brave new world;

          “Maybe something blue or light gray—” She murmured in that distracted way of hers, eyes blindly scanning from couch to walls. Natalie didn’t have any experience with color theory, either, but the palette hinted at peaceful. Calming. Everything she found in Ian and needed to keep her head from exploding during the day to day. Natalie jolted back from her wandering imagination - from the fledgling idea of bringing the beach and the ocean waves indoors - when he mentioned something about a cactus.

           “God, you have that little faith in me, huh?” Her palm swatted Ian’s chest. “I’ll have you know it’s been a year since Cerbie accidentally came into my life—” although it wasn’t much of an accident when she stole him— “and he’s still kickin’.” The dog shared her trait of scrounging for scraps when life (re: Natalie) failed to supply. He was also probably waiting for her to pick him up from Bexley’s now that she’d officially settled in.

          Her body pivoted on his lap. Pressed back to chest, draped arm over stomach. Then, when she was good and comfortable, Natalie helped herself to the second half of Ian’s sandwich. Out loud, she mused, “What’s more alive than that?” Her brain didn’t automatically operate in a maternal direction, so it took a moment for the pieces to fall into place. A wedge of sourdough and roast beef lodged in her throat. “Do you—” coughing, she slammed a fist to her chest, just once— “do you mean like… kids?”

          The idea of growing a family probably should’ve been expected, but it threw her for a loop. Even if Ian wasn’t thinking about it, now Natalie was. Being a mother. Teaching someone how to succeed and thrive. She went still, save for a finger that flicked a piece of fallen lettuce off her thigh. “Shouldn’t we— I mean— we should probably be sure your family even wants me in it before we go addin’ my hopeless mess genes to the bloodline, right?” It took a few seconds before her eyes eventually gravitated to his face. Searching. Unsure. Was she way off base right now? Or had seeing Mike and Naomi take that leap inspired a similar urge inside of Ian? Without knowing, she proceeded gently and with caution. “We just— it’s not something we’ve talked about in a really long time.” Not since they were younger and untainted by the stain of all her bad decisions. 

‘‘Light blue sounds like it could be good,’‘ Ian agreed. Definitely a good departure from any pink shades, but he doubted Natalie would have ever offered that. ‘’You know what that means, though?’’ He paused, waiting for a split second to see if any familiar memory might flash across her mind. Still, he didn’t want to keep her waiting for too long, despite the slight enjoyment he found in it. ‘’It means I get to see you undoubtedly make a mess and cover yourself in paint again-- I gotta admit, I wouldn’t mind being included in that whole thing,’’ Ian chuckled, recalling the last time they tried to paint a room together, that ended up in them covered in paint, a little high on the scent, but mostly on love. It was one of the fondest memories Ian harbored from their life together back in Kansas; it was the little moments that counted towards what they had now, the life they were building together and something great to look back on. Those were the reminders that despite the bad times they had had, there were some better times they could remember instead. Ian was good with that.

‘‘A whole year?’‘ Ian widened his eyes in faux surprise-- he wasn’t actually surprised at all. Natalie loved that dog and took care of it, but teasing her felt a little too good in the moment to pass up on. ‘‘You’re such a great dog Mom, I’m proud of you.’‘ On that, though, he wasn’t even trying to joke. ‘‘You think of bringing him back here finally? I promise I’ll try to clean up after him, too.’‘ It felt good to actually have another being to take care of, despite his wish to have a little bit more than a dog. Maybe they could always start there, see how they work in that setting. He was to find out about how she felt about it not long after, though. Seeing her cough, he patted her back absentmindedly as something bubbled up in his chest -- perhaps uncertainty that they wouldn’t be on the same page. He definitely did not expect them to be immediately, but what if they never actually are? 

