Short Series

For my creative souls out there

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

QUICK BLOG UPDATE:

Hey guys!

Before I get into what this post in actually titled. I just wanted to clue you in on some things. I have been vlogging as mentioned, but I haven’t edited anything yet,(things have been busy and this holiday season has me exhausted.) So the vlogs will be up at a later date. I have more footage than I thought-initially I planned to just do one massive vlog, but at this rate-it would end up being really long-so I’m probably going to have to break them into smaller vlogs.

Also today I did a lot of ground work for the writing of  my newest short story series; Welcome Home. Good stuff coming your way…and I will be posting a new chapter soon.

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XO

Michelle

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Dear Creative Souls,

It’s a beautiful thing when it just comes naturally isn’t it. When that light sparks and a fire is ignited inside you and your fingers can’t type as fast as your mind is going.

It’s such a rush and that’s when you feel like you are doing what you were always meant to do.

But, sadly it isn’t always that easy. In fact more than likely it’s a difficult task to handle on the regular.

I’ve always been creative. Even as a kid, I was always pretending and playing.

And I have always said that if I had a job that I really loved, it wouldn’t feel like work to me.

But you know what -being creative is work. It is some of the hardest work you can do.

It is mentally and emotionally exhausting. So much of your heart is displayed to the world for other people to comment on and critique.

And when the inspiration and the ideas stop, the failure you feel is much more personal and internal, than if you just failed at a regular job related task.

So what do we do when we lack inspiration? When our lights go dim?

Do we give up?

Are we supposed to just accept this fate.

This momentary lack of inspiration.. is it going to be forever?

There are so many creative people in this world, who have missed their calling.

Or who have moved on from their creative talents, because it wasn’t the sensible or “adult” thing to do. Because life pushed them into a corner and they needed to stray away to make ends meet.

It’s no secret that the creative souls struggle. We put ourselves in unhappy circumstances sometimes. We let our creative souls suffer. We sit behind a desk, we turn into daily robots, and crunch numbers.

It’s no place for a creative soul.

I see emotion in things. Love.

I see colors. I see patterns.

I’m trained to analyze and to dig deeper.

What is the meaning behind it all?

So much beauty comes from art, film, music, photography, writing.

These things we treasure, these things we used to escape our stresses.

These enjoyments.

Yet these are the people who struggle most to make a living.

The cost of life is higher than ever, and gone is the artistic feel at times.

It’s all about the benjamins.

I understand money is important.

Do it for the green.

But if something isn’t right and you feel it in your soul, you are doing it wrong.

It’s time to find that passion you once knew.

Weather it’s painting a blank canvas. Or writing that book you always wanted to write.

Stay in the crummy job, stick it out.

But only long enough until you find  some place else to turn to, a job that feeds your creativity.

Because we can’t let the arts die.

I work with kids and I can see how it’s changed.

It’s all academic.

You ask a math question. A million hands go up.

You ask them to talk about their likes, their interests, they freeze.

It’s uncool to be creative, since when?

It fills me with such joy, when I see a child express their creativity, when they are proud of a product they’ve created.

That’s what being a kid, is all about.

It’s that piece of child that should stay within us always.

Allowing anything less, is stealing childhood moments from them, they can’t get back.

So what do we do here?

When we start to notice that artists get the short end of the stick?

So many artists have back up plans-in case.

Why can’t being an artist be the goal, the attainable goal?

This itch to create, to move onto more…to keep going-to climb out of our rut.

Those are the real signs.

They are the pushes.

It’s so easy to get comfortable in life, to feel safe.

To settle.

But when you think about that, is that really living?

What would the artist in your soul do?

Think about it.

-<3-

 

 

 

 

 

On The Run- Part 10

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

ontherunposter

***Read Part 9 HERE

Charlie reaches for his jeans, finding his wallet he frantically searches in it for another business card.

He dials the number from the hotel line and after a few rings, the receiver of the call answers.

“Hello Malloy, its Steinfeld. I’m gonna need a favor.”

Malloy stands on the other side of a double sided window in a precinct.

“Let me guess, you’ve got a hand in the Wakefield murder case?”

“Why would you say that?” Charlie says his eyes widening.

Malloy turns to the interrogation room as a very defeated Sage sits there waiting for her questioning, her hands handcuffed in front of her.

“I’ve got a Sage Renly down here who fits the description of the suspect and not more than 20 minutes after she walks in with a confession, you call me. Please don’t tell me you are in some kind of messed up trouble with this chick.”

“I wouldn’t put it like that, but I do know her, and I can tell you, I think she’s lying,” Charlie says starting to throw on his clothes.

“You think, or you know?”

“She’s protecting someone, and she won’t tell me who or why? Every time I try and get the truth out of her she freezes or lashes out. She’s scared.”

“Well then, maybe you should get down here, now. There may be some way we can get the truth out of her.”

“I’m already on my way.”

Charlie grabs his jacket and rushes out the door.

***********************************************************************

Charlie rushes into the station to be met my Malloy.

“Tim, hey where is she, is she ok, can I see her?”

“Slow down Steinfeld, she’s fine. She’s not being questioned just yet. Look I’ve got a plan, its guerilla style but it’ll work. You just have to trust me.”

“Are you asking me to trust the system?” Charlie says rolling his eyes.

“No. I’m asking you to trust me.”

“Well then alright. What do I do?”

“Follow me,” Molloy says leading Charlie back towards the interrogation rooms.

He pauses and turns to Charlie.

“Look, between you and me, my intelligence unit, we do things a little rougher. We know when to throw the old rule book out the window and when to follow it. We get answers. But our methods aren’t always agreed upon, so you have to let me know if you’re on board now. Because once we get into things I can’t have you undermining me. Because you handed in your badge a long time ago. In that room, I call the shots.”

“Got it. Just tell me what I have to do to help you get her to tell you the truth.”

“Well for starters, you just have to wait here, you’re the bait. You’ll have a front row seat in here,” he says opening the door to the viewing side of the interrogation room Sage sits in.

Charlie walks in as Malloy closes the door behind him and walks into the interrogation room.

Charlie looks up and sees Sage, her face full of fear and anxiety.

His heart breaking, he stands closer to the window, wanting to comfort her.

“Ms. Renly…or is it Mrs. Renly?” Malloy says waltzing in and sitting on the corner of the table looking down at her with a smirk.

“Ms. Renly.” Sage says, her voice low.

“Ms. Renly it is. You’ve made a confession, haven’t you?”

Sage gulps, nodding slightly.

“Ah yes. A confession to committing murder.”

Sage looks away her eyes watering.

“Am I understanding that correctly, Ms. Renly?”

Charlie watches her his heart pounding, unsure of whether his instincts will be proven right or wrong.

“Yes. I have confessed to killing someone,” she says barely getting out the words, her voice cracking.

“Mmm and who is this someone you killed?”

“Daniel Black.”

Charlie looks at her, studying her facial expressions, her body language.

She’s fidgeting, her eyes keep drifting away, her voice hoarse, her eyes welling with tears threating to spill over at any time.

“The man found with his head bashed in; the Wakefield  murder case.”

“Yes sir.”

“Well this case has been all over the news, you’ve become quite famous.”

Sage looks up at him with a glare.

Charlie stares.

“She didn’t do it,” he whispers.

“One may wonder why you would be coming forward now, after all this time.”

“I couldn’t run anymore.”

“Mmm, takes a toll on you doesn’t it?”

Sage nods, breathing heavily.

“What is your relation to Mr. Black?”

“He is my best friend’s husband. Well, he was my best friend’s husband.”

Charlie stares intently as the story finally starts to unfold.

“You know, I was assigned this case from the very beginning Ms. Renly and I gotta say that blood bath you left was quite a scene. What caused such a deadly altercation between you and Mr. Black? And where was Mrs. Black?”

“Megan. Her name is Megan.”

“And where was Megan during the say 30 minutes it took you to bludgeon her husband to death with a baseball trophy.”

Sage looks up at him.

“That’s right, we found the murder weapon, and after we run your fingerprints, I am sure we will have everything we need to haul you off to prison for a long long time.”

“You’re probably right, and I deserve it. I took a life, and I deserve to be put away for that.”

Charlie winces and begins pacing the viewing room.

“Where was Megan?”

“She wasn’t home,” Sage says, her answer brief, her cold glare ahead steady.

Charlie notices; she’s gone. Her hope is gone. Her smile, her laugh, her innocence and youthfulness, all- Gone.

“Did Megan and Daniel, did they have any children?”

“A son.”

“How old?”

“4 and ½”

“And the son, was also not home that night you murdered his father?”

“No Megan had taken Simon out for ice cream.”

“Which brings me to the question, if Megan and her son were not home, why were you over there in the first place. I mean you did say that she was your friend, not him. So why go there is she wasn’t there?”

“I was out, and I dropped by spur of the moment. I didn’t know she wasn’t there.”

“So what made you stay?”

“Daniel seemed uneasy, unhinged. He just lost his job and he and Megan had a really big fight earlier in the day. He had been known for his temper and he had been drinking and when that happened, things would happen. Horrible things. I was worried of what could happen if Megan and Simon came home while he was in that state.”

“Was Daniel abusive to Megan?”

Sage looks down at her hands. As Malloy walks the room, making Sage more anxious.

Charlie looks on, his mind filling in the blanks from his previous conversation with Sage.

“It was a domestic dispute.”

“Who said it was my dispute?”

“It was Megan,” he whispers, his eyes widening.

“Ms. Renly, answer the question. Was Mr. Black abusive to his wife when drunk or otherwise?”

“Yes. Ok yes. For years I watched her put on a smile at parties and hold his hand, while at night she’d call me in tears and agony. Her body covered in bruises, sometimes it got so bad he’d break her bones. I was scared to death that one day it’d be too late. So I did something. The only thing that I thought to do.”

“You killed him.”

“I was protecting my friend.”

“But she wasn’t home. What were you protecting her from?”

“From a monster. Sure she wasn’t home at the moment. But I took it upon myself to stick around, tried sobering him up, and tried talking some sense into him. I brought up rehab, thought maybe if he heard it from an outsider maybe he’d take it into consideration and get some help. But he flew off the handle. Started screaming at me and shoving me around. Telling me to mind my own business. I finally saw what it was like to live in Megan’s shoes. In fear of her own husband’s touch. I begged him to stop but he pinned me against a wall and hit me, so I grabbed the nearest thing I could find and I hit him over the head with it. I just wanted him to stop, I wasn’t trying to kill him.”

“Ms. Renly are you a righty or a lefty?”

“What does that matter?”

“Humor me.” Malloy says shrugging.

“I’m a lefty.”

“Interesting. And this scuffle the two of you had, took place in the kitchen?”

“Yes. He pinned me against the wall near the island, the one shared with the living room. There’s a small table near it with a few of Daniel’s post prized baseball trophies. I swear some times you’d think he loved them more than his family, the way he’d go on about the glory days of college baseball. I grabbed one, and you know the rest.”

“Interesting. Because the scene that you created. The scene that you’re describing, for it to actually work, the killer would have to be right handed.”

Sage looks up at him.

“Based on the evidence we found and the position of the head wound that killed Mr. Black, well the only logical explanation would be that someone picked up the trophy from the  small end table to the right side of them and struck Mr. Black on the left side of his head, which leads me to believe that the killer is actually right handed.”

“So maybe I grabbed it with my non dominant hand, who cares. When you’re fighting for your life, you just act on impulse.”

“That is true.”

Sage looks up at him and glares, her eyes darting around the room, her heart pounding, her chest heavy.

“Ms. Renly after you killed Mr. Black and attempted to hide the murder weapon, you fled the scene? Where did you go?”

“I just kept running, and eventually found my way to an old motel.”

“What motel?”

“I don’t remember the name.”

“Convenient. So you walked, by yourself, presumably covered in blood and no one saw you. You didn’t raise any suspicions?”

“Considering it took me to come in and confess, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve done a pretty good job of flying under the radar.”

“I think you’re right. But considering the fact that you had no car, no money and nowhere to go, I think you had some help.”

Sage’s eyes shoot up at him as Malloy smiles from his current seated position across from her.

“I acted alone.”

Malloy leans over the table looking at her.

“We have video footage of you and a blonde haired male, at a motel just outside town. Sooner or later after some digging around, I’m sure we’ll get a name. In fact maybe we already know who he is. You know with him being an ex-cop and all.”

Charlie stares.

Sage’s head shoots up.

“That’s right, we know you’ve had some help on the run, in fact we’ve got Mr. Steinfeld in custody right now. And well if you don’t talk, we have ways of making you talk.”

