𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞.

It was as if Laurel was asking for it—all the fucking time. Seeing her sly and knowing grin made her tick, but she remained calm cause she refused to give her what she wanted. “Sheila.” she mimicked in a disgusted tone. She groaned and waved her off as a means to shut down the concept of her uncle on a date. She continued scrolling through her phone, until she mentioned why Ibrahim should have fun. Zey fell silent and locked her phone, she didn’t want to sink into her thoughts, which is why she got up and started tending to small tasks like the hookahs, the coals and checking the tea. 

Laurel’s next words set off a fuse as she looked over at her unamused, “Fuck you.” she snapped back. "I so do not think that way. Only a conceited bitch would think so! If you haven’t noticed, I live with the man—so these dates affect me to too!” She finally returned to the counter and hopped back onto the stool as she studied the older woman. She wondered what kind of shit she was up to and immediately narrowed her gaze out of suspicion. “Laur, I hope you choke on that gum.” Zehra deadpanned before returning her attention to her phone. “If you’re going to torment me this whole shift, you might as well utilize our services—if not, then get out.” 

❝  yes, sheila, ❞ laurel repeats for a second time as her eyes drift lazily around the shop. ❝   she’s a nice lady ; she likes bird-watching, does grocery shopping every sunday, she even cooks - ! now, just imagine ibrahim and sheila cooking for the evening, sharing a bottle of expensive merlot wine between the two them,❞  laurel grins, knowing that these little insignificant details zehra didn’t care about, but they were fun to think about for laurel. ibrahim has been working his ass off for years long before he had adopted zehra has his own. with a heart of gold whilst wearing his heart on his sleeve, the older man deserved to have some time off and relax. hearing zehra whining the journalist whips around. ❝   how ? ❞ laurel asks harshly, eye’s narrowing at the young woman, shaking her head. ❝   these dates affect you because you can’t go out with your friends, right? is that it? ❞ laurel rolls her eyes.

 ❝  give the man a night, zehra. one night. ❞  laurel shakes her head again. the brunette could have been a lot harder on the girl, but knowing how she could get when she didn't get her way, laurel didn't feel like having her own words tossed back in her face right now. tonight, she could dish it, but she couldn't take it. mostly because of what she had planned tonight, and she knew if zehra said anything rude, laurel would have no problem calling it off - which she didn't want, but she would. ❝ ooh, someone has their claws out tonight. ❞  that’s more like it. laurel enjoyed pushing people. she liked to see how far she was able to poke until the snapped at her - and then some. yes, she did take it personally, but knowing what another person's limit's were said a lot about them. she basically already knew all of zehra's, so this ... well, this was just for fun ...

Why was she so loud? Callan took another book from the pile he made and continued to read. Maybe her noisiness was just a one-off thing. If he ignored her, she’d eventually leave. That’s how it normally went anyways. He turned a page and wrote a few notes in his notebook. Later, he’d type it up to organize everything better. 

“No.” He replied before she even finished asking the first question. “No, again.” Callan lowered his book and looked over at the woman. He remembered that she was a reporter or something like that, which meant that whatever she was going to ask was going to be invasive. Hard-hitting questions usually were. “I decline to answer. It probably isn’t anything that I can answer.” Not during work hours anyway. Did she even know what he was researching? If anyone cared enough to ask, they haven’t made themselves known, and he was fine with that. The fewer people that bothered him, the more work he got done. He liked it when his stream of consciousness flowed uninterrupted. 

