𝖜𝖆𝖞𝖋𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖗

he figured that it would be a quick nod of the head and be done with the conversation but when he mentioned his skateboard and how well kept the neighbourhood was he couldn’t help but grin, looking down at his board. “well, i probably shouldn’t be skating period.” he said with a shrug. “i’m a nurse, need both legs and all that.” he shook his head, flicking the ash from the cigarette away from the other. “i just moved here. are the neighbours that bad?”

elias had just gotten back from his interview at the hospital, he was now sitting outside of his new home on the steps smoking a cigarette while he looked down at his schedule for the next week, his phone in his other hand going through his contacts, hovering over his dad’s old number. sometimes he still called it. sometimes he allowed himself that the ringing would eventually stop and someone would be on the other line to pick up. no one ever did. he dialled one of his at home healthcare patients switching up times around on his days off and by the time that he finished he had gotten up again and grabbed his board, not having skated in a while, he was a little rusty. he wanted to explore more of his neighbourhood but the overwhelming feeling of his first day here was overpowering it. he had grabbed his board and started walking back, nodding his head along to a person that he passed, “neighbour,” he said, only assuming that they lived close by. @covestarters​

“For sure. Those could easily be used for voodoo” she quips, mostly as a joke, but she too had some gifts from exes and fans that always made her wonder. “I always thought committing a crime was more fun with an accomplice,” Annie shrugs.“I’d be your first follower. A cult is exactly what this place needs. It’s so quiet.”

“Of course they could“ Romeo laughed at her joke with a grin on his face. “Perfect” he stroked his chin at the suggestion that she join his cult and he be the leader. “Yeah, not to be edgy or anything but this place is a little bit too stuffy” he remarked, “Hence the need for a good ol’ fashioned cult” the barber laughed. “You know anyone else around here we could lure into the cult?” he questioned.

“Probably just trying to get us wasted enough to actually pay for this crap…” Zach remarked as he picked up one of the bottles on the table. Looking at the fancy label and putting it back. 

He’d be lying if he said he honestly thought Trey wasn’t a whiskey guy. He didn’t look that preppy, his hair wasn’t that well kept and he didn’t speak as fancily as everyone else, so it made sense.

“Whatever you say, bud.” he shrugged, taking the flask out and slyly passing it over to the other man. 

“I mean, if that’s the strategy then it might just work” Trey laughed, “I’ll buy just about anything when I’m wasted” he eyed up the wine and then rolled his eyes at how pretentious and disgusting the wine was.

Trey grinned when he was passed the flask in a discrete manner, “Thanks” the actor gripped the flask and then brought it to his lips in order to take a nice, long sip from it. He licked his lips after taking the gulp down and passed the flask back to the other, “I’m Trey by the way. Trey Price” he introduced himself.

“mm” lola nodded. she figured that as far creating a scene went, doing so in front of romeo was obviously not the worst case scenario. in fact, she was glad that if it had to happen that he was the stranger to witness her in such a state. leonora tucked her hair behind her ears as he spoke and she laughed loudly despite her best efforts. “did it work?” she wondered, thinking that there really was only one of two outcomes with a name like romeo. taking a seat against the railing of the veranda, her interest piqued. “now you have to tell me. it’s rude to dangle such salacious stories out of reach like that.”

romeo laughed when she asked if his name choice had worked out for him thus far. “well, let’s just say i’m about as single as they come“ romeo admitted with a shrug. he didn’t mind being single, especially since he had just moved to town and enjoyed the fresh start. “oh, but i think it would be completely unfair if i just spilled my guts to you without even knowing more about you” romeo teased. “how do i know that you aren’t just talking to me to get these salacious details from me?” he questioned jokingly.

