* 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 .

* ✧ 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 @charliefms​ !!

she’s a little too consumed in the moment to realize those surrounding her while in line for the swings. sloane usually isn’t the type to get intoxicated at a work function, but this may be her last time to let loose before the park inevitably shuts down. rocking on her heels, the femme nearly bumps into the person beside her. “shit ! sorry,” she offers with giggle. eyes meet the others, cheeks already growing warm. “hey, i didn’t realize we were both waiting. you gonna be my ride buddy ?” 

closed starter with: charlie! ( @charliefms ) location: rainbow point, after hours *event thread: the after hours party!

“so, how do you do this again?” charolette holds the empty shot glass, eyeing it suspiciously. sure, she’s taken shots before, but not for quite a while. the girl sighs, placing the object down on the plastic folding table and stretches her arms over her chest. “I haven’t done this in a long time, charlie. you’ll have to forgive me.” she chuckles, but is actually a bit nervous inside. somehow, the girl had been pulled into this situation and as much as she wanted to get a bit wild lately, this still wasn’t something she typically would do and, as such, it didn’t make her the most comfortable (at least to start that was the case). “I wasn’t out there going to parties at Harvard like you or anyone else might think.”

          if  there’s  anything  charlie  loves  ,  it’d  be  encouraging  others  to  enjoy  themselves  .  the  fact  that  he’s  able  to  walk  through  charolette  on  how  to  throw  back  a  shot  ?  icing  on  the  cake  .  ‘  honestly  ?  i  just  hold  my  breath  and  then  swallow  to  make  sure  i  don’t  choke  on  how  bad  they  taste  ,  ’  charlie  admits  ,  holding  up  his  own  glass  sheepishly  to  the  female  .  ‘  so  i’m  definitely  not  one  to  be  judgin’  your  techniques  ,  alright  ?  ’  he  hums  to  himself  in  contemplation  for  a  few  moments  before  plucking  up  a  bottle  of  fireball  .  ‘  so  this  stuff’s  got  a  bit  of  a  kick  but  it  masks  the  alcohol  taste  ,  and  it  feels  warm  going  down  ,  so  it’ll  be  first  on  the  menu  .  ’  holding  the  bottle  up  for  her  to  see  ,  he  pours  some  into  both  their  shot  glasses  ,  holding  his  up  as  if  to  toast  her  .  ‘  wait  ,  you  mean  to  tell  me  you  went  to  nerd  school  and  kept  being  a  nerd  ?  didn’t  even  bother  to  party  it  up  ?  god  char  ,  you’re  disappointing  me  ,  ’  he  teases  ,  pushing  against  her  arm  playfully  with  his  own  .    ‘  that’s  why  you  gotta  keep  me  around  ,  i’ll  put  some  flavor  in  that  life’a  yours  and  keep  you  on  your  toes  .  ’  he  points  at  her  with  a  grin  on  his  face  before  nodding  to  the  shot  glasses  ,  bringing  his  to  his  lips  .  ‘  bottoms  up  !  ’

it  wasn’t  too  often  that  zeke  had  the  ability  to  go  out  and  party  and  when  he  did  ,  he  couldn’t  usually  go  too  crazy  .  he  has  a  laundry  list  of  responsibilities  much  to  his  annoyance  but  he  made  due  .  “  that’s  cool  ,  i  brought  some  .  i’ll  do  the  smoking  and  you  can  do  the  drinking  .  i  have  to  be  at  the  restaurant  early  tomorrow  and  mama  joy  would  kill  me  if  i  show  up  hungover  .  ”  waving  off  charlie’s  offer  ,  zeke  fetches  a  joint  from  his  pocket  ,  rolling  his  eyes  at  the  male  .  “  okay  fine  ,  one  beer  and  i’m  cutting  myself  off  !  ”  swiping  the  cold  can  from  his  friend  ,  zeke  slips  the  j  back  into  his  shorts  and  yanks  his  keys  from  the  other  pocket  .  holding  the  can  sideways  and  poking  a  hole  towards  the  bottom  ,  the  male  readied  himself  to  crack  the  lid  and  chug  it’s  remnants  .  “  i  hope  you  know  ,  win  or  lose  ,  you’re  gonna  have  to  pay  for  the  uber  .  ” 

         *   ⟩     𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫  ,  𝐯𝐨𝐥 𝐱𝐢    —   𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘  𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄𝐒 .

