Absinthe on My Lips • •

[delaney livia springdale]

It had been a long day. That was putting it mildly. Delaney felt as though every muscle in her body was screaming at her as she hunched over her desk where her laptop was sitting in the middle of strewn notepads, textbooks, and the contents of her Care Bear pencil case which she had owned since she was six. She had already spent two hours over her drafter’s table giving herself a sore back and stiff neck, but after slurping down the leftover Chinese from the night before in what she thought had to be record time, Del was back to work, at her desk and powering through another chapter of her dissertation on Urban Planning and the Changes in Architectural Structures. It was hard work, and she could do with a break, but Del wanted to be ahead rather than behind. With her new position as a Junior Planner, she was earning more money than she had before, and was no longer reliant on her parents like she had been as an undergraduate. She was hoping to get some money saved so she could work it out with Memphis and treat them both to maybe a long weekend somewhere, just the two of them where they didn’t have to worry about the rest of the world for a few days. The only way that could ever be possible though was if Delaney had a few days to spare without falling too behind in her work.

She leaned back in her chair and felt her back crack. She winced, pushing her hair back from her face. She hadn’t even changed out of her stiff work clothes when she came home, so hellbent on getting this done. Del hated dressing smart for the office. She was shorts and vests, denim and rips, and whatever plaid she had stolen from Memphis when he had last been around. Most of his shirts were her jackets when it was warm enough for them, but she didn’t care. For the last five years it was closest she had been to him when the entire country had divided them. It had been hard, probably the hardest thing she had ever done. Delaney wasn’t one to break easily, but she knew being so far away from her husband had tested just how much she could handle. She trusted Memphis, but the world around him was another matter. It wasn’t like she could defend herself, or her position if another girl tried to make a move; Delaney was thousands of miles away, in a different city, in a different state, on a different coast!

She promised herself, another six hundred words, and then she’d call it a night, get into the plaid shirt of his that was already out on her bed, and then she’d call him. It would be nice to hear his voice as she finally settled down to relax. Del was already tempted to look at the goofy wallpaper of the two of them on her phone, but she knew better. If she stopped now, even just for a second, to look at it, then she would be done for the night. She’d want to speak to Memphis right then, and her thumb would be sliding across the screen to call him before she could even stop herself. Her laptop would remain untouched, work probably left unsaved, and when she got up in the morning everything would look exactly as it did right now. No, it was best to power on through, and as she thought that, Del barely noticed that her fingertips came down heavier on the keyboard. Her typing almost became as loud as the knocking on her scratched up front door.

• • •

TAGGED! Memphis Tatum Springdale
WORDS! 619!
OUTFIT! Out of Office!
LYRICS! Birds of a Feather - - - The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3

[Memphis Tatum Springdale]

Memphis had worked hard the last few months to sort out everything on his end, introduce his few charges to their new case workers and stick around long enough to be there if anyone had any questions. He didn't want to see his kids get lost in the system or worse, go back to the streets when he worked so damn hard to see they were properly taken care of. They knew he cared and actually put their trust in him to find them case workers like him; ones that cared and didn't do it just for the paycheck. These kids were almost like his own, they knew him just as he knew them. They knew he was only giving their cases up because his wife lived in New York and he needed to go to her. His career could take off anywhere, New York was the best place for Del to find her dreams. Memphis didn't mind moving across the country, it had always been the plan when he was finished school. He wasn't quite there yet but he was close enough and the change of scenery might even turn out to be he best thing he could have done.

He was so close to that doctorate, he could taste it. Psychology wasn't the easiest degree to take on but it had been what he wanted when he'd started to really think about his future. Del had been great, being his personal cheerleader and telling him time and time again that he could do it and thrive at it. He looked like some badass biker punk but he was a giant teddy bear with so much overflowing compassion that he couldn't not share it and do some good with it. The hardest part about everything was keeping it from Del. He wanted to tell her during every pone call, he wanted to end every text message with 'see you soon' but it would have been too unusual and she would have known instantly that something was up; that he was planning a surprise trip out at the very least. He had too many surprises lined up to ruin even one with an offhand remark. So, despite wanting to tell her, Memphis kept his mouth shut, ended each of their text message conversations as he always had with a simple and sweet 'love you, babe'.