“ i think that’s how it is in every neighborhood though. ” she crossed her arms over her chest to help her position feel more comfortable then relaxed her shoulders. now that she was sure her puppy hadn’t been a bother, the tension melted and she was happy to have a conversation to focus on now. “ exactly. it’s all about the good vibes, ” she agreed with a firm nod. “ that’s actually really funny. i still can’t believe it. ” she chuckled out loud, then raised an eyebrow at his words. “ uh-oh. we definitely wouldn’t want that. ” she playfully backed away to leave a bit more space between them. “ in all seriousness though, is this place really that bad ? ”

Zach rolled his eyes as he finished off the glass. He had yet to really meet anybody around in the last week who wasn’t at least a bit of an ass. Maybe it was because Zach was a little, rougher than most around the Cove. His ripped jeans and whiskey stained white t, that may have been a little small was perhaps not the right attire for this kind of event, but he didn’t expect it to get read so quickly. 

“Sure.” he said again. “Look, I ain’t no wine expert, but I know not all wine is fruity- at least not this fruity.” he said reaching for the glass that Trey passsed to him. 

He took a sip. Looking down to the bump in his jean pocket where he hid his flask. “A little.” he muttered. “but not sure if you’ll be able to appreciate the flavours…it ain’t no wine.”

Trey looked like a stereotypical country club husband with his nicely pressed khakis pants and slightly unbuttoned dress shirt and well kept features. He found the other to be interesting in that he clearly didn’t fit the vibe of the event and that piqued his interest. “Clearly” Trey chuckled as the other said he was no wine expert.

As he watched the other try the wine he shrugged, “I mean, maybe they are trying to sweeten everyone up or give us diabetes or something” the actor joked before he took the glass back and finished it.

A smirk grew on Trey’s face as he eyed the flask. He did prefer straight liquor to wine and he grinned, “Oh, trust me. I can handle it” he licked his lips, “If you’d be so generous” the actor raised a brow.

“thank you.” julian hummed as he pulled the stool back, taking it’s occupancy before shrugging out of his light jacket. the town was full of people that seemed far to willing to offer up a favor, even if it was as small as the stool and that was something he wasn’t quite used to. new york was full of bitterness that he had grown fond of and he had to shake off expecting no as an answer. settling in he made quick work to ordering a glass of scotch, handing over a twenty dollar bill before leaning back, elbow coming to rest on the back of his chair. 

“been here only once before.. heavy pour is an understatement.” he muttered with a soft laugh as he looked over at the man. “you from around here?” he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

“no worries” romeo shrugged as he eyed the other male. he had definitely ben enjoying his time at headlights lately since it served two purposes for him. one was clearly to have a drink and unwind after work. another was for him to be able to recruit new clients for his barbershop and expand his network. “yeah, i mean some of us appreciate the heavy pour” romeo smirked as he took a hefty sip from his glass.

“just moved here actually. decided to up and move and open up shop in town“ romeo explained before he asked, “what about you?” with a curious smile. he found it interesting to see who the locals were and also the reasons why others had been drawn to the area.

open starter for: @covestarters​. place: lighthouse bagels. time: morning/afternoon.

       she’d just gotten off of her graveyard shift and all she wanted was coffee. she had some more unpacking to do at home, so that couldn’t be pushed off again. after grabbing her coffee, she turns and walks right into someone, spilling her coffee all over her and them. “oh my god! oh my god…i am so sorry. my brain is so foggy. i just…i just got off of work and i didn’t mean to make this a terrible visit to lighthouse for you!” she turns to the girl at the counter, “i’ll be paying for whatever they buy, okay? here.” she holds out her card for the girl and turns to the person she’s probably scalded. her own scrubs were sticking to her and she was too tired for this. “i really am so sorry. work was so stressful and you didn’t… you didn’t need to know that. i’m just sorry. i could probably say it a million more times,” she chuckles.

