i've seen this film before

“   this   yours   ?   ”   said   without   pause   ,   paying   no   mind   to   anything   the   bartender   had   just   said   .   calloused   hands   hold   up   a   small   bag   ,   brow   raised   .   “   it   was   sitting   outside   …   i'll   go   —   just   figured   it   might   belong   to   someone   here   …   ”   that   and   he   definitely   didn't   see   any   closed   sign   ,   though   he   attempts   to   show   no   inclination   of   embarrassment   beyond   a   slight   tint   of   rosy   hue   on   the   bridge   of   his   nose   of   which   he   cannot   change   .   slow   steps   back   ,   bag   lowered   onto   a   free   table   .   “   sorry   .   ‘m   sorry   .   really   .   didn’t   intend   to   intrude   .   please   don't   call   the   cops   or   anything   .   ” 

nadia looked at the bag that was held up and she instantly recognized it as one of her regulars bags. thankful that someone brought it in instead of stealing it was an understatement. “it’s not mine but i know who it belongs to. she must have set it down without realizing it,” she said as she moved toward him with a smile gracing her features. a laugh escaped past her lips as she shook her head. “oh fuck calling the cops unless you threaten me which you haven’t so no worries, dude.” she pauses, looking back at the bar then to him again. “i mean we are technically closed but i think you deserve a drink. you a beer or liquor type of guy?”

mackenzie really doesn’t understand why she is so nervous to meet kiara’s teacher but she was. with her hand intertwined with dallas’s, she glanced over at him with a small nod. if you would have told her this was how her life was going to turn out five years ago, mackenzie would have called you a liar. she always envisioned when her and dallas had kids they would do all of this stuff together: school visits, parent teacher conferences, award ceremonies, all of it. and now it was a reality as they greeted the teacher. mackenzie smiled softly, her gaze on the woman in front of her. she seemed kind like someone who was meant to do this for a career. “oh no thank you for inviting us here. i know the end of the school year is always the most hectic so no apologies.” at the mention of her own little one, she couldn’t help but smile. “how old is your little one?”

⌗    𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋    ,         craft loft    . 

archer was looking through the different paint options when he heard someone next to him. he wasn’t really paying much attention to his surroundings but when she spoke, he nodded his head. “is this the one?” he asked, pointing to the can at the top of the shelf. he reached for it, handing it over with a smile. “oh no you’re all good. i’ve always been the tall person in most places so i don’t mind helping grab things off the top shelves every now and again.” he went back to looking at the different paint options. “what color gives off a homey vibe? looking to redecorate and am having such a hard time figuring out what color feels like home and not just like cold, you know? does that make sense?”

⌗    𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋    ,         charity gala @ the ivey    . 

archer was never one to miss any type of charity event even if he didn’t necessarily want to go. his father and brother were in attendance and it would “look bad on the family” if he didn’t show his face. so there he was, standing against a far back wall, drink in hand as he watched the people around him. he had always been the more observant one in comparison to his brother and in times like these, that worked in his favor. “i hadn’t even realized that i was looking at my drink any sort of way,” he countered. the mention of a strong pour, he lifted the glass to his lips to take a drink. “i have had worse and honestly maybe he thinks if he can get them drunk fast enough they’ll spend more money,” he says with a shrug before shaking his head. “this is fine, promise. when do you get to actually enjoy this event and not just running around?”

 ★   ˖   ⊹         𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛   𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟.                              ↳    𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧    …     burger king drive thru.

nadia was thankful for bonnie giving her a ride home since her car was in the shop for the second time this week. she didn’t have the money to pay for the repairs so it’s sitting in the car yard until she can save up enough money for it. instead, she finds herself walking or bumming rides off if anyone that would be so willing. and tonight, she found herself in the passenger seat going through the burger king drive thru. her feet were on the dash as she watched the excitement on bonnie’s face at the mention of mozzarella sticks which in turn got her excited. “girl, no. i haven’t eaten since breakfast so you do not have to worry about me saying I don’t want anything.” she paused thinking about what she wanted, before she leaned over bonnie to get close to the speaker. “yeah, can i get that exact same thing? extra pickles please.” she pushed herself back into her seat. “this was a genius idea. who doesn’t love burger king? and great choice in the mozzarella sticks. I wouldn’t have even thought about ordering those.” as they waited for their food, nadia smiled over at bonnie. “seriously, though. you are a lifesaver. next time you come to the hideaway, free drinks on me. how has your night been otherwise?”

⌗    𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋    ,         lake henry    . 

there weren’t many places in town that nadia had found that brought her some peace like being at lake henry. her new yellow polka dot bikini fit her just right and the sun beaming from the sky darkening her skin by the second was the serotonin boost that she needed. she had zoned out and almost didn’t hear the voice next to her. pushing her sunglasses from her face onto the top of her head, nadia leaned up on her elbows. “you know what? i am so down for that. a dip and then a treat sounds so fucking good right now.” she was the first to stand and wipe off any sand residue off her hands. “come on, barbie, let’s go party,” she said with a laugh, her hand reaching out to grab the others. “should we also add in a little seltzer action to this?” she wiggled her brows with a grin tugging at her lips.  

