'til my legs give out

Isobel peered back at the male with a tilt of her head as she looked him over as well. He was lucky she hadn’t suggested they go for the route where she’d call him daddy in front of her actual father. Maybe ask her ‘daddy’ to give her the salt and watch both her actual father and Kahlil reach for it. “I think they just might. You gonna get me a ring?” She teased then, looking down at her finger than back at him. “You down for more? What if we throw a little kink into it?” She grinned then, watching him intently.

Khalil already knew he was fucked. Beautiful people always managed to get their way, didn’t matter what his brain constantly tried telling him. “You the black sheep in the family, by any chance?” he teased, tugging at his lower lip. “You don’t remember, babe? You didn’t want no ring.” Tilting his head with a smile crossing his face, he looked into her eyes as he let go of her finger. “Whatever makes you happy, I guess. I can take it.”

“Suddenly….” She paused to look him over, “I’m kind of glad that Frankie never came over.” She was also glad he didn’t find her awkward either. Hopefully he shouldn’t change his mind based on something she did later on. “Good.” A grin was sent in his direction before she extended her hand towards him once more. The bar was crowded and she didn’t want to lose him in the crowd. Lithe fingers wrapped around his hand before she began to guide him towards the table she’d pointed out. Pausing a moment when a group passed in front of her, she stepped back into him, tilting her head back to whisper a quick ‘sorry’ for the invasion of space.

Okay, so maybe he did have a chance now Frankie was a lost cause. A good look-over was never a bad thing. “So am I,” he soothed, trying to keep his cool for now. His fingers slipped in-between hers as he more-than-willing followed suit, eyes admiring her from head to toe. Guess he wasn’t bound to leave early after all, though that choice wasn’t his to make. Being caught between her and a woman behind him, he noticed the drunk group of people in front. “You good?” he asked instead while brushing his free hand down her arm – slowly leading her toward the table once the younger generation had passed.

Nadia arched a brow at his words, hold the piece of paper in her hand as a soft chuckle left her lips. “Don’t stress, I understood what you meant.” She lifted her eyes up towards his face as she gestured towards the empty seat in front of her. “Feel free to give me a hundred percent of honesty, alright?”

Khalil let out a hum and took a seat after gently grabbing the paper. “Alright,” he started off, glancing her for a second. “And you better give me credit for being your grammar.” Never would he ever mind helping strangers, he felt kinda lost without talking to people in general. No patience whatsoever. “Looks good so far.”

A hint of laughter fell from her lips at his comment. He was definitely right about that—one hell of a way. A way she didn’t appreciate too much, which is why she didn’t feel too too bad about judging the size of the thing. Granted, she still shouldn’t have shared it out loud, but now that they were here, there was no turning back. “You’re tellin’ me. That’s why it’s so unexpected. Like I get it, this app is totally made for hookups, with the few one-off chances of meeting someone cool. But definitely didn’t expect that to be a way of breaking the ice.” At least, it wasn’t something she’d ever do. “I mean, not every guy. This is the first for me, but I can’t imagine I’m the only one to get something like this, honestly. Some people are just a little crazy I suppose.”

There was a number of things Amy was ready to find inside an abandoned building, from homeless people seeking shelter, to a body waiting to be discovered. She went in looking for the kittens that were calling out for help, but before finding them she seemed to have to jump through a few creepy hoops. Trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to disrupt anything or anyone that might have inhabited this space, she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone called her name. Her heart hammering in her throat, adrenaline putting her on edge, she turned around to find Khalil Amari staring right at her. While the setting wasn’t out of the ordinary for him, he seemed to be so out of place in Wilmington when she was used to seeing him in New York, with all its hustle and bustle. “Khalil?” She inquired in surprise, her eyes narrowed at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Khalil always passed this place without even giving it a single look. A place of wasted teens and dead people, they said. Still, he always wondered what it’d be like to head inside. Now he was here, he didn’t know what to believe. A haunted house – no way, more like haunted memories the second he was face-to-face with Amy. “The hell are you doing here?” he narrowed his eyes back at her, “you know you’re trespassing, right?” The rendezvous was weird enough, but it was something about it that made him happy to see her again after all this time.

