all the good girls go to hell

All his life, Bosko could be described with one word: asshole. He knew he had an attitude problem, made poor life choices and got impatient and angry was too easily. But he was working on it, trying to better himself. And for the most part, he was doing alright. He wasn’t getting into drunken fist fights at bars, wasn’t committing b&e’s throughout town and wasn’t going through someone’s medicine cabinet. And after a shitty day of AA, NA and a PO meeting, he wasn’t in the best mood in the world. All he wanted was a good cup of coffee, not one of the lukewarm garbage they give to the addicts. Within moments of him having the hot cup of joe in his hands, it was knocked onto the ground and Bosko’s attempt to be a better man was on very shaky grounds. @wilmingtonstarters​

Aspen had just gotten out of a long meeting with the head of the broadcasting department at school. She made her usual stop at her favorite coffee shop, grabbing herself a latte and Jasper a hot chocolate. It was a treat for him since he had been on his best behavior all week. As she was walking towards the door to leave, she accidentally bumped into someone. “Shit, fuck, I’m so sorry,” she put her drinks back on the counter and attempted to grab as many napkins as possible. “It’s been a long day and I clearly wasn’t looking where I was going. Let me get you another one,” she offered.

   “Not sure. Not my department,” Cole shrugged. He worked with psychics mostly, not mechanical repairs or the semantics of equipment. No, his role was to translate the information received, make sense out of it, and dig deep for the secrets of the universe. “All I know is, I’m pretty bored,” He chuckled, looking over to Jasper. It was always a bit nerve-wracking to ask for more time, to deviate from the agreement they’d come to, but sometimes… Cole took his chance. “If you ever want to send him my way for an extra evening or two, my schedule is wide open. How’s that sound, buddy?” 

   Maybe it was a dirty trick, asking in front of Jasper. Cole felt bad for a moment just a heartbeat later. Aspen mentioned trusting him, and Cole’s heart felt full for a moment. He smiled and took a bite of his food, letting the moment suspend. Eventually they’d both leave, and he’d be left alone in the house, wandering the emptiness. Right now, Cole enjoyed the presence of what may have been family once upon a time. “You could come more often with him, if you wanted. Then you’re not apart from him, but still getting sort of a break. Your choice.” 

How could Aspen say no when Cole wanted to spend more time with Jasper? Sure, she had wished that he brought it up when Jasper was around. This was not the time to confront him about bringing up things like this in front of their child. She tried to be understanding and the last thing she wanted was to have to file paperwork for some custody agreement. Cole was a good guy, the guy that she fell for that summer. She nodded in agreement. “As long as you promise me you won’t feed him too many cookies,” she joked. “We can switch off. I’ll take the dog for a few nights and you can take the human.” Aspen had desperately wished that her mother was still a part of her life and the whole she’ll always be in your heart sounded like absolute bull shit to the brunette. She couldn’t deny her son of the same opportunity.

The invite was appreciated. “Are you sure? I just feel bad because I get a lot of one-on-one time with Jasper and I would feel like I’m intruding on father-son time or something,” she mentioned. Of course, she wished she could spend every waking moment with her child, but she also knew that wasn’t realistic. At the end of the day, all she wanted was for Jasper to be happy, whether that meant that he spent alone time with Cole or not. “I’ll bring dinner over next time then. The food is not bad.”

”It kind of makes me wonder if it is just something that comes with being in the business of selling animals? You kind of have to be, you know, not that great of a person in order to work in that industry in the first place therefore I assume the rest of your life choices are not that good either.” Carmen didn’t enjoy criticizing people and even if the people in the show were terrible she mostly felt bad for them, not knowing that what they were doing was terribly wrong or being able to understand why their actions were bad. “Hopefully it inspires people to do the exact opposite but I think that people are going to want to visit the parks even more. You know just to say that they got to go to the Tiger King’s park…which is still pretty terrible.” She grinned softly as the other assured her she’d be watching the episode. “I think I should definitely try to catch up but even then I most likely won’t make it to midnight.” 

”I get why some people sell animals, but that’s only if they are raised correctly and are animals that are meant to be domesticated, such as dogs and cats. Although, the issue of the whole dog breeder thing does bug me because they mix random breeds that could result in deeper rooted health issues down the line,” she mentioned. “I mean based off of the people in the documentary, it all seems like they were taken when they were in a vulnerable state. I guess I also shouldn’t judge because this might be all that those people have, not that it makes it okay,” she continued on. She nodded in agreement, not even wanting to go to visit these places. “I’ve been meaning to take Jasper to the zoo but now after seeing this, I’m questioning that,” she admitted. “Are you an early sleeper? I wish I could sleep before midnight.”

