and out of it was rare.
“Ooh, looks like you found your pretty faced seat,” Sachi sing songed just before he slid up to your table with an even wider smile.
“Now I know you’re not a doctor,” he opened.
You scoffed and sat back in your seat.
“How so?”
You watched him look you over as he licked his bottom lip.
“I’m respectfully looking, and no doctor has ever looked like you.”
The ladies you were with all laughed.
“Ha! What would you do if I said we are all doctors?”
He turned to them then walked around the table sizing them all up and as he did each of them give him a seated pose with a raised brow that possesed more attitude than an eyeroll. When he came back to stand next to you again, you pinched your lips.
“I’m gonna need some ID ladies because gotdamn doctors didn’t look like you when I was a kid.”
You all laughed not bothering to get offended, it was all in lite heartedness and good fun.
“It’s good to see you again.”
You smiled and took up the pineapple in the glass and took a bite. “You too.”
“Pineapple huh.”
“Have you had your serving tonight?”
His face went serious for a few seconds, and you wondered what he was thinking, but before you asked his smile returned—a mischievous one.
“I think I’ve had enough pineapple over the last day or two to equal more than a grown man’s recommended serving size.”
Willa snorted. “Like pineapple or being proactive?”
Her little wink said she saw him crystal clear. He snorted and gave her a shrug in lieu of an answer. That only made her tap the side of her nose.
“Ladies night?”
They all hollered bringing the attention of most of the club patrons nearby.
“All right, all right, love to see a group of beautiful, successful and classy women enjoying life.”
They all smiled at the compliments, no doubt eating them up. You could tell he was a sweet talker and probably easily got his way with women and maybe even had several in line up. You remembered then that you hadn’t introduced him.
“Wow, manners much. Guys this is River, he’s a paramedic at the hospital. River this is Sachi, Willa, Porcha and Vita.”
He shook each of their hands while slightly bowing his head.
“River, what an interesting name,” Vita began.
“You should meet my siblings, Ocean, and Lake.”
You all looked at him unsure if he were being serious. Sensing this, River looked between the five of you and smirked.
“Hand to God serious. I wanna say this was the time everyone was going crazy over nature names, but my mom is different.”
You couldn’t hold it in any longer and a snorted laugh popped out.
“You gotta laugh. Plus I think River grows on you.”
His eyes were on you as he said it, but you couldn’t tell if he were flirting or not. you glanced across to Sachi who smirked and gave you a smug look. She thought he was flirting.
“Can I buy you ladies another drink?”
They all nodded then he looked to me for the final say.
“Whaddya say?”
“As long as it’s not pineapple. Maybe cherry this time, those are also good for fluids.”
You heard the high-pitched gasp and knew it was Willa. River locked eyes with you, smirked then nodded.
“Something cherry it is, doc.”
As he walked away you took a gander after him. He looked good coming but going was also quite a sight.
“Didn’t you say you suck at flirting?”
You snorted and shook your head. “Was that good?”
“Cherries are also good for fluids? Oh my god, girl!”
Porcha gave you a look that said she was impressed by your gall. You couldn’t help but sit up a little straighter. Maybe since being in San Fran your interpersonal skills were getting better.
“There is hope for you still,” Willa added. “He might be the one tonight.”
You rolled your eyes because you had no intention of taking anyone home tonight. Yes, River was hot, looked good in a uniform and most definitely likely looked better naked, had honey lacing his lips by how sweet he talked, and was blessed with a great smile and a nice ass, in the back of your head you couldn’t get one face out of your mind and one proposal strung to him.
You thought back to your encounter in his on-call room.
“I could do whatever I want right now, touch you wherever I want. I could put my mouth all the places I’ve dreamed of. I could be a real scoundrel right now. Is that what you wanted coming in here? Did you want to give into your curiosity?”
You were curious all right. It would be a bold-faced lie to say you weren’t curious about his touch, or how his mouth felt in all the places he’d dreamed of, or how much of scoundrel he had the capacity to be. You were curious and more than half of you wanted to say yes already but something was still holding you back. You could say it was fear of what others would say if they found out, or how you could sleep with someone knowing they were already married and committed to someone else. Could you be that maverick girl? Could you be deep down step so far outside of the person you thought you were—the person you’d always been? Were you brave enough to explore your curiosity?
When River returned his hands were filled with glasses with many colors of liquid filling them.
“All right ladies, I brought one to match each of your outfits, I know how accessorizing is on trend.”
They giggled as they took their glasses that matched their outfits while he slid the glass that was red to you.
“And you—something cherry.”
You smiled and inspected the glass.
“I swear I didn’t do anything to it.”
You smiled knowing he was telling the truth. While he was at the bar though you were in your own thoughts, your eyes were watching, and he had kept the bartender and drinks in view the entire time. You took up the glass and held it in the air.
“Looks strong.”
“Vodka, tequila and a little dark rum.”
“What’s it called?”
River smirked then came to your ear and whispered, “Pop my cherry.”
You immediately snorted and threw your head back to laugh. River joined in.
“I’m so glad you laughed because depending on how you took that I could have ended up with a bloody nose.”
You smiled then leaned to him. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell any of the girls in rotation that your cherry still hasn’t been popped.”
River smiled again lowering his head just a touch. The smell of his cologne still lingered around you. When you took your first sip of the drink, those three different liquors nearly knocked you on your ass, but the crisp tartness of the lime kept you firmly planted on your stool.
“Wow!”
“Good?”
“So good but strong.”
“Good combo.”
You bit your bottom lip just before you took another sip. As your eyes traveled around the club you partook in a bit of people watching. It was a decent crowd tonight and everyone was having a great time and you had to admit you were also having a good time. Before you knew it, you’d finished your drink which was probably way too quick given how much alcohol was in it. Once you put the glass down, your legs begged you to get back on the dance floor.
“Let’s dance.”
River looked surprised by your suggestion, but he didn’t turn you down. Offering his hand, River waited for you to take it and once you did, he yanked you off the stool to him so quickly you crashed to his chest.
“I hope you can keep up.”
The music changed to a spicy, upbeat Latin mix and River immediately pulled you along as he scurried to the dance floor.
“Do you salsa?”
“Si!”
River smiled widely then took his place holding his hand out to you. Wasting no time, you took it and allowed him to lead you into a saucy and flirtatious salsa. You were stunned to find that he was very good at the salsa. Damn, you thought, he can dance too. Unfair. River spun you so your back faced his chest then spun you back around before he pushed you out to pull you in. It was then your hysterical laugh took over.
“Oh my god, you’re a dancing king.”
“Maybe I should have warned you.”
“Ya’ think!”
His laugh was deep and genuine. “Regretting your decision to dance with me?”
His deep brown eyes looked different now than they had before. It was like a flame was alit behind them, giving them a sparked look. It was hypnotizing.
“Not at all. I can dance too.”
“Show me!”
He pushed you out and the two of you really began to show off. After a few moves the crowd backed up bringing all their eyes to the two of you setting the dancefloor on fire. You both noticed but you didn’t care. His eyes remained on you feeding your ego and self-confidence with every move you laid out for him. When he spun you out and went for a solo, you stood there and watched. The way he moved screamed in control and confident.
It was clear that he knew he was attractive, clear that he knew he had the moves but there was something else about him you couldn’t place and that bothered you. The crowd cheered when he whipped out a back flip and stuck it. You couldn’t believe your eyes. River stood there and motioned for you to give it your best shot. He was cocky and it was attractive. This was another revelation for you as to what attracted you. This was the second man who’d showed a spark of cockiness and for both men you were intrigued by.
