Author: liz

Twelve Letters of Lizmas: 2020

Favorite Albums of 2020!

liz

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

So, the year is coming to an end, thank the high heavens. Although 2020 as a whole was not the greatest (obviously), the music that came out of it has been someone of the best in a really long time! While there are plenty of albums that I enjoyed as a whole that didn’t come out this year, here are my top 5 favorite albums that have musically made 2020 just a little bit more bearable.

5.) “Positions” by Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande's Positions Is a 2020 Pop Fairytale: Review | Consequence of Sound

I wasn’t expecting to like this album as much I did, but man, this album was good in such an interesting way. While many people didn’t like the album for it’s sexual innuendos, I think it’s an interesting blend of what Ariana Grande’s music was when she was younger and the maturity of her growing the fuck up. I definitely enjoyed hearing her go back to some of the sounds she once had in her music, but it was also interesting to talk about natural topics like being in love and having sex and being sexy and all that. The lead single, “positions” was an interesting choice; while the sound was extremely different than her previous stuff, the lyrics to me just felt subpar and not greatly developed like the rest of her lead singles for her previous albums. The b-sides though are so fucking good though! Find me listening to “my hair”, “love language”, and “34+35” on repeat.

4.) “BE” by BTS

BTS album BE: The tracklist | Entertainment News,The Indian Express

So, this BTS album came out late last month and when I first heard it through, I instantly fell in love with it. This album, compared to their last album Map of the Soul: 7, felt extremely personal. Many of the songs were written with the thought of the pandemic in mind and how life really came to a halt due to the pandemic within this last year. BTS were gearing up for a world tour this year before the pandemic happened, and their sorrows for that not happening were expressed through this album. It just had a chiller vibe than what they usually put out, but nevertheless, it’s still such an amazing album and one of my top favorites. Besides their title track, “Life Goes On”, my favroite b-sides from the album is “Fly To My Room” and “Dis-ease”. And of course, “Dynamite”.

3.) “Continuous” by Victon

VICTON are coming back strong with their 6th mini-album „Continuous“ | Review - True East Asia

Can’t be a top favorites without my boys! Victon’s 6th mini album, Continuous was underappreciated at the time but so fucking appreciated as time passed. The title track, “Howling” was amazing, but not my favorite at first. My favorite track was their b-side, “Nightmare” at first, but as I started to listen to the album as a whole, I started to find myself really enjoying the concept and the music as a whole and it’s honestly an amazing album to listen to if you’re ever interested in getting to know Victon! Besides those two tracks, I think “Petal” is going to forever be that song that makes me the absolute fucking happiest… and by that I mean ugly cry some confusing tears; am I crying of sadness or happiness; who knows?

2.) “Fame” by Han Seungwoo

Album Review] Fame – Han Seung Woo (VICTON) – KPOPREVIEWED

When it was announced that Seungwoo was making his solo debut this past summer, Alice’s were excited and ready for this masterpiece to drop! When it finally dropped and the title track, “Sacrifice” came out, I was instantly hooked, as well as the rest of the album. As a person that discovered Seungwoo during PDX101, I was really happy to see him do some solo work outside of Victon and being the first person out of the group to make a solo debut. The sounds on that album feel very Wooya; a lot of sing-along rap and vocals that showcase that he does both extremely well. My favorite tracks off of his solo debut mini album is “Reply” and “I Just Want Love”; one very cute song and the other… extremely sexy.

1.) “EQUAL” by WOODZ (Seungyoun)

woodz | 1st mini album [equal] | (cosmic ver.) poster only

This album was no doubt my favorite album to come out this year! When I tell you I fell in love with every single song on this album in the first listen, I mean that shit! Seungyoun (another person I discovered through PDX101 and stanned during his X1 days) released his first solo mini album back in June with EQUAL. He din’t come to play when releasing this gem, you guys! The high notes in both “LIFT UP” and “Accident” literally took my soul away from me when I first heard it, the single “Love Me Harder” was something I haven’t heard come out of Kpop before (personally), and “BUCK”is just that one fun song that makes anyone milly rock or twerk to (I’ve done both). Everything about this album was just amazing, and I can’t recommend this masterpiece any more than I have. This album, in a weird way, doesn’t even feel like your typical Kpop songs; I sent this album to my IRL friend, Anthony (a casual Kpop listener) and instantly loved the vibes of the album. Seungyoun as an artist just feels so different than other Kpop artists; I don’t know why but I think when being first introduced to WOODZ as a solo artist, the music just… felt different.

And that’s that! I’m excited to see what instantly become my favorites next year *coughVictonFirstFullAlbumcough* 😉

What were some of your favroites of the year?

Creative Pieces, Twelve Letters of Lizmas: 2020

The Story I’m Working On! (Something…)

liz

Dear, guys – Welcome back to Letters From Liz!

So, if you’ve been on the blog for the past couple of months, you would see that a lot of my posts have been… scenes of some sort. I’ve been in a really creative place as of lately! My best friend, Ro, finished writing their first book (which took 2 and half months, like wow) and being in their writing universe during the process has made me inspired to get back and explore my own universe! So, I just wanted to talk about some of the stories that have been living in my head, rent-free, for months on end.

The “Something” Series:

These days, my baby is something called “The Something Series”, which is what’s being published on the blog these days! At first, it was just me throwing ideas on paper about some characters that I loosely played with. The more I wrote in this universe, the more I was captivated by these characters and the more I wanted to explore them out. It’s no 300-page book like Ro’s (haha) but it’s just something that keeps me writing and motivated during the times when I’m in major writer’s block. Anyway, let’s start off by talking about the main characters of this series; the something series.

So, Grace Ashmore is a 25-year-old woman that we were first introduced to in “What Do You Have to hide, Grace?” a scene about Grace working on her very first case with her partner, Max Harper. We left them off in a very… difficult situation, and well fast forward a little over a year! Grace is living in the city as a defensive lawyer at the same law firm she was interning in, and now she’s officially working on her first case! The difference this time around is that, well… she’s not with Max. Max actually left the firm once the trial case was over due to personal reasons and decided to move to the outskirts of the busy city. What made him quit his job, you ask? His daughter. Max had a daughter? Oh yeah, Willow; Grace’s daughter as well! Too long didn’t read, Max and Grace were extremely close to getting married, with their daughter, beginning their lives together. But, Grace is the daughter of Mollie Sue Castro, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

But she’s trying. She’s trying to balance the responsibilities of motherhood by co-parenting Willow while still making a name for herself in the law firm. But, things are not always the way she wants them to be. Falling into her mother’s footsteps, she feels like she’s only capable of hurting the people she has in her life and ends up running away, to her safe space; which is her work.

