LOST IN YOU // WINNIE .

[truce.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]He was obsessed with Winnie.

Like, it was absolutely revolting having to sit and watch the way he tried to woo her with his lack of authenticity and stupidly crooked smile. [sup]❛ Winnie, this guy is bad news. ❜[/sup] Donovan was doing everything in his power not to stride up to this guy the very first time he saw him trying to ask Winnie out and sucker punch him square in the jaw. It was simply so disrespectful the way he looked her body up and down as if she was nothing more than that beautiful hourglass figure of hers.

Besides! Come on; This guy ought to know a thing or two about hourglasses. Steadily, the sand would run to the bottom and before you know it she'd be gone. She'd realize that he was a piece of shit and would promptly be on her way afterwards (otherwise, Don was always here to nudge her in the right direction. Removing this asshole from the equation would not be difficult).

Good riddance. This guy could never be good enough for Winnie of all people anyways. Oh, was she the textbook definition of perfect. That ever-so-endearing girl-next-door sort of vibe she gave off was quite honestly so intriguing to Don that he could just not stop thinking about her. Nobody could be that cute. [sup]❛ What's the secret, Winnie? What makes you so precious? ❜[/sup] Don just wanted to know more, more, more, and a part of Don was certain that that was exactly what she wanted. The way she carried herself screamed that she wanted to be known. She enjoyed the attention and oh would Donnie certainly oblige.

Strike three was the final strike. The third time Donnie had seen this guy approach Winnie whilst he was keeping an eye on her. She needed someone to watch over her because she did appear vulnerable at times. That sort of vulnerability would only attract freaks like this guy whose mother never taught him that no meant no! He had to intervene, else this would never end. He'd continue harassing dear Winnie or, worse off, Winnie would cave and accept whatever shitty romance he had to offer.

It was disgusting.

Don would swoop in like her knight in shining armor, he decided as he smugly wandered over towards the man who was currently talking to Winnie. Women liked fairy tales, didn't they? Otherwise, those fairy tales would not have existed, period! Winnie wanted to be saved. She needed her knight to come and rescue her, and these were the exact moments that the stars aligned! It was fate that brought Don and Winnie together! (Not him placing himself in these situations in order to talk to Winnie, of course.)

❝ Is everything all right here? ❞ Don questioned with an amicable smile, eyes drilling into the other man's gaze intently as he simply watched every fraction of movement from him. His face twitched; he was annoyed that Don interfered. And then, he smiled. The most fake smile Don had ever seen. Don's smile fell effortlessly, his stare like daggers. ❝ Oh, it's nothing. ❞ The man chuckled, scrunching up his nose before gesturing dismissively. ❝ I better get going then. I'll see you around, Winnie. ❞ He tipped his head politely before turning and walking away. Gross. If Winnie thought that was sincere, then she had another thing coming.

Don watched the back of the man's head as he walked away, trying his best to conceal his pride, before twisting his head to peer over towards Winnie. ❝ What was that about? ❞ He gestured towards the man before chuckling heartily. Don already knew the answer, but he needed Winnie to tell him for herself so that they could collide together in what fate would call quite some success story.

[WINIFRED.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; color: #494949; font-family: karla; font-size: 8pt; letter-spacing: 0.2px; word-spacing: 1px; margin-top: 10px;"]what was proper adoration supposed to look like?

she had an idea of what it was not— deep-set scowls and twisted grins. blaming, always blaming, always her fault. beatings, bruises and the, "he just loses his temper, winnie." and the, "he just loves you so much, winnie." as if love made you susceptible to an angry hand or sometimes fists. winnie still wore the bruises. wore the shame that her brothers were forced to witness. garrett made it remotely clear to her that her father's love was something that was not. a paradoxial meant to chain her, to abuse her. with her father's image in mind , she sought those signs in men who approached her, hoping that growing up with it would be it obvious, but it only made her more confused.

naivèity and optimism might as well be her biggest downfall, her brother used to tell her. she looked at the spitting image of the devil, if he existed, and asked him what made you that way? even when she was aware she never could , she sought her father's approval. when he was pissed , even when it wasn't necessarily her fault , she cleaned the dishes. prayed a little harder. hoped that one day he'd prize her similarly the way he did his beloved sons. as if they could do no wrong. she saw it , hated that part of herself , but she couldn't help it. the identity she so desperately tried to astray from was deep-set in her. when she left her life behind , she still found herself stuck mentally; the absence of her father she instead tried to replace in the adoration of googly-eyed men.