“is it though? how can this be a kids game if kids can’t even win it?” evie tossed the stuffed animal in hand back towards the ground with the others, prolonging the clean-up process as he came towards the booth. it’s not that she didn’t want his company, she didn’t want company at all. considering where she started, she felt embarrassed to be in a booth all day as she heckled people as they walked by.  “oh you know it, i love losing a fight to a plastic bag. but my shifts almost over, thank fuck.” evie could sense the divide between them, she could feel it with mostly everyone nowadays but she continued to push it away since she refused to bring it up on her own. with a shrug and a small smile offered up to him, she put the rings on the table between them. “last game of the day is yours if you want it. who knows, maybe you can get one of dirty dirty prizes.”  

                ‘  kids  don’t  care  about  winning  ,  kids  care  about  getting  something  done  and  over  with  in  15  seconds  so  they  can  move  onto  the  next  thing  .  if  anything  ,  you  run  the  most  kid  -  friendly  booth  in  this  whole  joint  ,  ’  he  responds  ,  scooping  up  a  stuffed  animal  that  had  rolled  his  way  and  setting  it  down  on  the  booth’s  counter  in  a  feeble  attempt  to  help  .  at  her  proposal  ,  he  sets  his  lemonade  down  and  arches  his  brows  ,  lips  pursing  at  the  challenge  .  ‘  i  know  my  chiseled  physique  and  strong  jaw  would  lead  you  to  believe  i  kill  at  precision  -  type  things  ,  but  there’s  a  reason  i  swim  instead  of  any  sport  with  a  point  system  ,  ’  he  notes  ,  flinging  the  first  of  his  rings  miserably  far  from  even  a  remote  chance  of  success  .  ‘  i  fucking  suck  at  aiming  ,  ’  he  snorts  ,  sending  the  second  of  his  pile  to  sink  pitifully  between  the  pegs  .  his  eyes  dart  up  to  meet  her  gaze  ,  observing  for  a  moment  the  curiosity  with  which  they  speak  —  elephant  in  the  room  is  perhaps  putting  it  too  lightly  ,  but  after  nearly  a  year  of  moving  about  with  no  addressing  it  ,  it’d  seem  they’ll  forever  be  in  this  limbo  of  empty  chats  .  ‘  what’s  your  plan  when  you’re  off  ?  ’

there were too many reasons that this was uncomfortable. in a lot of ways, the two of them likely spent more time thinking about one another than either of them wanted to truly admit. at least, elliot certainly did. sometimes, knee deep into a bottle of jameson, the tattooed boy’s thoughts went to charlie and the brief time they had together. though short, it was entirely powerful. it was one of the first only times that elliot felt himself so drawn to a person that his chest was on fire. it was instantaneous - their connection - and the second that charlie wasn’t around anymore, elliot needed to fill himself with something else. to pack up all of the empty space with another human. one who distracted him enough that there was no longer a fucking pit inside of him. 

a few blinks fill the space that words should – easy smile appearing at the clear buttons he’d pushed. 

“ baby boy, ” elliot coos, tongue darting over his bottom lip. “ has it been good for me? or for you to know where i am? so you can casually pop in to check on me, ” he points out, slinging his bag further over his shoulder. his pace slows - unconsciously, at first. he doesn’t want this chance meeting to end. “ wanna keep me company while i smoke? “ he asks, unsure why he’s letting this go on longer than it needs to.

