Russie Babbles: A Year in Review

Hi, my Darlings! 

So (I think) it's December 31, 2014 all over the world - meaning, it's officially the last day of the year. I bet most of you are wondering - wait, why the hell is Russie posting a non-lit post today - well, that's because I decided to do a Year in Review. 

Basically, I'm going to talk about what's happened blogwise this year, as well as plans that I hope I'll get to execute in 2015. It'll be like a throwback and preview thing. 

Transcendence: A Request Prompt (5/5)

Connecticut
United States of America
November 2119
Jones, Elena

“You’re not being fair to him.”

Elena narrowed her brows. Her sister, Amelia Jones, had walked into her bedroom without a knock on the door. “What is it, Amelia?”

“The boy you met in New York,” the brunette other went on. Elena felt something stir in her stomach at the indirect mention of Ansel, who she had left in the big city while she travelled back to have Thanksgiving with the Jones clan. “Arnold? Anthony?”

“Ansel.”

“Right. Well, you’re not exactly being the fairest girlfriend in the world to him, El.” Elena clenched her fist, trying to ignore her taller older sister. Her grip on the colored pencil tightened. “All he did was try to get you to open up more to him, and then you just…shut him out. Based on what you ranted to me when you got here, at least.”

“I did not shut him out,” Elena insisted. “It’s him – he’s shutting me out!”

Amelia pinched her temples in frustration. “Fine. Let’s say he’s shutting you out. So you retaliate by shutting the poor guy out, too? Christ, Elena. It’s like him all over again–”

“Don’t you dare mention that cretin,” the girl threatened. Amelia lifted her arms slowly. “So, fine. Yeah. I did push Ansel away even though we’re in a relationship. Can you blame me? The other asshole traumatized me,” she muttered, looking back at her sketchpad and adding a few more strokes to the drawing. Amelia stayed quiet for a moment, soon joining Elena on her bed. The pair remained quiet for a few minutes.

“He isn’t like your ex.”

“How are you so sure of that?”

Transcendence: A Request Prompt (4/5)

New York City
United States of America
December 2118

Contrary to due belief, getting to know your soul mate after finding out who they were wasn’t all sunshine and romantic moments.

Ansel learned that as he returned to the coffee shop a week after, wearing colder gear in preparation for the December weather. He had managed to find out (through Jae) when Elena would usually get off work – and he had promised the Korean, as well as Marion, that he would get to know the barista a little better.

So there he was, sitting in the same booth as he did the previous week, drinking from his latte patiently, the banoffee pie halfway done. Ansel’s foot tapped on the ground rather impatiently, he glancing at his watch every couple of minutes, waiting until the short hand struck four.

And when it did, he heard her voice ring out.

“I’m off, Luke. Should I overtime tomorrow?”

A mumble came from the barista’s corner and he heard her laugh. Ansel felt warmth fill him up all of the sudden; it seemed like it had gotten too warm all of a sudden. So he attempted to alleviate himself by stuffing a forkful of banoffee pie into his mouth, not realizing that she had just stopped and stared at him.

Ansel, eating his pie awkwardly, kept his gaze on the table until she cleared her throat.

“Retel?”

He nearly choked on his food, taking a swig of coffee to push it down. Elena merely kept staring, face blank, and Ansel felt the blood rush to his face as it did a week prior. “E-Elena,” he managed. Ansel looked up and saw her standing there, her wavy hair down this time.

It was the first time that he had seen her properly, not counting when he had nearly passed out in front of her.

And all he could think was wow.

Russ' Updates #018: The End of a Year

Good evening, Darlings! I hope you guys had an amazing Christmas. :D 

There's not much to say, actually - aside from the fact that holy crap, 2015 is coming in a span of two days. Even I can't believe that this year's going to end soon. If anything, it's been one hell of a roller coaster ride. 

Anyway, Christmas break is fast approaching its' end, just like 2014. Next Monday, I'll be going back to school (nOOO). And hey - two weeks from now, it's going to be my birthday! 

Oh my God. I'm getting hella old.

Yes, Darlings, Russie is turning seventeen on the twelfth of January. I know what you're thinking: Jesus Christ, this blogger's getting old. I know I am. Sigh. 

But away from birthdays and whatnot, let's first pay attention to the end of the year, yes? 

Since 2015 is (obviously) a New Year, this would mean new things for the blog...specifically, a new layout. In the early hours of January 1, I'll be changing the layout - so say goodbye to the pink/red tones and welcome something a little more...life-giving. Eey. 