Moving her hair out of the way and to her back, Ian shrugged. ‘’I mean... my family wants me to be happy with the choices I make. They have never actually tried to meddle--’’ He admitted. He always needed to learn from his own mistakes. ‘’I don’t think they have much say in what I do with my own life, you know? If I’m happy with you... they’ll be more than happy with you, too.’’ His parents were not the typical in-laws; not nearly as nosey as some could be and he was always proud of them for it. Their main goal, as the only son they had -- was that he had someone and that he was happy with them. The rest was always up to Ian himself. ‘’I know,’’ He offered a soft nod. ‘’And I’m not sayin’ we have to work on it right now... but I mean,’’ He wasn’t sure how to explain it to her so she didn’t feel cornered. ‘’Don’t you think we’re ready for a bigger step? I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you and that’s not something that’s gonna change. I’ve always wanted a family with you and the more time gets away from us, I feel like we’re the ones who are losing. So why wait too long?’’

Adam gave a little shrug. “I didn’t, um, I didn’t go out very much. New York is so…so crowded and so loud. I’m not really a big fan of that kind of thing. It makes me…nervous.” He paused, thinking. “’It was never quiet. Even at night there was always traffic and…and people outside and all that. It was a lot.”

Adam didn’t seem to agree and that was fine, Ian could understand that much. He himself had a tough time around the holidays, mostly due to his PTSD, so given that he didn’t know the other guy’s backstory, he wasn’t really going to claim anything or push and prod for information. ‘’Yeah, I can imagine. Well hey-- at least Wilmington’s got some peace and quiet, dependin’ on where you live? Downtown may feel like it’s a bit louder, though.’’

“I meant a bag where she could put the camera and lenses and whatnot in”, he explained. “What I’ve heard it doesn’t really matter is the camera bag actually meant for cameras as long as the bag is firm and keeps the pieces safe.” Sure, he wasn’t expect on this thing, but what he had seen and heard that seemed to be the case. Archer glanced at Ian when he asked about Archer getting something for someone. And then he shook his head a bit. “I don’t really have anyone like that. So I think right now I’ll just shop for myself.”

‘‘Oh, yeah, that’s right,’’ Ian suddenly felt dumb for assuming it was a piece of equipment, but he just laughed it off. ‘’That would make sense... but I think that would also require some research? I can’t really just go into a store and ask for those specifications,’’ He added with a smile. ‘’If I were to buy somethin’ she’d actually use with that purpose... I’d like to know exactly what I’m looking for.’’ Ian was just like that -- he liked to cover his bases no matter what the thing in question actually was. ‘’Gotcha. Well then-- dedicate this time to yourself, nothin’ wrong about that.’’

“Good fucking god. Could you imagine me doing anything related to Television. I think I’d probably die within the first day. I watch trash tv, but I wouldn’t ever be able to deal with it in real life.” She said with a shake of her head. That much she knew for sure. “Is that right? I’ve heard it makes a lot of money as well. That’s a career choice I’d think about doing. Maybe I get you the information and you write it. We could become a pretty good team.” Her brow wiggled towards him after she took a bite of food. “Get ourselves some fancy investors.”

Ian laughed at the idea. ‘’Why not? I mean, you don’t think you’d be able to stir some drama behind the scenes? I hear everythin’ in those reality TV shows is actually stirred by the producers. Scripted. By someone, I’m not too sure,’’ He admitted with a scratch of the back of his head. ‘’Well hey, it’s the money maker business,’’ He shrugged, although he didn’t actually know if that was the case. It just appeared so. ‘’Sounds simple enough. Watch us get rich over night. Next thing we know, we’re on the West coast gettin’ tanned.’’ Or at least he figured what every woman desired in the back of her mind.

Steph’s eyes drifted closed for a moment as Ian hugged her lightly, appreciating the gesture just as much as his words. “Uh, I don’t know,” she answered with a chuckle. “It’s a little early yet, anyway, you’d usually find out about a month on, twenty weeks or so, but um, no, I’m not finding out the gender. It doesn’t matter to me, if they’re wearin’ pink or blue or yellow or green with purple polka-dots, you know? The only thing it’s gonna really matter for at first is diaper-changing techniques, and that’s still ages away … I just want to meet the baby when I really meet ‘em, you know?” Maybe it sounded a little wacky, but it wasn’t like Steph had to defend her decision to anyone, much less Ian – she figured he was more curious than anything else. “Yeah, you’re right, it really is just about one day and then the next. If you start thinking about the big picture too long … it gets overwhelming real fast. And it’s an incredible thing, but then I think about my parents, and how young they were … and it’s something people do every day, it’s everywhere, parents carin’ for their kids. And I’m lucky, ‘cause I know how much support I got already, so–” She just had to remind herself it was okay to accept help once in a while. Even more often than that, sometimes. “The way you talk about her, yeah, I kinda think so,” Steph agreed with a smile. Privately, she wondered what might be next for the couple, but those kind of prying questions weren’t exactly her style. Movement in the crowd ahead of them had her nudging him. “I think the wait might just be payin’ off … looks like you might be up in a minute.”