Memphis took all that time meticulously planning everything. He provided his roommates with his part of the rent for that month and some for the next. He was thinking Jayda would end up turning the space into her workshop now that the space was available. He knew she could make do with the coffee table but she shouldn't have to; which was another reason he offered up the money. He knew her well and knew what she would think, what she would do finding the money in the envelope. He offered up as payment for having to deal with the moving trucks since he left the day before they were due to arrive so he would have his surprise without having to add unpacking a truck to it all. He packed a couple bags, kept his important information with him but otherwise it was going in a moving truck and being shipped over to him. He knew his way around the city well enough from all his visits so he managed to get himself to Del's apartment, his new home, easily enough, stopping once to grab a pie at the pizza place they had frequented on his last visit. He brought what little he had with him up to the door in one trip and knocked; and waited and knocked again, wondering if she was even home. He had been in such a hurry to surprise her, he hadn't bothered with a cheeky little text message even.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || delaney livia springdale
Words || 643
Clothes || Prince Charming
Music || Closer --Kane Brown
Notes || <3

[delaney livia springdale]

Delaney had been quite the rebel during her teenage years. Mostly it was all done for Memphis. People might have shaken their heads and called them both foolish, but Del knew that what they had was the real deal. She wasn’t a girl risking everything she had for a boy who would run off with another passing fancy the second he was bored of his feisty brunette. Hell, Del would have burnt his precious fort down before she took that one laying down. It never came to that though, thankfully. She still felt as wild about Memphis as she did the day they shared their first kiss. He was the only person on earth who could make her body shiver and burn in the same instant. Del loved the rough fingers on her pale skin, squeezing her against his solid chest as though she was never allowed to be free again; she didn’t want to escape Memphis anyway. If she was his prisoner she went willingly to her life sentence. He was worth the bruises and scrapes of sneaking out, and every fight she had with her parents was nothing because she knew that he was waiting for her after she defied them and stormed out again.

The time apart was a trial she felt they didn’t deserve. It was like some unjust punishment. Del was nothing if not determined though, which was why she was so driven to make their marriage work. Their age and the distance might have been against them, but she would kill any girl who tried to lay a hand on her husband. She knew he would draw attention in California because he was drop dead gorgeous, but she wasn’t going to believe that it was fine for something to happen because she was in another zip code. Memphis hadn’t told her anything that had encouraged her to fly out to him and maim some dumb sorority girl, but she frequently reminded him that she could - and would - do it. Their marriage was not going to fail because some drunk slut thought it was okay to get a little handsy.

Del rolled her neck, silently trying to motivate herself to get some more work done. All she wanted was her pyjamas and to hear Memphis’ sweet, deep drawl after such a long day. She missed him too much, especially when colleagues spoke of families and date nights on a regular basis. The knocking reached her ears and she typed faster to get her thoughts down before they were lost, perhaps for good. Suspecting it would be a neighbour with another building petition, Del set her fake smile into place, but it dropped immediately after she tugged the door open wide. She blinked, taking in the sight of her husband. “Baby?” she jumped at him, tangling her limbs around him without thinking. Her arms went around his neck, and her legs were clamped around his waist. Del kissed him like the world was ending, still trying to work out if this was real. “What are you doing here?” She managed to mumble between hungry little kisses, refusing to let go of Memphis in case he disappeared.

• • •

TAGGED! Memphis Tatum Springdale
WORDS! 536!
OUTFIT! Out of Office!
LYRICS! Birds of a Feather - - - The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3

[Memphis Tatum Springdale]

Memphis had been planning this for so long, it seemed like forever ago he'd made the decision to actually be with his wife. They might have married young and then run to opposite sides of the country for their educations but Memphis had always had faith in them. He didn't believe in much, he thought it was ridiculous to put everything that ever happened onto the shoulders of one man but he had faith in his marriage to Del. They were the exception to the long-distance rule. It most certainly helped that his wife was the most incredible woman Memphis had ever met and he couldn't see himself in twenty or thirty years without her by his side. He'd seen those visions of the future that first night they'd met when she'd been snooping around his tree fort; never a treehouse. He'd never brought girls up to the second level of the fort simply because it was his space. It was the boy's only area, no girl's allowed. Delaney had changed all of that and he'd slept in that bed more soundly and peacefully that night than he'd ever spent in there before it.

