i know we suffer for fashion, oh, whatever.

OKAY. HOLD UP. CAN I JUST ASK - where did the "my comments" section on the homepage thing go?????? i need that!
 
stolen from anna.
 
1. What was the highlight of your week?
having the most amazing tapas on thursday night. really incredible. i don't think you've lived until you've had pomegranate tzatsiki...
 
2. Whose car were you in last?
francesca's

3. When is the next time you will kiss someone?
not any time this week, that's for sure.
 
4. What color shirt are you wearing?
wearing a dress. multicoloured.
 
5. How long is your hair?
past elbows.
 
6. Are you good looking?
amazing. jokes.
 
7. Last movie you watched?
things to do in denver when you're dead. such a freaking weird movie.
 
8. Who were you with?
myself. i was bored, it was on tv.
 
9. Last thing you ate?
grapes. grapes are amazing. they're like a drink, in a fruit.
 
10. Last thing you drank?
orange & passionfruit drink. and grape.
 
11. When was the last time you had your heart broken?
july. kind of last week, but not really
 
12. Who came over last?
francesca
 
13. Are you happy right now?
i don't see why not...
 
14. What did you say last?
"i have saucepans." yep.
 
15. Where is your phone?
on my bed...

16. What color are your eyes?
green/grey
 
17. Are you left-handed?
for certain things
 
18. Spell your name without vowels:
lxndr
 
19. Do you have any pets?
one dog. no rabbits.
 
20. Favorite Vacation?
paris. singapore. hawaii. queenstown. well, they're the best overseas ones. in australia... byron bay, port macquarie, MELBOURNE!!!
 
21. What do you dislike currently?
the heat. it's obscene.
 
22. What are you listening to?
sex and the city. it's on tv.

23. If you could have one thing right now what would it be?
mo money. that i earned myself, not from my parents.
 
24. What is your favorite scent?
sea salt
 
25. Who makes you happiest?
alex, nicole, tina, jenny, whatever boy i have my eye on at that moment.
 
26. What were you doing at midnight last night?
getting a call from my friend asking me to come out.
 
27. When is your birthday?
july 8
 
28. Who has the same phone as you?
i don't know. everyone who had it, got a new one. haha. poor little prada phone, so obsolete.
 
29. Last time you went swimming in a pool?
a few weeks ago.. i think. i can't live without swimming. but i prefer beach swimming. not when it's crowded, though, when the sun is going down and there are only a few people on the beach, and it's pretty.
 
30. Do you read your horoscope?
hardly ever.
 
31. Where was the last place you bought something?
woolworths... haha
 
32. How do you feel about your hair right now?
it feels nice... yes, i am articulate.
 
33. Do you bite your nails?
nope
 
34. Do you have any expensive jewelery?
a few things, mostly that my dad gave to me.
 
35. Do you have any expensive jewelery?
uh.
 
36. Myspace or facebook?
facebook.
 
37. How fast have you driven a car?
like, 100ks. i hate driving.
 
38. Have you ever smoked?
i used to, but i don't any more.
 
39. What was or is your favorite subject in school?
in high school... legal studies. at uni... sports mgmt.
 
40. Do you have Verizon?
no. australian.
 
41. What type of boy or girl do you usually fall for?
the quiet jock.
 
42. Do you have any hidden talents?
not really. i'd probably tell people if i had talents. haha. i enjoy writing, which not many people know, but i don't exactly think it's a talent.
 