Ian shook his head at Stephanie’s words with a wide smile -- the one that he hadn’t been able to contain throughout their whole conversation. Nor was he trying to, really. ‘’Makes sense if you ask me. It’s your kid, you won’t care about anything else really.’’ Or at least that was how he saw it. It mattered that the child was healthy and happy and everything else would have settled. ‘’You know I’m showin’ up with polka dots balloons when the time comes, right?’’ He grinned, the image of that instilled in his mind now. ‘’It was your idea,’’ He quickly added in amusement. Whether or not he was going to take himself up on that promise, time was going to tell. Nodding as Stephanie talked, he shrugged once. ‘’I get it. I mean, my parents couldn’t even have a kid of their own,’’ He shared -- although him being adopted was public knowledge to everyone who knew him long enough. It was never a thing that was concealed from Ian, nor was it something he ever tried to hide about himself. ‘’So y’know... I can’t shake the feeling that it’s the best thing that can happen to anyone.’’ Maybe not everyone-everyone, since he was well aware some people simply did not want to have children, and that was perfectly fine -- they all make a choice for themselves. Realizing he had completely forgotten that they were getting food, his stomah growled at him once again in a subtle -- or not so subtle -- reminder. Happily so, Ian approached the stand after the last person and bought their food. ‘’Should I give you my share, too? You do eat for two after all.’’ He laughed.

“I guess I’m going to have to get back to Tinder to find my replacement for you…” he trailed off. He was happy to hear that Ian and Natalie seemed to have settled down again after being on and off for so long. “I’m so glad you two found each other. Are you talking about Natalie Lewis? I think I’ve seen her around a couple times. I’m happy for you man. I’m sure you won’t jinx it. Relationships take a lot of work and as long as you two are willing to put in the work, I’m sure things can only get better for you too,” he commented. It wasn’t like Aiden even had much experience when it came to relationships but he knew many people in long and committed relationships and that was one of the things he heard over and over again. “I love cold weather. I love sweater weather and I can dress my dogs in funny costumes and I can just say it’s to protect them from the cold weather.” He laughed. “Yeah, there’s also Cyber Monday, which I guess is a much easier way to buy discounted things.” Aiden took the belt with him. “So, now for a second belt. What should I get?”

‘‘Tough luck,’‘ Ian laughed -- he himself was never a member of the Tinder craze, but he could understand how that option was attractive for single people. ‘’Maybe I can take the position of  your wingman instead? Not as good, I know -- but it’s definitely still something?’’ He offered as an additional part of the elaborate joke they had bouncing bewteen the two of them. ‘’That’s her,’’ Ian nodded, unsure how Aiden knew his girl’s last name but then again, WIlmington proved to be smaller than most actually small towns. Everyone knew everyone else and their mother -- that was how it worked. ‘’Seems like that’s about right... but you know what’s funny? Her and I know each other inside and out... it feels like it was always meant to be the two of us, you know? So I’m sure it’ll take work, but it took a hell of a lot more work to keep away from each other,’’ Ian admitted the sentiment, shrugging once as if he were stating facts. To him, they were facts. Looking over the belts display, Ian shrugged. ‘’Honestly, maybe the second one should be your own choice? Like without outside interference?’’ He grinned. ‘’Just pick one, man, it’s not that hard.’’ He chuckled.