they noticed her because well, it seemed as if she demanded it. winnie was exploring a side of herself she wouldn't otherwise have been able to. winnie and her low cut tops and jeans that hugged her just a little too tight. winnie and her mascara , her bright white smile, reflective of her bright red lipstick. some girls would say they were dressing for themselves and partially, that was true. she thought this winnie looked more mature, more badass. however, she'd be lying if she didn't say she hoped to snag the attention of others; liked the way others admired her. greenie seemed to take note of her circumstance , took note through subtle comments . she knew he disliked it. and , in some instance , she did , too. but she wanted to remind herself that attention didn't always mean consent , something in which these men thought if they persisted enough they'd get.

maybe the problem was that all of these things combined equated to a potential disaster. she said no to owen four times this week , yet he still insisted. the man had to be about middle aged. he held himself well , sure , and his approach was kind. however , his aroma , along with his persistence was something that made her both uncomfortable and annoyed . quite a few times she'd mentioned it to greenie , who thought that maybe he'd say something to him. but no, he's just being nice. or I can handle it myself. many in-her-head altercations never prepare to for it , though. instead , it's the same kind small talk, leading to a plea for a date, transitioning into, not today or i'm busy or how about patrice? she seems to have a thing for you.

"isaac can get a night , i'm just curious on when's it my turn?" what an asshole. she should have known that eventually , their encounter would make it's rounds. he has been attempting to avoid her since it happened. why was his name in her mouth ? she forced a polite smile , mouth agape trying to decide her next move. that is , until another voice cut in , saving the day. hallelujah! she turns her head to her unlikely savior , revealing donovan. she's seen him around , talked to him once or twice , but that's about it. he was pretty cute , she had to admit. but for some reason , he almost felt a tad out of her league. like he was thinking smart things , intelligent things. something less trashy than an anna todd novel.

as owen walks away , she turns to the other. she grits her teeth , widens her eyes as if to say 'that was crazy'. she waits for a minute , casting a look over her shoulder to make sure owen was out of earshot before turning to donovan , her gritting grin turning into a softened smile. "thanks for saving my butt he. . ." she sighs , blushes. "i guess that one bad hookup makes you open season to everyone." too soon for honesty ? if so , he'd walk away. "i remember you; donovan right?"

[truce.]

#5c1927[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]What was adoration?

No, no Winnie, adoration could never be scornful glowers or guilt trips and gaslighting. That wasn’t adoration or love or anything short of cruel. Perhaps all the adoration that Winnie ever knew from a man had been that insensitive ❛ love ❜ of a father whose only concept of love was the lust for the power that he possessed whenever he’d lay a hand upon Winnie. Don could show her a real man’s love, a man who loved her for her and not the power he’d feel controlling her. A woman like Winnie was not a force that any man should ever try to restrain. Don and Winnie; they were of the same kind.

He could even go as far as call himself a feminist. That’d be a good word for his records. A feminist. Advocating for the equality of the sexes. Yeah - Winnie - Don could never be like the man that her father had been. After all, Don knew what it was like to have a shitty father. His father was pretty much absent for the majority of his childhood, in and out of prison as if it were a second home. Daddy chose his own violent endeavors over his family every single fucking time! By the end of it, Don was glad whenever Daddy was incarcerated - life was easier without him anyway.

Instead, for the majority of his life, he’d spent it in the company of women. Mommy and his two older sisters. Growing up as the man of the house, Don very quickly realized the risks that he had to take in order to ensure the safety of those three women he cherished so dearly. He knew how to take care of them, so Winnie ought to feel rest assured that Don would do the same for her when the time was right. Now, as he watched her essentially being heckled by that man, seemed to be the most perfect time for him to swoop in and save her. It was as if their fates had collided.

He wandered closer, chocolate eyes observing Winnie thoughtfully. He liked that top on her. It was low cut - she demanded attention - and yet the way she carried herself was so sophisticated. She had her shit together, and she was most certainly no whore. That low cut top was like the woman beckoned men to look to her, only for her temperament to seek respect from him. Donnie would respect her. She deserved it, and she most certainly didn’t deserve whatever pushy nonsense this was from ❛ Owen ❜. It was disgusting, wasn’t it? ❝ I’m just curious on when’s it my turn? ❞ Don wanted to retch. This was no man; this was an animal! Winnie demanded attention but with her attention she also demanded respect - that was one thing ❛ Owen ❜ would never have for Winnie.

Don would be different. He knew a lot about adoration.

