MESSY LIFE, TAINTED MEMORIES

When he returned with two records she took them with a delight in her eyes, genuinely happy and perhaps a little astonished the record store had such an electronic sound among it's shelves. Though, also ver grateful. ❝ ⸻ Thank you, ❞ Cami commented as she looked over Kavinksy's Outrun,❝ I've heard of him, actually. And now I have to admit it's kind of strange he hasn't come up on any of the Spotify curated playlists for this genre. ❞ A contemplative frown sat at her brow, then her eyes lifted to Adrian. ❝ I haven't heard of Gunship so that'll be a treat. Have you listened to either of these? ❞ There was a sense that he was into a different genre of music, she'd been wrong before though. 

her voice, barely audible and broken, left him feeling unsteady on his feet. after his decision to sell the company, his next step had been a no brainer, but the logistics had been an utter nightmare. his mother, always loving and supportive, had warned him ahead of the bold move. she'd been gentle with her words, but they'd cut deeper than anything else she'd ever said to him, but he knew it deserved it, knew that he'd let his father ruin him like the man had ruined so many others.

and for what?

when she continued, he choked down a wave of emotion. he sucked in a deep breath as her humor washed over him. that much hadn't changed and he wondered what else had stayed the same too. she was as pretty as he remembered, time having treated her well despite the damage he'd caused.

a jolt of pain shot through his chest as he turned her words over silently in his head and frowned. the worst thing that could ever happen to her was him? he supposed it was deserved, but hearing her say it aloud had caused a shock to his system.

"if me being here is the worst thing... then uh, no. it's not a nightmare." he spoke carefully as his heart pounding wildly at his temples and in his chest. he could barely hear himself think and the sound of his own voice felt miles away. "i sold the firm," he added, only wishing that he'd said something else after the words had rolled off his tongue.

he wanted to apologize, wanted to sink to his knees and admit to every fault he'd never claimed aloud before, but he stood there, knees weak and chest tight. "can we talk? doesn't have to be right now, but when you're ready, i'll be here." it was a quiet promise, only meant to be shared between them rather the rest of the store that had surely tuned into the tension that brewed between them like the start of a quiet storm. "please." tears burned hot in his gaze, blurring his vision and daring to spill onto flushed skin.

❝ ⸻ Did you think I'd be happy to see you, Zay? ❞ Gaze imploring, voice soft, the brunette was still in a stunned state. Too numb to feel emotions yet her question wasn't cold or full of vitriol, it likely sounded fearful of being uttered. ❝ The last time I saw you, ❞ now emotion began to rise as the painful memory pulsed under her skin, still, Cami tried to remain measured, ❝ you'd confessed to an affair and that you were leaving me for her. You left me— ❞ Despite their surroundings and his sudden appearance in her life there was a crack in her voice. There was no way for her to be strong in this moment. Especially since it was the first time she was facing it down. ❝ —on our anniversay celebration. Alone in that suite. I had to fly back solo, I had to—look at your empty seat. ❞

There was no way her ex-husband was in her little hometown without a purpose, and she supposed that was what seemed like a nightmare. She wasn't over him yet, maybe she never would be considering he was her first love, and Camila was terrified of how easily she could fold when it came to him. It was hard to fight against instincts and self-preservation when your heart was still greedy about them.

For a second, she looked over her shoulder and out the front window, buying herself a moment. Since he'd put himself in her path Cami had been staring him down. Her heart was racing uncomfortably in her chest and her head felt light, almost dizzy, and in the most childlike way she wanted her father. Maybe she could will him to walk in, she needed his strength and safety—someone that would protect her against even herself. Because her attention snapped right back to Zayden at his confession. ❝ You what—why? ❞ Head shaking, a baffled expression peered up at him. ❝ You could've just texted that, you know? ❞ And then she could've fallen apart and over-analyzed it in peace and privacy.

Things were moving too fast. It'd been five years and now everything was spinning. Camila didn't miss the desperation in his plea, nor the way his eyes brimmed with unspilled emotion. To steady herself, she reached out to brace herself against a shelf. She was feeling hot and knew she was on the brink of hyperventilating. ❝ What do you mean you'll be here? Why are you here? ❞ A strong gesture was made to the very spot they had their feet planted.

moving across the country was a difficult process for most, but for a man with what felt like bottomless funds, it had been too much of a breeze. within a single week, his stuff had made the journey in various boxes, each one unpacked the moment it crossed the threshold into his downgrade of a living space. it was smaller, had no jaw dropping view, and had no real amenities to take advantage of. in a way, he liked the change, liked how life seemed to slow down when there wasn't as much pressure on him.

the unemployed man had made the jump impulsively, his one-track mind stuck on a woman who probably hated him and fairly so. he understood why she'd find comfort in a place she knew well, why she'd left the city behind. bitter regret was a taste that he couldn't choke down, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much whiskey he drank.

the day's journey had led him to a bookstore. his muscles ached from the uptick in workouts he'd done and tension sat coiled tight in his chest. he thumbed through the kind of books his father would've scoffed at — the power of apology, the art of apologizing, how to forgive yourself. he'd never been a desperate man, but as he stood in front his bathroom mirror, rehearsing just what he'd say to the very woman he wanted to seek out, he realized just how little he knew of fixing his own messes.

shame caused heat to lick up the back of his neck as his finger brushed the spine of a self-help book. he turned away from the shelf, frustrated with the shake in his hands and pounding in his chest. zayden took a couple of steps forward, only pausing as his gaze dropped to the woman blocking his exit.