43. Favorite Song?
BABY ARE YOU DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. okay, inside joke.

44. Do you like to sing at all?
yeah.
 
45. Dream Job?
baseball player agent.
 
46. Where does most of your family live?
sydney, newcastle, germany.
 
47. Are you an only child or do you have siblings?
quite a few siblings
 
48. Would you consider yourself to be spoiled?
a lot when i was younger. now i try to work hard for things.
 
49. What was the first thing you thought when you woke up?
i was really confused as to what day it was.
 
50. Do you drink?
alcohol? of course.
 
51. Know any other languages?
german, french. but the latter, not as well as i used to.
 
52. Ever write a coded message?
yep
 
53. Have you ever been IN a wedding?
no, just to them.
 
54. Do you have any children?
my dog is my child.
 
55. Did you take a nap today?
i took one yesterday for about 20 mins. fucked me up. i hate napping.
 
56. Who has the same birthday as you?
my cousin
 
57. Ever met anyone famous before?
nobody that important.
 
58. Do you want to be famous one day?
not particularly.
 
59. Any Pet Peeves?
people who say "should of"
 
60. Are you multitasking right now?
watching friends. answering this. then, yes?
 
61. Do you like Britney Spears?
not really. that three song is one of the worst songs i have ever heard.

62. What is your least favorite chore?
any of them.
 
63. Last place you drove your car?
i don't remember. probably to the beach.
 
64. Ever been out of the country?
a lot.
 
65. Where were you born?
sydney.
 
66. Could you handle being in the military?
never.
 
67. What is your average cell phone bill?
prepaid. $150 a month, usually.
 
68. Who are you thinking about right now?
robert. because he just talked to me on facebook. he left last week.
 
69. When was the last time you laughed REALLY hard?
don't remember. probably friday night.
 
70. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
too many to count.
 
71. Are your toes always painted?
not always

72. How many piercings do you have?
none. they fell out and i couldn't be bothered redoing them.
 
73. What are you doing today?
going to visit my best friend at her new apartment. will probably involve drinking red wine and eating cheese.
 
74. Have you ever been gambling?
yeah. we won $50 on wednesday night. big spenders!
 
75. When is the last time you updated your page?
what page.

76. Do you like rollercoasters?
love them.
 
77. Have you ever been to disneyland or world?
disneyland and eurodisney. they're like, exactly the same.

78. Do you have a favorite cartoon character?
not really.
 
79. Last thing you cooked?
toast.
 
80. How's the weather?
way too hot. like 40 degrees.

81. Do you e-mail?
for uni/work things, yeah.

82. What's the stupidest thing you ever did with your cell phone?
threw it at the wall when i was angry at a boy.
 
83. Last time you were sick?
i think in like may, i was reeeally sick. had a few colds since then, but nothing major.
 
84. What states have you lived in?
new south wales. soon, massachusetts. yeahhhhhh.
 
85. Do you wish you could move?
hell yes. i am so over this city. moving next july.

86. Do you have a favorite scar/beauty mark?
just freckles... i have one between my fingers, and one underneath my eyebrow.
 
87. What is your dream car?
bmw 1 series. my dream cars have always been pretty accessible. i just don't care about cars that much.
 
88. Have you ever wanted someone you cant have?
so much.
 
89. If you could be anywhere right now where would it be?
bawstun
 
90. Are you happy with your life?
i have no reason not to be. except location.

I was sitting in my office at Level 14, going over some sketches, when there was a knock at the door, and Paolo stuck his head around. “Phone call on line 3,” he whispered, before backing out and closing the door again. I looked over at the blinking light on the phone, wondering who was calling me, picking it up with a slight sigh.
 
“Hello?”
 
“Hey, Daz? It’s me,” Emily said.
 
“Hi Em... what’s up?”
 
“Can you meet me after work?” She sounded worried.
 
I checked my clock. “Yeah, sure. I finish whenever. What time do you get off?”
 
“I’ve had the day off. I’ll meet you downstairs from Level 14 in ten minutes?”
 
“Yeah. Sure. Hey, Em, are you okay?”
 
“Maybe. I’ll explain later.” She hung up abruptly and I sat for a few seconds, staring at the phone, unsure of what had just happened. I packed up all my stuff and waited downstairs until I saw her small, brown-haired figure coming towards me.
 
“What’s wrong?” I asked. She linked her arm through mine and pulled me away, down the sidewalk.
 
“Walk and talk,” she said, glancing around her. “I’m late.” Her voice was almost a whisper, I had to strain to hear it.
 
“For what?”
 
“No, Daria, I mean I’m... *late*.”
 
“Oh... Oh!” It clicked in my mind. “Shit, are you sure?”
 
She nodded and pulled me into a pharmacy, making her way to the where the pregnancy tests were. I glanced around to make sure nobody recognised it, and ducked my head behind the shelf. “I’ve been feeling bloated and sick as well. It’s really late, Daz.” She rifled through the tests, trying to pick one.
 
“Aren’t you and Alex... careful?” I whispered.
 
“Well, I’m on the pill. But... you know how forgetful I am.” She grimaced and looked at the tests again, before picking up three different ones and taking them to the counter. I stood next to her and squeezed her hand.
 
