when: late at night.

who: günes hepner @headtoheels

with the tone of a known melody coming from the speakers and hummed back in return while dexterous fingers work through shaving the last pieces of chocolate for the dessert, sebastian's attention shifts quickly from the task ahead to the next— the stove currently melting some chocolate for the very last touches of the meal. half of the stuff he had already prepped are half done either cooling down or about to be nearly done. the theme of the night: texas dishes he'd grown up loving. every time the opportunity arose for his neighbor to either come by or have him over, sebastian took it upon himself to not only muster an entire meal for them to share, but themed each one with either a story or whatever movie or tv show the two had decided to watch. this time, however, the chef was aiming for his friend to know him a bit more and in return, hopefully find out more about günes.

"hey, come lick the spoon!" he calls out to his usual visitor for the night, his grin growing slightly as the sound of his friend approaching entered his ear drums. "i have a whole feast for ya so i hope you're hungry. seriously considered making some dr pepper texas sheet cake and everything" sebastian jests as he turned his attention to gunes, a cheeky smirk stretches through his features "but chocolate will have to do for now, my mom wouldn't give me the recipe" he feigns disappointment, handing her the aforementioned spoon, his gaze falling from her face to his labradoodle, pollux, just by the woman's feet. "come on, i'm just gettin' on your cat's good side. if you get home smelling of pol I will once again go down a tier and i can't afford that. the growls are just getting better!" he complains although the light tone in his voice gives his amusement away. "you've been sleepin' good? or do i need to buy a bottle of melatonin for the two of us like two old people? want anything to drink? i got that thing you mentioned last time, it's on the fridge but there's some other stuff, make yourself at home."

“  define  good... ”  because  her  judgment's  always  been  skewed.  “ i  guess  we  can  pop  some  melatonin  gummies,  get  matching  ugly  sweaters  and  sit  on  the  front  porch  until  one  of  us  falls  asleep  first,  like  true  old  folks.  ”  isn't  that  the  worst?  the  notion  that  she  wouldn't  mind  it.  no,  of  course.  the  worst  part  is  that  she'd  love  it.  a  beat  later,  tongue  meets  spoon  in  one  fluid  motion,  making  her  forget  the  very  thing  she  was  about  to  say.  “  this  is  divine,  by  the  way,   ”  she  sighs,  pauses,  reluctantly  lowering  the  spoon  into  the  sink,  no  better  than  a  spoiled  child  who's  just  been  given  spun  sugar.  “ you  got  the  new  cherry  soda?  you  remembered? ”  her  smile  underlines  the  question,  dark  eyes  widening  as  if  to  embellish  her  surprise,  but  instead  of  the  fridge,  she  finds  herself  reaching  to  open  one  of  the  kitchen  cabinets,  somewhat  assured  that  she  knows  where  all  the  plates  are  kept.  “  let  me  set  the  table  at  least.  can't  have  you  doing  all  the  work.   ”

AERI   DID   A   QUICK   RUNDOWN   ALONG   THE   LIST,   albeit   short,   of   things   her   friends   were   allergic   to,   before   getting   herself   and   Gunes   something   to   munch   on   that   evening.   Although   she   knew   that   the   last   thing   the   young   EMT   would   need   was   a   warm   cup   of   coffee   as   she   left   her   shift,   sometimes   decaffeinated   drinks   were   a   blessing   to   this   world   —   and   Caroline   an   even   bigger   one   for   serving   those.   Cupholder   in   hand   and   a   to-go   box   on   the   other,   the   short-haired   brunette   waited,   leaning   against   her   car   until   she   spotted   the   other   woman.   ❝   Damn,   sugah…   ❞   She   teased,   whistling   playfully   at   Gunes   and   pushing   herself   off   the   passenger’s   door   to   greet   her.   ❝   Aren't   you   a   sight   for   sore   eyes…   ❞ The   hand   holding   the   sweet   treats   moved   up,   lining   up   to   both   women   eye-level   and   Aeri   smiled   as   she   cocked   her   head   to   the   side.   ❝   Cherry   danish?   Carrie   was   extra   generous   with   the   jam   today.   ❞   In   all   honesty,   Aeri   hoped   they   had   managed   to   secure   a   good   relationship   since   the   accident.   Of   course,   she   was   grateful   for   Gunes   being   on   site   and   helping   save   her   life,   but   she   also   enjoyed   the   other   woman’s   company.   None   of   this   was   still   to   thank   her.   Not   after   four   years   had   passed.   ❝   You   want   a   ride   home?   ❞

“  you  didn't  have  to  get  me  anything.  really.  blow  a  kiss  to  carrie  the  next  time  you  see  her. ”  direct  and  yet  delicate,  with  everything  that  she  does,  other  than  goodbyes,  she  saunters  to  the  left  side  of  the  car,  barely focused , knowing  already  that  the  only  thing  she  can  say  after  spending the last twelve hours at work  is  yes.

“    why  not,  maybe  i'll  feel  less  alone  this  friday  night  while  everyone's  having  fun,  ” she  tosses  the  joke  like  a  penny  between  them,  a  half  smile  tugging  at  her  lips,  uncertain  if  it'll  land  where  it's  supposed  to,  but  the  last  thing  that  she  desires  from  the  other  is  commiseration.  notably  for  something  that's  downright  her  own  doing.  “  how  have  you  been?  ” 

“Probably not any begonias — reminds me of condolences.” Barbie was prattling on about which flowers to send to her office, and a few sample bouquets to her fiancé’s office when she realized she was not, in fact, talking to her assistant any longer. With pinkening cheeks, she waved a hand in their direction and laughed. “Oh — sorry about that. Though, I didn’t think I could lose my assistant in this small a shop.” She craned her neck and saw no sight of the former intern, and heaved out a sigh. “You don’t look exactly like a floral connoisseur.” Barbie teased, a relaxed smile on otherwise hardened features. “But that might be a blessing in disguise.” She shrugged, recalling all the times she was able to think quick on her feet without a business degree. There was something to be said about the unexpected things in life. “So tell me — purple or red?” She gestured to two equally decadent bouquets, loud and glamorous, quite like her. It wasn’t that she would take her opinion blindly, but rather, it would give her insight to what others maybe expecting from the almost former Whitlock.