His left eyebrow arched as soon as he saw the other man’s face looking a little confused. As he tasted the drink on Victor’s hand the young man was sure he wasn’t trying to poison him but in fact he already knew he wasn’t. “— Do you know the story behind the toast?” Vic asked him while lookin into his eyes for a short moment. “— It was born with the Vikings. In their time it was common to poison people by giving them poisoned drinks. So they invented a way to show others their trust and to make new allies. They invented the toast, and everytime they would toast with someone the beer would always fly from one cuo to the other, if the drink was poisoned they both would die with it, so the toast came as a offer of trust and future.” He grinned his soft sexy smile, as usual. Victor raised his glass one more time, hoping for a toast. “— To trust, and to future.” He toasted the man’s drink and took a sip, looking around again. “— And I’m actually here cause even in parties I like to watch ot from a more quiet space, at least for a while. It’s good to learn about everyone and find the right people to go talk to whenever you’re ready.” He nodded and looked at the man again. “— Now tell me, what you like the most about these parties?”

Aren tilts his head almost as a reflex; something he does when he is curious about something whether it be a person or a situation, or some trivia he is being told. like so, he listens attentively, effectively tuning out the loudness of the song playing in the background. Honestly, he will be the first one to assume he had no idea about the story he’s just been told, but he is interested and he is probably as curious as a child when it comes to new things, even weird trivia if there is any. “Wow, I didn’t know that,” he admits unabashedly. living and learning, that seems to be his motto for the night, if nothing else comes out of it, at least he’ll leave the party with a new icebreaker question on his repertoire. “well, at least now why people toast hard enough for the drink to spill. I always thought it was a bad case of bad timing and too much force.” he chuckles then, taking on the cue in a timely manner -- thank god that the other doesn’t thrust his glass against his at the same time like many people have done before -- and clinks his glass against the other’s before taking a sip himself. “As a trivia lover yourself, you’re going to love this one if you haven’t heard of it before, but a few centuries ago people believed that you should never drink from another person’s glass, less you wanted to know all of their secrets. so I guess that means I’m in trouble because you just drank from ‘my’ glass.” he grinned back “So, you were trying to learn about people before you made a move, huh? Found any interesting subjects so far?” he inquired, siping more of his drink while thinking briefly about his answer “well, free drinks, for one,” he says, raising his glass as if he needs it to get his message across “but honestly I’m mostly fond of the moment when I leave these parties with a bottle of wine or champagne to share with someone else in some open space. I’m pretty sure that in my party history I have never ever stayed to see the party end. how do parties even end, does someone come over and starts sweeping the glasses, does a bell ring like in high school and everyone’s like ‘alright, time to go home’?”

Victor wasn’t having that much fun. He liked parties and everything, but for some reason there were a few things bothering him about that one. He wasn’t anxious or anything, he was just standing there, near one of the tables, trying to think about a few things while watching how everyone seemed to be having fun. Why it was so hard for him to do that now? Victor used to be the life of any parties and today he looked like the death of it, he knew he was worried about a few things, specially the day coming next week, but he tried, he tried to have fun, it just wasn’t happening the way he wanted. As he saw someone standing next to him and handing him a drink, Victor looked up to his face, his eyes moved a little slowly while going up his torso with that skin showing up, and finally landed on the guy’s face. He wasn’t just looking good in that outfit, his face looked like made by angels or something, it looked so perfect. “— Hm… thanks!” He accepted the drink fron the man with a suspicious look, maybe he drugged that or maybe he was just being nice. “— I assume since you’re a saint tonight you didn’t added anything here to make me vulnerable, right?” Victor grinned yet a little worried looking. “— Nice outfit by the way.”

It can only be assumed from Aren’s delay in either response or gesture, that he takes his time assessing whether the male is joking or being serious about his question. It’s not usual for the blonde to be inquired about his motives when offering a drink to someone, let alone that it may be ill-intended in any way, but he supposes it’s justifiable -- in this day and age, unfortunately. “Oh, you’re serious!” he blurts out, snapping out of his thoughts “No, you can rest assured, there’s only alcohol in that, but let me ensure you further --” he continued, reaching his hand out to take the glass from the male’s hand so he can sip on the drink himself before handing it over once more “there. perfectly safe.” he adds with a smile, taking the vacant spot next to the make even if it’s a standing one. “Thank you. Apparently, four or five open buttons make a big difference in setting a different tone. I heard that one tonight, these are not my words.” he says, taking a sip of his own drink “So, why are you here all by yourself? You don’t look the wallflower type.”