Charlie cringes at Malloy’s manipulation techniques.

“Charlie had nothing to do with the murder, he was kept completely in the dark, he doesn’t know what happened, he was just trying to help me. He didn’t know who I was, or what I did.”

“Really because he seems to think otherwise, he says the two of you have been on the run together since the day of the crime, he’s been paying for things for you and driving you from place to place, why he also seems to think the two of you are in love. Imagine that.”

“I may have let him think that, so he’d continue helping me.”

“Why you would just break his little heart if he could here you right now.”

“Let Charlie go, he doesn’t have anything to do with this murder.”

“That’s where things get fuzzy for me Ms. Renly, see because aiding and abetting is defined as A person who acts as an accessory and is usually not present when the crime itself is committed, but he or she has knowledge of the crime before OR after the fact, and may assist in its commission through advice, actions, or financial support. And your friend Charlie certainly fits the bill, even more so, he’s owning up to it like a hero.”

“That’s just his nature. He’s just trying to protect me.”

“Like you’re trying to protect Megan.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Sage says her eyes diverting his glare.

Charlie watches on. Just wanting this to stop, to be over. So that he can hold Sage and keep her safe forever.

“It wasn’t you was it?”

“It was me.”

Sage begins to feel faint her mind spinning, her heart pounding, she feels like all the air in her body as vanished and she can’t breathe.

Malloy looks at her.

“Ms. Renly are you ok?”

Sage slinks in her chair as she passes out.

Malloy rushes to her aid, as Charlie rushes into the room.

A few moments later Sage comes to and is in the detectives office, laying on a small couch.

A female officer looks at her from across the room.

“You’re ok, you just passed out for a bit. Here, drink up” she says handing her a bottle of water.

“Thank you,” Sage says taking it.

“Sip slowly.” The officer says with a smile.

Sage takes a small sip, as she peaks outside her eyes go wide. She stands up and rushes to the door.

“Megan, what are you doing here?”

“I can’t let you do this. I know you want to protect me, but this is too much, I can’t let you go away for something I did.”

Sage sighs as she looks around seeing Malloy and Charlie standing nearby. Malloy has a pad as if he was taking her statement.

“Sage, she told us everything,” Charlie says looking at her saddened yet somehow relieved eyes.

“She’s lying,” Sage says in slight hysterics.

“Her prints match the ones we took off the trophy, she’s also right handed. The evidence-it all fits.”

“So what,” Sage says crying. “She has a son, ok you can’t take her away from her son. He’s been through hell living with a father like that, she’s been through hell. Look at the bruises all over her body, she fought for years. And no cop was ever going to take her side.”

“I would have,” Charlie says looking at a very broken Sage.

“Well you aren’t a cop anymore, now are you?”

Charlie grabs her hand and pulls her off to the side as Malloy turns to Megan to continue with her statement.

“Hey, are you feeling a little better, you scared me pretty bad, passing out like that,” Charlie says cupping her face and looking her over intently.

“I’m fine, I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about my friend.”

 “Please try and calm down, ok? Everything is going to be ok. They’re going to take care of Megan, she’ll get a fair deal. Malloy isn’t like the other cops I’ve worked with, he knows that some cases aren’t always what they seem.”

“She can’t go away. Simon… he’s so young and he needs her.”

“It’s gonna be ok,” Charlie says pulling her into a hug, he kisses the top of her head.

Sage hugs him tightly, worry etched on her face.

********************************************************************

-A few hours later-

Malloy comes out of the interrogation room, to find an anxious Sage and Charlie sitting there waiting.

Sage sits up.

“How is she?”

“Considering what the two of you went through, she’s doing well.”

“So what’s going to happen to her, and to me?”

“You and Charlie are both free to go.”

“What happened to aiding and abetting? I mean I know you were just threatening Charlie with that to get me to tell you the truth, but that does actually hold true for me.”

“Are you just determined to go to jail?”

“No. I just have an unbearable conscience.”

“In my experience the people who say things like that, are the people who don’t deserve to be put in jail. We now know the full story, we know that Megan called you that night, scare of the vicious mood Daniel had been in. She asked you to come over. You heard the calls for help…” Sage envisions that dreaded moment in detail detective Malloy replays the scene. 

Sage rushes up past the white picket fence, she pauses as she reaches to ring the doorbell. Just then she gets halted by the same familiar scream ringing in her ear.

“Help! Help me! Please.”

Megan, Sage thinks. Sage rushes into her friend’s house. She finds her in a choke hold at the hands of her violent, abusive husband. After a failed attempt to pull Daniel off of Megan sends Sage flying to the floor, causes her to knock her head into the molding of the island cabinets. Megan with worry and fear in her eyes reaches for the nearest object, knocking Daniel over the head with it, with tremendous force, allowing Daniel to fall to the floor.

“What did you do?” Megan says to herself as Sage turns toward her, both women’s bodies shaking in fear and adrenaline.

Sage’s eyes fill with panic as Megan freezes, she drops the trophy and sinks to the floor.

Sage rushes to a sitting position, slipping and sliding in the pool of blood that has accumulated next to her on the floor. She checks Daniel’s pulse.

“He’s dead,” Sage says her eyes wide.

Megan sits. Frozen.

Sage looks at her in a panic as police sirens can be heard faintly in the background. Neighbors must have called from hearing all the screams.

“Ok. ok. It’s ok. It’s going to be okay,” Sage says looking over at her friend, she grabs some paper towels and wipes the blood off Megan’s face and hands.

Grabbing some more paper towels off the counter and grabbing the trophy with it, she puts it into the trash and tying it she rushes it out to the dumpster in the back alley of the house.

Sirens are closing in, Sage turns to her friend and shakes her.

“Megan. Hey….Megan…Go! Go to your folks, be with Simon, I’ll draw the cops away. I’ll handle this ok. Go!”

Still Frozen.

Sage shakes Megan harder, grabbing her face.

“Megan. Megan.”

Megan finally blinks.

“I killed him,” she says her voice breaking.

“Megan. GO! Get out of here, now!” Sage forces her friend up and out the back way, while she rushes out the front door, into the hot seat and into visual sight for all the neighbors to see, her clothes all bloody. A perfect guilty suspect, or so it would seem.

Malloy continues to describe the altercation as Sage’s memory of that night is brought back to life.

…And you rushed in to find the same scene you described but it was Megan who was being pinned against the wall, and when you tried to help by pulling Daniel off, he shoved you onto the floor causing you to cut your forehead right there, he says pointing to her cut. We also know that it was Megan who grabbed the trophy and knocked her husband over the head with the trophy. One knock did the trick. It was fueled by years of fear, and pain.”

“The minute she did it, she was in shock. She dropped the trophy and sank to the floor, most battered women would have probably kept going, kept hitting, but Megan was just in shock. She didn’t mean to kill him,” Sage says her voice low and defeated.

“We know. We know the whole story. We also know that Daniel Black wasn’t a good man, he has quite the record. Which is why Megan won’t be charged. She acted purely out of self-defense.”

“So she’s free to go?”

“You all are.”

“Oh my god,” Sage says sighing heavily as she places her head in her hands.

“It’s over” Charlie whispers, rubbing her back.

Sage hugs him tightly.

“Sage,” Megan says stepping into the lobby.

Sage rushes over to her friend, hugging her.

“I’m so glad you’re ok,” Sage says.

“Are you kidding, I’m so glad you’re ok. I’m so grateful to you. I can never repay you for what you’ve done for me.”

“Sure you can, go get your son and live your life, without fear.”

“That may take some getting used to,” Megan says timidly.

“Don’t worry considering you need a new place to live and I have an apartment all to myself, I think I’m in the market for some roommates. I’ll be there every step of the way, what do you say?”

“Simon and I would love that,” she says crying as she hugs Sage. “You saved my life, thank you, I love you.”

“We’re best friends. That’s what we do, we save each other. I love you too.” Sage says hugging her friend.

“See sometimes, cases get solved,” Malloy says.

“Yea only when there’s good police involved,” Charlie says, extending a hand out to Tim,

“Thank you,” he says as Malloy shakes it.

“Not a problem. I owed you one.”

Charlie gives him a small nod.

“Speaking of good police, maybe you’d wanna think about coming back, we could use a guy like you in intelligence.”

Sage looks at Charlie.

“I don’t know,” he says with hesitance.

“I think that’s an amazing idea. You still act like a cop, even though you say you’re not. Might as well get paid for it,” Sage says.

Charlie looks at her.

“And you’d be ok with that? My becoming a cop again?”

“Yea. I’d feel a lot safer on these streets. But I mean it’s not up to me, it’s up to you. What do you want?”

Charlie glances at her, and turns to Malloy.

“Ok, you’re on.”

“Great, you can start Monday. The team will be happy to have another rule bender.”

Charlie nods as he and Sage walk out of the station with Megan.

“I should really get going, Simon is with my parents and I really just need to be with them, they’ve been worried sick.”

“I know the feeling, go. I’ll check in later, we’ll make a date for us to pack you up.”

“Ok.” Megan hugs Sage tightly again.

“Bye Charlie, it was nice to meet you.”

“Like wise.” He says nodding in her direction with a slight smile.

“I highly doubt that, I’m the girl who killed her husband and almost let her best friend take the fall for it.”

“Stop it! I let them think it was me. It was my decision and you were in shock. This isn’t your fault.” Sage says.

“I agree, besides, if it weren’t for this whole thing, Sage and I probably never would have met, “So thank you.”

“Does he always do this?”

“Make you feel good about yourself? Yes. It’s why I keep him around,” Sage says trying to lighten things up.

Charlie smirks at her.

“I just hope you know that I am indebted to you, forever,” Megan says looking at Sage.

“Just stay my best friend forever and we’re even. I just want us to move on from this, and get back to our lives. We deserve to be happy.”

Megan hugs Sage one more time before hailing down a cab.

Charlie turns to Sage.

“So…” he says reaching for her hands.

“So.” She says taking them in hers.

“Can we start over?”

Sage smiles.

“She holds her hand out.

“Hi, I’m Sage Renly. I’m a gypsy soul, with far too many jobs to count, who lives in a one bedroom loft I pay way too much for. My family is kind of scattered because they like to travel like nomads, so every year we try and meet up and have a reunion. This year it’s supposed to be in Hawaii.”

“Nice to meet you Sage. I’m Charlie Steinfeld, I went from being a detective to not being a detective for quite some time, to just recently accepting a new position with a unit who truly believes in justice even if it doesn’t fit the standard rule book version. I work in contracting from time to time, my dad owned a major contracting company and when he passed he left all his earnings to me, which is well a lot. No siblings, mom passed a few years after dad, and I live in a studio apartment.

“Well it’s nice to meet you too Charlie. Maybe we can go out sometime.”

“Maybe.” Charlie says with a smile.

Charlie and Sage walk, circling around each other for a bit.

“Well, see ya,” Sage says shrugging and walking off.

Charlie laughs, rolling his eyes as he turns, he catches Sage as she jumps in his arms.

She kisses him, as he sets her down.

“Thank you, for everything,” she says.

“It’s been my pleasure,” he smiles, cupping her face and leaning down to kiss her.

“So are we actually going to give this whole couple’s thing a shot?” she says as they walk off hand in hand.

“You asked me what I want. I want you. So I’m gonna go with a -Hell yea- we’re giving this couple’s thing a shot.”

“What if all the attraction turns out to just be from the adrenaline of being on the run. What if we just fizzle out?”

“You’re funny.” He says laughing.

“I’m serious.” She says.

He stops and turns to her, taking her in his arms.

“I love you. And that’s not going to change, so deal with it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he says smiling.

“Yea, ok.” She says shrugging, “Oh and I kinda…love you too,” she says smiling.

He kisses her as they walk off.

“So Hawaii huh?” Charlie says his arm draping over Sage’s shoulders, as she entangles her hand in his.

“Mm Hmm.”

“Any chance you wanna bring your new boyfriend to meet the fam?”

“There may be a possibility.”

“Hmm…What can I do to turn that possibly into a definite yes?”

“I’m sure I can think of a few things.”

“So…your place, or mine?” he says looking at her, with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

“Whichever’s closer” Sage says laughing as she kisses him, they walk off.

-THE END-

(finally)

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this series!

Please feel free to leave a comment down below.

*Writer’s Commentary and Soundtrack to follow as usual.*

A short story series reflection.

What stories have I done, who were my characters, and how do I avoid the long hiatus and the often inevitable quick wrap up.