Foolishly he occasionally wished he hadn't spent so much time just flirting with her and instead kissed her that much sooner. But then he also thought they probably wouldn't have had such a strong relationship if he'd just kissed her. Then again, she wasn't some girl you kissed and got over, oh no, Delany had gotten under his skin, into his bloodstream, stole his heart right out from under his nose and hadn't known it right away. If he hadn't agreed to a school in California, Memphis would have snapped up any offer he'd gotten from New York to be even near Delaney while they were in university. Memphis wanted his word to mean something though, so he kept it and went to California, dying a little bit each day that he was away from Delaney. Calls and text messages only went so far and just left Memphis missing his wife even more than before. He had hated it all so much but he'd needed to keep his word, prove if only to himself and the children he'd been charged to take care of that his word meant something.

Memphis knew this reunion would be the best one they'd shared over the years because he was there to stay. He didn't have to rush off in a week to make sure he still had a job and place at the university. Over the next two weeks, he needed to meet his new professor and his new boss at the centre. He'd given himself a week before he needed to do all that just in case he and Del didn't see the outside of their apartment for that long, though he knew her job was important to her and he was the there to jeopardize anything she'd built in the city without him. The truth was, he was hoping to slip into what she'd done, hopefully, seamlessly and just make her life a little easier and a little better. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. She was the same with him even with the time they'd spent away from each other. She knew what to say and when to say it when he was in a foul mood, even through text messages. Memphis hadn't stopped working out when he'd left the farm, he'd just started using a gym instead of good old-fashioned farm work so he easily caught his wife in one arm and was able to hold her close and keep the pizza balanced. "Moving in with my wife. Think she'll like that?" He asked against her lips because he just couldn't pull himself away.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || delaney livia springdale
Words || 632
Clothes || Prince Charming
Music || Closer --Kane Brown
Notes || <3

[delaney livia springdale]

Delaney still had her wedding dress from the quick elopement with Memphis, and the necklace he used to propose with had never been off her neck. She wasn't some silly little girl who had thought of fairy tales and let herself be taken for a fool when they planned their future. Del could see their years together. She saw the holidays with his family, the perfect home they built, and the years when they were old and taking care of each other. They might have been young but they certainly weren't stupid. Del had been confident of that for every fight with her parents when they criticised her behaviour and insulted Memphis. God, did they annoy her when they blamed Memphis for her choices. Del had been the one to choose to sneak out at night. She chose to be with him throughout high school drama and pressures. No one had bullied her into it or forced her to be the stubborn and argumentative soul that she was. Del just knew that Memphis was worth the fight. It was something she still believed in now, all these years later.

Love wasn't supposed to be easy. Theirs certainly hadn't been. Del wishes they could have spent these last few years closer together. There has been plenty of nights when she wanted to curl up with her husband and fall asleep with him like they did when they were teenagers. Instead tired phone calls and morning texts had to suffice while she curled her much smaller body up in one of his huge shirts. It just wasn't quite the same. Still, Delaney never pressures Memphis into coming up with a moving date or plans for their life together. She wanted him to have his dreams more than she wanted hers. When he was ready she knew he would tell her that they were going to finally be together.

She definitely didn't expect him to appear at her door one night telling her that this was it; their life together could begin. Del pulled back just enough to look him in the eye and check that he was being serious. "No Fucking way." A smile slow dances across her lips and she kissed him hard again. "You mean this is it? Finally?" A happy chuckle slipped out of her grinning mouth and she pulled her husband inside before pushing him forcefully up against the door. Del hadn't even noticed the pizza in his hand. " The neighbours definitely don't need to see what I want to do to you right now." She breathed against his lips, tangling her fingers in his hair like she had so many times before when she lost control of her feelings for him. Memphis really did bring out her animalistic side just as much as he brought out her romantic side.