For this week's posts, my main priority is to complete the requests as well as introduce a new Featured Character for the month of January. Who is he/she? Well, we'll find out by January 1~

Posts to Expect:

[x] Russie Writes: Transcendence; Part 4/5
[x] Russie Writes: Transcendence; Part 5/5
[ ] Russie Writes: Request #02
[ ] Russie Writes: Request #03
[ ] Russie Photoshops: A FC/UC Graphic

That's all for this week's RussDate! Enjoy the remaining days, and I'll see you soon. ^_^

Transcendence: A Request Prompt (3/5)

New York City
United States of America
November 2118

“Free – Free, are you alright?”

Ansel quickly let go of his burning arm, looking up. In front of his desk stood Marion Salazar, the female peering at him with a frown. “M-Marion. I’m fine, why are you asking?”

“You’ve been clutching at your arm like you got bit or something,” the female noted. Marion was a hair and makeup artist at the company where they worked, the twosome hitting it off during one of their breaks. Ansel had been taking charge of the camera for an endless amount of hours, and the curly-haired girl took pity on him. By the end of the day, he saw a sandwich and hot cup of coffee on his desk, along with a note scribbled on pink post-it.

Hiya! I saw how hard you worked today without a single break. Here’s a small reward from me. We can eat tomorrow if you’d like, before the next shooting!

PS: No need to pay me. :P

-Marion Salazar

Ever since then, the two bonded and became very good friends. Marion, apparently, had been living in New York since her birth and had already found her Soul Mate. Her own outline was colored in with a gentle lilac color, and there were also twelve tick marks on her right wrist.

“It’s been bugging me, actually,” he admitted to her. The woman blinked, confused. “Well. When I woke up, it was itching a little bit. I thought a mosquito bit me and didn’t think of it, but it just suddenly went wild and I feel like something burned me,” he complained. “I might go to a doctor if this goes on. It’s fucking me up.”

Marion was silent for a few moments.

“Mar? Marion? What the hell’s wrong–”

“Itching?” she asked abruptly, staring him in the eye. “Then a burning sensation?”

“Yes–”

“Do you have a gut feeling?”

“Yes – wait, how’d you know?”

The concerned look on Marion’s face immediately vanished. Instead, a smug and all-knowing smile replaced her small frown. “You know what? Let’s go to Starbucks. You need a quick fix before your next take, which is in four hours.”

“I can’t leave, you know that.”

“Fuck that. You’ve been OTing, you deserve a leave.” Marion yanked him from his seat harshly, “Now let’s go, Free.”

Transcendence: A Request Prompt (2/5)

New York City
United States of America
November 2118
Jones, Elena

The catty smile matched Elena Jones’ personality; sly and deviant, quick-thinking with touches of sophistication all around.

“An order for Marion,” she called out, her sugar-sweet voice disguising the boredom that lay behind. “Americano and a Toffee Nut Latte.” She watched as a tall girl with an equally tall boyfriend approached the counter, the one named Marion flashing the receipt. Elena smoothly scanned the paper and stamped it, the male sweeping the drinks into his hands afterwards.

Out of habit, she scanned the male and saw what she was looking for:

A black heart outline located on his wrist, colored in with gold.

“Marion,” she heard him speak. Elena quickly turned away and pretended to check on the coffee machine, listening to the male speak. “Did you know that birds of the same feather are the same bird?”

Elena wanted to faceplant into the coffee machine. The man’s odd choice of words, punctuated with his deep and slow voice made him seem like a –

His girlfriend, Marion, gave a disgruntled sigh. “Shut the fuck up and let’s leave.”

                    

“How cruel,” the man sighed, and she heard the retreating steps of the pair. Elena couldn’t help but laugh to herself at the odd pairing that those two made.

Ever since her childhood, Elena Jones firmly believed in the existence of a soul mate.

She was born with the same heart-shaped outline on her right forearm; meanwhile, twelve tick marks were easily locatable on her right wrist. As she grew up, her parents explained to her the significance of those marks, persuading her to look for said soul mate when she grew up. 

Elena agreed – but it didn’t stop her from dreaming or fantasizing about how she could meet the person or who the person was.

Back in her hometown of Connecticut, nearly all her friends had already found their respective match/es by the time they had graduated. Elena recalled feeling happy for them, but deep down, a small feeling of envy began to foster in her heart. Despite that, she could only smile and listen as they recounted tales of how it finally felt to find someone.

Others would usually scoff and comment how boring it was, to have a lack of adventure in finding them. Elena merely shook her head.