            he’s  not  ignorant  to  the  obvious  tension  rising  between  them  ,  and  the  sardonic  quips  charlie  had  once  found  so  charming  of  elliot  were  now  landing  more  like  calls  to  arms  ,  triggering  responses  in  the  soft  -  natured  male  that  he  otherwise  wasn’t  readily  in  tune  with  .  ‘  you  really  can’t  take  a  compliment  without  thinking  i’m  trying  to  fuck  you  over  somehow  ,  ’  he  laughs  ,  more  to  himself  than  anyone  else  as  he  reaches  to  pinch  the  bridge  of  his  brow  .  elliot’s  nickname  for  him  ,  the  sugary  sweet  words  with  the  bittersweet  timbre  ,  cause  a  clench  in  charlie’s  jaw  as  he  tries  to  steady  his  racing  thoughts  —  there’s  perhaps  too  much  he  wants  to  say  ,  flooding  his  system  and  leaving  him  with  nothing  to  say  at  all  .  ‘  i  know  you  can  handle  yourself  ,  i’ve  always  known  that  .  there’s  no  need  for  me  to  check  on  you  .  ’  his  tone  is  even  and  gentle  ,  softer  than  his  earlier  near  -  attacks  ,  although  the  conflicting  energies  elliot  sends  his  way  cause  him  to  flip  just  as  easily  .  he  fucking  hates  that  someone  who  could  easily  be  so  insignificant  ,  given  the  brevity  of  their  fling  ,  just  simply  wasn’t  .  the  fact  that  charlie  was  still  so  overwhelmed  by  a  conversation  as  meaningless  as  this  one  was  testament  to  just  how  significant  elliot  had  truly  been  to  him  in  their  time  shared  .  ‘  you  need  company  ?  ’  he  laughs  ,  the  disbelief  plastered  equal  parts  on  his  face  and  in  his  words  .  despite  the  less  than  enticing  idea  of  them  spending  any  more  time  together  than  they  had  to  ,  charlie  concedes  ,  motioning  for  his  ex  to  lead  the  way  .  he  figures  keeping  him  from  spending  the  time  alone  will  be  the  closest  thing  to  closure  he’s  bound  to  get  .  without  missing  a  beat  ,  he's  back  to  small  talk  as  if  it's  the  only  thing  keeping  him  afloat .  ‘  d'you  prefer  the  work  here  or  the  shop  ?  i  don't  think  i  ever  asked  if  you  have  a  preference  .  ’

this response causes a rolling of brown eyes. “you say it just fine, charlie.” the brunet is sweet and charolette giggles some more, thankful for his company more as time passes, though she looks at him shocked when he speaks. “charlie! no, omg.” huffing but knowing she’s probably not going to win this fight, the girl gives in. “alright, fine.” she turns to him, holding out a forefinger almost like a mother reprimanding her child. “but I’m paying next time! okay?” another huff slips out between her lips, but then the (not legitimate) attitude slips away and she smiles as they walk and talk together. “not long, no! a day or two only so far.” for a moment, the girl dodges two children running and laughing loudly with each other, then returns herself back to charlie’s side. “it was a consistent and, gosh, did my legs get tired. you’re very lucky, I’d have to agree, because five hours is – or can be – a long time.” despite the tiredness she did still kind of feel (thanks, jetlag), charolette was glad to be home. “either way, it’s over now though and I’m glad to be back.” she repeats her thoughts, then sighing – breathing in the california air – and chuckling. “I can’t imagine what this summer will bring though.” it’s kind of a weird thought to pop into her mind, but charolette doesn’t (for once) think about it too much. she probably would later though, reliving and second-guessing each word over and over again. “you thing it’ll be just like old times? or previous years here?” she laughs remembering a memory. “remember that time you fell into the duck pond? that was hilarious.”