You took center stage and tapped into your inner Selena for moves, your inner Celia Cruz for personality and your inner Mata Hara for sexiness. Now was not the time to clam up. As you winded your hips and hit a sultry belly dance the onlookers clapped and shouted and that was all you needed for your head to blow up. You added in some tricky foot work speeding up when the DJ’s track went into bachata territory then rounded out with a shimmy that sent your friends in a tizzy. Across from you, River looked impressed and more than attracted.
“Okay, you got moves. Let’s fire it up!”
You scurried over to him expecting to continue with moves similar to the ones you’d done before but to your shock, River wrapped his arms around your waist, lifted you and swung you around making the entire room spin. Your scream turned into a laugh, a laugh that River joined in on. As he put you down, his hand gripped your hips steadying you and making you realize just how large his hands were. Jeez, you thought. The man had it all.
He spun you out and in once, twice, and a third time then pulled you to him. Feeling it, you lifted your leg and wrapped it around his leg. River’s eyes widened and his hand dropped to that leg and held you at your thigh. The entire club screamed, shouted, cheered, and clapped then approached patting you both on your backs complimenting you both on your moves. River set you up and clapped pointing at you. From a split in the crowd, you caught a glimpse of steely, scrutinizing electric blue eyes that you’d be able to identify anywhere. Immediately your stomach fell, and you almost had to check it had fallen out of your body—almost.
A few bodies blocked your view and you actually bobbed from side to side trying to see. A hand on your waist brought your attention to the tall, hard body that you’d been all over for the last twoish minutes. His eyebrows were hooded and eyes full of concern.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah—yeah, I’m good.”
Even though you were saying the words you were still trying to peep around him to see if you’d actually seen him.
“Girl, you killed it. Wow, talk about moves.”
You gave our friends a small smile while trying to stop yourself from looking anymore.
“Me? River must secretly be Maluma or Alejandro Sanz or something.”
They laughed and began walking back to your table. River stopped just before you got to the table and looked down at his phone before his demeanor completely changed.
“Something wrong?”
“Yeah. Damn! I—I have to go.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I—I’m actually the designated driver tonight for my friends and looks like we’re on the move.”
It was now you just realized he hadn’t brought over a drink for himself when he bought you and your friends drinks. He hadn’t smelled like alcohol at all.
“Okay,” you began.
“Like, I really wish I didn’t have to go now. That was a lot of fun—you’re fun.”
You smiled, trying to stave off your embarrassment from his admission.
“You’re a lot of fun too, River, but I understand. You gotta go.”
The look that rushed across his face was one you couldn’t place, it almost looked like disappointment. Was he disappointed you were being so blasé?
“Okay. So uh–,” he began as you spoke.
“Thanks for the drinks. I’ll see you around.”
Again, that look appeared before he nodded and looked to your friends. He gave them a wave and a smile then walked off.
“Girl that was cold,” Vita said.
“Cold? What?”
“Please tell me you saw how into you he was,” Porcha added.
“We were having fun,” you defended feebly.
“Yeah and he was probably expecting you to exchange numbers,” Willa said.
You looked after him in the direction he walked off and began to second guess yourself.
“Really?”
Your friends nodded then looked away as if they couldn’t believe how you’d managed to fuck that up. Just as you were about to admonish yourself those same steely eyes appeared locking onto yours. He was here, in this club, tonight of all nights. From the way he was looking at you, it was possible he’d seen your dance. There was something cold in them, but though they were cold there was something else about the way he looked at you, something that made your gut heat and flame.
This man made your body tingle without touching you. He lifted his glass and drank down the dark liquor never taking his eyes off of you. When you saw him snake his tongue out to lick his lips, you mirrored the action. He bit his lip, you did too. When you saw the cocky smirk, you knew he was toying with you.
You watched his eyes leave yours and travel down your body and the tight clench told you everything you needed to know. He liked what he saw. Everything in you wanted to toy with him, so you did. Crossing your legs, you accentuated the curve of your thighs and the point of your toes giving him a glimpse of the killer body that Sachi always complimented you on.
Across the room, Chris took a deep breath in. From how slowly his chest rose you knew it was a slow, deliberate one—one of purpose. He slouched in the booth seat and the darkness underneath the table barely afforded you any sight but thanks to a slight adjustment of his body a sliver of light showed you that there was a bulge in those dark slacks he wore.
He was turned on. The thought of it made you squirm and the knowledge that you were wet from this was a shock. Who the hell were you right now? Chris shook his head then stood from the booth and you were able to now see that he was hard. The look on his face said he didn’t care that you knew it, it said he wanted you to know. He finished his drink then walked off getting lost in the crowd.
Blowing out a breath you slouched a little. You were done for the night and ready to go home to relive this newly found itch that was beginning to consume you. It was such a consuming itch that you were about to the point where you were ready to scream yes for more reasons than a much-needed release.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Overview: You and Chris read your favourite books to each other
A/N…..It’s been 84 years. No seriously it has been a LONG time since I’ve put something on here, but I’ve been taking a break writing imagines and I am beginning to love writing bigger projects. I’ve had lots of inspiration during lockdown however so those should start to come on here at some point. Thank you for continuing to show love to the rest of my imagines and I hope you like this one. If there’s any requests for both scenarios and people keep sending them to me and I’ll make sure to keep wokring through them :)
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Word Count: 2400
“Can we eat this in bed?” You jiggle the bowl of steaming pasta as you deliberately shuffle towards the bedroom. Chris looked up through his eyelashes and raised an eyebrow.
“You want our bed to smell like meatballs?”
“But it will just make all of this perfect.” You pointed to the large windows which were dark and splattered with rain just as a flash of lightning lit up the skyline. Dodger whimpered nervously from his bed and gnawed further into the neck of his lion toy. “Dodger can hang out with us, and we can watch TV in bed and be nice and warm. You’d like that, wouldn’t you Dodger?” You cooed and bent down to rub behind the dog’s ears, holding your food high so he couldn’t eat any of it. Dodger stretched and padded to Chris’ feet. Chris looked at you both and smiled with fake reluctance. “Okay, fine. Come on Bubba,” he picked up his bowl and slowly walked towards the door, making sure not to trip over Dodger’s bounding in delight.
“Let’s just both promise we’re not going to spill anything,” Chris said jokingly, widening his eyes in a telling expression.
You rolled your eyes. “It was one hot chocolate.”
“And now there’s a stain that looks like someone pooed on one of the sheets.” Chris took your bowl and motioned his head for you the get into bed first. You turned on the fairy lights and lamps and dived underneath the puffy white duvet, wrapping it around your legs and hips while shifting it, so it was easy for him to get in too. Dodger sat at the end, his tail thwacking the air out of the duvet, eyes wide and staring at the food with longing. “No Bubba,” Chris warned as he gave you back your meal, “this isn’t for you. I’ve saved you some already.”
“You made extra meatballs for the dog?” You shook your head in disbelief. Chris shrugged as if to to say of course I would and then gently pushed Dodgers sniffling nose away. You ate in silence watching the TV, the storm growing louder outside. As stomach full, you sank into the pillows, feeling so comfortable you never wanted to leave. Chris left only once to take the bowls away and bring in cups of coffee, but apart from that, he seemed to sink beside you.
