Enemies To Lovers Except Muse A has Been Pining Over Muse B from The Moment They Met, Muse B Is The

the moment drew starts talking — actually talking, beyond the bullshit, beyond the deflections — something tightens in penny’s chest, pulling taut like a wire about to snap. it’s almost cruel, how easily drew’s honesty, her rare vulnerability, still manages to slip beneath penny’s skin, still has the power to rattle her when she’s spent so much time trying to build walls against it. but she’s always known this about herself — about them. that drew could make her want to scream one second and crumble the next. she exhales, slow and shaky, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes before letting them fall to her sides. she’s so tired. tired of worrying. tired of trying to make sense of the mess drew leaves in her wake. "drew…" her voice isn’t sharp anymore, not biting — just hollow. worn. "you disappeared. just — just vanished. and you know what’s fucked? i spent two weeks trying to rationalize it. trying to come up with some kind of reason that would make it make sense. blaming myself..  because that’s what i do.. i blame myself. for every mishap, i think i am the root of every problem.. and it’s fucking exhausting." her arms cross over her chest, but it’s not anger fueling the motion — it’s an instinctive, futile attempt to hold herself together. "and then you just walk in here, cracking jokes, acting like it’s nothing, and i — " her voice cuts off, trembling under the weight of it all. "i don’t know what you expect from me. do you want me to pretend it’s fine? because i can’t do that." drew clutches the pillow to her chest, and it’s almost too much to look at. the way she holds onto it like a lifeline, like if she lets go, she might just disappear again. penny hates that a part of her still aches at the sight. hates that no matter how furious she is, there’s still something inside her that wants to reach for her. "and look," her voice drops, quieter now, not quite as sharp. "i know it’s not my place to worry anymore. but fuck… and i know it’s not all about me."

then drew says it. make it up to me. and something inside penny breaks. she meets drew’s gaze, raw and unguarded, her own vision blurring at the edges. "make it up to me?" her breath hitches, and she blinks, like that might somehow clear the storm behind her eyes. her body feels too heavy, like she’s sinking under the weight of everything she’s been holding in. "it’s not about making anything up." her voice is quieter now, the anger simmering into something heavier, something deeper. "nothing you say — nothing you do — is ever going to erase what you did. there is nothing in this world that can make me forget how little you made me feel. how unwanted and fucking pathetic you made me feel." the words hurt to say. hurt to admit. but they hang in the air between them, undeniable. penny crosses the room, sinking onto the opposite couch, the space between them stretching wider than ever. she licks her bottom lip, trying to steady her thoughts, trying to find the words when everything inside her is screaming. "but look…" her voice wavers. she closes her eyes for a moment before searching for drew’s again. " wewouldn’t be here if i didn’t think i it was something we, or i could work past." she lets the truth settle between them, lets it linger in the silence. "there’s a reason i keep coming back to you. a reason i let you in when you come back to me. even when every part of me is screaming that it’s a mistake. even when i’ve spent hours trying to convince myself that you don’t deserve a second chance." she swallows hard, curling her legs up on the couch, her elbow bracing against the back of it as she wipes a stray tear from her cheek. "but i do believe people deserve more than one chance. even when i don’t want to. even when everything inside me tells me i shouldn’t."her breath stutters, and suddenly, saying the words out loud feels like taking a blade to her own ribs. "god," she exhales, a laugh breaking through — but it’s bitter, humorless. "it goes against every fucking principle i have to even imagine keeping someone in my life who cheated on me. saying it out loud? it sounds insane." she stares at the ceiling for a long moment, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths before she finally looks at drew again. her eyes are glassy, voice on the edge of breaking. "but i don’t — i can’t — imagine my life without you." the confession feels like a betrayal of herself. a white flag she never intended to raise. "but i don’t know how to do this. i don’t know how to trust you again." her voice drops to a whisper.

it's not as though she'd expected a happy reunion. a running jump into her arms, milk maid gowns free flowing in the wind as they rejoiced. drew had expected the anger. but the delusional part of her brain, which was the part that was at the forefront these days, was silently hoping they could just skim past the anger. as a pillow collides with the back of her head, it's clear that they'll need to make a pit stop at i'm sorry station. "ow! i was holding a candle." a searing finger nestles between her lips and she sucks out the brief pain like venom. this does capture drew's attention, now completely facing penny who appears to be one lightning strike away from full-blown super villain fury. the power of their connection transcends what they are both willing to understand. it's frightening to some effect, how drew can instantly feel penny's agony crawling beneath her skin. infectious is how drew would describe it, but penny would likely describe it as empathy. she supposed that's where the two differed most. it was dangerous to drew -- and all consuming for penny, it made finding common ground far more precarious when one of them was trying to flee while the other was trying to cling.