Because although it may feel good writing it at the time, looking back and re-reading…I always know there are ways to improve and things to do differently. And I’ll admit some things are cringe worthy, but hey writing even badly, is better than not writing at all.

Am I right, writers? 😉

-<3-

*I do not take credit for any images or gifs used in my edits or otherwise.*

 

Before That Summer- Part 3

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

Before that summer

Read Part 2 HERE

Bailey looks in her mirror for the hundredth time, examining her outfit, fixing and primping herself.

Keegan stands by the door watching her, with a grin.

“You look amazing. Can we go already?”

Bailey looks up startled.

“Ugh, yes. I’ve basically tried on everything in my closet. Let me just grab my purse.”

Bailey and Keegan walk downstairs where her mom and dad are loading peach cobblers into a big box.

Bailey inhales deeply.

“It’s officially carnival season. I cannot wait to have a piece of your cobbler, mom!”

Her mom smiles and she hands her dad the box, as he takes it to the wagon outside.

“You girls can go on ahead, I know you don’t want your parents messing up your night.”

Keegan and Bailey exchange looks and laughs.

“Mom, it’s ok, we can wait. I haven’t been home in months, it’ll be nice for all of us to walk over together.”

“Hunny it’s ok really, dad and I have to set the booth up anyway.”

“You don’t want any help with that?” Keegan asks.

“We’ve got it covered, go!”

“Ok!” Keegan says grabbing Bailey’s hand and rushing toward the door.

“Wha- Keeg!” Bailey says looking back at her mom.

“Shhh. The quicker we get out, the longer you’ll have to spend with Cow boy Romeo.”

“Ah. I like the way you think.”

“It’s all up here. Master plans.” She says pointing to her head.

They walk along the dusty road, as the town fills with folks on their way to the carnival.

“Bye girls.”

“See ya out there dad.” Keegan says linking her arm with Bailey.

“Do you really think I look ok, should I go change,” Bailey says tugging once again at her daisy dukes.

“Oh please, you’re a walking dukes or hazard fantasy. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t pass out.”

“But do I look slutty?”

Keegan gives Bailey a look.

“Are you kidding me, we all wear denim shorts in the summer, besides pretty sure those are mine. So if you’re a slut so am I,” she laughs.

“Keeg!”

“I’m kidding! You look great. Dad wouldn’t have let us out of the house if we looked…inappropriate.”

“Yea you’re probably right.”

“I am right,” she says smiling as they reach the town square.

Bailey looks around trying to spot Jimmy.

The smell of BBQ and Everdale’s Famous Sweet Cherry Pie waft through the air.

Red and Pink tents fill the scene. Hearts and roses dawn each booth.

Old Donny Fonny in a cupid costume. What a sight.

And carnival rides and games fill each free space.  

Young girls in flowy skirts or sundresses paired with cowgirl boots lace arms with boys in cowboy hats and blue jeans.

“So, any sightings yet?”

“No. I guess we should have been a bit more specific.”

“Well don’t worry, you’ll find him. If you need me, I will be flirting with Hester- the Ferris Wheel guy.”

“Ohhhh?” Bailey says questioningly.

“Yea. It’s a thing. We’re in the earlier stages, but I think he’s secretly in love with me,” she says flipping her hair and walking off.

Bailey watches with a laugh.

“Damn country girl, Jessica Simpson ain’t got nothing on you.”

Bailey smiles to herself, turning around she’s greeted by his bright smile and sparkling eyes.

 “Do you approve?”

“Sure. But I gotta think that if I’m thinking some not so pure thoughts right about now, some other guys may be doing the same.”

“Well lucky for you, I hadn’t noticed. You being the only one I have eyes for and all.”

She wraps her arms around his neck as he pulls her in by the waist, they fall into a kiss.

Jimmy pulls away and looks down at her.

“Come with me,” he says pulling her by the hand and walking out of the town square.

“What-where are we going? The carnival is this way, baby.” She says pointing in the opposite direction.

Jimmy stops and kisses her again, this time quickly.

“Just, trust me.”

“Ok. Fine. By we better be back-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you back in time for the fireworks,” Jimmy says smiling at her.

“You know me so well,” she teases.

Jimmy smirks and leads her toward the end of the road.

After a few minutes of walking, they reach their destination.

Bailey stops and looks at him; “The high school. Why are we back here?”

“Just trust me,” Jimmy says leading her toward the side doors, he pushes them open, pulling her inside.

“Oh my gosh, what are you doing? You’re going to get us into trouble.”

“Have you ever not been safe with me?”

Bailey looks at him with a soft smile and pulls him to her initiating another kiss.

Jimmy’s hands wrap around her pulling her closer to him, as a smile plays on his lips.

Bailey’s arms wrap around his neck as Jimmy leans her up against a nearby wall of lockers.

Bailey pulls away.

“Is this why you brought me here?” she says flirtatiously.

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“No. But it’s definitely a bonus,” he smirks taking her hand and walking her down the hall.

They walk into the gym and Jimmy looks at her, he sits on one of the benches of the bleachers. The bench.

Bailey’s whole body stiffens as she uncomfortably looks away.

Jimmy looks down at the bleacher, and pats the seat next to him with his hand.

“Will you sit down, please?” he says his voice a pleading whisper.

“Why? So we could ruin a perfectly good reunion by hashing up the most painful moment of my life.”

“I thought it was what you needed. I thought in some way it was what you wanted. That maybe you were trying to spare my feelings, by not ending things yourself. I’m sorry. If I could take it back I would. I’ve come here so many times since you’ve been gone, since we’ve been apart, replaying that moment in my mind over and over again. Just wanting to change it, wanting to fix it. Now that your here I think we have a chance to rewrite history. A chance to give this bench a new memory, a happy memory. So please… sit down.”

“Jimmy I-.”

He reaches for her hand and she looks at him. Their spark is undeniable. She never could fight  with him for very long. Him and his damn blue eyes.

Bailey sighs and sits next to him. Her body still stiff and tense.

Jimmy turns to her and she follows suit. He grabs one of her hands in his, bringing it to his lips, he kisses it. As he places his other hand on her thigh, rubbing it, trying to calm her obvious nerves.

She inhales deeply and lets out a sigh, looking up at him.

“Jimmy, I love you. I love your mind and your heart. And I know that you were trying to do what you thought was best. But it wasn’t best. Not for you, and not for me. You didn’t let me choose, you just assumed that I wouldn’t make room for you- the man I am madly in love with-in my new life. So if we are looking to move forward, I need you to promise me that you will never do that to me again.”

Jimmy looks at her, and cupping her face he leans in and whispers, “I promise,” followed by a soft kiss planted on her lips.

“There’s a lot to figure out though, I mean I’m home for the summer, but in the fall, I will be  back in New York.”

“I know.”

“Do you think we could make long distance work?”

“You know it’s funny you should ask that. On the subject of me promising you things, I actually have something to add to your list.”

“Do you?” Bailey says looking at her with a puzzled face.

“Yes.”

“Ok. What is it?”

“I love you Bailey. I have loved you ever since that very first day we met in pre-k and you lent me your glue stick. It was kind of a sign, huh? That somehow you’d always stick with me.”

Bailey lets out a small giggle.

“And I know that I just may have lost some cool points by saying that, but it’s the truth. Your eyes and your face and your body have been burned in my brain. I have never not been in love with you. I have never let a day go by these past few months without thinking about you, or wanting to call you and hear your voice. And I know you have big dreams and we got a lot to figure out, but I just thought that you know people go their whole lives searching for what we got. Searching for someone to love. Well lucky me, I found my one and only when I was about 3. And I can’t be foolish with you again, I can’t let you go. So I just thought that maybe we could figure the future out together.”

He takes Bailey’s hand and stands up in front of her.

“Jimmy- what are on earth are you doing?”

He kneels down on one knee and reaches for the tiny box in his jean pocket.

“Bailey Ray, will you marry me?”

Bailey stares at him, frozen in time.

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“Bailey, baby, did you hear me?”

“What?” she says in a daze, her hands shaking.

“Well I- I just asked you to marry me, in case you missed it,” he laughs nervously.

“Jimmy, I don’t know what to say. I’m just so taken back.” She says grabbing her chest.

Fireworks boom outside, as Bailey’s eyes look in the direction of the gym windows.

Jimmy follows her gaze, he looks down at the ring and closes the box, standing up he puts the box back in his pocket.

“Come on, let’s get you outside for the firework show,” he says reaching for her hand.

She snaps back to reality and stands up, following his lead. The looks of sadness and confusion shown on each of their faces.

They emerge from the side entrance of the school and start their walk back up the road towards the town square.

The pair continue to hold hands, but the silence between them is deafening.

Bailey’s stomach is in knots, this isn’t how this moment was supposed to go for them.

She holts and Jimmy looks back at her.

As town goers pass by heading into the town square. Some grabbing their goodies from the carnival booths.

The fire work display is lighting up the sky with all colors of the rainbow and little kids and adults “ooh and ah.”

“Can we talk about what just happened?” she says.

“You said no,” he whispers sounding defeated.

“I didn’t say no. I didn’t even get to give you an answer.”

“Well…I gotta be honest Bailey it wasn’t looking good.”

“And here comes the part of the story where you just write your own ending. It must be exhausting always knowing what other people are thinking or going to do or say. I mean how can you ever hear yourself think?”

“You’re mad? At me. For asking you to MARRY me?”

“No. I’m annoyed that you just don’t give me a minute to just be. You know me, you know that I’m not a hasty person. I never have been. My not giving you an answer was just me being surprised and in awe of a beautiful man kneeling down on one knee holding that beautiful ring.”

“Really? You weren’t internally freaking out?”

“Ok maybe slightly. But any 18 year old girl, in my position would. It’s just that I’m still trying to find myself. Trying to figure out who I’m going to be and what I want to do with my life. College is a start sure, but it’s a long road. I have no doubt that I love you. And I know for sure that I want you in my life in a big way. Marrying you is definitely on my to do list, but we’re so young. Does it have to be right now? Can I say yes and wear your ring but can we hold off on the wedding planning? Is that ok? Is that something you’d be willing to do?”

Jimmy looks up at her. He sighs of relief.

“That’s more than ok. It’ll give me time to save up for our wedding. I’m sure that’ll take a while anyway,” he laughs.

Bailey looks up at him, her eyes sparkling.

“So…You’re saying yes?”

Bailey shrugs her shoulders and a sweet smile plays on her lips.

Jimmy smiles brightly as he reaches for the box in his pocket.

“Wait! Pause.” Bailey says throwing up her hands.

Jimmy looks on confused.

Bailey smirks and grabs his hand pulling him back toward the school.

As their walking turns into sprinting, Bailey pushes through the doors and makes her way into the gym. She sits on the bench and looks up and him.

“Ok. Play.”

Jimmy smiles down at her and laughs.

“Hey you wanted to rewrite history, so that’s what we are going to do.”

Jimmy smiles and knees down on one knee, taking her hand.

“Will you marry me?” he asks staring up into her eyes.

“Yes,” she says as he slides the ring on her finger, “Ah!” she gasps.

 Standing up, they meet in a kiss, as he lifts her in his arms and spins her around.

************************************************************************

-A Few Months Later, The End of Summer-

Bailey is in her room packing up her suitcase.

She pauses and looks at her ring, she smiles as she looks at the picture of she and Jimmy from their high school graduation sitting on her night stand. She picks it up and places it in her suitcase.

“Hey, you ready, he’s outside.” Keegan says standing in the doorway.

Bailey scans her room, she closes her suitcase and zippers it.

“Yup!”

***********************************************************************

Bailey’s dad grabs her suitcase and heads outside as her mom gives her a cooler packed with homemade goodies.

Bailey walks outside to find Jimmy leaning against his pickup, packed with all his stuff and her stuff.

“Hey you,” he says.

Bailey hands the cooler off to her dad, who places it in the trunk as she rushes into Jimmy’s arms, hugging him tightly.

“You about ready?” he asks.

“Yea. Are you?”

Jimmy nods with a big smile.

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Bailey and Jimmy turn toward their families and town friends. They all hug and say their goodbyes and give their well wishes.

Keegan and Hester-the Ferris Wheel guy hold hands as Jimmy and Bailey pile into the pickup.

“Bye!” everyone shouts.

“Bye!” Jimmy and Bailey shout in unison as they wave, Jimmy starts the truck and they set off onto the road.

“Be careful, drive safe,” Bailey hears her mom say.

“Call us when you get there,” her dad says.

“Let me know when you decide to start wedding planning!” Keegan yells.