  “Oh, that’s good,” Cole nodded, but his brow creased in concern - wondering if she needed help, with losing hours and a paycheck or two. He never meant to seem like he only cared about pushing money her way, but honestly, it’s not like Cole had much else to spend it on. The fancy town-home, a gym membership, and an unhealthy specialty coffee addiction was all his cash ever went to unless Jasper needed or wanted something. He didn’t understand why Aspen hesitated to accept his financial help so much, but tried not to push it unless he needed to. It usually wasn’t worth the fight. “Work has slowed for me, too. Most of my study jobs dropped for the time being, and one lab just downstate got damage to the telescope, so…”

   So Cole was bored. Hence the pot roast instead of Burger King or Panda Express. “I know we do. Don’t have a clue where he got it from - not me, that’s for sure.” Jasper chimed in to tease Cole for not even being able to draw a stick figure. If he didn’t look like such a spitting image of Cole, some may wonder if he was even his, due to their differences - but Cole just believed that Jasper was special. “No thank you, for sitting down and staying for it. I know you probably enjoy the break you get… when he’s here. But this is- it’s nice. Right, Jas?”

There was a time in Aspen’s life where she wanted to ask for child support from Cole. She was grateful for her siblings and her dad who were willing to look after Jasper when she had classes at night or had to work. Of course, she wanted more than anything for her son’s father to be a part of his life, but she couldn’t confront him, not back then at least. She always appreciated that Cole offered to help her, but she felt bad, felt like she was taking something that wasn’t hers. Most people might’ve disagreed with that. “Damn, that really sucks. Are you guys able to repair the telescope or do they have to buy a whole new one?” She was absolutely clueless about anything rocket science related. “I hope that everything goes back to normal for you soon.”

To be honest, Aspen had a hard time leaving Jasper with Cole, even if it was for a few hours after school. The fear was set in her mind that somehow Jasper would see Cole as the cooler parent, the parent who had it all, while his mother had struggled at times to make even a decent meal. She would never outwardly admit it and she didn’t want anyone to feel bad, but it was something she always considered. Of course, she had finally trusted her baby daddy, but there was still a part of her that wondered if he would just run off again when he got into a doctorate program or something. “I love it when my mommy and daddy are together,” Jasper mentioned, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s nice to have some alone time, but I do miss him even when he’s gone for a few hours,” she admitted. “I’m just glad that I can leave him in the hands of someone I can trust.”

        “I’m so glad you said that,” Ella exclaimed, relief exploding out of her. “I’m a huge Grey’s Anatomy fan and I have always hated her, now more than ever due to the most recent episodes.” She explained, hoping that she didn’t ruin anything for Aspen, seeing that she might have spoiled a large part of the show. When she spoke of her dancing skills, her flirty mood came back into action. “Well, i’m more than happy to give you a free lesson if you’d like one. Just say the word.” Smirking her date’s way, she took another sip of her drink and nodded to her next few questions. “Yeah! I spent every single day at the parks. I danced in every parade and live show you can imagine. Between the ages of 22 and 27, I worked at Disneyland in California, Disney World in Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris and Shanghai Disney Resort.” She told her happily. “What are you getting your degree in?”

“Please do not even get me started on the recent episodes. All I have to say is that Jo deserves better and I’m so angry that the writers wrote Alex off like that. I had faith that he stopped being evil spawn,” she continued to rant, not realizing how much she was talking. “Sorry, as you can tell, I am quite passionate about the show,” taking a sip of her drink, realizing that the ice began to melt so she took an extra sip. “Well, thank you. I really appreciate it. I think it’d be nice for Jasper to have something else to do outside of his activities. I’ll talk it over with his dad and let him know,” she responded. “Are you kidding me? I’m so jealous. Disneyland is my absolute crack,” she laughed, having gone quite often when she lived closer to California. “I’m getting it in broadcasting and journalism. I’m almost at the finish line. I can’t wait.”

At that pace, Scott would become an alcoholic.

