Hold Your Hand • •

[dylan ellis griffin]

Dylan was relieved the holidays were over. They were chaotic enough at the best of times, but this year with Bridget’s parents coming to New York and mixing with his own wild family, Dylan found himself being incredibly thankful every time he was called to the hospital for an emergency. A small part of him just the teensiest bit guilty for leaving Bridget to deal with the Delaynee-Griffin madness, but a much larger part of him was grateful for the escape, even if that escape came with the stress of what was usually an emergency surgery! He honestly didn’t think he could’ve coped with them all for a moment longer, and as much as he enjoyed Vivie’s antics he couldn’t have tolerated another conversation where she and Clara brought up babies. Anyone would think the pair of them were about to reach their golden years with the way they spoke about grandchildren! He had taken to leaving the room rather quickly whenever talk turned that way over Christmas, before either of them could drag him into it or start questioning him about the idea.

He loved Bridget, but they were still enjoying this new step in their relationship. Dylan didn’t feel in a rush to settle down either. He was content with his life, his career, and the beautiful blonde he woke up with most mornings now. There was no point in spoiling that, and he knew that everything would happen when it was supposed to and if it was supposed to. It was the mentality he had adopted when it came to his relationship with Bridget, especially after the way things had worked out between them. They had been neighbours and friends for so long, and each time something changed in their relationship it always seemed to be because fate threw something their way. That morning when Bridget was in his bed had been the first to open his eyes to what he wanted, eventually making him drive across the country to tell her as much. The second being his pain and exhaustion induced admission of love to her without even realising he’d muttered a single thing. Dylan just knew now that anything else would follow a similar crazy pattern that seemed beyond their control.

With a rare weekend off, Dylan was working on finishing up a table he had picked up before the holidays. With everyone in town he hadn’t had a chance to dabble in his hobbies at all, and the beaten up coffee table was just sitting sadly in the spare room of his apartment out of the way. Now though he had pulled it out and with his balcony doors open while he worked, and the radio on, he was making progress at last. The whole thing had been sanded down and now he was varnishing the wood, which was the main reason for having his doors open; so the fumes didn’t trigger a headache. Normally he’d do all of his work outside, but in January it was just a tad too cold for that, especially since he needed mobility he couldn’t get with layers to do everything easily. So, he sat on the floor on a dust sheet, varnish in one hand, brush in the other, and worked. It felt like the longest time since he could lose himself in a project like this, and Dylan had completely lost track of the time today while he fixed up the piece of furniture that had been heading for the trash when he had salvaged it.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 590!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

Bridget was beyond happy the holidays were over and done with. She didn’t think she could possibly handle one more conversation about babies or wedding plans or anything like it. She knew it was going to be a bad idea getting her parents and Dylan’s mom together and she had been right; she should have put money on it. They were relentless in their pursuit for grandchildren and wedding rings! And it was doing Bee’s head in just thinking about the next family holiday coming up. Because she knew her parents would be making yet another trip up to New York. It didn’t seem to occur to their mothers that their children’s relationship was still knew, that they were still perfectly happy at their current speed and in their current state. Clara and Vivie were oblivious to that fact and as much as Bridget wanted to run off at the start of every one of those conversations, she was too scared if she did, she’d return to a wedding date, a dress and flowers and all her children’s names picked out! 

Bridget loved Dylan but she was also happy with how things were going right then. They were happy. She woke up next to Dylan almost every morning and they had a good routine going for them. It was nice and now that the holidays were done and over, it was peaceful once again. She just wished her father would find a reason to stay in Vegas over Easter weekend so they wouldn’t have to deal with that as well! And with classes started up again, Bridget could occupy her time with the papers she had to grade and the assignments she still needed to work out. She could leave all talk of babies and vows behind her until one of her parents called and asked. And that was exactly what she was going to do. 

She had planned on staying in over the weekend and just catching up on some light reading. She’d passed a cute little bookstore during a walk to lunch through the week and ended up coming out of there with more books than she probably needed but just couldn’t say no to; caffeine and books, they were her addictions. Her library already needed at least two new bookshelves for it but for now, she was happy to have stacks upon stacks just lying on any convenient surface until she got around to getting those shelves or mentioning it to Dylan. But she’d gotten a call from Paisley to go shopping and in Bridget’s mind that meant she could probably get her fellow Lit. Professor to swing around the bookstore and add to their already larger than life collections. So instead of lounging around, reading and watching Dylan work on a new piece of furniture, she got herself dressed and headed out, spending the day with a good friend laughing and talking about the men in their lives. 