“Come up to my apartment... it’s only three blocks from here. You can take them there.” She nodded and I led her out of the pharmacy and up to my place. She dropped her bag and went into the bathroom, splashing water on her face. I pulled the tests out, dropping their boxes on the dining room table as I read the instructions. “Okay, do the three of them at the same time. They’re all meant to turn blue if it’s positive,” I called out, passing them through the door. “I’m gonna wait out here.”
 
I paced outside as she did her thing with the tests, coming out a few minutes later. We sat at the table and laid them in front of us, waiting for them to come up with the results. “Have you told Alex?” I asked. She shook her head.
 
“Not yet.”
 
“...are you scared?”
 
She chewed on her lip for a second. “Yes. Not of telling him, because he’ll be fine with it. I’m just... scared of what comes next.” Scratching her head, she paused for a second. “Well, at least I hope he’ll be fine with it.”
 
“Alex is a great guy,” I reassured her, rubbing her back. “You guys will be fine.”
 
One of the tests started to change colour, and she shut her eyes tightly. “I can’t watch. Tell me what it says.”
 
I peered at it as it continued changing. “Em... it’s blue.”
 
She opened her eyes, shocked. “Oh my god...” she whispered. “Oh my god.” We watched as the other two turned blue as well, sitting there, astounded for a minute.
 
“Emily... you’re pregnant.”
 
“I can’t believe it...”
 
“Are you okay?”
 
She gulped. “I... I think so. I’m... going to have a baby.” Her eye welled up and tears spilled over as she raised her hands to her mouth. I wrapped my arms around her and drew her towards me, her body shaking. We sat in silence for what felt like an hour, just processing everything. Eventually she wiped her eyes, smiling.
 
“I should get home... tell Alex...”
 
I nodded. “I’ll get a cab with you...”
 
“No, no, it’s okay, I want to walk, clear my head a little. Thanks, Daz, for everything...” she hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek.
 
“Let me know how it goes... telling him.” I squeezed her hand one last time before she left. I dumped the tests in the bin and stretched out on the couch, still thinking about Emily. And Alex. And their baby. And how much it freaked me out that one of my best friends was going to have a child. Granted, she was five years older than me, but it still made my head spin.
 
I don’t know how much longer it was until I heard the door open and Jake come in. I heard him walk through the kitchen, and stop. It was silent for a few seconds, and I saw him come into my line of view. “What the hell, Daria?” he asked, looking down at the empty pregnancy test boxes in his hands, then at me.
 
“Jake, it’s-”
 
“Why didn’t you tell me? How did this... just... what the hell?” he asked again.
 
“Calm down. They weren’t for me.”
 
“Oh? Then who?”
 
I sighed. “Emily. She’s with child.”
 
He breathed a slight sigh of relief and dropped the boxes, slipping a hand underneath my head and lifting up so he could sit, then resting my head in his lap. “You freaked me out,” he said, stroking my hair.
 
“Would you be that freaked out if I was pregnant?”
 
“Honestly, yes. I don’t... I’m not sure if I’m ready for that just yet.”
 
“Me either,” I murmured.
 
[comment with ‘pregnant’ if you read?]

I woke up early in the morning, as the light began to peek though the bedroom curtains. I stretched out lightly, moving Jake’s arm that was lying across my torso, and creeping out to the kitchen to pour myself some apple strawberry juice. I sipped at it while looking at the latest arrivals on net-a-porter before shutting the laptop, washing my glass and wandering back to the bedroom.
 
Jake was still asleep, so I stripped down to my underwear and climbed softly onto the bed, straddling his hips gently. He stirred as I ran my hands up his chest, towards his neck, and his eyes opened. He rested his hands on my thighs as I leant down to kiss him.
 
“Good morning,” I said brightly.
 
“What did I do to deserve you?” he murmured.
 
“Who says you deserve me?” I raised an eyebrow and grinned. He reached up and tickled me until I fell onto the bed next to him. “Um, I don’t know if you realise this, but you have a giant bruise on your ass,” he said, tracing around it with his finger.
 
“Argh,” I grimaced. “Libby.”
 
“...Libby gave you a bruise on your butt? Is there something I missed last night?”
 
I grimaced. “Be nice to me. I have a sore ass.” I bit my lip and remembered something, pushing myself up on my forearms. “So I’m not needed at work today... and you don’t have any coaching...” I traced my finger across his chest, lightly, teasing him. “So I was thinking we could engage in a particular activity in our time off...”
 
“Oh yeah?” He turned me over on to my back and skimmed his hands over my bare hips.
 