“Is it alright If we turn off the TV?” You asked a little while later, “I’m in the mood to read.”
“Yea, ‘course.” The TV went off, and you leaned over to your bedside table, shuffling further into the pillows as you got yourself comfortable to read. You had only read a few lines when Chris asked what you were reading.
“A room with a view,” you showed him the cover.
“Didn’t you read that at Christmas?”
“Yea, but I was in the mood to reread it. Is that okay?” You jokingly confronted him, leaning closer to him feign intimidation. Chris copied you and gently pushed you on the forehead, so your head moved back. “I never understood the fun about classics.”
“Because they’re amazing stories.”
“You can’t even understand them.”
“Only smart people can.”
“Oh, so are you saying I’m not smart?”
“I don’t see your degree,” you pointed at your framed degree hung proudly by the bookshelf.
“You mean the degree that’s next to my THREE shelves of awards?” Chris smiled cheekily as he pointed at the collection of statues glimmering in the soft light. “I don’t see your shelves there?” He laughed when you smacked him playfully with the book, leaning down to kiss you on the shoulder a couple of times. “We know you’re smarter than me.”
“Thank you.” You moved closer to him, so he stayed propped up near you, breathing steadily as you went back to the story. He kept his head by your shoulder, sighing deliberately, so a gush of breath tickled the loose hairs around your neck. After a few minutes, you instinctively crumpled your ear into your shoulder, whinging at him to stop.
“Sorry, sorry,” but his tone was edged with mirth. You tried to immerse yourself again, although this time Chris was starting to read lines out, intentionally dotting around the page, so your head began to swim.
“…Was she was wrong in this, she asked herself, reviewing her conduct for the past week or two…”
“Chris.”
“…she reflected, feeling rather sinister again, making Minta marry Paul…”
“Please stop.”
“….There was always a woman dying of cancer.” He frowned and shook his head. “This sounds so depressing.” You clapped a hand over his mouth, gritting your teeth as you smiled but muttering threats into his ear as he widened his eyes in phantom shock. “I swear you better shut up I’m trying to read.”
“I love it when you talk dirty,” Chris mumbled behind your hand.
“Are you going to stop?” You frowned. Chris nodded. Slowly, you pulled your hand away. Chris opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, but with a quick “NO,” he closed it again. He halted for a moment, then spoke again.
“What is it about this book that makes you love it so much?”
“The writing is beautiful,” you sighed with content, “you don’t have to fully understand what E.M Forster’s saying because you FEEL what he’s saying through his words. He can perfectly describe a feeling which I’ve never been able to put into words. Like here,” you rapidly thumbed through the pages, stopping and jabbing at a line underlined in smudged pencil. “For that reason, knowing what was before them – love and ambition and being wretched alone on dreary places – she often had the feeling, why must they grow up and lose it all?” You shook the book in delight, expecting Chris to be just as excited. When he didn’t, your jaw slacked. “Isn’t that wonderful?”
‘If you think it’s wonderful, then it must be,’ Chris shrugged. He pointed at the multitude of lines underlined in silver, gently moving underneath your hands to peer at the next few pages. “Why do you underline so much?”
You bit the side of your cheek in an attempt to not sound embarrassed. “It depends. Sometimes it’s lines that are written really well or things that made me laugh; mostly it’s moments which make me love the book in particular. Like first kisses or when two people are reunited. Like here.’ Flipping the page, you read “‘this is not what we want; there is nothing more tedious, puerile, and inhumane than love; yet it is also beautiful and necessary.’ Forster could’ve just said love is excellent, but this means so much more.”
“Uh, huh.” Chris was pretending to doze off on you, but when you retaliated by starting to shuffle away, he held you back. “Stop moving! you know I like how you pick up on those things.” He held his hand out as an invitation for the book, and when you handed it over, he flipped through the pages, reading the lines you’d memorised for so many years. “Is this how you feel? The way he writes?”
“Maybe not exactly. But I knew exactly what Forster meant by that last line because it made me think of you.” You enjoyed the way Chris’ face softened, the usually prominent bone structure hiding as his cheeks filled with a smile.
“Maybe I should read it sometime if it means this much to you,” he mused, nodding slowly. “Even if it is all about ladies dying with cancer.”
“Please do.” You half rolled over, your eyes drying out as you tried to look pleadingly at him. “I would die if you did that for me. I’ll read your favourite book if that persuades you.” You frowned. “I don’t even know what your favourite book is.”
“Easy,” Chris said “Ferdinand the Bull.”
“That’s a children’s book.”
“So?”
“Well, it’s not exactly emotionally challenging.”
“Hey, I cried at Ferdinand when I was a kid. Mom used to read it to us all the time. Didn’t you have Ferdinand in England?”
“Probably, but my parents didn’t read loads to me.”
“Aw man, you gotta read Ferdinand.” Chris swung out of bed, and half walked half skidded out of the room, Dodger tearing after him in excitement. You heard doors opening, lights being flicked on and bound books being dragged against wooden shelves, and then Chris came back down the corridor, turning to pick up the leg of Dodger’s stuffed lion and pulling both toy and dog back through the door. Dodger easily winning the tug of war sat underneath your vanity, chewing on his prize and Chris climbed back into bed, holding a battered picture book in triumph. It was obviously ancient. The red front cover had faded at the spine and at the edges due to sun exposure and a faint green stain which looked like paint coated the bottom. Chris still held it like it was a photo album and as he opened to the first page, he emitted a small gasp in wonder.
“Oh my God, I haven’t read this in so long! Look, there’s my name.” He pointed at a scribble in the corner of the page, barely eligible. You smiled and nodded, not having the heart to tell him that he could’ve written a swear word and you wouldn’t have been able to tell. “It’s exactly how I remembered it,” Chris spoke fondly, and he adjusted the lamp by his head, so it shone brighter on the pages. “I’ve got to read this to Stella next time I see her,” at the mention of his niece he softened even more, and his expression went slightly gooey.
“You can read it to me if you want,” you offered.
“You sure you don’t wanna keep reading your book?”
“Nah, I want to see what all the hype is about.” You gently closed A Room With A View and tapped on Chris’s arm, to which he lifted it up so you could lie between the pillow and his side. He shifted himself up so he could read and pushed your head to rest on his collarbone. “Can you see the pictures?” He spoke in a mocking baby voice but didn’t start until you’d stop shuffling and were comfy. Then he began to read, soft and slow at first but a couple of pages in he seemed to forget you were there. His voice started to rise and fall and get more expressive as he told the story of the bull who loved to smell flowers, and he laughed at the spindly drawings. You felt your eyes becoming droopy, and you shook your head to stay awake as he started to stroke your arm with the back of his hand, propping the book upon his knee so he could keep turning the pages.
“…And for all, I know he is sitting there still, under his favourite cork tree, smelling the flowers just quietly.” Chris nodded once in satisfaction, and the story was over. Putting the book on the floor, Chris shifted you slightly to rest back into him, smiling. “Did you like it?”
“I loved it,” you nodded, my head bobbling slightly as it bumped over his collarbone, “I especially loved your animated voice halfway through.”
“Stella insists on giving each person a different voice, even if none of them actually speak. Apparently, it helps her ‘become friends with them.’”
“That’s going to be fun when you start reading her Harry Potter.”
“Eh, it’s good to practise.”
“For what?”
“When I get to read it to my own kids.” He laughed at your widened eyes and lips which had now pouted out in surprised, “are you getting a little emotional thinking about me with children?”
