Chase A Dream • •

[mischa adelaide marquette]

A lot of people thought Mischa had everything she had ever wanted, but they were wrong. The thirty-four year old CEO never set out after graduating MIT to become the owner of her own thriving global company. She had just wanted to make the type of software that people appreciated and needed as the world hurtled into a digital age. Everything that had happened simply came about after she realised that no one would ever take her ambition seriously because she was a woman in a game still dominated by men. If she had left that sexist company, there was a chance she would be employed by another that would treat her the same way. Mischa had launched AzTech purely because she felt like she had to make a point to make a change and, by god, they had done that in the short years they had been around for. She loved going to the big conventions and talks and spying her old bosses just so she could walk by them and let them see what they had wasted by seeing nothing more than a skirt and heels when they had looked at her – even though back then she had been one of those who always rocked up to the office in jeans and a sports tee.

Still, as much as she loved what she had created, Mischa still felt a void in her life. Sure, she was overjoyed when people who worked for her told her how much coming to AzTech had changed their lives, but Mischa wanted to leave the world one day with more than a software company as her legacy. Her own relationship with her mother was strained and sour, but Mischa longed to have a baby of her own. So far, dating had been more of a nightmare than a whirlwind of butterflies in the gut and romantic evenings under the stars. AzTech had taken so much of her time – and she would never regret that – but that also cost her men who weren’t willing to come in second, or wait for her while she dealt with some last minute issues. At thirty-four, Mischa didn’t know how many frogs would be left before she found Prince Charming. She just knew that she wasn’t going to pine from the high tower that was her office and wait for the day he swooped in to promise her a forever after.

The plan seemed simple enough, and she wasn’t going to be the first person in the world to do something like this. Still, Mischa was nervous about asking her best friend if he would do the biggest favour she could ever ask of him and give her a baby. She had known Brantley for almost her whole life, and she trusted him probably more than she trusted her own twin brother. He was a good guy and since she hoped the father of her child would be around to spend that quality fatherly time with them, she had her fingers crossed that Brantley wouldn’t be going anywhere. She knew it was a massive thing to ask of someone, and definitely the kind of question that could change their friendship let alone their lives. Mischa wanted someone good to father her baby though. She wanted them to be able to look up to him and turn to him the way she knew she could with her own dad. That was important to her.

It was a Friday night and that meant that no matter what the city or the week threw at them, they would be at one of their apartments with a bottle of wine and either a cooked meal or take out, depending on if the host could be bothered. Mischa was too nervous to be around knives, so she ordered from Brantley’s favourite Chinese place and got the wine ready for when he arrived. Sending a quick text to let him know food was on the way, she poured herself a glass of red and gulped at it, feeling her nerves tighten. She had thought about asking Brantley this big question for too long; tonight was the time to actually come out and ask him.

• • •

TAGGED! Brantley Shannon Eastwood
WORDS! 700!
OUTFIT!  Broody Bachelorette!
LYRICS! Goodnight Bad Morning - - - The Kills
NOTES! <3

[Brantley Shannon Eastwood]

There hadn't been a time in Brant's life that he hadn't known he would somehow go into art or design. It was in his blood and for him, it wasn't just a job. But he'd had no desires to own his own company. He'd been completely content working up the ranks of someone else's company. Things change however and Brantley became less content with doing work under someone else's name. He wanted his own, especially after he was passed over multiple times for promotion. The contacts he'd made through his work at the agency moved with him when they told him what his plans were. He'd saved up enough money to make it work and okay, he'd been living on a university diet there for another year when he'd been well out of school but it was a dream he hadn't realised he'd wanted. At least, not until he'd gotten sick and tired of waiting for that next ladder step. Fast forward only a couple short years and a move later Brant's company was doing so much better than the one he'd left! Hell, a year after he'd left them to start up his own place, they'd met again at a conference. Brant's old bosses were there trying to drum up business while Brant had been there to support a few of his clients. It had been a pleasant turn of events, knowing that he'd done that to them.

However unintentional that may have been, Brant hadn't lost sleep over shutting down someone else's business. If they'd known what they had while they still had it, their business would have been thriving. Now BSE was thriving and Brantley wasn't stupid enough to turn anyone away more than once; and only because he could see there were still some rough edges. Luckily for his employees, he worked with them to get there where he expected them to be. And all whilst still being able to hit the party scene and enjoy the fact that he still maintained a social life! Well, he had a social life on Saturday nights anyway. Technically speaking, he had events he had to be at, but it was close enough that Brant faked it. Reality was that Brant was a bit of a homebody despite the fact that he couldn't even correctly guess the colour of his living room walls though he did know that at least two walls were red brick. He'd liked the look of it when he'd seen it and after Mischa had put her two cents in, he'd agreed and went through with the sale.

