divine chaos;

closed for: @freddiewentworth​

location: lottie’s place

“You know, I find myself a little offended that you thought I, a scholar and upstanding citizen of the Republic, would have weed,” Charlotte laughed while walking down the stairs from her bedroom into the living room with two already rolled blunts in hand. “But, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost and I have nothing better to do tonight--so, what’s going on, Freddie?” Charlotte asked while tossing a lighter over to Freddie on the settee. 

closed for: @williamfkelley​

location: Wide Awake

Lottie arrived fifteen minutes early and stood anxiously outside of Wide Awake waiting for Will to arrive for their coffee date. Normally things like this wouldn’t make her nervous, there was very little to be nervous about, what was coffee between two--friends? Exes? Former fuck buddies? Lottie wasn’t certain what she should call Will, but little did it matter. With Hemmy at her feet, dressed in his finest bow tie collar and matching leash, she leaned against the window of the cafe tapping her toes to the sound of the music from the festival wafting through the air. “Hemmy,” she looked down at the dog who looked back up at her with his head tilted to one side listening carefully, “d’you think I scared him off? Callin’ this a date? I mean, it’s not. No offense Hem, but I wouldn’t be bringin’ you on a date, bud.” She let out a laugh before looking back out at the street watching for Will to arrive. 

-

Ari grinned when she felt a firm squeeze of a handshake.

“Oh, I love that, not just one story but an entire person. I hope you get to tell him more often how much he means to you. I’m sure he’d say the same about you,” she replied. 

She tilted her head. “Why would anyone want to be in uni forever?– although I’d like to go to uni one day, graduate all proper with those silly hats.”

Arabella laughed with Lottie. “I’m pretty similar. I’m not exactly smart, so I can’t do maths or just think for a long time, but I like to move around quite a bit. Maybe that’s just the dancer in me talking.”

__

“I hope you’re right,” Lottie smiled. It was easier to move on from the comment rather than think longer about him than she needed to.

Lottie furrowed her brow and thought for a moment. “I don’t know why some people do it--but I know that for me--it makes me feel accomplished. Like, well, honestly--like I’ve accomplished more than what the cards I was dealt dictated I could accomplish.” That seemed like enough of an explanation. 

____

Will was really enjoying the night out more than he thought he would. He though he would just end up at the bar and strike up a conversation with some random people he happened to sit near. But that was before he saw his … She wasn’t quite an ex. They never dated. He didn’t really know how else to refer to her in his head, other than an old friend. “That’s good for you then. Keeping busy. I guess if I don’t run into you here, I might run into you at the book store,” he grinned. But maybe now he didn’t just have to run into her. Planning things was good, too. “It’s a coffee date,” he nodded and finished off his drink. “Yeah, it’ll be really good to sit down with you and properly catch up. I know I can’t take up too much of your time here. There are other people who will need your attention as well. You’re not my own personal bartender,” he chuckled a little. “I’m really glad to see you again, too.I thought I never would again, honestly. And I’ll make sure you have my number before I head out.”

__

Seeing Will again felt like the universe, fate, or even God giving her a second chance at life with her old friend. It’d been years since she considered the existence of one--but only some all knowing person would have known to bring Will back into her life when she was finally in good enough place. “Honestly, you’re likely to find me walking around with Hemmy. We take a lot of walks--living near the sea has been good for us,” she grinned. “You’re right, I’m not your personal bartender--but I am available for hire should you be in the market for one,” she chuckled. Lottie grabbed a coaster from the counter and the pen from out of her ponytail and scribbled her number down on the back. “Here, a little old fashioned--but here’s my number. It’s been really fun seeing you and I look forward to our coffee date,” she beamed.

“Yeah, do you guys carry anything on local history? Or do you have any biographies you’d recommend? I’m shopping for someone but it’s hard to figure out what he might already own so I’d like to get a variety.”

__

“We do,” Charlotte put the pile of books in her hands down on the counter. “Follow me--they’re over here, by the window,” she floated through the small store. “As for biographies, they’re along the wall over by the world history section. As for recommendations,” Charlotte furrowed her brow for a moment, “I can’t say I know of how well written the local history books are--but there’s several biographies I can recommend--perhaps one of them might work? There’s a brilliant book written by Hallie Rubenhold called The Five about the lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper--but that’s a bit dark, to be honest.”

Nadia arced a dark brow, noting with amusement that even in this idyllic place people weren’t always what they appeared to be. Take the bookseller; pretty in a Miss Honey kind of way, but she’d definitely flipped into goblin mode to shoot down some rude customer. Hoggle beware. 

“Just… out of interest, you wouldn’t be willing to make a deal by weight, would you?” She knew it was a long shot, but if you didn’t ask you wouldn’t get. “Doesn’t have to be new stock, old and damaged would actually work better.”