• • •

TAGGED! Memphis Tatum Springdale
WORDS! 530
OUTFIT! Out of Office!
LYRICS! Birds of a Feather - - - The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3

[Memphis Tatum Springdale]

Memphis missed his wife. It was as plain and as simple as that. He wanted to be able to wake up with her in his arms, kiss her whenever he wanted and have impromptu dance parties in the kitchen while they cook together. Their entire marriage had been spent an entire country apart and Memphis had been so sick of it. If his education hadn't been so damn important to him, he would have said fuck it ages ago and made the move back to the east coast. However, his education had meant quite a lot to him so he'd suffered through with the knowledge that it would soon be over and he would soon be able to fall asleep on the couch with his wife sprawled across him and not just on his computer screen. He had enjoyed being able to watch Delaney sleep while she was still up, working away on assignments and projects and then casefiles before falling asleep and waking up when Delaney cursed about falling asleep and running late.

It had killed Memphis to know that they had to be separated by an entire country while they were away at school. Holidays and short visits on breaks weren't enough and the young social worker so was sick and tired of being alone. He had made tons of good friends out in California but not a single one of them could replace Delaney in any way but they did help a tiny bit in taking the sting of missing her so much away. They kept him distracted. But now, the time had finally come to join his wife in New York and Memphis had thought up a million plans on how he was going to tell her. He wanted to just call her up when he made the decision. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, put it on a billboard, do all the wild and crazy things that were over the top and ridiculous. But he also loved surprising her and knew that the best way to do that, was to just show up on her doorstep.

He knew it was cheesy and that she might not have been home when he showed up but it was a chance he'd been more than willing to take; even if he had to sit outside the apartment door to wait. Thankfully, she'd been in and he'd been prepared for all sorts of reactions from his wife. He hadn't known if she would jump into his arms, slap him with all her excitement or just pull him into the apartment but he was ready for anything. "This is it." He agreed, loving the fact that his wife was finally in his arms again. He felt too good. Memphis laughed but held a firm hold on Delaney, letting her push him around with ease because he'd just missed her so damn much. "Not that I'm hating this but maybe we take a second to get my bags inside before someone thinks they're trash and tosses them?" He pointed out with a firm grip on his wife's waist so she didn't move too far away from him. He'd missed being able to just hold her close and he wasn't quite ready to let her go away, even if it was only a couple feet; despite his words about his bags. Even while those were his thoughts, however, he still set the pizza box down on the nearest surface before pulling his wife close and inhaling the smell of her shampoo. "Christ, I've fucking missed you."

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || delaney livia springdale
Words || 596
Music || Closer --Kane Brown
Notes || <3

[delaney livia springdale]

Delaney had dreamt of the day she was reunited with Memphis for good – she had dreamt about it so many god damn times. It had made it difficult to get out of bed some mornings. She wanted to blow off work and stay all day in her dreamworld where her husband – the love of her life – wasn’t living in a different time zone on the opposite side of the country. She wanted to slip back into sleep where she could spend hours with him, feeling his touch and remembering all their moments together. Del had awoken some mornings with the burning desire to hop onto a plane to go see Memphis. Being apart was hard, and she wouldn’t lie about it when anyone asked, but she also told them that she knew it would be worth it when they were together again, when it was more than video calls and surprise gifts in the mail. Right now, as Memphis held her close, she knew it was worth it – so fucking worth it.

She also knew that she was lucky. Not many relationships survived long distance, especially not when the couple was fresh out of high school and embracing the freedom of college and all it had to offer. Del had trusted Memphis just as he had trusted her. It wasn’t always easy when someone would scoff at the idea of them and make some remark about how Memphis was probably hooking up with some other girl while Del pined away for him. Granted, anyone who said that was usually quickly introduced to either the drink Del was holding or her fist, should her hand be empty. Del had faith in their relationship, in their marriage. She knew not everyone would understand, which is why her parents were still in the dark about the fact that their daughter had eloped at eighteen. She had needed her college fund to make her dreams come true, and she had no regrets about not telling them. She knew there was a fight coming anyway since they had never liked Memphis. They thought he was trouble, when in actual fact it was more likely that Delaney was the one who would get into trouble. If she hadn’t been sneaking off to be with him then she probably would have been sneaking off to parties, to concerts, to things where she would have been surrounded by strangers and potential bad choices. Instead, all she had done was sneak off to be with her boyfriend, who was a hell of a lot more responsible than her parents ever thought a boy like Memphis could be.