Jimmy and Bailey look over at each other and share a laugh.

“There’s a big world out there, there’s more than you think. We’ve lived here our whole lives and it’ll always be home, but there’s so much more beyond Everdale. And I can’t wait to show you,” Bailey says excitedly.

Jimmy looks over at her and puts his hand on her knee. At a red light, he leans over and kisses her.

“I love you,” he says.

“I love you,” she replies with a smile.

“So how stoked are you to be moving into our own apartment?” she says.

“Well I mean that depends?” he says his gaze forward and steady.

“On what?” she says her tone elevated and curious.

“On whether or not we get to sleep in the same bed.”

Bailey gasps.

“Jimmy, you dog!”

“What- I like to cuddle,” he says laughing.

“Yea sure,” she huffs with a laugh.

“Yes ma’am,” he nods.

“So if I let you sleep in my bed, cuddling- that’s all you wanna do?”

Jimmy looks over at her.

“No. That’s not all I wanna do.”

She smiles.

He pulls over to the side of the road, and leans over to her, she smiles as their lips meet.

Unbuckling her seat belt, Bailey climbs over to Jimmy as he smiles he reclines his chair slightly and she laughs as they continue to kiss.

In between kisses, Bailey says “Wait, don’t we have to be at the new apartment by tomorrow afternoon, we have a long drive.”

“We can be a little late, we can just say we suddenly hit traffic.”

“Bite your tongue,” she slaps him on the shoulder as she kisses him.

“That’s your job,” Jimmy smirks teasing another kiss.

“Hmmm, making out in your pickup while you spit out sexual innuendos- just like old times.”

“Mmm Hmm. I’m glad this old pickup is coming with us, it’ll be nice to bring a little bit of old to mix in with the new.”

“Agreed, now shut up and kiss me,” Bailey says as Jimmy looks at her they laugh and fall back in the seat, kissing. Bailey’s leather brown boot hits the car horn and the honk sounds.

They gasp in uncontrollable laughter as they look over at each other.

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“You ready?” he says nodding back to the open road.

“More than ever,” she says kissing his cheek and leaning back up in the passenger’s seat.

Jimmy straightens his driver’s seat and puts his seat belt on as Bailey follows.

“So where did we land on the whole bed issue?”

Bailey laughs and glares over at him.

Jimmy laughs and glances back over at her.

“In all seriousness though, you know how much I love you, right? he asks his eyes gleaming.

“I do, cause I love you just the same,” she smiles reaching over and squeezing his shoulder.

“Good. Let’s go meet our new home.” He says grabbing that her hand and kissing it. He peels out onto the road again.

“I am so in love with how that sounds.”

Jimmy and Bailey smile at each other as they drive along.

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-The End.-

*I do not take credit for any images used in my edits or otherwise.*

-<3-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writer’s Corner: The Neglectful Writer

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

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Anyone who stumbles upon this blog recently, would think of it as a fashion/lifestyle vibes type blog. The truth of the matter is on some days it is. These are things I am interested in and this blog is basically an open diary featuring things I love and care deeply about.  But at the root it is supposed to be a safe place to tell the stories I have been harboring in my heart and soul and notebooks for years. Or the stories I get inspired to write day by day. And because of this, I feel like my blog motto has taken a bit of a blow over the past few months.

Lately, (and I know I’ve posted things like this before) I have been neglecting writing my own stories. It’s something I’ve been avoiding. Coming up with excuse after excuse, first it was well I’m starting a new job- I need to get acclimated, then it became well now I’m just too busy to write, (life is too crazy, too much is going on, *hint hint* Dear Michelle, this is your clue- all the more reason to write down your feelings) and now I don’t know maybe it’s the summer slump that’s getting to me.

Writer’s block is real. But I think this is bigger. This isn’t the first time I’ve struggled to create [what I feel] is worthy content, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. But this feels like a bit more than a block. It’s not so much like I haven’t had ideas, I always have ideas floating around in my head. It’s just that when I sit to start a blog post, there’s nothing there. And I end up looking for fashion inspiration and doing a post about that instead. 

That pilot script for my own television show I’ve been meaning to write since I was in high school has yet to get started. My short story series “On The Run” I started back in March, has been on a halt. Every time I start a series, I end up going on a hiatus for a longer time than I should. It’s like I lose momentum, or I’m just too lazy to take the time to finish. Sometimes I can have a great story idea and I will even jot it down, but I never write it up. Often times just the thought of sitting at a computer for hours drumming out a story, just is too much of a tall order and I decide against it and instead decide to watch my favorite tv shows and obsess over the love stories of my favorite couples. (*hint hint* Dear Michelle, but what about YOUR characters, what about their love stories.) Not to mention that my blog posting schedule has been all over the place lately. Ugh, I hate when that happens, I really do.

It’s terrible to have to feel the guilt of finally admitting to myself that I am a writer and then feeling as though I’ve bailed on it completely. I feel like I’ve been struggling with inspiration lately. As I mentioned this has happened before and I’ve pushed through it, so I know I will this time too. But it doesn’t make it any easier, to go through it. Sure life gets busy and it becomes easy to neglect our passions. But I imagine creative people with creative souls go through this vicious cycle every now and again. I’ve seen the many YouTubers talk all about it. It’s just a funk.

In fact a quote by Anne Tyler comes to mind in this moment while I sit and ponder why a writer doesn’t want to write…

“If I waited til I felt like writing, I’d never write at all.”

That’s what it is. I’ve just been waiting. Waiting to have time. Waiting to feel less tired. Waiting to get everything just so, in my head BEFORE writing it down on the page. Waiting for inspiration to strike. Waiting- to write. The truth is the only thing that is going to help me break this bullshit streak, is just to nip it in the bud and write. Just write. Even if it sucks. And start the scripts I’ve been writing in my head for basically half my life.

Who knows maybe this post was my therapy. Writing this post is like my version of a girl going through a bad breakup who decides to burn all her exes pictures and letters. Haha. I find that when something is getting to me and feels like a weight on my back-pushing me down, preventing me from reaching my full potential and I write a blog post about it, it’s kind of like me releasing it into the world and admitting it to myself and realizing that it’s something that either just needed to be said, or something that I feel I need to spend my time working on and improving. For the past year and half I have put so much work into bettering myself and conquering my anxiety over certain aspects in my life. This is currently the main issue I need to put my focus on. I have faith that I can conquer this one too. Hey I’ve done it before. I can certainly do it again- only this time, I’m going to do it better.

And for anyone dealing with their own personal writer’s slump, may your pen be mightier than that sword you feel has pierced your creative soul.

*I do not take credit for the image used.*

-<3-

 

On The Run- Part 8

michelleleighwrites 1 Comment

ontherunposter

*** Read Part 7 HERE

Sage wakes the next morning feeling oddly light. The sun is shining through into her bedroom, the birds outside are chirping and the smell of coffee and bacon waft through the small crack under her door.

She smiles to herself as she sits up in her overly comfortable and fluffy bed, allowing herself to think about the night before and how good it felt to be in Charlie’s arms again.

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Getting out of bed, she grabs a robe and a pair of slippers, courtesy of sed- swanky hotel.

She unlocks her door and opens it to find Charlie dressed in nothing more than a fluffy white towel.

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“So…is clothing optional now? Clearly I missed the memo,” she says with a smile as she walks out of her room toward the bathroom.

Charlie laughs from the kitchen as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

“Clothes are in the wash.”

“Ah, lucky me. I guess I’ll just have to enjoy the view while I can.”

Charlie steps out to look at her, his eyebrow raises at her forward remark.

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Sage smirks his way, matching his eyebrow raise before walking into the bathroom.

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Charlie’s eyes stare after her, as he brings his cup to his lips, taking a sip.

Sage closes the door and leans against it.

“Damn,” she says smiling as she sets to brushing her teeth.

A few minutes later, Sage comes out to find a full room service breakfast spread upon the table.

To her dismay, Charlie is actually dressed.

“I knew I smelt bacon,” she says smiling as she walks over to Charlie, she leans up and kisses him sweetly on the lips. “Good Morning,” she says looking up at him.

Kissy 3

Charlie smiles, surprised, “Good Morning,” he says looking at her, he kisses her once more.

“Coffee?” he says returning to reality.

“Always,” she says holding a mug out as he pours her a cup.

“Shall we eat?”

“Yes. This looks great,” she says joining him at the kitchen island for breakfast.

breakfast

“Charlie, I just wanted to thank you for last night. The dream I had was…well it wasn’t exactly a dream but it was nice to have someone there to bring me back to the current moment. With you around, I actually feel like I could potentially put all this horrible stuff behind me one day.”

“I’m just glad I could help.”

Sage laughs and rolls her eyes.

“What?” he says confused.

“Are you really that self-less?”

“I don’t follow.”

“You’ve been saving my life since the day we met, and when I finally show you some long overdue gratitude…your response is literally just oh no biggy, glad I could help. Don’t you miss your freedom? God- I just feel like you’re doing all this to help me, and you’re not getting anything out of it.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

He looks at her, their eyes locking.

“What would you say?”

“Sage, let me try to get you to understand something, (he says folding his hands and leaning over the island, closer to her.) You’re not a burden to me, I don’t feel trapped. I like being with you. I like helping you. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I can tell that you are a good woman. I look at you and I think- I can’t believe I ever lived a life without you in it. I’m here because I want to be. I want to be with you. So that’s what I get out of it. Just getting to be near you, is enough for me, right now.”

Sage looks at him, her eyes watering.

She stands up and walking over to him, she pulls him into a hug. He smiles, tightening his grip, as he rubs her back.

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“So…how’d you sleep the rest of night?” Charlie asks looking up at her from his sitting position.

“Ok,” she gives him a smile, as she cups his face, she then walks to the fridge for a bottle of water.

“Any more bad dreams?”

“Nope.”

“Good,” he smiles.

Sage walks back to the island and stands in front of Charlie, her glare shifts as she gets lost in thought.

Charlie notices.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yea. I just- Charlie- It meant a lot to me that you cared enough to stop us last night, from-well- you know,” she laughs awkwardly.

awkward

 

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“Oh, trust me that wasn’t exactly easy,” he laughs.

“Oh I know,” she smiles at him, as he smirks.

“I hope you understand how badly I wanted to-” he says looking at her.

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“Oh I do. And I did to. Really badly,” she says laughing and avoiding his sexy glare.

“But you were right, it wasn’t the right time,” she says looking up at him.

Charlie smiles and nods in understanding.

“Look I get it. It’s ok. The way I see it is- we kind of rushed into having sex the first time. To the point where, it had you questioning my intentions. And that is something I never want to happen again. I didn’t intend to fall for you when I jumped in to help you, it just happened. It may have happened quickly, but it’s not something I’m taking lightly. The next time it happens between us. I want it to be when your ready. Completely ready.”

“Thank you,” Sage says, her smile simple and genuine.

Charlie smiles.

“So what’s on the agenda today?” Sage asks.

“I thought maybe you’d finally like to tell me the full story…I know there’s a lot your hiding from me, so much- that I’m wondering if you were even the one who committed the crime or if your just covering for someone.”

Sage looks at him stunned.

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“Where did that come from?”

“You’re not a violent person, Sage. I’ve been on the receiving end of your touch, it’s not malicious. It never could be.”

“People can be completely out of character when put in a certain circumstance.”

“What kind of circumstance?”

“Look I get that falling for a murderer, might be freaking you out a little. But it’s the truth. Don’t push this Charlie. Please. I can’t change who I am, or what I’ve done,” she says avoiding his question.

Charlie looks her over and sighs, looking away.

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“What?” she asks confused.

“You’re defensive. You won’t keep eye contact. You’re nervous.”

“Stop analyzing me. You’re not a cop anymore.”

“Just tell me the truth. I can help you and whoever else was involved.”

“I did tell you the truth.”

“Tell me the whole truth.”

“You know everything you need to know.”

Sage turns and storms out of the room.

Charlie rushes to follow her.

“Who are you protecting?”

“No one.”

“Sage-”

“I’m not doing this with you,” she says rushing toward the bathroom.

“Sage. Talk to me. Please. Sage. I love you.”

tears

Sage stops in the door frame of the bathroom.

“Stop it.”

“I do. I love you,” he says walking toward her.

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“Stop,” she says her eyes welling up as the tears spill over, she turns to be met by a strong embrace. Charlie holds her close.

“Talk to me. And I will protect you. I swear,” he whispers to her.

Sage pulls away from him.

“I can’t,” she says cupping his face and looking up at him through blurry vision.