“No,” you lied.
“Sorry, not my kids, OUR kids,” Chris’ eyes twinkled mischievously. You had to turn away then as a wave of motherly instinct you didn’t know was there filled your stomach, and your breath caught momentarily. “With their little curly hair and Boston accents.”
“I’m going to have to sleep after this.”
“And we can read to them loads and eat spaghetti with them…”
“you’re really mean, you know that,” you scowled, but you couldn’t help but see these children, running around in your mind in that teetering away all toddlers do on their chubby legs.
“You know what will be great too?”
“I swear if what you’re about to say is going to taunt me in my dreams-“
“Disney-world trips.”
“For God’s sake, Chris!”
“They’ll be so cute though!”
“Yeah well, now I’m going to dream about that.” You rolled over as if to try and sleep, but Chris rolled with you so now you were spooning, his knuckles continuing to stroke your skin in half soothing, half taunting way. “Our kids will be adorable,” you mumbled as you smiled into your pillow, “and they’ll love Ferdinand.”
“And I hope they see the world like you do,” Chris peppered a couple of kisses behind your ear and down your neck and then turned off the last light, so the room plunged into darkness. Dodger was finally settled and asleep, and there was a moment of creaking as Chris settled back into the spot he was lying in. For a moment, there were only the sounds of breathing, but you were now wide awake. You felt your mind whirring away, and you didn’t know if you wanted to punch the man next to you or kiss him.
“Okay so technically,” you spoke into the dark “we don’t want to have kids for a while.”
“Right.” Chris agreed.
“But there’s nothing wrong with practising.” You felt the arm around you tense suddenly, and his shadow popped up like an excited dog.
“No!” He cleared his throat. “No, there isn’t at all.”
“You said the Disney comment on purpose didn’t you?” You held a finger out as he leaned forward. Chris shrugged unapologetically and grabbed your arm to pull you on top of him, his chest already rising and falling quickly with anticipation.
“I might have done.”
“Ooo, maybe I should go sleep in the spare room then,” you teased and started to wriggle off him, but with a low laugh, Chris’ hand moved from your arm to the back of your legs.
“You’re not going anywhere,” his voice was gravelly as you became lost in each other.
Overview: You and Chris are going to see your daughter perform in her first talent show. Chris helped with her performance and its a little different from what you would’ve expected…
AN: Another Chris one for you guys! Now that Knives Out is coming out, I’ve had people desperate for more Chris, and this idea melted my heart. This is inspired by a scene from one of my favourite TV shows if you know it message me ;) Thank you for the support as always!
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Word count:2300
“nononono” you panicked as you felt you ankle wobble dangerously. Running on cobblestones In heels was dangerous, and a broken ankle was the last thing you needed right now. You slowed down to an uncomfortable fast walk-jog, willing for your ankles to not snap like sticks. It had started to snow, the first time this winter, and you buried your chin into your scarf so to keep your teeth from chattering. The clock in the local church chimed 7:30 causing your head to whip up in alarm and your heel to skid across a particularly icy cobble. You felt your whole body move back and that gut-wrenching shot of panic flashed through your brain as you saved yourself at the last minute from falling. You felt your phone buzz in your pocket, the third time in the past half an hour. You fished it out and shoved it between your ear and shoulder, rounding the corner to beams of saturated yellow light “I’m here, I’m literally outside…… I’m fine love…..yes there was an issue at work that I had to stay for, but I’m here now……okay……I’ll see you in a second."
Oak-field catholic school came looming out the darkness, brightly lit up with banners already hanging limply from the steady fall of snow. You skidded up the steps, taking two at a time, to almost trip and fall on the last one. You bag swung around on your shoulder and almost took out a grandfather walking behind you.
"I am SO sorry, Sir!” You gasped “Honestly If I’ve hurt you-”
“Swinging for the elderly?” A voice joked “I thought we said you wouldn’t do that anymore.” Chris was standing by the open door, smiling. He walked over, apologised once more to the old man and his wife, before turning back to you, shaking his head. He was wrapped up in a dark jacket over his favourite blue shirt, and his shoes had been cleaned, so they gleamed; he had obviously dressed up the occasion. His hair was still a little messy from a day of running his hands through it, and the sight alone caused you to sigh with joy.
“I’m an addict I couldn’t help it,” You joked. “Hi.”
“Hello.” He grinned. He pulled you in for a quick hug, planting a soft kiss by your ear. “How was your day?”
“I don’t want to talk about it."
"Duly noted. Come on,” Chris kept his arm hooked around your waist as you both walked into the school “the show hasn’t started yet."
"I thought I was going to miss her."
"And that would’ve made you a terrible parent."
"It would’ve.” It was good to relax and joke around after the day you’d just had, you could already feel the knot in your shoulders start to loosen. You said hi to Lina’s mum as you passed and nodded to Sister Margret, who jerked curtly back. The pair of you was just quickly catching up about to head into the hall when a small voice could be heard just behind to you.
“Dad?"
Connie had poked her head out the backstage door. She looked like she was going to be sick; pale skin, sweaty forehead, her nails bitten down to the surface. Her eyes were wide and desperate, and this caused Chris to run over and lean down on one knee. You watched from a distance; Connie didn’t like being nervous in front of you because she knew it caused you to become overprotective. You saw Connie shake her head and the words "I can’t do it,” be said before Chris lightly put a hand over her mouth. He shook his head and spoke soft words, moving the hand to then to bring her head forward so he could kiss the top of her head. Chris said something that caused your daughter to laugh weakly before she said something that caused a belt of laughter from him. He then pulled her in briefly, their cheeks squishing together as he hugged her tight before chivying her lightly towards the door. One last high five and then she slipped backstage again, leaving her Dad to run back over to you smiling.
“Everything okay?”
“yea she’s fine. Last-minute nerves. We’ve been rehearsing all day though so she knows what she’s doing.”
“I’m just looking forward to FINALLY seeing this secret performance,” you said as you entered the auditorium where rows of creaky chairs were set up facing the stage. The sound of a generic TV show single was on a loop through the speakers on either side of the stage, buzzing slightly with the increase of base every few seconds. The air of you headed to two seats in the third row on the inside end, meaning you had the perfect view without having to crane your necks. There was a pause while you both flicked through the programme and said hi to parents of friends and to say hi to that one hysterical fan (there was always one) before you couldn’t resist any more.
“Are you going to give me ANY hints about what she’s doing."
"Nope.”
‘Nothing at all?“
"It’s a surprise."
"Should I film it?"
"Oh absolutely,” there was a glint in your husband’s eye that for some reason caused you to become suspicious “we’re never going to want to forget this."
You wanted to ask more, but then the lights went down and a thunder of applause. One of the sisters was standing just by the stage with a microphone in one hand and a notebook in the other, from which she read out "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Oak-field’s Talent Extravaganza. Now, please put your hands together for Alice and her jumping juggling friends."
*******
"She’s next, she’s next!” You squired in your seat with impatience, excitement starting to bubble in your chest. Chris handed you his phone, and you set up the camera, propping it up on your bag so the performance could be filmed. “I’m nervous, why am I nervous she’s doing the show not me. Oh gosh, I’m panicking-”
“Hon she’s going to be fine!” But he still reached out and grabbed your hand, squeezing it in reassurance. His jiggling knee also gave it away that he too was feeling a little nervous, and that oddly calmed you a little.
