As Salem Plucked A Few Grapes Off The Vine She Chuckled At Solana. The Age Difference Between The Two

salem wasn't sure what hiyori meant when she asked if she'd be open to an adventure in the woods but salem rarely said no to a spontaneous adventure. when the two ended up foraging in the woods with the foodies club, not even salem could have predicted that on her bingo card for the day. "you got the berries right because they're yellow," crouching down to examine them a little better. "i know for a fact most yellow, green and white berries are poisonous." she could explain why she knew that but telling people she spent a lot of time in the woods ( doing witchcraft with her friends ) as a teenager wasn't something you just sprinkle into conversation. "the mushrooms however are kinda tricky but i usually just play it safe and say they're poisonous if they're white in color or have those little bumps on them. your theory would be a cool story idea though."

( open ! ) starter location -> jardín botánico, foraging with the foodies club.

crouching down in front of a winter bush of unidentifiable berries, right beside a clump of oddly shaped, white mushrooms, hiyori sets her chin in her hands. "i'm a little concerned," she starts, "that the berries are poisonous and the mushrooms will transform us into monsters that the government will then hunt us down to experiment on." she sighs. "this is all i've got," she says, showing the other her pretty woven basket, laid with a checkered cloth, on top of which were a handful of leaves and flowers. she's surprised there's life at all in the cold chilean winter, but she's not surprised as how she was daydreaming in the middle of the explanation of what was okay to forage and what should be left alone. "i feel like i'm going to fail the pop quiz," she remarks. "what did you get?"

KIANA LEDÉ for Grudges Tour Merch

Don’t assign me yours.

salem let out a quiet chuckle wishing that were true but honestly she was very fucked up. she'd been dealing with her mental illness since she was was fifteen, among other things she never really talked about. life for her would always be a constant battle mentally and emotionally. she looked up at leon with tears in her eyes as he spoke. they both loved each other, that much was apparent but she hated knowing just how much she hurt him. "and i love you leon but it's just-" she let out a sigh before continuing. "sometimes i feel like you'd be better off with someone who's more stable. i try really hard to make sure whatever problems i have don't spill over into our relationship and i hate that i make you feel so pathetic when things get like this." she knew what she was about to say next would probably definitely be harsh words to hear but it was the truth. "i can't promise that we'll get back together right now and everything going forward will be easy. that i won't get in my head again and do this to you a third time..." she fidgeted with one of her rings trying to distract herself from the small wave of anxiety that was coming over her. this conversation was too uncomfortable and she wasn't the best with confrontation. she hated knowing that anyone had ill feelings towards her or that she was able to hurt anyone to that capacity, especially leon who'd been the absolute best to her even before they were dating.

leon sighs. there's so much sadness in his eyes. "you're not fucked up, sal." he empathizes with her because he knows the feeling so well. that feeling of being a mess and not knowing why or how to explain it. he feels bad. he doesn't want to be angry at her, but she really hurt him. is he supposed to act like everything's fine? "i... i fucking love you," he looks into her eyes. "i fucking love you so much that every time you leave i-" he chokes up a bit. "i feel pathetic, you know? i feel pathetic and i do fucked up shit, too. i don't know how to deal with it." leon feels so ashamed that he fucked kala right after salem dumped him over the phone. who is he to judge her? "i love you. but you can't keep doing this to me. you need to talk to me, too. before everything blows up." he wants to forgive her so badly. reset and repeat. erase and rewind.

as salem stepped out on the balcony she was taken back by the view. the breeze from the ocean and smell of the beach had her in awe. "i can't believe you get to have this view everyday." she said in disbelief as she sat down and placed her plate on the table. the sound of leon humming to the jazz music was comforting in a way, she'd missed so many little things about him. "i've missed you so much, truly." salem blushed a bit while looking over at him. "i'm just really happy we could do this. i really miss being able to do everything with you." there was a lot she wanted to say but her nerves were starting to get the best of her again. she decided to turn her attention back to the dish and proceeded to eat a forkful. "okay, this is actually pretty good.." nodding a bit before continuing to eat, "but i think i could do without the raisins. the texture is just weird and i've never really liked them anyways."

leon chuckles at her words. he's always liked that she can drink as much as him, and party as much as him. "i'm not gonna quiz you right now, but beware because i might later," he teases back. after she's plated the food, the blond nods and they make their way to the balcony. "if you hate it, there's more for me, so it's a win-win situation," he chuckles and sits down on one of the chairs. the night is beautiful and the ocean waves crash no far from them. there's a jazz song playing in the beach restaurant across the street and leon immediately recognizes it as a duke ellington one. he softly hums as he sets his plate on the table. "i've missed you, sal," the man finally says, looking over at her. she's the person he wants to see every day. the one person he trusts with all his joy and all his darkness. it makes him sad that she could just decide one day to end things and leave him a mess. he hopes this time she won't leave. not again. not a third time.