While going through the craziness that is her first official case as a defense lawyer, she meets a man one day at the cafe near Central Park. This man, Jamie Kim, is a lawyer working a case overseas with his own firm for the next couple of months. Grace instantly captivates Jamie, who ends up helping Grace with her disorganized paper work that falls onto the ground in the cafe. After noticing her papers are case files, he instantly offers to help her, and Grace being Grace, she naturally allows Jamie to sit at her table, and well the rest is history.

They both most of their time together these days; Grace working on her case while Jamie chimes in and helps her out while he does his own work. Two lawyers, one apartment (it begins with hers, then gradually goes to his) and a ton of paper work. Grace appreciates the company that Jamie gives her, even on the weekends that she has to take care of Willow.

While things seem to be going great for them, they are both avoiding talking about things to one another; Jamie is avoiding the fact that in a couple of months, he’ll be leaving the United States and will have to leave Grace behind, while Grace is afraid to allow another man into her life, in the state that she’s in, terrified to break another man’s heart and soul. Max Harper, one prime example of how broken a man’s heart is.

Speaking of Max, he’s now teaching Law in a university instead of being a lawyer. He decided this decision when Willow was born, possibly one of the only things in his life he feels like he has to be great for. Coming from a small family of untreated mental illness back in England, his only mission in his life is to be as present and supportive and as great of a father he can be for his daughter; because of that, he sacrificed a lot of his life for her.

Max was immensely in love with Grace. He wanted her to be his wife and to be a family with her and their child. He cared for Grace, was there for her in her lows and highs and everything in between; he been though the toughest days when Grace was incapable of taking care of herself when she was pregnant. He still has so much love for Grace; he wishes that he could work things out with her, to have faith in her for one more chance to get it right, but deep down he knows that no matter how hard he tries to make grace into the person he things she can be, Grace will never conform into that. He’s accepted the fact that Grace will always be Grace, and she’s going to do whatever she needs to do for her.

Jamie, being the youngest and the only boy in his family, feels the need to exceed and be the best he can be in the field that he’s in. In a lot of ways, Grace and Jamie are similar; Jamie feels like the harder he works, the better he will be at his job. He’s come to terms that because of his job, a life outside of it doesn’t exist, hence why even for the holidays, he’s not back home, with his family, celebrating like he would. It’s like he has to prove himself in a way. But man, Grace is just different. He may not completely understand Grace’s mindset, and he wishes that she was able to see that despite everything, she’s still radiates light, and it’s the type of light he didn’t realize he needed in his daily life.

So, they’re definitely digging each other… but extremely avoiding it. Not really well, but they are just… vibing.

I really enjoy writing these characters because it’s one of the first stories in a really long time that hasn’t been rushed. To explain things further, I find myself wanting my characters and their love interests to immediately get in their feelings and just do the deed, but I’ve been really wanting to play around with this idea that characters need to fall in love with each other and still feel scared of ruining things through sex; especially these two. Grace and Jamie are characters that although they like each other, their interactions come off as platonic. They hang out, talk to each other like friends, yeah they’ve kissed after going out on a first date, but for the most part they don’t talk about that day and they act as if nothing happened. They are characters that feel like the people they are somewhat involved with are better off with someone else, even though they know deep down they don’t want to be a reality. They are… definitely interesting characters to play around with and the circumstances are definitely much different than what I imagined in other characters I’ve created. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to go through these scenarios and see how these characters behave.

So, yeah! It’s been something I’ve been working on in my spare time within the last couple of weeks! I’ve taken a page out of my best friend’s book of writing inspiration and actually made a playlist of music that reminds me of my universe or music that helps me write in it! We’re definitely going to have more of The “Something” Series later this week and month, so if you’d like to catch up on the story thus far, here’s how to read them:

The “Something” Series:

Twelve Letters of Lizmas: 2020

Reading Our Very 1st Post, On Our 500th Post!

liz

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

First and foremost, welcome to the first day of “Twelve Letters of Lizmas”! It’s insane to think that we’re now doing this for the fourth year in a row! Like every year, we daily blog for the 12 days leading up to Christmas!

This first day is extra special because we’ve officially reached 500 posts on the blog!

That’s halfway to a thousand posts on here, y’all.

It’s insane to always come back to these milestone posts and remember why we started this blog in the first place. I literally started this blog on a whim; I was in grad school at the time and missed writing for myself and creatively and decided as a hobby to finally start a blog!

Instead of just recalling some of my favorite posts since our last milestone, I wanted to try something different!

Hi, this is 500th post Liz about to reread our very first post on the blog!

A little backstory: This post was published on the blog January 5th, 2017. I officially opened the blog on that day but made it public on my 23rd birthday: January 9th, 2017. So on the day that I opened up the blog, I decided to just write some things so that there was content when I officially made it public. This is that post:

It’s hella trippy to see that my first post was an introduction post.

Okay, so for beginners: it’s insane to see that in that picture, I was in the city with my college friends. My friend, Tori (the other person in the dog filter), Liz & Yashira; ugh this was a really fun day and I really hope everyone is doing well these days!