He had been going more frequently to the bar ─ as it only took one natural event to withhold all his projects in Wilmington for about 6 months. That meant he wasn’t getting a break for at least 2 years (not that Scott liked taking a break). As well, he was hating being alone. It seemed that everyone had something going on, and normally Scott wouldn’t mind, however ridiculously he could use the distraction. He missed the non-judging breakfast club thing he had going on with his friends ─ Brunches at Waldorf-Astoria, Shopping in Fifth Avenue, tea at Baccarat… Even when Hunter would mock him endlessly. He could use some light teasing. That was the problem with not trusting people easily ─ making friends in Wilmington wasn’t an easy task. 

Scott had been offering aid for the city. It was the least he could do since he was leaving there. It also made him look better than he was, which was usually courtesy of Nikki. 

Staring at the bottom of his drink, Scott was watching the whiskey swirling within the glass as he pushed it from one side to another with his fingertips. He was distractedly doing so when someone talked to him. Scott looked up, contemplating if he should shoo the person away. “Be my guest──” he offered, gesturing his head, “pretty sure that my imaginary girlfriend won’t mind.”

“Name’s Scott,” he offered his hand.

Ever since the storm, Aspen felt like her life was just as unpredictable as the storm that came. She had forgotten how different it was living in Wilmington than it was living in Aspen. She was accustomed to the cold weather, wearing plenty of layers before stepping outside. Wilmington still felt like home and she knew that she would quickly adjust to it, even if she had already been here for two years. Homework was piling up, trying to figure out how to get Jasper back on a routine was stressful, and the restaurant she worked at let her take a couple weeks of work, the only miracle in this whole situation.

Aspen took the seat. “Thank you,” she said as she took her drink and began to mix it around with the small black straw so that nothing was settling at the bottom. She placed her drink on the coaster, reaching out her hand to shake Scott’s. “Lovely to meet you Scott, I’m Aspen. I’m glad that your imaginary girlfriend won’t mind. Does she have a name?” she continued on with the small joke.

  Imagining Jasper’s drawing of the three of them, plus Brownie, all together - it tugged at one of Cole’s heartstrings. He wondered sometimes what could have been, if he’d stayed, if he hadn’t of bailed the way he did. Many would say that Cole never would have gone on to be an astrophysicist, now about to pursue his doctorate, and sometimes, he agreed with them. But what if they had made it work? So much would be different now, Cole was sure. But would it be better? It was too much to think about, especially with Jasper finishing up the kitchen and yelling for his parents to “hurry up ‘n come eat already!”

   “Yeah, you’ll have to bring it. Are the lessons expensive? I can help out, you know… or with anything else. You had to take some time off because of the hurricane, right?” Cole spoke up as he headed to the kitchen, once again offering financial assistance even though he already knew what Aspen would have to say about it. “Good job, buddy,” He complimented the kid, who had done a great job setting the table, and moved to begin plating up the slightly bland pot roast. It almost did feel like a family, especially with Brownie whining under the table for hopeful scraps. 

Aspen wasn’t entirely sure how she managed to raise a child like Jasper, someone who was so respectful of everyone and everything around him. He was her angel, an angel that she didn’t know she needed until he was placed on her chest right after she gave birth. Aspen followed Cole into the kitchen, wishing she could just put a pause on him helping out with lessons. She always appreciated the gesture and sure sometimes it would be nice to have more money to put Jasper into extracurricular activities, but Aspen would feel guilty just accepting money from Cole even if he was Jasper’s father.

“Yeah. I took a couple weeks off from the restaurant and my boss is giving me an extra week off since he knows that I have to manage getting back on track with school and making sure that Jasper was okay.” She was grateful for the manager at the restaurant. “The lessons aren’t too bad. My friend is giving me a friends and family discount, thankfully. I swear we got ourselves a little Picasso over here,” she looked lovingly at her son. She nodded in agreement that Jasper had done a nice job setting the table. Jasper sat down in his usual seat and Aspen took the seat to the right of his. “Thanks for making dinner and letting me join you guys. I really appreciate it.”

        Chuckling towards Aspen’s recent comment, Ella thought it was cute how the woman was flirting back with her. She appreciated it and wanted to keep playing this game of back and fourth with her. “I’m not a fan of that nickname, so that’s another reason why I go by Ella,” She replied honestly. Grinning widely, she watched as the other ordered her drink for her. She took her time checking her out before she got back to her side. “Thank you, pretty lady.” She played off of what she said to the bartender. Taking in everything she said, her smirk turned into a smile just like that. “Wow, Aspen, that’s amazing.” She said, especially towards the confession of her son. “I work as a dance instructor at the local dance studio. I teach all ages, so if your son wants to learn a some moves, I can teach him a few steps.” She offered kindly before confessing more about herself. “I actually used to work as a professional dancer. I was a dancer for most of the Disney resorts.”