Charlie sighs as he reaches up to wipe her tears away.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just. I can’t. I’m sorry. Please understand,” she says stroking his face, she leans up and kisses his lips sweetly before closing the door to the bathroom and starting the shower.

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Charlie stands there dumbfounded.

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As Sage stands in the shower, leaning against the cold tile, the warm water running over her. She hugs herself as the tears pour down her face.

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To Be Continued….

I hope you’re enjoying! Please feel free to leave a comment down below.😀

-<3-

*I do not take credit for any images or gifs used in my edits or otherwise.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

On The Run- Part 7

michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

ontherunposter

*** Read Part 6 HERE

Sage and Charlie stand awkwardly before the door to their “honeymoon suite.”

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Charlie takes out the key and opening the door he holds it for Sage to enter first.

Sage wearily and slowly walks past Charlie and into the room, their eyes graze eachother in sight.

She turns to face him as she watches him from the center of the main bed room.

Charlie closes the door behind them.

The two of them stand in silence for a beat, looking at eachother. Wondering what the other is thinking, or who will make the first move to cut the heavy tension with their words.

“So…there are a few rooms in the suite to choose from. Um… but I hope you know it goes without saying that you are free to keep the main bedroom. Where ever you feel most comfortable is fine with me. I don’t really need much, just a pillow and a somewhat soft surface,” he chuckles slightly trying to dull the awkwardness he has knowingly created in the room.tumblr_inline_ntrwfiLlC21ruzlvc_500[1]

Sage looks around the main room.

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Her gaze drifts to the bed, she momentarily has an image flash in her mind of she and Charlie kissing in that same bed just a few hours ago.

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She takes a deep breath and looks elsewhere as she exhales.

“I think I should choose one of the others.”

She walks over to the nearest one, opening the door, she walks in- flipping the light on, she looks around briefly.

A few things catch her eye in the whole 5 seconds she allowed herself to choose.

Ruffled white cotton curtains. Bright yellow paint. Floral bed spread. Simply Sweet.

“This will do, Good Night,” she says closing the door.

Charlie sighs as the barrier between he and Sage becomes uncomfortably much more permanent.

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He flops down on the bed and lays back, as he has a quick flash of Sage during their recent intimacy.

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Sage stands by her bedroom door, her face obviously saddened. She walks over to her bed, sitting down on it, she removes her hat and her wig throwing it to the side. She lays back looking up at the ceiling. Her mind hazy.

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Well, you’ve done it this time Sage. You’re a wanted criminal, who just fell for a cop.

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Sage awakes abruptly and looks around her darkened room. The only slivers of light coming from underneath her door, and seeping through the thin white curtains.

She looks at the clock- 3:42 am.

Guess I slept through dinner, she thinks.

Her stomach clenches making a very audible noise.

Sage drags herself off the bed and to her door, turning it she opens it to find Charlie sitting off in the distance at the kitchen counter; eating a bowl of cereal.

She hesitates for a minute not wanting to have to deal with the tension and the deep heavy emotion that could come from shared moments with Charlie.

Her stomach growls again, this time louder than the last.

Sage closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in, opening her eyes she exhales; mentally preparing herself for face to face contact.

Sage walks into the kitchen.

Charlie notices but looks down at this cereal, awkwardly.

Sage walks past him, over to the fridge. Opening the door she reaches for the milk and her choice of cereal and sets to making a bowl herself.

Sage begins to look for the bowls, opening a few cabinets.

“It’s the one on the left.” Charlie says pointing to it with his spoon.

Sage looks at him for a brief moment, opening the cabinet and reaching up to the highest shelf, she grabs a bowl.

As she does, Charlie notices her shirt rise up exposing a scripted tattoo on her lower back closer to her right hip. The word reads Love. 

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As she makes her way to the kitchen counter to pour it, Charlie can’t help control his lingering stare.

Noticing, Sage looks at him.

“What?” she says in annoyance.

“Nothing,” he says, holding his stare, he shrugs, as he takes another bite of his cereal.

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“God, I hate it when you do that,” she huffs as she adds her milk.

“Do what?”

“Stare at me and then not tell me why.”

“You don’t want to know why.”

“What does that mean?” Sage says her pulse quickening, her stomach fluttering.

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“You’re not going to like it. No matter what I tell you, no matter if it’s the truth, you’re just going to throw walls up and walk away. So forgive me if I don’t exactly feel like getting into a fight with you at 4 in the morning.”

Sage narrows her eyes at him as she sits across from him to eat her cereal. She takes a few bites, as Charlie gets up to put his dish in the sink.

Charlie walks to the fridge to pour a glass of water, on his way out of the room-

“By the way, nice tattoo,” he says his back to her, as he takes a sip of his water.

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A confused yet intrigued Sage is left sitting behind him and she turns and lifts her shirt slightly to look at her tattoo. She sighs noticing he was watching her. Charlie exits the room a smirk playing on his lips.

Sage sits alone in the dimly lit kitchen, her view of Charlie intensifies as he reaches over his head to pull his shirt off, exposing his toned and muscular chest.

Sage’s heart beats faster. Her eyes transfixed.

Charlie lays back in bed, out of sight.

Sage breathes a sigh of relief.

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The hit was hard. The blood splatters. And instantly Sage feels sick, weak. Her heart pounding, her head foggy, dizzy. She can’t breathe. The blood is everywhere. It’s all over the white and black tiled floors, the white walls, her clothes. Sage looks down and begins to feel like she’s going to faint.

Her anxiety kicks in as she feels like all her oxygen has been used up and she is being trapped in a air tight sealed coffin, being buried alive. Fighting to get out, she screams-

“No. No. No,” kicking her legs and arms about.

Her bedroom door opens and Charlie rushes over to her bed side.

“Hey, hey,” he shakes her shoulders gently.

Sage awakes with a jolt, as she exhales profusely, seeing Charlie’s face.

“Oh my god,” she says her whole body shaking in a cold sweat, as tears begin to flow down her face.

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“Hey hey, you’re ok. You’re ok,” he cups her face in his hands.

Sage looks at him and pulls him to her, hugging him tightly.

“Ok. I’ve got you. It was just a bad dream. I’ve got you.” He says holding her in his arms.

Sage stills, her hold on Charlie still intact. Her breathing starting to slow down, as she realizes where she is and what’s going on.

“You okay? Huh?” Charlie says leaning down to look into her eyes.

“Yea.”

“Here, why don’t I get you a glass of water?”

Sage untangles her arms from him, just long enough for him to come back with a glass of water for her.

Charlie stands above her as he holds the glass out to her.

She takes it, taking a small sip.

“Thank you,” Sage says looking up at him.

“Sure. I’ll let you get back to sleep,” he says turning to head for the door.

Sage calls out after him, “Charlie,” she says her voice cracking and barely above a whisper.

Charlie turns back toward her with curiosity.

“Will you…stay with me. Just for tonight?”

Charlie looks at her and smiles faintly.

“Of course,” he walks back over and stops at the bed, not knowing what to do.

Sage looks up at him, she scoots over to the other side of the bed and opens the covers to him, taking his hand to lead him into the bed next to her.

He lays down next to her as she cuddles up against his bare chest. Both wrapping their arms around each other.

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The two of them lay there, still, just listening to the night sounds of passing cars, and the water fall trickling outside. Every now and again, the elevator would ding signally someone getting off on their floor.

But most prominent was the slow steady breathing, and the beating of their hearts, intertwining with each other’s. Sage feels Charlie’s chest moving up and down as her head lay on his chest. She stirs moving her position slightly, for more comfort as her hand strokes over his chest, unintentionally. Sage notices the quickened rhythm of his heart rate. Charlie’s hand grippes her waist tighter.

Sage looks up at Charlie as he looks down at her, their eyes meet. Sage reaches her hand up to his face, cupping his face with her hand, she pulls him into a kiss.

Charlie reciprocates immediately, his hands sliding up the sides of her body and into her hair, as he flips them over, leaning into Sage, as he deepens each kiss.

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Sage pulls Charlie to her, her hands reaching down to his belt bucket.

Charlie catches her hand.

She looks at him puzzled.

“On that note, I think I better go,” he says moving away from Sage and sitting up.

“What? Why?” Sage says looking at him surprised.

Charlie gets out of bed and stands up.

“I know it’s not what you need right now.”

Sage looks up at him.

“Good night,” He says leaning down and kissing her cheek, the both of them fighting their instincts to jump on top of each other. Fighting an odd hormonal rage.

Charlie turns and walks out the door, closing it behind him.

Sage flops back on the bed.

“Damn it,” she says staring at the ceiling as she brings her hand to her lips, thinking.

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Charlie stands about a foot from the door, his head spinning with thoughts.

He struggles, trying to silence them.

Charlie turns on his heel, swiftly walking back to Sage’s door, as he’s about to reach for the door knob the door opens swiftly. Sage stands there.

“What’s the harm, in one more kiss?” Charlie says pulling her into a passionate hold.

Sage’s arms wrap around his shoulders, her whole body accepting the spark between she and this man she’s known for only a few days.

Charlie pulls back and looks at Sage’s face, He smirks.

“Come in,” Sage says breathlessly as she pulls Charlie toward her.

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Charlie kisses her.

“No. Not now. Not yet.” He says cupping her face. He kisses her again.

“Why?” she kisses him.

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“Because this is your fear talking. Not you. I know you’re still uneasy about me, about what’s happened between us, about this whole situation.”

Sage looks at him and then looks away, biting her lip.

“Soon though. We’ll get there.” He says leaning in and kissing her lips one last time in an unknowingly teasing manner.

“Good night.” Charlie says standing in the frame of the door, he turns back to Sage.

“Do me a favor, lock your door tonight please. I can already feel my will fading.”

Sage smiles as she walks up to the door, she leans her head against it as she watches Charlie walk back to his bed.

“You’re right about something though,” Sage calls out to Charlie.

“What’s that?” he smiles turning toward her.

“I’m scared. I’m scared because I want you. And I’m even more scared now, because I realize that you want me.”

“You’re just now realizing that? Clearly I need to work on my flirting skills,” he smirks with a small laugh.

“No. (she smiles, with a laugh) It’s just that- I guess trusting that feeling has been hard for me.”

“Considering my dishonesty, it’s completely understandable that you would pull away,” Charlie says more seriously.

“I don’t want that to be how this works though. I know there’s a lot we need to talk about and we definitely don’t know each other that well. But I want that to change. I want to be able to trust you. But I also think you already have a weird way of knowing exactly what I need, before even asking me.”

“It’s all the staring. It works,” he says smirking as he cocks his head to the side his eyes light with flirtation.

“Hmm. You sure it’s not because you’ve been trained to investigate people and their every move?” Sage says actually with an heir of fun in her voice.

“Nope. It’s all you. Trust me the way that your body moves, the way that you work a room, no amount of training can teach a guy how to handle that, let alone how to control himself around it.”

Their eyes gleam at each other, the flirtation finally feeling normal to some degree. Like they could be a regular couple making up after a small spat.

“And here I thought you were trying to dissuade a sexual encounter here, We’re gonna need a deadbolt on both sides of that door, if you don’t stop talking like that,” Sage says smiling his way.

Charlie smirks and looking down, he simply says “Good night.”

“Good night,” Sage says as she closes the door, Charlie hears the lock. He chuckles and works his way back to bed wanting to get a few more hours of sleep in before the sun comes up.

 

To Be Continued….

I hope you’re enjoying! Please feel free to leave a comment down below. 😀

 -<3-

 *I do not take credit for any images or gifs used in my edits or otherwise.*

On The Run- Part 6

michelleleighwrites 1 Comment

 

 

ontherunposter*** Read Part 5 HERE

Sage sits there in bed next to this man who has oddly become her everything in the last few days. A blank stare dresses her face. Caught between confusion and budding anger. Someone can’t actually fake feelings like that, can they? From the moment she locked eyes with Charlie while sitting in the back seat of his car, she felt a spark. The way he looked at her, the way he touched her, the way he protected her-it was everything Sage had ever wanted in a man, in a partner.

yesssss

Was Charlie just playing me this whole time, she thinks.

Was I just being completely delusional and irrational to think that a man would come along and want me for me? All of me? Even the bad stuff? Even the difficult stuff? Even the things I most regret? I should have known he was too good to be true, too good to be trusted.

Unsure which feeling will win in the end, Sage realizes there are two parts colliding within her. The part of her that wants this beautiful, kind, caring man to be allowed time to explain. And the part of her that wanted to flee and never look back. Putting as much distance as she possibly can between them.

