&. salt spray

—

In some ways, Aidan seemed like he came from a different planet, in Isaac’s eyes. The whole yacht thing  had always thrown him for a loop, even after moving here - the idea that it was something people really do. It left him wondering, idly, what it must be like to really be that wealthy. But he liked him, even so. (He was handsome, of course, which helped.)

“Takes the edge off, huh?” He turned his attention to mixing the drink with practiced ease - barely even looking away from Aidan’s face as he did it, except to look around the room. “Seems like it. Weekends are always busier. But hey - we can keep each other company.” He flashed a little smile of his own, watching his face for a moment. “Rough day? Or just another Wednesday?”

the alzado was one of the nicer places in town and it was close enough to the marina ( and to the docked sailboat that he lived out of ) that aidan wouldn’t mind having to take an uber back to it later. and it didn’t hurt that isaac made better drinks than most. “it does,” aidan said, leaning forward on his elbows, eager for a conversation that didn’t revolve around the expectations of others.

“would you hold it against me if i said that all wednesdays are rough days?” he asked, a smirk rising on his face as he looked over at isaac. “my last client is a bear.” aidan shook his head. “i’ve started charging her an extra grand per charter every time she changes something. don’t think she’s even noticed.” his brow furrowed. “how often do you want to do that here?”

Barefoot, Mia hurried across the wooden pier. The plain, oversized and perfectly white male shirt she had stolen sneaking out helped her blend in with her surroundings– docked yachts and boats of all sizes. Mia must’ve recognized Aidan by his groan, and she caught herself rolling her eyes on instinct but the moment she stepped in front of him, the brunette heaved a sigh of relief. “I am too though, and kind of on a run here, so could you keep it down?” If her skimpy outfit, smudged mascara and messy hair hadn’t given it away already, the tiny football she had painted on her left cheekbone, just below her eye revealed Mia had taken part in the last night’s festivities too. The woman glanced over her shoulder to ensure no one was closely behind before turning back to Aiden, her pleading eyes widening. “You have to let me hide in one of your boats, please, this person is threatening me…” her voice trailed off, and she bit the inside of her cheek for a dramatic effect. “To bore me to death. Come on Wright, it doesn’t even have to be one of the fancy ones!”

even rubbing his temples hurt, which was the first sign that aidan had most definitely had too much fun the night before. he could hardly remember the uber that had taken him back to monleon and as his head turned, it was all aidan could do to keep from groaning as he rolled his eyes. he wondered what — or who — mia was running through this time, though. a brow rose at her first words, though he allowed a smile to ghost along his face at the ones following. “to bore you to death?” he inquired, his eyes taking note of the football that was still evident on her cheekbone. “what did you do — hook up with one of the statisticians from the opposing team or something? is he chasing after you with a pencil?” he ran his hand along his face, hoping it would block the light from reaching his eyes, before he responded to her request. “fine — you can hide in the sailboat.” he gestured to the one docked two slips to the right, the blue sail marking it was one of his. “but don’t smudge the leather, okay?”

Natalia shot her friend a playful glare before she shook her head, laughing softly. “You’re not wrong…” She admitted, letting out a sigh of defeat. “But for the record, I love all kinds of food. I just love bar food a lot more, because bar food means there’s also alcohol involved. It’s a win-win situation, my friend.” Speaking of which, she took a shot and turned back to look at him. “Aidan, I know that you’re here to have a good time and all… but I would also like for you to be here for a long time.” Nat clarified, laughing softly before she raised an eyebrow at his words. “What makes you say that? I mean… I don’t share food with just about anyone, Aidan. If that doesn’t say how much I love you, I don’t know what will.” Sure, they bickered a lot every now and then. But Natalia considered Aidan one of her closest friend. As much as they were enjoying their lives together, she could not deny that the sensitive side of her cared a lot for him. She just wouldn’t admit that to his face. He would probably have a field day with that, just as he was making fun of her for making a terrible pun, one that hadn’t actually been intended. Natalia laughed as she shook her head. “Laugh all you want, pal. But you’re stuck with my lame puns whether you like it or not.” 

he shook his head and reached for another shot, throwing it back, before he stole another fry off of natalia’s plate. “that seems like something i’d say,” he teased as he considered her words. though he knew that she only spoke out of caring, aidan had been around long enough to know exactly what he could handle and when he needed to calm down. “i’ll be fine,” he drawled. “don’t worry too much about me.” lips twitched and he allowed another laugh to echo in the bar. “i love you, too, nat. especially because you don’t complain too much when i steal your fries,” he remarked. he was not a man who knew much about romance or commitment, but aidan was loyal to his friends and he was not shy about showing them when he cared. he’d known natalia for a long time now and he truly couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. “oh i’ll keep laughing,” he teased, another chuckle coming from his mouth before he took a sip of the water that had also been placed in front of him. “especially if your puns continue getting lamer.”

his head was still pounding from the partying he’d done after the super bowl. while aidan wasn’t a fan of football by any stretch of the imagination, he would admit that the previous night had been pretty fun. aidan had only returned from the city to monleon in the early morning and though he’d had two cups of coffee already, he thought it might end up being a day where he did very little at all.

he heard footsteps behind him, however, and he turned, barely seeing who it was. a groan escaped his lips at the thought of interacting with anyone right now. “if you need me, please come back tomorrow,” he pleaded, his tone good-natured. “i’m hungover as hell.”

his face still warm from the floridian sun, aidan sat inside the alzado, the air conditioning a relief for the man who had spent most of his day on his yacht. his muscles were sore from the work, though he always found it rewarding to sit as the hull cut through the waves in the bay. ice melted in a glass in front of him, nearly empty save for the dregs of the old fashioned he’d ordered. his hand raised for isaac’s attention.

