. bring your body

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---Late August in LA was difficult to enjoy, an already warm local nearly unbearable. Despite Iowa roots, Tessa had long forgotten snow and instead had exchanged it for the bleary, dry temperatures of California's desert climate. The pavement radiated the sunrays back on her legs, bare out of necessity rather than choice. A smile, natural and willing, was all that she wore on the flesh of her lips. The young man in front of her bore a familiarity to her, one that reminded Tessa of being much younger and much more naive. --- His pale hair was paler than her skin, and if she dared to look at him for too long she would start to feel strangely jealous that his face had been blessed with so much symmetry. Clay was good looking, though that went unnoticed most of the time, and she carried herself with a relaxed ease around him as if he was an extension of her family. On this particular day, he was the cause of the smile, and as the pair of them stepped out into the sun, caffeine wiring their blood and mixing with the heat, Tessa could not help but feel purely giddy on the account of his company. "I think that went well." She spoke, tugging on the young man's sleeve as she hurried away from the door of the cafe they just exited. Her arm brushed against his, ice rattling around amongst her coffee, the bean diluted with heavy cream and one Splenda. "I still can't believe you did this for me! What the fuck were you thinking?" ---Of course, the blonde sort of understood it, but her understanding waned if she was humble about herself or questioning of their personal relationship. Her view of him was fond, though she was aware in a slight capacity that they towed a thin line of intimacy. She had attempted to make the line in the sand very clear, but she found it easy to succumb to his flirtation, on account of his wit and cleverness. However attracted to him she was, that was as far as she was willing to let it go, especially now that their personal capacity seemed to be turning a professional leaf. Any girl would have been lucky to have him (and there was a lucky girl who did), but Tessa was regimented and rigid despite her bright laugh and chatty nature. The young woman hooked her arm in his, and stepped to the street, lifting a hand to hail a cab. "Mine or yours? I could use a drink." .................... --- notes: this is horrible. --- tagged: @clay --- music: buy a heart - nicki minaj

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---Pouring through the large bay window of the quaint little cafe, the sun soaked into the dark cotton of Clay's shirt, black fabric warm against his pale skin. Annabelle and Tessa had been so deep in conversation for so long now that he'd tuned out, attuned only to the hum of the conversation, to the approving tone of the elder and the rapid enthusiasm of the younger. Nonchalant though he appeared, his finger gliding over the glass of his iPhone 6, deep down he was buoyed with pride, unsurprised but still gleeful at his friend's success. Not to mention his own-- he had known that the two would hit it off, and to be right brought its own sense of achievement. But more than that he was happy for Tessa, who so deserved as much of his platform as he could manage to give to her. If he was honest with himself, he'd probably been ripping her off this whole time. --- So it felt good to be able to do something like this for her. A message from Lily flashed up on his screen noiselessly: When can I expect you home? A slight frown tugged at his lips, a low rumble of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Sitting Tess down with a woman as senior as Annabelle at Topshop was something she doubtlessly would disapprove of. Just as he was about to type out a noncommital reply, conclusive noises were being made, belongings being collected and seats being pulled away. "Talk about saved by the bell," he muttered, barely audibly. Dragged outside, Clay took his chance to wrap an arm around Tessa's shoulders, pulling the fragile blonde into a tight half-hug. "What did I tell you?! I knew you'd nail it!" Nuzzling into her hair and planting a kiss on her head, he kept her close. "You were really good, T. Even better than I was expecting-- and that says a lot." ---A smirk crept across his face as she stepped out to hail a cab, an eyebrow raising to match. "Your place or mine? Did you seriously ask me that? I have to say, when I said we could be friends without fucking I really thought we'd last longer than a couple days." He knew that wouldn't go down well, but didn't care. A cab slowed at her beckoning, and before she could object he'd opened the door and swept her inside, leaning forward to give the driver her address. "Lily's home," he added, by way of explanation. .................... --- notes: i stole ur code and gave u a terrible reply. --- music: alt j.

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--- There were moments in their recent reconnection that made Tessa's blood boil, less out of anger and more out of varying shades of frustration. Frustration at herself, for her inability to chase the release she wanted, and at him, for dangling it in front of her. Each time they spoke, Clay brought her to the metaphorical line and tempted her over it, smirking and looking too good in the process. As numb as she was to feelings for anyone else, physical attraction was something else entirely, though even it could not override the power of her guilt and the one thing she wanted more. Tess was known for this sort of stubborn behavior, and like most, it afforded her both positives and negatives. On one hand, she had built Raunch out of her sheer determination, her unwillingness to make it less than her best. Yet on the other, she often deprived herself of the social bonuses of being young and let her mind camp out in front of her heart and her hormones, policing anyone and everyone that got too close. --- Heat, pride, and a little touch of embarrassment flushed her cheeks as he pulled her into place a kiss at her temple. His lips ghosted at her hair, and while it was an affectionate gesture, brotherly almost, Tessa silently reprimanded herself for leaning into it. She grinned, pinching at the skin of his arm to tell him to behave in the playful way that she had. "Thanks babe."They were in a good place, as awkward and tense as their conversations had the potential to get. Her attraction for him was raging, annoying, and constantly there, and his admission that his feelings were the same did nothing to soothe the notion that she might be missing out on something. As her arm lowered when the cab came to a stop, she jerked her head around to look at him, her eyes blistering with a faux rage. Cheeky. How could he not be? --- The air conditioned leather of the car felt cool on the backs of her bare legs, and as Clay slid in beside her, she could not help but press her thigh against his, rummaging in her bag for a lipstick and feigning her innocence. His remark were his own brand of chiding her, and Tessa was capable of something similar, though knew that it was ultimately crueller. She knew her own limits, but knew what could drive him mad, so she would continue to offer him every little bit of flesh she dared give away until she felt he was uncomfortable enough. "And to think, I'm taking you back to my place with the promise of shots. You'll never make it out of there alive." She lived out in Beverly Hills, renting a basement apartment in someone's winter home. Tiny, still expensive, but private enough and big enough for the whole Raunch enterprise. --- The cab deposited them at the mouth of her driveway, and Tessa unwound herself from the car quickly and proceeded towards the house. She waited for him but constantly kept out of arms reach, stopping to linger at the door instead as she fumbled for her keys. "Mind the mess. I have to ship everything out tomorrow when the post office opens." .................... --- notes: ur gross --- music: no