Not that she was thinking of her parents right now. She couldn’t think of anything but Memphis and how she might potentially be too sick for work tomorrow. “Fucking finally.” She breathed against his lips before kissing him hard once more. Del didn’t want to let go of him right now. She didn’t want to give him the chance to move out of her reach. “I’d buy you new things.” She teased, but she did step away ever so slightly to let him get his bags inside. Granted, a portion of her wardrobe was already comprised of his shirts; button ups, t-shirts, hoodies…whatever she had collected over the years and claimed for herself when they were apart. She hugged Memphis close, pressing soft, hot kisses against his neck as he held her tight. “Yeah? You wanna show me how much?” Del had never been the patient kind, and right now she wanted her husband to take her against every possible surface in the small apartment.

• • •

TAGGED! Memphis Tatum Springdale
WORDS! 609!
LYRICS! Birds of a Feather - - - The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3

[Memphis Tatum Springdale]

Memphis might have been born on the "wrong side" of the tracks for some people but that seemed to be how small-town Southern states worked. If you lived in the city limits, the suburbs or whatever, you were the "good" kind of people but if you lived in the country, worked on the family farm and put in the hard work, you were considered the "wrong" kind of person. Memphis had always had a hard time understanding how that worked. He had woken up early every morning to go out there, rain or shine, to put in the hours it took to run a dairy farm smoothly. They had enough fields to grow their own crops to be mostly self-sufficient and whenever anything bad happened to a neighbouring farm, they were the first ones there to help out no matter what needed to be done. If anything, Memphis thought those people who grew up in the city, who had street lights and sidewalks were the ones who needed to have a think about the world. He was getting his hands dirty and they were sitting at a desk. Even now, whenever he went home for a visit, he was put to work. He'd never really gotten over getting up early and even now was up before the sun rose. While he was away at school, he had nothing to do during those hours that were beneficial. He ended up at the gym a lot.

That would be somewhere he would need to find now that he was in New York for good. He wasn't getting up early to go work the fields anymore but he was still up early. He didn't think Del would appreciate being woken up that early, even if they were getting a workout in. "Yeah, just so you could steal it all on me. I bet I could open any dresser drawer and find something that used to be mine." He teased, not the least bit upset that she'd stolen at least one thing from him from every visit they'd shared over the last few years. It had sucked knowing he only had a short amount of time to hold her before one of them was catching a plane back to the other side of the country. There would be no more of that and Memphis had no words to describe how thankful he was for that either. He wanted his life to really begin with Delaney.

"You little Minx." He growled into the side of her neck. Now that his things were no longer in the hallway of their building, he could do what he'd been dreaming about since the last time he'd held his wife in his arms. "Come here." His hands now free, he grabbed Delaney's thighs and lifted her right up against him. There was a lot Memphis had missed being so far away from Delaney. There was the physical of course; only so many memories and dreams can do for a man but there were other things, too. He missed their late-night conversations curled up together. He missed talking about their future and their plans and just playing with her hair as she fell asleep with his arm under her head. He missed the little things just as much as he missed the bigger, obvious things about married life. Hell, he even missed listening to her bitch and moan about her co-workers or her coursework. Right now, though, it had been too long since they'd last seen each other in person and there were a few things on his list he could remedy; and he knew exactly what order those would happen in, too as he toyed with the hem of her shirt, slowly pushing his hand under it while using his other to keep her steady. He did not want to let go of his wife for at least the next day or two. Then he'd have to consider feeding her and maybe letting her sleep.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || delaney livia springdale
Words || 666
Music || Closer --Kane Brown
Notes || <3

[delaney livia springdale]

Delaney made a conscious effort to avoid the prejudices of her parents. A lot of things weren’t good enough for them, or they thought there was a better option out there. They had both come from financially comfortable families and now lived a life where they could comfortably retire. Del didn’t see money as important as they did. Not everyone needed to be a doctor, and not everyone had to live in the suburban neighbourhood with the HOA that made every house look as uniformed as a military platoon. Del was happy in her apartment in the middle of the city. Of course, she knew she’d move with Memphis one day, but she’d be happier with a bigger apartment than some dressed up house in a cookie-cutter neighbourhood.

