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A M E L I AXB O U D R E A U X
_____ T H EXF R E EXS P I R I T _____
Outfit: Link Here
Location: The Boudreaux Residence
Dialogue Color âĻ #C35817
Thought Color ⧠#730800
ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
A M E L I AXB O U D R E A U X
_____ T H EXF R E EXS P I R I T _____
Outfit: Link Here
Location: The Boudreaux Residence
Dialogue Color âĻ #C35817
Thought Color ⧠#730800
Ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum.
Amelia swallowed, throat constricting though she felt more parched than anything else.
It seemed that the closer they were to the house she once called a home, the faster her heart began to beat until she was sure it was going to climb up out her throat. There was something sitting in her belly, swirling, tightening. Amelia had to swallow again, a small gasp escaping her when the rubber band slapped into her wrist for the final time as Nas found a parking spot. She'd asked him some minutes prior to park two houses down, if he could. She needed the walk, regardless of how minimal it would be. Now, she wished she had said a block down, maybe two. Fuck, why not just have followed his lead? What the fuck was she doing? What the fuck am I doing? She thought, feeling the knot inside of her tighten when Nas cut the engine.
She had convinced herself that she was fine. Of course, it would be daunting to return to her family after being gone for so long. How could it not be? And she was bringing a child into the mix? In what world would it not be a near harrowing ordeal? And yet, the severity of the aforementioned nerves did not truly touch her until the moment Nas had shifted his car in drive and as Amelia exited the vehicle, she found herself in the thick of a panic she didn't want to label as cowardice. Especially when the next words left her mouth:
"I should go change Dion," she breathed, avoiding Nas' gaze as she rounded his car, not fast enough to keep him from being the first to reach Dion.
"You good?" Nas asked almost immediately, but Amelia's smile was wide and false, unable to hide how not good she was.
"Just wanna get this out of the way," she replied breezily, reaching out to retrieve her boy. Dion wasn't asleep anymore; blinking owlishly, but he was on the cusp of still being so. Getting changed would awaken him, which would give Amelia more time to linger, she thought. She'd have to get him in an agreeable mood to meet people, after all. Plus, his diaper felt full through his shorts; there was no scent, but any longer and it would've become uncomfortable and leaking. "Put him in khakis without even thinking and I'm already gonna have enough going against me to have my kid potentially walking around with a pee stain or worse. Then they'll really say something." Nas' face didn't move in the way that Amelia's did, easy and without consent, but his eyes did a thing she didn't like. It looked too much like pity, a lot like concern.
"I can get Ben - " He began, but she cut him off.
"No." It was immediate and brooking no room for argument. She flashed him a grin before turning to Dion, beaming even as the little one gave her a sleepy smile in response. "We're just gonna get all freshened up and then we'll be down with everyone else." At Nas' hitched eyebrow, she added, "I forget - you and Ben were...good boys. Didn't wanna hide. There's a side door, leads to a smaller staircase. I'll just go up to the bathroom near my old room. Be down in a jiffy." If the look on Nas' face was skeptical, Amelia didn't bother acknowledging it because once both her bag and boy were secured in her arms, she walked as briskly as she could towards the house and then around it.
It was cowardice. You're a coward. She told herself mentally. But that didn't stop her, heart racing and palms moistening, from being grateful that her parents kept the side doors of their home unlocked during the day. It made sense, given the fact that they were going to have "casual" friends over, but Amelia remembered plenty of times when she'd been able to sneak around due to this negligence. Luckily, she didn't have to encounter anyone on her way up the stairs and before she knew it, nostalgia hit her even as the knot in her belly tightened further. It was easy, remembering her room and the bathroom she'd shared with Diana. The house still smelled the same, the lemons and detergents used to clean off surfaces, the soft muskiness of warm vanilla from the candles her mother kept around the entirety of the home. Before long, she found herself bypassing the bathroom entirely and creeping into her childhood bedroom.
"They kept it the same, bubba," she declared, stepping into the space she'd once planned out cheer routines in and invited boys she shouldn't have. A sheen developed in her eyes without warning, causing her to blink rapidly as she breathed through the knot of anxious emotion. All the while her son watched her, quiet and still until their eyes met only for his lips to stretch into a wide grin. Amelia gave him an answering one. "Let's get you changed." She was laying him out, trying to get her breathing in order when she had a thought, reaching over for her phone. Focused on her task, she didn't even see Ben's text.