"cami," he mused, voice weak and barely recognizable. i'm sorry. i think we should talk. i've missed you. "you look..." he trailed off. good? beautiful? he couldn't finish the sentence, didn't feel like he had any right to either. "hi." safe, simple, and little room for his voice to crack further than it already had.

There was no trusting people anymore. Circumstances weren't to be trusted. Camila knew from experience just how swiftly life could collapse under you. As much as she had been desperate to escape from Windsor Bay and live a bigger life, the comforting quiet when she was deeply wounded had been the only place she knew to go. The dissolution of her relationship and marriage to Zayden had forced Cami to lose herself. It'd changed her. Dream city, dream life, and dream job didn't make sense anymore. Returned to Camila Conti she had to be reinvented.

A life from away from books was impossible, she still worked within the industry, albeit in a far different capacity and sometimes that still stung. Often she felt the nostalgia and the pangs of missing what had been. Camila was proud of herself and new path she'd forged, though. Her Bookish podcast had been a bit of a hit and she'd actually gotten to branch much further out in the industry than she ever had working for one top publishing house.

That was the reason she'd strolled into Bookmarked. The brunette had stopped at the desk to give away her excess of books—multiple copies of the same title in bookmail, novels she'd read and hadn't given a 5 star rating to, and some material that had been outside of her wheelhouse. When she had begun making her way to the new releases, wanting to check out covers and maybe pickup a book or two that she hadn't read or had a copy of already, that was when the world had stilled. All the air had gone out of the store and Cami stood there, mouth ajar, unable to breathe.

❝ ⸻ H-he-y-y, ❞ she'd barely stuttered out in response as she looked up at the man that had broken her. In the course of her innate love of stories she'd read so many tales and picked up on so many lessons of not making a home out of someone else. Of not giving yourself over to another person so completely. And yet, Camila had done just that with Zayden. She'd been young and innocent when they'd met, and Zay was such a powerful man with incredible lineage. Now, he was staring at her in the bookstore in her small hometown. 

⇢ 🌼 STATUS ﹕open ⇢ 🌼 TAGGING ﹕signe + utp !! ( @windsorbaystarters ) ⇢ 🌼 LOCATION ﹕ magenta

MONICA BARBARO as EMMA BRUNNER Fubar (2023 - )

WHERE: Main Street Records

WHEN: Weekday, 7:02 PM

What would he play? His shift, his choice, the rules were the rules at Main Street Records, but at the end of the day, what did they need to hear? 'They', or the one lone person in the store, shifting among the reprints with their back to Adrian. To be fair, it was half an hour before closing, but it didn't mean he couldn't go out with a bang. He thumbed through the selection behind the counter and picked up Leaf Hound's 'Growers of Mushroom', letting the vinyl spin against his fingertips before he set it on the record player and placed the needle down. The guitar, the bell, the electricity of Freelance Fiend filled the room, soaking up what was left of the evening light. Bringing out the air guitar was tempting, but with an almost rhythmic swivel of the shoulders, he found himself satisfied. The bell on the door rang. Someone new. He moved to the swivel chair by the register, sitting down and watching as someone else walked in from the door just a few paces to his left he started on what he'd been chiming all afternoon, "Welcome," He greeted, "Let me know if there's anything I can help you find."

Walking into a record store was a long shot, Camila knew that, yet when she'd spotted Main Street Records while taking care of some errands her curiosity had gotten the better of her. ❝ ⸻ Hi, thanks, ❞ the smile was immediate, reflexive, but not unfriendly. There was a brief internal debate and then Cami decided to deal with whatever judgement rather than waste her time looking for something the store might not have.

Lila was excited for this - she loved queer films. She was especially excited to watch Bottoms, something that she enjoyed when she streamed it but didn't have the chance to see in cinemas. Movies were expensive in the city. She locked up her car and made her way to the stand to get some popcorn, and decided to make some conversation with the person in front of her. She needed to make some friends in this town, after all. "Are you a fan of any of these movies?" She asked.

Elle claimed a small corner in the busy cafe with an oat milk vanilla latte and an almond croissant parked on the table in front of her. She'd been sitting there doing admin, and it was driving her a little bit nuts. Not something she'd ever get really used to. "Okay," She turned to the person next to her, who looked a little lonely. "What happened, your date stand you up or something?"

One thing Dylan enjoyed was a good book, often times, with his job continually keeping him on the computer for extended periods of time he needed to shut his brain off. Being the lead on the current cyber-security project, meant that lately he was pulling longer than twelve hour shifts. Delegation wasn't something that was Dylan's strong point, his manager pushing him to learn those techniques or he'd be loosing even more time. After making sure projects were given out and tasked properly, and with a click of a button his dual monitors and laptop faded to black. The rest of the day and the following two were all his to enjoy — or attempt to enjoy. Earlier that day he had placed a small order of books on hold but decided to go pick them up and do a little browsing before actually purchasing the books he already had there waiting for him.

Just as he was exiting one aisle, a few other books in his hand he went around too fast and bumped firmly into someone, sending his books spilling to the floor. "Shit — my bad." Turning to look at the person he had just knocked into and see if he had sent anything tumbling to the floor for them.

So what that she had, Talia was a professional, and currently work actually was her life. This was all because of a whim, she'd put on some bad late night television after some browsing and ended up three seasons deep into True Blood. Now, as if her life depended on it, Talia needed to reread the books. Whatever happened to her original copies she doesn't know, she just couldn't not be roaming the shelves for her fix.