STRESSED OUT

“The buy guy in the end,” Harlow said as she pointed out the male who could easily be two people fuzed into one. He was a body builder that she’d taken up on buying her dinner, but once she tried to refuse a second date, he got a little too needy for her taste.

As soon as Marcus saw the guy, he regretted this immediately. But it was too late to turn back now. “You really couldn’t have told me that this dude was shaped like a fucking brick house? What the fuck is that? What does he benchpress? Holy shit.” He took a deep breath. “Alright. Well, hopefully he stays away. Let’s go.”

“I didn’t get a rose,” Isabella said with a small smile on her face as she looked at the male. “I’m kind of crashing with a few people from my job. They didn’t get roses and we thought we should check what was going on.” The brunette said with a shrug, but also because since having a baby, she wanted to be a part of the action so bad. “Plus, I’m a resident surgeon so I thought I could be help if something went wrong. 

Maybe he should have come to this thing with a story or excuse as to why he was here. The fact that he hadn’t gotten a rose was simply something he felt disappointed about. The fact that he was crashing somewhat didn’t matter to him. Except he didn’t want people to know that he hadn’t actually gotten a rose. “Wow, well, at least you have a reason for being here other than the free alcohol.”

Erin looked up, somewhat surprised to see her boss sitting down beside her. She was going to say hello, but Marcus quickly began speaking. Erin raised an eyebrow at him. “Hello to you, too,” she began, a sly smile on her face. “Funny how you’re supposed to be here and yet you’re so defensive.” Erin turned to him, with her most convincing I-know-you’re-lying face. “Seriously, what’s the deal?”

“Yes, I am supposed to be here,” he said with a nod. Then she kept talking. Shit. Well, now he had to say it. She already seemed like she was onto him. Damn it, she knew him too well. “I, uh, didn’t actually get a rose, alright. Jeez, Erin, I didn’t wanna have to admit it.”

      “She’s the beards sister, we should make her happy.” at that the laughter stopped, this time really reaching out to touch like it was an experiment and what she found was the be all end all, “Do you think she’d be happy with this? It’s super...neat…” 

“I’m all for making people happy.” Then she was touching his beard. “Umm, I’m honestly not sure if she’d be happy with this. Maybe we should find her and ask her.” To be honest, he was just going along with whatever she was saying. Even if it meant no sense at all.

“I got two,” Tommy replied, holding up the (store bought) roses proudly. They were slightly mauled from the few moments he had left them unattended with Frank 2, but her figured that added to the authenticity. It wasn’t so much that he cared about whether or not he had gotten a rose (lies), but he had a reputation to uphold, and it could hardly do for him to be seen as someone not in on the joke… 

“You got two? I didn’t even know they were handing out two to people.” Now he really couldn’t say that he hadn’t gotten one. At this point, it would be embarrassing.

“Don’t take it personally, big guy,” she said, reaching over to give the male a firm pat on the shoulder. “You’re a perfectly lovable guy with redeeming qualities that I’m sure anyone would be happy to list down if you just stop brooding in your corner like a supervillain in his origin movie,” she said, all the while keeping a smile as she spoke. 

Marcus pretended to wipe a tear from his face as she patted his shoulder. “That was so beautiful, I think I might cry. Thank you so much. And here I was thinking I had no redeeming qualities at all. You are...truly a good person. Never change.”

“I didn’t get one,” Lilith told him with a furrow of her brow as she looked at the male once more, trying to decipher why the fuck he had gotten one and she hadn’t. After all, it wasn’t that she was a girl, but more that she didn’t look like everyone else. Then again, not everyone looked like her half the time. Most people weren’t tattooed head to toe. With a scoff, the brunette eyed him and their surroundings. “As if you got one and I didn’t,” but frankly, she was certain he was being sarcastic. “This place is bullshit.”

“Why the hell would you think that, just because you didn’t get one, I didn’t get one? Not that I actually got one. I’m just curious and slightly offended.” He leaned back in the chair as he eyed her. “I would’ve totally gotten you one if you wanted one. But did you really want one?”

