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962 posts
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Authored by
Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Post by Nu on Feb 20, 2018 4:23:22 GMT
271 Words
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imma say all the words inside my head
Don't you tell me what you think that I could be
First assignment as his father's protege; cinch a deal with a major company in California. No pressure. It wasn't like he just started working last month.
Dylan knew his father's 'throw them in the deep end' method had a success rate of over eighty percent but did it have to be such a big fish? Dylan was settling in at Paige Industries and had even made a few friends, despite the stigma of being the boss' son and now he was stepping on a few toes - and fingers and heads - due to nepotism.
He knew his father had plenty of other more viable employees who could do the job a lot better than Dylan but his father was known for taking big risks.
Dylan had been preparing for the trip for days when he remembered Adrian's mother lived in California. A quick check of his itinerary told him that he was going to be within driving range of Adrian's mom's place. He realised that they didn't have the kind of relationship where they should be going on trips together but they had grown closer the past few weeks and he would be remiss if he didn't at least offer.
It was pretty late at night but he wanted to get it out of the way so he could concentrate on last minute preparations so he sent her a quick text.
Hey, I'm leaving for Cali in a couple of days. You wanna join me? I can have a driver send you to your mom's. After sending it, he went back to the stack of papers in front of him.
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea
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944 posts
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0 likes
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Feb 20, 2018 5:00:44 GMT
300 Words
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All The Boys
She came here to entertain you
The last few weeks had been more of a blur than usual. Work had become less of a priority and she'd spent every night on the phone making the necessary arrangements. Adrian was having more trouble finding a flight out and a way of retrieving her mother than she had expected, but she was doing all that she could despite everything. She was losing her mind.
She'd been curled up on her bed for the last hour, staring at the ceiling trying to wrap her head around all of the things she was responsible for in regards to her mother. Adrian had done everything she thought she could, but she was the kid. She shouldn't have had to do it. Not yet, not now. That was why there were two parents, wasn't it? But no, she couldn't have another parent to help her with this because both of the men that had been anything close to a father to her left.
When her phone buzzed, she almost ignored it. She was so close to ignoring it, but she had to be sure it wasn't important. Adrianna tapped the screen and her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. While her and Dylan had gotten closer, she still didn't know what to expect from him. And an offer to fly her out to California to go see her mother was the most unexpected thing he could have sent. Her fingers were shaky as she typed out her answer, but for the first time in a few days she couldn't help but smile.
I don't know what to say. Of course I want to, but...Dylan...you don't have to...
Isn't she a dream come true?
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962 posts
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0 likes
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Authored by
Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Nu on Feb 20, 2018 5:07:20 GMT
105 Words
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imma say all the words inside my head
Don't you tell me what you think that I could be
It was a while before he heard his phone vibrate against the mahogany desk. He took off his glasses and set it aside, leaning back in his chair before scooping up the phone to read the message. A small smile curved on his lips before he called her.
"I don't have to, I know that, but I wouldn't be asking if I didn't want to, Carstyn." He said when she picked up. "I assure you, once Cas finds out I've got this trip planned, she's going to force me to invite you anyway. I'm pre-emptively striking so I don't get her wrath." He joked lightly.
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea
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944 posts
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Trix on Feb 20, 2018 5:27:51 GMT
187 Words
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All The Boys
She came here to entertain you
Her smile widened when his name came up on her phone and she rolled her eyes the moment she heard his voice. Adrian sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. He wasn't one to mince words and he wouldn't just tell her what she wanted to hear. He was offering because he wanted to. But of course, he covered with Cassidy.
Her smile started to slip and she sighed into the phone, "I just don't want to be a problem, Dylan." And that was all she'd been feeling like over the last week. Adrian couldn't pull herself out of the funk she was in. This wasn't like her, she was witty and snarky and sarcastic, but she couldn't do it. It was like her sense of humor was dying with her mother.
"Are you sure it's a good idea that we even travel together? We barely like each other," She said with a short laugh.
Isn't she a dream come true?
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962 posts
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0 likes
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Authored by
Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Nu on Feb 20, 2018 5:36:44 GMT
168 Words
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imma say all the words inside my head
Don't you tell me what you think that I could be
Ever since the day she came over looking for Cassidy, Dylan paid a lot more attention to the change in her emotions. He realised that he liked her more than when they started out. Which was a bit of a problem considering Cassidy was his sister and her best friend.
Her voice and her words struck a chord in him that he didn't quite like and when she asked him again if he was sure, Dylan shook his head slowly and pressed the heel of his palm against his brow bone.
"Let me put it this way. The plane has six very individual seats with personal entertainment sets and I'm going to be the only one on it. If you can't stand me, you can choose the other five seats that are away from me." He joked.