It was later than Bridget had planned when she made her way back. She stopped across the hall at her apartment to set her new purchases down, away from the dogs, Dylan’s and her own little trouble maker, before heading across the hall with just the single bag. The little music box had caught her eye in this old shop window. She’d gone in and ten minutes and five dollars later, she was walking back out with this cute little thing. It needed a little love and attention but Dylan was good and bringing old things like that back to life again and she thought when he was done with the bigger projects he had going, he could find a little time for that as well. “Hey you, still at it?” She asked, shutting the door behind her before moving over to the counter and setting her purchase down.

Tag || dylan ellis griffin
Words || 671
Clothes || Pretty Professor
Music || Holding On To You --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[dylan ellis griffin]

Dylan wasn’t in any great rush to settle down with a wife and children. He wanted that at some point before he turned grey, but he didn’t have a time stamp on when it ought to happen. He was happy with Bridget, with what they had right now, and if she turned out to be the one he spent the rest of his life with then he would know. Dylan felt that there would be a moment when it would all make sense and he would realise that the feelings he had weren’t fleeting or temporary, but something much more. If and when that happened he would start thinking about the future their mothers seemed to have worked out in fine detail over the Christmas holidays. Living in a house that had been as loud and crazy as his had been growing up, Dylan had mastered the art of zoning out when the more lively conversations were happening, which was exactly what he had done when he had been around Clara and Vivie during the holidays. He adored them both, but they were better off with the miles between them.

He preferred getting back to some semblance of normality, though Dylan saw enough oddities in his day to day life to ever describe his existence as normal. His position and specialty at the hospital might have kept things fairly to the point, but he was called in to deal with emergency situations from time to time that included head traumas, and some of their stories were rather bizarre. He ended up doing his job and coming home wondering if any of that really happened or if he should be checking himself in to see a doctor. Still, having his mother at phone call, and a bi-monthly Sunday dinner was better than the mayhem that had been Christmas and Vivie’s influence. Clara was bad enough without anyone encouraging her.

Dylan leaned back and cast his blue eyes over what he had done so far. The table still looked mismatched, but this was only the first coat of wood varnish and he was only half done. The smell stung the back of his nose, but he pressed on, dipping the brush back into the pot and then gently brushing the table top first, working around the edges and the underside in turn. He never rushed a job, always taking his time. It didn’t matter to him if a project took a few days or a few months. He was happiest when it was complete and he could remember the state it was in when he first salvaged it from the junk yard or the market where it had been sitting lifelessly, ignored by everyone who passed by. Maybe it was the doctor in him, but he liked making things better and giving them another life to live, even if he just donated them again once they were fixed up good as new. Looking up when Bridget entered, he smirked and nodded. “Everything over here is wet, so watch out.” The dust sheet covered enough space for her to be careful, but a little warning never hurt anyone, and Dylan didn’t want her accidently coming over and ruining something she had bought on her trip with Paisley. “So, how much damage did two Lit Professors cause today?” He asked, applying some more varnish to the table. Dylan was almost done, so he’d finish up this layer and call it a day.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 582!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

Wishing beyond hope that there wouldn’t be another holiday any time soon where her parents would find the time to visit was an impossible thing to hope for but Bridget did it all the same. Christmas had been hectic and as terrible as it sounded, she’d been so happy to learn her mother had taken a New Year’s job and couldn’t be there for the ball to drop; which was why she’d only ever voiced her thoughts to Dylan about it. He hadn’t laughed at her or told her how terrible it was. Of course it also meant that the next New Year’s, her parents would be there with all the bells and whistles to bring in the new year as loudly as they could. By that time it wouldn’t matter if Bridget and Dylan were together or if they’d had a terrible falling out that left them unable to even look at each other, Dylan’s mother had made a friend for life in Vivie Delaynee. Not that Bridget was concerned something like that would happen. They’d been friends too long before they took this next step to have such a fight. And even when they had fought, baked goods, dinner and a bottle of wine usually settled it.

But she was happy to have things as back to normal as they usually got. She didn’t have to wake up in the morning, wondering what her mother had to say already, before coffee or find out what she wanted to do that day around the city. She had only been there a couple weeks but Bridget was sure they’d gone to every bakery in the city just so her mother could compare her recipes with theirs. It may have already been more than a month since the Delaynee’s had returned to Las Vegas but it honestly felt like they’d only left the week before. Bridget honestly didn’t know what they were going to do in the fall with all those holidays so close together. It was a good thing she was naturally blonde, no one would see the white hairs sprouting up all over her head! Children were supposed to give their parents grey hair, not the other way around!