Sage’s uncertainty beings to increase and the thought of fleeing becomes increasingly appealing.

She realizes she has no choice. She has to run. She needs to set off on her own.

If I’m going to leave, I need to do it now. Before he wakes up and before I look into those damn mesmerizingly blue eyes and change my mind, she thinks to herself as she sits uncomfortably in shock on the very edge of the bed, wanting to distance herself from Charlie and his betrayal.

Is it a betrayal, if the person who wronged you, is a stranger?

Sage rips off Charlie’s sweater as the business card falls to the floor, unnoticed. Slowly sneaking out of bed, she reaches for her bag of newly purchased thrift clothes. In a rush she flees to the bathroom to get dressed.

A few short minutes later Sage is already heading out the door. Wig, Hat, and Sunglasses in their rightful places.

Sage gives one last glance back at Charlie, with a heavy sigh she leaves, her heart a little heavier then before. Which should say a lot considering what she’s been through.

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The sun is setting and the night is creeping in. The air is cooler. As a breeze rustles in through the suite’s cracked window Charlie awakes in a daze. He reaches up rubbing his eyes to focus his vision.

He turns to where Sage once lay. Greeted with an empty space, his brow furrows.

“Sage?” he calls out sitting up amongst the cozy white sheets.

Charlie smiles as he stands up throwing on his jeans he begins to walk around the honeymoon suite.

“Hey Sexy, where’d you sneak off to?” he smirks looking around the suite, checking the different rooms.

“Sage?”

Charlie begins to worry when he doesn’t receive a response.

He begins to pace and look around for some kind of a sign as to what happened, or as to where Sage could have went. He walks into the bathroom and sees the bag of clothes on the floor, he rummages through it, noticing a few pieces were taken. He walks back to the bedroom, scanning the area for something. Anything. His eyes fall upon a tiny paper on floor near the side of the bed. Charlie’s eyes widen as he bends down to pick it up.

“Shit,” he says looking down at his business card.

Charlie throws on his shirt, jacket and his shoes and rushes out of the room.

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Sage realized quickly that the little money she had in her back pocket when she fled the scene of the crime, wasn’t enough to get her very far. She managed to put a bit of distance between she and Charlie by walking on foot. But not much. 20 some odd blocks away from the ritzy hotel and the fairy tale life she and Charlie had cooked up for themselves, was a not so ritzy, quite disheveled and rugged hometown bar.

Sage sits with a beer in hand. Her head spinning.

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Charlie rushes into the parking lot of the hotel and jumps into his car, quickly turning the key, the engine roars with a fury as he peels out onto the road. His goal- Find her. No excuses.

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Sage sits there, her mind racing. For the first time, in what has honestly felt like forever, she has something other than that horrific night to occupy her mind. Boy trouble. At the very least, Charlie’s betrayal was good for something.

The bartender walks over to where Sage sits hanging her head, staring down the barrel of her beer. Drowning her sorrows with the company of Bud. Bud Lite.

“Hey there gorgeous. Can I get you another?” The dark haired, dark eyed bartender says with a smirk leaning over the bar top.

Sage looks up at him.

The door to the bar opens, a bell over head rings.

Her expression flat, Sage answers rather fueled.

“You all just think that you can win over a woman with a small compliment on her looks and a winning smirk, don’t you?”

The bartender stands there slightly taken aback by her anger.

“No seriously, you men just think it’s that easy don’t you?”

The bartender begins to stumble on his words.

Just then Charlie comes into view as he watches Sage with fixed eyes. He sighs to himself. He can tell this isn’t going to be easy. Charlie walks up behind her and sits down on the stool next to her.

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“Don’t worry. I’ve got this. You’re free to go,” he says looking up at the bartender who shrugs in confusion and walks away.

“Hmm. Sounds like something a cop would say. Oh that’s right-” She says grilling him for a brief second and then continuing to ignore his existence as she takes another sip of her beer.

Charlie looks at her. Examining her face, her body language. Looking for a way to soften this situation.

Her eyes stare ahead, unwilling to look his way. A coldness he hasn’t seen yet. It saddens him. Her lips straight and void of a tell. Her hands clenched on her beer with anger as if it’s the only thing keeping her grounded.

Charlie sits there looking Sage over, his heart pounding. His hands wanting to touch her so badly.

He keeps his silence for a beat, not wanting to drive her a way, or make a scene in a public place.

He takes a deep breath and turns to her, finally mustering up the courage to speak.

“I woke up to an empty bed. Do you know how scared I was?”

“Oh. I’m sure. You poor baby, you’ve been through so much,” she says not even glancing his way.

“Sage-”

“You’re a cop. No I’m sorry, excuse me- a detective. A crime scene detective,” she says turning in her seat to look him right in the eyes. Her voice clear, her tone cold.

“I know you must feel betrayed, but if you just let me explain…”

“No. You have no idea what I feel, how I feel. I trusted you, against every instinct. I let you in. And you broke that trust so quickly-like it just didn’t matter to you.”

“I know that it seems like that- but it isn’t. Can we just go somewhere more private so that we can talk,” he says turning to face her too. “The last thing you need right now is an audience.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she says standing up.

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“Please,” (he stands up next to her) “After everything we’ve been through together in such a short amount of time. Can you honestly believe there isn’t an explanation as to why I never mentioned I was a cop. Just, please, can we go somewhere to talk?”

Sage felt herself melting, his puppy dog, crystal blue eyes are drawing her in and being near Charlie somehow still made her feel safe in some bizarre way. Not wanting him to notice she was softening, Sage crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.

“Fine. We can talk. But just know, that I don’t trust you. You have 5 minutes, nothing more. And if you try anything I will scream my head off.”

Charlie narrows his eyes.

“Considering your current situation, I highly doubt you’d risk that.”

“Try me. Jail is looking pretty good right about now,” Sage says narrowing her eyes back at him and pursing her lips, her arms still folded across her chest; protecting herself.

Charlie’s heart takes a bit of a blow there with that last statement. Yet in that moment all he wanted to do was grab her in his arms and kiss her. Her sassy side was definitely something that was a trigger for him.

Charlie looks her over, his eyes focusing on her body before locking on her eyes.

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“Stop it.”

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“Stop what?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Your 5 minutes are slowly ticking away…so…”

“Ok. Ok I’m sorry. You’re just so- beautiful.”

Sage looks at him, her face puzzled, yet angry.

She walks away toward the bathrooms, there’s an exit door in between the men and women’s room and she pushes through the door as Charlie follows her into the night.

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A dimly lit small yard comes into focus. A few tables and chairs are set up, but the area is empty.

Sage walks to the opposite side of the yard, needing to put that distance in between she and Charlie, facing away from him, she hears the bar door close and him walking closer. Being near him and having him look at her the way he is, is messing with her head. She needs to stay in control of this situation. She whips around coming face to face with him.

“So what was this?? What- were you watching me? Interrogating me? Investigating me? This whole time? Gathering evidence for your case? Are you waiting to make your move to just arrest me, or what? I mean I’m surprised you’ve let this go on for so long. Go as far as to commit to having sex with me? Was that just for kicks? A good old story to tell the fellas back at the office before you slap the handcuffs on me and haul me off to prison? I mean really what are you waiting for?” She says walking away from him yet again.

“No. That’s not what this was. It’s not what this is. It was more. So much more. And you’re not going to prison. I won’t let you.”

Sage looks at him angrily.

“Then what? What is this? Who are you?”

“I’m an ex detective. I left the force years ago. I didn’t agree with certain laws. There are some great cops out there, but being a cop in this world is about following the book. I’m more about trusting your instincts. I’m a bend the rules kind of guy. I believe in taking a deeper look. Crime and the reasons certain people have for committing them aren’t always black and white. I’ve seen some of the most heartbreaking cases go unjustified. I couldn’t stomach being apart of that anymore.”

“And I’m just supposed to just take your word for it.”

“Yes. Have I given you any reason not to?”

Sage glares over at him, knowing he’s got a point.

“Why would you want to help me? You come out of nowhere and you save me, than you drive me everywhere, pay for everything. Why?”

“That night we met, the night of the murder, when I saw you running from the scene, I saw the fear on your face. I’ve been trained to tell the difference between real fear and fear of being caught. I’ve been trained to notice the signs of a guilty person. And I could tell you were one of those cases that would go unjustified if I didn’t do something to help you. I needed to help you. I needed to make a difference. I’m so consumed by the cases I wasn’t able to change the outcome of.”

“Oh come on, you expect me to believe that you were just what-in the wrong place at the right time?”

“Yes. Some things are just meant to happen. Some people are meant to meet. Regardless of circumstance.”

Sage looks at him, her resolve softening as her cross fall to her sides. Charlie notices as a smirk hides between his glare.

“And as far as the sex. I wanted to. It’s as simple as that. I think you are sexy as hell and smart and kind and I wanted you. I wanted to be with you. To touch you. I wanted you in my arms and I wanted to be able to make you feel safe. There. There’s your ulterior motive.”

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Sage laughs sarcastically as she rolls her eyes. She looks at him her head still in a fog. She doesn’t know what to believe.

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“Come on. You can’t be serious here. This is all just one big story. One big cover. What are you waiting for? Why don’t you just radio one of your cop friends and slap the cuffs on me right now? Or do you have a pair of your own hiding somewhere?”

“No I don’t. I told you, that’s not going to happen. I mean- unless you want to use hand cuffs for a different reason, then I would be happy to track a pair down,” Charlie smirks as he arches an eyebrow, looking Sage over once again.

“Sex jokes? Really? I can’t believe you. I can’t believe you let things go that far between us.”

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t exactly have to twist your arm.”

“I didn’t know the whole truth.”

“You want to know what I think? I think you’re just scared. I think you are scared to admit that you actually felt something. You felt safe, taken care of. Maybe even loved.”

Sage’s eyes shoot up and lock with Charlie’s.

“You’re not naïve, even you know there’s a connection here. Just because, you can’t explain it doesn’t mean it’s not real.”

“I thought it was all in my head. But-”

“It’s not. It’s real,” Charlie says cupping her face, and looking into her eyes.

Sage looks up at Charlie as he searches her face for a lead.

Sage sighs, letting herself go, she reaches up and grabbing his neck she pulls him into a kiss.

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Charlie pulls her tightly against him, deepening the kiss.

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“Let me take you back to the hotel, please,” he whispers breathlessly as he looks into her eyes.

Sage looks up at him. Unsure of what to do.

“I um. I think it’s time- I go off on my own.”

Charlie looks at her, slightly dumbfounded.

“Why?”

“I just. I’ve imposed on you long enough.”

“You still can’t let yourself trust me, can you?”

“I want to. But I just can’t. And being around you, and feeling these feelings, it’s messing with my head. And I’m already messed up to begin with.”

“You’re not messed up. You’re just dealing with a lot. And I get it.”

“Thank you. For everything,” she says distancing herself and holding her hand out for him to shake.

Charlie looks down at her hand and taking it in his, he shakes it. As his hand meets hers, so do his eyes, and the spark is fueled again. He pulls her to him, kissing her yet again. Sage kisses him back for a beat, but then gently pushing him away, she looks up at him.

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“Bye Charlie,” she walks away from him and toward the door.

“So what, I’m just never going to see you again?”

“I don’t know,” she says smiling slightly.

Charlie sighs heavily looking at her.

“I can’t let that happen.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“Sage please. Stay with me. Let me do this for you. Let me help you.”

Sage looks at him, her gaze on the floor, her mind confused. She doesn’t want to leave him, but she can’t trust him either.

“What did you do? What happened? Tell me and I can help you.”

Sage looks up at him, her wheels turning and her eyes narrowing.

“Oh so now you’re out right asking me?”

“Yes. I’ve tried to wait until you were ready to tell me. But if we continue to wait, time will run out. And then who knows where you’ll end up.”

“Jail. Maybe I should just turn myself in. I’m tired of running. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder every second. And most importantly I can’t trust you. I don’t. This is what you’ve been waiting on isn’t it? Information.”

“Sage?” Stop it.”

“You stop it. Stop playing this game with me. Stop trying to convince me that you actually give a damn about what happens to me. That you actually want me. You don’t. You’re just really good at playing the role. Did you minor in acting too?”

“I’m only trying to help you Sage, because well…I can’t seem to help myself.”

“Why?”

“I’ve dealt with enough cases to know that whatever reason you had for doing what you did was a good one. I could just tell by the guilt you’ve been wrestling with.”

“I killed someone.”

“Okay. Why? What happened?”

“Oh please stop acting like what I actually have to say matters.”