If he remembered it when he got home, he'd check it out but as far as he was concerned, it really didn't matter that much. It was a busy day, even with the minutes he took to think about the colour of his walls, so he was relieved when his assistant popped her head in to let him know she was leaving for the day. When she left, he left, that was the deal they'd made when he'd hired her. He walked her to her car, waved her off and hopped in his own to go home or Mischa's place. Tonight, obviously, was Mischa's and he was pulling into an open parking spot when his phone buzzed with Mischa's personalised ringtone. He pulled his phone free as he stepped onto the street and checked the message as he locked the doors and went inside. He let himself into Mischa's place like he did every other time, like she did to his place as well. "Where's my glass?" He called out with a chuckle knowing she would have poured a glass for herself already, toeing off his shoes and moving through her apartment in his sock feet. Mischa's place was almost as good as his own and he treated it as such, wanting to fall onto the couch and unwind for a couple minutes.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || mischa adelaide marquette
Words || 656
Clothes || Bestie!
Music || Wide Open --Kane Brown
Notes || <3

[mischa adelaide marquette]

Mischa wasn’t the type of girl to sit back with her fingers crossed and hope the universe gave her what she wanted. She would go out there and get it herself, even if it meant breaking a few rules and standing out from the crowd. She wasn’t afraid of her formidable reputation and what that suggested to other people. The way she saw it if people were afraid to approach her then they were the ones with the problem. Mischa was perfectly friendly. She only turned into someone to be afraid of if a person upset her, or gave her cause to go on the offensive. Mostly it was people who underestimated what her company was capable of. That attitude was the whole reason she had founded AzTech and it was the reason why she still put in so many hours, especially before expos and conventions. She wasn’t about to be shown up, or let it be said that they were a company trying to be something they could never be. Mischa didn’t believe that gender had a blind bit of an effect on intelligence, and her annual reports and turnarounds were enough to prove her right to the board. They could see investors coming forward, products selling fast, and a demand for more contracts coming in. Mischa couldn’t build teams of staff fast enough, and that was before she even got to her own personal projects that she worked on during her hours in the spacious office she called her own. It was more than she had ever dreamt of as a college kid still fighting with spots and finding the right affordable shampoo.

With her business steady, she wanted to look at family life. Mischa didn’t trust in dating sites, and she didn’t want someone who would be interested in her net worth. She wanted a man who could start a family with her. At this point she didn’t care so much about finding that one true love and trying on wedding dresses; dysfunctional families operated better than most of the typically functional ones. She knew she could be a single mom, but she wanted her baby to have that fatherly connection, too. She didn’t want a man who would vanish after six months or two years, and she wasn’t after someone who would pay maintenance. Money wasn’t the issue here. It was love for a child. Mischa’s own bond with her father was one of the most precious things in her life and she wanted that to be something her own child had. It was weird thinking of Brantley in a new light, but she knew he wouldn’t up and abandon his kid. He had never left her side through all the tough times, and even if he said yes and things became weird for them, she knew he wasn’t the type to vanish in the night on his responsibilities. That’s what made him perfect for this. She knew she could totally trust him.

Hearing Brantley come in made it all so real. She had been thinking about this for ages, wondering what it might be like to talk about it, to take their relationship beyond the cherished friendship they’d had for years, to walk with a toddler between them clutching their fingers. Now he was in the apartment with her and she had no excuse to put this off any longer. Mischa had toyed with the idea long enough and prolonging it would result in nothing. She crossed to the wine bottle and empty glass and was pouring his drink as he asked. “You’re so impatient sometimes.” She teased, passing it to him. Biting her lip, she looked at her best friend and felt her heart race. One way or another their friendship was going to change completely tonight. “Let’s have a toast. I don’t think there are many friendships out there like ours. You know I’d do anything for you, right? You’ve always been my best friend.” She gently tapped her glass against his before bringing it to her lips, hoping she wasn’t shaking as much as she imagined she was. Mischa had been less nervous giving her first global convention speech in Hamburg.

• • •

TAGGED! Brantley Shannon Eastwood
WORDS! 703!
OUTFIT!  Broody Bachelorette!
LYRICS! Goodnight Bad Morning - - - The Kills
NOTES! <3