Now that she was home again, and she really didn’t have the distractions she’d been claiming to have, Bridget really could get to those papers she needed to grade but her students weren’t expecting them quite yet and it would only take a couple hours sitting at her desk during office hours to blitz through it all. Plus, she was pretty sure she’d left that pile on her desk in her office so she couldn’t do them anyway. “Duly noted.” She said, laughing. It looked like she could spend her time watching Dylan work and reading a book from his shelf. He had almost all of her favourites on those shelves and what he didn’t have, she did across the hall. “Don’t go across the hall and you never have to find out.” She said honestly, grinning. She hadn’t put away any of the bags she’d dumped in her apartment. She would eventually but it wouldn’t hurt anyone sitting on the counter until she got round to it. “I’m ordering out, want anything specific?” she asked, once she was standing in front of the book lined shelves, looking over each title while she waited for Dylan to think about all the options for take out nearby.

Tag || dylan ellis griffin
Words || 636
Clothes || Pretty Professor
Music || Holding On To You --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[dylan ellis griffin]

Dylan was glad that their parents didn’t live in the same city. He could only begin to imagine how many dinners they’d be dragged to, and how many evenings they’d all end up spending together. As much as he loved his family, he also loved having his own time away from them. He never thought he’d be thankful for long hours at the hospital, but at Christmas, with all the madness of Vivie and Clara, he certainly was glad of the peace and quiet his office offered to him. His office came with paperwork and the stress of surgery, but at least it had been quiet and people knocked before they came in there. Dylan had never thought of it as a sanctuary before then, but he certainly did afterwards. Even now that the holidays were over he still considered the small space a little retreat from everything, which was odd considering it was sometimes where he broke the worst kind of news to patients or gave them the news they had been waiting so long to hear.

He could see himself running away again the next time the families decided they all needed to get together for the holidays. At least he had an excuse for Thanksgiving. Being from Belfast, he always worked that holiday so the doctors and staff who really did have roots in America and wanted to celebrate with their family could. His ma had only cooked a meal the last few years because of her second husband being American, but before that it wasn’t a tradition they took part in. Dylan might just keep up with that to avoid another round of the madness this year when he was certain someone would claim that they had the perfect plans for them all. Hell, he might even suggest running away and having a tropical Christmas if he hadn’t recovered from the last one by then, which at this point he wouldn’t put too much money on.

He enjoyed his hobbies. It was just a shame that he couldn’t take off to go diving on a random day off in New York City. It wasn’t like there was any good spots here. No, it took careful planning and a week of his vacation time to make one of those trips, so he made sure it was worth it when he went out there, hit up a couple of sites, and usually came home with a camera full of underwater shots very few people cared to see, and salt water hair. The rest of his days he just scrubbed up old furniture until it looked brand new again, and that was enough to take the stress away from his mind. “Unfortunately I’ll have to go over there eventually. I think you’ve got one of my favourite shirts. Again.” He glanced over at her with a knowing look before ducking back down to work on the underside of his table. He never left an inch untouched when he was fixing something up; he felt it sloppy to do so. “Aye, order in some Chinese. No, pizza. I want pizza. Or both.” He might have skipped lunch unintentionally and now he could eat just about anything that was put in front of him.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 547!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

There were plenty of things to look forward to in Bridget’s eyes; the next family holiday just wasn’t one of them. She felt like she’d barely gotten through the last one alive. And she felt like the next one was just going to be worse somehow. She couldn’t have said why, she just had a feeling it was going to be worse. Probably because she parents wouldn’t hold back after this last visit. They’d be hounding them for grandchildren to spoil, citing dogs didn’t count because they couldn’t sass their mommy and daddy, and then go run to tattle on them to their own parents. Dogs were happy to see just about everyone and couldn’t talk back so grandchildren they were not. Vivie was going to drive Bridget to drink with all the things she said; well, drink more than she already did. The thought of becoming a raging alcoholic didn’t sound all that appealing to the professor.

At least for a little while, she and Dylan could take comfort in knowing the next family holiday was Easter and that was months away yet. And one that they might get away with since her father usually worked that one so other doctors with younger children could celebrate the mythical Easter Bunny’s visit. Christmas and Thanksgiving were usually the only two he stayed home for and Thanksgiving was mostly because there was a football game on. Her mother made turkey that day but they didn’t really celebrate the holiday. If her father had to work it, he did. More often though, it had actually been her mother who was absent because it was a big holiday for events and she was one of the top caterer’s in Nevada. Her parents might have been there for every important event in Bridget’s life but they weren’t always there. Still, she’d never felt alone or neglected because they made sure to do things with her. They made sure that she knew that someones they were busy and it couldn’t always be helped but that they loved her and if she ever really needed them, they’d be there.