Transcendence: A Request Prompt (1/5)

New York City

United States of America

November 2118

Free, Ansel

Finding your soul mate, his mother had told him, is like reliving your experiences of true love.

Ansel Free never really understood the comparison. After all, experience of *true* love – the purest love, the most beautiful kind of love – was only to be experienced once in someone’s entire lifetime. So Ansel attempted to refute his mother’s statement, saying that true love was a one-hit kind of thing; however, she merely smiled and told him that he would understand more when he was older.

(Ansel hated it.)

As the boy grew up, he never felt that zap of love that people tended to feel. In high school, a few of his friends had experienced it. During college, around half of his peers found the person they were looking for – as cliché as it had initially sounded.

Soon enough, Ansel found himself caring less about soul mates as he worked his way through his chosen course. The male worked late nights as he balanced academics and his extracurricular activities, living and loving coffee as well as take out. After a total of four grueling years, Ansel Free had walked and received his diploma – a sign of his achievement.

A total of seven months later, Ansel was working in the real world. He had been hired by a multi-media company after various others had looks at his resume and school records, immediately thrust into the field of film making and the arts. Content enough, Ansel worked hard and aimed higher, into bigger areas. Smaller-scale companies turned into bigger ones, paychecks went from just right to splurging once in a while. Before he knew it, Ansel had filled a sense of fulfillment. His longing to be beneficial in the real world was being satisfied; after all, he had a stable (and enjoyable) job, a comfortable apartment and a good social life.

He lacked in one certain aspect, however.

To put it specifically, his life lacked color.

Ansel Free, at twenty-four, still had the heart insignia on his forearm uncolored.

Undercover: A FC/UC Background Short

Gamma Belt
Mortal Realm
Sector ACR 4-A, Nuevo Filipina
2012

Whispers erupted all over upon the presence of a new student.

It was Adrienne del Riano’s sophomore year in high school when she brought in with her, a cool-faced male wearing the prescribed uniform for the males. Immediately did students clear, standing at the sides and watching with amazement (as well as mild fear) as Adri walked calmly across the hall, the new male at her side and glaring down anyone who attempted to stop the silver-eyed heiress.

Information spread just as fast as whispers did. By the beginning of lunch time, word on the street proclaimed that this newcomer had a name:

Zachary Regulus. He was a dark-haired, ruby-eyed male who was frequently seen by the del Riano’s side. Apparently, he was put in the same class as her – II-2 – and was seatmates with her as well.

According to his ‘official’ story as said when the class introduced themselves to one another, Zachary was the son of a family friend. He was to spend the rest of his high school years in Nuevo Filipina, having the liberty to choose where he wanted to go upon graduating.

His somewhat legitimate background caused rumors to circulate. After a full week, gossip went around that Zachary was sent to NF due to something he had done back in his homeland. 

To the rest of the students, Zachary was a big problem; his spitfire attitude combined with his closed-off attitude yelled problem.

Due to that, little to no students – aside from Adri – approached him.

It bothered Adri that Zachary had to go through so much, but in all honesty, the male didn’t mind. Having to interact with less people would mean less trouble, and less trouble would make the job easier for him. After all, his sole purpose was to guard and protect Adri from all kinds of harm. The monsters present in that world didn’t care where they spawned.

As long as they got a victim, then their ‘objective’ would be fulfilled.

TFDC: Day Five -- Camaraderie

Matt and A’s Home
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014
Christmas Day

“Are you honestly sure that it’s alright for me to bring her along, Mack?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. A doesn’t mind guests as long as they aren’t serial killers or those wanted by the law,” the man answered lightly. Jian gave a (tight) smile and glanced around him, Mack noticing that the man was often looking around to see if someone had arrived. “Who’s it, anyway?”

“A dear friend of mine – don’t give me that look,” Jian chastised. Mack had made a face and the Taiwanese other had smirked in reply, “She’s someone I met a few months ago. And no, she isn’t as interested in men as to women.”

Mack gave a mildly guilty smile, his eyes softening. “Right. Be here in thirty?”

“I will. See you.” The call ended and Mack looked up, pocketing his phone soon after. The festivities were in full swing in the living room, the scientist hearing the eager chatter of the rest of his friends.

Touta was watching as A tore open his gift, the Englishwoman gasping in surprise. (“Oh my God, you didn’t have to–” “No shut up, you’ve been pining for that for weeks!”) Kenichi and Peters were talking sports while drinking from their beers, laughing and arguing here and there. Away by the window, J and Matt were having a quiet conversation. Matt had been relaying what had happened to him since he left the Wammy’s, and J was listening while giving input here and there.