“Who the hell wasted a perfectly good rose on you?” Harley said with a smirk even though she knew he hadn’t because he would have teased her about the fact that he had gotten a rose and she hadn’t at all. “Bullshit. You know you can’t lie to me. I’m just here for the booze, so what’s your excuse to being here?” She questioned him, hoping to god that he hadn’t found himself a last minute date and they’d chosen to pick this place to spend the night. It would be exactly what she needed, as well as be enough to send her straight home.

“You mean to tell me it wasn’t you? I’m offended that you wouldn’t have gotten me one.” Not that he had gotten her one or anything. Valentine’s Day had become something of a spectator sport for him. He was more inclined to watch the festivities unfold rather than be a part of them. “Harley...I’m here for the free booze. Why else would I want to come?”

         “Well, if that’s really true,” Evelyn said, turning to look at Marcus with a faint hint of a smile framing her lips, “Then you’re very cruel for pointing it out seeing as not everyone got a rose.” She chuckled, clearly in one the whole joke though he could probably convince someone more drunk than her. Either way, she was not one of the chosen ones who’d found a rose on her front porch or wherever, but her son had, and he’d gone, and then shown up at her place too drunk to stand an hour ago, pleading her to go help him find his very new, and very expensive phone. She’d tucked him in and… well, now she was here.

His eyebrows rose in shock. There was absolutely no way in hell she didn’t get a rose. The population of this entire city would be insane not to have flooded her doorstep with them. "Did you not get a rose, Evelyn? Because I find that unbelievable.”

“Hey listen man,” Jude said, beer in hand. It wasn’t so bad coming here, but it definitely could’ve been better. “As someone who did get a rose, I’m definitely more dreading that fact than the fact had I not. I mean, if this party is as far as it goes, then great, lovely, thanks for the free alcohol. But I feel like there’s something coming, and I don’t trust the city council not one bit. They’re fucking up to something, I tell you now.”

"Dude, do you have conspiracy theories running around in your head about the city council? Because...” He paused for dramatic effect. “I’d really like to know what those are.”

“I think you’d look better without it,” Aliyah shoots back meanly, a teasing smirk on her features at the immaturity of her own comment. “It would show off that chiseled jaw, you know?” Slyly, Aliyah reached over and stroked the man’s jaw before her hand dropped down to her sides and she laughed. “What the hell,” she murmured, handing a rose over to the man. “Anyone who can crack my usually emotionless stupor is pretty special so here you go.” 

"...Thanks?” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that one, but he guessed it was half a compliment, half not one. “I mean, I guess. I didn’t know my jaw was so chiseled.” He stopped talking as her hand went to stroke his jaw. Marcus had to chuckle at that. She was extremely blunt and he was a fan of that. “Well, thanks. I’ll try my best to keep it up.” He grabbed the rose. “My dream come true. I feel like I’m on The Bachelorette.”

                               Despite a lot of friendly faces being around, there was something even more comforting in seeing someone who was a parent like himself, and when Marcus began his spiel before Adam could even ask, he ended up laughing it off, palm tapping against his own knee a few times as he came down again. “Alright, so you didn’t get a rose, huh? Well, no shame in that, man—- it seems like more people got one than not, right? And as for fixing cars? Nah, you can’t do that shit on Valentine’s; not when there’s free drinks here, right?” Not that he was taking advantage himself. He was trying to hold back at least, even though it was tempting.

"No, I didn’t get a rose and I really think I should’ve gotten one. Why didn’t you get me a rose, Adam? I thought what we had was special,” he joked, placing a hand over his heart. “You know, you mention free and that’s when my interest immediately piques. This is why I like you, man. You understand my woes.”

“But you’re lying.” Jason blinked with a small smile. “Which is fine, for the record.” He never was able to tell easily before but with his time spent in courtrooms and other various places where he dealt with people lying, he’d gotten the hang of it. “Don’t care if you didn’t get a rose, dude. Not gonna call the cops on you.”