“ i was counting on you taking me up on that offer, ” the brunette stated firmly, though she let a hint of playful seep into the statement too. she was glad she’d found someone to click with, and even more glad that he lived next door to her. “ it’s even worse than that, actually. he’s also my ex-fiancé. ” she added, then took a swig from her new glass of wine. it was difficult to explain her situation to others because many didn’t understand, but she figured she would get those cards on the table sooner rather than later; it was bound to come up one day. “  i’ll have to sit and brainstorm some ideas. maybe i’ll pass them along to you for approval beforehand too. ” she laughed at the concept, then watched as he took a sip from his own glass. “ i’m thinking i like this one better, but i’m also biased because rosé is my favourite kind. maybe we need to hit up a liquor store and get you some better stuff though. ”

“W-well I-I mostly s-started as a big f-fuck you to my dad.” he said with a little laugh and a shrug, it wasn’t something he was shy about saying, he didn’t have the best relationship with his father. Leo smiled as he got the number from Romeo and he saved it in his phone, perhaps he’d try and text the other for more than work sometime. “I-I am s-sure you are th-the best barber in town I just um..a-am v-very nervous as a p-person.” he said with a soft laugh. “S-so what kinda sh-shots were you th-thinking? Candid? S-storefront shots? P-pictures of the full hair b-bin.” he asked as a joke.

location: headlights status: open to anyone

@covestarters​

having spent the majority of his day moving in furniture julian was in need of a few hours away from the new home. it was still empty, having only bought the bare necessities he didn’t imagine he’d linger here long. in his mind there hadn’t been a point in decorating though the echoing bouncing off the high ceilings was enough to warrant a trip to the bar.

walking into the crowded bar, julian took a moment to eye his surroundings, take note of who was around and even if he couldn’t pair names to faces just yet he was starting to catch onto the regulars that flocked to the location. he ducked his head, weaving through the sea of bodies before finding a lone chair set in the corner. he moved towards it, hand catching the back of it as he looked to the patron that took up the seat close beside. “mind if i steal this?” he asked with his head tilted to the side. “seems like its the only one available..” he trailed.

romeo was becoming quite the regular at headlights. after working a full day at the shop, there was nothing that the barber wanted more than a nice, strong drink. and so he had been making this a part of his daily routine. he had arrived rather late so there were only two seats available at the end of the bar. romeo plopped down on one and wasted no time ordering himself a beer.

when he noticed a stranger grab the chair next to him, romeo waved his hand, “not a problem at all” a friendly smile on his lips. he definitely was trying to cultivate a friendly reputation across town for the sake of his business so he wasn’t his usual introverted self. “this place is packed tonight. you’d think they were giving drinks away” romeo commented with a shrug before taking a sip from his beer.

“So what do you drink? What kind of guy are you?” He leant back against the bar, chuckling at his words. “No. But i’m sure if he did my round of golf might be a little more enjoyable.” 

Jarrod laughed gently, smiling at the guy sat beside him. “You have no idea, how much better that makes me feel. You must be at least ten years younger than me. And if you don’t know, well, I’m not as bad as I thought,” he joked. “The kid and his gamer talk. He comes out with these things all the time. And I just look clueless. The other day he was apparently grinding for points.”

Romeo shrugged, “Yeah, I mean I’ve overheard a few teens in the shop and it’s like they’re speaking a whole different language” he explained. “Grinding for points?” Romeo asked as he scratched his chin, “Now, back in my day” he started with a bit of a grouchy, old man tone of voice, “That would mean something probably entirely different and involve dancing” he laughed. 

“You forget, I’ve lived a long time. I am always onto cheeky young men,” she joked. “Yes, I am pretty up to date with all the credit card machines and such like. I never carry cash anymore,” she said, returning his smile. “Heating up preprepared things would break my heart. I’m not joking,” she laughed. 

“It seems my master plan is foiled” Romeo laughed before nodding, “Yeah, I hardly ever have cash on me unless I get a tip or something. Pretty soon I bet people won’t even carry around credit cards” he ranted a bit. “It doesn’t taste awful, but I’m sure something made from scratch is definitely better”

“Damn, you really know how to flatter an old woman. I was nearly 24 when he was born,” she laughed gently. “You are a very lucky man. My husband did not used to cook. Though I am a little bit of a control freak in the kitchen.” She smiled. “Thank you, I have some favourites but it’s always nice to try new things.”

“I try to always flatter anyone willing to put up with my after a few glasses of wine” Trey laughed, “You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen right?“ Trey questioned with a smirk. He hated cooking and was glad he lived with someone who enjoyed it. “It is. That’s one of the things I miss about LA - the variety of food and places to go” Trey confessed.