A Smile Stretched Across Salems Lips As Luna Sat Down. It Had Seemed Like Forever Since The Two Last

KIANA LEDÉ via instagram

she playfully rolled her eyes at her friends response. salem couldn't comprehend anyone getting used to being in such unique place, even when she would go visit new orleans she always found something new to be in awe over. "if this is boring you we can do something else? seriously i'll sacrifice the rest of the day hear more of your dungeons and dragons lore." she teased with a playful nudge. "or i could find us a matching bracelet or necklace to solidify our friendship. with all this cool handmade jewelry there's bound to be something. unfortunately for you im cheesy like that."

             the  happy  amusement  on  birdie's  face  is  evident.  her  face  breaks  into  a  bright  smile  when  salem  speaks  to  her,  eyes  scanning  the  bags  she's  presented  with.  birdie  loves  to  see  people  excited  about  chile,  their  heart  bursting  at  the  thought  of  people  loving  their  home  as  much  as  they  do.  she  shakes  her  head,  accompanying  it  with  a  wave  of  the  hand,  "  nah,  be  as  tourist-y  as  you  want,  i  love  it  – i  am  excited  ! "  they  laugh,  "  i've  lived  here  forever ! i  don't  get  as  excited  as  i  did  when  it  was  all  new,  it  happens.  "

salem's instagram !! @valpoinspo

tbh salem has a weird relationship with social media. she's a little more private about what she posts and is very big on using the close friends feature (she's too lazy to keep up with a private account lmao) if she weren't a musician she probably wouldn't want such a big presence online. her typical posts are random things like stevie and her friends and plants.

"okay, we can talk about it tomorrow." she said quietly while quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. salem watched leon as he walked out of the living room before shutting the light off. her mind was racing for what felt like hours. she couldn't sleep and for some weird reason, maybe out of habit, found herself knocking on the bedroom door. "can i come lay with you?" she asked after peaking her head in the door. leon was half asleep and told her to come in. salem crawled into bed with him and cuddled up against him. it was comforting to be this close to him again and all she wanted was for things to go back to normal. "im so sorry for how much i've hurt you." she wasn't sure if he was awake or not but she needed to get it off her chest. "i don't want things to end and how much i love you actually terrifies me. but i don't know how to be the person you deserve..." she turned to him and realized he was sound asleep. salem ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead gently. she turned back around to cuddle against him before eventually falling asleep.

when morning rolled around salem was woken up by the sunlight peaking through the curtains. she looked around the room and then over to leon who was still sleeping. her hangover was raging and the thought of the inevitable talk they were supposed to have made her stomach turn. she got up out of bed and quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom slowly closing the door. leaving this way probably wasn't the best decision but she felt like there wasn't much left for her to say anyways and she truly was tired of hurting him and that's what the end result would be anyways. so she grabbed her shoes and her bag and left the apartment.

this is too much. he hates seeing her so heartbroken. absolutely destroys him. but at the end of the day, he really can't be just a punching bag. he has a lot to think about. "i can't do this right now," he looks down at her with tears bubbling in his eyes. the fact that she can't promise not to break his heart again, it kills him. and he wants to trust her. they both bring so much baggage into this relationship. but he sees himself in her, and it really feels like she's the only one who understands him. the only one for him. she's his soulmate. "i'm going to bed," the man says. he presses one hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her in somehow. "the bathroom's that way and the kitchen's stocked. we'll continue this tomorrow, okay?" it fucking hurts to pull his hand away, and it hurts even more to leave her in the living room as he goes to the master bedroom. he just wants to hold her, fuck her, make her feel good and trust her to not fuck him up again. is that really possible? leon takes off his shirt and climbs into bed with just sweatpants. he scrolls through his phone for a few minutes, but he can't concentrate on anything. so, he switches off the light of the lamp on his nightstand and tries to sleep.

Kate Chopin, from The Awakening

"the mallory jade getting on her knees and begging for forgiveness would be a wild sight. imagine the commotion it would cause online." salem teased before taking a sip of her coffee. "staying out of trouble? for some reason i don't believe you. there's got to be more." she found it hard to believe mallory hadn't been up to anything interesting since they last saw one another. the pair was wild but the other was typically always up to something. "the song?" salem said enthusiastically. "it's called honey and it's pretty much done. i think i'm gonna leave it real stripped down and acoustic and release it like that. i wrote it about that girl i was telling you about." it was refreshing for salem to talk about working on new music again without any pressure surrounding it. "i was struggling for the longest time but now i have all these feelings i need to work through you know? i'm just trying to sort through everything i'm feeling in a healthy way. speaking of which we need a collab."

"I know but I feel like it." Mallory pouted, returning the reassuring gesture by briefly squeezing Salem's hand. "Seriously, I feel like I need to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness. And you know I don't just do that for anyone." She listened as Salem shared about how she spent her time. Mallory admired her friend's resilience and humor in the face of it all. "I'm fine. Been staying out of trouble which is surprising given my history." Mallory teased, trying to lighten up the mood. She wasn't going to unpack her feelings not without knowing her oldest friend was clearly going through something bigger than she was. "But enough about me, tell me more about this music you've been writing. I'd love to hear all about it. I feel like it's been too long since you've released a song."