The lights went down once more, and there was a smattering of polite applause. Lina walked out first, her smile full and confident, strutting over to her spot with rehearsed purpose before standing with her hand on her hip, poised. Connie, with her smaller physique and her curly hair already coming loose from her ponytail, gave the image of someone who was more reserved and shy. You watched her eyes rake the crowd before she caught your eye. You gave her a small wave; Chris lifted his arm so his thumbs up could be seen over the group. This reassurance caused Connie to nod in determination, before gripping her hand onto her hip, smiling widely. A click of the stereo and the slightly tinny sound of an old Judy Garland song started to play. This granted a nod of approval from Sister Margret. A very devout woman of the church who before the show had sent a list of songs and artists that were “recognised as inappropriate and would therefore not be tolerated.” She was also a massive Judy Garland fan and had, therefore, lacked hesitation when putting the girls into the show. The CD stuttered, then the tinny backing track to “somewhere over the rainbow” rang out through the old speakers. The girls started their routine, slowly swaying back and forth, little voices sweet and nervous but to you the loveliest sound. You beamed widely, tears already clogging your eyes and pride burst through your chest. Everyone else saw the charm in it too; the grandparents in front of you cooed at each other about how cute she was. You wanted she lean over and say “she’s my daughter,” but that would distract you from the show.
A couple lines in, however, the music scratched, stuttered, and then stopped. The hall was silent. Both girls stood in stage, looking at each other and then back out into the audience. Your heart lept into your mouth. You tried to catch Connie’s eye, but this was causing you to panic more. “We have to do something,” you hissed to Chris.
“Just wait."
BAM! Bass blasted out of the speakers, shuddering the ground. Both girls grinned widely before throwing off the big jumpers they both wore, to reveal t-shirts decorated with flashing stars to match the socks they both pulled up to their knees. Horrified, you heard the lyrics to an all too familiar song.
'I was like
Good gracious- ass is bodacious
Flirting to show my patience
I’m waiting for the right time to shoot my steez….’
And without hesitation, both girls started dancing perfectly in time, jumping, sliding and turning, never missing a note as they lip-synced along. There was a roar of noise from the audience, a mixed response of anger and howling laughter. You turned to Chris, who was roaring with laughter, rolling back and forth on his chair, clapping loudly.
"You taught our daughter the lyrics to Hot in Here by NELLY?”
“But,” Chris had to collect himself for a second he was laughing so hard “but doesn’t she look great!”
“CHRISTOPHER!"
"It’s a great song! Look, they’re just coming up to the chorus.” You turned back in time to see you, daughter, mouth the lyrics I am getting so hot right now, imma take my clothes off before throwing herself into a cartwheel. You were so shocked you burst out laughing, and then you couldn’t stop. It was brilliant, they’d obviously spent hours on it. The audience was loving it too, most of their classmates cheering them in next to their slightly shell shocked but amused parents. The Sisters, on the other hand, looked horrified, Sister Margret was shaking in her seat, her face so stern it looked as if her forehead was about to crack in two. She started to feverishly whisper to the sister next to her. She jumped out of her seat and scurried behind the speakers, desperately trying to unplug them. Connie and Lina kept going, never missing any lyrics or steps. The speakers were eventually cut off, and the hall erupted into thundering applause. Chris stood up, whopping and pointing proudly at his daughter. “That’s my girl! That’s my daughter!” You laughed at his yells of pride and stood up with him, clapping widely. The lights went up, and Connie’s eyes went straight to the pair of you. She was blushing, but when she saw you, she beamed and waved. A sister grabbed both of them by the shoulder and frog-marched them off stage to a waiting Sister Margaret. She beckoned Chris over too, and for the first time, Chris’s jubilation faltered.
“I think I’m about to get told off."
********
"Again,” Chris said for the fourth time “I am so sorry for getting you into trouble honey.” Connie poked her head up from her giant bowl of ice cream.
“It’s only a week of no break times Dad. Besides, it gives us time to learn our next dance.”
“Next dance?” You frowned.
“Lina’s older sister wants us to do another dance for her birthday, to a song called s&m?” Connie shrugged “should be fun."
Chris’s eyes widened, but you shook your head. Maybe not tonight. Instead, he went up and refilled all your ice cream pots, putting on so many reeses pieces the ice cream was lost. It was Connie’s favourite though, and she squealed in delight before tucking in once more.
"But I’m proud of you.” Chris threw his arm over his daughter and brought her into his side, her head barely reaching his shoulder. He kissed her head and smiled proudly towards you “didn’t she do amazing?"
"You did amazing,” you smiled.
Connie blushed once more. “Lina was better at the dancing than me."
"Are you kidding? You got moves, kid! Just like your mother,” Chris winked, this time causing your cheeks to tinge pink. Praise and jokes were exchanged until it was time for them to go, the streets cold and icy with snow. Although she was nearly 9, Chris hooked Connie by her armpits and swung her onto his shoulders, one hand holding onto her wriggling foot, so she didn’t fall off. The other handheld yours, making sure he kept close to you as you gingerly walked in your heels to the car. The snow was still falling in from the sky, and it stuck to your coat and to Chris’s beard and made Connie look like a little old woman, her hair was so white. She squealed in delight not caring, sticking her little pink tongue out, trying to catch any snowflakes. It was the perfect image, and you feel your heart warm, seeing your small family together.
'I haven’t done something yet today,“ Chris suddenly said.
"What?"
Chris stopped you for a second to lean in and give you a quick kiss, his lips warm and slightly cracked. He broke then there was another, and then he brought your intertwined hands up to his lips to kiss your hand, where your matching wedding bands knocked against each other. There were flecks of white clinging to his eyelashes, and his eyes glittered from the string of lights everywhere. "I love you both so much.”
“I love you too."
"Love you three times !” Connie smiled. You both chuckled and continued to walk towards the car “Love you four times” Chris retorted.
“Love you five times."
"Six times.”
“Ten times.”
“A hundred times."
"One Gazillion and three!” Connie yelled, her smile triumphant.
“Wow. One Gazillion and three,” Chris smiled to you “we’re pretty damn lucky."
Overview: Going to a premiere together, you and Chris document the night with a disposable camera, keeping moments just for you.
A/N: HELLO! I have been MIA for the past 2 months, I am aware of this and I’ve hated it. However its been a really big time for me, I’ve officially started University studying Creative writing and Publishing! I am loving it so far but its been so busy, with surprisingly little time to do my own writing. I am however powering through and have planned ahead a few more imagines so please stay with me I’m trying i SwEaR!
Thank you all for still supporting my work it means everything to me. Like and Comment! :)
Word count: 2300 (ish)
The room was a bustle of chaos. Makeup artists holding fistfuls of brushes, publicists talking tiny phone or typing away on computers, the smell of dozens of Starbucks coffees fuming the room. You had to pause for a moment, try to be the calm in the storm as everyone around you patted, and prodded and cooed. In the grand scheme of things you weren’t even the priority, but you were the date, the girlfriend, and that was just as important. Photographers and reporters will swarm to you like wasps to coke, and so how you looked meant everything. “How’s the dress, honey?” Sierra the seamstress asked. She was crouched by your feet, sewing the last of the details onto the hem. You turned to look in the mirror behind you. The soft teal material billowed around you so as. You moved the trail looked as if you were stood in water, the tulle then wrapped around your waist to rest just over your heart. The silver pendant and rings you wore shimmered in the light as the diamonds stood out against your skin. When this had started you had insisted that you wouldn’t be the centre of attention, it’s not your night after all, but you allowed yourself this moment to awe at your reflection. Looking like this was a rare treat, one that not many people got to experience. You ran your hand gently over the material, smiling softly. “it’s beautiful,” you whispered.