Callan narrowed his eyes at her and got up from his seat. “Because I’m reading. It’s obvious.” He picked up a few books, having already gone through them. The man tucked them between his arm and side before putting them back onto a cart. “Why does it matter?” It shouldn’t. “I do know.” He didn’t feel like showing her though. The librarian wasn’t too far away from them; he was sure that Laurel could go ask them for help. Cal wasn’t paid to assist the general public, which was a relief. He didn’t miss teaching students. “I’m going to get a drink of water.” He muttered to himself. 

callan looks over at her and she returns his gaze with neutral, but also, slightly annoyed features. ❝ why are you the way that you are? ❞ she asks, but this time, laurel isn’t looking for an answer. instead, it’s to give off the obvious impression, with the flatness to the tone she’s using, that she isn’t happy callan isn’t playing along. ❝ oh my god ! ❞ laurel rolls her eyes while callan declines to answer any of her questions. ❝ look, i realize you’re a robot, but even robots know how to have a decent conversation. ❞ laurel throws the insult at him as if it were nothing. she just wanted to have a intellectually stimulating, deep-thinking conversation and she figured cal was able to give her that. it looks as if she thought wrong, which was a thorough disappointment. 

❝ you know what i mean. ❞ why was he being difficult? when he asks ‘ why does it matter? ’ , laurel doesn’t miss a beat when answering because one) she always had an answer ready for when she spoke about magnolia springs since it was always negative and two) in a way, she was giving callan an answer to spite him since he didn’t give her one and it was clear he didn’t want to have a conversation. ❝ because, frankly, i hate this town. i wanted someone’s perspective. to see if it was different from mine, that’s all. ❞ she shrugs, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. 

hearing that cal does know where the section she was looking for was located, laurel looks back at him with a smile, obviously thinking she was going to be able to ask him for help ... but, clearly he wasn’t in the helping mood. her smile falters as callan tells her he’s going to get a drink of water. she blinks in surprise for a moment. ears grow hot with - anger or embarrassment. she isn't sure which one. pushing out of her chair with a small scoff, ❝ whatever, ❞ she goes searching for the books in interest.

The noise the older woman made only caused Valentina to bite her lip as she did her best to move the shopping cart and avoid the stares of people that were walking past them doing their shopping. Mental note; only go grocery shopping when it’s early and everyone is still asleep. Makes life so much easier. Madison, however, was focused on the older woman as she pointed towards her and looked at her mom, “She’s pretty, mami.” An innocent observation but Val was gently bringing down her hand as she mumbled a soft, “What did I say about pointing, Maddie?”

Before turning to the woman herself, “I honestly don’t understand why people are even acting this way. I swear this one woman saw me grab a bundle of bananas since Maddie was getting a bit snackish and she looked at me like I was some psycho since I took the last good one that wasn’t all bruised.” Following to where the woman had gestured, Val soon found herself nodding her head in understanding, “Oh my god, tell me about it. Every time she sees Madison she wants to pinch her cheeks and I refuse to let her near her each time. Very sweet lady but… she’s a lot to handle.”

❝ oh, well -- - thank you ,❞ laurel tells the little girl with a stiff laugh. it’s not that laurel didn’t know how to take a compliment... actually, that was half of the problem. the other half? not knowing how to act or talk around children. either it’s too baby-ish that the parents acts as if their child is einstein or she’s way too... plain-spoken. ❝ i ... like your hair. ❞ she says back to maddie and hopes that would be enough for the little girl.  ❝ and your ... shoes ... ! ❞ nope, that’s enough laurel. ❝ do they light up? ❞  -- how embarrassing. alright, babies are beautiful. let’s start off with that. on a good point. laurel thinks all babies are wonderful gifts that people should be proud of, and show off to others at any point in their lives. like, --- someone made a human being. whoever creates a human being deserves to brag. but laurel is one of those people who will be awkward around any child when she meets them. it’s not the parents fault. it’s not the babies fault. it’s all on laurel and she knows it. despite her years of babysitting - zehra mainly being, she’s always been this way. and it’s comes down to the simple fact that young children tend not to talk.  laurel has survived by talking. she’s made friends and enemies by talking. not being able to converse with a human being on a typical back and forth manner she has been so accustomed to makes her very awkward. 

FORTY - SEVEN: do they like tv shows or movies? or neither?

laurel likes both tv and movies, but she prefers them a certain way in order to keep her interest. for tv, if the show episode is longer than thirty minutes, she wants nothing to do with it. for movies, if it isn’t a documentary or a psychological thriller, she hasn’t seen it. 

