Liviana and Blaze were consumed.Consumed by themselves and each other - by each and every moment they spent together, locked away from the rest of the world as they spent their day wrapped up in one another. The conversation never seemed to end as, from the moment they woke up to the moment they went to bed, they were talking. Discussing and dissecting, the two had never felt more comfortable. It was just them, their thoughts and their words, and nothing else - no one else mattered. It was as though the second they had stepped through the thresh hold of their new shared bedroom; they had entered a safe zone. The haven they had always craved had come to life, and now, they lived in it. And they never wanted to leave. They had spoken about nearly everything that went through their minds, never wasting a second in sharing a thought as a quick sense of trust began to form. It was as though the moment they cut off the rest of the world; they had cut off their problems, too. Everything
"Remember to be kind," Liviana lectured her parents, sending the two a look over her shoulder as they made their way to the Castelli's front door. "And show some respect, will you?" Blaze adds, glaring behind at the two as he stops before the door, asking if they understood the rules they had laid out on the way over, before daring to ring the bell. It was only once Alonzo nodded and assured his son-in-law that they listened and understood the boundaries that Blaze finally relented and rung the bell. It took no more than a second for the door to be pulled open, and for Elara to greet the family with a warm smile."Kids!" She greets her son with a hug, pulling him down to kiss his cheek- an action he returns as he places a swift kiss on his mother's cheek before surpassing her, moving inside to greet his father. Elara turns her attention to her Liviana, quick to wrap her daughter-in-law up in a hug. "Hi, dear!""Hi," Liviana smiles, immediately feeling better in the woman's warm embr
Dinner was dreadful - as expected by every soul unlucky enough to attend. The night was long, dragged on by awkward small talk and questions that could either heal them or hurt them worse - and it did. It hurt worse as the hours went by and the families found themselves running out of topics they could use to save themselves from the silence - something that seemed to do more damage than one would think. Usually it was their words that cut like knives, if not actual knives. Never had a Castelli found silence so daunting until this one dreadful dinner. They couldn't wait for it to end. And when it finally did - when it ended after an endless chain of meaningless conversations, Elara had finally caved and dismissed four of the ten people who had joined, while the other six had excused themselves to chat. It was time to get down to business. "Alonzo, Drusilla," Lucius nods, pushing out of his seat and asking them to follow behind him. "Blaze, you of course know the way to my
It was half past ten by the time Liviana and Blaze pulled through their front gates, parking in their driveway and taking a moment to sit in the car that hummed with life.Music flowed softly through the speakers, playing lightly to soothe the silence that sat heavy between them.Liviana hummed along to the tune in a plea to aid the awkward tension that sat between her and her husband, sucking all the air out of the car. It was suffocating.When had things become so strained? She could've sworn that for a moment there, things had gotten better. She thought they were past this.Blaze coughs, drawing the woman's green eyes from her window to him. "Well... I don't know about you, but I'm beat," he says. "I'm about ready for bed."She forces a smile, lips pressing into a thin line as she nods. "Yeah... me too," she agrees. "That dinner was exhausting.""And yet, strangely enough, it's the calmest meal we've ever had..." He hums. "Odd, considering the end."She hums. "I honestly expected w
Liviana was completely and utterly exhausted. For hours, she had tossed and turned and occasionally played dead - fake slept - in hopes of not disturbing the man who sleeps peacefully beside her. And then, before she knew it, the night had come and gone and it seemed to have taken her sanity with it. Livi felt as though she was going insane. She was tired. All she wanted to do all day, from the very moment she got out of bed, was to go home and get right back in it. All she wanted to do was sleep. And after the day she had - after the tedious dinner she attended and a conversation that left her with more questions than answers - she could honestly say she was as mentally exhausted as she was physically. She had earned the right to rest. And yet, Liviana spent her entire night restless and worked up. She couldn't stop thinking about it - about her. Lyra. Blaze's first... what? His first kiss? First girlfriend? Love? She couldn't know. All she could do was wonder. Her mind ran in c
"The breakfast was wonderful, Liviana!"The woman smiles. "Thanks, dad."Alonzo nods at her, and Liviana returns the gesture before her attentions stolen by Blaze, who reaches for her hand. "It really was wonderful, Liviana," Blaze compliments, giving his wife's fingers a gentle squeeze and watching as she blushes. "It was delicious. Thank you."Her smile only widens. "It was delicious, wasn't it?" She boasts with a grin that Blaze matches. She was fishing for more compliments, and he was happy to oblige."It might just be the best breakfast I've ever had," he teases, watching as her grin grows by a ten fold. "You truly outdid yourself, love.""Thank you," she says, voice going soft with her sincerity. "I'm glad you enjoyed it.""We ought to get you to cook more often," Drusilla cuts in before the two could go on, telling her daughter that she had done a fine job. "I quite enjoyed the pancakes, myself. And where did you get those blueberries? I haven't had any that tasty in some time