“Yep. It starts with an S...”
 
“You read my mind,” he murmured, pushing me back down and kissing me deeply.
 
“...you were thinking shopping too?”
 
“What? Oh...” he sighed and rolled back onto his back, rubbing his temples. “Not really.”
 
“Aw. Come on. You need new clothes, and you need me to help you choose them. I need more too, and I need you to tell me I look beautiful in them.”
 
“Daz, if there’s one thing you don’t need, it’s more clothes....”
 
“Irrelevant. Anyway, I have a plan. After we go get some clothes, we should go out to dinner tonight. Just us. Nobody else.”
 
“So you promise this isn’t another double date?”
 
“No. What I’m thinking is we get really dressed up... like, you, in a suit. Me, in a fancy dress. We don’t get ready together, we meet separately at a restaurant. It’ll be exciting.”
 
“...at what point in your life did you realise you’re insane?”
 
“When I fell in love with you.” I kissed him quickly and rolled off the bed, pulling on a robe. “So I suggest you get ready for shopping.”
 
--------------------
 
I felt bad about dragging Jake around for hours, shopping for both of us. When we got home, I ran up to the bedroom, finding something for him to wear and handing it to him. “Get dressed and leave... I don’t care where you go... just meet me at the restaurant, kay?” I kissed his cheek and he shook his head, seemingly astounded.
 
I jumped in the shower and washed my hair, walking into the bedroom afterwards with just a towel wrapped around my body. Opening my closet, I scanned over the choice of dresses that Jake hadn’t seen yet. It seemed like eeny, meeny, miny, Leger. Eventually I settled on the silver one. I carefully reconstructed my bedhead hair, because I knew that was the way he liked it, with dark eyes and nude lips. It was exciting, I felt like was getting ready for a legitimate date again, without having m y date actually sitting on my bed and watching me get ready, as he usually did.
 
After slipping on some shoes and grabbing a bag I made my way downstairs and caught a cab to the restaurant I’d told Jake to meet me. When I entered, I saw him sitting at a table, alone, looking a little uncomfortable in his formal clothes.
 
He saw me, and stood up. I walked over to him shyly and he drew me in towards him, one hand resting on the small of my back. “That dress is just... you are... incredible,” he whispered into my ear.
 
I shook my head. “No, you are.” We sat and ordered drinks and dinner, talking enthusiastically, like we hadn’t spend the whole day together. Or the past month. He played with my foot under the table and kept glancing down below my neck.
 
“Are you checking me out?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
 
“To be honest, I want to rip that dress off you. Well, figuratively. I wouldn’t want to ruin it.”
 
I laughed. “Okay. Wait until we get home.”
 
“You sure? I heard they have a cloak room here...”
 
“Trust me, it’ll be worth it later.”
 
[comment with ‘later’ if you read?]

maybe it should be when i'll be 84 you'll be 89... doesn't sound as good though
 
“Stop, Libby!” I yelled out at her, clenching my eyes tightly for a second, and opening them to find her approaching me, a look of terror on her face.
 
“I can’t, you stop!” she yelled back at me.
 
“Turn around!” I instructed, flailing my arms frantically.
 
“I can’t! You turn around!”
 
“You’re going the wrong way! We’re going to- ahhhhh!” We both held out hands out in front of us, our bodies crashing into each other with a light thud, and we toppled over one another, landing on the ice; me on my back, her on top of me. I looked up at her and blew a strand of hair out of my face.
 
“Are you coming on to me?” I asked, giggling. She rolled her eyes and held the back of her hand to her forehead.
 
“I can’t help it. You’re just so damn attractive.”
 
I struggled to my feet and held out my hand to her, pulling her up and dusting myself off. “Okay. So maybe ice skating isn’t our forte.”
 
“You got that right.” She looked past my shoulder and smiled. I turned around to see Ace and Jake leaning over the railing of the skating rink, laughing at us. I skated over slowly to Jake and he stepped out onto the ice, collecting me in his arms and spinning me around once before dipping me backwards slightly and kissing me.
 
“Are you going to get your skates on?” I asked, holding onto his arms.
 