Charlotte would be the first to admit that the way she handled the customer who was clearly just trying to escape the heat and sit inside near a fan--but her patience wore out the second their dirty shoes touched that settee. “I dunno what the boss would say if I said yes,” Charlotte chuckled. “Might get more business--I’ll have to ask ‘em what they think of the idea,” she smirked.

“You’re not wrong about that,” Will smiled, taking just a moment to look at Lottie. She really did clean up nice. She looked fantastic. And there was much more life behind her eyes than there had been the last… several times he saw her. “Yeah, those were some of my favourite moments, too.” Whether they were in or out of bed, they had a lot of good times together. And when she winked at him, he couldn’t help but blush. Will was fairly sure Lottie would always have that effect on him. It didn’t take much to make him blush, and Lottie surely remembered that. “That’s kind of you. I am proud of myself. And you should be proud of yourself, too. You’re really out here doing school and working. That shit’s not easy,” he grinned. When the conversation turned toward her dog, Will saw just how much her expression changed. That pup was clearly the source of a lot of happiness - as he should be. Dogs had a way of making people feel loved just for existing. Who wouldn’t like that? “Coffee? Yeah, I would really like that. I drink copious amounts of coffee these days.” It was how he got through long days at the office. Will had coffee to thank for some of his better Amicus Briefs that he had written. “And I’m not too busy saving the world for a walk.” Especially with you, he left out. “Having a dog seems like a good way to meet people. And that’s great! I’m glad to hear they’re doing well. If they ever move here, I’ll be sure to say hello to them. At least there is technology so you can see them when you talk to them sometimes.”

__

Charlotte wished she could stay like this all night--with Will again, talking about the past like it wasn’t skeletons in the closet but happy memories kept safe in shadow boxes on the walls. “No, you’re right--school and work isn’t easy,” she shrugged, “but I have to keep myself busy. I’m here one or two nights a week and I work at First Page on the weekends.” Sure, maybe she didn’t relax as much as she should--but there was something about sitting still that didn’t quite suit Charlotte. At least not yet anyway. “Well, it’s a da-coffee date, then!” Charlotte beamed. “It’ll be nice to get out with a friend for a bit. It’s supposed to be proper summer weather this weekend, maybe we can take a walk down by the shore some evening and cool off,” she offered. “They’ll be happy to hear about you again,” she blushed. Her brothers thought highly of Will after all he did for her back at Oxford. “I’m really glad to see you again, Will. Feels a bit surreal, really.”

————-

Ari grinned, “And I’m Arabella but everybody calls me Ari.” She stuck her hand out for a handshake, although she wondered briefly if that was too formal.

Arabella could tell that Lottie was either leaning towards her or speaking louder because she could hear her a bit better over the usual bar noise. “Well, then… please share a good memory if you’d like to,” she replied.

“You’ll definitely get a hefty tip now, Lottie. I won’t forget it. I promise.” She toasted in the direction of Lottie’s voice and drank from her cup again.

Lottie took Ari’s hand and matched strength with her handshake. It was a pub after all, not a board meeting--handshakes needn’t be formal.

“A good memory of uni--” Charlotte knew what her answer would be, but she’d not known Ari long enough to regale her with the tale of her trip to Coventry with Will, so she picked her second favorite memory instead. “I wasn’t having the easiest time adjusting to life away from my brothers until I met someone who was, well, an asshole--but the two of us just seemed to get one another. He was with me through a lot of difficult shit and I don’t know if he knows how important to me he is, but I still think of him as bein’ the best part of uni,” Charlotte smiled widely and sighed. “That’s sayin’ somethin’ since my career is now bein’ in uni forever,” she added.

__

“I don’t doubt it,” he said with a laugh, “though I stand by my point. You know, I can’t really speak to originality in naming–I have the exact same name as my grandad, for which I blame neither him nor my mother.” Lottie made him want to smile–he’d always had a soft spot for quick-witted women, and he respected anyone who got straight to the point without dancing around every other word. “You seem like you fit in here pretty perfectly, though not without giving some of the old-timers a heart attack or two; not that I can talk there, either, as I used to do my fair share of it, too. Mostly by accident, to be fair. Doctorate, eh? That’s impressive, Lottie. God, am I a local. It used to be a bit embarrassing, but I’m proud of it now. I love this place.” He raised an eyebrow at her, looking over from the corner of his eye appraisingly as he took a longer-than-necessary drink. “Nothing specific. My mum lives here, of course, and, umm…” Freddie looked at the ground bashfully. “I got a little tired of London after a Buzzfeed reporter followed me six blocks after I told him I didn’t want to do an interview. Wanted some privacy, peace and quiet, that kind of thing.”