salem followed leon over to the couch and sat down with him. her nerves were getting the best of her, not being sure what he was going to say or what his reasoning was for leaving her the way he did gave her a bit of anxiety. she decided to let him speak first and state his reasons ( or excuses ) and she'd vent after the fact to him about what was on her mind. as he told her the story about what was going on with his family she nodded and listened, salem was always empathetic and understanding of the situation he'd been dealing with for a while. the details about everything broke her heart and knowing he was dealing with that much back home made her feel a little guilty about being so angry at him but there was still something that was bothering her. "i'm really sorry you had to deal with all of that alone and you had so much on your plate...." salem let out a sigh before continuing on. "...but like the issue wasn't about you leaving and me not coming with you. the issue was you not wanting to be long distance with me. i mean, you said you couldn't do it and you know i was so understanding about you having to go back home but like you said you didn't trust yourself? i need to know what you meant by that part. if it wasn't about you potentially cheating on me then what was it about?" the question had been eating at her for a couple weeks and truthfully it sounded like complete bullshit to her but she knew given their history the least she could do is give him the benefit of the doubt.

leon lets her talk, even if it breaks his heart. she's so right about everything, but he genuinely thought this was a good idea at the time. the man nods, twisting his lips, anxious as every word that leaves salem's mouth stab him in the chest. he feels so dumb. such a fucking idiot for thinking he knew what was best for the relationship without taking her into consideration. such an asshole. again. he knows he still has to grow up, but things take time. therapy takes time. he wishes he could fast-forward to the time of his life when he's happy with his girl. with a sigh, leon shakes his head almost imperceptibly before gathering the courage to be a good person to salem. "yeah, okay," the blond leads her to the couch to sit down. "i know i told you my grandma has alzheimer. and i knew i had to go back home to take care of her and mostly my mother, she and my grandma never had a healthy relationship, you know? she could be such a bitch to my mom, to be honest." sometimes context is needed to tell the whole story. some details are so damn personal that he hesitates to share them. but he does. "and well, you know how it is with my mom. i'd feel upset and she would yell at me. she wouldn't validate my feelings, at all. and everything started going smoothly between us when i moved out. i was so fucking afraid of what i could become going back there. i obviously didn't want to bring you because i didn't want you to freak out. so i flew back to seattle, my grandma was yelling all day and eating things she shouldn't because she also has diabetes, you know. so i had to keep an eye on her, and also on my mom because she was drinking a lot. like, almost two bottles of espumante every night." the words slide out of his tongue and his heart is beating faster and he's scared to keep going. but he does. "i really didn't want to put you through that. because of course i got depressed too. it was just a really toxic dynamic back there. and i really really didn't want to bring you into it."

"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.

if there was one thing salem couldn’t say no to it was a shopping trip. retail therapy had always been her go to no matter what she was dealing with in life. this time around though she was happy to just simply tag along while valentina shopped around for some new clothes. while she waited she scrolled through instagram briefly, a smile stretching across her lips as the other emerged from the dressing room. “you look fucking amazing!” she exclaimed, probably a little too loud in the boutique dressing room. "well...as far as it being too much it really depends on what the occasion is?" not that the other needed a special occasion to wear it anyways. "i also feel like you're technically never overdressed. i think you should go for it." she nodded with approval.

»  𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑼𝑺 ― open ― @valpostart

»  𝑳𝑶𝑪𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 ― plaza de sol

valentina slid back the curtain to the dressing room in one of the local boutiques plaza de sol had to offer, stepping out like a model on a catwalk before striking a pose in front of the other; long limbs on display in a barely there, black, glittering scrap or fabric dress that had been calling her name from the moment she saw it on the mannequin through the front window. “ what do you think? “ while the opinions of others weren’t held in too high of a regard, she would be lying if she said there wasn’t a part of her that craved approval, attention. doing a one-eighty, she turned toward the mirror, dark hues roaming over her reflection as her hands skimmed over her hips, smoothing the second-skin like fabric. “ too much? or just enough? “

if you could pick any one of your friends to set you up on a blu date, who would you choose and why?

"probably milani because she's so particular about things that i know she won't set me up with any losers. but she's also so particular in the sense that she would refuse to let anyone near me so i probably wouldn't be on a date at all."