"shut up." she said playfully at his compliment. salem was surprised at how leon still managed to get her flustered with his words and overall presence. they'd known each other for what felt like forever and her feelings for him completely consumed her in certain moments, this one being one of them. she chuckled at his question "did i make this? no, you're giving me way too much credit now blondie." salem didn't think to make the dish from scratch which probably would have been a nicer gesture in retrospect. "i found this place when i was out a couple days ago having lunch with a friend and saw they had it on the menu. so i figured i'd surprise you with some, i remember you used to talk about it all the time back home in new york." she smiled up at him for a moment, quickly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

leon listens to salem, without interrupting her. the musical genius comment causes him to blush a little, and he watches her set his favorite chilean dish on the kitchen counter. did she make it? when she mentions she's sober, the man nods. her laugh, even her nervous laughter, he thinks it's cute. "you're such an idiot," leon ends up chuckling himself before walking up to her. each step that he takes, he takes it blindly. because he would let her break his heart a million times if it just meant that they'd always go back to each other. he's so in love. he's so hurt. "you actually clean up really nice," the blond teases her, standing so close to her that his heart rate goes up. he can't stop looking at her. his hand on the counter, next to hers, wanting to touch her but unable to do so. the love of his life. eventually, leon looks down at the food, "did you make this?" he asks softly.

salem did well at adjusting to life in valpo post break up with leon. she had a solid group of friends and routine at home, with stevie, that she'd grown to look forward to and truthfully it was the stability she desperately craved. running into leon in la was completely unexpected and when she learned he was returning as well being back home in valpo had her stomach in knots. they both had a lot to say that couldn't be done over text and salem felt like she was at least owed a conversation about why things ended the way they had between them. after biting the bullet and finally sending leon a text about bringing her food (she had to find a way to break the ice right?) she waited anxiously for his arrival. she heard a knock at her door and couldn't help but smile upon answering when she saw leon standing there not only with the food but her favorite flowers as well. "that was fast." she teased as he proceeded to step inside. salem shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen. she instantly felt deja vu from it all. "the flowers are nice, thank you by the way." she said nervously while retrieving a vase for the sunflowers. "so, how have things been for you since coming back?"

on his way to valpo, leon had a night layover in la. he went to a bar and bumped into salem there. of course she looked gorgeous, like usual. and after they fucked, the man had to leave in a rush to make his flight. running out of money back home was a huge deal he was dealing with, he couldn't afford another flight. he felt shitty, because he really wanted to talk to salem -explain why he had bolted the way he did- but the craving and addiction was pretty much there still. it never leaves him. it follows him around like a lustful shadow that activates the moment he sees her beautiful brown eyes. that tantalizing smile. and now they're both here. and he's on his way to her place, a place he called a shithole and doesn't even know why. it's not even that bad, maybe he thought he was being funny, but it definitely went all the way left. the uber stops in front of salem's place and leon takes a deep breath. okay. it'll be okay. so much needs to be said. he's nervous with the bag of veggie quesadillas in one hand, and a sunflower bouquet in the other. after thanking the driver, the blond gets out of the car and rings his ex's doorbell. he fidgets in place. after a few moments, the door swings open and he does his best to put on a smile that reads kindness and sorry at the same time. "aye."

@cybermuses

"i know! i've been such a hermit lately and i'm sure if my cat could talk she would yell at me to get out of the house." salem joked before shaking her head. "not really busy, just kind of trying to kill time and jot a few things down." she nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "i figured i should actually be around other people you know? if anything i was bound to run into someone i knew here and i was right!" she gave arin a small smile while closing the journal and moving it aside. "but anyways what are you up to today? how have you been?"

he's here playing errand boy. picking up ... something, for his mom. not entirely sure what, or what for — just that it's not ready yet and he's got some time to kill. he gets himself a cup of coffee and sits himself at a table near the edge of the room, ready to just waste time on his phone when he hears her speak. don't need to invite him twice. "long time no see," slide into the chair across from the one she's seated in, making an all too obvious show of peering at her book on his way. as if he has any real prayer of being able to read anyone's handwriting upside down like that. "busy? what are you working on?"

the last couple of hours between the two had been spent sharing laughter and chaotically figuring out hair and makeup options. salem hadn't been out partying since becoming newly single. going to club divine with leia was the perfect remedy for getting back into the swing of normalcy. after going through what seemed like every outfit in her closet she finally settled on a dress she'd come across at secondhand style. it was just short enough to make her feel good about herself without feeling like she was doing too much. she looked over at leia and have her a reassuring nod. "you look amazing! i don't think it's too much. plus blush tends to disappear after like an hour anyways." she said with an enthusiastic grin. "but you should do a little extra highlight." salem added a final touch of lipgloss and turned to the other. "we're definitely going to be the cutest duo. we need to take lots of pictures tonight too. we look to way too good to not be seen online."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀໑ ⠀ closed stater for @cybermuses ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀໑ ⠀ location ⌲ salem's apartment.

⠀⠀⠀⠀it was finally the weekend , and leia and salem had agreed to head over to club divine to enjoy a much - needed night to let loose . she had made her way over to salem's about two hours ago and they were still getting ready , as leia was not one to be satisfied with her outfit until it was perfect . the girls were yapping about anything and everything that came to mind , salem's spotify playing on shuffle in the background for the perfect getting ready vibe . ❝ does this look okay ? not too much ? ❞ she asked , as if she wasn't still blending more blush on her face . ❝ maybe it'll look okay in the low - light indoors . . . ❞ she muttered , finally putting the brush down . her eyes moved over to the other , her gaze admiring how pretty salem looked . ❝ i think we're gonna be the cutest duo there tonight . ❞