She had made friends from all walks of life at college, and criticised just as many, too. Most of the times she confronted people it was for making generalised, outdated beliefs or because they remarked on her marriage; typically they would suggest Memphis was off sleeping his way around every sorority in California, and Del knew that it was the furthest thing from the truth. She wasn’t a woman who could be walked over, let alone cheated on – and she knew Memphis would never cheat on her. It was hard to explain to someone who hadn’t met their soulmate, but there was an intimate level of trust that she only shared with him and no one else in the world. Grinning, Del gave Memphis another soft kiss. “’Used to’ being the operative phrase there.” She teased, thinking about how she had planned to change into one of his shirts once she tossed her work clothes into the laundry basket. The hardest thing about their time apart had been whenever she or Memphis returned to their own homes and classes. The bed always felt too big, too cold, and there was an unsettling atmosphere. She missed him, and his clothes had been a comfort when she was in the bed alone, wishing he was with her again.

Delaney chuckled deeply against her husband’s lips as he hoisted her up. Her clothes were restrictive, and she felt the material digging in, but that was just an excuse to get out of them quicker. “Remember that summer when we spent almost every weekend up in the fort and ate nothing but the junk food we kept up there? No one saw us from Friday to Monday.” It had been before college, when they knew their time was short and their marriage was still so fresh. Right now, Delaney was thinking about repeating that notion, only with fast food ordered when they were starving, and with the added bonus of home luxuries – not that she thought they’d be fussed about that sort of thing right now. All she wanted was to feel every inch of Memphis, to make sure this was actually happening, that he was really there, and then celebrate the event she had waited five long years for. And that celebration did not require layers of any kind to be worn.

• • •

TAGGED! Memphis Tatum Springdale
WORDS! 521!
LYRICS! Birds of a Feather - - - The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3

[Memphis Tatum Springdale]

Memphis had always known he’d been a lucky kid growing up. Sure, he had farm chores that most kids didn’t have but he really enjoyed being in the barns with the animals or out in the fields during the summer months. He was always so hyper that if he’d lived in the city without an outlet, he would have driven his mother insane. Thankfully, there was always something to do on the farm and when there wasn’t, he had plenty of friends nearby who understood the life. Memphis had been one of those kids that had made friends really easily and not just because he lived on a farm and his parents were pretty open-minded and welcomed anyone who showed up. They were a family farm, with plenty of land not worked to have everyone with their own small homes that covered the necessities but were mostly just used for sleep and the occasional few hours of alone time because everyone had always gone up to the main house to eat their meals. Memphis had the treehouse and the rest had their homes. He'd always felt more at home in the wilderness, amongst the animals and the trees.

One day, he hoped to get back to the family farm, but there was plenty enough time for that. Delaney needed to finish her degree and he still had some things he needed to do on the educational front as well. They had their entire lives ahead of them to decide what their next steps were. For now, those were living in New York City and being together. And really, being together was the only one thing that really mattered to Memphis. They could be living it up in a big fancy house or barely making ends meet living in a double-wide somewhere and he would be truly happy as long as his wife was by his side. They'd been through a lot together already and that was all while they had an entire country separating them. Now that they were together, the possibilities of everything were endless. Memphis couldn't wait to really start being husband and wife with Delaney. They'd gotten married young and basically on the sly just before they both shipped off to different schools. It hadn't been fair but Memphis knew without a doubt that they were that one in a million couple that others always dreamed of being but hadn't quite gotten there yet. He'd been unbelievably lucky when he'd stumbled across his soul mate at one the usual high school parties. He thanked whoever was looking out for him that night every single day for bringing Delaney into his life. He didn't know where he would be now without her. “Oh, I am well aware those clothes no longer belong to me. I’ve come to terms with that.” He teased her back because he'd bid farewell to those articles of clothing when he'd gotten back to California and realised they were missing.