“You say that, but until about an hour ago I also was a person who never forgot their keys” Penelope pointed out, with only a hint of sarcasm. It wasn’t like she was annoyed at Khalil, if anything she was annoyed at herself. Getting locked out your apartment wasn’t cute at the best of times, but now? Now it was just really inconvenient. Though she had rather been dreading making those difficult phone calls to the debt collection agencies. Maybe this was simply a blessing in disguise? But no, it wasn’t, and she knew it. It was just an opportunity for her to delay, but she’d have to do it at some point. Still that was an issue for her to solve when she got back into the comfort of her own apartment – it was not something she could take out on her neighbour, especially when he was doing her a favour by actually finding her a number for a locksmith. 

“He wasn’t the most sociable of neighbours” the redhead explained with a shrug. “Didn’t seem to have many friends or family around much of the time”. Not that she’d ever really thought about it before. He’d just always been the grumpy neighbour upstairs. She’d never seen the interior of his apartment to pass judgement. But it seemed that wherever Mr Peterson had chosen to shuffle off to, his replacement was a significant step up.”I’ll be sure to turn my ABBA playlist up extra loud” she joked, lips quirking up into a crooked grin as she did. “I get that” she nodded, taking the coffee cup and holding it between her hands. “I used to live in New York – and Boston so I get the desire for small”. She moved across from her spot against the wall to sit down at a chair that crowded around the small kitchen table. “Or maybe I’m just a masochist” she shrugged innocently, taking a careful sip of the piping hot coffee. “No, it’s lovely round here. People are great, rent is reasonable” ( at least compared to city prices ) “-and you can walk along the street without the fear of getting taken out by a rogue taxi driver” she added with a hint of mischief in her words. After all, New York cabbies…well the stories rarely did them justice. 

Khalil huffed, pretty damn sure he was gonna end up knocking at her door too. “I don’t know. I'm weird like that. I always got my keys by the door and I never leave without it,” he admitted, a part of him being a control-freak, though it didn’t make much sense. Digging up his phone, he started scrolling through his list of contacts. Why he had all those flings and booty calls from NYC there, he had no idea. Maybe he liked knowing they existed still. “Found it,” he murmured, placing his phone on the countertop for her to see the number.

“Some people die of loneliness – maybe he figured that out and wanted to get out,” he shrugged. Sadly, he’d experienced that more than once, and it was a sight he was bound to remember for the rest of his life. Mr Peterson seemed to have been the grumpy neighbor most people eventually had to cross paths with. Kind of a classic within a block or neighborhood. “ABBA?” he frowned at her, letting out a chuckle. Thank God that was a joke, or else he’d end up lying down, foster position style, and rethink his life decisions. “No shit, you lived in New York?” No, he didn’t expect that, but NYC was big, so no surprise they’d never crossed paths. Like a damn labyrinth – Wilmington wasn’t like that. He could probably get used to this city in less than five months, mostly because he liked cruising around in his way too expensive Maserati. And work, of course. “Oh, really?” he chortled, hoping the coffee was alright. “I know, New York was crazy, but I loved it, ya know?”

near the precinct with @khalilamari​

Finishing up her morning jog, Amy was walking down the streets of Wilmington with her headphones neatly tucked into her pockets. She managed to empty the battery halfway through her run, and relied on the sounds of her surroundings to clear her mind instead. Surprisingly, it worked, her mind wandering to the letters of application stacked on the desk in her childhood bedroom, waiting to be sent out to a select few hospitals with which she hoped to come to an agreement and possibly resume her residency. So lost in thought was she, however, that she nearly missed the sound of a kitten meowing that echoed through the broken window of the abandoned building by which she was walking. The sound stopped her in her tracks and she looked up, hearing it again, only this time it was a choir of kittens (or more than one, at any rate). Ignoring the ‘no trespassing’ and ‘private property’ signs, Amy pushed her way inside the old building that had been a favorite gathering spot in her high school days, and started looking around, searching for the little things, calling to them in a soft voice as she went. “Here, kitty, kitty.”

Khalil had a foot on the gas, waiting for a green light. A friend of his had just asked him to join him out with a couple of friends, but after the day he’d had; let’s just say he was done, his brain filled with all kinds of things. From unsolved cases to what he felt like eating. Two minutes later, however, things were about to change. A familiar face showed up on the sidewalk. Amy. No, he wasn’t sure, but damn right he was gonna find out. Under what circumstances led her to be here at this exact moment? Following her steadily, he ended up furrowing his brows when she seemed to approach a private property. “What,” he murmured, stopping the car on the side of the street before scooching inside. The hell was she doing entering an old building like this, anyway? First off, trespassing, second, dangerous. “Amy?” he then called out while waving off dust surrounding his face.