“You look, beautiful darling,” Gianna the designer’s voice boomed over the noise. With her platinum hair hairspray into a helmet of gravity, red lipstick and pointed green glasses, she looked oddly like Rita Skeeter. It was something that you found thoroughly amusing and had to keep pointedly saying her real name. “You’ve done such an amazing job, Gianna,” you smiled “It looks incredible.” Gianna smiled and reached out to grab your arm lightly “YOU look incredible Y/N. He’s not going to know what to do with himself. Now,” you both turned back around to look at your reflection. Gianna shifted the dress slightly and then put both her hands on your shoulders “remember, if anyone asked, you are wearing Me. Okay? ALRIGHT, WE’RE MOVING!” The room snapped to look at you, and suddenly hands were reaching out, a wave of painted nails and hairy knuckles, helping off the sand and starting to direct you towards the door. At one point you almost tripped over your dress and you heard Gianna yell “Someone hold onto her train for goodness sake!”
“oh wait!” You grabbed the disposable camera next to your purse, checking that there were enough photos. This past week you’d been using this to decorate your new office, and tonight you wanted to remember how you looked, unedited and honest. You then made your way out of the room and into the suite next door. If your room had been chaotic this suite was as if there was a national crisis. It was so busy it was almost impossible to move, and people had to yell to let you through. Most people are smiling or doting on how lovely you looked, but you saw a couple of people roll their eyes or pay no attention to you at all; you were only an accessory to them after all.
But all doubt shifted from your brain when the last people parted and you finally saw a glimpse of him. His back was to you, looking in a full-size mirror just like the one next door, but you didn’t need to see his face to already feel your heartbeat wildly.
“Um, Mr Evans?”
“Scott I told you,” Chris’s charming smile widened, a hand on the interns back,” call me Chris.” Scott’s cheeks flushed pink with delight, but was able to hold onto his professional facade as he continued “Your publisher is asking when you wanted the car to come around.”
“Whenever works best for the driver.”
“Of course Mr Ev-Chris” With one pat on the back Scotty scuttled out of the room, hurriedly muttering into his earpiece. Chris turned and stopped when he saw you. His face changed to one of childlike awe, his eyes looking you up and down as if this was the first time he was seeing you. He tried to find words to say, and when he couldn’t all he could do was clap a hand to his chest and take a step back. “Wow.” Everyone laughed. He walked forward and lightly kissed you on the cheek, wrapping you up in his arms. “you look beautiful,” he whispered into your ear. Hugging back you smiled “so do you.”
“Well that’s just a given,” he joked. He squeezed you around the waist, and you could tell he didn’t want to be this restricted, by the way his hands moved slowly up and down your body. He pulled away for another moment to look you up and down, his eyes shining with sheer joy. For a second it was as if it was just the two of you, but that moment was fleeting as Chris’s usher coughed loudly. “the car is ready for you Mr Evans.”
“Thank you,” Chris reluctantly let you go, but only for a moment to turn back to the mirror once more. He went to reach out for your hand but a hoard of people had split the two of you apart. It was okay, you reminded yourself, you knew there would be moments of tonight where Chris would have to be just Chris, it was something you two had talked about before tonight. Instead, you clicked the dial on the disposable camera and snapped a couple of shots, Gianna insisting on getting a couple of you so she could have one for her records. Then you were gently pushed once more out into the corridor but this time were escorted to take the wide marble imperial staircase to the hotel’s foyer. As you were at the top of the stairs Chris was halfway down the stairs, listening to his publicist. “Chris!’ You called. He looked up, his smile once again ad you waved the camera briefly. “Smile!’ The camera flashed and you both chuckled, You winding it up again and taking another one, although this time you’re sure you got the publicist’s scowl. “Come join me!” He called. The publicist tried to say something but Chris ignored him, making everyone wait whilst you awkwardly pushed past people on the stairs until you were by his side. This time he was able to reach out and intertwine your hand with his. “You ready?”
“Of course.” You both smiled, and then the procession continued, down the corridor outside into the cold February air. There was already flashes of cameras waiting outside but the pair of you quickly stepped into the car, which zoomed off down and joined the late traffic of London. You both were able to breathe a little easier, and this time he didn’t have to be restricted as he was before. Grabbing your hand once more he gently pulled you over so you were sat next to him, one of his arms looped around your shoulders, his fingertips gently drumming on your collarbone. He peppered a couple of kisses on your temple, then picked up the disposable camera. “Okay just stay where you are.”
“Why?” You laughed.
“because I want one photo of you now, one that only we will see. And no matter what photos of us are taken, we’ll have one each of us, and they’ll be the ones that we care about.”
“If that wasn’t you saying that I would have cringed so hard at that.”
“Just smile.”
So you did, the flash bright and blinding for that second. He took a couple more, including one of you laughing at a comment he said. Then it was your turn, so you took a couple of him. You already knew they were going to be your favourite photos him, and suddenly this plastic camera was the most important thing you owned.
“We’ve arrived Mr Evans,” the driver informed from the front, and the car crawled to a stop. You could already hear the screams of fans and the yells of photographers, and Chris turned once more to you. “You nervous?”
“No.” And it was true, now you were here you were surprised at how calm you were. “I’ll be here if you want me-“
“Well you are my date so I guess that’s a yes?”
“You’re hilarious. I’ll be there for photos and stuff if you want me, but If not then that’s fine.”
“I want you there. If you’re good I will be too.”
There was one more pause, one more moment of calm. “I wish I could kiss you right now,” he laughed “but If I smudge anything right now you’ll never leave this car.”
“There’s time for that after,” you winked cheekily.
“ah of course. And 5 Guys.”
“It is the tradition.”
Chris kissed your intertwined fingers “I love you.”
Hearing that still made your heart flutter “I love you too.” And together, you stepped out, into the chaos.
The green carpet winded through hoards of people, staining the usual grey of the London pavement. As the film was based in the 60s the lights were all vintage spotlights, brass and stained with age, and gorgeous jazz music crackled through speakers covered by fake vines and greenery. Behind the barriers, the crowd roared as first Chris stepped out and then opened your door for you, holding onto your purse with the camera stowed safety away as you gingerly shimmied out. As a couple, you started to walk by the wall of paparazzi, but yous stopped when you felt the dress tug underneath you. “ I think my shoe is stuck,” you called over the yells of “CHRIS! LOOK THIS WAY!”
“Hang on.” Without hesitation, Chris got down on his knee and carefully shifted your skirt until he found the tell caught around your heel. As he gently started to untangle it he jokingly tickled the soft skin by your ankle, causing you to laugh loudly.
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?” Her mocked innocence, but he did it again, you laughed harder, this time teetering a little on the other heel. Before you could even be scared to fall Chris was back on his feet, grabbing your arm and pulling you close, your arm naturally wrapping around his waist. “Honestly,” his sarcastic eye roll matching his teasing tone “I can’t take you anyway.”