__

“So, I guess we’ll place the blame on your grandparents then. My blame remains with Ma and Ma alone,” she took a long drink from her glass of water. “Feels nice to know I fit in here--I only moved in a month or two ago and it’s been quite the change from what I’m used to back home,” she shrugged. Lottie hadn’t lived alone and away from her brothers since getting her MPhil and now that she was in full recovery, it felt great to be able to live on her own--but heartbreaking to not be around her brothers all the time. Facetime wasn’t really the same--how could she know for certain that they stink when she told them they did? “It’s good to love the place you’re from. Some of us don’t have the luxury,” she chuckled. “The Doctorate bit is pretty impressive--if you asked me what I wanted to be when I start uni at Oxford at 18 I would have told you somethin’ you can’t get a degree in--” She stopped, after all she’d just met the bloke. Revealing that her 18 year old self imagined her to be dead in the ground by 19 wasn’t the kind of thing you just lay on a stranger. Even if he’s cute. “Oh well, well, well Mr. Popular,” Charlotte laughed heartily, “I think there’s someone more than just your Ma livin’ here that’s brought you back,” she stood up and grabbed a stack pint of glasses beside her and began to polish them with a towel. “I may not have a great relationship with my Ma, but I’m thinkin’ it’s not a common thing to blush about your parents,” she smirked. 

“I would be the absolute last person to deny that. We really were fucking idiots, but we still managed to have a little bit of fun,” he shrugged. Not everything was fun, but the beginning of their friendship certainly was. “Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly proud of myself for that. It’s a good time working for Liberty.” He laughed a little when she called it ‘galaxy brain level thinking.’ The longer Will looked at Lottie, the more he realised how much he missed her all these years. And it simultaneously felt like no time and a million years had passed since they lap: lost spoke. “You’re welcome,” he grinned. As she pulled out her phone, he smiled at the picture of the pug. “He is so wrinkly,” he laughed. “That’s a very you dog. I feel like you have always mentioned wanting a pug.” He pushed the phone back over to her. “I’d like to meet him. How are your brothers?” The question came up easily after she mentioned Chris and Charlie.

__

“Aye, but we’re idiots who clean up nice,” Charlotte took a sip from her glass of water--she didn’t drink very much if at all anymore, but especially not while on the job. Too many drunk men around to drop her guard, she thought. “We did have our fair share of fun--some of my happiest memories of Uni were messin’ about the gaff with you. You were good craic, Will. I bet you still are,” Charlotte tossed Will a wink. Will had been one of the few people at school who didn’t think less of her for everything she’d been through--or the stupid shit that she did. Being around him again only reminded her of the happy memories of their time at school together. If this had been last year, she thought, I don’t think I’d be smiling this much. “Well, you should be proud of yourself. I mean, everyone should always be proud of themselves, but you should really be proud of yourself,” she smiled. Conversation quickly turned to Hemmy and Charlotte couldn’t help how her face lit up at the mere mention of that wrinkly boy. “He’s a character that’s for sure,” she chuckled, “He’d love to meet you--he loves everyone. Maybe we can get together for coffee sometime? We can take him for a walk down by the water if you’re not too busy saving the world,” she said quickly before returning the conversation to Hemmy and not her shooting her shot, “It’s really helped to have him around when meeting new people in town--everyone has a million questions about him and I’m happy to talk about him for ages,” she said with a grin. “Oh, Chris and Charlie? They’re grand. Back in Dublin--from what they’ve told me they’re looking to move here. They miss me too much I guess--can’t really blame them, can I?” Charlotte struck a pose. “Would be nice to have them around again--talking to them on the phone while I’m walkin’ home at night isn’t the same as havin’ them around to walk be home.”

__

“That’s very fair. It’s a good skill to have–I think more men should have their feelings hurt, so if I can help at all, just let me know. Lottie, yeah?” He rolled the name over in his mouth; it suited her. “That must be confusing with people who think they need to give you nicknames, huh? I get it though. People call me Fred and it makes me cringe every time. Like, my name’s not Fred and it never will be.” Lottie’s handshake was firm and straightforward, and he got the sense it matched her personality. “The pleasure’s all mine, Lottie. What brings you to the Cove, then?”

__

“Oh, Freddie, don’t say that--I don’t know if you’d recover from me hurting your feelings,” she laughed and propped herself up on her elbows. “I mean, not really--Charlie’s always been Charlie and I’ve always been Lottie. Still don’t know why our parents named him Charlie. I think Da got bored with names by the last one and Ma didn’t give a shit so it didn’t matter,” she chuckled, “but you only get to hear that story at friendship level five.” She looked the man up and down before concurring--he’d never be a Fred. He looked too soft--though clearly a prideful man based on the strength of his handshake and his own admittance. "Aye, so you know I’m not a local? Shame, I really thought I was fittin’ in. I’m here for school--I’m studying for my doctorate in literature at the University of York. I needed a quiet place to live and so I’m here. I gather you’re a local--tell me, Freddie, why did you come back? Did you forget something? Maybe someone?”