He shook his head determinedly. “No way.” He took my hand and led me over to the benches facing the rink, where we sat. I unlaced my skates and pulled them off quickly, pushing my feet back into my boots to prevent as little heat as possible from escaping. Jake put his arm around my shoulder and rubbed my forearms, trying to warm me up as I shivered involuntarily. I felt his breath, warm on my neck, and turned my head out meet his, our foreheads and noses touching. I closed my eyes, to savour the moment; the smell of him, the warmth from his body, the crisp air swirling around us.
“We should get going,” he murmured, rubbing my back. I nodded reluctantly and stood up, saying goodbye to Libby and Ace. Jake drove us home and I fell onto the couch when we got inside, Ash jumping up and settling on my stomach as Jake looked at something on my laptop.
 
“What’s new with you?” I asked Ash, playing with his ears. He responded by attempting to bite my fingers. “Oh, okay, fine, I won’t ask.” I rolled my eyes.
 
“Daz, come here,” Jake called. I sighed and pushed Ash off me, wandering over to Jake and sitting on his left leg.
 
“What’s up?” I asked, peering at the computer screen.
 
“Looking at real estate. If we’re going to consider doing this, we should probably set out a few things.”
 
“Like what?” I wondered, looking down at my nails and picking off the flaking polish.
 
“Budget, mostly. Location. Rooms. Facilities...”
 
I sighed. “Budget isn’t really a big deal. Location... as long as it’s on Manhattan. Rooms... we don’t need any more than two bedrooms. Facilities... whatever. I’m not concerned.”
 
“Well.... you’re easy to please.”
 
“Am I?” I raised an eyebrow.
 
“...sometimes.”
 
I looked back at the screen, scrolling through the properties that had come up. None of them really jumped out at me. I chewed on my lip, continually flicking through the pages. Jake rested his hands on my hips and kissed the nape of my neck gently.
 
“Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “We’ll find something perfect. You deserve nothing less.”
 
[comment with ‘perfect’ if you read?]

“You owe me... $800,” I said, smirking. Jake sighed and looked down at his paper money, sifting through the gradually shrinking pile.
 
“I don’t have that kind of money...”
 
“Then you’ll have to mortgage some of your properties...”
 
He furrowed his brow. “Why did you have to go and put hotels on everything? You just ruined the game.”
 
“Aw, you sook, you’re just mad cause this is the first time I’ve ever beaten you at Monopoly.”
 
“Because it’s the first time you haven’t gotten frustrated and thrown all your houses at me in a fit of rage.”
 
I grinned. “Maybe I’m just better at managing my properties now.” I heard something skittering across the floor and Ash came flying in. He set his eyes on Jake and bounded over to him.
 
“Oh no, Godzilla!” Jake laughed as Ash ran over the Monopoly board and sent our houses flying.
 
“Godzirrrrrra,” I said to myself, giggling. Jake looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.
 
“Dammit, you are so hot,” he said, lunging over the board in one swift movement and pinning me underneath him. “Can I repay my debt in sexual favours?”
 
“Ouch, Jake,” I muttered, wriggling slightly. “I have hotels under my butt.”
 
“And houses in your hair,” he said, picking out a piece of red plastic. I grinned and curled my fingers through his hair, pulling him down to kiss me.
 
“You know the high school girls asked about you today,” he said, rolling over and pulling me on top of him, raising his arms up underneath his head.
 
“Oh yeah?” I sighed, tracing over his chest with my finger.
 
“They were wondering where you were. And if you were coming back.”
 
“And what did you tell them?”
 
“That you were waiting at home, naked on a monopoly board, and I just couldn’t give that up.”
 
“I’m not naked...”
 
“You will be soon,” he murmured with a glint in his eye. I laughed as he attacked my neck with kisses.
 
-------------------
 
We lay in bed later that night, I was reading, Jake was dozing. He stirred and rolled over, resting his hand on my stomach. “So what do you really think about Libby and Ace getting engaged?”
 
I grinned to myself. “I couldn’t be happier.”
 
“Does it make you feel like... we should get married too?”
 
I put down my book and looked at him. “If that’s a proposal, you need to do much better.”
 
“No, no...” he sighed. “I just don’t want you to think that I don’t want to marry you because I haven’t seriously asked you yet.”
 
“I don’t think that, at all,” I said quietly, threading my fingers through his and bringing his hand up to kiss it.
 
“I’m just thinking... if we’re not ready now, when are we ready? Because I’m not planning on leaving you any time soon. Or, well, ever.”
 
“It’s easy for us to say ‘let’s get married’ during a good time in our relationship... like now. But I think we have a few storms to weather yet. Like next season.”
 