The drive was long and as dreadful as any other time the father-daughter duo spent time together was. And they both couldn't wait for it to come to an end - so much so that they began counting down the minutes, anticipating the long awaited moment where they would reach their destination and they would be put out of their misery. That moment couldn't come fast enough. Liviana's knee bounced with nerves as she stared out of the car window, hoping they would arrive soon. She was practically vibrating with anxiety, and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears- feel it in her throat. This was too much. She needed out. "Are we almost there?" She turns to question her father, asking how much farther this office was. "I really need to get back-""The only thing you need to be doing is some explaining."Livi frowns. "Explaining?" She echoes, watching him nod before asking why. "Explain what? I already told you everything you need to know.""All you've told me is that she's a potential thre
Liviana was a nervous wreck. From the moment she got in the car, she hadn't been able to keep still. Her knee bounced with nerves and she wrung out her hands, squeezing her fingers whenever she wasn't spinning the diamond ring that the special one held. Her hair had become knotted because of how much she played with it, and by the time they arrived at the mansion, she had looked as much of a mess as she felt. Nonetheless, Liviana was beaming with her excitement- just another emotion spurring on her antsy limbs as she climbed out of the car and shook out her hands, making her way up the front steps as fast as she possibly could. She only paused when she reached the top, taking a moment to gather herself as she fixes her hair - tries to fix her hair. She stands there straightening herself out, using the reflection of their squeaky clean windows to help clean herself up, running her fingers through the dark strands of her hair and brushing the locks over her shoulders, praying he would
Before she knew it, and much faster than either cared to acknowledge, two hours had flown by and the two were soon forced to sit and face the intimidating discussion that, in all honesty, they couldn’t have dreaded more.Their morning had come to an end and there was no more running from it, no more avoiding their responsibility. They had matters to attend to, people to see and to discuss - people to punish.In order to place blame and punish anyone, there was a conversation to be had, precautions they needed to take. And so, for better or for worse, Liviana and Blaze sat down and got to work.At least, they tried to. But it turned out to be something much easier said than done, and even Blaze found himself struggling to strike up the conversation.The two sat quietly, the surrounding air packed with the tension of all those things that have gone unsaid. Questions, answers, accusations, and everything in between.Yet, despite the lingering words lost between them, neither could seem t
The night that started off as slow was anything but the moment her emotions started to roll. What started off as questionary, awkward, soon turned into something worse, something vulnerable. And that was her undoing.Livi hated it. Hated the feeling, the way it all unraveled, how she let it. She hated it so much that she began to feel as though she preferred the tension to the sensitivity, almost wanting to cling to it like some sort of shield, as if that could protect her from what was coming, what needed to be said, done.Of course, it couldn't. It all came crumpling down before she had so much as a chance to harvest it, use it. And then, just like that, she found herself back in his arms, the one place she shouldn't be, exactly where she didn't deserve to be.Being held by him was a luxury she almost couldn't afford. The safety he offered her, the comfort and the understanding, the pure kindness that came with the action of being wrapped up in his essence, was nearly too much. Much
One night.It was a deal Liviana made with herself, intending to enjoy the last bit of her husbands whiskey before climbing into the bed she prayed she would never have to leave - the outside world was just too dreadful and she couldn't handle the thought of having to face it again. So, for as long as she was allowed to, she was going to avoid it. She was going to crawl into bed and hide under the covers, and wait for the moment she could retreat into the world of her dreams.Fortunately, that moment was forced to wait when her husband decided to join her. He had strutted into the room with that sour question, "are you okay?" And in all honesty, she wasn't. She knew it, and he knew it too. He knew because he was just as exhausted as she was, just as miserable. And nothing sounded better than to drown in it with her by his side, washing down the bitter taste with a glass of whiskey and letting the sound of her voice drown out his woes. It was the perfect ending to a perfectly awful day