            ‘  ah  ,  i  love  when  you  give  in  to  my  wants  and  desires  ,  ’  he  hums  ,  wrapping  a  strong  arm  over  her  shoulders  to  envelop  her  in  a  half  -  hug  as  they  continue  to  walk  .  an  affectionate  person  by  nature  ,  charlie  tends  to  fall  into  this  habit  of  wanting  to  tuck  char  away  and  protect  her  —  she  is  ,  after  all  ,  probably  the  closest  person  charlie  keeps  near  him  .  ‘  fine  fine  ,  i’ll  let  you  pay  next  time  .  hold  me  to  it  ,  alright  ?  ’  he  points  a  teasing  finger  in  her  face  ,  though  truthfully  ,  he  has  no  intention  of  ever  letting  her  pay  for  herself  when  they’re  spending  time  together  .  he  knows  she’s  more  than  capable  of  covering  her  own  cheap  snacks  ,  but  it’s  more  so  the  principle  he’s  fighting  for  than  the  practicality  of  it  all  .  ‘  oh  sweet  ,  i  didn’t  miss  you  by  much  !  i  got  in  last  night  and  spend  most  of  the  morning  with  my  pops  and  the  kids  .  but  yeah  ,  i  don’t  envy  you  .  i’ll  have  to  buy  you  a  pair  of  compression  socks  or  something  to  help  you  out  on  your  way  back  .  ’  when  they  finally  get  to  the  pizza  shack  ,  he  props  the  door  open  and  motions  for  her  to  lead  in  .  ‘  yeah  ,  i  have  a  good  feeling  about  this  summer  .  it’s  gonna  be  a  solid  one  ,  i  think  ,  ’  he  muses  ,  nose  wrinkling  at  the  thought  of  all  the  excitement  he  only  hopes  he  can  get  up  to  while  he’s  back  home  .  at  the  recollection  of  the  memory  ,  he  lets  out  a  laugh  ,  shooting  an  accusing  glare  her  way  .  ‘  i  only  fell  into  that  pond  because  i  was  trying  to  get  your  damn  phone  back  !  waterproof  case  ,  not  -  so  -  waterproof  charlie  ,  bad  combo  .  you’re  lucky  i  like  the  water  so  much  .  though  ,  looking  back  at  it  ,  i  have  the  fleeting  sense  i  may  have  been  pushed  ,  ’  he  teases  ,  stroking  his  chin  in  mock  contemplation  .  he  laughs  before  leading  them  to  the  nearest  empty  table  ,  motioning  for  her  to  sit  .  ‘  what  about  you  ?  looking  forward  to  anything  ?  ’

the two really had nothing in common throughout high school. in fact, sloane paid very little attention to charlie and his group of friend. yet, his acceptance to berkeley ( her dream school ) nearly ate at sloane. she was consumed with curiosity, willing to get any information from any source about their experience. what she wasn’t expecting was actually enjoying their conversations. before long, sloane viewed charlie as a friend and found herself boarding a plane and taking an uber to campus to meet up with him. charlie didn’t have to take time out of his busy schedule to show her around, she knows this and is extremely grateful. by the time she sees the familiar face, a smile is plastered on her face. god, this campus brought something out of her. “hey !” she greets, “yeah, it was great. thanks, again, for doing this.” a laugh falls from her lips, “well, i’m glad you said that.” reaching in her backpack, she pulls out a rainbow point tee and tosses it in his direction. “i got you this as a thank you. so, now you got a piece of home to rep on campus.” eyes flicker around the scenery, breath nearly sucked from her chest. “so,” she breathes, “what’s on the agenda ?” 

sitting on the barstool, sutton leaned against the bar, one hand swirling the straw around in her mojito. it wasn’t her first time at the tipsy tiki, but her first time there legally so to speak. she had walked the boardwalk for much of the day and had only sought shelter in the bar once the heat became too unbearable. now working on her second drink, sutton was pondering what her plans for the night would be. “i think they may have watered down the drinks here.” she told, drawn out of her daydream when she felt a body take the seat next to hers. “but it’s only a theory.”