“That makes sense. Izzie makes me think of the bitch from Grey’s Anatomy,” she quickly commented. “I used to really like that name and then she had to go and ruin it for me,” she joked, taking another sip of her drink. Though this was harmless flirting, Aspen was unsure of where this night would end up going and the thought of that made her nervous. She considered knocking back a couple more drinks to get that liquid courage to continue on with the night. “Oh wow. That’s pretty interesting. I have two left feet so let’s hope that my son has at least some rhythm because I definitely got none,” she laughed, recalling the time during prom in high school when she continuously stepped on her date’s shoes during the slow dance. “Oh wow, you got to dance for Disney? Did that mean you got to go to the parks for free?”

aspenbhau‌:

Aspen mainly did most of her studying at home, watching her child run around in circles since she couldn’t find anyone to babysit him while she did work. However, Jasper had a field trip so he would be coming back to school later than usual. Aspen made her way to her favorite coffee shop. As she began reading the background of the person that she was going to interview, she looked up to notice a bright screen appearing in front of her eyes. “I killed that season in a day. It was ridiculous,” she laughed. “Dude, it gets crazier during the rest of the series. I honestly don’t know how they found that many people that are that crazy,” she sighed. Aspen took another sip of her matcha latte. “I heard they’re having another episode coming out on Easter or something.”

”In one day?” The surprise that laced her tone was only because she’d never finished a whole series herself in one day but she knew that it was something that a lot of people tended to do especially when the show was extremely good which she’d heard that the show was. Maybe not ‘good’ in the way that someone would usually use the word to describe it but good enough that it was the number one show after weeks of premiering. “I can’t believe there’s more to it. Honestly, the first episode itself was already too much for me.” It wasn’t difficult to accomplish that when it came to Carmen, however. “Are you going to watch it as soon as it comes out?” It wasn’t a judgmental question by any means, rather full curiosity as to the level the show reached with people who had already seen it. “Do you think they’ll make a second season?” 

”I dropped my son off to hang out with his dad and I just watched the whole series by myself with a couple bottles of wine because I needed some alcohol to get me through the mess that is Tiger King,” she laughed. “It’s just crazy how they managed to find all these people who are all equally crazy and are all hypocrites one of another,” the judgment seeping through her words so effortlessly. “I mean I guess it’s because I don’t believe that big cats should be in captivity and I think that this show might make more people want to buy these types of animals that truly belong in the wild,” she continued to comment. “Honestly, I hope they don’t make a second season.” She was going to explain herself, before realizing she might end up spoiling the rest of the series to the girl. “You best believe that when it hits midnight I’m going to watch the episode. Joel McHale is going to be interviewing some of the cast.”

    The mental image of the three of them sipping Martinelli apple juice from wine glasses was a heartwarming picture, and when Aspen went the extra mile to add our son - something that had been more recent, and Cole still felt undeserving of hearing - well, he could’ve melted into a puddle. “Yeah, he kinda is, isn’t he?” Cole mused, looking into the kitchen where Jasper was making himself busy with the plates. He’d gotten lucky - Jasper was nothing like Cole himself at that age, moody and irritable, always in his room or reading, uninterested in his family or friends. “He’s gonna end up smarter than us, I bet.” 

  Cole’s attention turned back to Aspen when she spoke. “Nerdy dad,” Cole scoffed with a shake of his head. It had always seemed a bit unconventional - their respective careers and interests. Cole could barely tell the difference between a basketball and a football. “He needs a break from his jock mom sometimes,” He jested back. But Aspen had left him speechless for a moment, the recognition of the work he’d put in now to prove himself. Cole swallowed hard, hands clasping behind his back to hold nervous fidgeting at bay. “Is he doing alright now? I was worried about that. Kid’s got a heart too big for his body. Like his mom.”