Bridget looked over at Dylan with her brows drawn together like she was trying to remember the shirt she knew well. “The light blue button down that practically makes your eyes glow? Haven’t seen it.” Bridget said as nonchalantly as she could while she picked up a book at random and thumbed through a couple pages before setting it aside with the biggest grin on her face. Obviously she knew what shirt Dylan was talking about and she knew exactly where it was, too. But that wasn’t going to stop her from saying otherwise. She liked the soft feel of that shirt, it was a comfort to sleep in when Dylan wasn’t home at night. It was also so strange when she thought about it really; how quickly she’d grown accustomed to curling up next to Dylan, how natural it felt and how cold she became when he wasn’t there next to her through the night. That was something she’d really have to think about; but later, much later. Shaking her head at both herself and Dylan, Bridget pulled her phone from her pocket as she moved to the drawer with all the take away menus in. She went to work ordering their usual choices knowing what wasn’t eaten tonight would be finished off the next day. “Chinese will be here in twenty minutes and Charlie swears we won’t be waiting an hour and a half for our pizza tonight.” She said after ending the last call and setting her phone on the counter next to the bag she’d brought in with her.

Tag || dylan ellis griffin
Words || 674
Clothes || Pretty Professor
Music || Holding On To You --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[dylan ellis griffin]

Dylan planned on blocking out all thoughts of the next family gathering until it actually happened. He had quite a busy life to be getting on with, and his job required him to be at his best and not frazzled by the thoughts of what his mother and Vivie might be conspiring to do the next time they were in each other’s company. He wanted to be one of the best and that couldn’t be attained if he was worrying about things that would happen several months down the line. He already advised many of his patients to live in the now since there was no certain way of knowing what their own futures might bring, and having been in their situation himself, he didn’t want to end up fretting and ignoring his own advice; advice that had once been handed down to him. He knew the two women would give him reason to be alarmed come the warmer months of the year, but until then he’d just get on with his life and keep his fingers crossed that they didn’t plan anything too extreme for the next meet up.

Plus, if the worst came to the worst, he could work it. Not that he ever intended to leave Bridget at the mercy of their parents, but Dylan was young and he didn’t have children to worry about during the holidays. He would rather put in the extra hours and let someone who did have a young kid spend the day with them. He had missed his dad dreadfully after Sean was killed – he still did - but he didn’t want those children to miss out on memories of their parents just because he wanted to slob about on a day he didn’t particularly celebrate. For Dylan, there was really only Christmas he wanted some time off for. Thanksgiving was a foreign concept from another culture, and Easter was something he thought belonged to children or those who were religious; Dylan wasn’t either. He put his vacation days to use elsewhere, and often it meant he got to take them when he wanted to, rather than being denied and having to work around everyone else. It was like off-peak time for him, which was an odd way of looking at it, but the simplest way he found to explain it to others when he did find himself giving reasons for working yet another holiday.

Narrowing his eyes, Dylan stared long and hard at Bridget. “Don’t force me to have to move that shirt to work.” He kept about three there at all times in case he was on long shifts, had a meeting, or needed to just freshen up before he left if he was meeting Bridget or anyone out for dinner or drinks. He had learnt a long time ago that it was best to have something of a travel bag set up at the hospital since he never knew what would happen or how long he would be there for. While Bridget ordered dinner, Dylan finished what he was doing and began to tidy up, putting his tools away in the small store room beside the kitchen space and washing his paintbrush in the old sink he kept there specifically for cleaning equipment. “Well then, I better get a shower fast.” Dylan smiled, closing the door and checking everything was stored away, apart from the table which was going to spend the night drying now. “I’m sure you can entertain yourself while I’m gone.” He teased, heading down the hall towards his bathroom.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 601!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

Now that the holidays were long over, Bridget wanted to focus on other things. There was all sorts of work that needed to be done for her classes, she had a couple new recipes she wanted to try and more than a dozen new books to read through. She could have easily finished them ages ago but she loved to savour the hours she took to read through a book, tearing it down to the core and bringing it to life again. Plus, she really wanted to paint her room. Since she’d been spending so much time at Dylan’s, she started to dislike the colour and thought it time for a change. She was thinking red this time but there was a lot she had to think about before she fully committed to it. It might have all been mundane things but she really didn’t want to put anymore thought towards her parents invading New York again. She honestly didn’t want to think about it until it was already too late to make other plans.

That was how she was looking at the holidays these days; as something to forget existed until it was too late to do anything about it. Bridget didn’t think anything would change anytime soon and she was content with that. She didn’t want things to change right now. Everything was good and she wanted to spend a little more time at this stage before the next happened. She didn’t think that was too much to ask. And with her parents and Dylan’s mom, Bridget figured they’d be asking all sorts of questions about the next step every time a phone call was made. Questions could be ignored and talked over on the phone but the second they were in person, it would be unavoidable. Hopefully by then they’d have an answer for their ever curious parents. Luckily Bridget’s parents wouldn’t be able to find the time to visit again until much later in the year; unless, of course, they mixed up their holidays and showed up unannounced, which was definitely something her parents would do.