              ‘  good  thing  i  specialize  in  pregaming  .  seriously  ,  i  should  declare  it  as  a  second  major  or  something  ,  ’  he  tells  her  ,  though  not  without  the  slightest  wince  at  hearing  his  own  words  .  he  hopes  a  summer  away  from  greek  life  will  purge  him  of  some  of  the  more  unsavory  habits  he’s  picked  up  (  as  evidenced  by  his  opening  cringe  statement  .  )  ‘  though  i  do  appreciate  the  heads  up  ,  ’  he  nods  ,  as  if  to  tip  an  invisible  hat  her  way  .  realizing  just  who  is  giving  drink  advice  ,  he  turns  to  face  her  ,  caught  off  guard  but  not  at  all  unhappy  to  see  her  in  the  stool  .  ‘  since  when  do  you  get  down  with  getting  lit  ?  didn’t  strike  me  as  exactly  being  part  of  your  whole  brand  now  ,  miss  bordeaux  .  ’  waving  to  the  bartender  ,  he  motions  to  sutton’s  drink  and  then  points  to  himself  as  if  to  order  one  ,  down  to  try  whatever  she’s  sipping  .  ‘  what  number  is  that  for  you  ?  i’ll  match  you  .  a  lady  should  never  be  left  to  drink  alone  ,  what  a  shame  .  ’

life loves to thrust things into your lap when you want it the least. things were boding fairly well the past few months for elliot. life in pleasant bay seemed easy for once. it felt bearable. and it was… nice? then again, every time that elliot felt comfortable, something new would pop up. like charlie lancaster. the only person who really made el feel guilty. looking at the boy’s face brought him some joy, but the ever so evident turning in his abdomen came from something much worse. regret. shame. things he tried so hard to be numb from. god, he needed a fucking drink. “ in what world is your pick up location at the fucking park after close? ” he asks, a loud huff leaving his perfectly shaped lips. the invitation feels contrived. was this all some sick joke? it had to be, right? “ i don’t give a single fuck, you’re not wrong there. for once. ” he expresses bitterly. it was difficult for him to want to be polite. even if he was seen as wrong in the end. “ yep, “ he pops the p, eyeing charlie closely. “ you look good, ” he comments, internally kicking himself for it as his fingers play with keys.

           in  the  scheme  of  his  life  ,  elliot  had  been  the  chapter  charlie  least  anticipated  ,  and  the  chapter  he  feels  most  conflicted  over  when  he  looks  back  at  it  .  this  was  the  closest  to  a  sentiment  of  regret  he’s  ever  come  to  in  his  life  ,  astounding  for  someone  who  insists  on  living  in  the  moment  as  adamantly  as  he  does  .  given  everything  ,  though  ,  charlie  can  harbor  all  his  sentiments  of  resentment  towards  elliot  he  may  want  ,  but  he’ll  never  remotely  be  able  to  hate  him  .  ‘  in  a  world  where  nobody  really  pays  attention  to  closing  times  ,  ’  he  quips  back  ,  a  good  -  natured  snort  punctuating  the  jest  .  he  doesn’t  blame  elliot  for  the  hostility  he  can  feel  radiating  off  him  —  they’ve  always  been  night  and  day  ,  too  different  to  make  sense  but  just  enough  to  pull  the  other  in  like  gravity  .  ‘  i  am  good  ,  ’  he  all  but  snaps  ,  perhaps  a  bit  too  quickly  .  the  compliment  does  catch  him  off  guard  after  all  ,  and  he’s  not  sure  quite  which  way  to  take  it  ,  but  he  settles  on  his  forever  optimism  of  hoping  el  means  it  with  sincerity  .  ‘  thank  you  ,  ’  he  adds  in  a  lower  breath  ,  equal  parts  gratitude  and  an  apology  for  his  previous  snippiness  .   ‘  hope  you’re  doing  alright  .  glad  to  see  the  consistency  of  you  still  keeping  a  job  here  .  it’s  always  been  good  for  you  .  ’  the  small  talk  ,  as  unnatural  as  it  may  seem  ,  feels  like  second  nature  to  charlie  ,  who’d  rather  fill  the  emptiness  with  forced  nothings  than  to  face  the  chasm  of  emotions  left  between  them  .  he  moves  towards  the  exit  ,  familiar  with  the  layout  ,  matching  elliot’s  pace  as  so  to  not  seem  he’s  trying  too  direly  to  escape  .