Ace Can't Fathom It, The Idea Of Anyone Regretting Letting Her Speak Freely. One Of His Favourite Things

ace can't fathom it, the idea of anyone regretting letting her speak freely. one of his favourite things about her is hearing all of her unfiltered thoughts. it's refreshing, endearing. thinks he could listen to her talk all day long without interrupting once, and that's rare for ace. whenever he's having a bad day, the sound of her voice easily makes it better. the sad part is he doesn't know how to accurately voice that, how to tell her. how to open himself up to vulnerability. the last decade of his life had been spent trying to shield himself, learning to hide it all with a joke, smile long enough that the worries behind his stare went unnoticed. he laughs, and it's deep. " well, there's no need to thank me. you make the best cakes i've ever tasted. there's not competition. " thought sparks, head tilting slightly. " you should totally make that a thing though— welcome home cheater cakes. think of the amount of faces that'd be smooshed into them. " " no, you can ! and you should. your reflection is pretty, of course you should kiss it. " cringes hard at his words, forever awkward. never quite knowing what to say, though sometimes he'll magically say the right thing. cheeks are pink, all too telling. he wills the moment to pass. when it does, ace watches her take control, and honestly he thinks it's for the best. but her earlier words have his mind racing, and he feels guilty. why ? he's not sure. but it almost feels like he's lying to the person he cares for most. " i do, though, you know . . . have insecurities. i just got good at masking it with really bad jokes, " he shrugs, cracks a half-smile. he should stop there, and while his brain tells him to, his mouth keeps going. " but i'm insecure about a lot of things, like how my hair just doesn’t do the thing, you know ? " he rubs the back of his neck, glancing away as if suddenly very interested in the wall. " or how i trip over nothing at least once a day. which is fine, except for the fact that it's not even, like, graceful tripping. it's more like watching a baby deer learn how to walk, but somehow worse. and, i, uh, struggle with the idea of letting anyone all the way in because i have this crippling fear that i'll never be good enough. " which increases around her, because he's met someone he wishes he felt good enough for. and it's in no way her fault that he doesn't, it's his past.

"not sure if it makes you feel any better, but people have regretted things with me, too. mostly letting me speak without interruption, but, the sentiment is the same." she looks over to meet his gaze, only to notice he's not actually looking at her. which, given what he's saying about PAYING ATTENTION, is pretty ironic. if this were anybody else, she'd wonder if he was saying that just to satisfy the fishing instinct within her. but she was teddy, and he was ace. he'd always been honest with her, even if he couldn't make eye contact with her. at least, that's how she always felt. but, at the end of the day, he was a master poker player. she just had to remind herself that actions always reflected intentions, and there was nothing there to hint that their friendship was a fake one.

"and i'm glad you think so, because i definitely would consider it bakery cheating... so, thanks for saving me the effort it would take to make a WELCOME HOME, CHEATER sign." she reaches over and collects the dry ingredients from him, mixing them with her bowl. on the off chance this experiment totally went south, she would just stay late to make rhodes a proper cake. "well, you hide it well. i've never sensed insecurity coming from you." but perhaps her confidence was too overbearing for her to notice-- or just enough for the both of them. and comments about how she is the main friend in his life definitely didn't help with her ego. "well, shit. i can't kiss my mirror anymore? what an unfair wrench you've thrown at me."

kai smirks, leaning back on the swing, hands loosely wrapped around the chains. “ guess i felt like being unpredictable for once, ” he responds, voice laced with a familiar mix of sarcasm and indifference. " gotta keep you on your toes. " kai kicks the ground beneath, causing the swing to sway lazily. the façade drops for a moment, reflection of concern behind his gaze as he glances winnie's way. " so, what's up ? did something happen, or did you just miss me for my charming personality ? "

LOCATION: coral cove park STATUS: closed / kai finnegan @dreamerfms

she knows the second kai reacts to her SOS with a thumbs up, they're due to meet in the park after midnight. usually she's the first one there, but to her surprise, kai is already waiting at the swing set for her. she plops herself down on the swing next to his and offers a small smile. "you switched things up on me," she teases. "usually it's me waiting on you."

“ i hear hypnotherapy works wonders. or meditation. anything has to be worth a try. ” noa takes the phone from leon, manicured fingers typing quickly. so used to being on her own device she thinks she could navigate one with her eyes closed. “ cute, ” she responds, slight roll of her eyes before she types in her name, cupid in brackets after. with a bright smile she hands the phone back and takes a breath. “ okay, well, i’ve got to run. places to be, lives to change. but you’ll be hearing from me soon. i suggest you answer when i call because i’m impossible to ghost. toodles, ” she adds, gives a small wave before she’s walking off.