To: Wifey <3
My room. tell no 1
Amelia swallowed, throat constricting though she felt more parched than anything else.
It seemed that the closer they were to the house she once called a home, the faster her heart began to beat until she was sure it was going to climb up out her throat. There was something sitting in her belly, swirling, tightening. Amelia had to swallow again, a small gasp escaping her when the rubber band slapped into her wrist for the final time as Nas found a parking spot. She'd asked him some minutes prior to park two houses down, if he could. She needed the walk, regardless of how minimal it would be. Now, she wished she had said a block down, maybe two. Fuck, why not just have followed his lead? What the fuck was she doing? What the fuck am I doing? She thought, feeling the knot inside of her tighten when Nas cut the engine.
She had convinced herself that she was fine. Of course, it would be daunting to return to her family after being gone for so long. How could it not be? And she was bringing a child into the mix? In what world would it not be a near harrowing ordeal? And yet, the severity of the aforementioned nerves did not truly touch her until the moment Nas had shifted his car in drive and as Amelia exited the vehicle, she found herself in the thick of a panic she didn't want to label as cowardice. Especially when the next words left her mouth:
"I should go change Dion," she breathed, avoiding Nas' gaze as she rounded his car, not fast enough to keep him from being the first to reach Dion.
"You good?" Nas asked almost immediately, but Amelia's smile was wide and false, unable to hide how not good she was.
"Just wanna get this out of the way," she replied breezily, reaching out to retrieve her boy. Dion wasn't asleep anymore; blinking owlishly, but he was on the cusp of still being so. Getting changed would awaken him, which would give Amelia more time to linger, she thought. She'd have to get him in an agreeable mood to meet people, after all. Plus, his diaper felt full through his shorts; there was no scent, but any longer and it would've become uncomfortable and leaking. "Put him in khakis without even thinking and I'm already gonna have enough going against me to have my kid potentially walking around with a pee stain or worse. Then they'll really say something." Nas' face didn't move in the way that Amelia's did, easy and without consent, but his eyes did a thing she didn't like. It looked too much like pity, a lot like concern.
"I can get Ben - " He began, but she cut him off.
"No." It was immediate and brooking no room for argument. She flashed him a grin before turning to Dion, beaming even as the little one gave her a sleepy smile in response. "We're just gonna get all freshened up and then we'll be down with everyone else." At Nas' hitched eyebrow, she added, "I forget - you and Ben were...good boys. Didn't wanna hide. There's a side door, leads to a smaller staircase. I'll just go up to the bathroom near my old room. Be down in a jiffy." If the look on Nas' face was skeptical, Amelia didn't bother acknowledging it because once both her bag and boy were secured in her arms, she walked as briskly as she could towards the house and then around it.
It was cowardice. You're a coward. She told herself mentally. But that didn't stop her, heart racing and palms moistening, from being grateful that her parents kept the side doors of their home unlocked during the day. It made sense, given the fact that they were going to have "casual" friends over, but Amelia remembered plenty of times when she'd been able to sneak around due to this negligence. Luckily, she didn't have to encounter anyone on her way up the stairs and before she knew it, nostalgia hit her even as the knot in her belly tightened further. It was easy, remembering her room and the bathroom she'd shared with Diana. The house still smelled the same, the lemons and detergents used to clean off surfaces, the soft muskiness of warm vanilla from the candles her mother kept around the entirety of the home. Before long, she found herself bypassing the bathroom entirely and creeping into her childhood bedroom.
"They kept it the same, bubba," she declared, stepping into the space she'd once planned out cheer routines in and invited boys she shouldn't have. A sheen developed in her eyes without warning, causing her to blink rapidly as she breathed through the knot of anxious emotion. All the while her son watched her, quiet and still until their eyes met only for his lips to stretch into a wide grin. Amelia gave him an answering one. "Let's get you changed." She was laying him out, trying to get her breathing in order when she had a thought, reaching over for her phone. Focused on her task, she didn't even see Ben's text.