"you know -- parker did tell me the pigeons were mindless drones. i thought that was kind of mean, you know? so i sent one. but judging by the fact you didn't get it. i guess i owe him five bucks." she fucked up. she knew the feeling as equally as she knew penny's turmoil considering their tendency to go hand in hand. and wasn't that devastating? knowing that your faults perfectly coincided with your partner's dismay? "i do want to pretend that everything is fine.." the blonde admits, likely the first thing she's been honest about in days. she sighs as she crosses the floor to penny but allows her enough space to feel comfortable. "but that's not fair to you. i know. i just -- i don't know what the fuck happened if i'm honest. and well, fuck. that's not fair to you either. i was sitting at work like.. is this gonna be the rest of my life? being good while everyone else is great? i mean - look, and i'm not trying to project this on you - but you're fucking great." drew scoops up the throw pillow off the ground and sink back into the bar stool, hugging it closely to herself. a waft of penny's perfume fills her nose and she takes a deep breath. it's grounding for a moment. that is until she says, "this time i've spent piecing us back together isn't bullshit, penny. i've been trying to make it up to you. and i'd do it all over again.. a thousand times." french nails are picking softly at the soft fuzz balls on the pillow as she nervously looks for something to do with her anxious fingers. "but will i ever be able to truly make it all up to you? i mean, really. and i want you to be honest with me."

Only Murders in the Building (2021-present) To Protect and Serve (S01E06)

ONE TREE HILL ( 2003 - 2012 ) ↳ season 7 episode 6

COOPER KOCH for perfect magazine issue 8 2025

"  stunnin'  face  ?  you  lot  really  are  dangerous  with  compliments  over  here.  look,  maybe  i  came  for  the  moral  support  and  maybe  i  stayed  for  the  fights  —  and  maybe,  maybe,  the  view  from  my  seat  just  so  happens  to  be  decent.  hockey’s  chaotic,  violent,  and  dramatic.  i’m  a  theatre  girl,  raph.  i  was  bound  to  fall  for  it  eventually.  besides,  it’s  not  like  you’re  exactly  forgettable  on  the  ice.  consider  me  an  intrigued  convert.  "

"  and  you're  not  ?  just  tagging  along  for  moral  support  or  did  someone  catch  your  eye  along  the  way  ?  all  the  way  from  the  uk  and  supporting  me  weekly  ,  think  hockey's  growing  on  your  sweetheart  --  who  can  really  complaining  at  such  a  stunnin'  face  ?  "

Gideon Glick as Tobias Bell and Ivan du Pontavice as Gabin Roux ÉTOILE — The Offer (1.08)

OLIVIA HOLT on INSTAGRAM

Gideon Glick as Tobias Bell and Ivan du Pontavice as Gabin Roux ÉTOILE — The Hiccup (1.04)

riley's  heart  skipped  a  beat  as  she  collided  with  the  guy,  the  impact  knocking  the  breath  out  of  her  as  his  water  tumbler  soared  through  the  air,  followed  by  what  could  only  be  described  as  a  moment  of  complete  and  utter  chaos.  her  coffee  cup  wobbled  dangerously  in  her  hand,  and  for  a  second,  she  thought  it  was  going  to  spill  all  over  her.  but  nope,  she  somehow  managed  to  keep  it  upright,  which  was  a  small  victory  in  itself.  she  glanced  at  the  tumbler  —  now  rolling  across  the  floor  —  and  immediately  felt  a  wave  of  mortification.  “oh,  god,  i’m  so  sorry,”  she  blurted,  instinctively  reaching  out  to  steady  herself,  though  she  couldn’t  quite  tell  if  she  was  apologizing  for  the  collision  or  the  aftermath  of  water  flying  everywhere.  when  she  looked  up,  the  guy  was  grinning  at  her,  a  teasing  smile  on  his  lips  that  somehow  disarmed  her  frustration.  he  wasn’t  angry  —  no,  he  was... amused.  great.  that  made  her  feel so  much  better.  she  ran  a  hand  through  her  hair,  trying  to  regain  some  shred  of  composure,  though  it  didn’t  help  at  all.  “i  swear,  i’m  usually  way  more  coordinated  than  this,”  she  said.  her  eyes  flicked  to  the  machine,  which  had  now  become  the  object  of  her  absolute  disdain.  "i’m  definitely  not  here  to  fix  it,  sorry  to  bring  you  even  more  tragedy,”  she  added,  nodding  toward  the  malfunctioning  snack  dispenser  like  it  was  the  source  of  all  her  current  embarrassment.  she  took  a  deep  breath  and  then  gave  him  a  half-smile.  "i  usually  just  do  this..”  which  was then  followed  by  her  kicking  the  machine  enough  to  give  it  a  bit  of  a  shake,  hoping  that  it  would  work  in  her  favor. 

♡ → closed starter delivery for @velvetysage

he was in the middle of a very serious negotiation with the lobby vending machine when someone collided into him at full speed, sending his water tumbler flying ( and his dignity ) right along with it. "jesus—" felix started, but then he turned to face them - wide eyes, out-of-breath, clutching a coffee cup like it was a lifeline - and, well, he wasn't exactly mad anymore. "you always body-check strangers or am i just special?" he teased, stepping back just enough to get a better look. they were flustered, clearly in a rush, but there was a certain electric aura, like they could talk their way in or out of anything if given five uninterrupted minutes. "please tell me you're here to fix this thing," he nodded at the vending machine, "because i'm one lost snack away from a full breakdown."

MOLLY GORDON in Venice, Italy for Miu Miu Women's Tales at the 81st Venice Film Festival photographed by Emilio Madrid (September 1, 2024)