Marcus pretended to be serious for a second as he responded. "Thanks for not calling the cops on me. The last thing I need is more on my record than I already have. I’ve been too good of a samaritan lately to get arrested for crashing a party because I didn’t get a rose.” Then he just shook his head, small smile on his face. “I’m joking. To be honest, I really just wanted a rose.”

                Jamie’s eyes widened as he finished up a sip of his beer, “Bullshit—” He sneered at the man, kicking at the petals on the ground. “That is such bullshit, Marcus.” He laughed, sitting himself down on the stump of a tree next to him. “I’m crashing and nobody gives a shit.” Not one person had seemed to care that he was there without a rose, “You a little bitter that nobody got you one?”

Marcus immediately put his finger to his lips to shush Jamie. He didn’t need that getting out into the air. Not everyone needed to know how salty he was. "Well, man, you don’t gotta point out my bitterness. I was gonna keep it lowkey and you exposed my inner secrets.”

“I’m crashing,” Temple says with a smirk, “Anyone can go,” or so she assumes, she went anyways. It was hard to say no to free good and free drinks. “I definitely don’t have other things to do. I was planning on spending Valiumtines day alone in my apartment,  but then I realized that my neighbors above me like to fuck loudly so that’s not a safe place,” she lets out a laugh, “So here I am, drinkin’ someone else’s wine like it’s mine.”

Well, it sure was good to hear that other people were crashing. Even though there was really no need to be crashing. They just hadn’t gotten roses. Which was a bit The Bachelor, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want one. “You know, I think you’ve got the right idea here. Any wine is good wine if it’s free wine.” For someone who had money, he sure liked free stuff. 

                                Ophelia was taking a small break from dancing, sipping the cool drink in her hand that was disappearing at quite the rate. It had been a while since she had been able to go out and not worry about her little brother,  or her big brother, or their grandma or all the bills that had to be paid, and once she had gotten over the initial guilt from being here instead of working an extra shift at Munchers or tucking Idris in at home, she felt pretty good. The free drinks might have had something to do with that too, but it certainly helped that there were nice people all around—- Marcus included. She laughed lightly at his very obvious attempt to cover up the fact that he didn’t receive a rose, and almost as if anyone could actually hear their conversation over the loud music, she leaned in and whispered, “I didn’t get a rose. Shh, don’t tell anyone.” She chuckled softly under her breath and leaned back in her seat again.

If he was being honest with himself, he probably should’ve been home making sure his son got back in the house in a timely manner. Yet here he was at a Valentine’s Day thing that he technically wasn’t even invited to. Marcus truly didn’t know the rules of this thing. All he knew was that he wanted to get out and have some fun. At least Dante’s mother would be there to wait for him. She tended to stay inside more than he did after all. And she was way more strict than he could ever be. The last thing he wanted was to be like his father in that department. When Ophelia leaned in, he chuckled at what she said. He lowered his voice and whispered as well. “I didn’t get a rose either. I was totally lying.” A smile lifted onto his face, his eyes darting around the area before focusing back on her. “So what made you wanna come here then?”

       “Totally mine…” She hummed once the words jacket and hers came together, the prominence of said pull even more exaggerated now. “Always mine.” Instantly her attention shifted from the jacket to this growly voice’s beard. It was so defined, as if she should pet it like it was a cute little scruffy mutt on the street that deserved some attention, “I like your beard…” and with that burst into a obnoxious laugh, “Kesha, we should be playing Kesha….”

It seemed that she was so far in her own world that she was barely responding to him. She clearly understood what he was saying. Well, at least that was what he assumed. "Uh huh, always yours.” He nodded his head slowly as she spoke, trying to piece together what she was saying. Marcus felt bad if he even thought about leaving her in the state she was in so he stood there as she moved in front of him. “Uh...thanks.” His hand ran over the beard on his face before dropping. “Kesha? Not a fan of the music playing now?”