“It matters a whole hell of a lot. You matter. To me. Don’t you get that by now. Paint me a picture. Tell me what happened.”

“It was a domestic dispute.”

“You don’t have any bruises on your body.”

“Oh and you would know wouldn’t you?” she says with a laugh and yet another eye roll.

“Victims of domestic violence usually have years of evidence hidden on their bodies. All you have are a few perfectly placed beauty marks. (he looks up at her, his eyes looking her over, something that is obviously a favorite past time for him lately) That’ll be a strike against your story.”

Sage notices his glare and the tension building between them there in that moment.

“Who said it was my dispute?” she says fidgeting under his gaze and trying to keep the conversation going.

“Ah now we’re getting somewhere. Figures. I mean usually female victims of abuse flinch at any sign of physical male contact. You never did.”

“Stop, ok?”

“What-I’m just stating the facts.”

“No you’re flirting. You’re trying to paint a picture of all the feelings from last night. Fine. You want a replay? Here it goes. Yes we had sex. Yes it was amazing sex. But it can’t ever happen again.”

“You sure that’s what you want?”

“What I want doesn’t matter. I don’t need a physical relationship with you messing with my head right now.”

“Ok fair enough. What if I promise to keep my distance. We can even get separate rooms at the hotel. You can have your own space and I still get to keep an eye on you, and help you out. From a distance.”

Sage looks at him, confused.

“Why are you still trying to be nice to me? I’ve been nothing but a bitch to you today.”

“You’ve been through a lot, it’s understandable.”

 Sage looks at him, still puzzled by the grace of this man.

“So what really happened? It’s the only way I can help you.”

“I don’t want your help.”

Charlie grabs her hand.

“Go help some other damsel in distress.”

“You think I do this for everyone?”

“Oh so what I’m special.”

“Yes you are.”

Sage rolls her eyes.

“Oh please you expect me to just believe that you were driving by there that night by chance.”

“Lucky you,” Charlie says looking over at Sage, smirk in place.

Sage rolls her eyes yet again.

“If you want me to be honest with you, you have to do the same. Why were you there?”

“I heard the breaking news report on the radio and I happen to be in the area. I thought I would check things out. When I saw you running for your life. I knew you must have been involved and I had to help you. It’s not something I feel I can fully explain, just something I felt I had to do. Nice diversion by the way.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know what you’re trying to do?”

“Do tell, detective.”

“You’re picking a fight with me. The kind that creates a vicious cycle. Because you’re hurt, which I get. But also because I think you still want me just as much as I want you. Which is also why you keep avoiding my eye contact and moving further and further away from me.”

“You got me. You figured me out detective. Do you want a gold star?”

“You’ll do just fine,” he says pulling her by the waist toward him.

“Charlie. Don’t.” she says pulling away from him.

“Come back with me. Please.”

Sage looks at him.

“Separate rooms,” she says agreeing.

Charlie smiles.

He steps back away from her, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Your wish is my command.”

Sage opens the back door and walks into the bar as Charlie follows, heading toward the car.

To Be Continued….

I hope you’re enjoying! Please feel free to leave a comment down below. 😀

-<3-

*I do not take credit for any images or gifs used in my edits or otherwise.*

 

On The Run- Part 2

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 ontherunposter

***Read Part 1 HERE

The black sleek car whizzes past vacant streets and store fronts kicking up a mist from the late afternoon rainfall.

The quiet streets eerie with a deep darkness.

Silence and stillness; a lethal combination.

The streets she’s known and walked millions of times before. The streets she called home, now so far from home, so far from safe. So far from normal.

Inside the car there is this deafening sound. A sound of strangeness and silence drenched in fear.

The air thick with concern.

“What the hell was I thinking?” she thinks.

The panic sets in. Her body breaking into a cold sweat.

Her heart begins to pound faster and faster by the second. Her whole body feels like it’s been scortched. Firey and hazy. Shaking, she finally gains the courage to look into the eyes of the mysterious stranger who just saved her ass, coincidentally. Or not? She wonders.

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As brown meets blue, there’s an electricity, that neither really understood in the moment, but will surely find out later on.

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She musters the courage to finally break the tension-

“Where are you taking me?” she says her voice raspy and barely above a whisper.

“Wherever you want to go,” he answers with complete ease.

“I don’t really have anywhere to go. At least not anywhere safe,” she looks down, feeling ashamed and lonely.

He looks at her through the rearview mirror again. Her eyes still searching. She’s visibily shaking and clearly frightened.

“I know a motel a little ways off the back highway, low traffic. I can take you there. You can lay low- until to figure out your next move.”

“Ok.”

“It’s ok. You’re gonna be ok.”

She looks up at him, and then away, obviously uncertain of her decision to trust a perfect stranger.

The car rolls into the parking lot of the old motel. The blue eyed man steps out of the car, he leans down to speak into the back window, “Stay here. I’ll check in, and be back for you in a few.”

She responds with a small fragile nod of the head.

He walks into the motel and disappears out of sight.

She sits in the back seat, caught in a daze, a trance. Her mind somewhere else entirely.

“Help! Help me! Please.” She hears in her mind, the only words she can vividly remember, from that night.

“Hey. Hey…your room is ready.” The handsome stranger opens the car door for her.

She snaps out of it, finally noticing him. Looking at him, obviously confused.

“What?” she says in a low perplexed tone.

“Your room is ready.”

“Oh. Thank you.” She says stepping out of the car and following him toward the room. See looks behind her as her eyes take in her surroundings.

Darkness. One or two scattered cars in the lot. Traffic pretty non existant on the highway at the late night hour. Flickering street lights, and a motel sign that looked like it was on it’s last hinge.

If a black cat walked across her path, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

She walks slowly behind the mysterious man. Her random hero. Or her next nightmare. Either way he’s her best bet right now. The future remains to be seen, she contemplates.

In her haze of fear and nervousness, she isn’t thinking like she normally would, reason and rationality are a blur and anything seemed safer than being where she started the night.

The handsome stranger unlocks her motel room door, and steps aside to let her in.

She staggers in, her mind finally starting to slow down at bit, her feet rooting themselves into the ground a little more, step by step.

The handsome stranger stands at the door way, looking at her.

“The woman at the front desk said the hot water is a little in and out in the mornings, she advised you shower at night.”

She nods.

“Here’s your key.” He says placing it on the dresser near the door.

Still standing on the other side of the door, as if respecting her imaginarily drawn boundries.

She reaches in her back pocket and pulls out some money.

“It’s not much, but it’s all I have,” she says extending it to him.

“That’s ok. Keep it.”

“No please take it-”

“No. Keep it,” he smiles, a smile that surprises this dark beauty on the run.

She looks at him and smiles slightly back, placing the money back in her pocket.

“Ok. Well- have a good night. I’ll be in the next room over, if you need anything,” he says turning to leave.

“Thank you,” she utters in a whisper. “I don’t know why you decided to help me, but thank you.”

“Sure.”

“Why did you decide to help me?” she finally asks the question she has thought since the minute his blue eyes met hers over the brim of that car window just a few short moments ago.

“Call it a gut feeling. I think there’s more to your story. I think there’s a very good explanation for that blood on your hands.”

She looks down, newly ashamed once again.

“I did something. Something bad.”

“We aren’t perfect. Everyone does bad things sometimes.”

“Not this bad.”

He nods, trying to read her face. She adverts her eyes from his.

He notices, but he feels for her, and wants to reach out and help her. Instead he resists and offers some words of advice.

“You should rinse that off, and chuck those clothes. Physical evidence isn’t exactly your friend.”

She looks away with a nod of understanding. The man turns to leave yet again, and the woman can’t help but express her wonder.

“You aren’t going to ask me what I did?”

“It’s none of my business. The way I see it, if I know, I can’t defend you. So let’s just keep things where they are for now.”

She looks at him in awe and confusion.

“Why would you defend me? You don’t even know me?”

“Like I said…gut feeling. If the burden gets to you, and you need to talk, I’m here. But I’m not gonna force you to tell me anything. You can come to me on your own time, or you don’t have to come to me at all.”

“Thank you. You’re very kind. I don’t know why you care. But I’m grateful.”

“Get some rest, maybe the morning will bring you some new perspective,” he says with a smile. He then walks away closing the door behind him.

She looks after him as her heart skips a beat, she wonders what it is she is actually feeling.

To Be Continued….

Welcome to Michelle Leigh Writes latest short story series…I hope you’re ready! 😀

-<3-

*I do not take credit for any images used in my edits or otherwise.*

 

On The Run

michelleleighwrites 4 Comments

ontherunposter

A young dark haired, dark eyed woman is running, running fast down a darkened street like her life depends on it.

Her eyes dart from all angles, searching for something, anything. A safe haven.

She glances over her shoulder, continuing forward. Her chest growing heavy, her legs slowing down.

She’s out of breathe. Her eyes wide with fear, she keeps running.

She reaches a dead end. Sirens heard in the distance. They’re drawing closer. She’s out of time. Out of luck. What is she going to do? Is it time to surrender?

A black sleek car drives up quickly beside her, coming to a screeching halt.

The only car in site. As if it came from nowhere.

The window rolls down revealing a man with piercing blue eyes and dusty blonde hair.

“Get in,” he commands, unlocking the back door.

The woman looks around, unsure of whether or not this is a good idea.

She hears the sirens closing in on their location.

She grabs the car door knob and opens it jumping in as the car speeds off into the night.

“You must have pissed someone off?” he says looking at her very nervous reflection in his rear view mirror.

“Something like that,” she utters looking down at her shaking hands, covered in blood.

 

To Be Continued….

Welcome to Michelle Leigh Writes latest short story series…I hope you’re ready! 😀

-<3-

*I do not take credit for any images used in my edits or otherwise.*

 

 

Love Conflicted Soundtrack & Author’s Commentary

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BACK STORY: Over the past 8 months or so Love Conflicted has been featured on and off the michelle leigh writes blog. Its premiere date was May 11th 2015, and the consistent updates lasted through June 25th 2015. Then I took a massive hiatus from the series. I finally got my act together in the New Year and finished it this week, finishing my stories is incredibly important to me, far too many go unfinished. It was important for me to see this through. Seeing as how I slipped up on this week’s schedule, I figured I’d give you a rare Sunday post, I am thinking about adding Sundays to the schedule, so that will put me at a 3 times a week schedule. However, it is to still be determined, if I can actually commit to that, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But I may do a trial run and see if it works out. As promised here is the Love Conflicted inspired “Soundtrack” and My Author’s Commentary.

DISCLAIMER: Love Conflicted is not a real motion picture nor does it have a soundtrack coming out. This is just me living in my fictional happy writer’s world. Where I pretend and where I run the show. Haha. Back in college whenever I would hand in a script or be working with already written material/feature film scenes, my professor would ask me who I would have play the characters, where would it take place, what location? And so I think that kind of stuck with me, because as I write this story series I want to include those aspects and give you a visual experience. Mysterious Attraction was my first shot at it, recently A Broken Heart For Christmas, and now also with Love Conflicted. Along the way there have been little one shots, or shorts including a few parts as I will. But that distinction is not always clear, I don’t always know how long a story is going to take to tell. As a kid I used to say “Make Pretend” all the time. Make Pretend you’re a princess who slays dragons. Make pretend you’re a ballerina who bull rides. Make pretend you’re writing a screenplay and you get to pick the actors, and release a soundtrack and commentary that people have been anxiously awaiting. The options could be endless. So let’s “Make Pretend.” Enjoy!

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OFFICAL FULL CAST PROMOTIONAL PHOTO RELEASED 😉

Official full cast photo movie poster

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**Love Conflicted** “Soundtrack”

Happy Listening!

