The Concept |r. blaney|

twenty: hold on and let go

"I like the blue ones."

"The blue ones? Really?"

"What? They're pretty."

"You're pretty."

"Did you like the red ones?" Cadence pressed, arms crossed over her chest as she squinted up at the curtains on display at the spacious furniture store. Ryan grinned ear to ear as he gazed down at her— bright and full of adoration. His mind pulsates with lust at how she avoided his compliment as if it were water on a ducks back.

He draped and arm around her waist, fingers caressing the curve of her hip. His fingers curled around her thin frame, delicate and full of grace as his lips met her temple. Far too wrapped up in the girl on his arms to remember the question, he absentmindedly glanced down to the other girl on his opposite side holding an extremely large planning book with her eyes narrowed into pinpoints. "Ryan?"

"Is she okay?" He laughed as he motioned to Julia and Quincy. Quincy leaned over a cart full of home decor, chin in palm as he tiredly looked off into the distance. Cadence leaned forward to look around Ryan, brow furrowing as suddenly Quincy's eyes shut and he lolled forward. Her palm slid down Ryan's chest as she too wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Is he?" Quincy jolted up and cleared his throat as Julia turned and placed her binder in the cart.

"No. I changed my mind. What was I thinking? Our living room can't be blue and white themed, that's so depressing!" She exclaimed as she began taking all the decor out of the cart. "Come on, we have to go look at the yellow." She walked ahead of Quincy's cart. Just before they could exit the aisle, she stopped suddenly and almost got plowed over by Quincy and their overflowing cart.

"Babe! A warning next time," He whined.

"Pay attention, sweetheart," She giggled and rushed over to peck his lips before she moved to stand beside Ryan one again. "Red. It's her bedroom, Ryan, don't be dimwitted. Red... intimacy." She whispered, leaning toward him. "Blue is too safe." Then she clapped him on the back before spinning on her heel. "And depressing! Alrighty, onward, my love!"

Ryan sucked in a breath and glanced down at Cadence, who was smiling as she shook her head. He bit the inside of his lip as he looked her over. "Red it is." She grabbed the curtains and turned on her heel before Ryan could notice her blushing cheeks. Of course, he knew exactly what she looked like.

He knew her just that well.

"So, why are we redecorating your already beautifully furnished home again?" Ryan asked, the pair wandering through the aisles side by side.

"Julia's obsessed with redecorating her and Quincy's apartment and now that I gave her that chandelier, she's obsessed with redecorating my place too. She loves my house more than me." Ryan stopped by a row of motivational signs. He reached out and grabbed one, rolling his eyes as he looked it over.

"It has like a billion bedrooms and it's so big she could move in and you not notice."

"I know, it's awful."

"Awful? What do you mean, awful?" He laughed, spinning the motivational sign over to read it. "This is my happy place. Come on. Spacious, luxury, in ground pool-- my happy place for sure." Cadence took the home decor piece from his hands and placed it back, shaking her head with a giggle.

"It's not my favorite."

"Okay, where is your happy place?" He asked, hand moving to lace with hers so smoothly. She bit down on the inside of her lip and sucked in a sharp breath as she glanced up at him. The answer to that was... very blurred.