Anyway,

  • It’s still very true: I am a Capricorn that doesn’t really believe in the whole zodiac things. I mean, they are fun to go back to and read up on horoscopes and just see what people say about them. I’m not the type of person that follows my life according to my horoscope, I just like to read it every now and then and share some of the funny things that make these horoscopes accurate at times. But yeah, still a Capricorn. Haha.
  • I still enjoy watching YouTube videos on my time away from writing, but I am not on Snapchat anymore! It’s crazy to think that most of my life was on Snapchat during this time and it’s trippy that it isn’t. Honestly, we stopped using that platform and just moved onto Instagram! These days, most of our time is spent on my various Instagram pages; whether it’s our personal page or the kpop selling/trading page!
  • I’ve still only been in love three times in my life: first love, second love, and then first love all over again. Three years later, I’m single and not in love with anyone at the moment (unless you consider a kpop boy a love which, off, don’t get me started) we’ve just been enjoying the time we have to ourselves before we decide to go ahead and start dating again. To be honest, I probably won’t put myself out there until after my surgery and after I get those important things out of the way, but for the most part, I’m happy with my platonic friendships and just getting to have the life that I haven’t had for a really long time from being in relationships and shit.
  • It’s funny to see that I thought I had my social anxiety under control during this time because a year later, we got diagnosed with an anxiety disorder! In all seriousness though, Grad school did force me to speak in front of large audiences for presentations and projects so for the most part, I’ve gotten a lot of practice speaking, but it didn’t make the process any easier. Instead, I feel like it really messed me up even more. But, TLDR; I will never feel like i would master the art of public speaking… or speaking, really.
  • My beliefs in energies are still the same; I very much still believe that the energy you put out there is the same energy you’ll get back and that your energy is capable of attracting certain other energies and all of that. I’ve learned, though, that even if you only put positive energy out, you’re not always going to get that back, and sometimes “positive energy” is unconventional. Meaning, sometimes the positive energy you need to put out goes against what you’re comfortable doing and saying for the sake of your own mental health.
  • I still very much believe to always being yourself, despite how human you get. I still vividly remember this time in my life still believing I have to be bubbly and happy all the time or else I “wasn’t myself”, which in all honesty, being nothing but one dimensional and happy all the time was as fake as it sounds. I’ve learned over the years that it’s okay to be sad or upset or angry; it’s a part of being a human being. So yeah, be yourself: the good and bad of it all.
  • Piggybacking off of the last post, yes I am mostly a bubbly person, but the number isn’t as accurate. I’m still a very upbeat person and I think bubbly is the best way to describe my personality, but like – once you get to know me, you definitely get all 31 flavors of me.
  • I’m still really into hair, but I’m not constantly changing it like I did when I first started this blog. My last drastic thing I did to my hair was cut it into a pixie and that was almost two years ago. Oof. But yeah, I’m trying my hardest to start growing it out… we’ll see.
  • As much as I want to say this last statement is true, I feel like there’s more to life than having an optimistic point of view on things. I very much still believe in keeping an optimistic mind on things, but the same way that you can’t always be positive about things, you can’t always be optimistic about things as well. There are going to be moments where you have to be realistic about some things, and that’s completely okay. It took me awhile to really come to terms with that.
  • While I feel like I’ve definitely grew up over the last three years, I definitely find myself still struggling when to let things go. It’s funny, because I really thought I was finally being able to let things go without realizing that well, one of the hardest things I had to do was to let something go that I didn’t realize was bad for me until things got really bad. Even to this day, I feel like it’s still so hard for me to realize when it’s time to let things go, but hey – I don’t think that’s something we as [people will ever master. We won’t ever know when the expiration date is on for things until our soul tells us.

It’s insane to think that in 2020, so much of this has changed. I’m a kpop collector, I have friends from that community, kpop in general is just a major part of my life, I have a job, I’m taking care of my mental health, and I’m just in a better place than I was in 2017. I think the last 500 posts show this journey pretty accurately.

Anyway, thanks for tuning in to the first day of Lizmas! I hope you guys enjoy the content to come within the next week and half to Christmas! Until then, stay safe and see you tomorrow!

Overexposed: A Self-Love Project.

Overexposed: Saying Goodbye To This Body.

liz

As the days come closer, I am anxious, stressed, and going through a whirlwind of emotions.

It is December 5th, 2020. I am sitting here, writing this post with the thought in mind that in a month, I will most likely have more information about my next chapter than I do now. I might be in a place where I’m already in the beginning of changing my life around, just weeks away from making possibly the biggest change in my life thus far. I will be entering my 27th year, thinking about the year ahead and how different that will look for me further along 2021.

Hi, my name is Liz, and I’m in the process of closing this chapter of my life.

Last November, I went to my primary care doctor and asked me something I was scared of asking for a really long time: “are you interested in weight-loss surgery?” I told her I was, and I started my journey of this weight-loss program in January. Before the pandemic, I would’ve been scheduled to have this surgery back in July/August. It baffles me that my life would’ve been so different if the pandemic wasn’t a thing. Would I have met the people that I know now? Would I had been in a mentally good place? Honestly, where would I’ve been?

Fast forward to the end of 2020 and I’m nervous more than ever about this process.

This month, I start the month-long pre-op diet; for the next month prior to surgery I have to follow a strict diet in order to prepare my body for the upcoming surgery. It’s been difficult for me to grasp this feeling that my body is going to change and that the way I eat and live my life will be different. It’s been hard for me to even get ready for this diet and it’s definitely been causing me an immense amount of stress and anxiety just… thinking about my reasoning and beliefs in doing something like this.

I’m afraid of my body changing so much, my social situations even change. I’m so worried that once I get this surgery and follow through with it and start to visually look different, I will gain attention from people. I will “look good” and I will “get compliments on how great I look” and I don’t know… that leaves an awful taste in my mouth.

Do people not think I “look good” now? In this body? Weight and everything? Fat?

It used to not bother me as much in the past, but I guess as the time gets closer and the responses I’ve been getting from people around me, it has me wondering just how much I was “in love” with my body. Last year, I started this series to talk about my journey of self-acceptance and loving myself in this body. I started the Overexposed series to remind myself that I should be okay in the body that I have and that if anything, I should love the skin that I’m in, despite how much of it is there. What changed?

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the energies around me. Maybe it’s my new expectations for myself. Maybe it’s the fact that I told myself I was so happy with my body but mistaken it for settling for it instead of improving for my own self-esteem reasons and confidence. Maybe the fact that this surgery is just around the corner has got me really in my bag about this.

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s becoming more real as the days pass. I will be saying goodbye to this body in a couple of months, watching her change and look different than it ever has before. I mean, it’s technically still my body. It’s still my skin. Are we really saying goodbye to my body? Maybe just the way it is in its current state, but it’s still me. I still come with the way I am and the things that I like and don’t like and at the end of the day, nothing is changing besides the way my body is built.

But still, it feels like I am saying goodbye to the Liz in the photos that are on my social media platforms, my Polaroid pictures, and the pictures that live inside my camera roll on my phone.

So, I guess this is a goodbye then. Goodbye to the Liz that had to find her self-worth later in life due to society’s outlook on overweight, short girls. Goodbye to the Liz that at times holds a lot of self-image issues because of old photos of her youth. Goodbye to the Liz that I’ve known in this body for the last 26 years.

But man, hello to the Liz that I’m excited to become.

Creative Pieces, The "Something" Series

“Let Me Ask You Something” : A Scene.

liz
I Never Thought I Fall For You (Dark Pit x Reader) *Re-Writing* - Chapter 5: Unexpected Meeting - Wattpad

The night sky in NYC is pink with the street lights enhancing the snow falling. Max steps out of a cab in front of a modern apartment building; he power walks towards the entrance and swings the door open. The lady at the front desk waves in Max’s direction; he’s definitely been in this apartment complex building a ton of times within the last year. He walks to the elevators and goes to the 16th floor.