Aspen adored her child and thought everything he did was pretty adorable, even when he wasn’t listening to her. He was such a good child and Aspen felt that she didn’t deserve him at times. “He’s honestly gonna graduate college before I do,” she joked once again. “I sometimes wish he would just pause and be a child. I’ve been putting him into private art lessons with a friend of mine so that he can be creative. I will bring over his latest art piece. He drew a picture of us and the dog as a family and I started tearing up,” she mentioned. In an ideal world, the three of them would be a more conventional family, but the current situation seemed to be working out so far.

Aspen knew nothing about Cole’s interests, if she was being honest. If she looked up at the sky, she wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference between all the constellations. “My dreams of Jasper becoming a famous NBA player went down the drain a couple years back when he decided that he wanted to draw during a game,” she shook her head in slight disappointment. She would never stop her child from doing what he loved though. “He’s been sleeping longer throughout the night. He’s been begging for me to cuddle with him in his bed and I can’t turn that down. He was really worried about you and the dog. He asked if we could bring you guys food and it broke my heart.”

  “It’s cool,” Cole was quick to answer, never quite knowing what to say whenever alcohol was brought up. Though he’d never struggled with an addiction to booze, not like he had with pills, Cole had decided to cut himself off entirely from anything that could be considered addictive. That did include wine, as well as cigarettes - but he didn’t expect everyone to remember that or know it at all times. Being sober had been a huge hit on his social life, but it was necessary. “Apple juice is wine for the parents,” The scientist added with a little chuckle, ruffling Jasper’s hair before he held open the door to allow them both inside. 

   In his duplex, things were… very minimal. Though Cole had been in Wilmington for some time now, his home barely reflected that. Brownie and Jasper had more belongings that the man himself, leaving it neat, tidy, and almost void of personality. It was obvious there was no form of a woman’s touch there. “Uh, Jasp, wanna help set the table?” Cole asked as the kid shot forward to the kitchen, the delicious smell of his pot roast probably smelling better than it’d taste. When the kid disappeared around the corner, Cole turned and offered an awkward smile to Aspen. “How has it been? Settling in after… well, everything that has been going on. I missed the little guy, a lot. Thanks for bringing him - I know you’re busy.”

Aspen laughed. “Well, I guess I’m going to have to bring over five bottles of Martinelli,” she nodded. “When Jasper was a kid, he’d always make me cheers him with his little sippy cup and he thinks that being an adult is cool so I pour juice in a little wine glass and it’s honestly the cutest thing ever.” Although Aspen had mostly forgiven Cole, it was still hard for her to think about how she had to stay up late with her child while she assumed that Cole was living his best life. “I’m telling you, our son is 6 going on 60 or something.”

“You don’t have to thank me for bringing him. He’s been begging to see you since we were able to return to town. I can’t deny letting my child get to hang out with his nerdy dad,” she teased the other. “I appreciate the fact that you’re making an effort to show me that you’re willing to be a part of his life for the rest of his life,” she smiled. Of course, Aspen still had a hard time letting go of Jasper for even a few hours. It was this thought, running in her mind that maybe Jasper wouldn’t love her anymore. “Um - we’re doing okay. Thank goodness our house wasn’t touched, but it really affected Jasper. He’d end up crying because he wanted to go home and I felt like I was breaking his heart every time I told him that we had to stay in Charlotte.”

The mild and timid hi from Jasper caused a genuine smile to curve on Olivia’s lips. She loved kids and though she’d never grown up with many, being an only child and all, she was relatively great with them. Kids typically warmed up to her and likewise, Olivia appreciated their youthful innocence. As she herself, resembled a pillar of purity and often got along with other forms of it. “It’s totally fine. I mean, I certainly get it. It’s a lot to take in. For all of us. But, if you ever need help or want to take a break I’d be happy to fill in.” In other words, if Aspen ever needed a babysitter, Olivia would be thrilled to assist. Anything lighthearted and fun to distract her from her own problems was always welcome. “As for feeling overwhelmed – don’t be. I know that’s a lot easier said than done especially when you have a big heart like me. But, everyone will get through this, I know it.” Olivia offered Aspen her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go and turning her attention over to Jasper for another brief moment. 