Mack, at first, thought of their ‘group’ as rather odd. After all, they comprised of four police agents, one forensic scientist, two businessmen, a bartender and an ex-model. And hell, Mack didn’t even know who the ex-model yet except for the fact that she was a (most likely bisexual) female and an old friend of Jian’s.

“Mack, when’s Jian arriving?” A asked. She and Touta had walked up to him, the former wearing the latter’s gift; a cream-colored cardigan with gold-colored buttons. “So I can prepare a few more drinks for him and his guest.”

“Give it thirty minutes. Nice cardigan by the way,” he added, and A gave a twirl. Touta merely smirked. “Was that the one you spent an hour searching for, T?”

“Might have been the one,” he shrugged. “But it was easy to acquire. Can’t blame me, the store was huge.” A made a face at him and walked off to the bar, taking out a few bottles as well as two glasses. The threesome proceeded to talk while A prepared the drinks, Touta retelling his tale in great detail.

In the living room, Kenichi took an easy drink from his beer and listened as Touta told him all about baseball. “So wait a minute – who do you support?”

“New York Yankees. Nearly sobbed when Jeter took his final bow,” the brunette replied, memories of Derek Jeter’s play throughout the years coming to mind. “The family’s been supporting the team since I was young. I’ve got all kinds of merc,” the American laughed.

“Yankees. I think I watched a game of theirs when I was in the States a couple of years back, in the stadium itself. Can’t remember against who. It was a good game,” he said, and Peters nodded enthusiastically. “…huh – so that explains why A’s been asking me if I have connections with those merc sellers in the States.”

“Connections?”

“Mhm. Oh well. You’ll see it in your gift,” Kenichi replied cheerfully, watching in plain amusement as the six footer gaped and scrambled for his gift, which he had left on the other couch.

Maligayang Pasko!

TFDC: Day Four -- Devotion

A and Matt’s Home
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014
Christmas Eve

Matt still couldn’t pin what exactly about her drew him to her. He knew that it was a mix of many contributing factors – her physical aesthetic, her complex personality, the depth of her and far her mind could go; but even after years of being with her, he couldn’t trace which part attracted him like a moth to an open flame.

And as amusing as it was, it frustrated him. Matt would spend minutes, nearly hours watching her as she did her thing and each quirk of hers always made him smile; whether it be the way she would let the corner of her lips perk up into a half-smirk when she reached a likely conclusion, or the way she would tap her pen against the paper when in deep thought. Even the simple sight of her scanning papers and analyzing data was enough to catch his attention.

People always said that when treating someone you love – a significant other – they should be treated like a temple; something incredibly holy. Something that was to be worshipped and treated carefully. After all, the soul in a body could be likened to something divine that was to be found in a beautiful temple.

But Matt thought of that as bullshit. A – his A – was definitely not a temple.

If anything, A hated to be treated like something fragile; like fine china in a display. She may have had nicks and bruises from growing up, wounds that didn’t quite heal or scars that were still there, but she gave them no second glance.

If he could liken her to something that wasn’t a temple, then she was a canvas of experience.

He liked to think that everyone was born pure – clean – a clean canvas. Throughout a person’s life, they’d get streaked and slashed with color, color that would represent either emotions or experiences. At the time of death, then they’d be what all people were destined to be: a masterpiece.

“You’re doing it again,” she teased. Matt snapped out of his reverie and looked up; A was standing in front of him, a smile tugging at her tips as she held cups of hot chocolate in her hands.

TFDC: Day Three -- Forgiveness

Peters’ Apartment
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014

God, the idiot was obstinate.

(But could she really blame him? She had been away for months.)

She had told him to get over her and find a new person and move on; besides, who could want a messy-haired, slowly-recovering, sharp-tongued lady? J had been a hundred percent ready to detach from the American, as much as it would hurt. She had prepared herself for coming back to a changed lock and merry laughter from within the apartment; laughter than came from him and laughter that came from an unknown other.

But, no.

J came back to an unchanged lock and an empty apartment which smelled lightly of food and laundry. From that, she could arrive at three conclusions.

1. Peters hadn’t changed the locks at all. He was either too lazy or too stubborn to change them.
2. Peters was still at work, even at this time.
3. The lack of clothes strewn on the floor and the fact that only a single pair of utensils had been discarded told her that he was the only occupant. 