The elevator doors open and Max looks straight forward once they do. A man with blonde hair, wire-thin glasses, formal casual attire, and a beige wool coat is seen standing there. Both men briefly lock eyes. The blonde guy walks into the elevator while Max walks out; the doors close shut once he turns around to look at the blonde man. Max walks towards an apartment door and knocks on it.

Moments later, the door opens. A petite woman with curly auburn hair stands here in a black knitted fit-and-flare dress. Her eyes widen.

Grace: Max?

Grace opens the door wide enough to let Max walk into the apartment. Grace peeks out to the hallway for a brief hallway.

Max: *without looking back* Blondie left.

Grace slowly closes the door and looks at Max. Max turns around to face Grace.

Max: Cute dress, Ashmore.

Grace: What are you doing here, Max?

Max walks around the tiny kitchen area. Grace’s eyes follow him.

Max: So, was your date with Blondie the reason why you didn’t want to spend time with your daughter this weekend? Wanted to play with your boy toy?

Grace: *defensive* You don’t know what you’re talking about and honestly, it’s none of your business whatever the fuck I do. We aren’t together.

Max: That’s not the bloody point, Grace. The fact of the matter is that you chose some pretty boy over your daughter!

Grace: My parents have her for the night, you jerk. I’ll be picking her up tomorrow.

Max: *a little louder* What’s the point? She comes back to me anyway tomorrow night! And the night after that, and the night after! My point– Grace– is the fact that you put your needs and wants before Willow’s.

Grace: *visibly defensive* Excuse me for wanting to spend my Saturday finishing up a case that has been stressing me the fuck out and hanging out with a friend of mine!

Max: *furious* Cut the bullshit, Grace! You couldn’t even tell Emerson what the hell you were doing because you knew he would bring it up tonight!

Grace: *stern* You spoke to Emerson about me?

Max: I mean, it’s a little hard not to speak about the fact that today would’ve been our wedding day.

Grace stands there in deep thought. She looks anxious, and Max notices it. He softens up and takes a deep breath.

Max: Let me ask you something, Grace…

Max walks over to Grace and looks in her eyes. He’s soft, apologetic; a familiar side to Max that Grace knows well. Grace doesn’t say anything.

Max: Do you not miss… us? What we were, what we had?

Grace stays silent, but lingers on the thought. Her eyes hide a truth that maybe she wasn’t aware of.

Grace: What’s the point thinking about that? What does it matter? We broke up, and we didn’t work out.

Max: That’s not what I asked, Grace.

Grace anxiously looks at Max. He looks at her softly.

Max: There is reason why things happened the way they did, but, it doesn’t affect the way we feel about it. *sullen* It doesn’t affect the way I feel about you.

Silence fills the room, both Grace and Max take in the atmosphere.

Grace: *whispers* I would’ve broke you.

Max: That’s not up to you to decide that. You don’t know that.

Grace: *a little louder* Really? Working a case that nearly killed us, having an affair behind the firm’s back, getting pregnant with Willow, getting engaged, I–

Max’s deep breath stops Grace from continuing listing the timeline of their relationship. She looks down to the ground, defeated.

Grace: And look at us now.

Max kneels down to face Grace; he’s now the one looking up at her.

Max: Grace…

Grace doesn’t respond or look up from the floor.

Max: I don’t have any right to tell you how you feel, but I can reassure that the thoughts you may have about us are not true. You didn’t “break” me, nor would you have if we were still together. We’ve been through an immense amount of obstacles, and even through it all, I… I still miss you.

Grace finally looks up.

Max: I still miss waking up next to you in the morning. I miss standing in the kitchen drinking coffee and discussing our thoughts on the case. I miss the sound of your heels walking towards the office. I miss getting ready to leave for the day and go straight to your apartment to escort you out on dates.

Max gets up slowly from kneeling, but when he does, he lifts Grace’s head with his finger on her chin. She doesn’t protest. He deeply looks into Grace’s hazel eyes.

Max: I miss holding your hand whenever we walked down the streets of Manhattan. I miss hearing your loud laugh, whether it was from movies, stories, or just me being extremely silly.

His face gets closer to Grace’s, and again she doesn’t protest.

Max: I miss the way your lips felt when I kiss you…

He slowly leans into Grace and kisses her softly. She kisses him back almost immediately, but then steps back in a panic. Max is shocked and extremely apologetic.

Max: Shit, I’m– I’m so sorry, Grace, I didn’t–

Grace: Just go.

Max: Grace, please, I just–

Grace: Please. Just. Go.

Max doesn’t say anything after, he just starts walking towards the door. Grace doesn’t turn around to see him out, she just stands there, extremely sad.

The door closes behind her; she lets out the breath she’s been holding in for the last 5 minutes.

The "Something" Series

The “Something” Series: The Playlist.

liz

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

So, I originally had something else planned for this first day of December…

Back in November, Play M announced that Victon would be making their comeback with their first full album, “VOICE: The Future Is Now” on December 1st. I was so fucking excited and ready for this comeback, like was mentally preparing for this comeback for months; we knew that they were getting ready for their first full album!

Update: VICTON Dazzles In New Group Photo For “VOICE: The Future Is Now” Comeback | Soompi

Look at Seungsik in the center with that platinum hair looking just… a m a z i n g.

Anyway, two weeks prior to their comeback date, it was revealed that a staff member at a production company the group was filming in was positive for COVID-19. The boys got tested and all came back negative, but they are required to self-quarantine for 14 days, which overlaps their comeback schedule. Their album was delayed until January 28th, 2021. All I’m saying is that I better listen to this album before my surgery or literally in my hospital afterwards because like… I need to hear it whatever the circumstances are!

TLDR, we are deciding to use this post to talk about music still!

So, my best friend, Ro (I feel like I mentioned this already but here is a retelling of it) is currently writing a really interesting book that started out as fan-fiction. 300+ pages in and a second book in the works, homie got a real juicy story happening. Their process of writing it has been with the help of some Spotify playlists! In numerous playlists named after the main characters of the story, Ro adds songs that relate to these characters and what they’re going through and writes along to the playlists. I felt really inspired to do something similar to that process, and created “the something series” playlist!

The “Ro” Playlist.
The “Chan” Playlist.