Bridget pouted, looking over at Dylan, watching him work over the book in her hands. She loved watching him work, always had. He was so passionate about restoring what he was working on, he always put his full focus and attention on what was right in front of him. “But it’s so soft.” She said softly, knowing she was still loud enough that he could hear her. It had to be her favourite of all his shirts and she’d worn her fair share of them. Still, she always went back to that one when he wasn’t home, and when he didn’t have it on himself. Dinner was easy enough to deal with, even with the pizza place owner taking ten minutes to apologise about the mix up of the last time they’d ordered. “I guess you should.” She said, grinning over the book at him before rolling her eyes and sighing dramatically. “I’m sure I can find something to entertain myself with until you return.”

Tag || dylan ellis griffin
Words || 557
Clothes || Pretty Professor
Music || Holding On To You --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[dylan ellis griffin]

It might have seemed crazy to other people, so Dylan didn’t really bring it up in conversation, but the holidays were just another day for Dylan. He saw his family for the time that he could, exchanged gifts with them, and was grateful that everyone was happy and healthy, but he was a neurosurgeon. He had patients stuck in hospital beds who were scheduled for the surgery a day or two after, or who were recovering from a day or two before. For them it was hardly a time to be celebrating. He himself had been sick over the festive period when he was just a boy. He put on the face for everyone else and went through the jolly routine, but he was a doctor and in his mind he couldn’t sit back and celebrate when he had patients in his care who needed him and who were worried about whether or not they’d make it to the next one. For him it didn’t feel entirely right to be kicking back and relaxing when they couldn’t. However, Dylan knew that countless people would tell him to stop being ridiculous if he ever tried to explain that to them, so he simply didn’t try.

At least everything was back to normal for now. Well, as normal as it got. That was really the last word he could use to describe his life. He didn’t really know what a day of work would bring him, and nights on call were almost always guaranteed to bring him an emergency that had his eyes strained by the time he was collapsing back into his bed. It was the career he wanted though, the career he loved. Dylan never complained about it and he never would. He was saving lives. Besides, he had Bridget and she made him unbelievably happy, even if her mother had conspired with his to pick out the names of unborn children and plan out colour schemes of a wedding that the happy couple hadn’t even hinted at together yet. Dylan was just enjoying what they had, and while he was head over heels in love with Bridget he didn’t feel a need to rush into the rest of their lives. They were together, and right now, for him, that was enough. It would just appear that their mother’s had a differing opinion there.

“Then switch to my laundry detergent.” He teased, wiping his grimy hands on already grimy jeans. He had a bottom drawer of grubby clothes for these days for a reason. They were all old jeans and cheap vests that didn’t ever come out of the wash as clean as they were when he first bought them. Not that Dylan cared when he only wore them for when he was working on one of his restoration projects. He hopped in a hot shower, making sure to scrub all the dust and dirt from under his fingernails while he was in there. Ten minutes later he climbed out and went to change into a clean pair of jeans, but forwent the shirt. Padding barefoot back into the kitchen, he grabbed a glass of water and then walked over to Bridget. “Miss me much?” He asked with a mischievous smile, leaning over to give her a slow kiss, his wet hair flopping forward and catching her forehead and his.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 564!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

Bridget wasn’t one to be concerned about holidays unless it was one of the ones her parents went crazy over. She was not allowed to sit those out. Easter was really the only one she was allowed to be absent from, though Thanksgiving was a close second because her father worked fifty percent of the time. His job title might have meant he was above shifts on the wards but that had never stopped him from taking over a shift for a doctor who had small children. He really didn’t mind being back with the patients, getting to know the people his doctors were caring for. And Bridget had always loved that about her father. He genuinely cared about the people in the hospital’s care. Bridget thought she took after him in a sense that way because she genuinely cared about the students in her classes and she thought she was a fair and just professor. Though she knew she could be difficult at times, much like her mother, she was kind and offered more help when it was needed.

Things were quiet now, both at home and at school and Bridget preferred it that way. There was no rushing to gather holiday supplies, no requests for deadline extensions or extra office hours. She was there for her regular hours, lectured and returned home to grade papers and catch up on all the books she’s purchased but hadn’t read yet. There was always a large pile on the table that were waiting to be cracked open and she tried to make it dwindle before it was added it. But it never worked out that way and the stack of books grew to cover the entire table before she had to force herself to resist the urge to pick up yet another book until there were only a handful left on the table; if that. That table even now held a stack of at least ten books on it, maybe even more she hadn’t counted in a while and that was not even including the ones she’d purchased while she’d been out with Paisley. She quite honestly feared what that table was going to look like when she got round to unpacking the parcels from the day.