Isobel chewed on her lower lip as she looked at him for a moment and smirk when she came up with the perfect plan. “I think we can go either way with you.” Her brow wiggled then. She didn’t think he had it in him to be a huge dick, so they could play up the nice bit. “Maybe we say we met in vegas last week and got drunk and married.” Lifting her bare hand, she extended it in his direction. “I think I’d look really hot with a ring on this finger.” Crimson grin crept on her lips then. “Maybe even mention we’re trying for babies or is that too much?”

Khalil lifted his chin a little checking her out, not sure if she was kidding or not. Like, he’d met crazy chicks before, and the woman in front of him was hotter than hell, so… not easy to say. “Right,” he frowned, hoping he didn’t have to be an asshole and ruin people's lives. Still, he was doubting what’s currently happening. “Vegas, yeah? You think they’ll buy that?” Looking down at her hands, he gently pinched her ring finger. “We haven’t come that far yet, trust me.”

“You’re right! Totally. I did not expect to be looking at this though. The notification popped up that I got a message and well…that’s what was there. I shouldn’t have even opened it, honestly. I guess this was just his way of starting a conversation.” She felt more guilty about bringing up while they were talking than calling the man who sent the picture, out. “I wouldn’t say too good of a man, I think it just makes you a normal, decent being. I like to think that most people wouldn’t just be like ‘hey, here’s a nude’ out of nowhere. Some, however, I guess didn’t get the memo that it’s not a cool thing to do. But that’s sort of the territory that comes with dating apps. Sadly.”

Lennox smirked. “Yeah, I’m not really so good at that, but I guess I kinda have to let it slide. Considering she’s my grandma and all.” They grinned a little as he spoke. “Lennox Carlson,” they said. “And you? Como se llama?”

“Now you’re getting somewhere,” he smirked, “you know grandma’s, they only want the best.” That and complain about the fact they were never gonna become a great-grandma. “Oh man okay, let’s see…” he huffed, scamming his head for everything Spanish. “Mi nombre es Khalil Amari.” Pursing his lips, he nodded at her. “See, I know shit.”

where: cesar’s condo on wrightsville beach who: @khalilamari​ & cesar hayes

Cesar wouldn’t really call himself a lothario by any means – he was more of a romantic at heart, one that had quite a difficult time finding someone to settle down with for no other reason than, well, he just had shit luck. Things with River were going smoothly, but the two of them weren’t exactly exclusive by any means, and after chatting with Khalil on one of his (many) dating apps for the past couple of weeks he’d become more anxious than anything to meet the man with the pearly white smile that he couldn’t help but harp on during their conversations. Perhaps his luck had turned for the better seeing as the male offered to come over that very night, so after some rigorous cleaning and preparation, Cesar felt both excited and anxious once he’d finally arrived. 

“Alright, so, you better like a little heat ‘cause I went ham with the chili powder this time,” he warned teasingly as he stepped out to the front porch where Khalil was situated, handing him a plate of chilaquiles that he’d just put the finishing touches on. Gloria followed dutifully behind before hopping over to one of the corners, laying herself down comfortably. “It’s my abuela’s recipe, so I ain’t to blame if it tastes like shit – but, if she were here, she would say the opposite.” He grinned, taking a seat on one of the lounge chairs beside him, peering out toward the sun that was setting over the ocean’s horizon before turning his gaze back to Khalil. “You get this kinda view over at your place?” he asked with a smirk, taking a bite from his plate. 

Khalil couldn’t get over Cesar’s looks, to be honest. Kinda scared him how hot he was, or how his voice rung through his ears like smooth silk. No way he was gonna tell Cesar, but before leaving work, he’d taken a swig or two from his partner’s hip flask. Stupid, he knew, but, who could blame him? This dude seemed way too good, making him dinner and whatnot. This view itself was amazing; the sun literally floating across the horizon. Couldn’t say he got to experience much of that Downtown. His apartment, however… normally, he’d be the one inviting handsome strangers, but being here didn’t feel as tense and nerve-racking as expected.