So, just as a simple thank you to those who’ve been keeping up with the lives of Grace and Jamie, I’m sharing some of the music that I listen to when writing them and brainstorming the universe as a whole!

Enjoy listening, happy reading, and I hope you find some new cool music in this!

Overexposed: A Self-Love Project.

Overexposed: I’m a Hypersensitive Person.

liz

Perhaps I take things way too seriously.

Perhaps I read into things way too deeply and the thoughts linger longer than what a normal person would allow. Perhaps I take words and actions and movements to the heart when really their true intentions weren’t meant to be. Perhaps my anxiety makes things worse than what they truly are, but does that still invalidate my feelings?

Hi, my name is Liz, and I’m a hypersensitive person.

There as no surprise when I first told myself this information. As a matter of fact, I actually questioned just how long would it take for me to accept the fact that I am just a sensitive person. I’ve been this way for awhile; I easily can get hurt by the way people say things, I hold onto things way longer than I should, but I never seem to have people understand this side of me. There is a way I would love for you to talk to me, but even if you can’t, please be considerate and understand when your words or actions hurt.

Perhaps this hypersensitive side of me stems from my anxiety; maybe that’s why my anxiety exists in the first place.

My social anxiety stems from being and interacting in social events and situations. Typically, on good days, I am able to handle being in social situations and I’m able to be myself as much as possible. But, if I’m feeling a little off or if I’m in a situation where I’m exposed and left for judgment, I feel like I can instantly read someone’s comments and remarks wrongly, and hence me thinking about my life choices and shit for hours on end.

Sometimes I have to tell myself that things like that are not made out of malice or with the intention of hurting me, that it’s okay to take people’s thoughts and opinions with an open mind and remember that those are thoughts and opinions of other people, not myself. It’s not easy though. You want others to see that you’re good and that you’re better and that whatever you do or make decisions for are the right ones and the smart ones and when you don’t get that, you second-guess everything. You start wondering things about yourself that you didn’t think to be true prior to hearing them from other people.

I’ve realized that no matter how confident I get or how in tune I become with my mind and my body, I feel always feel this sense of relief when someone says or mentions something positive about an aspect of my life that I’m not normally confident or happy with. My hypersensitivity will always stem from a place of me wanting approval from those around me, and as much as I try changing that, it seems like I’m back to square one. It’s not that I’m being a defeatist, it’s just the fact that I have to accept that I’m just a sensitive person and when things are said of done that hurt me, I have to personally be gentle with myself and take care of my needs and before I can move forward.

Is it weird? Yeah. Does it make me dramatic and can come off as something really annoying? Absolutely. I’ve met people like me that I’ve felt that way towards because I didn’t understand how hypersensitivity works for them. I didn’t realize that these people struggle the same way I do with things that seem minor or just not relevant in everyday conversation.

For me, I think it was hard to see the difference between what were the things that honestly hurt my feelings and need to speak about them versus me being a little sensitive to feedback and opinions of others. I always would react negatively to both and allow those judgments and opinions of others influence my self-image and how I valued myself. At this point in my life, I can’t allow other people to persuade how I view myself and how i go about treating myself. If anything, just have to be aware enough to know the fact that people’s opinions are their opinions, and they don’t mean anything malice or judgmental about it. It’s just the way of life, y’know?

So here i am, claiming my hypersensitivity. Here I am, being aware that I may take things seriously. I don’t mean to, but I will, but I will realize when I do, and I will realize when I’m not. But for the most part, I will know the difference between the two.

Creative Pieces, The "Something" Series

“Tell Me Something” : A Scene.

liz

In a quiet street in Brooklyn, an apartment building with various lit windows are shown on a winter night. Street lights illuminate the street, and cars drive by occasionally.

In the small apartment a man in his 20’s, Emerson, is walking towards the kitchen and takes two glasses out of the cabinet. He pours beer into the glasses. In the living room, a man, Max, sits with one leg across his knee, laying back on the couch.

Emerson: *from the kitchen* So, the baby is at Grandma’s for the night?

Max: Yeah, Grace’s parents have her for the night. It’s one of the first nights that neither me or Grace have her, which is weird.

Emerson walks to the living room and hands a glass to Max. He sits in the chair across from the couch.

Emerson: I mean, it’s good that you’re getting a break. We haven’t had a night like this in a long time.

Max: I know, remember when I would just crash at your place on nights where I was working on the case; files everywhere and papers just piled on your counter.

Emerson laughs and raises his glass before taking a sip of his drink.

Emerson: Man, I wanted to just toss all of it in the garbage when you worked that damn case.

Max: *laughs* Well, the past is in the past.

Emerson: Mmm, *takes a sip* You miss it?

Max: Not really. I enjoy just being behind the scenes; teaching it instead of being a apart of it. My priorities changed when Willow was born, y’know?

Emerson: I feel that… not the whole “having a kid” thing but having different priorities. I mean, before I met Cami, my priorities were all out of shape. But she’s definitely helping me see more of my future, y’know?

Max: That’s great, mate. I’m happy for you!

They both take sips from their beer.

Emerson: Cami’s really good for me, hopefully within the year we could find a place together, take that next step in our relationship.

Max: At least one of us is taking steps forward. *sips from glass*

Emerson: Hey, you’re a dad. That’s a huge step forward.

Max shrugs his shoulders and takes in a deep breath.

Max: I know Grace is family and you wouldn’t ever speak poorly about her, but… *sighs* Have you spoken to her lately?

Emerson ponders in thought for a moment.

Emerson: She’s definitely been busier than lately, you know how serious she takes her job.

Max: Don’t have to tell me twice. She couldn’t take Willow for the weekend most likely because of her job. Classic Grace.

Emerson looks at Max in a uncomfortable way. Max notices.

Max: Sorry, mate.

Emerson: It’s all good. I just… I don’t know, Grace is a different type of human. She means well, she’s just… Grace.

Max looks at Emerson while sipping his beer. Emerson doesn’t make eye-contact with him. Max notices and he places his glass down on the coffee table.

Max: Tell me something…

Emerson looks at Max after taking a sip; his attention now on Max.

Max: *hesitant* Is Grace dating again?

Emerson: …What?

Max: Look I know it’s none of my business, but I just… *gathers thoughts* A couple of weeks ago, there was another man in her apartment.

Emerson’s eyes widen.

Emerson: How do you know that?

Max: I went to pick up Willow from Grace’s one weekend and there was a guy sitting in her living room… holding Willow. Holding my bloody daughter, mate!