FORTY - EIGHT: do they have social media? do they like it or hate it? obsess over it?

laurel does have social media. the big three, in fact: facebook, twitter and instagram. she has these platforms for both work and personal use ; to keep up with people she’s met on her adventures as a journalist. it’s also for people to get into touch with her, whether they believe they have a good story for her or if she needs to get into contact with someone else. obviously,  these platforms are always ways to keep herself in the loop with what’s going on in the world on a more surface level... she also can’t resist those videos of abandoned animals going home to the perfect family.

FORTY - NINE: do they have a creative outlet? if so, what is it?

FIFTEEN: do they know how to drive? do they like to drive?

laurel doesn’t know how to drive. she was learning when she became of age, but failed the drivers test and never retook it because she freaked out while driving when a deer narrowly missed the vehicle ; since then, she’s seen driving as a deathtrap. then, when she moved to new york, having a car is just plain stupid. so, no, laurel never learned how to drive and she doesn’t plan on learning in the near future - even though it’ll give her the sense of control that she loves.

TWENTY - ONE: did they have any fears growing up that they’ve since conquered?

answered.

FORTY - ONE: where would they want to live if they could live anywhere? why?

THIRTY - FOUR: are they the jealous type? what are they most likely to be jealous of?

yes. yes, laurel is definitely the jealous type. she isn’t jealous when it comes to people have ‘ more things ’ than her or a ‘ better life ’  ; what she gets jealous over is other people and their connections and relationships. laurel is too loud, too outspoken, too forthright - just too much as a whole for the general population, and she knows this. her life has always been this way. she gets jealous when she sees friends hanging out or even watching a show where a large group of people come together and simply enjoy each other’s company -- - yeah, that’s how jealous laurel gets.

THIRTY - FIVE: are they possessive over their things? or over other people? both?

both. laurel doesn’t like it when people touch her items. especially when everything been carefully placed. she doesn’t seem like it, but laurel is very particular about where her items are. with people, because of her own insecurities and not knowing how to make friends, much less know how to keep them, when she does make that connection, laurel tends to smother. she’s afraid this person will leave if she doesn’t give them her undivided attention - what she fails to realize is that she’s the only driving the person away. 

THIRTY - SIX: would they rather be alone or in a relationship?

ONE: what’s your muse’s favorite album of all time / favorite artist?

answered.

TWO: how do they listen to their music? ipod, mp3, computer, cd, records, etc?

laurel listens to her music a few different ways. one, is that she has the car radio on, but unless it’s a song she really likes, it’s on as background music and she’s not really listening. at home and if/when she’s there, there’s always a different vinyl playing on repeat throughout the day. it starts when she wakes up for her morning coffee and doesn’t turn off until she’s finished a glass of whatever she’s drinking to help her relax for the rest of the night.

THREE: do they take baths or showers? do they prefer one over the other?

showers. laurel loves showers and hates baths. unlike showers, bathtubs isolate you in your own pool of filth and just the thought alone is enough for laurel to gag. also, lifting your body out of bath water is just too damn hard. gravity, what a bitch.

FOUR: do they wear their hair down when they sleep, or tied up / braided?

answered.

FIVE: how many blankets / pillows do they like to have on their bed?

naturally, laurel burns hot, so she doesn’t have many blankets. she has a thin bed sheet and a summer comforter at all times, even in the dead of winter. as far as pillows go, she has three. one solid bamboo pillow and two softer pillows. with a happily purchased king sized bed that almost takes up half of her room, this allows laurel to sprawl comfortable. and with a lab puppy who’s going to grow, it was the best purchase laurel could have ever made. 

TEN: what shampoo scent do they like the best and why?