Bridget made a face, shaking her head. “No, I don’t like it.” She pouted. It wasn’t the smell of his laundry soap and he knew it, too. Instead of calling out anything more, she settled in with her book, determined to ignore the outside world until the food arrived. Bridget had always loved books, how she could fall into another world, get lost in the story, the dream, the fantasy. Too often when she’d been younger, she’d been disappointed that real life wasn’t like her books but in some ways, it was so much better than the worlds created by the authors; especially these days. She wasn’t so deep into the fictional world that she didn’t notice Dylan return from his shower. She’d done that plenty of times, giving Dylan ample opportunities to find very creative ways of bringing her back round to the present. This time she saw him walk across the room though she never looked up from her book until he kissed her. Grinning against his lips, she pulled back just enough to speak. “You look like a guy I used to date oh, ages ago now but he disappeared to have a shower and never returned to me.” She said her brows furrowed together. “Who are you again?” She teased.

Tag || dylan ellis griffin
Words || 628
Clothes || Pretty Professor
Music || Holding On To You --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[dylan ellis griffin]

Since the whole family were transplants in the city, their holidays were hugely different to everyone else’s. He could remember feeling like everyone was insane in how they approached the holidays. Their house on the street that first year looked bare in terms of decorations, and they didn’t give a damn about Thanksgiving because it wasn’t their holiday. Dylan still didn’t care and usually volunteered to work over than occasion so someone who wanted to be with their family could be. He demanded Paddy’s Day off, along with July the twelfth, which was a day he spent with his family since they weren’t with the parade back in Belfast, but it was a day that was important to him and no one in work ever questioned why he needed that day off. With everything else Dylan was still a little bit terrified at how over the top everything seemed to be here compared to back home. He was a traditionalist though. He preferred the quiet and the original to the loud, in your face approach that seemed to be a favourite of this century. Maybe he ought to have been born a hundred years earlier.

Still, with things back to, well, as close to normal as they ever got, Dylan could see straight again now. He could focus on his job, his patients and Bridget. He loved family, and he loved spending time with the people he considered to be family, but he also liked having the power to choose when that time was. The holidays forced him to surrender much of that choice and he kind of loathed that. He was much more content to be able to leave before an argument broke out, or step in when his head was calm and not flooded with thoughts of surgery or medical procedures. It made life a little easier when it came to handling a houseful of Irish people, and that was before he had to consider Vivie and Bridget’s father being in the mix also! A few months of regularity again was definitely was Dylan needed now more than anything else. If anyone knocked on his door who he wasn’t expecting he might even go as far as to pretending he wasn’t home.

“And yet you’ve washed your clothes here…” He said with an amused expression before shaking his head at her. He enjoyed teasing Bridget. He had enjoyed that long before they were even a couple. It was probably one of the many things that made it inevitable that they would end up together in the end. That chemistry between them had been too strong to ignore forever, especially when they were the type of neighbours who were forever sharing meals, hanging out in each other’s company and acting a little too close when she had been in a relationship with another man. Still, none of that mattered now. Dylan loved Bridget and he had her. “Showers can be deadly quests. Many a man has been lost to the shower.” He said goofily, flopping down on the couch and stretching out, sighing contently. “They call me Sir Dylan, and I am Lord of this apartment. Everything you see before you is mine. Including you now, for you’re in my land.” He grinned, leaning forward to grab at her sides playfully.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 558!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

Bridget's family had always celebrated different holidays than her friends. They celebrated the usual ones but they also never forgot the French holidays. It was always a bit of a mess and Bridget had gotten tired of explaining them before she had even left primary school. Even at six, she'd known it was too much work to keep people informed. If they genuinely wanted to know about Bridget, she told them but otherwise, she tended to keep her home life at home. It was always much easier that way and Bridget really didn't mind it. It certainly saved the hassle of telling people that she while she still celebrated Thanksgiving and the like, she also had to worry about things like Bastille Day and explaining those extra holidays that her mother had never was able to give up when they had moved from France. She never took any sick days, rarely cancelled a class but she did take those few days through the year to celebrate; even though she was usually alone on those days because no one else quite understood.

In New York, she didn't really need Christmas and the Thanksgiving festivities had been for her father's benefit; she had never really cared about any of it except the whole tradition with the football game. She liked that part but then, she had always liked watching the football games with her father. She liked sitting down to watch the games she couldn't play. Of course, now there were other holidays that would need to be taken into consideration. It wasn't just the American and the French holidays, there were also the Irish holidays that were important to Dylan that needed to be worked in as well. "Pure convenience." She told him offhandedly. She had her own machines in her place but she was hardly ever over there anymore unless Dylan was too distracting and she really needed to get something done knowing she wouldn't be pulled away from it easily. Nevertheless, the teasing never seemed to stop and Bridget liked that it didn't.