Her casual smile carried on for a couple, few short minutes before it ultimately dawned on Olivia that Aspen might not have heard. “Oh–” she treaded, slightly. It took her a moment to catch her breath and relocate her voice before she finally delivered the bad news, “Markus was in the accident.” Olivia briefly glanced at Jasper, to make sure her tone was leveled and that only Aspen was locked in on her words. “I was there with him. He’s better now. He’s stable, at least. Grayson’s been keeping a watchful eye on him and I visited not that long ago. He seemed much like his usual self, just injured of course. And I’m not sure but I think he’s still accepting visitors if you wanted to go say hi?” Olivia wasn’t aware of how close the two were but, she just assumed Markus would appreciate it. Taking into account, that had been the case with her. “I was told my dad made it up here with my cousins but, I haven’t gotten the chance to go see them yet. They’re the only family I have here actually, and thankfully they’re all okay.” 

“Thank you,” Aspen gave a slight smile. To be honest, it was really difficult for her to accept help from others. To be honest, there were times where she’d bring Jasper to class with her because she didn’t want to burden her friends. Aspen wanted to be present, to be a good mom to her son. Up until recently, she didn’t even want Jasper’s father to be a part of his life. It was a selfish thought. “I hope so. I just pray for all the people whose houses have been damaged by this storm. It’s just crazy what a natural disaster can do to a whole damn city,” she sighed. “I’m glad that there are people like you in the world. We need people with big hearts.”

Aspen tried her best to keep her composure, hearing about what happened to her friend. She didn’t want to alert Jasper. Jasper had become attached to Grayson and Markus, seeing them as two male role models. “I’m so glad that he’s stable,” she let out a deep sigh of relief. “I definitely will go up and say hi to him. Do you mind staying with Jasper for a few minutes while I go up? I don’t want him to see all the scary stuff up there. He’s still too young and innocent for that,” she looked over as her child continued eating his food. “I’m so glad to hear that they’re okay. Please make sure that you stay safe as well and stay hydrated.”

One of her absolute favorite places in all of Wilmington was The Page Turner, it was a place that she could get her work done which at one point had been school work and now was projects that she worked on for different clients. This particular day, however, she wasn’t there to do work but simply watching different videos while she drank her third cup of coffee that day. The caffeine addiction was certainly getting stronger the more stressed she became. After a moment she settled on watching the latest trending show on Netflix; Tiger King. One episode in and she finally had to turn to the person sharing the table with her. “Have you seen this?” Turning the laptop so that they’d be able to get a better view. “It’s only been one episode and I’m already genuinely disturbed.” Of course that wasn’t a hard thing to accomplish with Carmen. 

           ( @wilmingtonstarters​ ). 

Aspen mainly did most of her studying at home, watching her child run around in circles since she couldn’t find anyone to babysit him while she did work. However, Jasper had a field trip so he would be coming back to school later than usual. Aspen made her way to her favorite coffee shop. As she began reading the background of the person that she was going to interview, she looked up to notice a bright screen appearing in front of her eyes. “I killed that season in a day. It was ridiculous,” she laughed. “Dude, it gets crazier during the rest of the series. I honestly don’t know how they found that many people that are that crazy,” she sighed. Aspen took another sip of her matcha latte. “I heard they’re having another episode coming out on Easter or something.”

        “You’re too kind,” Ella said in a genuine tone before switching back to being flirtatious towards Aspen. “My full name is Isabella, but I’d rather go by Ella due to multiple reasons. One of them is because it’s easier to scream, if you know what I mean.” Winking her way, she licked her lips and hoped the other girl knew what she meant. She could be as sweet as a butterfly, but also as bold as a lion. “Yay! I’m glad to hear it. I’ll have whatever you’re having.” Feeling her smirk grow larger, she crossed her legs and gently let the tip of her heel softly glide against the woman’s leg. “So, Aspen, tell me about yourself.”

Aspen was taken aback by the woman’s comment. She was attracted to people who were bold, but it still caught her off guard. “Oh, I definitely catch your drift,” she attempted to flirt back. “I haven’t met an Isabella that doesn’t go by Izzie,” she commented, trying to figure out how to flirt with someone of the same gender. “I just grabbed a gin and tonic,” she commented, making her way towards the bar. “A gin and tonic for the pretty lady,” she mentioned to the bartender. “Last name’s Bhau,” she proceeded to spell out her last name to add the drink to her tab. “I’m a college student and I’m almost done. I’ll be graduating soon. I moved back here two years ago and spent half my life in Colorado. I also have a six year old son, who is the light of my life. How about you? What do you do?”