“I guess you’re right.” He let out a deep breath and reached out to kiss my cheek before rolling out of bed and making his way out to the kitchen. I followed him out and opened up my laptop, sitting down on the couch and checking my emails as I crunched on an apple. After dealing with them I pulled up my horoscope, just curious as to what the universe had in store for me tomorrow, even though I didn’t really trust it. Down the bottom of the page was a link to horoscope compatibility. I typed in mine, Pisces, and Jake’s, Virgo, to see what came up.
 
Jake came and sat next to me, turning on Jimmy Fallon. “Listen to this,” I said, tapping his knee gently. “There are many Pisces-Virgo couples, testament to the fact that opposites attract. Pisces likes to wax poetic, or dreamily let their imagination take the lead. Virgo has two feet firmly in this world, but is constantly refining their body, routine, skills, etc. Virgo likes to be precise and can be detached. Pisces self-expression is looser and filtered through sensitive emotions. When there is understanding, they stand to benefit from the other's balancing perspective.”
 
Jake raised his eyebrows. “Woah. Sounds like us. That’s kind of freaky.”
 
I kept reading. “What they share is a sensitivity to the environment, and a love of quiet pleasures. They thrive when home is a serene spot to retreat to, and process all the vibes picked up during the day. The industrious Virgo can be an anchoring presence for Pisces, who often has a hard time with discipline. Pisces helps Virgo soften emotionally, and put trials in a spiritual perspective.”
 
“Well. You do have a hard time with discipline,” he said, grinning. I rolled my eyes and smacked in him in the chest
 
“And you need help with your spiritual perspective.”
 
[comment with ‘discipline’ if you read?’]

soooo this is meant to be before the last set. just ignore that, kay?

I sat cross-legged on the floor, my back leaning against the couch, not really absorbing what was on television. Jake stretched out behind me, groaning a little. I twisted myself around to look up at him and his lips met mine, kissing me quickly.

“You look pretty tonight,” he murmured, running his hand through my hair.

I look down at the loose-fitting tank and tiny pyjama shorts I was wearing. Not exactly glamour material. “Are you trying to get in my pants?”

“No. Well, yes, but…” he grinned. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to my Blackberry, lazily texting Libby to ask how her night had gone, before jumping on the couch and settling in with Jake to watch Conan.

Half an hour went by with no reply from Libby. I furrowed my brow while checking the phone again. She was probably preoccupied. Still, she always found a way to message me back.

I was startled by a knock at the door. I looked at Jake, and he shrugged, so I got up and padded to the door, opening it a crack. “Ace?” I opened it wider after seeing who was standing there, letting him in.

“Good evening, Daria,” he said softly. Something was wrong; it flashed across his eyes. I bit my lip, worried.

“What is... um… up?”

“Can I talk to you?”

“Sure,” I nodded, ushering him into the living room and sitting back on the couch.

“Have you spoken to… her in the last half hour?”

“Who?”

“Libby…”

I gulped and shook my head slowly. “No, no. But tell me why, Ace?” I asked worriedly. “What went wrong?” He sighed briefly and stood, passing me a ring box. My heart skipped a beat, and I gasped. “You… engaged? To Libby?” He was quiet, looking at the floor. I felt a knot forming in the bottom of my stomach. “And she declined?”

“Yes.” He continued looking down, not meeting my eyes.

“I'm so sorry.. Ace. I-I don't know what to say.. or do. I.. don't see why she didn't say yes. She loves you more than anything.”

He nodded. “Can you just find her, Daz? Talk to her?”

“Of course… anything for you two.”

“And please,” he whispered, meeting my gaze finally. “Tell me it’s not over…”

I reached out and squeezed his hand. “It’s not,” I said, quietly confident. I grabbed my phone and sprang up, punching in Libby’s number as I moved towards my bedroom. I held the phone to my ear and it rang out, leaving me with her answering machine. I hung up and tried again, over and over. Still no response.

With shaking hands, I typed out a text. “Libs, where are you? Ace is here. I’m worried. Call me. Please.” I grabbed Jake’s phone from beside the bed, typing in her number, thinking that she might answer if she didn’t know the number I was calling from. But she didn’t. I paced back to the living room and used Ace’s phone, still to no avail. Just as I set it back down, it started to ring.

I glanced at the caller ID, hopeful, but it said Stephanie. “It’s your sister,” I said quietly. He picked it up and had a brief conversation, quietly. He looked at me after hanging up. “Tomorrow morning… visit her?”