Allie as Ian spoke, knowing that he was right. So often, she found herself lost in her mistakes that she forgot that they were meant to teach her something and, in the long run, she’d be better off taking them in stride. “You should write a book on this stuff,” she said with a laugh, picking at her cuticles as she let the end of what he said really hit her. Maybe that’s her problem, she constantly pushed her own needs to the side so she managed to always put her loved ones first but never herself. “That’s really good advice, some that I often have a hard time applying even when I try to worry about myself for a moment.”

Ian couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. ‘’A new career choice? Sign me up,’’ He joked, obviously, as the sight of him writing anything at all seemed ridiculous. He was well-educated to a degree, but definitely not in the degree writers were. He didn’t read half of his school reads, let alone something else. ‘’Next time we talk, I’ll be your competition,’’ He teased, happy to see that she was relaxing into her environment; a stark contrast to how she was when they started talking initially. ‘’Well, it’s not an exact science either, to be fair...’’ He trailed off. ‘’Human beings aren’t made to be perfect, at least I don’t feel that way. The more mistakes we make along the way, the more human we are... otherwise, Alexas and Siris will be overruning the planet and that’s ‘bout to be it for all of us.’’ He laughed.

“Um, probably,” Adam said. He certainly didn’t have any plans to go anywhere any time soon. He didn’t know about Allie, but considering she had a relationship – he didn’t really like referring to Robert that way, but whatever – and friends here, he didn’t think she was going anywhere either. “Um – yeah, I like it. It’s…it’s pretty different than New York, but I never really, um, went out that much. So it’s actually kind of nice not to feel pressure. Cause New York is so…” He waved his hand vaguely. “Such a big deal.”

‘‘See, that’s pretty interesting,’‘ Ian started off with a rub to his scruffed chin. ‘’Most people come from the big cities and find Wilmington, or rather-- smaller places in general -- pretty boring. Nice, for a few days or a vacation so to speak... but mostly boring for some long-term living.’’ He explained, speaking from experience and from what he had spoken about with newcomers who came from those big cities. ‘’Usually when you’re born here, you feel a certain way about it and you keep comin’ back to it... but the big city rush? Gets the adrenaline pumping.’’ He explained.

Listening for a moment, she shrugged her shoulder. “It might be, but I know there’s two different one. There’s one called extreme couponing and the other is how people do different things to save some money. I’m not going to go into full detail but they’ve done disgusting things. One uses his hot tub to bathe, warn up his food, clean his dishes and his clothes.” She shook her head and wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought. “I bet it does. I’d pay someone to do that for me. It should be a career.”

‘‘Y’know...’‘ Ian trailed off, the onset of a tease very much obvious in his voice. ‘‘With all this reality TV knowledge, you may be working the wrong job,’‘ He then chuckled, shaking his head. ‘‘I mean, could’ve easily written the tabloid magazines, ever thought of that as a career choice? I hear they’re making pretty solid money,’‘ He offered the explanation as he continued the joke, the lingering chuckle ever so present. ‘’Maybe you can do a Kickstarter funding and open up a company. Get rich with this new business idea.’’

She was trying, God was Greer trying to hold on to the last thread of sanity she had left while standing there in Ian’s hallway. She hadn’t intended to just show up and lay all of this on him with no notice, but Greer couldn’t go home just yet. She couldn’t pull it together to tell her mom and her dad that their youngest child was gone… she couldn’t hold it all in as she told Easton, the three year old who wasn’t going to be able to comprehend the finality of death, that he’d never see his mother again outside of photographs and his dreams. She couldn’t do any of those things without completely falling apart so there she was, on her best friends doorstep, barely holding it together as he gently ushered her inside and over to the couch. 

She’d opened her mouth to speak, to apologize for just showing up the way she did, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, once she was in the comfort of his apartment and the safety of his arms, the only sound escaping Greer’s throat were loud, sorrowful sobs that shook her entire frame. “She…” The blonde began between sobs, unable to speak in that moment as she allowed herself to cry for a few more moments before she inhaled a sharp breath, holding it in for a second as her lower lip quivered and her usually bright brown eyes, now dark and full of unshed tears, locked onto his; using him as an anchor to keep herself together, even if only for a few extra minutes. “I got a call…” She began again, sniffling between words, “She was dropped off at a hospital in New Mexico.” Another pause for more sniffling as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeves, “She was ODing… she’d relapsed. I should’ve known, I should’ve been there for her. Instead she had to die alone and in pain.” She had to stop speaking then, her words cut off as a new round of tears sprung to her eyes and she leaned in, resting her face on his chest as she truly began to mourn the loss of her baby sister.