Aren considered after receiving the card with the 'saint' inscription on. he doesn't consider himself a party animal or maybe he's just not used to parties that actually have the potential to be fun. all he was ever dragged to were charity parties and fancy cocktails with boring diplomats and politicians -- also the reason why he makes sure to disappear mid-party with a bottle of champagne and someone equally as bored.

nonetheless, a party at bliss is not something he can stamp a boring label on and he is amused by the theme. Aren is the epitome of classic, so when he adheres to the all-white dress code he is supposed to done, he goes for simple all-white pants, suit jacket and button down shirt -- three or four buttons undone because it takes away the formality of the ensemble while giving others a sneak peek. he cruises through the club, grabbing two glasses of what is offered to him and walking to the other side where he spotted a dark figure. he stretches out his arm, hand holding a glass that he offers the other. "you look like you need a drink"

She was thankful for his reassurance and it felt like Aren almost read her mind in a weird way. A laugh left her lips when she understood completely what he meant by the normal way of how things went here. Charlotte studied his expression as he held her face, as soon as he was about to speak, she jumped a little when there was a knock on the door. She gave a nod and readjusted on the couch as she watched him answer the door. When he shows her the wine, the blonde gives him a smile, “That’s a good wine,” she comments as he makes his way back over with wine glasses and the bottle. Scrunching her nose at the way he described his job, she nodded as he explained his being here now too. “Well, it just all seems like kismet to me,” Charlotte gives a soft smile as she takes the wine and clinks her glass against his. “To catching up with old friends.” The word friend was probably not the best term, but he was a friendly face.

he has to mimic her smile as his mind analyzes her words. maybe she is right; maybe it’s all just coincidences, who knows, but he’s okay with the fact that their paths crossed again after that one day ten years ago. “do you believe in fate? like, something pulled on all the right strings and got us where we are now?” he asks good-naturedly, genuinely interested in what she has to say about it. he is a man of science, he rarely considers what might not be rational, but he is interested in the different perspectives others have to offer. “to a fateful second first meeting” he adds with a playful wink before he raises the glass to his lips. oddly enough, it’s somewhat strange to go from there and onto what both of them are probably thinking about. had she been a virtual stranger and he supposes he would be on top of his game, but that’s not the case when it comes to the blonde, so the words feel weird on his tongue. “so, there won’t be a smooth way to address this,” he chuckles first, setting the glass, half-empty on the coffee table “should we get drunk first and makeout later or is sobriety going to work somehow?”

hey there. your politeness will take you places, little grey face

After the guy left and just the two of them were left, the bartender focused his attention to the client that was ordering at that moment. “Alright, I will get your drink,” he turned around, and grabbed a glass before picking up the bottle of whiskey, “I don’t know if he was flirting, but if he was, he didn’t seem too invested on it,” he let out a small laugh, he gave up so easily, not that the flirting would really get him anywhere, as Enrique was straight, but still, he gave up the moment the other joined them. But maybe he was right, he freaked out.

Aren considered the man’s words as he waited for his drink. honestly, he’d seen some pretty weird flirting in his months of being at bliss (and in general), so he wouldn’t be surprised if his theory was correct. “maybe me interrupting him made him think he had competition or something,” he says, raising his hands mid-air for added effect. “you know what they say, you taunt those you are interested in. kinda like at school when you pull the pigtails of the girl you have a crush on. haven’t you ever done that?”

there was something about aren that always made avery relax and just enjoy her time with him, there was no pressure to impress a client, aren had never seemed bored by her before. “my little smile?” teased she, but the smile slipped across her lips none the less. avery took the drink happily, and clinked it against his before taking a sip. “i always miss you,” she answered truthfully, because lying never did much good.

“your beautiful smile” he corrects her before taking a sip from his own drink as well “it’s half a reason for my night to get better, so you can see the power it holds,” he adds with a smile on his lips as he steps closer to the girl, shortening the distance between the two of them. he’s known her since her very first day at the club and maybe the fact that he was her first client has something to do with how at ease they end up being with each other. “should I keep you company tonight and ease that longing then?”

𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔟𝔞𝔠𝔨𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔰, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔞𝔳𝔢𝔫-𝔥𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔣𝔢𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔢 looked up at the 6′4 male, who towered over her mere 5′2. honestly, daisy had always had a thing for tall men. she liked it when they were tall; maybe it was kind of a safety kind of thing? who knows. yes, we are doing this. daisy licked her lips and hummed when he stretched out a hand towards her, which caused the raven-haired female to raise an eyebrow at him. but you should lead the way. it’s you who are kidnapping me to partake in your lovely plan after all. laughing softly, she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her. ❝ true, ❞ daisy spoke in a low and seductive tone of voice as she giggled and started to pull the older man away from the crowd and towards where the elevators were located. ❝ let’s go upstairs to the pool, ❞ she said and giggled, turning on her heels to look at the male. ❝ i haven’t gone skinny dipping in a long time… ❞

he wraps his fingers around her hand gently and allows her to pull him closer. easily, he faces her and all the mischief displayed on her features and as tempting as it would be to do more right there, he grins and follows her as she pulls him towards the elevator. he chuckles at her suggestion. of course she would. it just sounds very her. the elevator doors open and this time is Aren tugging on her hand, pulling her inside and pressing the button for the last floor. “and how long have you gone without a quick makeout session in the elevator?” he inquires as he presses his body against hers, his hand resting patiently on her thigh.

parker was more than certain that she’d seen the man before that night. naturally, a guy like him was seen by all. he had the good looks. he was tall– clearly, well off and comfortable with himself. even more than that, he had eyes the color of rain. what wasn’t to notice? “god, no, not tonight. since i’ve been working here,” she chuckled, shaking her head adamantly. even a grimace followed as she considered just how the woman would be feeling after twenty times. she admired anyone that had kind of staying power but she personally did not. she’d been lucky to make it to round six once; however, even that took everything out of her. “or should i say stalking them as you so eloquently put it?” parker was just giving the people what they wanted. there was no way that they didn’t get off on knowing at least one person had been enjoying the view of their sordid affair. “hey, i can’t help it. let’s call it for what it is… jealousy. but as i said before, it’s hot, too.” brown waves were tossed to the side as she got a better look at him. “you can’t tell me you don’t agree.”

Aren tended to keep his regular presence relatively lowkey. not because he wasn’t fond of the intense atmosphere the club was filled with, but because he is observant first and foremost -- maybe even a bit (or a lot) calculating. maybe it was a perk that came with age, the notion that he doesn’t need to rush into anything to get what he wants. in fact, he misses on way less now that he takes note of the details and gives them the importance they deserve. “well, now you’re just giving words the meaning they actually have, you can’t blame me on that. since you started, huh? that’s definitely stalking. or maybe you’re just their faithful audience, if we need to say it nicely.” he takes another sip of his drink, placing it on the counter behind him before leaning back a little, arms folding over his chest as he tilts his head while looking at her from the corner of his eye. “he has been fingering that woman to death ever since you started working here and not even once has she gotten to where she’s supposed to -- how can that possibly be what you want? I mean, can we agree that you should be asking for full-on cunnilingus, heavy fingering, and no less than three orgasms? I mean, standards please. plus, you can bat your eyes and have that in a heartbeat, why be jealous?” he raises his eyebrows while making a face at her “It is hot to watch, yes. It’s better to do though. you can’t tell me you don’t agree.” 

Giving another laugh, she shook her head. “I don’t think it’s just you who feels that way. I always have a small thing before I go to bed, just to tide me over, I guess. Ah, well pardon my interruption then.” Charlotte wondered if that was his way of saying that he minded her presence, although she figured he wouldn’t have let her come in if he really felt that way. She looked at Aren as he takes in that she was a model. The blonde looked into his cool blue eyes as he told her he was happy for her. For some reason that meant a lot to her as she laughed at his description of her. As he touches her, her heart stops for a moment before she can speak again. “Thanks, I think? I have never been called obnoxiously gorgeous before.” Her body leaning closer to his a bit more now, “And what have you been up to?”