It was fun and entertaining and Bridget loved that things hadn't really changed between them. Bridget fell into the world on the pages of her book easily one Dylan headed off for the shower though her mind was preoccupied with little things. She was a bit hungry but her thoughts for the most part were on the little music box she'd picked up earlier. When it was all restored she wanted to keep it somewhere it Would be seen by everyone. Maybe fill it with little trinkets or those plastic Mardi Gras beads. Or maybe fill it with things from trips they took together. It was silly but Bridget liked things like that and she would be the first to admit to being a complete romantic. She was an English Lit professor! It was practically a requirement! Bridget grinned over at Dylan, shaking her head at his imagination. And they said she was the creative one! Clearly they had never heard Dylan in one of his sillier states! Bee very nearly squealed but managed to catch herself and only laughed instead, purposefully falling over Dylan. "So as the Lord of this property, that means you'll be the one getting the door when the food arrives and paying the nice men who deliver it as property should not move and I'm inclined to finish my book." She said, wiggling as much to make herself comfortable as to annoy Dylan. She had barely settled though when someone knocked on the door so she rolled away to let Dylan get the food with a great big grin on her face, acting completely innocent.

Both deliveries were at the door and Dylan seemed to be taking his time chatting with them and she was hungrier than she'd thought before. "Hello Jessie, Chris! Doing well?" She asked them both, taking the pizza boxes from the teenager's hands. "Hungry tonight, Bridget?" Chris asked and Bridget couldn't help herself. "No. I'm pregnant." She said smoothly as she turned away to open the top pizza box. Seeing that it was Dylan's favourite, she pouted but set it on the counter next to the bag with the wooden box and opened the other with a satisfied smile. She had been keeping an eye on the group at the door to see the reactions. It was stupid and utter nonsense but it had amused her in the moment so she'd said it.

Tag || dylan ellis griffin
Words || 746
Clothes || Pretty Professor
Music || Holding On To You --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[dylan ellis griffin]

Just like he had never quite lost his accent, Dylan had never lost his traditions from Belfast either. There was too much Griffin pride in him, and love for the place he had once called home to let go of those things. He didn’t see anything wrong with that either. All of his relatives were from the Emerald Isle, and he had spent his childhood there. It was his history, in his blood, and he wanted it to be a part of his story until the last page of that final chapter. He didn’t know what the fates had in store for him, but he knew he’d cling to his heritage no matter what else happened in his life.

“But I thought you didn’t like the powder I use?” He asked with the hint of a smirk. The teasing was part and parcel of their relationship and if they lived to be old and grey together he knew it would still be there. It was ‘them’. And he loved it. “Of course. Usually it would be the servants, but they tend to eat the food and forget to pay, don’t you boys?” His dogs looked at him when he raised his voice with their collective nickname for them, but they did little about it beyond tilting their heads or pricking their ears. They were quickly settled again. “See? Completely useless. I don’t know why I keep them around.” He said with a long drawn out sigh, shaking his head at the dogs who were already totally disinterested in what was happening by the couch. There were no treats in it for them, so they couldn’t care less what Dylan and Bridget got up to.

Dylan was comfortable on the couch with Bridget and he could’ve happily stayed their stroking her hair while she read her book. It had been a long day on his eyes and doing nothing was just perfect right then. However, it wasn’t too long before the food arrived and with great reluctance he had to move. He was chatting to the teenager’s at the door, just catching up with them and asking them how school was going when Bridget’s hunger apparently got the better of her. At her words Dylan blinked and then raised his eyebrows. “If you’re eating all that, I’m expecting triplets out of you.” He said goodbye to the boys and then moved over to Bridget in the kitchen. He grabbed them both a drink and then glanced sideways at her, deciding to bite the damn bullet already. “You know, if we merged the two apartments this would be the perfect home to raise a family in. I could do most of the work myself.” He grabbed the plates from the top cupboard and started sorting through everything while he spoke. “A little girl with your eyes, a son with my smirk…heartbreakers ready to go.” He grabbed a slice of his pizza and took a bite out of it, tentatively waiting to hear what Bridget would say.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 516!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

Bridget's upbringing had been a strange one to say the least but it had been filled with every aspect of both her parent's heritage. She learned all about the American holidays and her mother made sure she was well versed in the French ones as well. They weren't a family of exact tradition but of one that made their own. And Bridget had hopes of carrying on that same tradition with her own family some day. It was something she'd wanted since she was small, a family like hers, quirky and wonderful and completely chaotic. And she wouldn't have changed a single second of anything. But she was also feeling like it was time to start new traditions, and she was not shy in saying she wanted that with Dylan. They'd been doing this back and forth for too long and then they'd thought that taking things slow would be wise. Who were they kidding really? She had practically moved into his apartment, she only really went across the hall to hers to water the plants, change her clothes when there was something she wanted and it hadn't found it's way over yet. Her apartment just seemed so lonely. Even her own dog preferred being with Dylan's boys than on his own and Bridget couldn't keep him away from his friends. That was just a senseless punishment.