Emerson shifts in his seat, he keeps sipping his drink and listening to what Max is saying. Max is visibly getting angry at the thought as he tells the story.

Emerson: I mean, maybe she just gave Willow to the guy when she was answering the door?

Max: *shakes head* I know Willow well enough to know when she’s comfortable with a person. She was highly comfortable sitting in that man’s lap… That wasn’t the first time Grace was around that man with Willow.

Emerson is dumbfound; truly at a loss for words.

Max: So there I am, just staring at this man holding my daughter, and I guess Grace caught on and immediately took Willow and handed her over to me. I swear he just saw there with the most worried look on his face, just waiting for her to come back from getting Willow’s bag.

Emerson: Did you tell her anything about it?

Max: I told her as soon as she walked me to the door. She insisted that he was just a friend of hers. A Sunday night just bum around with a guy that’s “just a friend”.

Emerson: I know that must be hard to see, I’m–

Max: *interrupts* To believe that today would’ve been our wedding day…

Emerson takes a deep sigh and finally faces Max.

Emerson: Listen, I’m saying this as your friend; I think… it’s time to move on, bro. Like, i’m not saying that to be cold-hearted or anything, I’m saying it because… man you deserve to move on and just focus on you.

Max: *annoyed* I appreciate the prep talk, Emerson, but quite frankly I am a single father in his mid 20’s, in what possible world will I ever have time to think and focus on myself?

Max’s arms flail as he speaks.

Max: Unfortunately, I don’t have the same luxury as Grace has. She has all the time in the world to just go out and snog whoever she bloody pleases!

Emerson looks confused.

Max: Date, Emerson, date!

Emerson: *nods his head* Gotchaaaa, I– *sighs* Still, I think what you and Grace had was great, but I think if she can move–

Max cocks his eyebrows.

Max: What?

Emerson: Nothing, I was just saying that you should–

Max: Nuh-uh, mate, you were talking about Grace moving on? Has she moved on yet?

Emerson is now nervous, he takes his head into his hands and takes a deep breath. Max gets up from the sofa.

Max: Is Grace dating that man, Emerson?

Emerson: *looks up at Max* I–

Max: Fucking hell, mate!

Emerson: Listen, I– I actually don’t know. Grace hasn’t said anything to me about this guy…

Max: She knows you’ll tell me.

Emerson: Exactly.

Max turns around and paces around the living room.

Max: I can’t believe she already moved on… it’s been 5 months!

Emerson: Look, maybe that’s just a work friend of hers, I know she’s always telling me how she has a friend that is helping her look over this case…

Max looks at Emerson, confused.

Max: He’s a lawyer?

Emerson shrugs his shoulders. Max closes his eyes and takes everything in.

Max: Emerson… I still love Grace.

Emerson’s eyes widen in shock.

Max: And for her to just move on as if our relationship never happened–

Max’s eyes widen in realization.

Max: *gets up from sofa* She told me she couldn’t take Willow for the night tonight because she had plans. *gets angry* She’s probably out with that wanker.

Emerson: Look, man – we don’t know that for sure…

Max: Emerson, you know you don’t fucking believe that.

Max walks towards the front door and gathers his winter coat, Emerson follows him; concerned.

Emerson: Whoa, where are you going? You’re not about to just show up there, are you?

Max: Why shouldn’t I? This isn’t about me, this is about the fact that the one night I wanted to be a regular 26-year-old man and hand my child to her mother, her mother declines to spend time with her so she can spend it with a complete stranger. Classic fuckin’ Grace.

Emerson: Max, wait–

Max leaves out the front door and Emerson paces near the door, wondering what is about to happen at Grace’s apartment.

Creative Pieces, The "Something" Series

“Say Something”: A Scene.

liz
Tips for Planning Your Best Stay-Home Date Night

The city lights illuminate the skyline as tables and light conversations are heard throughout the restaurant. A live smooth jazz band is playing music on the little stage in the room, and the lights are slightly dimmed with candles lit on every table. Two people walk in, hand-in-hand, and stop at the reservations stand. After giving the waitress their name, she guides the couple to a booth next to the window that is overlooking the Hudson River and the rest of the city.

The couple, Grace and Jamie, take their coats off; Jamie helps Grace with her coat and places it in the seat next to him. He kindly helps Grace into the booth before he slides in opposite of her. The waitress hands them menus and gives them time to discuss.

Grace: This is… mad fancy. We didn’t have to come here.

Jamie smirks as he opens the menu.

Jamie: A special dinner for a special girl.

Grace smiles to herself and hides her blushing face into the menu. Thoughts are running through her head as she looks at the dishes on the menu. She panics once she realizes the menu is all in a different language. She places the menu down and looks at Jamie, who is still browsing.

Grace: *whispers* Jamie…

Jamie looks up towards Grace attentively. Wow, who would’ve thought a person would drop everything they were doing to just look at her this way? She places the menu down and leams forward to the table a bit.

Grace: This menu is… not in English.

A lightbulb goes off in Jamie’s head; he raises his hand for a waiter and says something in Korean. Grace has absolutely no idea what is going on, but moments later, another menu is placed in front of her, this time in English. Jamie bows at the waiter, and Grace follows along.

Jamie: Sorry about that, I should’ve let them know to bring out a English menu.

Grace: The fact that this place does something like that makes this place 500 times fancier, like wow.

Jamie laughs and his eyes smile along with it. It has become one of Grace’s most comfortable sounds to hear in the world.

Jamie: They are actually based in Korea, the franchise has expanded and I definitely had to try it when I was in New York. Of course, it’s great to experience this with someone though.

Grace: *smiles* Ahh… girlfriend back in Korea was your plus one?

Jamie: *playfully* Are you asking me if I have a girlfriend waiting for me back in Korea?

Grace: I don’t know, I think only the most boujee of men take their girlfriends or wives to places like this.

Jamie scrunches his eyebrow in confusion.

Jamie: “boo-jay?”

Grace laughs a hearty laugh and quickly covers her mouth to mute the loud laugh.

Grace: No, No, “boo-zhee”, it means fancy and fabulous and like… high class.

Jamie shakes his head in understanding.

Jamie: I would go out with my friends for celebrations and birthdays to this restaurant, no girlfriends.

Grace: Ahhh, no time for a girlfriend?

Jamie looks up at Grace, and Grace immediately wishes she was more careful with her words.

Jamie: Do we really have time to do anything but our work in this profession?

Grace plays with the rim of her drink, she takes in a deep breath.

Grace: You don’t have to tell me twice.