NINETEEN: what are their phobias? do they have any at all?

oh, laurel has plenty of phobias that she doesn’t talk about. she doesn’t like heights, she doesn’t like spiders, and weirdly enough, she doesn’t like pitch darkness which as been a big one since she was a little girl. as an investigative journalist and a women in general, laurel tends to carry a number of glow sticks in her purse and even a flashlight. in new york, she was always trying to get her interviews late at night when interviewee, specifically the corrupt ones, because that’s when their guards were down ; whether they had been drinking or doing drugs, she was always able to get an answer that way. that was her trick in the night. that doesn’t mean that fear was never there. it always was, it always is.

TWENTY: what do they hate being teased about? are they teased often?

laurel hates being teased about her height, and yes, she’s teased about it often -- - mostly by zehra who has a few good inches on laurel. she’s 5′2, but mighty as all hell. her attitude and approach on life in general makes up for it, but she still finds a lot of people don’t take her seriously because of how small she is. to a point, mostly in high school, but it tends to be a problem these days at times too. eventually, when she left magnolia springs, and moved to new york where there were a lot of ethnic groups and people her height, things got a little better but that self conscious feeling never went away.

TWENTY - ONE: did they have any fears growing up that they’ve since conquered?

nope. laurel still doesn’t like heights, she still gets the shivers when she spots a spider in the corner of her eye and she still feels very uncomfortable when she’s stranded in the dark with no source of light. as per the next question: commitment is also high on this list.

TWENTY - TWO: do they have a fear they want to conquer, but haven’t yet?

ah, commitment ... yeah ... she’s never been very good at commitment. laurel has never dated seriously. her longest relationship was maybe three months. as soon as things become consistent, she has the need to end things when the relationship starts moving past the casual stage, even though she might possibly really like the person she’s seeing. laurel doesn’t like the fact that she could fall in love with someone and they are able to just ... wake up one day and say that everything is done. laurel, when she’s in a ‘relationship’ she gives it her all, and then -- an anxiety gets the best of her that she isn’t good enough or she can’t keep their interest ... yikes.

TWENTY - THREE: how do they show fear? sweating, shaking, blankness, anger, etc?

ONE: what’s your muse’s favorite album of all time / favorite artist?

seeing as laurel’s favourite music genre is disco, her favourite album of all time has to be love to love you baby by donna summers. it’s not the front-line, exciting disco that you first thing of, but that album is a masterpiece all by itself and incredibly forward-thinking with the instrumental breakdowns, overt shameless seduction and repetition, yes. this has to be laurel’s favourite album of all time. her favourite artist is a little different. it’s joni mitchell. laurel doesn’t know how many times she’s listened to the album blue and finished listening feeling a little bit removed, and always watching - which perfectly connects with her journalism. especially as a woman, it takes a big amount of courage to be so honest. joni mitchell is a big influence on laurel.

FOUR: do they wear their hair down when they sleep, or tied up / braided?

while sleeping, laurel hates when she feels like she’s being choked by her hair. so, she ties it up in a bun on the top of her head or braids it an hour before bed. that way, when she wakes up and takes out the braids, her hair is naturally wavy and she doesn’t have to deal with in the morning. one less step to worry about.

FORTY - SIX: if they could control one thing in the world, what would it be?

bored. bored, bored, bored.  with her feet up on the table, slouched back in her chair and a book open to over her face, laurel groans into the page as arms fall limp to her sides. she groans again. a bit louder this time even though she knows she isn’t alone. callan was here doing whatever historians do. read history? he was as quiet as ever. she wouldn't say that the two are friends, more like friendly acquaintances, maybe.

licking the inside of her lips, laurel sits up straight. catching the sliding book that slips from her face into her hands, she shuts it and tosses it onto the table in front of her with a sigh. ❝ hey, cal ? i’m gonna ask you question, okay ? ❞ it was more of a statement than a question. she needed knowledge substance. she needs her mind and thoughts to keep going or else this fluff piece she was attempting to work on would never get done and her manager, the someone she had back in high school, would be pissed. laurel was NOT about to give liam carter that power. so, poor callan, was laurel’s new subject for the time being and what better -- mind substance? thought knowledge?  shit. she’s forgotten what she’s called it ... anyway ! what better knowledge could there be than learning about someone?