"You're not gonna be a problem, Adrian. If you want, we can even spend the entire trip without so much as a text. You need to see your mom, don't you?"
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea
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944 posts
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Feb 20, 2018 5:52:40 GMT
190 Words
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All The Boys
She came here to entertain you
She didn't want that. She didn't want to go with him only to have him not talk to her while she was away. Her chest started hurting and she bit hard on her lower lip. Adrian was the type of person that didn't like complicated, and this was complicated. "I do, but Dylan..." Was it so wrong that she wanted him to be there with her?
Adrian took a moment and tried her hardest to put words to her thoughts. After a little time, she took a deep breath, "Come with me. After your work thing. Will you? I don't know if I can do it alone. And she'll like you, she'll really like you. Please?" She could feel tears starting to fill her eyes and she wiped at them in frustration. "Please," She whispered into the phone, although it was probably more for her than it was for him.
She didn't expect him to say yes, she didn't expect him to say much of anything.
Isn't she a dream come true?
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962 posts
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0 likes
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Authored by
Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Nu on Feb 20, 2018 6:03:07 GMT
153 Words
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imma say all the words inside my head
Don't you tell me what you think that I could be
He was ready with more counter arguments should she decide not to take him up on his offer but then she surprised him with pleading. He hadn't expected her to want him there with her, especially not to meet her mom. They barely knew each other save for the nights they shared in bed but did that really warrant meet ups with mothers? Especially one who was dying?
Logic dictated him to turn her down. Make any excuse not to say yes. He didn't owe her anything. If anything, she owed him. He was flying her out to meet her mother on a private jet, why would she ask more of him?
It was too bad he wasn't being governed by logic. All he wanted to do was say yes.
"Okay." He breathed out an inaudible sigh, so sure this was going to bite him in the ass somehow. "I'll come with you."
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea
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944 posts
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Feb 20, 2018 6:28:08 GMT
259 Words
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All The Boys
She came here to entertain you
The answer that he was supplied with was not what she had prepared herself for. She was ready to tell him to shove his offer up his ass if he said no, and she was ready to tell him that she wasn't going to keep taking his handouts so that he could feel good about giving to charity. Adrian was ready to accept that they just hated each other and that there was nothing else there, but then he did what she wasn't ready for. He made her question what she knew about them. They barely knew each other, but he was willing to be what she needed when she needed it and she couldn't hate him for that.
She had to laugh, it was all she could think to do. "Why can't you just be the predictable jerk I expected you to be?" She sniffled and wiped at her eyes.
Taking another deep breath, she laid back down on her bed, and kept the phone pressed to her ear. "None of this was supposed to happen, Dylan. She was supposed to get better and we were supposed to have longer. And she was supposed to have someone else, ya know? Someone that could love her and be there when I wasn't and someone that could help make the funeral plans when she was one hundred and thirteen years old. Not before she turned forty."
Isn't she a dream come true?
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962 posts
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0 likes
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Authored by
Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Nu on Feb 20, 2018 6:55:59 GMT
484 Words
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imma say all the words inside my head
Don't you tell me what you think that I could be
He grinned at her response and briefly wondered the exact same thing. He didn't know why he was being so damn nice to someone who was obviously not a good match for him. He knew she didn't think too highly of him but since when had that been a problem for him? He was happy being just a one night stand to her.
When did that change?
As she continued to speak after, Dylan found himself actually listening and sympathising. He was reminded of his own mother and her sudden death. She was younger than he was when she died.
Cassidy opened the door to the library and Dylan froze. "Hold on," he said over the phone as he addressed his sister. "You weren't in your room, I figured you'd be here." She said as she closed the door. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" She asked, looking down at the phone he had placed on the desk.
Dylan looked at Cassidy with a curious look on his face. "What's up, Cassidy?" He asked, straightening in his chair. The younger Paige moved further in, a look of determination on her face. "Dad told me he's sending you to California. Are you going anywhere near Oceanside?"
He hid a smirk as his prediction came true. "It's about half an hour away from where I will be staying. Why?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer to that question. "I hate asking you for anything but will you bring Adrian with you? I would go but I have classes and I can't get off work. You're taking the jet, right?"
Dylan could see the tension in her face but he could also sense the urgency in her tone. It must have taken a lot to put her ego aside to ask this but Adrian was her best friend and there wasn't a lot she wouldn't do for her. Even asking for Dylan's help.
"Yeah. Just let her know where the landing strip is and meet me there on Tuesday at ten in the morning." He responded coolly.
"Why can't you just pick her up?" Cassidy asked in annoyance. "It's not like her apartment is out of the way."
Dylan looked at Cassidy for a long moment before shrugging. "Fine. Just give her my number and ask her to text me her address."
Cassidy didn't say anything as she turned to leave the room. But at the door, she turned slightly. "Don't mess with her, Dylan. She's my best friend."