Call it a trigger if you will, but Ian could almost feel the pain she was feeling. Not because she was his best friend, or because he was anymore of an empath than the people around him, but because this was exactly what he always feared with Natalie back in the day. He feared that he would have to, at least eventually, face her ODing on the bathroom floor and that this was how their story would end. Lucky for the both of them, that didn’t happen and he held out a strong hope that it never would. Because... how was he even to begin comforting his best friend when her flesh and blood had died of the same thing? He was a bit at a loss for words, never truly thinking he would have to face news of the same kind but... there they were. Greer seemed hopeless at the very least, a bit lost in the haze of tears that graced her eyelashes and the way her sobs echoed in the living room of his apartment. And if there was anything he ever really wished for in that moment, it was to turn back time so they could change the course of the things that had unfolded and potentilly ruined not one or two lives, but the little Easton’s life, too. The thought of the little boy had his stomach do somersaults.

‘‘Hey,’‘ Ian wiped off a tear-stained mascara that was running at her undereye, altough that did nothing as it seemed; the flood of tears was too strong to put a halt to, and truly, he wasn’t really going to try. It was one of the comforting gestures that he could’ve done for her, although it wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things. You don’t just make peace with a death of a loved one, not so soon and not so abruptly. ‘‘This isn’t your fault, there was nothing you could’ve done,’‘ He reasoned, or at least tried to. ‘‘It’s messed up, what happened, but this is not on you. Your sister had her own path and you have to understand there was nothin’ in this world you would be responsible for in relation to that. You hear me?’‘ He wanted to make sure she was really listening. Ian didn’t want her to spiral into this bottomless hole of darkness that could’ve so easily swept her away that she wouldn’t be able to come back. ‘‘I know it’s terrifying, and I know it’s hard, and it’s going to be harder than anything you’ve ever really had to face but... if there’s anyone in this world that can do it, you can. We’ll go through this together, okay? For Easton, and yourself.’‘

Archer gave the hand a firm shake with a smile. It was always nice to meet new people and Ian seemed like a pretty nice fellow. “There might not be photography related stuff there”, he admitted as he eyed towards the items. “But there probably are bags that could work as a camera bag?” he suggested looking at Ian. “But in the end, I’m sure she’d be happy to receive any kind of gift because it’s from you.”

Ian laughed, shaking his head. ‘’I legitimately have no fuckin’ clue what a camera bag is, man,’’ He admitted, but then realized he could spend some time researching his girl’s hobbies and things that were important to her. As much as he loved her, maybe the time they had spent apart created some gap that he needed to put some effort to fill. ‘’Unless you just meant like a bag you put your camera in? I don’t know, never seen them,’’ He scratched his scruff as he mused over it. ‘’Well, that may be right. How ‘bout you, though? Anyone you wanna get somethin’ for?’’

It’d never really been something Allie thought of, the idea of making your own path. Maybe it was because she always ended up stepping up and doing what she thought was the right thing for those in her life instead of herself. But listening to Ian bring up the idea of taking whatever path you could want, she couldn’t help but think about how different her life would have been without the sense of responsibility she felt for both her brother and father. “I guess we do, in a way. Even if it’s out of our control. We decide what we want to do and whether or not that’s best for us, it is still all our decision.”

‘‘No one said we don’t make mistakes along the way of our decisions,’‘ He pointed out with a simple shrug of his shoulders. ‘‘Lord knows I’ve made a few solid ones,’‘ He admitted without much thought. In his thirty five years there, it wasn’t realistic to live by the rules the whole time. No one could, at least that was what Ian believed. ‘’But... for the most part, I think you reap what you sow, and I know it’s the most cliche, corny phrase out there, but I can’t shake the feeling that it just is true. Cliches become cliches for a reason. So I guess, the best thing to do is just push forward and try not to hurt people along the way. But also take care of yourself, put yourself and your loved ones first.’’