"You’re lucky I’m used to that shit,” he taunted, pinning his lips by the sight of him. The food too, of course, looked delicious, and as he grabbed the plate, he uttered a ‘thank you’. “I’m not messing with no Abuela, don’t worry.” Humming, he took a bite, taking in each and every flavor. After all, he didn’t wanna ignore all the time and effort put into this, so. “Mmh,” he moaned, clearly contented with the homemade dinner. A small hand-gesture did the trick, praising his date’s cooking skills. “Not even close.” A glimpse of the river and a couple of old buildings was what met him standing by the window at home. “You’re not too bad of view either, just saying.”

CESAR: oh please do 😍😍

CESAR: im counting on it!

CESAR: sounds gr8, i'll send you my location. apts kind of annoying to find. see ya soon 😊

KHALIL: if you're lucky imma send you one from my desk

Claire looked the male over, deciding that the fact she was stood up was probably meant to be. If anything, so she could meet the male before her. The very attractive male. Not that she was getting ahead of herself, or anything. “Claire,” she smiled as she took hold of his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Khalil and thanks for making me feel less awkward.” He could have easily walked away and left her to drown in her own self-pity. “I’d love that. I think the corner table is free.” She pointed to the far end of the bar. “But if you’d like to stay closer to the bar, that’s fine too.”

“Awkward? A woman like you? I don’t think so,” he hummed, knowing Frankie would regret standing up someone gorgeous-looking as her. At least he got a reason to stop staring at his phone or nip on his glass of beer. Her hand was so smooth, nails pretty… and her smile made it impossible not to smile back. “Nice meeting you too,” he responded and snickered before looking over at the table she was referring to. “Yeah-yeah, no, let’s take it – I’m not that thirsty.”

“I will keep that in mind” she commented, inclining her head into a slight nod. Usually Kevin was her go to neighbour for…well, anything really – she’d been known to slip notes under his door when she was going on a night out to ask him to at least knock on the door the next day to check she was alive. Not the most conventional of neighbourly relationships of course, but it worked well enough. But of course this would be the one time when both he and Sophia were out of their apartment – sod, and his law, were laughing at her no doubt. “And same to you obviously. When I’m around. Which in fairness hasn’t been that often as of late” she added as quick after thought

“Uh, no” Penelope admitted with a shrug and little shame. “-Given that he was 85, a grumpy old bastard and didn’t like my taste in music, we had little common ground to bond over”. As it happened she hadn’t minded Mr Peterson. Well, not much. He was a pain of course, but she saw him so rarely that it had never been a real issue other than the odd comment made when she went to go out and get her mail. In other words, they’d never been on good enough terms for him to have informed her that he would be moving out. “In Wilmington, or this block?” the redhead asked, casting her gaze over at Khalil as he busied himself making coffee. “Wilmington three years almost, this place coming up to two” she informed him with a smile. Beyond the six months where she’d lost her mind of course, but she wasn’t going to tell a stranger about that. “You new to town?” she asked curiously

Khalil didn’t wanna push, but he genuinely loved people, as long as they were nice and didn’t throw a fit every time they crossed paths. That being said, he’d been taught to be a good neighbor by his dad, and no, he’d never been given another option. “I like this hood, it’s nice – and yeah I’ll take you up on that, though I never forget my keys.” A joke? Maybe, maybe not, but still, he wouldn’t hesitate to contact her if he, for some reason, forgot those damn keys. And since it wasn’t any of his business to ask about her whereabouts, he kept his mouth shut.

“Oh, c’mon, this apartment looked like shit, and don’t even get me started with the smell. This,” he gesticulated toward the rest of his apartment,” took me a while, but it’s all good now – and I don’t mind music so don’t worry about turning up whatever you’re listening to.” Yeah, music was the one thing among others he spent his time doing while at home. Or else, he’d be stuck at the station for hours, probably longer than he should. “In Wilmington. I’ve been in New York for a while, but I needed something – I don’t know – smaller?” With that, he grabbed the cup and handed her the coffee. “Two years, huh? Guess it’s not that bad here after all, or what?” Wilmington was far from family, especially his mom. His dad could handle it. After all, he was a grown man now, no need to be spoiled with love at this point. “I am, yeah, but I like it… and I know some folks around here, so I can’t complain.”