I nodded, and he left. “You okay?” Jake asked. I sighed and turned on my heel, walking back to the bedroom, and landed face down on the bed. Jake padded in after me, lying down softly next to me, rubbing my back. “It will be alright. I promise,” he said, kissing my shoulder gently. I nodded weakly and he gathered me in his arms, where I eventually fell asleep.

----------------------

Jake drove me to Stephanie’s place early the next morning, and waited in the car as I made my way upstairs. She let me in, and I found Libby sitting on the guest bed, holding her legs close to her chest. She looked up when I came in and mustered a small smile.

“Good morning,” I whispered, sitting next to her and drawing her into a hug. I felt her body shake softly, like she was trying not to cry. Stephanie came in and sat on the other side as I held Libby’s hand.

“Why did you say no?” she asked, softly. Libby gulped. “Because I don't want to risk our marriage. I didn't.. want us t-to get married at such a young age and..and then re-regret it...” she stuttered, desperately trying to wipe tears from her eyes. “I didn't want him to regret marrying me”

Stephanie sighed, hugging her. “Go to Ace, okay? Tell him you love him. Everything will be okay.”

Libby nodded meekly and I squeezed her hand. “It will, Libs. Come on. I’ll help you get fixed up and Jake and I will take you wherever you need to go.”

------------------------------------

We sat in the car after dropping Libby off at the park, watching her walk nervously away. I rested my head against the headrest, turning slightly to look at Jake."I love you," I said quietly. He looked back at me and smiled.
 
"I love you too."
 
I squeezed his hand. "Even when it might not seem like it. I love you more every single day."

snob scrilla - houston. download it.
 
I chewed thoughtfully on a piece of rocket, listening to Maya intently as she shyly told me about the new boy she’d met, and was crushing on. “So what’s he like? Has he asked you out yet? Where is he from? Ooh, this is exciting…” I said, eyes wide.
 
“Calm down Daz, I only just met him…”
 
“Sorry,” I blushed. “Helpless romantic.”
 
She laughed. “It’s okay. I promise I’ll tell you when I know.”
 
After lunch I headed home to find Jake sitting out on my fire escape. “Hellloooo,” I greeted him, sticking my head out the window. He held out his hand and I grasped it, climbing out to sit between his legs as he wrapped me in his arms.
 
“I’m starting to rethink my position on this city,” he murmured, playing with my fingers.
 
“Oh yeah?”
 
“I thought that the only thing I liked about it was you. But then, I also like the streets that go on forever. The hidden gym across the road. Central Park. The rooftops.”
 
I smiled to myself. “I told you it was a good city…”
 
“I think I should buy a place here.”
 
“We have a place here…”
 
“This isn’t ours. This is your grandfathers. I want my own place where I don’t feel indebted to anyone. And where your ex doesn’t live across the hall.”
 
I chewed on my lip thoughtfully. “Okay. But we’re going away soon. For Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. And then we have two months, and you go to Florida. You don’t really have time to settle into a new place. It will just be me living there, mostly.”
 
“That’s fine…”
 
“I like my place, though. I like the location, I like the layout, I like the people here. And I like Magnolia. You wouldn’t make me move away from Magnolia, would you?”
 
He sighed. “I just think we should live somewhere where we’re both happy…”
 
“Both happy? You aren’t happy now?”
 
“No, I am, I just-”
 
“And you won’t really be living there, anyway. It will pretty much be me playing house most of the time. Getting used to a cold, empty, new apartment by myself. I don’t think I can do that…”
 
“I will be there! Not every night, but I will be there. It’s not like I’m sending you off into the world on your own, Daria. Why are you so against this?”
 
I wrinkled up my nose. He was frustrated, his hand let go of mine. “Because this is a big thing, Jake,” I said quietly. “Buying a place together… would be the biggest thing we’ve ever done. As a couple. I’m still 21. You have to give me time to think about these things…”
 
“I think we’re ready. We’ve lived together for over a year, all up. And if you’re scared.. it’s okay. I’m here to hold your hand.” He curled his fingers back through mine and kissed my cheek. I let my head fall on his shoulder, looking out at the city below us. Wondering if I was ready to let this point of view go.
 
-----------------
 
We showered, changed and headed to Marquee around 10, where the Friday the 13th party was already underway. Newt waved at us as soon as we stepped in the door.
 