The cameras were loving this, flashes happening so much that your vision was blurred slightly by purple blotches. You could see enough to smack him lightly with your purse before kissing him lightly just bit the ear, where the shimmer lipstick wouldn’t be seen as much. You both then complied and stood for photos, looking at different angles, always close holding hands or arms around each other’s waist. At one point Chris whispered the lyrics to the song playing in your ear, and once again you could feel your cheeks flush pink. He loved that too, so continued to whisper the words of Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka in your ear, meaning every word but enjoying the way you physically melted. He continued to do this to you throughout the night too, putting his hand high up on your thigh during the movie or commenting in interviews how gorgeous you were, dragging you over and telling everyone how amazing Gianna had been with your dress. At one point he accidentally called her Rita and you both burst out laughing, leaving the poor interviewer looking politely confused, before awkwardly avoiding the subject. It was a night of Champagne and compliments, the deposable camera documenting it all. Some photos were taken with fans too, including an amazing one of a fan so overcome with emotion with Chris posing for a photo she burst out sobbing just as the flash went. Many introductions and how did you meet conversations were exchanged, so by the time you both crawled back into the car 5 hours later, your throats were dry and feet sore from walking.
“I’m starving.” He didn’t even have to say and the car was already pulling back into the traffic, a call ensuring asking for food delivery to be delivered to the hotel. As you rested against Chris, you heard him humming some of the songs from the premiere. His voice buzzed gently through his body into yours, causing you to become almost warm. His shoulder was warm from where he’d worn a jacket all night, now off and on the seat beside him, the smell of his cologne lingering only slightly. To you it was one of those moments where everything seemed to be that little bit softer; the flashing light from the passing street lights, turning the back seat momentarily orange. The material of his shirt, the way his chin rubbed against your now dishevelled hair. The way he continued to hum his love songs, knowing that they were all for to you. Everything in that moment was real, a moment that only you would have. Knowing that you smiled into his chest, allowing his arms to wrap around you, your joint humming filling the car with its warmth.
Overview: Your kids are dressing up as Superhero’s for school and Chris is surprised when someone is missing…..
A/N New Chris guys!! Another request, I'm still working through the list don't worry but feel free to keep sending me requests for anything you want. Hope you guys enjoy this one thank you for all the support :)
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Word-count:1,100
“Kids!” You yelled up the stairs “You better be down here in two minutes or I’m eating your breakfasts.”
There was a thud and a yell, but then a small “we’re coming!” Could be heard. The baby squished into his high chair crowed in response. You turned thinking he wanted something, but he was too occupied with squishing toast with his hands.
“Honey, can you make sure that Eli actually eats that? I cant keep feeding him animal biscuits five times a day.” Chris looked up from the book he was reading, eyes slightly dazed, then turned and smiled at his son. With one hand he gently unhooked his sons grubby fingers and wiggled the toast strip in front of his mouth “Come on little man.” Eli scrunched his nose in protest, but a little more coaxing from his Dad caused him to giggle and start eating. Chris’s eyes crinkled with pleasure.
You rewarded Chris with a large cup of coffee and a brief stroke through his messy hair. He leant into the touch like a cat, humming slightly, then jerked his head slightly. “I’m too sleep deprived right now for that.”
“i know how you feel. ” You crouched by your youngest child and peppered kisses all over his cheek, causing Eli to squeal and blow spit bubbles. “It’s worth it though,” you cooed. “KIDS! YOU BETTER BE READY!”
“So today is superhero day?” Chris said “At least this time you don’t have to worry about last minute costumes.” He paused and then smiled widely “Are one of them dressed up as me?”
“um-“
“DADDDD! WE’RE READY!”
Chris dropped the paper on the table and shifted his seat so he and Eli were facing the hallway. “alright, let me see your costumes.”
On that cue there was a thundering of feet and the twins came skidding into the kitchen. They stopped and posed, hands on hips and grinning with glee. “What do you think Dad?” Joni giggled cheekily.
Chris looked, took a second, then his face slacked in horror. “Why is Harry dressed as Iron man?”
Harry pulled the plastic mask off his face to reveal a scrunched up look of humour “Because Iron Man is the best!” He thrust his arm out, pew pewing right at Chris’ chest. Eli gurgled happily. You fought back a smile and went back to slicing up banana “We watched the first Iron Man so he could practise.”
“But-but” He seemed to be buffering “he’s not captain America.”
“Captain America sucks.”
“you take that back young man,” Chris swooped and hoisted his eldest up over his broad shoulder, a high pitched squeal of terrified glee. “Try and fight your way out of this now.”
“Robert could,” you joked.
“i would throw Eli’s soggy toast at you but I’ve been banned doing that In front of the kids,” Chris pointed a finger warningly in your direction. “And stop wriggling you’re tickling me,” he spoke over his shoulder, his voice edged with laughter as he squirmed under his sons touch. Harry continued to poke at his Dad’s waist until Chris had to drop him, harry running over to play with Eli instead.
“Hey Dad,” Joni ran around the table so Chris could have a better look at her costume “What do you think of mine?”
“You look great,” Chris smiled at his daughter’ elaborate doctor strange costume, biro facial hair included “but wouldn’t you want to dress like Daddy? Captain America was the first avenger.”
“Technically Captain marvel was the first avenger,” you pointed out. Chris Shot you look of betrayal. “Joni you’d look so good.”
“Are you saying I don’t look good now?” Joni’s eyes went wide, and her voice grew small. You and Chris caught eyes over her head and you shook your head in a don’t you dare warning. Chris turned back to his daughter and pulled her into his side, rubbing her arm as if she was cold.
“you look amazing sweetheart.”He pulled her up onto his lap and quickly kissed her forehead “I love the beard. I should teach you how to shave.” He pretended to shave Joni’s chin and that caused her to giggle lightly, mirroring him by running her hand all over the light stubble on his Jawline. You mouthed thank you and Chris winked quickly, grinning. The twins started clambering for their food and for a moment the conversation was diverted to cereal choices and contents of sandwiches. Harry kept picking up the orange juice and trying to make it explode, although this ended with Eli’s hair matting with juice.
It seems as if Chris had led it go. “Harry can you pass-“
“-How about if I give you one of the real shields?”
“Chris!”
“Only one of the small ones!” He reassured.
“Our son is 6 there’s no way he’s going to be able to carry your shield around.”
“But he’s dressed as IRON MAN!”
“And he worked all week on his costume so be nice.”
“And what about Joni? Doctor Strange isn’t even that good. OW!” Chris turned to his smirking daughter “Did you just throw a banana at me?”
‘Kids, go get your shoes on, we’re going to be late.”
“I need to do something before we go,” Chris was unclipping Eli from his highchair, pressing him close to his chest and he hurried out of the kitchen.
“Chris?” You called “what are you doing with my son?”
“I’LL BE ONE MINUTE!” He yelled running up the stairs. You bundled kids in coats and bags, did a last minute fix of Joni’s costume, took photos to tease them in the future years, and we’re just about to buckle them up in the car when Chris came running back. His eyes were gleaming as he proudly held his son out like he was presenting him on top of pride rock.
“You didn’t.”
“Yes. I. Did.” Eli squirmed with joy, smacking his hand against the mini captain America helmet that has been rammed onto his head. He was so chunky with the armour Chris was struggling to clip his seat belt in. “You had to give him a shield too?” You smirked.
“What? He has to look the part.”
“He just threw it at his sister.”
“He’s really committing to the role!”
You wrapped your arms around his chest and kissed him briefly “You’re an idiot.”
Chris rubbed his chin softly against your head for a moment, blocking out the chattering of children for a split second and being themselves, not just the parents. ‘i love you too.”