“can i get another?” he inquired, his lips pulling into a grin that displayed his perfect white teeth. “it takes the edge off.” one shoulder lifted into a shrug. “slow night?”

with ▬ AIDAN WRIGHT. in the middle of the street around 9pm.

One vital thing Lucia had to learn after having Maya, was that her nights were no longer endless and her energy dwindled down early. She missed being anywhere, everywhere, not really having a time to return home, except for when it was training season. Nowadays? Whenever the clock rang before 10pm her eyelids were already dropping and the yawns were free of charge. She had opened her mouth around five times before deciding it was time to return. Her stomach was full of good food and her legs were tired from dancing with Natalia for sometime earlier. Now, her body was begging for some reprieve and Maya seemed a lot fussier than before, reason why she chose to pick her up from the stroller where she had been sitting on before and rummaged the diaper bag for her pacifier. She didn’t like it, but it was something that gave her rest from time to time. 

Before she could grasp the giraffe plush/pacifier combo, it landed on the paving stone floor and rolled down until it stopped at a man’s foot. “Sorry baby, but fuck,” the brunette groaned, scratching the back of her head while she attempted to sooth Maya who had gone from fussy to weepy. She was still a bit self-conscious about breastfeeding in public due to an experience she had a few weeks earlier. She walked quickly over to the man, tapping on his shoulder and talking before he could even turn around. “Hi, sorry, could you please get the giraffe for me? It’s a matter of life or freaking death… or at least a happy baby or a wailing baby.” 

though it was growing darker outside, with a touch of a breeze rolling in from the bay, aidan wright felt rather rejuvenated. he still had plenty of bars he could hit up before heading home — though whether it was to his or someone else’s was still up for debate. the drinks he’d had already coursed through his veins and he heard a baby fussing just up the street.

he groaned, wondering who would still have a baby out at this hour. aidan was not a man who spent a large amount of time around newborns or toddlers; he worked well enough with children who took sailing lessons, though he supposed that had to do with the fact that those children had already developed such searing personalities of their own. a giraffe plush rolled near his feet and, against his better judgment, aidan paused. the decision was made for him as he heard a woman’s voice and he nodded before bending down and picking it up.

it was only as he turned around and handed it to the woman that he felt something familiar about him. though aidan never forgot a face, there were often moments when he could not quite place them and this was one of those times. “here you go,” he said as he glanced over at the baby. “hope it helps your kid stop wailing,” aidan grinned, head tilted to the side. “we’ve met before, yeah?”

“Don’t judge. I’m just really hungry… and you know how much I love chilli cheese fries.” Natalia remarked with a cheeky smile before sliding her basket of fries towards him. She wasn’t one to share her food with anyone, but Aidan was surely an exception to that. “Oh I know… that’s why I’m even making sure that you don’t drink on an empty stomach. We don’t want you doing all of those things on an empty stomach as well now, do we?” She laughed softly before shaking her head, waiting for her shots. “Besides, I do know what you’ll be doing once you get out of here… if you don’t eat now, you might not get to eat until…. God knows when?” Needless to say, Nat knew Aidan a little too well in comparison to most people. Perhaps that was why she was also one of the few people who wasn’t going to judge him. “I know it sounds cheesy and all… but I do care about you, pal.”

a laugh echoed in the air surrounding them as he took another fry from her basket. “i think you just like bar food,” he teased back, though he also gestured to the waiter to bring two more rounds of shots so that he could feel a pleasant tipsiness as he went about the rest of his evening. “why not?” he asked, just to be contrary. “might as well have a good time, yeah?” he took one of the shots that was brought to the table and then laughed. “you know me too well. though maybe tonight won’t be as exciting as usual. or maybe i’ll find someone who likes eating as much as you do.” he shrugged; there were still plenty of women in monleon he could take home that evening, but he was currently focusing on his time with nat. “cheesy?” he asked with a laugh, unable to stop himself. “as you’re eating cheese fries?” aidan shook his head. “even i wouldn’t make a pun that bad.”

vivienne ran her thumb along her purse to count the amount of cash needed to secure one of the yachts that bobbed peacefully atop of monleon’s water. she thought it’d make a grand setting for her son’s forth birthday party - and, she could use it that weekend to put on a little cocktail and sunshine splendour for her inner circle of girls. 

exhaling heavily, vivenne found herself sensitive to irritation - for all the charter captain had to do was look at her the wrong way and she found herself aghast with anger. 