          “That is not a bad motto to live by,” Corinne added with a smile of her own. She never really did allow herself much out of her diet— the blonde very much appreciated the fact that she needed to stay fit to run and chase and do whatever she needed when time required her to. However, it hardly meant she didn’t like whenever she could be out of the box a little bit and fries were definitely in her top ten things she ate when she wasn’t feeling like following her every day diet. “That’s not fair— you know that’s the lousiest way of winning anything, I’m a highly competitive person, maybe once we’re done with Connect Four, we can go over darts, now those I’m incredibly good at,” the blonde said proudly. “You have a child?” Now she was impressed. She supposed some women were meant for early motherhood, Corinne could only think about the fact that she was still trying to get around the idea of having a dog. “Wow— that seems like I whole lot, are you a student too? I am a homicide detective, worked for the Colorado PD, now I’m working on my transfer to Wilmington or North Carolina, whichever will be fine with me, and that’s my gentle way of saying that right now I’m doing nothing.” Eyes watched the other’s move as she placed her own token on the other end, for once she had absolutely no strategy.

“Definitely not,” she laughed. Aspen was pretty good about eating clean, wanting to set a good example for her child. Though she hated vegetables as a kid, vegetables have taken up a large chunk of her diet. Salads were her go to when she didn’t feel like cooking anything fancy. “I’m totally kidding, you’d probably kick my butt because I’m going to suck at this game so hard,” she laughed. “Oh, darts, that’s going to be interesting. I haven’t played that in years. Let’s hope that I don’t poke someone’s eye out when we play,” she joked around. Her eye coordination wasn’t too bad, mainly because she grew up playing basketball on the driveway with her dad and siblings. “Yeah, he’s a little munchkin. He’s almost seven years old and he’s honestly the light of my life,” she smiled. Aspen pulled out her phone, showing the blonde her phone background, a photo of Jasper and her at a recent wedding. “Yeah. I’m trying to finish getting my undergraduate degree so that I can apply to work for ESPN for the basketball team in Charlotte,” she admitted. Though her goal was a big one, Aspen knew that she had what it took to get there. “Oh wow, you’re from Colorado? What part?” Aspen was excited to meet someone who was from her other home state. “That’s pretty cool though. A detective, wow. What a badass.”

Location: Cole’s Place in Masonboro  Status: closed for @aspenbhau​

  It was the first time getting to see Aspen or Jasper in person since before the horrible storm. For the most part, he’d weathered it out at home, and managed to slide through the chaos without any problem. His home wasn’t hit by the worst of the storm, and aside from a leak in the roof that was fixed already - Cole had it easy, and had been spending extra time helping out around the city with those who hadn’t been as fortunate. Aside from phone calls and FaceTime, Cole had missed his son a lot - especially since only a month or so ago, he’d bought a dog just to please the little guy. And maybe he hoped Brownie would win him brownie points with Aspen, but that was yet to be determined. 

   When he heard the car pull up, Cole went to greet them both at the door. He’d cooked that night - a very rare occurrence, and probably one of the areas in his life that skill was lacking. “Hey,” He greeted, stepping out onto the porch of the fancy town-home with a smile, waving as the two of them headed up. Behind him, Brownie parked behind the glass, tail wagging enthusiastically. “I made pot roast - sort of. It’s hot and ready. Do you… do you want to stay for dinner?” His eyes moved from Cole to Aspen now, the question in his eyes. 

Aspen had been running around town like she was a chicken with her head cut off since she returned from Charlotte. She was grateful that her apartment was untouched. However, the stress that her child was feeling made her even more stressed out. She ended up procrastinating on some assignments, failing to study for a huge interview that was coming up, and studying for an exam. The only relieving thing was knowing that Cole was safe. Jasper had constantly asked where his dad was and Aspen made sure that the two could text and talk. Though they didn’t have a custody agreement, Aspen was okay with letting her child see his father as much as possible, though they hadn’t reached the point of sleepovers yet. 

She figured it was time for the two of them to visit Cole, making sure that he and the dog were safe. “Hey,” Aspen smiled back as Jasper quickly ran to greet his father. “How’s everything going? I’m glad that little BB is safe and sound,” she smiled, honestly caring for the dog almost as much as she cared for her own child. Aspen had planned on dropping her child off to let him hang out with his dad, but figured that anything tasted better than canned soup right now. “Yeah, sure, sorry I didn’t bring wine or anything,” she laughed as she entered his house. “Jasper was singing the whole car ride here about how excited he was to see you.”