I wake up one day feeling absolutely awful. I don’t really know why, but my skin feels odd, I am nauseated, and everything is itchy.
Upon telling Pari that, I see her disappear into the kitchen, where she stays behind the stove for a full hour, dropping a myriad of plants and herbs she seems to be producing out of thin air into the pan.
When she’s done she pours the mixture into a glass and hands it to me with a smile. Her only explanation is “drink this, you’ll get better. Bottoms up.”
I trust her and drink it. It tastes a little like mud, a little like lavender, and I kid you not, I feel better the very second I down the last drop.
That night, when we head back home, we are not alone.
Pari, who lived in the basement of her tattoo parlor, has no place to stay, or at least, none where she would be safe. So we find a sleeping bag on the way, and we install it in a nice spot of our living room, hoping it will be comfortable enough. This is the first time we’ve ever wished for a pull-out couch.
Pari’s a great guest, and we do our best to take her mind off whatever disaster happened at her shop the best way we know how: by breaking out Mariokart.
We don’t have many things in common, but our conversations are fascinating.
She can defend herself at Mariokart. We’re still too competitive to let her win, but she scores a very honorable third place.
It’s been a year since our wedding, and while we could absolutely have gone for dinner at a fancy restaurant, Hugo and I want to go for a more… lasting experience.
So we do our research, and head to the best tattoo parlor in Oasis Springs. I’m going to get a sun, to symbolize brightness, and light, and maybe a certain beach. Hugo is going to get a stylized constellation. To be precise, the Leo — I was born in early August, see.
The parlor is mostly empty. The tattooist laughs and says she can tell we’re not from around here: there’s a party happening in the backyard of the building tonight, so everybody’s getting ready, apparently.
We tell her we can come back later, but she insists she wouldn’t have accepted the appointment if she wasn’t willing to go through with it.
Her name is Pari, Pari Ramesh, and I just love her aesthetic.
I feel like we’re going to be fast friends.
Hugo is not afraid if needles, but apparently he can’t bear seeing me go under it.
Checking myself out in the mirrors while Pari exposes the plan to Hugo.
Your turn, babe.
Suddenly, as I’m snacking in the backyard, something weird happens. People in unusual outfits raid the barely started party.
They seep into the backroom.
They are many.
It’s clear that Pari has a history with this gang of bears. They are up to no good. A fight is on the verge of breaking out.
One of them sees Pari slap a bear, and he apparently goes to call for reinforcements.
A realtor has been eyeing the karaoke club at the Spice market to turn it into some sort of posh lounge for the wealthy. Apparently, they’re into that type of spice experience, the “grunge” appeal of our district.
That is obviously out of the question. The project was canceled, but now we fear for the site’s life, so we join forces, petition, protest and shout to have it turned into a historical landmark.
Hugo, in particular, takes the fight for our karaoke bar very seriously.
And he runs into some people who also care a whole lot.
Including an old friend.
Shanna is also getting involved in community issues. She did want to get into politics after all.
On the anniversary of our first kiss, our first as a married couple, we decide to head back to the beach. By ourselves this time.
The great thing about being self-employed and/or at the very top of your firm’s hierarchy is that you get to flee for a day and not have anybody say anything about it. But it’s a weekday, so the beach is ours.
We stay all day, the perfectly sunny day, and then we let the trip bleed into the night, and we eat by the wavering flame of a candle. We remember fond memories, that already feel so long ago, yet they still fuel us.
Salsa to imaginary music on the beach.
And sensual salsa, at that.
Followed, of course, by mint ice-cream-induced brain freezes. For the waffle topping on top alone, worth it.
Mexican finger-food on the beach.
Love is when you finally agree to share your food.
‘Yes, I remember that’
This is how the night ends, because this is how all great days should end.
The top three pictures were made thanks to @roundog‘s INCREDIBLE salsa animation!
We’ve finally released the common project we started working on back in high school, and we couldn’t be prouder. It has evolved, and changed shape, and taken years, but here it is.
So tonight, we celebrate. Fine food (that we did not cook) and champagne by candlelight. We’re staying in, but we’ve dressed up. This is an occasion, but it’s also about us, and only us.
Cheers to our dream coming true!
We forbade each other from looking at our phones tonight, but I cheated. The reviews are rolling, and they’re overwhelmingly positive.
We talk about our plans. What’s next after this? Hugo says he’s done with development. He wants to focus solely on e-sports now. But he can’t wait to see what else I have in store.
I can’t wait to see what we still have in store either.
Life goes on, happy, and successful. Hugo and I are a team, and through the fights about finishing the jam (him) and the complaining about dirty bathtubs (me), we’ve become closer than ever. We’re two parts of a whole!
But I’ll keep eating all the jam
I finally got the huge promotion I was eyeing at work. I am now at the top, and most matters need my okay. I have an opinion on everything, and my expertise is renowned in the world of tech.
And yet I still live in the Spice Market, but what can I say, I love it here.
Mom, Grandma and I at my first Humor and Hijinks festival! We joined the Jokers, and it was a truly hilarious girls’ night.
I support Hugo in his streaming job, even when it’s as simple as supporting him through tough Dark Sims playthroughs. Gotta admit he’ s great at this.
And no, I never leave that turtleneck sweater anymore. It’s my uniform now. We all have our idols, okay?
I still love the simple act of putting laundry out to dry on our cozy little balcony.
We made sure said balcony would be even cozier. It’s the perfect place to get some energy back after a full day behind the screen, without actually leaving the flat…
“You’ll lose touch with your friends after high school”, they said.
Well, we haven’t yet.
The more time passes, the more we realize that being an adult who actually makes money, and is moving upwards the social circle offers a LOT of partying opportunities. Granted, we can only make the most of these opportunities every so often, but oh, how the wait is worth it.
Tonight we’re partying at the lounge at the top of the world, and swimming above the buildings.
Why does no one else appreciate the awesomeness of a diving board.
Karaoke time! Marie is too cool for school, always was. Hugo is not a fan of her voice though.
Romain witnessing the awesomeness that is a best friends’ secret handshake.
Please let us believe we know how to sing, we’re having a great time.
The Stewarts Family (and other shenanigans) 