<< interjection, let Talia Ballesteros get it all out, and instead of pointing out that she should have - that she /did/ - see this coming, >>

<< that she could have prevented this, that she still /could/ if she'd quit being a dipshit and just give the girl the simple things she >>

<< wanted, /needed/, to know that she was loved - because I'd /never/ known Talia Ballesteros to love someone the way she did >>

<< Ava Nichols, but she was really /shit/ at showing it sometimes, instead of smacking her over the head and telling her to wake up >>

<< or...any number of less delicate things that would probably only be further internalized in the moment to make her feel worse, I just >>

<< took Talia Ballesteros 's hand in mine, bleeding all the assurance in the world as I looked at her, absolute fuckin' /certainty/, and >>

<< made a promise...I wasn't sure would be kept, but one I'd try like hell to honor.:\ We'll get her back. /:Because it would probably >>

<< require a team effort... And because it was what Talia Ballesteros needed to hear, in the moment. I laid out a very carefully formulated >>

<< battle strategy to track Ava Nichols down and win her back, part of which included the two of us just getting married and never >>

<< leaving the bed again, which I pointed out was totally unlikely as Ava Nichols had been upset with her before and she had always >>

<< forgiven and gone on loving her like nothing had happened, a fact I bemoaned as it meant we wouldn't enjoy nuptial bliss...and should >>

<< maybe go ahead and elope first so I could solidify my claim, drowning Talia Ballesteros in the practical and the positive so she didn't >>

<< defeat herself with her own brand of negative, fatalistic thinking...while #Missy licked her face and #Luda buried his nose in the >>

<< space between her thigh and the cushion, sleeping like a baby now that his momma was home. The hard truths could come later. Step one >>

<< was trying to get the girl back. Step two was keeping her. Before that came making Talia Ballesteros laugh and giving her the peace of >>

<< mind to handle the rest of the shit in stride. That much, I could do.:\ By the way... I should probably tell you... I was like... >>

<< pretty much naked on this couch like...half an hour ago. And there may have been some slight humping. Like.../only/ humping... >>

<< To make you feel better about your situation.

If you don't swear when you drive then you aren't paying enough attention to the road

Active.