They would be an adjustment period just to get used to the fact that they would be under each other's feet now but Memphis didn't want to think about all the little problems they would face now that they were finally together. There were always going to be minor things and Memphis understood that he was the one coming into Delaney's planned out place. It might now be their shared home but she'd been living in it longer and had everything where she wanted it. His stuff would be needing to find a place to live amongst hers but again, it could wait. All Memphis wanted to do right now was fall into bed with his wife for about a year, consider and reject coming up for air in that time, and then worry about those silly little things that would not break them. "Yeah." Memphis said with a chuckle. "My mom would try and sneak food into my bag and into the cupboards beforehand so we had something to eat that wasn't just made of sugar." He finally confided in her with a shake of his head. His mother would have preferred they go up to the main house for meals like the rest of the rowdy bunch but they'd still been in the honeymoon phase of their honeymoon and Memphis didn't want to share Delaney with anyone, especially his family.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || delaney livia springdale
Words || 728
Music || Closer --Kane Brown
Notes || <3

[delaney livia springdale]

Delaney had heard the tale that transformed her parents into the overprotective nightmare that she had the most experience with. She didn’t think that she deserved that kind of patronising coddling when she was looking at colleges and moving out on her own. Del didn’t know what the future would bring, but she knew that if she had children of her own, she would be nothing like her parents. They had never really trusted her, allowed her to learn from mistakes she might have made; if her parents had had their way then she wouldn’t have made mistakes at all. There was a reason she had rebelled as much as she had done, told the little white lies of studying with a friend when she was actually helping Memphis on the farm and likely being more of a distraction than a help. Compared to what her parents thought, Del had spent very little time in the family home after they had moved to NAME. She had been a teenager, had been fed up of being cooped up like Rapunzel in her tower, and had wanted to do as much as she could to fit in with her peers. No kid enjoys being the new kid, and even less so when every social invitation has to be rejected or explained away.

Del had simply longed for freedom, and had proven that was all she needed by not doing anything too shocking since going to college. Sure, she had gone to parties and woken up sitting in her own shower, but Delaney had never done anything her parents had nightmares over. She didn’t break any laws, she didn’t cause trouble, she just lived her life and enjoyed the college experience. It was a little different than some since she was married and living across the country from her husband, but Del had remained faithful and chased away anyone who tried to argue that it was fine because Memphis was in California and she was in New York. She wasn’t about those games. If someone else wanted to play them then let them reap all the consequences of that; Del loved Memphis more than she could put into words. The distance between them was nothing. People left their loved ones behind to go fight in wars – at least Del knew she would see Memphis again, or that she could book a flight out to him if she needed the break and his arms. Plus, nothing soothed her after a long day than curling up in one of his shirts or hoodies, and visiting him was an ample opportunity to make sure she had some. “Pretty sure there was something in those vows that said ‘what’s yours is mine’.” She teased with a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat.

They’d spent a lot of time talking about what the future would be like when they finally got to be together, and now Delaney’s mind was swimming with questions. She didn’t want to worry about them right now though. She had Memphis back and the rest of the world always seemed to fade away when it was just the two of them. The decisions that had yet to come and the conversations that would accompany them could wait; all she wanted right now was him. “Best honeymoon ever.” She joked, kissing him through her smile. They had spent a weekend in the hotel in Atlanta after their wedding, but they’d never had the time or the money for a real tropical island honeymoon. Hell, her parents still didn’t know she was married five years after the fact! Del adored her mother-in-law, but she wasn’t exactly front and centre of her mind right now – and she didn’t want her to be either. She wanted Memphis in bed, or on the sofa, or the table, or anywhere else he damn well fit in her small apartment. To make her thoughts clear she set about tugging at his shirt, pulling it up over that chiselled chest Delaney had once said she could eat every meal off of.

• • •

TAGGED! Memphis Tatum Springdale
WORDS! 683!
LYRICS! Birds of a Feather - - - The Civil Wars
NOTES! <3