J hadn’t returned her things back to the respective cabinets and such, not really. She definitely wasn’t sure if Peters even wanted her back. Nonetheless, she stayed seated there, on his couch, flipping through the channels and sipping from a cup of coffee she had brewed only moments back.

She was never the type who would be easily surprised. Everyone who knew her knew that this was pure fact; surprising J was nearly an impossible feat. So when she heard the door creak open, she jumped – and felt irritated at herself for jumping at such a simple thing.

“Really, J? You’re jumping at a fucking opening door?” she grumbled to herself, attempting to calm the storm raging in her heart. She felt her heard thud wildly in her chest, threatening to fight its way out due to the intensity it was experiencing.

Deep down, she knew that if it had anything to do with Peters, then she would be jumpy.

TFDC: Day Two -- Courage

Keji Bar
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014

It had been a quiet day for the Keiji, which Jian had earlier thought of as weird.

During December, bars would usually be packed, especially on the days leading to Christmas. A brief glance at his phone told him that it was only a few days until the holiday, and he had braced himself for a wave of customers. Surprisingly enough, however, the amount of people who came in and left was nothing too unbearable, nothing too stressful.

Jian found himself able to take a break every few hours, relaxing and stretching here and there while snacking up and eating when he earned the chance. Even after he finished his lunch, he was surprised to see that the guys running the bar didn’t quite need an extra hand or two.

Either way, he stuck around and helped out when needed. He would rather stay and help for the pay than stay home and rest up alone. Jian Lee was a people person – he liked surrounding himself with the company of people, liked talking to them and making them laugh, making them feel comfortable under this warm, accommodating gaze.

On that particular night, he was about to close up shop. Jian decided to be the last man standing, offering so to the manager, who had gratefully agreed.

The streets outside were quiet. He had just removed the apron around his waist and took off his black bowtie when the door had opened, the chimes alerting him of a new presence. “I’m sorry,” the person – a male – apologized, “Were you just closing up? I can find another if I need to,” he spoke quickly. Jian quickly put a smile on his face and shook his head.

“You can come on right in. Keiji’s always open to those who need it,” he offered kindly. The stranger cracked a smile and took off his hood, and Jian nearly froze on the spot upon realizing who it was.

Macmillan Thomas stared momentarily at the man at the bar, facing breaking out into its usual, carefree grin. “Oh. Long time no see, Jian.”

“Indeed. Have a seat,” the other replied, Mack gratefully taking the stool right in front of the bartender for the night. “What will it be?”

“Give me what you feel like making,” the American said a few beats after. He added, “You might if I smoke a bit?”

Russ' Updates #017: Good News and Breaks

Hi, Darlings!               

So Christmas break is finally here, and I’ve been resting up as much as I could lately. Oddly enough, I don’t think I’ve been able to recover from the two hours of sleep I had last Friday, haha.

Anyway, since Christmas break is here, that means New Years’ Eve is coming up soon! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, 2014 is going to end in a matter of nine days and that means a whole new year coming up for all of us. I’ve got great vibes for 2015 for some reason, and I hope that those good vibes are the good premonition kind of thing.

Speaking of good vibes – you night have noticed the words ‘good news’ in the title and are wondering why there’s good news and such.

help what is this happiness i've been feeling

Basically, results for the De La Salle University College Entrance Test (DCAT/DLSUCET) came out last Saturday, around 8-9AM. Although DLSU isn’t my dream school/first choice, I was still hella nervous because it was a freaking college, man – this is my future we’re talking about, huhu.

And then this happened:

Is it real, is it real????

Yes – I was able to pass the DCAT, meaning that I’m eligible for enrollment in DLSU in the case that I choose to study there! *throwing of confetti everywhere* Last Saturday was a really great day for me, since the past week hasn’t exactly been what I’d call amazing. But away from that, it practically lifted my spirits so much that I’m still uplifted – until now. I'm basically one big ball of thankfulness and amazement. 

So for the rest of the week, I’ll be continuing the Five Days of Christmas, as well as a couple of requests which my friends asked me to do. ^_^

I hope that you have a spectacular Christmas, Darlings! Enjoy the rest of the week. <3

Posts to Expect:

[x] Russie Writes: The Second Day – Courage 
[x] Russie Writes: The Third Day – Forgiveness 
[x] Russie Writes: The Fourth Day – Devotion  
[x] Russie Writes: The Fifth Day – Camaraderie

TFDC: Day One -- Intimacy

Noriko’s Apartment
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
December 2011

For once, Noriko had the night to herself.