The waiter comes back and asks for their orders. Grace stares at Jamie casually talking to the waiter in Korean and telling her the orders that they decided on. Grace notices just how comfortable Jamie is when he’s talking in Korean. When the waiter leaves, his attention is instantly on Grace.

Grace: How did you learn English?

Jamie: *sarcastically* The same way you did.

Grace: *sucks her teeth* You know what I mean. Like, you live in a country where you don’t really need to know English to get by. But, like, you speak it extremely well.

Jamie: My mother always told me and my older sisters that math is important and every other subject is too, but you won’t get far in life if we don’t study English. My sister decided her life was in Korea and she married young and had kids but for me, I wanted more than just a life in Korea. So, here we are.

Grace: Is this your first time in the States?

Jamie: No, I was in California a few years ago on vacation. But, nothing for business. This is my first business related trip to the States.

Grace nods her head, hands crossed in a ball near her face, elbows on the table.

Jamie: It’s funny, because on my first trip here, I remember carrying a “Korean-to-English” dictionary everywhere I went. Of course, My accent was more apparent a couple of years ago, so you would think the English words I was saying was still in Korean. So many people did not understand me just asking where the restroom was in public places.

Grace: *giggles* That’s… mad cute.

Jamie leans forward with his arms crossed.

Jamie: I’ve noticed that you say that word a lot, and I always meant to ask if you’re actually… mad?

Grace laughs and shakes her head.

Grace: No, no, in this situation, “mad” doesn’t mean “mad”, it means “really” or “very”. It’s not necessarily a part of the English language, it’s just slang.

Jamie: *nods his head* Ahh, I see. So if I say that you’re really pretty, I can just say that you’re “mad pretty”?

Grace’s eyebrows cock up in surprise and without her realizing, her face turns red.

Grace: That’s correct.

Jamie smiles at Grace, and Grace does the same for Jamie.

Grace: Say something to me in Korean.

Jamie: Just anything?

Grace: Well, something that I can use in situations where I’ll need to know Korean.

Jamie: *laughs* How about I teach you how to say “thank you”? For the waitress when she comes back.

Grace claps her hands together in excitement and Jamie just admires the small, excited girl in front of him.

Jamie: Okay, okay. So it’s more than a simple thank you. The polite way to thank someone is “gamsahabnida“

Grace: *blinks in confusion* I’m sorry, what?

Jamie: *giggles* I swear it’s easy: “gam-sahab-ni-da”.

Grace: *sounds it out* “gum-say-hob-knee-da”

Jamie laughs and says something else in Korean, this time in a cute-like voice.

Grace: Hey, that’s not fair, you can’t just say another word and not let me know what it means!

Jamie: *smirks* It means “cute”. Try it again: “gam-sahab-ni-da”.

Grace: *carefully* “gam-sahab-ni-da”.

Jamie: There you go! Now you know how to say something in Korean. I can always teach you more if you’re ever interested in learning.

Grace: *a little flirty* Just tell me where and when class begins and I’ll show up.

Grace’s eyes widen and immediately hides her face in embarrassment. Jamie shyly looks away and his attention us now towards the drink on the table.

The waiter comes back with the plates of food, and before Jamie speaks, Grace bows down and says “thank you” in Korean. The waitress cocks her eyebrows up and smiles, she bows for Grace and walks away. Jamie smiles a huge smile at Grace.

Grace: She probably knows you just taught me that.

Jamie: *laughs* Possibly, but she smiled at you when you said it, not me.

Grace rolls her eyes and starts to eat the food in front of her. Jamie proceeds to do the same. They eat and carry the night eating their dinner, carrying conversation, and having drinks.

Meanwhile…

The dark apartment lights up and two people walk into it. Jamie closes the door behind them while Grace forcefully takes her heels off near the door. Jamie helps Grace out of her coat before putting it on her coat rack near the front door. He watches Grace walk towards her couch and put her legs on top of the coffee table.

Grace: *looks at Jamie and pats at the spot of the sofa next to her* Come.

Jamie awkwardly stands near the front door, still wearing his coat.

Jamie: Are you sure? How are you feeling?

Grace gets up and walks to Jamie.

Grace: I had 2 drinks, Jamie, I’m perfectly fine.

Grace giggles and takes Jamie by the hand to lead them to the couch. He doesn’t protest; he simply follows her. They sit down as the music playing next door surrounds the room. Grace lays her head on Jamie’s shoulder. Their hands never unclasp from each other’s.

Grace: I really had a good time tonight. Thank you again for taking me out.

Jamie: It was my pleasure taking you out from under your paperwork for one night.

Grace looks up at Jamie, then straightforward. The conversation pauses to listen to the music playing next door.

Grace: Did you think that in your time in New York, you’d be sitting in a woman’s living room, who’s as fucked up as me?

Jamie looks at Grace, confused. She doesn’t budge or look at him; she just continues to look ahead. Jamie doesn’t say anything.

Grace: *pity smirks* The answer is no. Because why would you assume that you’d be caught up with a woman like me…

Jamie: And what type of woman would that be?

Grace rubs her thumb along Jamie’s; she doesn’t say anything right away, but she’s deep in thought.

Grace: The type that doesn’t have her shit together. The one that lives in a one bedroom apartment by herself and not with her daughter. The one that’s 25 and still far along from her career; the one she gave everything up for.

Grace faces is sullen as Jamie never takes his gaze away from her. Grace releases a deep sigh and takes her hand away from his.

Grace: Sorry, I shouldn’t have put that on you–

Jamie: It’s okay. You can talk to me.

Grace’s gaze breaks as she hears Jamie’s voice. She looks at him intently. She looks down and puts her hand back in Jamie’s. He squeezes it in reassurance.

Grace: I’m just not the type of woman you’re supposed to be with. I break things. I break promises.

Grace’s eyes get watery. She widens her eyes to prevent the tears from falling.

Grace: I would’ve gotten married today.

Jamie takes his free hand and lifts Grace’s chin, which causes her to look at Jamie.

Jamie: Hey, it’s okay.

Grace stares at Jamie for a moment before saying anything.

Grace: Say something.

Jamie: *confused* Uhm, uhh–

Grace: In Korean.

Jamie’s face gets closer to Grace’s.

Jamie: “dangsin-eun wanbyeoghabnida”

Jamie cups Grace’s face and gently kisses her. She kisses him back, taking her free hand and runs her fingers through his hair. He pulls away from the kiss and rests his forehead on hers.

Jamie: You are perfect.