He sighed as she left the room. After making sure she wasn't coming back, Dylan picked his phone up and apologised. "Sorry...Cas came in. Uh...heads up, she'll be in touch with you." He said before addressing the conversation they had been having earlier.
"Also, I'm sorry you're going through this, Adrian. I really am. But you still have time. To...be with your mom."
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea
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944 posts
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Feb 20, 2018 7:20:32 GMT
317 Words
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All The Boys
She came here to entertain you
When he told her to hold on, she wondered if he was going to finally hang up. Like this was all just a joke. A sick prank that he was pulling to get back at her for whatever it was that she'd done to him. She didn't have faith in people, she couldn't trust them like she wanted to. She expected the silence or the little beep that signaled the call was over.
But she heard voices, muffled and familiar. Adrian strained to hear them, to get something from the conversation that was happening on the other side of the line. She was certain that she heard Cassidy's voice, which would explain him telling her to wait. It was making her nervous and nauseous while she waited and she considered hanging up to spare herself whatever was about to come, but before she did, his voice came back and she took a long breath.
"Why would sh- oh, she asked you to take me, didn't she?" Her lips quirked at the sides and she just wished that Cassidy would be coming with her, too. She could use all of the people she had because she didn't even know how her mother would look when she got there and that thought alone was enough to make her knees buckle.
Adrian focused on the way he said her name rather than on the apology. He understood, of course, but she didn't want his sympathy or his apologies. "I have time to watch her die, you mean. You know she hated chemo because she said it made her less of who she was. She's so stubborn, I think that's why I expected her to beat it. Surprising right? There's no wondering where I get mine from."
Isn't she a dream come true?
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962 posts
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Authored by
Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Nu on Feb 20, 2018 7:32:17 GMT
121 Words
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imma say all the words inside my head
Don't you tell me what you think that I could be
He laughed lightly when Adrian figured out why Cassidy had interrupted their conversation. "Yep. I'm glad she has someone like you as a friend but she is scary when she has someone at all." He chuckled.
It was sad that Adrian was at the stage where she couldn't see past the bleakness of the situation. Dylan would do anything to have at least a few days with his mother.
He gave a dry chuckle and leaned back in his chair. "Just stay strong, Adrian. You're all she has. And...I'll be there with you too. As much as I can."
Dylan didn't know why he was promising her anything at all but it was out and he couldn't take it back.
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea
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944 posts
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Trix on Feb 20, 2018 7:47:25 GMT
126 Words
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All The Boys
She came here to entertain you
"She's only scary to you," Adrian pointed out with a laugh. She was lingering on the fact that he'd said that he was happy his sister had a friend like her. It was kind of sweet for him to say even though she didn't think he did the sweet thing.
Stay strong, he said. Wasn't that all she'd been doing? She'd been playing parent for years and now she just wanted to be sad. Wasn't she allowed to be sad? But he was going to be there, that was a comfort wasn't it?
"I hate how much she's going to love you,"
Isn't she a dream come true?
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962 posts
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Authored by
Nu
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Sept 19, 2019 9:40:59 GMT
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Advanced Member
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Post by Nu on Feb 20, 2018 8:00:26 GMT
141 Words
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imma say all the words inside my head
Don't you tell me what you think that I could be
He laughed at how true that statement was. "Maybe. But you can't tell me there hadn't been a time or two when she scared you too." He pointed out.
He frowned slightly before approaching the remark in his usual manner. "Hey, you're the only one who doesn't appreciate me for what I truly am. Of course she's going to love me."
A loud ping from his computer alerted him to an email that just came through. The subject had him grimacing. "Adrian, I hate to cut this short but I just got an email from my boss. I call him dad on the weekends, no big deal but he's asking me for the finalised contract I have to bring over the Cali." He paused. "Hey, don't forget to text me your address so I can pick you up on Tuesday, okay?"
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea
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944 posts
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Sept 17, 2019 4:43:32 GMT
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Post by Trix on Feb 20, 2018 8:27:18 GMT
179 Words
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All The Boys
She came here to entertain you
"Only when she talks about you. She happens to adore me and I've yet to see her bad side," Adrian found that she was smiling and she tried to hold onto the feeling. And she knew that it was coming from him. Their interactions were the same even with all of the weird feelings that were roaming around in her body.
Her eyes rolled back in her head and she snorted, "Sure, Dylan, sure." But she knew he was right.
Adrian could hear the ping from her end of the line and she frowned. There time was up. She tried to brighten up just long enough to answer him, "You got it, Mr. Paige. I look forward to our appointment." The effort was there, but she knew she fell flat. Before she let him hang up, she mumbled into the phone, "Thanks, ya know. For this. Good luck with your boss. I'll see you, Dylan."
Isn't she a dream come true?
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