"You owe me."The words ring loudly in her head like some kind of siren, a warning and a reminder of her worst mistakes. And it was all because of one stupid party.Little Livi's heart drops and she's leaping toward her sister once again at the feeling, latching onto the older girl who offers a sense of safety despite her earlier harshness.Emilia is quick to return the sentiment, her free hand coming to rest over Liviana's that holds tightly onto her arm. She pulls her closer, the two taking a swift step back as she does so."Oh, my God- Dad!" Emilia gasps, wide eyes locking onto her dad's dark ones. She could already see it in there. The way the cogs spun in his brain, the anger that lurked beneath the green, something that she was sure was doing nothing more than fueling on some ridiculous plan, some way to spin this in his favor.Of course, she was right."What's going on here?" Alonzo questions, eyes bouncing between the two teenaged girls with a cold, calculating gaze. It was sh
The sound of the alarm blared loudly through the home, the sisters practically jumping out of their skin at the sound."The hell is that?" Liviana complains, hand moving to grip at her at the side of her head, where the throbbing only gets worse. The noise wasn't helping her haze at all."I don't know," Emilia murmurs, head twisting and turning in an attempt to catch the cause of the sound. She couldn't see anything out of place or hear a sound aside from the ringing of the security system echoing through the deserted halls."Whatever it is, make it stop!"The sound of her sister's whines has Emilia huffing, rolling her eyes at the show of her mess of priorities. "No," she replies simply, watching as the girl's face twists in confusion at the response."Why not?!" The pout resting on her lips was almost priceless, looking like a little kid who had just been told that they couldn't have their way. "It's loud, and- and it hurts! And worse? It's annoying!""It is." Emilia doesn't disagre
Creeping in through the window was a task that she could hardly handle sober, but after all those drinks she downed, she couldn't do it with her best effort."Livi- Livi!" Emilia whisper-shouts, hauling the girl up from the floor when she takes a tumble through the frame, nearly landing on her face from such a fall. "Hey, are you okay?"For a second, she's quiet, not speaking a word as her sister drags her to her feet, only huffing and puffing as she goes. Then, finally, she nods. "Yeah," she breathes, and all Emilia can do is frown. She wasn't convinced."Are you sure?" She asks, concern written across her face as she reaches out to touch her sister's, gently pushing the dark hair out of her eyes to get a better look at her. "You hit the ground pretty hard-""Fine- it's fine," she says, brushing it off with a small laugh. "I'm fine!"From behind her, Tino scoffs. "You don't sound fine." He couldn't help but disagree.Emilia hums, hating to agree with their brother - more so, hating t
"Alonzo?"The sound of his knuckles knocking harshly on the wood echoes loudly through the vacant hallway, startling Liviana, who lingers behind her husband, with its volume."You don't have to break it down, you know?" She mumbles the warning to her husband, who doesn't even spare her a glance. Instead, he does it again, his knuckles bouncing off the door even harsher this time than it had the last."Open up! We know you're in there!"A sigh can be heard on the other side, accompanied by some shuffling."We can hear you, you little-""Dad?" Livi calls out to him softly, cutting off her husband's shouts of anger and nudging him aside as she does so. "Are you okay in there?" She asks, pressing a hand and an ear to the door. "We know you're there, okay? We can hear you, and we need you to open up.""What for?" Alonzo calls after a beat of silence passes between the three. "I'm busy!""Oh, yeah? With what?" Blaze presses, banging his fist against the wood over his wife's head, causing th
"What is he doing here?"Liviana is met with the question the second she slips into the room, her footsteps faltering at the sound. The raven spins around, eyes catching on her husband, who sits in the darkened corner of their bedroom. "Oh- Blaze," she breathes out his name, pressing a hand to her chest at the suddenness of his question. She hadn't expected him to be here, waiting. If anything, she thought he would have left - ran. "You scared me," Livi mutters, sighing at the thought. "Again..."This time, Blaze doesn't bother with an apology, instead, he pushes for an answer. "Well?" He asks, repeating the question. "What's he doing here?""I..." Liviana trails, clicking the door shut behind her and venturing slowly inside, hating to admit that she hadn't asked. The feeling of her husband's prying eyes pulls the disappointing answer from her before she has a chance to think of something better, shrugging as she says, "I don't know yet."Hearing this, Blaze frowns, repeating the answ
"Well, here we are!" Liviana announces, pausing outside of the closed door and pulling the man to a stop. "Your new bedroom," she says, cracking the door open and insisting he take a look for himself. "What do you think?""Wow," Luka mutters, strolling inside with a hum and a quick look around. "Nice place you've got here, Liv. Looks like it's fit for a king."She couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "Because it is," she tells, reminding the man of who it was built for. And Blaze Castelli would accept nothing but the best for himself and his wife. They deserved a nice place to call their home, and he made sure that that's exactly what they got. She could see the irritation flash across his face at the reminder, and she has to refrain from sighing as she switches from what seemed to be a sensitive topic. "So... do you like it?"Luka shrugs, eyes cast away from her own as he scans the bedroom he deemed his own. "Yeah," he answers after a moment of wonder. "I think that I do.""You th