"What part of convenience is so difficult to understand?" She asked raising her brow at him. She was almost positive she was allergic to it and she was always meaning to just bring what she had over but she always forgot and by the time she'd remembered again, Dylan had picked up more anyway. Bridget laughed, shaking her head at the dogs. Sometimes they were just too cute for their own good. "I don't know, maybe it's because the girls like them and they love the cookies they feed them under the table." She pointed out to him, with a chuckle. Not to mention the dogs were the best company she'd ever had when Dylan was at the hospital, working late; especially when they responded to her when she was thinking out loud. They always made her laugh and completely forget what she was supposed to be doing.

Bridget was quite comfortable curled up with Dylan. She probably would have fallen asleep if she hadn't had the book in her hands. She always just seemed to melt whenever he played with her hair. Shame it didn't last nearly long enough before the deliveries were at the door. Of course with the food there, and her little joke said now, she was waiting for a reaction from the three at the door. Bridget had barely swallowed the food in her mouth before she was choking out a laugh at the faces of the two kids. "We'll see." She said, grinning as she took another bite. She wanted the Chinese, too, now that it was in the apartment and she could smell the bits she liked. Bridget stayed quiet, silently chewing away at the slice of pizza in her hand, listening to Dylan. She'd been thinking about talking about moving in together for a while but she hadn't quite known how to bring it up so she hadn't yet. She should have known better and just spit it out, like she had a tendency to do but she also liked to pretend like she actually thought things through from time to time. When he was finished and waiting for her to say something, she took another couple seconds to finish chewing what was in her mouth and swallow it so she would be heard clearly. "We are not using your laundry soap." She said instead of answering before taking a bite of the slice in her hand. "Ever. It's itchy."

Tag || dylan ellis griffin
Words || 635
Clothes || Pretty Professor
Music || Holding On To You --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[dylan ellis griffin]

Dylan had grown up fast after his dad had died. His ma might have eventually remarried a great man, but Dylan never considered him anything like a father. It was nothing against Justin, but Dylan had been sixteen when Clara had started dating him, and seventeen when they were planning a wedding and moving in together. He had moved out the same year, starting college early simply because he could. Clinging to the Irish traditions was a way of holding onto his father, and the memories he had with the man who had died tragically twelve years ago. His ma still celebrated them anyway, but she was embracing new holidays and had created a new life with new celebrations because of Justin. Dylan was happy Clara was happy, but things were different from his point of view. He had been the eldest child, considered himself too old for step-parents, and he was the one who had to help his siblings adjust when Justin had come around. They hadn’t been keen in the beginning, their grief too real and still to raw to put aside.

It was one of the reasons why he was so determined to make the most of fatherhood, if he ever got a chance at it. He knew that he was lucky to even be in with a shot of being someone’s daddy after all the treatment he had received as a child for his brain tumour, but there had been a small chance, and it had turned out in his favour. “You live, what? Four steps away from my door.” He pointed out with a smirk. Convenient his might have been, but it was hardly a chore to grab something from her place when she was at his. “They have always kept the ladies around.” He mused thoughtfully, smirking ever so slightly. Dylan could be terrible, but he was never the type to hide his past. Bridget knew what he had been like when he was single, dating around and having fun, but he was loyal to her now. He didn’t even look at anyone else these days and he liked to think he made it very clear that he was crazy about her when he surprised her with dinner when he was home early, or gifts when he saw something just perfect for her. When he knew he wouldn’t be home until late, or he felt like he’d been a passing shadow for a few days, he always sent flowers to the apartment or to her office at the campus, just so she knew he was thinking about her between surgeries and patients.

Dylan let out a soft sigh and let his blue eyes rest on her. “It’s the only one that gets the smell of the hospital completely out of my clothes.” He admitted, giving her the reason why he kept buying that brand. He didn’t like carrying his work with him on days off, or pulling on a shirt and feeling like he was back in his office looking over patient files. “I get it though, if you’re not ready for this. I just thought you should know that I’m in this for everything. All the bells and whistles.” He grabbed a few slices of pizza and dropped them on his plate, along with a carton of Chinese before moving away to the table.

• • •

TAGGED! Bridget Cameron Delaynee
WORDS! 569!
OUTFIT! Devilishly Handsome!
LYRICS! Wanted - - - Hunter Hayes
NOTES! <3 <3 <3