"tried 'em. don't work," leon shrugs and then chuckles at the thought of her knowing him better than he does. is it really possible? the blond is very prone to oversharing. he loves it. telling stories is so fun, it also sometimes makes him make sense of things in another light. "cool, thank you." the man takes out his phone, there aren't any new messages or mails or any sort of notifications. it's a little disappointing. nonetheless, he opens the keypad and hands it over. "just type non-smoking cupid and i'll know it's you," leon teases.

he likes her company, her willingness to throw around ideas. sometimes it's good to have an outside perspective from someone who isn't deeply involved, who can see a vision without thinking about the money signs. " ah, well that's true. sweet treats are in high demand year round, you're probably busier than me. " which again, makes him grateful she took the time to step out with him today. if there's one thing about kingsley, it's that he likes to give thanks where it's due, repay the favour. " you know, i wouldn't feel right about not thanking you properly, " he adds, hand coming up to his chest as a playful smirk begins to form, " i think i owe you a nice dinner for your ideas. lunch, at the very least. what do you say, think you can pencil me into your busy schedule later this week ? "

she knows exactly what a poor family dynamic could be like. and that wasn't something she would've wished on anybody. it was hard and she definitely couldn't fault him for not wanting to talk about things that were super personal such as that. " you think so, huh? well, let me just say. that's really sweet of you to say. " she smiled happily at his kind compliment towards her. hadley wasn't an interior designer but she did like to think that she could have some really good tips at times. " right? who wouldn't like the sound of that? it sounds like such a nice idea. at least it did in my own head, anyways. it could be such a fun hangout spot too, you know? especially when it comes to your super close friends. " the options for kingsley and this place was very much unlimited. " me? a job in real estate? no... i haven't ever really thought about it. i have the bakery and that keeps me busy as it is. " she responded. " but... i'll have to keep it in the back of my mind possibly. i'm not entirely a professional! just a girl who has some good ideas from time to time. brainstorming ideas is always the fun part about these kinds of things."

the comment causes her grin to widen, a true sense of warmth. " well, at this rate it seems like my soulmate might not come until my next lifetime, so if that's the case marrying my platonic one seems like the only suitable option. " besides, she really wouldn't mind spending the rest of her life with poppy by her side— plans to do so anyway, with or without marriage. " right ? so soft, i need it. which colour would you want ? they have black, oyster— which is really more of a subtle pink, very chic— navy, caramel or ivory, though i'll be honest the ivory is very much giving bride-to-be vibes. probably not the best choice for avid red wine drinkers. " noa sits on her knees on the bed, opens up the lid of the skincare tub, gently scoops some of the mask onto the brush. when poppy's words sink in, her eyes gloss over, lip slightly pouted. " poppy, " her voice is soft, emotion clear. " it's eight in the morning, why are you trying to make me cry ? " teases, begins to put the mask onto the others skin. " i'm thankful for you too. sometimes i think knowing i'm coming back here to you is the only thing that stops me from having, like, fifty breakdowns per day. let's promise, right here and now, to never, ever, let anything come between us, okay ? also, don't be alarmed if your face tingles a little. it happened to me when i first used it too. but the next day ? glow like you've never seen before. totally worth it. "

poppy watched noa spring into action, soft smile on her lips. "i'd marry you if you'd let me." she teased, sitting up a little straighter as noa gathered all of the necessities. "no i was literally looking at those during my usual nightly doomscroll.. they look so fucking comfy." the redhead hums softly as she takes a sip of her coffee, grabbing the headband from the other as she comes back over. its their usual routine and she absolutely loves it. she doesn't know how she did without noa. the two meshed so quickly right away and it really made poppy feel like she actually had a sister. slipping the headband on, she grinned brightly at the other. "hey, im thankful for you. know that ?? and not just for your amazing skincare assistance.. im thankful i've got the most amazing best friend ever."

kai raises an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “ oh, i’m sorry, did i hit a nerve ? ” tone is teasing as he gives her an amused once-over. “ okay, then i guess it won’t bother you at all if I just—“ there’s a pause as he lifts his bottle, tips it over slight so the smallest of droplets drops onto the table. as he sets it back down, he watches her expectedly.

" excuse me! " maya would reply incredulously. maybe that was just a partial lie by her somewhat. a lot of the times people called her high maintenance. it was usually because of they she did things and liked for things to be done... neatly, at that. " what?! are you saying that i'm not chill? like at all? because i have news for you, sir. i can be very, very chill. "