To: Wifey <3
My room. tell no 1
ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
I K E N A S I OXA M A S I O - H A N S E N
_____ T H EXB A DXB O Y _____
Outfit: Link Here
Location: The Boudreaux Residence
Dialogue Color âĻ #307D7E
Thought Color ⧠#183E3F
ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
I K E N A S I OXA M A S I O - H A N S E N
_____ T H EXB A DXB O Y _____
Outfit: Link Here
Location: The Boudreaux Residence
Dialogue Color âĻ #307D7E
Thought Color ⧠#183E3F
Asking if the blonde Boudreaux twin had been "good" had been a true folly, a really dumb mistake, if anyone asked Nas. Of course, she wasn't good. If she snapped the rubber band into her skin any harder, than the mark on her wrist would be pinker than it already was. In retrospect, it was an ugly habit, this purposeful pain, that he needed to honestly ask Ben about because it just wasn't right. And what you're doing is? A voice in his head shot back, but Nas only tried focusing on heading towards the Boudreaux house, hoping that when he glanced the way Amelia went, no one else followed his gaze. She clearly wasn't as ready for attention as she initially wanted him to believe, and he didn't want to be the one who drew it to her when she wasn't particularly prepared. So, he kept walking towards the entrance.
The Boudreaux family home was truly an architectural masterpiece that exemplified the picture of Lowcountry luxury. There were a lot of homes in this neighborhood that achieved it, but with the centuries-old live oak trees framing the property as well as the balconies he remembered climbing on and offonly when he stayed or came over much later than allowed, it was still a spectacular sight. He remembered sketching out these homes, admiring the views, filling in painstaking lines to make up the texture of the crown molding and even the rain gutters. He'd wanted to build homes like these; he'd wanted to build Ben a home like this. Their home. "Like that was ever gonna happen," he muttered to no one in particular, shoved his hands into his pockets, swallowed, and proceeded through the entrance.
The sight of the amount of people made his stomach swarm with discomfort. This wasn't his world. The amount of pearls and jewels in the room - this wasn't him and, despite how much he would've adored to cling to Amelia's optimism - even his own hope, when he and Ben had first married - none of this was ever going to be him. And somehow or another, he'd stupidly thought that he'd find a way, that they'd find a way. And now, he had to find his husband in a room filled with people who never wanted him here and hope that his old friends would be enough to distract from that thought. And the thought of the divorce papers he still hasn't gotten the stomach to serve. Luckily, though, any deeper and darker thoughts on the matter were disrupted by the sight of a familiar, surprising pair. A pair that included a face he'd always welcome.
"Jen?" Nas had to do a double take, so taken by the sight of his best friend that he hadn't been able to place Jeremiah immediately. "Wait, J-Jeremiah Hawk? Wassup, man? It's been...fuck, it's been a minute. How are you?" Nas found himself grinning, particularly at Jenna when he added, "Both of you?"
The Boudreaux family home was truly an architectural masterpiece that exemplified the picture of Lowcountry luxury. There were a lot of homes in this neighborhood that achieved it, but with the centuries-old live oak trees framing the property as well as the balconies he remembered climbing on and off
The sight of the amount of people made his stomach swarm with discomfort. This wasn't his world. The amount of pearls and jewels in the room - this wasn't him and, despite how much he would've adored to cling to Amelia's optimism - even his own hope, when he and Ben had first married - none of this was ever going to be him. And somehow or another, he'd stupidly thought that he'd find a way, that they'd find a way. And now, he had to find his husband in a room filled with people who never wanted him here and hope that his old friends would be enough to distract from that thought. And the thought of the divorce papers he still hasn't gotten the stomach to serve. Luckily, though, any deeper and darker thoughts on the matter were disrupted by the sight of a familiar, surprising pair. A pair that included a face he'd always welcome.
"Jen?" Nas had to do a double take, so taken by the sight of his best friend that he hadn't been able to place Jeremiah immediately. "Wait, J-Jeremiah Hawk? Wassup, man? It's been...fuck, it's been a minute. How are you?" Nas found himself grinning, particularly at Jenna when he added, "Both of you?"