Owen finally began to walk away - good - and Don twisted his head to look towards Winnie, raising his brows in agreement when she widened her eyes. Yes, Winnie; that was pretty insane. At least he was there to save her from that lunatic. Now that he was gone, this was Don’s time to really make a good impression. Show Winnie that he was the only man she would ever need in her life. He casually shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Girls liked a guy who seemed cool and relaxed, right? He glanced over to Owen, watching until he turned the corner before he looked back towards Winnie with a subtle (very casual!) quirk of his brow.


He listened to her explanation. Open season? No, no, no Winnie! Where was her self-respect? Don wanted to sigh - this world was so unkind to her that even she began to talk cruelly of herself. She was no prey just waiting to be pounced upon. She was a beautiful woman who deserved the entire world. Don could give her that... and more! He huffed a short breath of laughter, glancing away. ❝ Men suck. ❞ He pointed out as he finally looked back towards her. Well, most men did. Not Don, though - he knew how to respect a woman. It seemed as if he was the only one around here.

It was all right. If Owen continued to harass Winnie, Don could easily deal with him.

The things he’d do for love, right?

She remembered his name. Don wanted to begin grinning from ear to ear with joy - oh, his name sounded so sweet passing her lips. ❝ Yeah, that’s right. ❞ He confirmed with a hint of a toothy smile, pausing before he began to squint, pointing a finger towards her. He had to be casual to win her heart. ❝ You’re… Winnie? Right? ❞ Perfect. It was enough to convince her that he didn’t think of her name every single day, right? The way her name sounded on her tongue. The way Winifred Clark looked in writing and in conversation. Her name was beautiful but, if he wanted to impress her, he had to make it sound like a name that he’d totally forgotten. Soon she'd be running after him.

He paused for a second, hesitating before gesturing towards where Owen had left. ❝ Does that happen a lot? ❞ He asked, a frown settling on his features before he sighed. ❝ It's just... It’s disgusting. You’d think that at this point in history men would be a little more respectful towards women. I apologize on behalf of my half of the population. I hope you could forgive us for being jerks. ❞

[WINIFRED.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; color: #494949; font-family: karla; font-size: 8pt; letter-spacing: 0.2px; word-spacing: 1px; margin-top: 10px;"]they had some similarities. despite the different circumstances , both of their fathers were shitty. what were the odds? unlike donovan , however , she wasn't the hero , or rather , heroine of her own story. rarely ever was her misbehavior an act of rebellion , but rather influenced by her own motives— sometimes she thought she'd never get caught. when she did , she'd most likely never act agains. garrett was the one who'd got her into many of the messes that came after that. as much as being the hero of her own story sounded nice , it felt far too hard to achieve. somehow, fixing men who'd somehow, in turn , saved her sounded desirable. it didn't make much sense , not even to her at times. maybe she was searching to fix the things she couldn't fix within her father.

"men [I]suck."[/I]

in response , winnie laughed. quiet , and breathy — a subtle agreement. it was funny , though. hearing it from a man himself. the man that she knew would have never. deflect all their responsibilities and actions , blame it on the women around them. she began to think , 'that's just how they are' and 'boys will be boys'. even garrett had his moments , moments that she was able to forgive because sometimes she thought she deserved it. it was still hard to admit now. coming here , even with the owen's and isaac's of the world , she was beginning to realize there were better men. men like green, maybe even men like don; that could admit that yes, men did suck. but there was a relatively good amount of exceptions. and they were exceptions that she needed to learn to accept. 

come closer. she likes that he does. everything he does is so suave. unlike the other men wanting to throw themselves at her , he's casual; nonchalant in his actions. she likes that he sees her , looks at her like a human being rather than some play thing to coerce into bed. she can't help wondering , however , when he thinks when he looks at her. does he like my top? my jeans? the winning approval of men was all that she was taught to value; she hated that about herself, but it didn't stop her from wanting him to be impressed.

"yeah , i'm she." she confirms , giddy that he hasn't walked away yet. that he's still here, speaking with her. crossing her arms , she rolls on the balls of her feet as she glances around her. he doesn't know it , but she's looking for some intellectual thing she say next. anything that might make him interested enough to stay— wait was her sentence awkward? god it was.

luckily , he doesn't seem to pay mind. in fact, donovan himself is the one to push the conversation. "would I sound full of myself if I said yes?" she asks, lips pushing to a small grin. donovan continues, mentions the history of men. it only confirmed what she suspected; winnie knew nothing about the history beyond the bible she was forced to read. "so you're an intellectual," she teases , impressed. "maybe all can be forgiven if you can tell me more , by chance? maybe over coffee? or... a glass of champagne if that's what you're into" she smiles sheepishly , taking her bottom lip between her teeth. was it an effort in copping a date? maybe. but hey , she was partially curious on what she'd missed on learning in the twenty-one years of her existence.