“Have you not watched the extreme couponing show where people buy over 900 dollars worth of food and then get it down to one dollar. Sometimes the grocery store even owes them money. Frankly, I’m just worried I would suck at Math too much for this but it’s worth a try.” The brunette said with a nod. Not that she’d have time to do this in full, ut it was nice to dream. “Another great way of saving money. I appreciate that.”

‘‘Oh yeah, I heard about that. Isn’t that about... cheapskates maybe, though?’‘ He asked, trying to think on it for a few moments. Maybe some wires got crossed, or maybe it was the exact same show, he wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter anyway. Widening his eyes in half-surprise, Ian chuckled. ‘’The store owing me money? I’m here for it,’’ He nodded, the idea of that wildy surreal but still. ‘’I mean, I bet a lot of work actually goes into planning all of that, and calculating stuff. I guess if you don’t have a full-time job... or something... maybe it makes sense,’’ He offered, shrugging once. 

          “Wow,” Naomi breathed out, nodding slowly. “Moving in, huh? That’s a big step.” That wasn’t much of a surprise to her though, even if her words had tried to prove that it was. All seemed to be a little forgotten when he dropped that bomb. Falling back on the topic of her shopping seemed a little awkward when there was a topic on the table like that. Naomi had expected this was the next step after she had got wind of the pair finding their way back to each other — that wasn’t too much of a surprise to her, either. It would have more of a shock if they didn’t.  “I bet that’s a lot. The whole moving process is deadly and doing that on top of school work? Well, color me impressed.” She was sure Natalie wouldn’t want to hear that was coming from her though, and quite frankly, Naomi would have preferred to keep mum on that as well. That probably had everything to do with their reasoning to reject Michael’s offer. “That’s awesome though. Congrats, Ian. You look happy.”  

He wasn’t sure exactly what the future held, in the grand scheme of things. The awkwardness seemed like it was there to stay, even when they could seem relaxed and friendly around each other. Maybe one they, they really could, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling of a cold sweat around Naomi. Which bugged him to no end, because they were both starting their new lives with the people they loved, so he couldn’t get a grip on when was that ever going to go away. In a perfect world, they would be close family friends. Idealizing that thought per se, Ian could see them having barbecues together and him laughing with his best friend and his wife without a care in the world. But the circumstances happened differently despite his wish that they wouldn’t. ‘’Honestly, I’m impressed, too,’’ He chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. Really, anything revolving around Natalie still felt impressive to him -- with everything she had been through to get to this point, to come out on top. ‘’Thanks, I am,’’ He nodded a few times. ‘’You look happy yourself. So-- the big day’s approaching, huh? Now that’s a lot,’’ He pointed out with a smile.

          In that, they were on the same page. Natalie’s only experience with decorating began and ended with whatever she could find for a steal at the local thrift store. Function prevailed over aesthetics, and price trumped even that. “I don’t know what I want, to be honest.” Starting a home - filling it with things that offered a glimpse at the kind of person who lived there? Foreign territory. “I’m pretty sure I’m not a frilly pillow and pink curtains kinda girl, though.” No surprise there, but it begged the question— if not that, then what? Still straddling his hips, Natalie glanced around their living room. “A plant might be nice… you know, practice for keeping things alive?” A soft, self-deprecating chuckle fanned out. “If I can’t manage that, I’m hopeless at seeing you through to the next year.” If he planned to live off her cooking and care alone, that is. So far she’d barely stepped foot into the kitchen unless it was to grab another drink or napkin for greasy pizza fingers. Another thing to add to her list? Probably. “That reminds me, though.” Her attention flashed back to Ian’s and her hands found his shoulders. “I was flipping through a campus newspaper this morning in between classes, and—” Uncertainty drew her up short, only for a moment. “They do cooking classes with the culinary department every couple of weekends. I thought maybe we could try it out?” Half date, half means of survival. “I wanted— well, that is, I was hoping to invite your parents over for dinner sometime, but I can’t exactly serve your mom toxic sludge masquerading as mac ‘n cheese.” Call it a Freudian slip, but she absently added, “My lab partner said if you haven’t earned your mother-in-law’s approval within the first three months, you’re basically doomed.”

