Ten things important to you in a relationship

1 - Loyalty. Someone who I know will always be there for me, whether we're in the same room or if we're in completely different countries.

2 - Trust. I want to be able to trust my partner completely and for them to know that they can do the same with me. There are no secrets in my relationship.

3 - An appreciation for cars. They don't have to be an IndyCar fan or a racing fan (though that helps), but someone who shares my passion and can understand how big a part of my life it is.

4 - A willingness to commit. My family is important to me, and I want to start one of my own someday. So naturally I never dated people who just wanted to keep things casual. In fact my husband got in trouble for proposing to me too early.

5 - A little bit of danger. I have to admit it, the guys that attract me are the ones that live on the edge just like I do. I met Frank in the middle of a street race.

6 - But someone who also likes a night in. My idea of a good day off is relaxing at home, reading a book or working on my car. If his idea is using me to try to get us into a club or spending all night out until 2am, we're probably not going to last.

7 - Patience. I admit that being in a relationship with me isn't easy. I'm traveling for half the year and there are constantly multiple demands on my time. That means I usually have to sacrifice my personal life. So if someone's dating me, they've got to be okay with that.

8 - Someone who gives a good hug. Because after a bad race or some of the other things I've seen, I honestly need that.

9 - Paying attention to details. The most romantic things that someone can do for me are to call me at the end of a day and say they love me. Or remember my birthday. Or just know something that I like. Seeing that someone cares enough to notice those things means a lot.

10 - A wisecracking tendency. When I'm not working, I'm usually a smartass, and it's nowhere near as fun if the guy isn't bantering back with me.

--
Shelby Manning Martin
Need For Speed OC
388 words

"Don't be afraid
I've taken my beating
I've shared what I've made
I'm strong on the surface
Not all the way through
I've never been perfect
But neither have you."
• Leave Out All The Rest, Linkin Park

tw: graphic imagery, murder references
It was only the fact Zoran was drugged up to the eyeballs on Valium that prevented him from having a panic attack as soon as he got off the plane in Savannah. He was dressed in black with dark glasses shielding his eyes, and he kept his head low while he was ushered out of the airport by a handful of officials and into a car to drive to the morgue. He never wanted to come back here. It was hard to process the fact he was.

( He was still feeling rotten. Being here wasn't helping any of that... )

"Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings - always darker, emptier and simpler." - Friedrich Nietzsche

tw: reference to past suicidal thoughts
Zoran didn't know why, but his memories of the Fall colours in his memories of the lake seemed so much brighter than they were now. Those memories that he wanted to hold onto so tightly as the brief time in his past that was carefree and happy. There was no fear, no darkness, no misery, no pain, no loneliness. There was a beauty here, no doubt. Fall had always been Zoran's favourite time of year, but now there was a dullness to them. Or had they always been like this, and just seemed so much more bright and welcoming when his life wasn't shrouded in pain?

( He never thought he would see the mirror-like surface of this lake ever again... )

- ZED BLAZE -
original character

Ten things important to you in a relationship

1. Not being taken for granted
2. Mutual love of diverse sex toys
3. No bitching when I steal the covers
4. Talented tongue and exceptional oral sex skills
5. No fucks given about my nude modelling
6. Versatile top/bottom
7. Can make a fucking good cup of coffee
8. Never wants to share my cheesecake
9. Gotta love threesomes or moresomes
10. Eventually figures out how to say 'I love you'

lincoln cole
(( original character ))

Bitch

Adrian thought Richie had been a tiny little bit of a naughty bitch trying to keep from him that he wasn't well. Adrian wasn't pissed or annoyed with him, though. Not even a hint. In fact, he thought it was quite sweet and understandable because Richie just didn't want to be a pain in the ass. He didn't want Adrian to think he was high maintenance. Adrian thought he was anything but.

( This time, there were no flight delays and he got back to New York relatively quickly after Richie's mom went over his head in an Executive Mom Decision to text Adrian and give him the heads-up... )

+ adrian hewitt
original character