Grace looks at Jamie before kissing him again and gently tugs at his shirt towards her, causing him to lean forward onto her as she lays back on the couch. The soft music is still heard playing next door, and the cars on the busy street are heard driving by.

Creative Pieces, The "Something" Series

Something about Him: A Scene.

liz
18 photos show how the NYC skyline has changed in the past decade - Business Insider

Grace sits at a desk in an office in the middle of New York City. The sun is going down and it’s time for her to leave the job behind and enjoy the weekend to come. She doesn’t stop. She’s flipping through pages in front of her, occasionally placing a pen in her mouth every time she was deep in thought. Before she was able to get anything concrete on paper, a knock is heard at the door. Grace rolls her eyes.

Grace: *shouts* Whoever that is, I hope it’s for a good reason!

The door opens and Ari, a tall, model-like woman with long, black hair walks in; the heels she is wearing is making her look even taller.

Ari: I mean, that is no way to be talking to the girl who’s here to remind you that you have a hot date to get ready for!

Grace smiles and laughs to herself; Ari is her best-friend who is currently interning for the firm. She met Ari during one of the firm’s social gathering events when Grace was still dating Max. She recalls Ari calling Max a “British snacc” before realizing Grace was his girlfriend. With both of their strong personalities, they instantly hit it off, and since then they have been best friends; both in work and outside of work.

Grace: I have too much work to worry about that, I can just go like this anyway.

Ari: *baffled* You’re kidding me, right?

Ari walks up to Grace’s desk and takes the papers from her desk.

Grace: What are you–?!

Ari: *interrupts* You are not going to overwork yourself when you have a hot Asian man coming here to take you on a date; I mean how long has it been since you had a man dick you down?

Grace rubs her eyes.

Grace: Ari, remember I am your superior.

Ari: Bitch, it’s 6:30, work ended like an hour ago for you!

Grace deadpans Ari. Ari cocks her eyebrows up; Grace knows Ari’s right. Grace rolls her eyes and finally puts the remaining papers down on the desk. She takes a deep breath.

Grace: Should I just cancel? I mean, we’re both probably going to be tired from work anyway…

Ari: Any man that likes a woman isn’t cancelling on her, no matter how tired he is from work. Are you nervous or something?

Graces folds her arms across her chest. She doesn’t say anything. Ari takes a seat across from the desk.

Ari: Grace Ashmore, afraid of a little innocent date with a man? *playfully* Unless this date isn’t so innocent, if you know what I’m saying. *winks*

Grace: Ari…

Ari: Talk to me, babes! What’s wrong? Why are you so not excited for this date? Is he a creep? Is he ugly? Is he not packing?

Grace: *annoyed* Ari!

Ari shuts up. Grace takes a deep breath; a loose hair in front of her face flies up when she exhales.

Grace: I’m just… really nervous. I don’t date.

Ari: Ain’t that the truth, which sucks in my opinion, but go on.

Grace side eyes Ari.

Grace: *sarcastically* Sorry, I don’t feel like ruining another man’s life by giving them a baby and then ultimately leave him with so-said-baby.

The air gets tense.

Ari: Grace, you gotta move on from that. Like yeah, you and Max were cute together, but it didn’t work out. You shouldn’t dwell on that and fuck up the opportunities you have now for happiness.

Grace: I’m a mom, Ari. I was fucking engaged to Max. We were suppose to work out. We worked and I just–

Ari: No.

Grace: *confused* What?

Ari: *in a serious tone* I will not allow you to sit here and think about the what if’s. It’s not fair to Jamie.

Grace looks uneasy. She doesn’t say anything.

Ari: From what I hear about this guy, I can tell he’s diggin’ you so hard, Grace. For starters, he fucking adores Willow. Like, for most men, a woman with a baby and some baby daddy is just too much to deal with. Plus you’re a workaholic? Grace, he’s diggin’ you, and it’s not fair to him that he’s literally telling you that he likes you and you just brush him off because you think you’ll scare him away.

Grace sits there in silence; she starts to think about the last couple of weeks with Jamie. He feels… different. He feels like Jamie genuinely enjoys her company whether they are together. He doesn’t feel complicated; most of the days they are together she’s working on her case while he’s working on his own work or reading a book or just looking after Willow for the time being; nothing major has to happen and nothing really has to be said. They just… enjoy each other’s company.

Grace shakes off the thought.

Grace: He’s just really good company, Ari. Nothing more, nothing less.

Ari: *rolls eyes* Well, whatever you guys are, let him know what the deal is tonight; don’t string him along if you don’t feel the same.

Ari shrugs and walks towards the door, she shouts something as she’s walking out.

Ari: *in a distance* Your outfit is hanging up in your bathroom, you’re welcome.

The door closes. Grace runs her hands through her hair. She gets up from her chair and walks to the bathroom.

Meanwhile…

Ari is talking to the woman at the front desk, papers in hand, coat & purse on her as she gets ready to leave for the day. The revolving doors spin, Ari turns around to see who it is. A man dressed in black dress shoes, brown mock-neck sweater, and a beige pea-coat walks in; he’s holding a small bouquet of flowers.

He walks to the front desk as both women hush their conversation. The man smiles before he speaks.

Jamie: Hi, I’m looking for Grace Ashmore.

Ari looks at Jamie.

Receptionist: She’s out of office for the day, she won’t be available until next–

Ari: *interrupts* He’s not a client, Mai. *to Jamie* 15th floor, first door on the left.

Jamie smiles and bows down in respect.

Jamie: Thank you, have a nice night, ladies.

Jamie walks to the elevator as the two women look back at him.

Mai: Is that…?

Ari: Oh yeah. Grace better not fuck this up.

Upstairs…

Grace walks out from the bathroom in her date-night outfit; she’s wearing a turtleneck sweater knit dress with knee high boots and black stockings. She fixes her hair and touches up her makeup until she hears a knock on the door.

Grace: *loudly* Ari, I have a word to pick with you for putting condoms in my–

Grace opens the door and to her surprise, it’s Jamie. She’s in shock.

Grace: Oh! Jamie! I– Uhm–

Jamie smiles at the nervous woman in front of him. Grace just stares.

Grace: Wow, you look so good. *realizes* Fuck, I didn’t mean to think that out loud, I–

Jamie laughs to himself and hands the flowers to Grace. She takes them and looks back at Jamie. He looks at her in awe.

Jamie: You look… absolutely stunning tonight, Grace.

They both stand there for a moment, admiring each other’s presence.