Her manager had invited her to an optional party – one where she could associate with other models and other contacts, famous stylists and hairdressers and whatnot. The manager had explained that it could be a chance for her to meet others outside the company and break into the international world even more, but the girl denied the request and instead opted to stay in her home instead.

Everyone else who she knew was going. Kishi Yamanaka, one of her close co-workers, opted to look for a new partner in the pool of attendees. Asami Iwasa and Hisaki Yuasa, the Golden Couple of Seiko Industries, would be attending, naturally. Noriko had listed off the names in her head. Inari and Yuki, twins, were attending purely out of boredom. Natsume was one of the few who had called in sick for the day, stuck home with the flu.

Noriko shifted on the couch. A thought popped into her head.

Was Naomi going? “Don’t be stupid, Inoue. Of course she is,” she sighed.

Of course Naomi would be going.

Naomi Hirano, their most-requested for and constantly-featured model. Naomi with her bleach blonde hair and sparkly eyes. Naomi who, just like Noriko, moved out of South Korea to Japan in order to make a name for herself.

She and Naomi were good friends – maybe even good enough to be deemed as close. But Noriko didn’t know exactly how close they were. Perhaps close enough for Naomi to invite Noriko to that same event which was happening, but perhaps not close enough as to actually drag the short-haired girl there.

“Whatever.” She took a sip from the plastic cup, feeling the soda rush down her throat and give her a bigger jolt of energy. “Cheer up, Inoue. You’ve wanted this break for weeks. Claim it,” the model reassured, but it didn’t exactly work. At all.

She heaved a heavy sigh.

Perhaps she should have gone – followed her manager and rode off with Naomi in the blonde’s car, maybe have bits of fun on the way.

Was it too late to actually go? Her silver dress was still in the back of her closet; she could pair the thing with her favorite pair of heels and prettify herself in less than twenty minutes – how far was the building?

And in her clusterfuck of thoughts, she didn’t notice a sharp knock on her door the first time.

Launching: The Five Days of Christmas

Hello, Darlings! 

To officially start off the Christmas Break, I decided to do a little something for you guys (as well as myself because hey – gotta have some fun before school starts again).

So from today, December 21 until December 25, we’re going to be celebrating The Five Days of Christmas or TFDC. Basically, for each of the five days, I’m going to be posting an OTP short which involves Christmas as well as a certain trait which the OTP exhibits the most.

Oh my God I am so ready. SO READY.

It’s definitely not much, I know, but it’s the least I can do for this Christmas. ^_^ Additionally, from today until December 31, I’m going to be fulfilling a couple of requests my friends asked me to do. I already have two on my list and I can’t wait to torture their feels deliver what they want!

I hope you all look forward to this as much as I do. :D Expect the first short to be posted sometime tonight – and expect to see a familiar face make a reappearance… 

It's already pretty obvious. *coughs* #NaoKo

An Advanced Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to you all!

Ripped Bandages: A Squad A Short

A’s Home
Tokyo, Japan
2014

Peters had been the one to drive her home.

See, it was supposed to be Touta’s job to take the half-English lady home, to make sure she didn’t throw up all over and got to bed safely. It wasn’t that Peters disliked A, no, not really. The two had better relations after Peters’ accident. Admittedly, it was purely because he wouldn’t know what to do in times wherein a lady was drunk.

Peters knew what to do when his friends back in America were wasted. He knew that to do when Jake would have too much to drink. He would know when to stop a lady he liked from going overboard – after all, he couldn’t sleep with someone drunk. It would go against his personal morals. Although a flirt, Peters still had respect for those he dated and made sure that they were thinking straight.

Due to that, he had no clue on how he could handle a drunk A.

He needed a guide – like those ­Dummies series he frequently saw. As he parked into A’s usual parking space, he took out his phone and hurriedly checked his messages, throwing apprehensive glances to the side to see if she was still out cold.

She was.

‘I’m in A’s driveway now. She’s out cold. WHAT THE FUCK SHOULD I DO?’

‘Calm down, Peters. Can you carry her in? There’s a spare key under the welcome mat.’

“Spare key,” he muttered to himself. “Shouldn’t be too hard.” Peters deftly exited his car, soon checking underneath the soft red mat by the main door. To his surprise, the key was there.

Unlocking the door right after, he went back for A and carefully lifted her, the girl over his shoulder. Peters easily carried her inside, noting that for someone in her early twenties, she was so goddamn light. The American closed the door with a small kick, locking it up and putting the extra key back under the mat.  

A made a small snuffling noise and Peters gave a curse as he navigated his way to her room.