⌗    𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝗋    ,         willow square     . 

if there was one thing that she didn’t miss about texas compared to north carolina was the heat. it was the kind that made you wet and not in the sexy way but the way that made you want to take a cold shower immediately. she already felt her hair sticking to her face as they walked causing her to immediately put her hair into a messy bun. “i mean it is still spring but i think summer decided that it wanted to enter the chat before any of us were ready. if this is the start, i do not know how i am going to survive the rest of the summer,” she said with a small chuckle. “you know i am always down for a sweet treat. especially on days like this.” at the mention of dallas and their house situation, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes slightly. it was still a soreness for her when he vanished without a trace. “girl, he would probably be kicking and screaming if he had to move in with me,” she said with a dry laugh. “he disappeared for a couple of days,” she started before glancing over at amara. “lost his phone, wallet got stolen and he couldn’t find his way back home for a couple of days. probably why you hadn’t seen him but yeah he’s back.” she shook her head. “we are working through some things and well it’s been a lot. i love him with everything in me but it’s been a lot. I just have to protect myself and ki and that’s been a rough patch in itself. I don’t know it’s just been a lot.” she held out her hand for amara to take. “enough about me. tell me more about this rock you have on your hand. i need all the deets please.”

mackenzie was never one to back down from a challenge especially in the work space. she deserved to be there as much as anyone but once people find out that she was a mother, they never looked at her the same way. just because a man couldn’t take care of a child while also perusing their dreams doesn’t mean that women couldn’t , especially mackenzie. her own father even thought that motherhood would ruin not only dallas but herself. she proved him and really, anyone that thought she couldn’t follow her dreams. “why men think they have the right to debate anything like that always baffles me,” she said with a scuff. it was like they didn’t want to change anything to make things better. she had some great ideas, but it felt like nobody really cared to change. 

dallas swallows, jaw clenches slightly as he listens to her speak. "i don't know, mack! i wasn't thinking!" voice cracks as he speaks, watches as she moves further away from him. there's a pit forming in his stomach and he suddenly feels like he needs some air, but he stays still on the couch. "i'm sorry." he repeats, voice quiet, barely above a whisper as he twists gold band on his ring finger. "i don't know what you want me to say."

when he moved closer to her, she stayed in her spot as she just looked at him. part of her wanted to be angry still and part of her felt this sense of relief that he wasn’t in a ditch somewhere. but she also felt even more worried that his recent drug use was due to deeper reasons than just having a good time. “fuck, dallas. i could never hate you but you had me worried sick over here. i didn’t know whether you were dead or alive and that ate me up so much. i was waiting for police to show up and tell me you were gone or that i was gonna have to identify your body.” she moved closer to him, her hand finding his and in that moment she felt a sense of relief flood over her body. 

the warmth radiated off raven like the sun itself was shining on her through the ceiling. it didn’t feel forced as all the interactions felt like she was welcoming her family into her home. she understood what dallas saw in her immediately and she could also understand the upset that he experienced after their break up. she didn’t know much about it, still as she did not want to pry when he was already upset. when she said her favorite items, she pressed her lips together as she looked down at the menu in her hands. how many times had dallas sat where she was and stayed until raven got off work? did he come to her work often? she knew dallas and when he loved someone, he loved them with their his whole heart. it was easy to see why in this case. “i think i’ll go with your first suggestion and do the lemon blueberry pancakes, please. maybe throw in a side of bacon with it too.” she held the menu out for the woman to take. “what about desserts? anything worth those extra calories?”

dallas flew back in last night, and despite the contents of the last couple days still sitting in his system, he was sound enough to know not to go home. he doesn't know what awaits him when he walks through the door, if he'll even have anyone waiting for him there. it wasn't intentional to leave for so long, had only planned to fly to los angeles for a few hours and then pop right back, but everything seemed to go wrong in that forty eight hour span. his phone was stolen a few hours into the worst high of his life, his cards and cash were taken from his wallet, and by the time he was able to get ahold of a phone, he wasn't in the right space to dial mackenzie's number. by then, it had been almost two days since he left and he wasn't sure she'd even want to hear from him.

it wasn’t the fact that he had gone somewhere with god knows who but it was the fact that there was no communication. and for two days, she didn’t know if he was dead or alive. part of her wondered if he thought the same thing when she vanished without a trace. if his heart ached the same way hers did this weekend. this was her karma for leaving him all those years ago. she doesn’t know if she has any right to be angry but then she thinks about their daughter and the worry that not only she experienced but ki as well. when she left dallas, he was the only one that had to worry about her leaving but this was different. their daughter didn’t deserve to have to worry and for that she was angry.