“Oh no, your interruption is welcome,” he assures her immediately “trust me, that alone time was completely unwarranted. I just didn’t feel like going the typical bliss-way tonight, y’know? so the universe decided to leave a present on my doorstep, which -- by the way -- I’m very happy with.” Aren nods his head in acknowledgment and smiles when she laughs; he finds the sound almost infectious in the best of ways. his hand lingers for a moment, enough for him to notice how big it looks next to her petite face and delicate features. he is about to open his mouth again when a knock on the door interrupts him “okay, hold that thought,” he lets out before walking to the door to collect his ordered items. a platter is placed on top of the table nearby and he thanks the waiter before they leave. he’s definitely not hungry, but the bottle of wine that comes with the food is definitely an item for the moment. he turns back to look at Charlotte with a somewhat triumphant look on his face and a tiny smirk as he presents the item. confident that she’ll accompany him, he grabs a couple of glasses and moves back to the couch. “Oh, y’know, the old same. opening people up, fixing them up, saving lives. I moved to L.A. two years ago, I was offered a position at a hospital here, so yeah” he concludes as if they’re small achievements as if the chief position is just something that looks good written on paper. for all it’s worth, Aren was never a bragger, he’s too much of a weirdo for that. instead, he pours the wine and hands her a glass. “I think we should toast to this fateful meeting.” he says.

𝔡𝔞𝔦𝔰𝔶 𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔨𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔯𝔢𝔫 and tilted her head a little to the side when he said that he was all ears. licking her lips, she spoke and listened to everything that he said and she couldn’t help but laugh a little bit when he said that he was a good listener and that she could trust him. daisy didn’t trust anyone anymore; but he wasn’t going to tell him that. we can grab a few bottles, but maybe i should monitor you before you get too drunk for me to fuck the thoughts out of your head and not feel like i am taking advantage of you, how’s that? daisy sighed and she bit her bottom lip, looking at aren with raised eyebrows. ❝ fine, ❞ she said and smiled at him as she wasn’t going to be in a comatose. she had standards, after-all. we should make sure you know what’s happening. rolling her dark eyes, daisy laughed and she looked at him. ❝ alright, so, are we going to do this or not, babe? ❞ she said and watched as he got up. 

he looked down at the petite woman as she sighed at what probably sounded a tad bit parental, but agreed nonetheless. he’s fine with her being a bit of a brat, he’s kind of used to the eye-rolling too, so it’s amusing, to say the least. he smiles before shaking his head with a chuckle escaping his lips. Aren is easily the tallest man in the room everywhere he goes, so standing up to his modest 6″4 only allows him to tower over the girl before nodding “yes, we are doing this,” he confirms before stretching out a hand towards her “but you should lead the way. it’s you who are kidnapping me to partake in your lovely plan after all”

She enters the room, looking around before looking back towards him. Charlotte gave him a small shrug at his thanks, “You don’t have to thank me.” She looked at the handsome man and for a moment remembered holding him until the wee small hours of the morning, before shaking the thought away. A little laugh left her lips as she heard say he actually ordered room service, “Ah so a literal and metaphorical one.” Moving towards the couch, she sat down into the cushions, as she watched Aren try to ask in the most polite way if she was an escort here. Charlotte shakes her head, “I just joined recently…I’m a member. I actually stopped the escort services a month or so after we met. I’ve been modeling now for the past ten years, which is the whole reason I came to L.A. in the first place.”

“yeah, well.” he concludes simply to her shrug. he knows he doesn’t need to thank her, it’s just the polite thing to do plus, he was thankful, but he doesn’t drag it for longer than he should, so he too, shrugs it off. with a single nod and a quick smile, he confirms her affirmation. “I’m a big guy, I can’t do just dinner or I’ll wake up in the middle of the night to eat. plus, I was going to spend the night extremely alone in this bedroom, so... entertainment for the stomach” he chuckles before humming at the new information. in a way, he is oddly happy that she is a member and not an escort at the club. it’s weird, but he somehow wished she could do something other than what she did before “I’m actually happy for you. I think modeling fits you like a glove. You’ve always been obnoxiously gorgeous, I’m sure all the cameras fell in love with you.” he compliments her truthfully while gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.