“Aw Daz, you are adorable,” he said, pointing to my cat ear headband. Jake wrapped his arms around me and kissed my temple.
 
“And she’s mine.”
 
Newt grinned happily. “So what’s new with you two?”
 
I shrugged. “Not much.”
 
“We’re buying a new place,” Jake said, over the top of my head. Newt’s jaw dropped and I turned sharply to look at Jake.
 
“You are?”
 
“Well… uh… we just talked about it today, briefly, nothing’s definite…” I stammered. Newt raised his eyebrows, a moment of realisation creeping across his face.
 
“Oh… well… of course. Hey, um… I’m gonna go get another drink. You wanted one?”
 
I nodded slightly and Newt scampered off. I turned around once he was out of ear shot and hit Jake sharply in the chest. “What the hell?” I asked him loudly.
 
The side of his mouth curled up into a wry smile and he held his hands up in protest. “What?”
 
“You know very well what…”
 
“I’m sorry,” he laughed, trying to hug me. I pushed him away.
 
“It’s not funny, Jake! You can’t just tell my friends that when we’ve only talked about it for five minutes!”
 
“Calm down, kid. It was just Newt.” He smoothed my hair back away from my face and kissed my forehead, resting his other hand on my butt. “Let’s just simmer at each other all night and go home and have angry sex and forget about it by tomorrow morning.”
 
“Hell no,” I said. “If I were you I’d be careful, lest you risk sleeping on the couch again.”
 
“You know it wasn’t all bad… except the dog can’t do that thing you do…”
 
“Ew, Jake,” I pushed his face away from mine. “You’re disgusting.”
 
“Disgustingly handsome… disgustingly witty… disgustingly charming… yes, yes I am.”
 
[comment with ‘friday the 13th if you read?]

“I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken - and I’d rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived.”
— Gone With the Wind

I crawled out of Emily's bed early in the morning, glancing back at her and Newt, still fully clothed, sleeping. I made my way downstairs, out to the street, where Jake's car was waiting.
 
"Where to, miss?" he asked, pulling out from the kerb.
 
I dragged my palms down my face. "Home. Just... take me home."
 
He shook his head and smiled. "Sometimes.. I forget how young you are. Staying out late. Getting drunk off your face. Falling asleep in your clothes from last night. Going to work the next day."
 
I shook my head. "No. Not going to work. I want to stay home and cuddle with you all day."
 
"Who says I want to cuddle with you?"
 
"These do," I said, grinning, showing him the handprints on my legs.
 
"Oh, shit... did I do that?" He looked slightly worried.
 
"Yeah. It's okay. You want me."
 
"Maybe a little."
 
------------------------------
 
We decided to go watch the Knicks game with everyone else, even though we weren't exactly fans, we each had our own teams. But Jake loved basketball, it being one of the myriad sports he was amazing at, so he wanted to go.
 
I sat with Bailey, and she handed me a drink. "Noooo thankyou," I said, pushing it away.
 
"Go out last night?" she asked with a wicked grin. I nodded reluctantly. Jake sat down next to us, placing a hand on my knee.
 
"I wanna play basketball," he announced. "Will you play with me tomorrow?"
 
I laughed and shook my head. "No. No way."
 
"Why not?"
 
"Because you're good at it and way too competitive and won't let me win."
 
He pouted. "You never let me have any fun."
 
------------------------------
 
Thankfully we didn't get home too late. Lying in bed, Jake pulled me underneath him, his hands creeping up my skirt. "I love you, kid."
 
"I love you too."
 
"Even though you're a Celtics fan."
 
"Even... what?"
 
"Despite your poor choice in basketball team."
 
I scoffed. "I'm sorry, but I do believe that the Celtics kick the Blazers' ass."
 
"You're so wrong," he murmured, kissing my neck. I pushed him away and wriggled out from underneath him.
 
"Oh yeah? Then you can go sleep on the lounge."
 
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Right. Come back here..."
 
I crossed my arms. "Nope."
 
"You have to be kidding me, Daria."
 
"You wish I was." I pointed to the door. "Go hang out with the dog. Or take back your blasphemous statement."
 
"Never."
 
"Then get out. Or I'm not sleeping with you for a week."
 
He sighed and sat up, shaking his head. "You drive me crazy, you know that?" he mumbled, dragging himself from the bed.
 
"And don't come back until you're ready to say sorry!"
 
[comment with 'sorry' if you read?]