ALBUM ARTWORK:

Love conflicted soundtrack

Track List

  1. “All In My Head”– Tori Kelly
  2. “I Know What You Did Last Summer”– Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
  3. “Revival”– Selena Gomez
  4. “Call of the Wild”– Bethany Joy Lenz
  5. “Water Under the Bridge”– Adele
  6. “The Last Time”– Taylor Swift Ft. Gary Lightbody
  7. “Sad Beautiful Tragic”-Taylor Swift
  8. “Blindness”– Justin Timberlake
  9. “What A Good Woman Does”– Joy Williams
  10. “Until the Levee”– Joy Williams
  11. “Stitches”– Shawn Mendes
  12. “I’ll Show You”– Justin Bieber
  13. “Please”– Bethany Joy Lenz
  14. “Stealing”– Gavin Degraw
  15. “When I Was Your Man”– Bruno Mars
  16. “It Will Rain”– Bruno Mars
  17. “The One That Got Away”– The Civil Wars
  18. “Disarm”– The Civil Wars
  19. “I’m A Mess”– Ed Sheeran
  20. “I See Fire”– Ed Sheeran
  21. “Maybe”– Everly-(Bethany Joy Lenz & Amber Sweeney)
  22. “You Found Me”– The Fray
  23. “Leave You Alone”– Kris Allen
  24. “Wanted You More”– Lady Antebellum
  25. “Lesson Learned”– Ray LaMontagne

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Onto the next portion…My Love Conflicted *Author’s Commentary*

GENERAL NOTES:

This drama series was rooted in the love story between two unlikely souls. Maggie an elementary school teacher and Ricky an undercover “mobster” who thought he was working for an honorable CIA organization that turned out to be corrupt. Maggie and Ricky meet by chance and experience an instant spark. The bulk of their relationship is rooted in sub context. You don’t really see much of their love in current time. You experience it through the occasional flashback, through the stories they share about each other, and through the intense conversations they have when are reunited for brief periods of time. You get to see their life together through images on Maggie’s phone as well.

Lily and Ian are introduced gradually. I always feel that my mind automatically goes to a minimum of a 4 person cast. The love story is there, boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy gets girl, boy screws up, boy tries to win girl back. And in the mist of all that the story has to keep going…enter supporting characters Ian and Lily. They’re budding love story is just a happy coincidence. Their story is one of a lighter more sarcastic, sassy and fun tone. In contrast to Maggie and Ricky’s love story which is no heartbreaking and so dramatically driven. The “I can’t breathe without you” feel is heavy for those too. Yet Ian and Lily keep things light and let’s be honest they are most comedy you’ll get here. Lily has her one liners that zing, doesn’t she?

Also the story lines Mob nod must be a trend, huh? [See Mysterious Attraction] Ode to Sonny Corinthos and General Hospital.

THEMES:

There are consistent themes of Love, Friendship, Trust, Fear, Bravery, Finding yourself, Coming into your own skin, Independence, Guilt, and ultimately rebuilding and waking each other up to inspire a better way of life. That goes for all characters and all forms of the relationships between these 4 people.

DREAM CASTING:

When I sat down with the first scene, it was somewhat of a scene that resembled the first part, where there was this back and forth between Ricky and a female character. You could tell she was angry with him and there was a very good reason, one that he was trying to make light of and gloss over with charm and his belief in their love. His belief that love could somehow help them overcome the catastrophic bomb he just dropped on her. i.e.: that he’s essentially a hit man. But I never really knew who these character would become and getting to know them and writing their dialogue and choosing how they would handle things, that’s been the most fun.

Ricky and Maggie

Ricky: Jesse Lee Soffer (I think he and Lenz would be magic on screen together!)

Ricky faces the blow back from years of horrifying assignments. He finally realizes that what he’s been doing hasn’t been for the better of his country. As he comes to grips with that reality he is faced with trying to protect the woman he loves in the mist of trying to out his corrupt boss, Cobbs. Ricky is a good hearted man, but his job has trained him to perceive himself as a villain of sorts. We never meet Cobbs but we don’t have to. His threat is there, it’s real and evident in Ricky’s fear. He’s almost like this mysterious ghost that looms over them, and we never know if he’s actually going to make his move. I wanted the threat and the fear to be real, without having to have some big reveal or altercation with the actual threat himself. I wanted to sway away from the route Mysterious Attraction took, of kidnappings, and hostage situations. Although the dangers were very similar, the main altercation was ultimately Ricky’s arrest and his choosing to let Maggie go, completely breaking her heart and his own.

 Maggie: Bethany Joy Lenz (She is my QUEEN…I can’t even tell you!)

Maggie is that girl that is so kind and beautiful and so full of hope and light that you just expect no one to ever hurt her. That and the fact that she closes herself off from any kind of risk. Therefore insuring herself she won’t get hurt. She’s the girl that is completely unaware of how amazing she is, and is timid in her sexuality. Meeting Ricky who instantly uses his charm and wit to convince her to take a risk makes her feel alive. The fact that he looks at her in a way that she’s never been looked at before, does wonders for her too. But with all that being said, Maggie comes into her own as she slowly realizes everyone around her is trying to coddle her. She hates feeling like a victim and chooses to take her life in her own hands, going after what she wants.

candice-lily

Lily: Candice Accola-King

If you know my writing, you know the best friend is always the sassy one. [See: Demi Lovato as Roxy in Mysterious Attraction.] I don’t know what it is. But I just feel like the best friend has to be this loose cannon who just speaks the truth. In many way Lily serves as the audience’s perspective. You know when you’re watching a movie or TV show and someone is doing something so stupid you just scream at the TV. Yea, well that’s Lily. She states what should appear as the obvious to the others actors in the story.

meet ian

Ian: Nick Wechsler

Ian is a sweet, calm guy. The voice of reason. Although he too has been involved in these high-stake illegal activities, his self-awareness is much further along than Ricky’s. He knows how to separate himself from his corruption leader of a boss, and knows that his actions were a product of being coerced and trained for years. He also has had a bit more distance than Ricky, as Ricky was made a leader in the organization and felt the brunt of things toward the end, Ian was more of fixer of things, the driver, a tying up loose ends guy. Ian was the one who has been by Ricky’s side, the one who would sacrifice for the wellbeing of everyone. He’s heroic. But it’s a quiet heroism. You don’t realize how self-less he is right off the bat. He’s also got his own charm. His flirtation isn’t as blunt as Ricky’s when it comes to the ladies. He’s a quiet compliment-er, he observes Lily and her nature. He uses what he learns to draw her in and to connect with her. He genuinely speaks his mind and although he goes along with Lily’s sassy flirtation he is completely obvious about his intention to fall in love with her.

-The exclusion of voiceover, the implementation of inner thoughts-

This wasn’t consistent throughout the story. It started off with Maggie’s inner thoughts because she was dealing with a lot on her own, so we had to hear her thoughts. Once Lily was introduced those thoughts were reflected in the dialogue between those two characters as we experienced her pain through the things she confided in her friend.

-The Evolution of relationships-

Friendship-

“Laggie”

lily and maggie bffs

It’s evident that Lily and Maggie have been friends their whole lives. Lily is Maggie’s rock. She is the one to look out for her. Let’s face it she has no filter and will test anyone who tries to cause Maggie any pain.

“Rian”

ricky and ian bffs

Throughout the story we see Ricky deal with the consequences of his actions. We see him deal with having to suffer through causing Maggie so much pain. Ian is someone who is brought in to remain the calm, cool, collected person, he’s cool under pressure. He serves as the voice of reason and as Ricky’s eyes, when he can’t be there for Maggie. The one who is Ricky’s right hand man, and will sacrifice to help him in anyway. They have been partners forever, but their friendship is their first priority. They have each other’s backs, always.

Romantic-

“Illy”

ian and lily kiss

Ian passed Lily’s bluster…

When Lily and Ian meet it’s kind of a comedic moment. Rare for this series, but it serves as a breath of fresh air. We see Lily’s sassy nature at its best, and we see that even the most stoic of men can be instantly distracted by a beautiful and alluring woman. Lily is the way she is due to a recent heartbreak. Ian takes his time to court her, proving to her that he’s worth it. Lily’s calm and collected not to mention sassy nature is her defense mechanism. Ian gets to her, with his innocent yet somewhat obvious flirtations.

“Micky”

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Took a while, but the love was always there

 

The main love story is set between Maggie and Ricky. Maggie lives a plain life, a routine life. A life of rules. Ricky follows his own set of rules. When their worlds collide, opposites attract and they find something in each other that compliments them as individuals. Things they have been looking for all along. Ricky instills adventure and confidence in Maggie’s life, showing her how amazing she is while trying to keep a light hearted sexy tone to their conversations. He’s definitely got a bit of a problem with telling her what to do, because he’s so afraid to lose her. His overprotective nature does cost him at times. While, Maggie instills belief, love and stability in Ricky’s life. Bringing a sense of realism to life, showing him that his criminal past isn’t what defines him. Ricky and Maggie have a back and forth that is evident. There is always a high level of tension, because they are always drawn to each other even though they both experience their reservations about being together. Regardless the love is always there.

-What I’ve learned about my writing, and need to work on for my next series and future projects-

TIPS:

*Write the series (or at least the bulk of it) in advance before posting.

Posting as I go makes it hard for me to stay motivated at times and makes it hard to remember where I left off. Which can cause continuity issues and timeline confusions.

*Keep note of the timeline and realize that not everyone can see it as clearly as you can.

This story has taken place over the course or nearly 1 ½-2 years. In real time we see about a year of it. But Maggie and Ricky have had an ongoing relationship for nearly 2 years. They were together for about 6 months before she found out about his job. 6 months he was able to hide and act like a normal boyfriend, but on the sly. Lily was the only one who truly knew they were an actual couple. To the outside world they seemed friendly. When Maggie finds out about Ricky’s job she pulls away. As Ricky begins to fight for her-coming full force to win her back. Maggie thinks she’s pregnant and worries Ricky’s lifestyle will cause her and her child pain. Their relationship moves quickly, as Ricky had revealed they said their “I love you’s” a week after dating. The separation/reuniting period is on and off for a while, and then after Ricky’s arrest, we jump 6 months ahead which allude to the growth these characters have made. In that time Ian and Lily have started their own romance and seem to be smitten with each other. Ricky spent his time getting well, and Maggie spent her time being in her own skin. Although the time apart was painful for both of them, they made it back to each other in the end, better than they were before, with a promising future ahead of them.

*Learn how to implement backstory better.

I feel like the little facts like Maggie’s a school teacher and Lily suffered a bad relationship could have been better thought out and more implemented throughout the story’s entirety. I need to be careful of that next time.

*Describe location, outfits, appearance more thoroughly, paint a picture for the audience. Where are they, what does it look like? Just because I see it, doesn’t mean you do.

*Learn to sus out the basis of the story before I post.

This can be hard because I often don’t know where the story will go. I may have a vague idea, but then as I’m writing the direction can change in an instant.

*Be more consistent and stick to a solid posting schedule.

I usually post on Mondays and Thursdays every week. For a while this series was all I featured on my blog, and then I kind of felt like I needed to regroup and give other categories on my blog some love. But then the series kind of took a really long break and it was hard to get back into, I just kept putting it off.

*Do research BEFORE you post.

With the crime/legal issues/mob story lines there are certain clauses and lingo and statures that go with that type of plotline. I feel like I didn’t know much about what the CIA does and that caused a problem as I wrote Ricky’s character. I would research as I went which I think that caused some inconsistencies and some weirdness. I did my best, hopefully it came across accurately enough.

*Don’t be afraid of sexual content and more explicit language. And don’t apologize.

I think this is a big one for me to learn. I find myself putting warnings and disclaimers before any chapters that contain more adult matters. Sex is a part of relationships and loving someone, and telling a love story. Cursing is part of heated conversation and gives a line a more dignified delivery. In this series, I definitely explored a more adult style of writing. I usually edit myself when it comes to love scenes, because I feel like it may be perceived as slutty or trashy, and I’m still trying to learn how to write an effective love scene. But I think with this series I’m breaking out of my shell slowly. I am 24, so I mean come on now, the things on TV and in the theaters now, would make my Maggie and Ricky measly shower sex scene seem like a Disney Channel movie.

*Write more like a script, then a novel.

This is something that I’ve noticed. I want the series to be read like a movie, and yet I’m writing and reading it like a short story. Formatting definitely needs work.

*Step up your editing images game, and use the slideslow option more often.

I don’t have image editing software on my computer. I actually found a way to edit images through Microsoft, but some edits come out SO BAD. Lol. Some come out pretty good. I’ve definitely gotten better since the Mysterious Attraction days, but I can only imagine the images I could create if I actually had Photoshop! Sometimes I’ll edit an image and it’ll come out pretty good and I will just get so excited. Seeing my characters come together like that makes it almost seem real. Oh just let me live. Let me dream! 😉 WordPress just added the slideshow option (or I just realized they had one) and it makes things so much neater, you can add captions and watch the story unfold like a mini movie. I love it!

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So there you have it guys, as this post goes up, we say Good Bye to this series, and plan for the next one. I’m excited! Thank you for reading, and congrats if you had the patience to stay tuned until the end! 😉

 

Love conflicted says good bye finished

Catch up on Love Conflicted HERE

*I do not take credit for any images used in my edits or otherwise.*

-<3-