“DAD! DAD ELI JUST THREW UP ON MY COSTUME!” Harry’s furious shriek broke the moment.
Chris chuckled with pride as you turned to clean the mess up. “Thats my boy.”
Overview: You have a nice evening in with Chris, including romance books and bubble baths.
A/N I KNOW IT’S BEEN AGES I’M SORRY!!! the amount of work I have is actually insane but I’m trying really hard to write more. A few weeks until my exams are over and then I’m free to write as much as I want! I’ve also been having a very strong Chris Evans phase so I HAD to write about him so I hope you like it. Thank you so much for all your support these past few weeks. Any requests just message me! :)
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word count: 1350
“I’m home!”
“In here!” You called. As you turned down the music you could hear him take the stairs two at a time, his heavy timberlands thumping on the carpet before stopping outside the bathroom door. Rapping with two knuckles his asked “can I come in?”
“It’s open.” The door swung open to reveal a crumpled Chris, the shadow of stubble prominent on his jaw. You looked up briefly from the pages, smiling warmly.
“you alright love?”
“I’m much better now ” he smirked. To him there was something quite lovely about seeing you lying in the bath, hair knotted haphazardly on the top of your head so the ends didn’t trail into the bubbles. “New hairstyle?”
“It cost me thousands” you jokingly flipped a bit of hair by your ear “or shall I say you. Thanks for the credit card by the way.”
“I knew you were only with me for money.”
“And your ass,” you winked “I can’t deny the ass.”
To please you Chris did a slow spin, taking his time when his back was turned, the small giggle from you making him smile. He then walked up behind you and kissed the top of your head “its late. You didn’t have to stay up.”
“ I wanted to to see you. There’s food left in the kitchen if you want some.”
He shook his head, “I’m not that hungry. Thanks though.” The weight of his chin caused your neck to crumple in a little, and as he wrapped his arms lightly around your neck he weighed down your shoulders. You could feel his exhaustion weighing down, and the occasional heavy sigh that escaped his lips caused your heart to twinge a little.
“how was your day?’
“Busy. We started to film some of the bigger stunt shots today so I feel like I could collapse at any moment.’
‘I’ll get out of the bath soon so you can have it,” you offered.
“Or,” Your husbands voice got lower “I could join you here.” He moved to kiss you lightly on your bare shoulder. Feeling you gasp he moved higher, aiming for the crook in your neck that he knew caused you to unravel. “hmm?” He hummed against your skin.
“I-“ you seemed to have forgotten how to breath “I want to get this done first,” you admitted, brandishing the book. The ends had trailed in the water and were already starting to curl. “cliff hanger. But later?’ You snuggled slightly into Chris’s jaw. He let out a slight growl and dropped his head to rest on your shoulder, emitting mock sobs. You laughed “I know I know” you ran your fingers through his hair “later I promise.”
“I’m holding you to that,” he reached over and turned your wrists so he could see “new book?”
“oh yea. I finished the other one.” It had been thrown on top of your pile of clothes “you were right; she took him back.”
“I told you! All those books are the same.”
“They’re not!”
Chris raised his eyebrows.
“Honestly I bet if you read one you’d actually like it.”
Chris picked up the battered book off the floor “I’m already cringing at the cover. But you know what,” seeing your challenging look “I will take you up on that. I’m going to give it a try.”
“Great!” You looked down to read again; read another paragraph, flipped the page. Chris’s broad shadow was still blocking the lamps light.
“Is there something wrong?”
“I need you to move your legs.”
“Chris no, I said later,” you laughed.
“No not for that. I want to get in the bath.” He was already slipping off his shoes, flinging his socks to the side.
“I don’t know if there’s enough roo-“ you stopped just as you watched Chris’s shirt come off. That view never got old. “Huh. How about that?”
“You were saying?” Chris smiled.
“I still don’t think you’ll be able to get in but I guess if I must,” you moved your legs so your knees poked up from the bubbles. Stripping until he was all skin and makeup smudges he gingerly lowered himself in. Because the water was hotter than he thought he hissed, causing his arm to slip and for him to smack onto the bath floor. His leg, slipping on the suds on the bath, shot forwards and kicked your upper thigh. You eyes shot wide, the book dipped into the water again as a sharp yell shot through the room.
“I’m so sorry!” Chris yelled.
‘Bloody hell Chris!”
“It was an accident!” He couldn’t help but laugh though by the way you clutched your leg, laughing but nursing the red patch on your thigh. “We need to get a bigger bath,” your tone edged with a whine. Then realising that your book had got even more wet you fished it out of the water, letting out a frustrated “GRRRR.”
‘I’m good now if its makes you feel better,” Chris said.
“oh wow really? That’s really great for you. I am SO HAPPY for you.”
Chris brandished the book “I’m trying to read.”
“you’re such a-“
“I’m reading.”
“CHRIS-“
“READING!” He made a deliberate move of opening the book and raising it to his eye line but his shoulders shook slightly.
“You’re so irritating,” you laughed through gritted teeth.
“Love you too baby.”
You both went back to reading, pages turning and legs sloshing in the water. Occasionally Chris would say something like “I can’t believe I’m reading this,” but the left side got thicker and his eyes racked across the page faster. He was enjoying it; you could see it. When he got excited he would jiggle his knees.
“You enjoying that?” You smiled.
Chris scoffed “no. I’m hating it.” He turns another page “I can’t stand it.” Another pause. “Why is she even considering him anyway?’ “who?”
“the other guy!” He rolled his eyes to say who else would I be thinking of idiot “It’s really annoying.”
You shook your head “so just stop.”
“Reading this gives me an excuse to stay here.”
“ewww gross.”
“what?” He kicked you, gently this time “I can’t say stuff like that?”
“That was just so cliche! What’s next, you’re going to give me a foot rub and call me the most beautiful human on the planet?”
“Was that a hint?”
“No. Maybe.”
Instead he preoccupied himself with building towers of bubbles, scooping them from your stomach and legs before smacking it down. He did this as you caught up more on each others days, listening to rants and jokes and whining about scripts and coffee machines. Occasionally you’d get distracted by a flying ball of bubbles from Chris’s sculptures. It got to the point where the water was getting colder and all your desire to read was being replaced by something else. Chris had picked the book back up and was reading, but now all you wanted to was see how far you could push him. So slowly, you moved your leg a little higher up his. He didn’t notice; so you raised it a little higher, just above the knee.
“Sweetheart.”
“mm?” You widened your eyes innocently.
“I’m reading.”
“I know.” This time you went to move higher, and feeling this Chris hand slipped under the water to grab your ankle. He didn’t look away from the page but his smirk grew. He started to move his hand up and down the back of your leg, the heel to the back of the knee.
“Chris?”
“yes?’
“It’s later.”
His eyes went wide, his whole body tensed, and suddenly he jumped as if he’d just been stabbed. He vaulted out the bath, the book splashing into the suds as he span around “You’re not joking?”
“I’m not joking,” you laughed. Chris jumped over his clothes, wrenched open the door, went to run then turned around once more, pointing directly at you. “I’ll see you in one minute.”
‘I’ll be there,” You watched your husband run out to the room, whooping down the corridor. You gave him a minutes, made him wait, and then jumped out the bath, discarding the book. What was about to happen was way more important. Puddles of soapy water splashed onto the floor and were left to soak, and the books shrivelled until they disintegrated in the sun the next morning.