‘‘I’m pretty sure you’re not, either,’‘ Ian agreed, a chuckle leaving his lips. Maybe he was wrong entirely, but her being nervous and thinking of the little things, such as decoration? It was endearing at the very least. That also carried the connotation of her planning for their future together -- as in, she was there to stay. They weren’t just dating, they weren’t just in a relationship. They were already living together, which was a preparation for the rest of their lives. How couldn’t he love every single bit of it, even the ones that left her a little stressed out and nervous? ‘’Like a cactus,’’ He deadpanned, even though everyone knew that taking care of a cactus required no effort whatsoever. ‘’We can even forget it’s there,’’ As soon as he said, however, a fit of laughter escaped him and before she would’ve run off, his hands landed on the sides of her hips to keep her in place, just in case. ‘’If you wanna get a plant, we can get one. But,’’ He smiled. ‘’You think we’d have time for somethin’ a bit more alive? Like a bird?’’ He didn’t want to say dog because dogs were practically like children, as far as taking care of them was concerned. ‘’A fish tank?’’ He then offered, but another fit of laughter bubbled up to the surface. ‘’Just because we do wanna practice for something a bit more... alive, right?’’ He locked his eyes on hers, hoping she’d catch what he meant by it. He wasn’t about to just drop the topic of a baby on her, but he did want to know how she felt about it. ‘’A cooking class sounds great,’’ He nodded not long after. ‘’But you already know my Mom thinks you’re great. They both just need some time, you know?’’ Referring to his parents as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face, Ian mused on it. His parents did think Natalie was cute and funny and pleasant to talk to, but he felt like they didn’t think she would stick. And who could have blamed them? He introduced them to Naomi out of nowhere, his mother held out a hope only to have that crash and burn. And before Naomi, he never actually introduced them to a serious girlfriend. And suddenly, he was living with one-- despite them being aware of Natalie’s existence back when he was serving, he now understood they didn’t think she was that serious. In fact... he was pretty sure that they still thought he was secretly dating Greer or something along those lines.

“Sure. I mean, it’s money, it’s what I like to do. I’m the best pediatric surgeon the place has,” she said. Vanessa chuckled. “Come on, is there really nothing cool you can tell me? Clearly I’m living the more exciting life,” she teased. “Hey, I get out. I go for drinks after work when I can,” she argued. “And I totally do. I can get decent-ish food from the cafeteria, depending on the day. And the bar has good fries and nachos.” She paused. “Just to be clear, that’s not me saying no to getting drinks together, I’d like that, I’m just stating some valid points that I do go out.”

Ian chuckled with a couple of agreement nods. ‘’I’m inclined to agree even though I know nothing about hospitals or your specialty,’’ He admitted. ‘’Honestly, not much. Livin’ with Nat has been great so far, I’ve been-- sorta, thinking of perhaps enrolling into the police academy, but that’s Cal and Hades talking out of me,’’ Ian laughed, shaking his head. ‘’I don’t know if i’d be able to juggle everything, you know? And I just wanna be able to spend some downtime with my girl,’’ He shrugged. Although his ambitions exceeded his current job as the head of security for a financial group, he was not sure about pusuing something else entirely. ‘’Fine fine, you won,’’ Ian grinned in Vanessa’s direction. ‘’I get it, you go out,’’ But there was still the nagging hint of a tease in his voice. ‘’What’s next, wanna tell me you’re a party animal?’’

Adam smiled as the man said he’d met Allie before, nodding. “Yeah, I – I wouldn’t think there are that many,” he agreed. He smiled a little and shrugged. “I think we just, um, kind of drifted. She wanted to see the barrel racing and I’m mostly here for the food.” 

‘‘You guys thinking of staying here in Wilmington?’‘ Ian asked curiously, shifting as he directed another smile at the younger man. ‘’I know she mentioned she liked it, how ‘bout you?’’ He was always curious to learn about what others felt about his hometown. ‘’Oh, gotcha, to each their own, right?’’ Ian smiled.