“is this enough?” she asked again, sliding the wad of notes across the table. “look, i’ll bring my card down tomorrow but i just haven’t got it on me, and i have things to do. i’m busy, you see?” @aidanwright​

in the years he’d lived in monleon, aidan liked to think that he had become part of the community. he’d made some friends, involved himself in the town’s events, and even spent a few days a month indulging in some of the benefits of the country club. and yet no matter what he did, there was something about vivienne pessemier that rubbed him the wrong way.

his brow rose as she slid the cash toward him — he hated handling cash, after all — though when he spoke, he was moderately polite. “for a down payment, sure.” he shrugged, boyish grin on his face. “but how long do you want the yacht for anyway?”

the calendar of his charter schedule was in front of him and aidan narrowed his eyes as he looked at it. “i get that you’re busy,” he remarked. “but there are some particulars i’ll need to know.”

“No – nope, I don’t like that one bit,” the donut’s eclectic flavors leaving a weird taste in the brunette’s mouth. “What did they say was in that? Lavender and..?” / @aidanwright​

a loud laugh escaped from his mouth and aidan shook his head at the sight. personally, he still couldn’t believe nicole had even put that in her mouth. “lavender, matcha, and squid ink,” he replied, grin still evident upon his face. aidan ran a hand over his jawline. “it’s very los angeles, actually. reminds me of something i could have gotten at one of the food trucks or something.”

he was unable to keep from teasing nicole, however, and his brow rose. “i would have thought the black specks from the squid ink might have thrown you off . . . “

While she waited for Aidan to show up to the restaurant, Natalia had gone ahead and ordered herself an extra-large basket of chilli cheese fries and a round of shots. She had been stuffing her face with the food when Aidan had arrived, causing her to give him a nod as she chewed for a moment. Nat knew that it was not an attractive look on her as she was shoving so much food into her mouth, but she could care less about what anyone else had though. Besides, it was Aidan; he wouldn’t judge her, right? “I’ve ordered a round of shots, but I asked for them to bring out the fries first because I didn’t want to be drinking on an empty stomach.” And knowing her, there was going to be a lot of drinking tonight. Signalling her waiter to bring out the shots, she turned back to face her friend. “Aren’t you going to be getting something to eat?” 

it should have surprised him, that she was eating already, and yet aidan found that he was far from shocked. he shook his head, grin on his face, as he sat down, eyes amused at nat’s eating habits. “smart, actually,” he teased, a hand reaching out to steal one of her fries. aidan was thankful to have someone who knew him as well as natalia did and he rolled his eyes. “i’ve done worse than drink on an empty stomach,” he mused. and he thanked the server as the shots were brought over. but he was hungry, however, so he glanced at the menu again, seeing a couple of the specials that were on it for last fridays. looking back up at the server, aidan leaned back against the stool. “i’ll take an order of the fried jalapeno slices and some of the cheese sticks.” 

in the three years he’d lived in monleon — and even in the times he’d visited before — aidan had always loved last fridays. it was a perfectly reasonable excuse to have a few drinks, enjoy himself, and maybe meet a woman or two that he could sweet talk into coming home with him later. tonight, though, he had some plans before he could think about that too much.

seeing natalia at the restaurant they’d agreed to meet at, aidan offered her a smile before sitting down next to her at the outside bar. “tell me you’ve ordered shots,” he groaned theatrically. “i need at least four before i can have a decent conversation.”

What would you do if you knew that you couldn’t fail?

“exactly what i’m doing now.” he shrugs, the ghost of a laugh upon his lips. “i’m not afraid of failure.”

When was the last time that you did something for the first time?

“say that again? that sounds confusing as shit, man.” he shakes his head once more, repeating the question in his mind to consider the best response. “i went scuba diving for the first time six months ago. does that count?”

What or whom lights you up?

“i’m not a difficult man; a lot of different things. sometimes it’s a sunset, sometimes it’s a woman, but i always light up when i’m out on the water.”

If you could be an animal, which would you choose and why?

“a leopard shark; they aren’t harmful to humans and they can swim all around the sea. i can think of nothing better than living my life in the water.”

Who are you when you’re at your best?

“exactly the person you’re looking at, mate.”

Do you like who you are right now?

BIOGRAPHY || WANTED CONNECTIONS

BASICS.

Name:

aidan

meaning born of fire. after his paternal grandfather; it is a family name that has spanned several generations since the wrights moved to america from ireland in the late 1800s.

charles

meaning man. after his maternal grand-uncle.

wright

the family is originally from ireland; though they have assimilated into american culture, they still remember where they came from.

Gender & Pronouns: male and he/him Age & DOB: thirty-six; january 20, 1985 Zodiac sign: aquarius Orientation: heterosexual & heteroromantic Nationality: american ( malaysia does not recognize dual citizenship ) Ethnicity: half-malay; half-white Religion: islam ( nonpracticing ) Neighborhood: merrick village